Plain of Sorrows

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I'm having way too much fun with something that doesn't belong to me!

Rating: PG-13

Author's Notes: Hey, I'm just shocked that someone would actually beg me to do anything…now if I can just train the boyfriend…heehee…


Chapter Twenty

Devon was glad that someone had taken the trouble to set up her tent, and made a mental note to find out who it was and thank them properly…once she was done with Uly.

She sat her son down on his bunk, then knelt down to his level. It was amazing, how fast he was growing…the trousers he was wearing were already too short. And there was a wisdom far beyond his years in his pale eyes; he'd been through way too much in his short life.

And then there were the Terrians…she doubted anyone would truly know what they'd done to change her son.

"All right, Uly," she began, "I want you to tell me everything."

"I already did," he answered. He sat cross-legged on the bunk, looking her in the eye.

"You said the ground told you something was wrong?"

"I said that the earth had been hurt, and that there was something to the north that didn't belong here."

"Right." Devon didn't pretend that her only child's new abilities didn't scare her at times, and she could admit to herself that there were times when she tried her best to ignore them. It was just easier to talk to Alonzo about the Terrians, simply because he wasn't related to her. Yes, pretending that Uly was a normal boy wasn't the long-term answer, and it certainly wasn't like the old Devon Adair at all – she was used to dealing with whatever cropped up in her life firmly and with the near single-mindedness that had marked most of her actions since Uly had been diagnosed with the Syndrome.

She couldn't ignore this. What Uly was telling her could lead her to John…and to what had changed him.

"Why didn't the Terrians warn us away from here, if they were the ones who marked this place?"

"I guess because they didn't think there was a reason."

Devon took a deep breath to steady her heart; after all, it wouldn't do to yell at Uly when it wasn't his fault. She was all for making the Terrians the target of her ire. "Why would they think that?"

Uly actually rolled his eyes at her. It was a trick he'd obviously picked up from a certain mechanic, since John was always doing that to her when he believed she'd just said something silly…or obvious. Yes, she missed John Danziger's eye rolling…

"Mom, I can't ask them, can I? They're not here." He spaced out his words, like he was trying to explain something to her that she should already be aware of. Now, that was a trick she was guilty of, and hadn't realized just how condescending it sounded.

She took another deep breath, trying to keep her cool. "What did the earth tell you was the reason?"

Uly went introspective. "If it told me, I don't think I understood it. But I did get the impression that the Terrians did it out of respect."

Respect? Devon mulled that over. "Then…whatever happened here impressed the Terrians."

"Not…exactly." Her son paused. "Mom, you know when Commander O'Neill died?"

"Of course I do." How could she forget it?

"And we buried him, right?"

"Yes, we did…" Uly was going somewhere with this line of reasoning…

And Devon realized just what it was when he said, "Well, we put up a marker, to remember where we'd buried him."

"And that's what the Terrians did!" She didn't need to ask; she knew it just as surely as she knew her own name. "These cat-people died here, and the Terrians marked the place out of respect for the dead, and remember where their graves were!"

Uly smiled brightly. "Yeah, that's it!"

Devon returned the smile. It made so much sense…of course, why would the Terrians warn them away from a graveyard? As far as they'd known, there was nothing there that would put the humans in any danger. Especially if they themselves hadn't been there in centuries…

Did the Terrians even have the notion of ghosts?

Well, Devon hadn't been particularly superstitious until John himself had brought up the notion, although he'd denied that he'd meant it that way. Yet, all the scanty evidence they had pointed to some sort of haunting, although it might be something completely explainable with more proof.

She turned back to Uly. "Did the ground tell you how these people died?"

Her son shook his head. "No, Mom. Although it has something to do with what hurt the earth, I'm sure of it."

Devon chewed the inside of her lip thoughtfully. "And you think John's there?"

"I don't know, but it makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does." She climbed up onto the bunk next to her son, putting her arm around him and hugging him closely. "Uly, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom." He was embarrassed, she could tell by the tone of his voice. "I really want to find Mr. Danziger."

"So do I."

They sat there in silence for a short time, Devon reveling in the closeness she shared with her son. He was her miracle, and she didn't even want to think how she could ever live without him.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Uly?"

"I'm hungry."

Devon laughed. "Then let's get something to eat, shall we?"

They both stood. Uly hugged her once more. "I love you, Mom."

"Me too, kiddo." She used John's nickname for Uly, it just sounded so right. She hoped that they'd be able to bring him home soon…