 | ShatterStorm Productions
|
| ShatterStorm Productions
|
Series: Light, Water and Muses. An alternate universe for a variety of television series. See disclaimers below.
Rating: PG, if that…
Category: Yet another mirror universe for the SGC. Sorta…
Pairings: Darya/Karen.
Disclaimer: Stargate SG1 and all their characters belong to MGM, Showtime and Gekko Productions.
Disclaimer: “ER”, the characters and situations depicted are the property of Warner Bros. Television, Amblin Entertainment, Constant C Productions, NBC, etc. They are borrowed without permission, but without the intent of infringement. This site is in no way affiliated with “ER”, NBC, or any representatives of any cast members. This site contains relationship stories between mature, consenting adult females.
Notes: All words in italics are phonetic foreign words, mostly Greek.
Spoilers: Nope!
Summary: Family begins to arrive for the happy day! We learn more about our heroes beneath the mountain and meet some new friends.
++ Darya ++
“Hey,” Karen purred as she leaned over me from behind to press her lips to my temple. “The monitors say the plane's here.” I nodded distractedly, my eyes glued on the door where Davie would come out. I hadn't seen my sister since Emma's death, and I missed her greatly. We'd always been close as kids, despite the four-year age gap between us. Emily was sleeping in the seat next to me, utterly exhausted from the late hour, but she didn't want to miss seeing her Aun' Davie. Karen slid into the seat beside me and tugged my head to her shoulder. “You okay?”
“I'll be fine,” I mumbled, burrowing into her neck for a few brief seconds, then let out a soft groan as her strong fingers massaged my scalp and neck. “I'm just nervous…”
“Not just from the plane being late?”
How did I explain this to her? How did I let her know what Davie and I had lived with under our father's roof? How he'd reacted when I'd come out to him? How he'd hated the fact that Davie had gone off to study to be a nun? And I simply refused to examine the memory of his reaction to my military commission. I'd bet he was disappointed that I had given it up as well. There was no pleasing him.
“I'm afraid of the message she carries from my father,” I finally whispered. “He only allowed me back into his life because of Emily. Because of Momma's need to know her only granddaughter. He told me he never wanted to see me again, Karen. He completely disowned me, just because I'm…not like he is.”
++ Karen ++
My Darya was never afraid of being who she was….
Except where her father was involved.
Good thing I'd never met the man, likely I'd have decked him, or worse.
“I know I'm being horridly paranoid about this, but you have to understand how Davie and I were raised, Karen. I was Daddy's little girl until I chose to join the Air Force and come out. He never even acknowledged my daughter's birth, Karen.”
I tugged Dare nearly into my lap, cuddling her tight to my chest. “Shh,” I murmured. “It doesn't matter in the long run, does it, babe? So what if your father is against our marriage? Does that make me love you any less? Does it make you love me any less? Does it make either of us love that little girl any less? No. All it does is make me very glad I'll never have to meet him, because if I did, I think I'd have to throttle him for making you hurt like this.”
“Karen…”
“So how big is he anyway?” I deadpanned. “My height? Shorter? Or would I be dealing with someone like Teal'c? I mean, I need to know these things in order to determine my course of action to take him down quickly and, for your sake, I suppose I should do it painlessly.” The dry humor was getting to her, making the green eyes glint. “I mean, we wouldn't want you upset while I acted on the frustrations you and your sister grew up with. Or would you rather I wait until she actually gets here, so we can get her opinions on the subject as well? It's up to you, love.”
“Karen!” She chuckled, swatting at me, then wiped at the brightness filling her eyes. She stared at me for a long moment, then curled her head up under my chin again. “Thank you,” she whispered, voice thick with unshed tears.
“Anytime,” I replied and pressed my lips to her head, then continued massaging her scalp. “Anything you need, anytime you need it.” We cuddled like that for some time, warm and relaxed.
“Awww! How adorable!” Someone mocked nearby and I looked up with a glower. Dare's body stiffened, then she shot out from my arms at the person standing before us.
“Davie! You're here!” Dare wrapped herself around a similarly built, chestnut-haired woman. They began to talk to each other in rapid-fire Greek, something I only had the bare bones of. Hell, Emily knew more Greek than I did. And then, as one, they glanced over at me. I quirked a curious eyebrow at the scrutiny this woman gave me. She rattled off a few more questions in Greek at Dare, who responded in that tone of voice I loved. And then they were coming over to stand by me. “Karen, this is Davinia, my sister. Davie, this is Karen.” Darya's voice was soft, and her eyes were alight with a delighted smile that reminded me of my sleeping step-daughter.
I quickly stood and offered her my open hand. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Davie. Darya has told me a lot about you.”
Davie's eyebrow rose as she accepted the handshake and simpered theatrically, “oh my, Dare, she's so polite. Maybe I should marry her, hmm? And tall I see. Goodness.” She cast a rakish glance at me and I couldn't help but chuckle.
“You're a handful, I see. Guess you're the one who taught Dare some of her more devious qualities,” I purred teasingly and she laughed at the banter.
“Ah! And a sense of humor. Oh, Dare, I definitely like this one,” she replied, pulling Darya into another tight hug. “You done good, little sister.”
“Thanks Davie,” she sighed, then we all turned at the soft whimper to my right.
I easily scooped Emily in my arms and let her settle her head on my shoulder. “Shh, Monkey,” I soothed. “Go back to sleep. Your Aunt Davie is here and we're going to go home now.”
“Davie?” She mumbled, rubbing her eyes. “Wanna see Davie.”
“I'm right here, baby girl,” Davie replied, and leaned in to press a light kiss to Emily's cheek. “Go back to sleep, sweetie. I'll still be here in the morning. Promise.”
++ Dr. Davinia Farazell, PhD ++
As we headed out to get my luggage, I watched my sister and her little family. I couldn't believe how much Emily had grown while I'd been off studying in Tibet. She looked just like her mother had at that age, except for the lighter hair. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd have sworn Emily was Karen's child. Their coloring was that similar. While we waited for the luggage, I watched Karen and Darya interact. It choked me up to see the love between them. This was almost more beautiful and intense than what Darya had with Emma. And the way Karen was so conscious of Emily's presence in her arms. It was pure poetry to watch, and to feel the love surrounding the three of them. It didn't matter to me what the Church said about this kind of relationship. The Church was an antiquated misogynistic entity that was seriously in need of reforms. It was the very fact of relationships like Darya had with Karen, and once upon a time with Emma, that had stopped me from taking that final step in taking my vows.
Then we were headed for the car. I watched as they worked in concert to get Emily into her car-seat, then Karen gently took the keys from Darya's hands with a quick kiss. As we got into the car, I noticed the look of trepidation cross Dare's face again. Oh, I knew exactly what was causing it. Reaching out, I placed my hand on her shoulder. “Don't worry, little sister,” I reassured. “All is well from home.” Her relief was palpable, and I could see Karen's shoulders relax at my comment as well. The last thing Dare had needed before her wedding was bad news from Father. And luckily, Momma had browbeaten him into understanding, if only temporarily, just how important this day was to his younger daughter. “Momma said she'd like pictures of the two of you, and an updated picture of Emily. She also has presents for both of you.” I turned a sympathetic smile on Karen. “She'd have had a gift for you, but none of us really knew anything about you, beyond what Darya's said, so she wasn't sure…”
“It's fine, Davie,” Karen said, then turned a dazzling smile on Darya. “Your mother has already given me the greatest gift she ever could.”
I couldn't help the amused snicker at Darya's moon-eyed gaze. Oh it was more than obvious that this Karen not only loved Darya, but also could charm the pants off of her. Literally, I'd bet. “Why, Darya, I do believe you found yourself a bee charmer,” I teased.
Karen glanced back at me, a twinkle in her emerald eyes. “Just call me Idgie. Your sister here brings out the best in me.”
We shared a knowing chuckle as Darya flushed a deep red. “Oh, I definitely like you, Karen. Welcome to the family.”
++ Janet ++
The enormity of what I had volunteered my home for was giving me histrionics. Art had tried to keep me in bed this morning, but I was far too wound up. Plopping sloppy kisses on my women, I was ready to be up and on the go long before the sun was up. Good thing too, because Cubby howled for breakfast before I had finished taking a potty break and pulling on sweats.
Scooping up my little angels, I cooed lovingly at them and skulked from the master bedroom. Cubby babbled back and Fawn just glowered sullenly before dozing off against my neck. As much as I wanted to jump into the million things I had to get done, my babies were still my first priority. Some might say that they were too old for breast feeding, but I used their smaller size as an excuse to keep doing it. The pure, unadulterated pleasure of being with them in this way was too hard to give up just yet. Besides, they weren't even fourteen months yet! And I was a damn doctor and knew the health benefits only I could give them.
“Mama,” Cubby chuckled at me, happy to be traditionally fed first while his sister dozed against my ribs on the couch. “S'pos.”
“S'pos you too, baby,” I chuckled back. S'ahgahpos meant 'I love you' in Greek. The twins were even more bilingual than I was. And God only knew what Daniel was teaching them…
Cubby's little face was peaceful as he suckled and Jaffa was curled in her usual place in my lap, enjoying the warmth and closeness. There was hardly room for her little bitty body anymore, Cubby had grown so big!
The sky slowly grew rosy as I half-dozed.
A knock signaled Cubby falling asleep on my chest and Fawn starting to stir. Cubby almost always ate first because of this unspoken communication between them. It was a failsafe. Must be a twin thing. Switching the kids, I headed for the door. “You'll eat in a minute, baby.”
“Now,” Fawn pouted and I rolled my eyes. That was my little princess! Jerking open the door, I barely glanced at the bundled figure there.
“Y'know, Dare, if you're going to be this early, I'm going to have to put you to work,” I groused good-naturedly.
“Oh, this coming from Miss I-Hate-Having-Classes-Before-Noon,” came the retort, but the voice certainly wasn't Darya's.
Confused, I looked closer to see the dark eyes glitter at me with good humor, then let out a squeal of surprised delight. “Davie! Oh my god, I didn't know you were going to actually make it!” I could only supply a one-armed hug with my grumbling bundle, but we managed.
“Like I'd miss my baby sister's wedding,” she admonished, returning my hug. “Bad enough I missed seeing you pregnant with triplets.”
“Twins, Dave,” I shot back. “Though, they certainly felt like triplets sometimes! Well, come on in, and get out of the cold.” I stepped back as she came in and pulled off her warm gear. “This is Crystal Artemisia, but you can call her Fawn. Her brother is Jacob Artemisio, or Cubby.”
Davie chuckled at Fawn's churlish glower and leaned over to smooth a gentle hand over her downy curls. “Pleased to meet you, sweet thing.”
“Don't mind her surly disposition, she hasn't eaten yet. Come sit with me while I get her highness back on her morning routine.”
“Hun'ry,” Fawn whined and Davie snickered. Slightly self-consciously, I flopped down and tugged up my shirt to let Fawn eat. She had always been a piranha and I braced myself for the bite. For once she let me be, content to suckle gently. Once again, I was lost in my child, thrilled to watch her peaceful and serene.
“She's beautiful,” Davie murmured feather-soft and I jumped guiltily. “Forgot I was here, huh?”
“No,” I hedged and smiled at the twinkle in the dark eyes. Cubby shifted to press into my hip, grasping my fingers close to his chest while Jaffa purred against his belly. “Not really. Okay, sort of. I'm just still in awe of them, even after over a year.”
“I see that. Hard to believe you're a mom, Squirt.”
“Are you ever going to let that nickname die?”
“And ruin my reputation as the annoying older sister? Fat chance!”
++ Davie ++
I teased, certainly, but I did it gently. Janet glowed with an inner serenity that I envied, her whole being focused on the sleepy babies draped over her. Intense young Fawn was curled imperiously atop her mother's compact body, her brother lazing beside them. “How have you been? I hear bits and pieces in Darya's letters, but it's been ages since we've had a chance to talk.”
Janet grinned, her familiar spirit shining through. “I have fourteen-month-olds in the house. And a litter of six-week-old German shepherd pups and three grown dogs. And a teenager. Oh and can't forget the two lovers. My life is constant chaos.” Her smile was angelic as she beamed at her kids and her voice grew soft. “I love every minute of it.” There was a ruckus upstairs, voices muffled and a dog barked. It was so happily domestic that I was a misty-eyed. Then the voices grew to feminine shrieks as another voiced roared like King Kong. Amid the barking and semi-human noise, footsteps thundered down the stairs.
“Gonna get you! Rarrrrrr!” A comic-book villain voice bellowed and two slender figures bolted from the stairwell amidst a sea of furry bodies. They were both carrying on like some bad b-grade movie flick, squealing in mock horror amid their laughter. “Rarrrrrr!”
The 'bad guy' burst from the stairwell, all black curls and waving arms. The first two shrieked and dove for cover among all the dogs. They were everywhere! How did none of the pudgy puppies not get stepped on? The two big dogs were barking their heads off, tails going like boat propellers. The smaller dog added his voice and bounded amidst the pups.
Then the dark woman spotted me in mid-'rarrrr' and froze. All I could do was grin and wave sheepishly. She flushed rosy with embarrassment and the other two whipped around and looked shocked at my presence.
Janet laughed and laughed and laughed.
Art, it had to be her, smiled sheepishly as she lowered her arms and waved the dogs quiet. “Hi. Wasn't expecting anyone this early.”
The willowy blonde and the honey-colored teen still seemed at a loss for words and Art stepped up to throw an arm around each of them. Janet was still howling with laughter and Fawn was glaring again. “Oh Theh-mou, the look on your faces,” she finally managed to splutter before letting Fawn get back to eating. “Art, Sam, Cass. This is Davinia Farazell, Darya's older sister. Davie, the gang.”
They were a gorgeous bunch, happy, healthy and closely-knit. Rubbing self-consciously at her face, Cass murmured a hello and ducked away to bee-line for the next room. Looking at the mocha and cream spectacle of Janet's lovers, I couldn't help but wonder at the gorgeous kids that would have come from Sam borrowing from Art's gene pool. “Pleased to meet you two. I've heard good things from Dare.”
“Whew,” Art sighed. “Here I was worried. Sorry about the chaos. I was trying to get the sleepyheads up and rarin' to go.”
“Don't apologize!” I laughed. “It was quite a sight. I'm certain the teen is mortified.” Sam finally smiled from where she was trying to hide behind the arm Art had thrown over her shoulder. Shy one, she was. A variety of curious canine noses distracted me away from the women. “Yasoo, dogs. There's so many of you!” Puppies dressed in beige and cream and black boiled over each other in their enthusiasm to greet me, but I patted the adults first.
“Cooper, Lucky and Starjumper,” Art supplied helpfully as I touched each one, the adoring tone matching the gentle touch she brushed through Janet's hair. “If you think you can tell the rug rats apart, I'll name them off once I can tell who's who.” With a gentle growl, Art leaned over the couch to scoop up the boneless boy and cuddle him close. “Fortunately these two walk upright now, so I can separate them from the pups.”
I had to laugh as Cubby growled back and sprawled himself loosely over Art. “G'mornin' Bahbah.”
“G'mornin' o yi-os (son). Are you ready for lots of company today?”
Father and son, huh? It was obvious by Art's gentle touches to wife and children that she was all the father this family needed.
++ Art ++
It was obvious that the piercing gaze ran in the family. Dark-eyed Davie missed little, but I was used to that from Darya! It had taken awhile to befriend Janet's old lover, but I considered Dare a pal now. Particularly since Emily came with the package! With a massive yawn that rivaled the dogs, Cubby stretched and wiggled before beaming at me. “Puppies!”
“Puppies?” I played clueless.
“Puppies hun'ry, bahbah.”
“They are?” Of course, the pups chose that moment to set up their discordant chorus of a howl and the adults joined in. “Yep, they're hungry all right! Gonna help me?”
“Yes!”
Lucky had taken her dear sweet time getting knocked up by my sweet Cooper, but the furballs were worth it. All nine of them were fat, smart and gregarious. So far two of them were already ineligible for being military dogs, due to Butch's size and Jesse's one slightly weak eye, but the others still had a solid chance to serve their country and perhaps even their world.
Sam wandered after us and giggled with Cassie at the kitchen table. “It was pretty funny, you have to admit,” she joked with the teen to reassure her. Even as big as the kitchen was, I still had to place my feet carefully to get the furry menagerie fed.
“Sam, will you keep the Cubby and the pups occupied for a few?”
“Sure, toss him over.”
My son and Sam shared a special bond that became more and more apparent as he grew older. I sensed a shared genius in them, and was unutterably happy that she was there for him. Even at barely fourteen months, the kid seemed smarter than I was! Sam and Cubby had just started the second Harry Potter book and it would keep him occupied long enough for me to feed the dogs. At the clinking of cans and the rustling of food bags, Jaffa came running to twine herself among my legs and the mass of pups. Thank god that I could start training them in earnest soon! Feeding would be far less of a chore once they had some rules.
Jaffa and her little dish were set up on their shelf, out of the reach of the pups and Starjumper was next. He had been remarkably patient with the invasion of his home by these raucous beasts, who were growing louder by the minute. Starjumper got a pat and the privacy of the laundry room for meals. Then I mixed kibble and canned for the pups. They were still nursing as well, but solid food was becoming more and more of their diet.
“Cass, come help me sort,” I begged and she joined me with a chuckle. This was the hard part. They had to be fed in groups of three so that they didn't make more of a mess than necessary. I picked my targets carefully, growling and attacking to wrestle them into submission. Easier said than done! Six German shepherd puppies were an armload of teeth and claws.
“Come pups,” Cassie coaxed, getting three started and dropping the second bowl so that I could release half my captives. Then the third was down and I could stand again. Janet and the new woman were chuckling from the doorway, Davie flashing me a grin.
“That was very effective.”
“Practice,” I shrugged, gently shoving one of the pups back to her bowl when she tried to stray to another. “You got 'em, Cass?”
“Yep.”
“Sweet. Now I can pay attention to my guys!” I cooed and roughed up my precious dogs for a moment. How I adored these animals, nearly as much as my kids. I knew there were few who would understand the bond. Frankly, I didn't care. Feeding the two adults were easier, as they were well-trained and patient. Canned and kibble in carefully measured amounts, according to Jolynne, and scoops of vitamins and minerals for my nursing girl and my old man.
“So,” Davie asked wryly once Lucky and Cooper were eating. “What are their names?”
“You ready?” I kidded and began to point to a pup while saying the name. “Butch Cassidy, Pearl Hart, Jessie James, Doc Holiday, Billy the Kid, Annie Oakley, Bonnie Parker, Clyde Barrow, Calamity Jane and Dalton Gang. Clyde and Dalton are the only boys.” A couple of the smarter ones glanced up at me when I said their name and I made certain to pat them lovingly for their obedience.
Davie laughed, “I sense a theme here!”
“It's a Jo thing,” Janet tried to explain. “Captain Regan is the base vet and a good friend of Art's. She started this thing of theme-naming litters years ago. Cooper and his siblings were named after the first seven astronauts, and Lucky's litter were all gambling terms.” It warmed me at how thoroughly Janet had bonded to her four-legged family, remembering special things about them.
“Let me guess, Lucky Seven?” Davie laughed and Lucky flicked an ear at her, never leaving her food. “That's classic! And this litter is bank robbers? Too funny…”
++ Davie ++
They were a great family. Once all of the dogs had eaten, Art and Cassie bundled up to let them romp through the backyard. When I gathered up my coat and joined them, I realized that the dogs didn't have the run of the yard. Sam stepped out beside me and explained what I was looking at. “Art put up a chain link run so that the dogs didn't get into the tent and poop everywhere. Not to mention tear everything up. It cuts down on space, but no one's going to want to leave the tent anyway. Not in this cold.”
The tent was huge, pressed into every available nook and cranny of the enormous backyard. “Wow.”
“Come look inside,” Sam enthused and dragged me into the striped monstrosity. “It's rented. The company brings it in, sets it up and comes back later for tear down. Can't beat that! Actually, almost everything in here is rented.” Our footsteps rang with a strange hollow sound as we walked across the plywood floor. “That's the pool underneath us. Oh, don't look worried. This floor is more than strong enough to hold up a few hundred people. I helped construct it.”
