Disclaimer: The characters from "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World" are owned by Telescene, NewLine Television, The Over the Hill Gang, Coote/Hayes, etc. No profit is being made from this story. No infringement upon copyrighted material is intended.
Setting: Early on in season four, Summerlee and Malone have only been back at the treehouse a very short time, Finn hasn't gone back to the future yet.
Spoilers: Bloodlust, Amazons, The Prisoner, The Source, The Visitor
Description: After a long separation this is the heartwarming story of a family brought together.
Thanks: To Ariadne, CMS, Lisa P, and Santa Crux for the corrections and assuring me they enjoyed this vignette.
Author's Notes: This was inspired by all the Christmas stories. While Christmas isn't mentioned it, seemed apropos.
Reunited
by rann
"So tell me about some more of these adventures you guys had." Finn sparkled with enthusiasm.
"I thought you read them all." Puzzled, Challenger gestured at Malone's journals which were scattered about on the table. "They made excellent material for you to practice your reading."
"But I want to know some of the stuff that wasn't written down." Finn whined.
"If you ask me too much was written down." Marguerite glared at the reporter who sat with ink pen in hand at the table. Malone wisely avoided her gaze.
"Are you still upset over what Ned wrote about how you seduced a giant?" Veronica carried some teacups to the table.
"Why would you be? From what Malone wrote you were one of those, whaddya call 'um - fatal fems."
"Femme fatales," Challenger corrected absently.
"I think Finn had it right." A playful grin spreading across his face, Roxton couldn't resist the gibe. "But while we're on the subject, I'd like to do some editing about one or two of our encounters myself." Roxton walked over and picked up a teacup and held it out to Summerlee. The white-haired botanist smiled at him as he poured out a cup of tea.
"Well, I'm certainly interested to hear what went on while I was away." Summerlee poured more tea out.
"I have to be accurate. It's those details that lend such depth to the tales." Ned defended himself.
"I noticed you weren't that forthcoming about Ana and her Fountain of Youth." Marguerite pointed out.
"The important part of the story was Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth." Ned evaded, shifting in his seat uncomfortably.
"Yes, and you made it quite clear that I wanted to go there but not how you were infatuated with a 400 year old woman." Marguerite sipped at her tea.
"A 400 year old woman? Really Ned, you choose the strangest women to become romantic about." The white haired professor considered the matter. "Although I think Kaya was still the most unusual, kept alive by a parasite." Summerlee looked at the reporter over the edge of his teacup.
"Yes, I noticed you tended to skim over your part in Kaya's visit here as well." Veronica teased. By this time the others were enjoying Ned's discomfiture.
"There really wasn't much to tell…" Ned tried to explain but was interrupted by Challenger.
"You fathered a whole new race of parasites. Quite a notable scientific occurrence. Certainly one that shouldn't be forgotten."
"Fat chance of that around here," mumbled Ned in an undertone.
"And I thought you gave short shrift to your experiences as a werewolf, although you managed to include several pages on my vampire experiences despite not being there." Roxton couldn't resist getting his own jabs in.
"Challenger had a lot to say about it." Ned defended himself.
"Well, that is to say.." Challenger had the grace to blush at the look Roxton turned on him. "I wanted to talk about the cure and it's effectiveness and one thing led to another…"
"Hmmm." Roxton picked up his teacup again. "Maybe Marguerite and I will have to do a little editing." His eyes gleamed at the smile Marguerite gave him. He wasn't quite as pleased with her next words.
"Actually I think the story that needs the most ….fleshing out, so to speak, is the one about your adventures in the Amazon village." This time Challenger, Malone and Roxton all found reasons to look elsewhere.
"Amazons? I say, whatever have you been up to?" Summerlee was intrigued.
"That's what we'd like to know." Veronica put in with a laugh as Marguerite smiled smugly.
"I think Ned's afraid to put in the details, because the book would be banned in Boston." Marguerite teased.
"Not much happened," Ned hurriedly injected.
"Really, it was quite uneventful," Challenger contributed.
"It was rather dull, until of course, you two showed up." Roxton offered.
"I thought you were having a rather ….captivating time. I discovered a whole new facet of your …..interests," Marguerite remarked pointedly. To her amusement Roxton looked momentarily nonplused.
"I told you before, it was just a ruse, to get the upper hand." Roxton was on the defensive.
"So to speak." Marguerite goaded a bit more.
"Amazons?" Finn asked of the group in general. "You mean there really were Amazons around?"
"You've heard of them, they survived until your time?" Challenger was fascinated, his embarrassment forgotten as curiosity overcame other concerns.
Roxton, Ned, Veronica and Marguerite looked closely at the girl from the future.
"It couldn't be," Ned croaked. But even as he denied it, he saw that their new housemate was the spitting image of Phoebe, the young Amazon warrior.
"That's why she seemed so familiar." Roxton was dumbfounded.
"The resemblance is definitely there." Marguerite looked assessing at the girl from the future and then raised an eyebrow at Ned.
"I thought you said 'Nothing happened, nothing at all' were your exact words." Veronica fixed a dark look at the reporter.
"It doesn't mean anything, I mean, just because….well, you know…it could have been anyone."
"How do you know of the Amazons?" Summerlee inquired gently of the young girl.
"When I was little, my grandmother told the story about her mother. I mean, I thought it was just like a kind of fairy tale." Finn reminisced. "She told me about her mother who was this wonderful warrior and fought in great battles with her sister. Only women lived in their village. They fought with knives, swords and bows and arrows." Finn patted her crossbow. "And then one day, this very nice young man who was so very sweet came to their village. He told them he would write down stories about them. My grandmother said, they fell in love, but the young man's friends came and there was a great battle and then the young man had to leave."
"Ned!" Veronica's voice was stern. Everyone was staring at the reporter. Roxton and Marguerite were starting to grin. Summerlee covered his mouth with his hand. Challenger took refuge in his teacup. Ned stood looking from side to side trying to think of a way out of this mess.
"It was you?" Finn looked at the young reporter in astonishment.
"It wasn't suppose to…. I guess…" Ned got no further. Without warning Finn launched herself across the room at him.
"Great-grandpa!"
Birds took flight, small mammals burrowed into their nests, even the raptors fled before the sound of laughter that echoed from the treehouse.
finis
And happy holidays to all!
December, 2005