Chapter 16


"Well, you skipped past a couple stages of grieving pretty quick." Emmerson said from the doorway to Rachel's room, three days had passed since her 'death' and she had only grown more angry and bitter as she laid in the bed with nothing to occupy her.

"I'm stuck here, my friends think I'm dead and there's nothing I can do about it. It seems I don't even get a say in anything that happens to me at all." Rachel said bitterly as she was angry, depressed and jaded.

"Yeah, most folks who end up in WITSEC aren't happy because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time or they are just pissy because the accommodations aren't up to their standard." he said as he leaned against the door frame and looked at her.

"I take it I'm the former." Rachel remarked drily.

"Yeah but most of those in the former group tend to forget that this is to protect them and their families." Emmerson said in a casual manner like they were talking about people deciding what to have for dinner.

"If you're trying to make me feel better. It's not working." Rachel told him, Emmerson gave her a wry smile and shook his head.

"Nope, just laying out for you. Also because while I got you in the angry stage it's best to just tell you what's going to happen from here on out." He said, Rachel remained sullenly silent as she saw no point in fighting him given her injury left her completely at his and Dr Clarke's mercy. "Now, we're going to stay camped here for the next couple of months while you recover. I'll go out for food and other sundries when needed but your main aim is to recover."

"Not like I can do anything else."

"Then I'll be bringing in a friend from the west who will rehab and train you to fight, I'll teach you firearms. Then when you're proficient we'll talk about relocating you to a small town where you can live out your time until the situation with the immunes is resolved. Now we get into the hard part."

"Oh only now?"

"Yeah, people know your face. So we're going to have change something about it." He told her.

"No." Rachel told him in a serious tone as she refused to change her physical appearance. She'd learn how to protect herself, she'd cut her bloody hair if she had to but in no way was she getting her face altered by cosmetic surgery. She already had too many choices taken away from her so she refused to have any more taken from her.

"Look, it won't happen right now but in the future it'll have to be considered if this Immune problem can't be nipped in the bud." Emmerson told her.


"You sure about me going?" Danny asked, he was only being half serious when he asked as it was more of a joke. He knew if she said 'stay' he would. He knew if he asked then the team would search for his family for him. It was a lot to ask of them but he wanted to show Kara that he'd be there for her. He just asked at a really bad time for it to be taken seriously as they'd just finished making love and enjoying the after glow of it.

It was one luxury they hadn't had on the ship but it felt great to actually act as a couple and be alone in their own space of the granny flat. It was only temporary and frankly he couldn't wait to get into their own home. Part of him did want to stay home and be a part of making his house a home for him, Kara and the baby instead of hunting down his family.

"I don't know, I think I've changed my mind." Kara said with a breathless chuckle as she rested her head on his chest and looked up at the ceiling as she dragged the top sheet over her body, not because she was self conscious but because she was starting to feel a little cool, frankly it just felt decadent to be wrapped up in soft cotton sheets.

"I can stay." he said this time being serious. Kara shook her head.

"No, I think it's important you find your family." Kara told him as she didn't know how long R&R would last and she didn't want him regretting the time he could have used to find his family. She knew he grew up in a close knit family for him to not want to find them seemed wrong to her.

"You and this baby are my family." Danny told her.

"Look it's your choice but do you really want to look back and wonder if you hadn't gone now?" Kara asked him.

"I know you're right. I'm just afraid of what I'll find." Danny said quietly, it was a fear that gnawed at him ever since the beginning which was why he was so reticent to leave her in a few hours. He knew it made him a coward but it was easier for him to believe they were out there than to find out they were dead.

"Isn't it better knowing than not?" Kara argued.

"Yeah, true. I'm getting something to drink. You want something?" he asked as he needed space to think about his family and get himself ready to leave Kara for his trip.

"Water would be great." Kara said. Danny gave a nod and slowly extricated himself from under her and moved out the bedroom to the small kitchenette. He filled up a glass of water and looked out the front window as something twigged his senses as being off.

Kara stretched out on the bed and listened to Danny move around the kitchenette. She frowned when she heard the front door open as she knew it way too early visitors.

"Holy-" Danny started.

"What?" Kara asked loudly cutting Danny off before he could curse. A few seconds later, Danny came back into the bedroom and help up a lizard statue. It had been ripped off the wall as it still had wallpaper stuck to it's feet. "Where did you find that?" she asked him.

"There's a trail of them leading from the front door to the house." He informed her. Kara picked up his t-shirt from the floor and pulled it on before she followed him out to their front door. It wasn't more than three steps but right there on the path way was a trail of the lizards like they were migrating to the backdoor of Tex's house. She wasn't sure whether to find it amusing that someone went to the effort or creeped out by the sheer number of statues on the pathway that had been liberated from the hallway of their house.

"Who would do that?" Kara asked him.

"I don't know, but I'm glad they are out of the house." Danny said with a chuckle.


A loud thump sounded from upstairs and Tex looked over to Larrin and Miller who were sitting at the breakfast table looking like mischievous kids who knew they were in trouble and were enjoying the fun until they got shouted at.

"That better be his ass falling out of bed." Tex told Larrin and Miller as he could only assume that thump was Wolf falling out of bed. He'd gotten up early to have first shower only to be halfway through soaping up to find a lizard looking up at him from the bottom of the shower.

It had only been a momentary surprise as he had been afraid of drowning the poor reptile only to find it was a statue. He was otherwise pretty immune to animals invading his personal space as his assignments in the military and as a contractor usually had him in pretty poor living conditions. Either way he finished his shower and came downstairs placing the statue on the dining table not knowing how Kat would react if she found it. Frankly he had a feeling he was being pranked. Something he wasn't alone in given Kara and Danny came in to warn him of the incoming lizard infestation outside his back door.

"Why do I get the feeling you two aren't going to be a normal couple?" Kara asked them, Larrin and Miller both went slightly red as they were so premature in their relationship that Kara just knew they hadn't even kissed but the idea of them being couple was appealing. Kara had to admit they were cute even if a little weird.

"Depends on your definition of 'normal'." Larrin told her with an amused smile before she took a sip of her drink trying to be cool and utterly failing.

"Pulling lizards from our house and dispersing them around the place in the middle of the night. Not normal." Danny said to help Kara clarify it for them. He knew the second he and Kara came into the house that Miller and Larrin were the culprits. He was half tempted to give Miller advice about women but given they were leaving he was saving it for the road.

"But it's fun." Larrin told him, Danny looked to Miller who looked to be in complete agreement with Larrin. "If it helps, Wolf didn't wake at all when we surrounded his bed in them, Not even when I put on his pillow." she added with a mischievous grin as Wolf made a noise of pain from upstairs, Kara couldn't help but smile at that as she could only imagine he just stepped on one of the lizards which made her wonder how many were actually in her house to begin with.

"Thanks for the wake up dear sister of mine." Wolf said as he came down the stairs looking perturbed and tired as he was dressed in sweats and t-shirt with his hair a mess. He placed one of the offending statue on the table before he sat down which only made Larrin and Miller struggle to keep their laughter contained. Even Danny and Kara couldn't help but smile.

"How many are in this house?" Tex asked Larrin as he knew she was the ring leader in her cute 'Snappy Little Number' t-shirt which was a pretty good description of her. Tex smiled and shook his head as he poured Wolf a coffee and placed it on the table.

"Think of it as a lizard hunt." Larrin said with a smile not answering the question purposefully.

"Well, at least it saves me some time yanking them off the wall." Tex said as it was one less job he had to look forward to. Though he had to wonder how many of the statues were just lurking around his house now.

"We didn't get them all and speaking of the lizards, I kind of broke part of your hallway last night." Larrin confessed in a 'please don't be mad with me' tone as she looked to Danny and Kara. The two paused in the eating of their breakfast and exchanged looks before turning their attention to Larrin.

"How bad?" Danny asked.

"Ah-" Larrin and Miller exchanged looks as if mentally having a conversation with one another on how much they should confess before Larrin looked to Kara and Danny. "Fairly bad." she said with a nod and looking contrite but her statement didn't really answer the question or instill a lot of confidence that it was just superficial damage.

"No structural damage. I think." Miller said trying to help but it wasn't really helping at all. Not that Kara and Danny were too upset by it as they figure anything was an improvement as long as the house didn't fall down.

"And there isn't a dead body in the wall." Larrin offered which earned her weird looks from everyone as they wondered why she would say it and it raised the question of how bad the damage was.

"We'll look at it after when you guys are on the road. I assume Kara is the foreman from now on." Tex said looking to Danny as he decided it was best to assess the damage when Danny was gone. The man tended to overreact more than Kara.

"Yeah, you sure about it?" Danny said feeling bad as it felt it was his responsibility to make a home.

"Yeah, me and lizard girl here have it covered. I'm sure it can't be too bad given they both look fine. So don't worry about it." Tex said gesturing to Larrin who wore a fake smile and thumbs up as if it would comfort him.


A couple hours later,

"Take care of yourself out there." Larrin said to Wolf with as much of a smile she could muster as she was going to miss him. She understood why he was leaving and was glad Miller wasn't going to be alone on his search but she was sad to have them both leave so soon.

But their time was limited to go searching for Miller and the other's loved ones. Larrin just hoped they would be ok as she still remembered what it was like to be outside of the cosy safe zone of St Louis. But then she wasn't a soldier so what she found frightening was probably every day thing for them. they certainly were prepared as the SUV was packed to brim with camping gear, food, petrol and other sundries. All them armed with rifles and side arms which was comforting for Larrin to know as they'd need the added protection.

"You try not to get into too much trouble." Wolf said to her as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'll do my best." Larrin wheezed as she playfully slapped him on the back returning his hug but also trying to get him to loosen his hold as he was squeezing the air from her. He let her go after a moment and gave her smile.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Wolf said which what he said to her every time he left.

"Oh so I can do anything and anyone?" She replied in a tongue and cheek manner. Wolf laughed as walked around the car and jumped into the driver's seat. Larrin turned to Miller with a coy smile, she was going to miss him.

"I had fun last night." she said to him in a low voice wanting to keep things light. It wasn't like they were a real couple or anything but she liked to think they were friends with the potential for more once he finished his travels in finding his Mum.

"Me too." Miller said, bar the damage to Kara and Danny's place it had been fun running around with her. He was kind of surprised they got off so easy about the damage but then they hadn't seen it yet. "But if they get mad about the wall just blame it on me." he told her as he was used to getting in trouble. Larrin made a face and shook her head.

"No, it'll be fine and it was my idea." Larrin gave a shrug. " It'll be fixed and forgotten about. so you just focus on finding your Mum and I'll see you when you get back." Larrin said it was a question but a certainty. Her statement that she would be here waiting for him and Wolf to come back. Something that warmed him.