HAPPY NEW YEAR'S, EVERYBODY!!!

...I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season, as well. God bless you all in the coming year.

To my reviewer:

KJ: You're probably like the only person in the world who's seen that last rewritten chapter. Oh well!

Aww, thank you! I'm thrilled you love Chapter 3 so much – it's my favorite, too. For now, at any rate – we'll see what the future brings. =) And you actually printed it out? Wow.

And thank you for your comments on Chapter 4! The awesome thing about the rewriting is that, thanks to a certain story we've been… ahem, acting out… well, really, the rewriting and the roleplay are both improving each other. And partly because of the roleplay, the relationship between Buzz and Erin is being fleshed-out and deepened, and I just love that. They have such great dynamics with each other, and it's not just because I'm writing it that way. Buzz is, of course, a very established character (though I'll admit, I think I do tend to write him maybe a little more mature and levelheaded than is strictly canon). Meantime, Erin herself is more than a year old now, and her own character has done some growing up in the past year, but now she's also very established. She's actually grown to the point now where I'm not developing her anymore – she acts and develops on her own, without any help from me. It's kind of like being a mom whose firstborn is leaving home – you're proud, but at the same time, you're kind of sad.

And about what you said about Erin looking at Warp's record… Uh-huh. I understand completely. We'll leave it at that. xD

Showtime!

==Chapter 5==

My World Is Beginning Today

If I take one more step, it'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been.

- Sam Gamgee, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (movie)

Star Cruiser 42, Alpha Quadrant; 4/5/3009

It was a Friday, but that couldn't be the reason for Buzz's chipper attitude. Friday meant the end of the workweek, which meant two whole days in which Buzz Lightyear was not at work, which was not a good thing for him. Yet the man had been whistling an annoying tune all day – even when he escorted lawbreakers to the brig, for stars' sakes! – and Booster and XR didn't know what to make of it. Mira would simply close her eyes and try to block out the whistling – lucky Tangean.

Eventually, XR spoke up – but only because he lost the coin toss. "So… skipper… What's with the sunshine today? Something big happening?"

Buzz stopped whistling, and turned in his seat to face the little robot. "You bet, Ranger. Erin can leave the Medbay today."

"And go home with Mira?" Booster finished with an eager smile. "Wow, that's so great!"

"Yeah, you can say that – you won't have to share your apartment with her," Mira quipped. Seeing the slightly deflated look on her teammate's face, she shook her head and said, "I'm kidding, Booster."

"Betcha it's gonna be quite a culture shock, though," Buzz commented.

"Can't be any worse than the culture shock she got when she first arrived," Mira pointed out.

"Does she know yet if she wants to be a Ranger or not?" Booster asked Buzz.

"She's still thinking about it," Buzz replied. "You know it's a pretty big decision."

"What's so big about it?" XR frowned. "I mean, it's not like it's something so un-retractable that she can't change careers later down the road."

Buzz pinned his rookie with a sharp look. "True, but think about it, XR: Space Rangers swear an oath To Serve and Protect. To commit yourself to that for even two years of your life is no small career choice."

Medbay room 024, Star Command; 4:26pm or 1626 hours

Erin was finally changing out of hospital gowns and into real clothes. Unfortunately, her old clothes had been burned beyond repair, so she was dressing into a female Ranger bodysuit in her size. Her once slightly-heavy body had thinned out quite a bit in her two and a half weeks of hospitalization – one of the few benefits she'd received. The suit was warm and snug, and Erin reveled in the feeling of wearing pants again.

She moved to the mirror to brush her snarly curls, and stopped. Of course, she'd seen herself in the mirror before, while using the bathroom, but now she really studied herself. Her face – and her whole figure with it – was much leaner as a result of her weight loss, and honestly? She very much looked as though she'd been through a war.

Despite the fact that medicine in this day and age could heal burns and scars much more quickly, her skin was still a mass of light scar tissue. The most noticeable scar was a large patch that began at the right side of her forehead and moved down to cover most of the cheek below. The LGMs had assured her that the scars would heal soon, but it was still… odd? Disconcerting? Interesting?

She wasn't sure.

She lightly traced the pale lines all over her face, then reached up to finger comb her hair back. Her dark brown hair was just regaining its luster, and where once it had reached past her waist, it now hung merely to her shoulder blades. The LGMs had needed to cut the burned hair away when they'd first operated on her. She couldn't help but feel a bit wistful at the loss: like Jo of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Erin considered her long hair her only claim to beauty. It was thick and gloriously curly – dark brown for the most part, though she had several natural golden highlights, and the longer her hair grew, the more it took on an auburn tint.

She sighed despondently and picked up her brush to start working at the tangled mess, singing quietly as she did.

I'm not too sure that I can go much father

I'm really not sure things are even getting better

I'm so tired of the me that has to disagree

And so tired of the me that's in control

~*~

I woke up to see the sun shining all around

How could it shine down on me?

You'd think that it would notice

I can't take anymore

I had to ask myself

"What's it really for?"

Buzz came to a stop outside Erin's room and paused, hearing singing within.

Everything I tried to do, it didn't matter

And now I might be better off just rolling over

'Cause you know I tried to hard but couldn't change a thing

And it hurts so much I might as well let go

He closed his eyes briefly in pain and exhaled slowly. "Oh, Erin." It had been more than two weeks since she'd entered into his life so abruptly… more than two weeks since her world had changed forever.

I can't really take the sun shining all around me

Why would it shine down on me?

You'd think that it would notice

I no longer believe

Can't help telling myself

"It don't mean a thing"

She was still recovering.

Buzz couldn't blame her.

I woke up to see the sun shining all around me

How could it shine down on me?

Sun shining all its beauty

Why would it shine down on me?

You'd think that it would notice

I can't take anymore

Just had to ask myself

"What's it really for~?"

She had a beautiful voice. Buzz shook his head and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" she called.

"Buzz."

"Oh, Buzz! Come in!"

He opened the door and entered, leaning against the frame; and she whirled around to grace him with a smile. "I'm almost ready to go!" she told him. "Is Mira ready?"

"Ready as she'll ever be," Buzz smiled back. "And hi to you, too."

"Sorry." Erin's smile turned embarrassed. "I'm just excited to get out of here – well, a little scared, too."

"You don't have to be," he assured her, standing and moving away from the door, letting it whir shut. "Mira and I are here for you – Booster and XR, too."

"I know," she said quietly, taking a few steps forward. She stopped in mid-stride and blinked, momentarily disoriented. "Man, I wish these 'unbalanced' flashes would stop." She blinked again and shook her head. "It's so different, seeing the world from three inches higher than I'm used to."

"I'll bet," Buzz frowned slightly. "It's weird to see you taller. It shows – especially your neck."

"Because it's longer," she finished, nodding again. "I hafta say, it's great, though. The LGMs tell me that my back needs serious strengthening now, because they can reinforce my spine only so much and then it's up to my muscles. I'm gonna need some serious exercise."

"I think I can help with that," he nodded thoughtfully.

"I figured you could," Erin smirked, then her eyebrows knit together slightly. "I definitely need to do something – I can't just lie around for the rest of my life feeling sorry for myself, or I'll go crazy." Her frown deepened as she added, almost to herself, "Craters, I won't even be able to lie around for the next month without going crazy – which is almost basically what the LGMs want me to do."

Buzz had to smirk then, because he knew all too well what that felt like. "One month, then exercise?"

"Yeah."

"Weeell… that might not be so bad. I mean, it'll take you a while anyway to orientate yourself to… um…"

"'Another time, another place'?" Erin finished, massaging her right upper arm. "True." She sighed. "Which brings up something else: lately, I can't keep my mind off of going back to Michigan."

"Give it a week, Sis," Buzz advised. "We can go next Saturday – craters, we can take the whole team with us if you want."

"A week?" she echoed. She started to sway dramatically, falling back upon her bed – hand resting on her forehead and eyes closed. "Agh, the suspense is gonna kill me!"

"If culture shock doesn't kill you first," Buzz quipped.

She lifted her head slightly and opened one eye to pin him with a glare. "You're a very funny man."

He shrugged. "I try." Then he had to duck a pillow hurled at him. "Hey!"

Erin laughed. "C'mon, Buzz, haven't you ever had a pillow fight?"

"No!"

"Neither have I," she grinned, "so let's have a first!" And she hurled her second pillow at him, which left her with just one more.

Buzz growled slightly, muttering something under his breath about impossible teenage girls, and flung one of the pillows back at Erin, then the other. The first hit the wall above her head and dropped on her back as she ducked. As she shrieked, the second just missed her bed. She pitched one of the pillows back at Buzz, then another. Both were in the wind-up for the next toss when the door opened again.

"Uh, B-Buzz?" The sight that met Mira Nova's eyes was a rather comical one – at least, as far as her captain was concerned. For said captain now wore a sheepish expression as he stood poised to hurl a pillow in Erin's direction.

Then Buzz managed to pull himself together just enough to lower the pillow and resume a more casual stance, though the sheepish look remained. "Uh, Mira, um, Erin's almost ready to go. Right, Erin?"

"Yeah, right," Erin echoed, disembarking from her bed and hurrying over to her backpack to make sure that she had everything. "Umm, I actually think I'm… all set… Yep. Ready to go." She pulled her backpack on and saluted casually at Mira.

Mira's eyes, under knitted brows, darted back and forth between Buzz and Erin. Surely the great Buzz Lightyear had not been stooping to a pillow fight, of all things? But it sure looked like that was exactly what he had been doing. Sweet mother of Venus, what was having a new little sister doing to him? Not that it was a bad thing, but it was kinda weird. "M'kaaay," Mira said slowly, then shook herself out of her daze, straightening. "Right." She swung her key-ring around her index finger. "Well… let's go."

Mira deliberately set a slow pace to the parking deck, aware that Erin would want to soak in the sights. After all, the girl had not been outside the Medbay since she'd first woken up here, and there was a lot to see. Mira herself began to see the station through new eyes once more, as she had almost three years ago when she'd first entered the Academy.

Erin's senses hungrily absorbed it all. The slippery hall floors were the first thing she'd noticed; next, the gleaming white corridors and the crisp green and purple accents. And if she wasn't mistaken, that was fluorescent lighting above in the ceiling. Everything was so sparkling, as if the station were brand-new – a tribute to her janitorial system.

But once they left the Medbay… "Oh wow," Erin breathed.

People of all descriptions passed before her eyes. Feline, reptilian, saurian, avian, humanoid… different colors of skin, hair, and eyes… So many different races, and she didn't even know a fraction of them. Further down the hall, one woman – a human blonde – called out, "Hey, Mira!"

Mira turned at the shout and waved, "Hi, Janet!"

Janet waved back and continued on her way. Erin turned to Mira and asked, "Who's that?"

"Captain Janet Astrelle," Mira replied. "She's one of the few women who's made it to the rank of Captain, and she has her own team. She and I are kinda friends."

"Kinda?" Erin echoed archly.

"Well, yeah," said Mira, slightly abashed. "I mean, I guess we'd be pretty good friends if we spent more time with each other." Recovering, she began to stride forward once more. "But life is busy, y'know?"

"I hear ya." And they were off, again.

At the same time, it was like Star Wars and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and yet totally unlike anything she had ever seen before.

It was better.

It was real.

She was really there.

Her heart was throbbing so quickly that it could have beaten its way out of her chest. She was alive, alive, alive – here and now.

So many thoughts and emotions swam inside her that she was suddenly dizzy from it all. She stopped, swaying, and Buzz was instantly behind her, holding her and saying something in a concerned tone. Mira was right in front of her, also speaking. For a few moments, Erin couldn't make out the words. "I… Buzz, Mira, I…"

"Erin?"

"Erin, are you all right?"

"Erin, can you hear me?"

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Thirty-two," she managed to grin, eliciting frowns from her self-appointed guardians. "I'm okay, guys – I just got dizzy for a minute, there."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mira asked, and Buzz asked at the same time, "Would you like me to carry you?"

Erin straightened immediately. "I'm fine. And I don't need to be carried, thanks."

The walk continued until Buzz called another halt. "Wait. There's something I want Erin to see."

Mira frowned, then realized where exactly they were; and the frown melted into a look of understanding.

"What is it, Buzz?" Erin asked, cocking her head slightly.

He grinned at her, his blue eyes dancing with a secret. "Close your eyes."

"Oookaaay…"

But she obeyed, and Buzz led her through a door. They took a few steps that echoed, then he announced, "All right – you can look now."

She opened her eyes… and immediately, her breath caught. Below the station lay a beautiful blue-green planet, laced with white and grey clouds. Above the planet spread a vast ebony field, spangled with brilliant stars.

Outer Space.

She exhaled shakily, and took one uncertain step forward, still in awe. She just stood there, gazing in silence at the incredible majesty before her.

At last, she turned slightly to Buzz, wonder shining in her brown eyes. "It's…"

"I know." He wasn't looking at her – he was looking out the transparisteel, too. His azure eyes were bright but soft. "When I first became a Ranger… I came here often." He glanced down at her with a slight smile. "It's a good place to be alone, and to think."

For the first time, Erin studied the room they stood in. It was large and mostly empty, except for one couch, two armchairs, and a coffee table in the midst of them. A sort of observatory.

She took a deep breath, steadier this time. "Thank you. So much."

Buzz said nothing, merely smiled at her and wound his arm around her waist as he led her back into the corridor.

Mira waited in silence, contemplative, her cerulean eyes following the movement of her captain and his sister. This was a side of Buzz Lightyear that she had never seen before – truth to tell, hadn't even so much as considered that it could exist. This newcomer… drew out something warm and gentle in him, and Mira could tell that already, they were growing close.

She didn't understand why her own heart ached just a little at the thought of it.

It was Erin's first time flying consciously through space, even though it was simply from the station to the planet, which was not a long ride. But actually being out there just took her breath away… She had the vague, amused thought that if she had many more experiences that made her breath catch, she would die of asphyxiation.

It was so… so big out there. Empty. Lonely, even. But not in a bad way.

With that last thought, she figured that her brain was overtired, what with all that she'd been through. She wasn't making much sense to herself.

She shifted in her seat in Mira's silver Cayona Firespitter. "Sweet ride," she commented quietly.

Mira flicked a brief glance at her passenger. "Thanks. Birthday present from my dad."

Erin grinned softly. "He must trust you a lot to give you something like this."

"Have you been studying up on 31st century cars in the MedBay?" The princess's tone was not accusatory, merely curious.

"Nope. Don't know all that much about cars in general," Erin admitted frankly. "But this baby just looks fast, y'know?"

"I know," Mira grinned. "It was love at first sight for me."

"I'll bet." Pause. "So… um, does your dad actually feel comfortable with letting you drive this?"

Mira couldn't help smirking. "Not really. I mean, he knows that I'm a more-than-capable pilot, but then again… he's my dad, you know?"

"Yep. My dad was like that, too."

They lapsed back into silence for a couple of minutes as Mira entered one of the skylanes, headed down into the atmosphere of Capital Planet. The lanes were just about jammed-full with after-work traffic, which slowed Mira down but gave Erin another sight to see. The skylane they drove through was a lane for cars and smaller ships, but nearby wound a much larger lane for the big craft.

"Whoa," she breathed, watching a majestic navy-blue craft drift through the other lane. The ship was shaped almost like a clam shell with three fins at the back – on top, and on either side. The enormous thrusters in the back – Erin realized that one could drive two of Mira's Firespitter in with room to spare – spewed blue-white fire.

Curious, Mira followed her line of sight to the ship and smiled. "That's the Lorrean Senator's ship, the Serendipity."

"It's gorgeous," Erin said in the same awed but adoring tone as before.

Mira nodded, returning her attention to the lane. Craters, these cars were moving too slow! She sighed in frustration.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just this darn slow lane, is all."

"Oh." Pause. "Mira?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you're okay with this? Taking me in as your roommate, I mean?"

"Of course!" Mira frowned slightly. "You need a place to stay, and I don't think Buzz's house is the best home for you."

"Mm."

Then Mira understood. "You think I'm just doing this out of charity?"

The younger girl's voice was very quiet as she said, "I don't know."

Mira sighed gustily and shook her head, reaching over to briefly squeeze Erin's hand. "M'kay, look, kiddo, I'm doing this for two reasons: a) because Buzz just about ordered me to – and believe me, there are times when you definitely don't want to cross him – and b) I like you a lot. No, I haven't spent as much time with you yet as Buzz has already, and no, we aren't exactly what you'd call friends yet; but I will and we will, okay?"

Erin's lightly-scarred face broke into a grin. "Okay."

Like Star Command itself, Erin found Capital City to be a cross somewhere between the cartoon, Star Wars, and real life – and imagined that it was something like driving through a sci-fi movie set that was actually built instead of blue screen.

The buildings were certainly more colorful than original Earthling architecture, utilizing mostly blues, red, oranges, and yellows. Erin wondered if her own race was the one people in all the galaxy who used more grounded colors in their designs. Skyscrapers dominated the capital's skyline, but below, there were many rounded and circular buildings that were totally unlike anything Erin knew of her world's many different architectural styles. Even so, there was the occasional building that seemed to be intentionally designed in what was known as the "Old Earthling" style – which basically covered any kind of building made in Erin's day, anywhere in the world.

The city herself was enormous, second only to Tradeworld. The entire eastern seaboard of the old United States had been eaten up by Capital City, stretching from Maine to Florida. At its widest point, it touched the Ohio River.

The Milky War had left most of Earth's cities devastated, but parts of Manhattan and Washington, D.C. had survived intact. When the time came to build a capital city, the construction started in the almost-leveled New York City, and quickly ran down the coastline. In less than half a century, Manhattan and D.C. were connected, and the city continued to spread. However, after two centuries of extraterrestrial control of planet Earth, humans were justly concerned that the never-ending growth of the city would eventually devour the old continental U.S.A. The Confederacy of Sovereign Planets, or the CSP, drew up boundary lines for the city and her suburbs, and no one could add on to the city beyond that. So when the time came for new suburbs, they were actually implemented in the sites of other formerly-great Earthling cities – London, Paris, Tokyo, and Hong-Kong, to name a few. Capital City was the only city in the galaxy possessing suburbs all over her planet.

The sun was low in the sky when Mira finally pulled into the parking lot of a sleek apartment building. It was a deep golden color – like a ripe wheat field just before sunset – and just as futuristic as any other structure Erin had seen thus far. "Here it is," Mira announced, turning off the car and stepping out. "Home sweet home."

Erin stepped out, took her backpack and purse, and shut the passenger door. "It's beautiful."

Mira smiled sheepishly. "Well, um, my apartment itself isn't quite so nice – not-not that it isn't inherently nice, but, you know, I haven't cleaned it up completely yet, not saying that I'm messy, but it just isn't the cleanest right now –"

"Mira, I'm sure it's just fine!" Erin laughed, holding up a hand to stop her companion. "Let's just get in. I'm starving."

As Mira led the way inside, to the lift, and up to the twentieth floor, she asked over her shoulder, "You don't mind speed-dial pizza, do you? I was going to pick up something while we were going through town, but I decided I didn't want to deal with the traffic any longer than I had to."

"Speed-dial's fine," Erin assured her. The bell on the lift chimed, and the two girls stepped out.

"Right over here," Mira told her, heading to the fourth door on the left. She took out her keycard and inserted it into the lock. The door opened, and she took the card back out and stepped in.

"Aww, Mira, it's really cute!" Erin gushed, setting her backpack down in a chair by the door. The apartment could well have belonged to a working girl from Erin's time, if not for the telltale signs of better technology here and there. It looked altogether snug and cozy.

"Eh, it's not much," Mira shrugged, "but it's my own, you know? C'mon, I'll show you your room."

The door opened into the living room, which in turn was open to the kitchen, which sat just beyond a coat closet. Beyond the two rooms was a short hallway, on which were four doors: a laundry room, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. "I used to use this room to dump whatever stuff was lying around," Mira explained, "but I don't really need that. So… what do you think?"

The walls were off-white, the rug was navy-blue, the curtains were the same color, and the bed, nightstand, desk and chair, and dresser were all metal. It was small and plain, but Erin's artistic eyes could see right away that it had the potential to be a sweet little room. She turned to her new roommate. "I like it," she grinned.

"Good!" Mira smiled, obviously relieved. "And hey, first thing tomorrow, we need to see about getting you a new wardrobe. You're taller than you used to be, but I think you're just a leetle too short to comfortably fit into my clothes."

"Oh, just a little!" Erin agreed, laughing. Mira was actually 5'9", a full 6 inches taller than Erin.

"M'kay, well, you put your stuff away, and I'll do that speed-dial."

"Sounds good." Erin sauntered over to her window and looked out. She had a magnificent view of the Capital City skyline. All that gleaming metal in various rainbow colors made the city look like a forest of jeweled spires.

Then she moved away and began to unpack.

Sleep did not come easily that night. Reading e-books on her PDA sometimes helped Erin to fall asleep, but she was reading past midnight. Eventually, she had to give it up, due to the fact that her battery was losing power. So she tossed incessantly in bed, hot and too awake. Sometime around two o'clock, she finally managed to fall into a fitful sleep, from which she woke again at five and could not manage to go back.

So she got out of bed and dressed in some old clothes Mira was letting her borrow. A forest-green hooded sweatshirt over a heather-grey tee topped a pair of faded blue jeans. Then came a pair of Gemini mocs that were slightly too roomy.

She'd never done this before. Had never been in public without an adult or a "safety buddy." Not that this would exactly be public, but…

She paused with her hand on the door terminal, felt a wry smile creep up on her. "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door," she whispered. "You step onto the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."

She palmed the door open and shut it behind her.

Perelandra Avenue, Artemis District, Capital City; 5:34am CCT, 4/6/3009

Capital City was at her quietest in the hours just before dawn. A lone car passed by the apartment as Erin stepped out, its only noise a soft, wind-like hush. The air was so still – she would not have believed that one could find such peace in the midst of a city, still less a city as enormous as the capital.

It was cold and dark yet. A handful of stars twinkled fitfully in the dark blue sky above, one brighter, steadier star in the midst of them. Erin smiled softly up at that star, knowing exactly what it was: a certain space station.

She exhaled in a puff of air and stepped away from the apartment. She had no destination in mind, but she made sure to keep track of where she was so that she could find her way back. Her feet took her down the street and a block over, till she was standing in a large park.

The leaves on the trees and bushes were still growing, and it was all very green and fresh. With a bittersweet pang, she realized that it was the first green she'd seen since early last fall. When she had… left… home, it had been late March with snow still on the ground.

She'd almost forgotten how much she missed that green.

She wandered around the park for a bit, clambering up higher ground until she came to a bluff. It provided a wonderful view of both the park and the city skyline beyond. In the east, the sky held a soft violet tinge as it began to blush toward dawn.

Cautious, she lowered herself at the edge of the bluff and sat with her legs hanging over the side, swinging in empty air. There was something exhilarating about it. She leaned to the right, her elbow on the ground and supporting her. A gentle breeze played with the leaves and ruffled her hair.

A tune that she had been quietly humming now took on words in the form of one of her favorite songs:

With a sigh, you turn away

With a deepening heart

No more words to say

You will find

That the world has changed forever

~*~

And the trees are now turning from green to gold

And the sun is now fading

I wish I could hold you closer

"I've seen a lot of strange things in my life," came a masculine voice behind her, and she whipped around, "but I've never seen an angel in blue jeans before."

At the edge of the trees stood a tall, well-built human man with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes. Instinctively tensing, Erin shot back, "Neither have I."

The stranger threw up his hands defensively. "Relax, kid, it was a compliment – you have a great voice."

Erin relaxed slightly, though her tone was still a bit wary. "Thank you."

"Do your parents know you're out alone this early?"

She wanted to retort, "I'm not that young." Instead, she said simply, "They're dead."

She saw a brief… something pass over the man's face, but it was gone as quickly as it came. "I'm sorry to hear that, Miss."

His voice. It sounded familiar. She'd heard that voice before, somewhere, but she couldn't place it…

"Thanks," she replied, a bit gruffly.

"Mind if I join you?"

Common sense said no. Curiosity said try it. Common sense retorted curiosity killed the cat. Curiosity returned satisfaction brought it back. Common sense said your loss.

Curiosity urged her to take the road less traveled.

So she did.

"I guess."

He lowered himself to her right at a respectful distance; but at this proximity, she could now tell from his features that he was around thirty. "So… thinking?"

"Sorta," she shrugged. "How 'bout you?"

"This is my old neighborhood."

"Taking a trip down Memory Lane?"

"Sorta," he shrugged, and smiled.

She laughed. If this had been back in her time, her father would have had a fit of astronomical proportions. Then again, had this been back in her time, she wouldn't even be doing it – being so casual with a strange man in the middle of a park before sunrise. In general, she avoided men she didn't know.

But she had the strangest feeling that she knew this man. She couldn't say how or where, but there it was. More than that, she just instinctively knew… that she could trust him.

They lapsed into a silence that wasn't really comfortable or awkward – it just was.

After a few minutes, the man turned to her with a lopsided smile, and she couldn't stop her heart from fluttering slightly. No one had ever looked at her like that before. "Would you mind singing again?" he asked in that husky, agonizingly familiar voice.

She shook her head, hoping that she wasn't blushing. "No, I… I guess I don't mind. Any song in particular?"

He shook his head mutely.

"O-okay." Get a GRIP, Erin! Okay… She thought for a moment, then nodded to herself and began:

Above all powers

Above all kings

Above all nature and all created things

Above all wisdom and all the ways of man

You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms

Above all thrones

Above all wonders the world has ever known

Above all wealth and treasures of the earth

There's no way to measure what You're worth

Crucified

Laid behind a stone

You lived to die

Rejected and alone

Like a rose

Trampled on the ground

You took the fall

And thought of me

Above all…

He was staring at her with such intensity… She cut herself off on the last note and ducked her head.

"Don't stop," he said quietly.

"That was the end." She wanted to squirm beneath his gaze.

He seemed to notice that and tried to lighten the mood. "Are you sure you're real? I mean, with a voice like that… wow!"

The tension released, Erin laughed. "Oh, believe me, my legs know that they're real," she nodded, smirking. "They hurt like the dickens. I just, um, had a bad accident, and I haven't walked that much lately."

He nodded back as if he understood. "So how did your boss take that?"

She blushed. "I don't have a job. I'm not 'unemployed' – I've just never had a job."

"Oh." Now it was his turn to be embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay – you didn't know."

He nodded again, slowly. "So, what would you like to do?"

She cocked her head. "Well, I was going to be a writer. Now I'm wondering, though, if I should attend Star Command Academy and become a Space Ranger."

His eyebrows skyrocketed. "From author to Ranger?" He whistled.

She laughed.

Shaking his head, he added, "Maybe you should stick with writing. The Aca – from what I've heard, that academy is tough."

"Well yeah – I mean, it is paramilitary."

"Mm-hmm. And – no offense – but I just can't picture you as a cop slash soldier."

"You've known me for all of ten minutes and you're making judgments already?" she shot back defensively.

"No, of course not!" he protested. "I just… I just think that… you could do a lot better than being a Space Ranger. It's not the greatest job in the universe."

"You sound like been there, done that."

He shrugged.

"You were a Space Ranger?"

"I was in law-enforcement." He was evading.

"But were you a Space Ranger?" she pressed.

A pause, and then… "No."

She took a deep breath, let it out. "Then how do you know?"

"I just do, okay?" he snapped. "Don't get me wrong – there are some good people at Star Command and the whole thing has potential. But there aren't enough good people, and Nebula capitulates to the government too often."

"Well, he has to," she pointed out.

"I know, but when Star Command was created, it was given a lot of constitutional rights, some of which allow Star Command to act on its own authority under certain circumstances. You know that time a month ago when Buzz Lightyear was framed for attempted assassination of Madame Prez?"

Erin nodded, having discovered earlier that the incident had happened just a couple of weeks before… Io.

"Okay, well, Star Command had the constitutional rights to protect her poster-boy – not to mention Junior Commander – more than she did. The Commander forewent those rights to avoid some political messiness. He sold out his own protégé."

Quietly indignant, Erin scrambled to her feet. "I don't believe you."

His eyes were suddenly soft and even a bit sympathetic. "Sorry, kid, but it's true."

"How do you even know all this in the first place?"

He rose to his feet, a good eight or so inches taller than she. "I stay informed."

She gave him a hard look, then turned on her heel and began to walk away.

"Wait – Miss!" he called.

She glanced back over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry if I upset you. I just… If you're going to walk into a situation, you need to do it with both eyes open."

"Thank you for your concern," she said coolly, and turned once more to leave.

"My name's Hayden Shaw."

"Pleased to meet you."

"What's your name?"

She sighed. This guy didn't give up, did he? She said the first thing that came to mind. "Mara Jade."

She heard him laugh behind her. It was a nice laugh, warm and rich and real. "You've got all her feistiness, all right, but Mara Jade's a redhead."

She couldn't help laughing as she turned back to him. The sun was just appearing over the horizon. "Thanks. Hey, I could always dye my hair."

"Nah, leave it the way it is," he advised. "Red hair looks best on redheads."

She snickered. "Are you ever going to let me go home?"

"Nope!" he grinned, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "I'm gonna kidnap you and we'll elope."

She laughed again. "You're an odd kind of guy, wanting to elope with a girl you've known for half an hour, tops."

He shrugged. "You have to admit, I've got good taste, though."

"Oh, but definitely." She glanced back in the direction of the apartment and sighed. "Look, um, Hayden – I really should get back. I mean, if my roommate wakes up and finds me gone, she'll be worried."

He nodded reluctantly. "Okay, okay, I'll let you go, Mara."

She giggled.

"Meet you back here Monday morning?"

"Depends."

"I'll be here all week."

She smiled. "Okay."

"Bye, Mara."

She shook her head, shifted her jaw, and smiled. "You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"Nope. Not until you tell me your real name."

"Not likely, mister," she told him, putting her hands on her hips. "I've gotta go – I'll see you around."

"See ya," he nodded.

She nodded back and reentered the woods. As she retraced her steps to the apartment, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she was missing something.

I have always been certain

Things are not always what they seem

Though the heavens stop turning

I'll be holding on to our dream

– "Fly Away," performed by Emma Townsend for The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns

Author's Note:

Another rewrite in less than two months! I'm rockin'!

AND THAT ALSO MY LONGEST CHAPTER EVER!! WOW!!

…I know there was kind of a lot of singing, and I hope you don't mind. It wasn't something I really intended – it just turned out that way. Oh, and I own NONE of the songs used - maybe someday, I'll actually credit all the songs and quotes I use, lol.

Mara Jade is a wonderful Star Wars character that belongs to Timothy Zahn. There, I credited that much. =)

Random: roleplaying with KJ as Warp, Cherry as Mira (and Woody), EEZ as Zurg, and Steel as Hellboy (and myself as Buzz, Erin, Booster, XR – and sometimes others, as the story demands) is awesome. I love RP-ing in just this small (but, I think, fairly close-knit) group of talented people. You guys rock – all of you!

REVIEWS THRILL ME TO NO END. You want to see more, and faster, right? PRESS THAT BUTTON! =D