Disclaimer: I don't own Sea Patrol

It's All In The Cards…

It was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard, but at the same time she wasn't about to be the one who grabbed something like Nikki enjoyed, take it and stomp on it. That wasn't who she was… most of the time. But she'd never be like that with Nikki. ET maybe. Swain at times. Spider constantly. But never Nikki. So here she was, the main street of the city only mildly deserted in the afternoon heat, walking to a fortune teller. The images of a creepy little old woman hunched over a glass orb made her smile and it seemed Nikki saw this because she gave a smile back.

"There you go. I knew you'd come around." She commented, not realising the look was associated with laughing at a decrepit little woman rather than learning about her future. Nikki continued. "She's the best in Australia. 93 accuracy. Imagine that."

Nikki looked so excited by the whole thing, rather shocking everyone on the ship when she'd first openly suggested going to see the woman while in port. Everyone, even ET, had looked away momentarily and Nikki had looked so sad. So, eager to keep friends with the girl, she'd stepped forward. And now she was thoroughly regretting it. 50 bucks to sit with an old woman, read cards and be told there was a dark, handsome stranger in her future. Blah. Her sister Jessica could read her the cards and be likely to hit the spot more accurately.

So, rather than comment on the last 7, she fell into step with Nikki, determined to enjoy the experience at the least.

*

Nikki shouldered her awake as the fumes in the room got the better of her. Glancing up her eyes fell on a woman barely older than she and Nikki, dressed not in flowing garments but rather a nice peasant top and… jeans? She took a second look, it obvious to the other two in the room that she was a little taken back by the normality of the woman. Nikki just smiled.

"You go first okay? I might be a while." Nikki grinned.

She just shook her head and followed the woman into her little cove. Rather than the stereotypical orb and smoke-filled room she found herself sitting across from the woman in a rather smart room. On the shelves were the usual things, orbs and cards, but no shrunken heads or bottles of potions. She must've looked disappointed because the fotune teller laughed.

"You look a little let down Miss Brown." She said.

Rebecca glanced up. "How did you know my name?" Then she realized Nikki must've told her. "Oh, right, Nikki. Kay, yeah, a bit."

The fortune teller just smiled at the suggestion she'd been told anything and then pulled out a deck of tarot cards. She placed them on the table. "Split the deck."

Rebecca glanced back at her. "Yeah, okay." She 'split' the deck as was suggested and the fortune teller started laying them out. Rebecca watched the entire thing, bored out of her mind, until the fortune teller finally spoke.

"Yes, I see your issue. Do you?" Her finger danced over The Lovers card and Rebecca frowned.

"Lovers? Ha, so far so good, I'm single." She leaned back in chair, a victory achieved, until the fortune teller chuckled.

"No, The Lovers isn't just that. It refers to all emotions. Emotions which control the heart and the mind. And this is your problem. Your heart and your mind are in conflict." At this she dramatically flipped over two cards sitting on either side of the Lovers. One was the Fool, the other the Hermit. And instantly Rebecca knew the problem that the fortune teller had found.

"The Fool and The Hermit. I know who they refer to." Rebecca admitted.

The fortune teller smiled. "They do not usually refer to real people, but rather our emotions. Currently the Fool is in your heart space but he is quickly entering your headspace. The Fool represents potential, increased energy and he is neither positive or negative. The Hermit is the opposite, in your headspace and slowly entering your heart. He is a teacher and will take you far, but once your lessons have been learnt he will leave. The Fool and the Hermit, like your heart and mind at the moment, are alone. Your choice is where you let them go. If you do not control them they will both rule your head and heart and then you will be lost to truth."

The Fool and The Hermit ruled both her head and her heart. Rebecca knew this to be true. The Hermit, RO, the man she valued above everyone else. Long ago he had ruled her head, helping her when she needed to be calm and kept her sane, but now her feelings for him had gone strange, into her heart. The Fool, Spider, a fool if ever she saw any. But like the Fool in tarot he didn't care what people thought. He had ruled her heart from the first moment she'd seen him, but now he was in her head to, making her question exactly what she wanted and was it calm and kind? Or was it fun?

She turned her attention back to the tarot cards laid out before her and saw a pair of cards the fortune teller had placed together. "What do they mean?" She asked, pointing to them.

The firtune teller nodded. "They are you. They help me know you. The Chariot and Strength. The Chariot represents emotions, a side that you seen to undervalue, hence why it is beneath the Strength card. Strength is your strongest façade, but your biggest err. You hate it, but you hide behind it. It makes you two people, another reason why your head and heart are so hard to control."

Rebecca knew she was right. Two people, like the Gemini she was born under. One Rebecca, emotional and kind. Caring and true. The other Bomber, hard-nosed and opinionated. She valued both of her sides but they did make life hard. Rebecca valued RO, a perfect balance to her. But Bomber needed Spider to keep her alert, keep her strong and to never underestimate her.

"There is two of me. And the Fool and the Hermit each own one part. But how do I resolve this?" She asked, no longer a pessimist but now eager to find any kind of answer she could.

The fortune teller nodded. "I knew you would ask this, that is why I drew this. But I'm afraid there is no set answer." She handed Rebecca a card and she looked down at it. The Wheel of Fortune.

"What does it mean?" She asked, still looking at it as if trying to find an answer in it.

"It means that the future in this area is undecided. The cards and I cannot tell you what is to come. But I give you just one piece of wisdom. Figure out what part of you, Strength or the Chariot, rules your head and you will know who rules your heart." Then she leant back in her chair, clearly finished.

Rebecca frowned. "There was be something else."

The fortune teller nodded. "Draw the top card. This is your only answer here. I'm sorry."

Rebecca did what she was told and drew the card, staring down at it. Without having seen it the fortune teller spoke. "The Hanged Man represents looking at things a new way, like Odin did when he hung from the World Tree for nine days. If you look at something a new way, realise who rules your head, and exactly what side of you is your strongest, then you will learn whether it is the Hermit or the Fool who rules your heart."

Rebecca threw the card down on the table, upset with how this had ended but not at all shocked by it. She was quickly returning to the pessimistic ideals she'd entered with. But as the Hanged Man hit the table it flipped one of the cards face down. One of the two, the Hermit or the Fool, and it dawned on Rebecca then exactly who ruled her heart.

She glanced up at the smiling fortune teller and then left.