A/N: This is the first LoZ fic I ever wrote seriously. It actually was started about three years ago and has been finished on and off after having survived through three hiatuses and a serious consideration of scrapping. But I decided to give it another chance, and am actually quite pleased with the results. Rated PG-13 for violence and Link's surprisingly dirty mouth; warnings include angst, sadness, violence, Link/Zelda pairing (no citrus), and alternate realities. The timeline I'm basing things on is a quasi-alternate-reality of my own creation: I base most if not all of my Zelda fanfiction on the idea that all the deeds done and chronicled in the Zelda games (with the exception of the Wind Waker for obvious reasons) were the deeds of one brave young lad chosen by Destiny and the three Goddesses as the Hero of Time, the Legendary Hero. Oh. And I don't own Linky (more's the pity) or Zelda or any of the game's other characters. They are copyrighted to Miyamoto Shigeru-san and Nintendo, the lucky bastards. I own, however, sole copyright of each and every one of my original characters. Steal them and I will hunt you down and break your elbows. Remember: A vague threat is no one's friend. And also, this act is where things kind of get silly. Just keep in mind that most o the time while I was writing this I was in high school and that I've improved dramatically since almost four years ago, AND I had no idea what I was doing when I did start it. So if it seems a little far-fetched...deal with it. xp
-Act II-
-Dimensional Refugees-
7
Kate dashed into her apartment, grabbed some spare clothing and a hairbrush, and stuffed them into a small suitcase. She then went quickly to the phone, picked it up, and dialed John Callahan's phone number. Her relief was compounded when he picked up halfway through the second ring. "Hello?"
"John, it's me, Kate."
"Oh, hi, Kate. What's up?"
"Can you let me crash at your place for a couple days?" she asked, avoiding the reason.
"You're in trouble?" he asked quickly, concerned.
"There's something…happening that I could really use your help with," she hedged.
"You're in trouble. What's the problem?"
"It's a little long to tell you on the phone," she said, deftly sidestepping the question. "Can I tell you when I get there?"
"I guess. But Katie, this had better be one good story," he threatened comically. Kate smiled.
"It will be, I promise."
Kate flew back out to her car to find Link anxiously awaiting her return. "Sorry. We can go now," she said, and turning on the ignition, the car pulled slowly away from the curb and headed toward the ocean.
"So, does he know that we're coming?" Link asked curiously.
Kate didn't answer right away.
Link waited.
"Well, he knows I'm coming. I didn't actually get a chance to tell him about you yet."
At her hesitant tone, Link scowled disapprovingly. "You really should've told him," he said.
Kate grinned at his reproach. "There wasn't exactly time," she replied. "I kind of wanted to get in and out as fast as possible, you know, before the police got to my place?"
He frowned, trying to find some flaw in her logic. "Well, if that's the case, then…" his voice trailed off, and he shrugged.
She laughed. "Oh, Link, you're an absolute treasure," she said between giggles.
Twenty minutes later, the Sonata was moving down the freeway at a leisurely pace when Kate noticed how quiet Link had gotten. For fifteen minutes or so, he'd been asking her all about California, and not all of his questions were easily answered. Without warning, he'd shut off. Kate glanced over at him from the corner of her eye and saw that he was trying very hard not to look at the ocean, and whenever he did, there was a flash of deep, inner pain behind his eyes. He kept his face straight forward, determined not to watch the cresting blue waves as they dashed themselves against the shoreline.
She frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked quietly.
He shook his head. "Nothing," he replied distantly.
She smiled. "Don't give me that," she said lightly. "I saw that look when you caught sight of the water. What's the problem?"
"You're imagining things," he stated rather bluntly. It was as if a window had closed behind his eyes, and nothing she could do would change the fact that he was shutting her out of something very painful.
She let it go, and was further confused a few moments later when a single sea gull flew past the front of the car and Link averted his eyes. She raised an eyebrow curiously. "Now, I know I wasn't imagining that," she told him directly. "What's wrong?" she asked in real concern when his eyes filled with a hurt, distant cast that made her stomach drop.
"I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled softly. "Let's just say that…something happened in my past that I'd rather not discuss and let it go at that, all right?" His tone was very determined, as if he was going to go to his grave with this pain.
She nodded, acquiescing finally to what she figured was typical Hylian stubbornness.
During the rest of the drive, neither of them spoke. Link still was not looking at the ocean, and now it seemed as if he was unable to look at Kate, either. She thought about it, but let it pass, figuring he'd either tell her or not, but it was not an earthshakingly important thing. They pulled into a house facing the ocean and Kate turned the ignition to the off position. She honked the horn once, and a man with long, dark hair opened the front door with a curious expression on his face. Kate smiled. "I'm gonna go explain, now. Cross your fingers."
She stepped from the car, and grinned a hello to her friend. She started speaking, and Link could see the expression on the man's face change from expectancy, to dubiousness, and then to straight out disbelief. Link felt his heart drop into his shoes. There were a few more words spoken, and then the man reluctantly nodded. Kate grinned widely, threw her arms around his neck, and gave him a large hug. The man smiled. Who could resist that kind of impulsive charm, after all?
She came back to the car, a somewhat pensive grin on her face.
It wasn't reassuring.
"Well?" Link asked when she came back.
"I told him it was an emergency," she said. "He took one look at you, and almost called the police himself. But with a little fast talking, I think I managed to convince him that this really is an emergency. Come on, get out. I'll grab your things."
He hauled himself out of the Sonata and walked up the drive toward the dark-haired man. They just looked at each other for a moment, and then Link spoke. Sticking out a hand, he said, "Thank you."
Kate's partner just blinked. Then, he looked down at the proffered hand, took it, and grinned. "No problem."
"Oh, good, you boys are getting along," Kate grinned as she came up the walk with the two bags that held Link's things, and she fumbled with the boxes, dropping one on the ground.
Link grinned and raced over to retrieve it, and he took both boxes from her as he slung the backpack over his good shoulder. He shrugged and he carried his things, and smiled at Kate, missing completely the icy glare sent in his direction by Kate's partner. Kate, however, wasn't so unaware as to the situation. As she walked past him, she scowled and hit him in the stomach. "Be good," she hissed under her breath.
He blinked, and his scowl darkened.
She smiled placatingly. "At the most, he'll be here for a few days. Then he'll be going home. I don't know how yet, but he'll be gone. What could it hurt?"
His face softened considerably, and he shot forward, grabbing one of the boxes from Link. "Can I give you a hand with that?" he asked pleasantly, and Kate let out the breath she didn't even know she'd been holding.
-Act II-
-Dimensional Refugees-
7
Kate dashed into her apartment, grabbed some spare clothing and a hairbrush, and stuffed them into a small suitcase. She then went quickly to the phone, picked it up, and dialed John Callahan's phone number. Her relief was compounded when he picked up halfway through the second ring. "Hello?"
"John, it's me, Kate."
"Oh, hi, Kate. What's up?"
"Can you let me crash at your place for a couple days?" she asked, avoiding the reason.
"You're in trouble?" he asked quickly, concerned.
"There's something…happening that I could really use your help with," she hedged.
"You're in trouble. What's the problem?"
"It's a little long to tell you on the phone," she said, deftly sidestepping the question. "Can I tell you when I get there?"
"I guess. But Katie, this had better be one good story," he threatened comically. Kate smiled.
"It will be, I promise."
Kate flew back out to her car to find Link anxiously awaiting her return. "Sorry. We can go now," she said, and turning on the ignition, the car pulled slowly away from the curb and headed toward the ocean.
"So, does he know that we're coming?" Link asked curiously.
Kate didn't answer right away.
Link waited.
"Well, he knows I'm coming. I didn't actually get a chance to tell him about you yet."
At her hesitant tone, Link scowled disapprovingly. "You really should've told him," he said.
Kate grinned at his reproach. "There wasn't exactly time," she replied. "I kind of wanted to get in and out as fast as possible, you know, before the police got to my place?"
He frowned, trying to find some flaw in her logic. "Well, if that's the case, then…" his voice trailed off, and he shrugged.
She laughed. "Oh, Link, you're an absolute treasure," she said between giggles.
Twenty minutes later, the Sonata was moving down the freeway at a leisurely pace when Kate noticed how quiet Link had gotten. For fifteen minutes or so, he'd been asking her all about California, and not all of his questions were easily answered. Without warning, he'd shut off. Kate glanced over at him from the corner of her eye and saw that he was trying very hard not to look at the ocean, and whenever he did, there was a flash of deep, inner pain behind his eyes. He kept his face straight forward, determined not to watch the cresting blue waves as they dashed themselves against the shoreline.
She frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked quietly.
He shook his head. "Nothing," he replied distantly.
She smiled. "Don't give me that," she said lightly. "I saw that look when you caught sight of the water. What's the problem?"
"You're imagining things," he stated rather bluntly. It was as if a window had closed behind his eyes, and nothing she could do would change the fact that he was shutting her out of something very painful.
She let it go, and was further confused a few moments later when a single sea gull flew past the front of the car and Link averted his eyes. She raised an eyebrow curiously. "Now, I know I wasn't imagining that," she told him directly. "What's wrong?" she asked in real concern when his eyes filled with a hurt, distant cast that made her stomach drop.
"I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled softly. "Let's just say that…something happened in my past that I'd rather not discuss and let it go at that, all right?" His tone was very determined, as if he was going to go to his grave with this pain.
She nodded, acquiescing finally to what she figured was typical Hylian stubbornness.
During the rest of the drive, neither of them spoke. Link still was not looking at the ocean, and now it seemed as if he was unable to look at Kate, either. She thought about it, but let it pass, figuring he'd either tell her or not, but it was not an earthshakingly important thing. They pulled into a house facing the ocean and Kate turned the ignition to the off position. She honked the horn once, and a man with long, dark hair opened the front door with a curious expression on his face. Kate smiled. "I'm gonna go explain, now. Cross your fingers."
She stepped from the car, and grinned a hello to her friend. She started speaking, and Link could see the expression on the man's face change from expectancy, to dubiousness, and then to straight out disbelief. Link felt his heart drop into his shoes. There were a few more words spoken, and then the man reluctantly nodded. Kate grinned widely, threw her arms around his neck, and gave him a large hug. The man smiled. Who could resist that kind of impulsive charm, after all?
She came back to the car, a somewhat pensive grin on her face.
It wasn't reassuring.
"Well?" Link asked when she came back.
"I told him it was an emergency," she said. "He took one look at you, and almost called the police himself. But with a little fast talking, I think I managed to convince him that this really is an emergency. Come on, get out. I'll grab your things."
He hauled himself out of the Sonata and walked up the drive toward the dark-haired man. They just looked at each other for a moment, and then Link spoke. Sticking out a hand, he said, "Thank you."
Kate's partner just blinked. Then, he looked down at the proffered hand, took it, and grinned. "No problem."
"Oh, good, you boys are getting along," Kate grinned as she came up the walk with the two bags that held Link's things, and she fumbled with the boxes, dropping one on the ground.
Link grinned and raced over to retrieve it, and he took both boxes from her as he slung the backpack over his good shoulder. He shrugged and he carried his things, and smiled at Kate, missing completely the icy glare sent in his direction by Kate's partner. Kate, however, wasn't so unaware as to the situation. As she walked past him, she scowled and hit him in the stomach. "Be good," she hissed under her breath.
He blinked, and his scowl darkened.
She smiled placatingly. "At the most, he'll be here for a few days. Then he'll be going home. I don't know how yet, but he'll be gone. What could it hurt?"
His face softened considerably, and he shot forward, grabbing one of the boxes from Link. "Can I give you a hand with that?" he asked pleasantly, and Kate let out the breath she didn't even know she'd been holding.