The Picture Album
Author: TUCfan.
Pairing: Gregor/Luxa.
Rating: T, because it's the Underland Chronicles.
Description: Six years after their return to the Overland, Boots discovers an old picture album belonging to Gregor filled with giant creatures and pale-skinned, violet-eyed people.
Disclaimer: I do not and will not ever own the Underland Chronicles. They belong to the wonderful author Suzanne Collins. If I did own them, I wouldn't be writing FanFiction, now would I?
Author's Note: Hello all. This is an idea I got from a throwaway line in Code of Claw. I've just finished rereading the series, so I'm on a high from all the feels. This was born out of that. This is not connected to the Ares is Alive timeline or the Reading the Underland Chronicles series. It is a standalone.
Song: Written while listening to my downloaded music.
Six years was a very long time. To Boots, anything before that period was gone from memory. There was no tracing where it went, and any time she asked her sister or brother, they would tell her they lived in New York, but not much else.
She wondered what about it made it hard for them to talk about. They never spoke a word, but the pinched eyes, deep frowns, and faraway looks said it all. What had happened to them?
She supposed it might not really be her business, but they looked so devastated sometimes that she couldn't help but wish she could take their pain away. If only they would open up to her.
As Boots pondered all of this, she sat in her brother's room, helping him pack up some of his belongings. He had finally turned eighteen and was off to college in a few weeks, meaning he was moving out and living on his own.
There were times when she thought it would be fine, even good for him, and others when she thought it might be unsafe. What if he wasn't able to handle the pressure? Lord knew he withheld his feelings to prevent his family from worrying on a regular basis.
But he could handle himself. Hadn't he shown that? And she had a feeling that whatever had happened to him years prior, he had finely managed to stay alive long enough to see it through.
"Hey, pass me that box, would you?" said Gregor. She did, and he carried on packing some of his books into it.
"Gregor, come help your father!" said Grace from the other room. "He's moving your mattress all by himself."
The boy in question stood and made his way out of his room. Boots, who had been sitting and sort of just staring off in space, moved to fill his spot and help with his books.
It was then that she spied something that didn't fit with the rest. An old photo album, worn around the edges. Curious, she lifted the cover and found the first page titled "Memories of Home."
The first picture was so odd, she wondered if it was even real. A younger Gregor was in it, but he was the only thing in it that made sense. He seemed to be riding on top of a gigantic black bat, and he was in some sort of stone arena. He was holding a ball, and they seemed to be playing a game.
The next couple of photos were of the arena itself. There were all kinds of decorations strewn about, and in the background, she could see several more giant bats. There were also a handful of giant cockroaches, and, at the sight of them, something stirred inside her. A memory.
She knew some of those giant cockroaches. They called her Princess.
The next photo confirmed it. She was a little toddler in it, and she was feeding a slice of cake to one of the giant cockroaches. One of the antennae on top of his head was bent. Temp.
And suddenly, she remembered. All of it. All of them. All the friends she left behind. Temp, and Hazard, and Luxa, and Aurora, and Vikus, and Ares. That was why Gregor was so upset. Ares was dead.
Gregor wandered back into his room and stopped at the sight of her. She looked up at him, seeing his expression of sorrow. "I remember them," she whispered. "And I get it now. Why you and Lizzie are upset all the time. You miss them, don't you?"
He only nodded. "Do you remember what they all looked like?" he asked. She shook her head. "There's some pictures of Luxa and me, towards the back."
She flipped forward and found them. They were in the museum together, laughing and making silly faces. They seemed so happy. In all but the last one. "That was during the War of Time," said Gregor hollowly, moving to sit by her side. "Ripred gave us half an hour before we went out to fight the rats. It was to let us say goodbye."
He bowed his head, unable to look at them any longer. Boots took his hand. "And Lizzie remembers all of it too, doesn't she?" she asked.
He nodded. "She and I talk about them every day. I told her all about the adventures we went on without her. She didn't believe me when I said we didn't mean to turn the picnic into a full quest," he said, smiling slightly.
And suddenly, things seemed to make sense. She knew why Gregor was going to college in New York. "You're going to visit them, aren't you?" she asked. "When you go to New York."
He looked at her, and for the first time in many years, she could see something besides dulled pain. There was hope. "You bet I am. I'm trying to find a way for Lizzie to as well. Want to come?" he said.
Memories of hunger, pain, and fear swept through her at the thought. But there was also wonder, joy, and those friends she had left behind. Which one would she find, if she went down?
"They're at peace now, right?" she asked.
He nodded. "Ripred and Luxa lead the rats and the humans together. They'll have kept it all together. Of that I'm certain," he said.
She considered for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. I'll come with you. I want to see Temp and Hazard again," she said.
He only smiled. She found it fitting that the first one she had seen in quite some time was about the one place that could make him happy.
When they finally did make the journey, it was three months into his first semester. They hadn't found a time where they could slip away from his parents when they moved him up for college, so it came around on their first visit. Under the guise of going out to see the New York sights they had missed, the three of them hailed a cab and rode it to Central Park, where Gregor knew the stone would be.
Standing before it, Boots asked the question that all three seemed to be wondering. "What are we going to find, when we come down?"
"I don't know," said Gregor. "But I think it's about time that we find out."
Quickly ensuring no one was around to watch, he hefted the stone slab out of the way and dropped down into the hole. When the two followed after him, he slid it back into place, sealing them in darkness.
"So, am I the only one who brought a flashlight?" asked Boots, flicking it on. "I remember you having a lot of those when we came down."
In the light of it, she saw her older siblings exchange a look. "We don't need them," said Gregor. "We can see in the dark."
Another memory came back to her. Gregor had explained to her why they kept going down in the summer, besides seeing their mom in the hospital. "Your lessons with Ripred," she said. "You learned echolocation, didn't you?"
He nodded. "I promised Lizzie I would teach her way back when, and she picked it up way faster than I did," he said. "We didn't teach you because we knew you'd forgotten, and mom got kind of sad when we brought it up, so we thought it best to keep it to ourselves."
"Huh. Cool," she said. "Come on, let's get going."
For the next half hour, they walked in silence. It wasn't until a scout flew over their heads in one of the tunnels that they stopped. "Overlanders!" he called, "I can lead you to safety!"
And that was how the three of them found themselves soaring over the Waterway, finally on their way home. A hope had arisen in each of them, though it was much more pronounced in the oldest of them.
When they landed on the dock, no party was there to greet them, but that was to be expected. "I understand that this can be unsettling for you, but please, follow me," said the scout. "First I must bring you to bathe, and then I will bring you to our queen. She is a fierce woman, but she is nor unkind, especially to Overlanders."
The three nodded and followed him up the steps. Gregor found himself smiling as they walked the familiar paths, and Boots could not help matching it. It was all so familiar. She wondered how she could have forgotten it at all.
They came to a pair of entrances, and the scout directed them to where they needed to go. Afterwards, when they dressed in their new silken clothing, Gregor asked to have their clothes sent to the Museum, rather than burned. The scout had asked how he had known about their process, but he only smiled and gave a vague answer.
Then, they were led to the High Hall. As they turned the final corner of the passageway and entered, Boots beheld a sight she had not seen for many years.
Luxa, queen of Regalia, stood in a long gown, gracefully looking out over her city. Ripred stood by her side, quietly speaking to her. When the scout entered, they turned and froze.
Luxa looked every bit the queen she had been six years ago, only more mature and womanly. Her hair was longer than Boots remembered it being, but she wore well. Ripred had changed very little, only slightly more gray than he had been before. The second scar he had received across his face had faded slightly, but was still quite visible.
The first sound was Ripred's laughter. "Well, I wondered how long it would take you to come running back," he said.
It was as though a floodgate had been opened. Lizzie dashed forward and nearly tackled him in a hug. Gregor and Luxa had met in the middle, embracing each other tightly.
And for the first time, Boots was angry at herself for forgetting. How could she let go of all the memories she held with these people? How could she have forgotten Temp? But the feeling was short-lived. For there, entering on the other side of the room, was the friend she had not seen in far too long.
Temp scuttled over and stood before her. "Be she the princess, be she?" he asked quietly. "Remember me, does she, remember me?"
The foul tunnels of the dead lands. The long journet across the Waterway. The heat of the jungle. The danger of the Firelands. All at once, it all came back. She lurched forward and hugged her friend.
"I remember you, Temp," she said, tears pricking her eyes. "And I won't ever forget you again."
Finis. One of my favorite relationships developed in this series is that of Boots and Temp. The unwavering loyalty between the two of them is tangible throughout the series, and it brings me joy every time I read about it. I hope I did it justice here.
Happy reading!