This is what you want it to be. It can be a very short story, a vignette of Michaela's and Sully's first meeting in an alternate universe. Or it can be a teaser for a long story, if you wish for me to continue.
The summary of the long story would be: What if Sully's conscience forces him to "pull an Andrew Strauss" on Michaela in the throes after 9/11?
Please tell me if you would want to read a fiction like that. I already have three chapters finished and a whole plot for many more to come. In that case, this first chapter will serve as the prologue.
Note: I don't own the rights to anything. Even the title is from Elton John, Bernie Taupin (and George Michael).
Don't let the sun go down on me
By Kate
Chapter One
June 1984
„Don't go too close to the water, Byron!" the young mother cautioned.
The young boy, just about four and a half years old, halted in his tracks and looked back at his parents. Imploringly, he gazed up at his father. He had been itching to get out of the car ever since they left their tiny apartment in the city to race around the beach, soaking up the sun and the sea.
"Leave, 'im be, Kate. Our son has a good head on his shoulders." The young father nudged his wife. "Don't ya, Brynie? Just make sure ta stay out off the deep water. The currents can be pretty strong there."
"But Aidan!…" the woman began.
The young man took his lovely, heavily pregnant wife into his arms and silenced her with a kiss. "Ya gotta let him have some space, Kate. Don't ya worry, I'll watch 'im real closely."
Before his parents could change their minds, the young brown-haired boy shed his t-shirt and threw it carelessly into the sand. Yelping, and clad only in his dark blue swimming trunks, he ran off to the invintingly-looking shoreline. The parents looked after him, watching their boy race over the pristine-white sand towards the multi-shaded blue and green sea.
He loved it out here. Being in stuck in an apartment in a bustling vacation hotspot was not his idea of fun. Ever since they left Colorado for Mexico, the little boy missed his friends from the daycare center but most of all their huge back garden that boarded on a stream and lush forests. But his parents had explained to him that the time they were to spend in Cancún was not to be very long. Being, what they called biologists/botanists, they were currently preparing for their one-year expedition into the Brazilian rain forest at the Science Department of the local university. That was when their real adventure would start. Byron was old enough to understand that this was a very special opportunity for their whole expanding family. There were not many kids his age that could ever experience a whole year of fun and nature in a small settlement far away from what people called civilization. Still, he loved the blue, endless sea and this particular beach out here. There was not going to be an ocean where they were going. So he permanently pestered his parents to drive out here whenever they could. He liked this secluded beach, some dozens of miles south of the city best. It was not nearly as crowded and loud as the beaches all around Cancún and even at his very young age, Byron could appreciate that. Out here, he had his parents to himself. He could swim and fish and climb the palm trees without being bothered by too many teenagers and tourists from his home country. And today, he was on a mission. With the help from their respective mothers, he had managed to exchange some small letters with his friends Larry, Daniel, Hank and Horace back in Colorado Springs ever since they moved. As, apart from Larry whose true Cheyenne name was Cloud Dancing, they were all preschoolers those letters mostly consisted of pictures or other knick-knack little boys found interesting. In his last one, Byron and his mother had told them of the pretty white-pink seashells he had found on the Mexican beach. Now he wanted to gather some of them and mail one to each of his buddies.
But first, he yearned to dip his feet and maybe a little more into the ocean waves. His shrieked with joy and exuberance at the first contact with the water. All the while he was being observed by his loving parents. Relieved, that her son indeed was going to be careful, Kate sat down in the sand, stroking her pregnant belly under her green sundress. Her husband took place beside her. They were alone on the beach apart from a large family that picnicked far off in the distance under the shade of some palm trees.
Byron was happily looking for the prettiest seashells on the beach when some ruckus caught his attention. Some feet away from him, a tiny little girl, who had been playing on her own with her beach toys, was being bothered by an older girl. The redhead towered over the little girl and threatened to destroy the pretty sand-castle the small girl had built.
"I'm bored! I don't like it here, Mike! There are no other kids and funny games and ice cream. We'd have packed up and left for our beach at the hotel long ago if you hadn't made Dad stay with your wailing!"
The youngster was seemingly not pleased with her little sister. The little girl only stared at her older sister with big, hurt eyes.
"I'd say you're about finished here!" the redhead yelled impatiently. When she took the sand bucket from the girl, she deliberately trampled over her sand-castle and threw the toy into the waves.
"Marjorie!" A dark-haired teenager, who had just walked up, exclaimed. "Why are you being so mean to Mike?"
"I want to leave, Rebecca! There's nothing here except sand and boredom," the girl named Marjorie returned.
Rebecca placated. "That's no reason to act it out on Mike. We all love it here. Even Mom, Maureen and Claudette. It's way better than the crowded beaches at the hotel. Not everyone loves the party atmosphere. Besides, you're not even nine yet! What do you want there anyway? If you don't stop it, I'm going to call on you to Mom and Dad….. You stay put, Mike."
Grumbling, Marjorie left with her older sister, leaving the younger one behind.
The girl had listened to the exchange in stoic silence. But when she was left alone, watching her bucket floating in the water, tears threatened to spill forth. She was not allowed to go into the water to fetch the toy by herself.
Byron watched the little girl in her cute coral red bathing costume from afar and immediate compassion welled up in him. He, too, did not like to be bullied by older children. That was why he was fine minding his own business most of the time. But he did not want to stand by as the girl looked so sad. Seeing the blue bucket getting entangled between two rocks in the shallow water, he walked right in and retrieved it. He walked up to the girl and deposited it into her hands.
The girl was surprised to see the bucket back in her possession and looked up at him. Slowly, a huge white, lopsided grin appeared on her freckled face. That was when he noticed.
"Your eyes look funny," he exclaimed before he could hold it back. His mother always told him to be polite and never comment on the outer appearance of people. But that was different. Surely his mother meant only ugly people by that. But this was something Byron had never seen before in his almost five years. The girl had one green and one brown eye.
The girl did not reply to that and only shrugged it off, still smiling at him. She was used to being addressed on her unusual eyes.
"Thanks," she said. "You're nice."
He shuffled his foot in the sand and gladly was saved from having to say something else.
"Byron!"
"Michaela!"
Their parents had come up, having watched the whole scene of him getting the toy for her.
"That was mighty fine of you, young man," her father, obviously, complimented the young boy. "Did you say 'thank you' to your rescuer, Mike?"
The girl nodded and Byron grew pink under the man's praise.
Michaela's mother joined in. "I'm truly sorry that your son had to be bothered. My elder daughter just told me what happened. I don't know what has gotten into her sister, bullying her baby sister like that. She's going to have a stern talking to coming her way."
"Oh," Byron's mother replied. "Don't you worry. Siblings are like that sometimes. I certainly was with mine. And I'm sure, Byron will have his share of quarrels with this one," she patted her stomach.
"Still," Elizabeth replied. "Thank you young man. That was truly chevalier." She stooped down to the level of the boy and for the first time noticed the unusual blue of his eyes.
Byron looked at his father for clarification. "She means that you acted like a gentleman."
Byron grinned uncomfortably but was soon distracted by the girl nudging his side. Smiling up at him, she put something in his hand. "For you," she said.
Byron looked down. It was the prettiest seashell he had ever seen on this beach.
"Lizzie," her father was excited. "Look what Mike's been doing."
"Yes, Josef. She must have noticed that little Byron was looking for seashells." The mother seemed proud as well.
"Pardon me," Josef addressed Byron's parents. "But Mike's always very shy around children her own age. She only gets very animated when talking to older children or grown-ups. She must have taken an instant liking to your son. How old is he?"
"Four," Aidan replied. "Turning five in December. Your Michaela is three, I'm guessing?"
"That's right!" Josef smiled. "I think, they both make a nice pair, don't you agree? Where are you from? I am Josef Quinn, by the way. And this is my wife Elizabeth. You have met my youngest daughter Michaela."
"Aidan and Katherine. We're from Colorado. Colorado Springs, to be exact. But we're taking a year off in order to join an environmental expedition in the Brazilian rain forest. We both are biologists. My husband is a botanist as well. We'll be leaving after we finish our theoretical studies at the universidad Anáhuac Cancún which will be in a few weeks and, of course, after this one is born. I'm due next week….. You are here on holidays?" Katherine asked.
"Yes," Josef replied a little wistfully. "We always spend our summer holidays here. Usually we rent a quaint little house not far from here. But this year my five daughters…. well, mostly my daughter Marjorie… insisted on a little more populated spot and we're staying at a hotel in Cancún. Soon, my vacation time is over and we'll have to head back to Boston."
Elizabeth interjected. "That way it would be very improbable that we meet again…. But let me wish you luck with your expedition. And all the best to you and your new baby."
"Thank you. And to you a very safe trip home," Aidan replied and hands were shook all around.
Both small children stood next to each other, giddily mimicking the behavior of their parents.
"Awwww, aren't they cute?" Katherine smiled. Aidan nodded enthusiastically.
Liking the wonderful picture in front of him, Josef asked. "I hope I'm not too forward. But would you mind if I took a fotograph of you all? I don't have one of those new digital cameras but my old Leica and I accidentally bought a black and white film. I want to shoot it full before our holiday's are over. It will be a cute memory for us with Mike's knight in shining armor."
"Sure," the adults agreed. Aidan and Elizabeth both picked up,their children and posed for the picture. The image was perfect. Three beaming parents in sundresses and shorts with their respective boy and girl in the white sand in front of the deep-blue ocean.
When the Quinns craftet their photo album back home in Boston, the fotograph made it into the book. In neat handwriting Rebecca had written an explanation for years to remember. "Mike and her knight in shining armor". The black-and-white picture did not exhibit the vivid colors of the sea or the dresses anymore but it still showcased the exuberant joy of a happy day.