SERIES/UNIVERSE: SG-7
DISCLAIMERS: M7 characters belong to Trilogy, et al, SG-1 characters belong to Gekko, MGM, and the Sci-Fi Channel. Original characters (by now, y'all know which ones they are) are all mine ... don't mind if you borrow them, just ask first, give them back intact and give credit where credit is due. Mindy belongs to herself and my neighbors, though she still thinks my family and I belong to her.
SPOILERS: For Mag7, all twenty-one episodes are fair game, along with my previous stories, More than Friends, A Light in the Distance, Under the Sun, Days of Yearning, Sun, Fun, and Ezra on the Run, Full Circle, Open House, Return to Innocence and Karaoke Night; also all five seasons of Stargate SG-1.
WARNING: Mainly language. If need be, I'll be writing two versions of this story... the PG-13 version and the steamier version. If a steamier version becomes necessary, you can email me privately to read it. More on that as the story develops.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just as an fyi ... this series, this universe, ignores the events of the later fifth season of Stargate SG-1. Specifically, Meridian and Revelation. Which also gets rid of Jonas Quinn in sixth season.
Nettie Welles looked at the clock. Ten pm. Nettie had gotten a call from Josie Tanner earlier, informing her that all systems were go. How Josie knew that, Nettie didn't know, but if anyone knew what was going on with those two young'uns, it would be Josie. Ten o'clock and all is well. Just to be safe, though, Nettie had called Buck about twenty minutes after she got off the phone with Josie. Not, of course, that Buck would know about tonight, but he did give her the answers she needed.
Casey asked quietly, "Do you think they're okay, Aunt Nettie?" The old lady flashed her niece a warm smile. 'Course they were all right! They were together. And that was the most important thing. Her boy was with his beloved. It had taken them eight years to do it ... but they were together. And nothing short of death itself would separate them now.
"They're fine, Casey-girl. They're just fine," Nettie replied. She wondered briefly if Vin had realized yet that he had been set up by the women in his life. Her boy probably wouldn't be angry with them ... but Nettie was glad he would be with Adriana when he realized just how far the conspiracy went. Now that those two were together, Nettie could turn her attention to other couples who might need her.
Casey and JD were fine, as were Chris and Mary. Josiah had found his Josie, in the last place anyone would have ever expected to find a lady for the big man with the big heart. Nathan and Rain were together. That left Ezra and Buck. Nettie had heard references to Nathan's cousin Dawn, a psychologist. It seemed that since the rest of the magic circle was here in Colorado ... namely Carly, Adriana, and Charlotte ... Dawn was thinking about joining them.
Since the magic circle had grown into the war council, Nettie knew that Dawn and Ezra hit it off when they met several years earlier. And knowing those girls, Nettie was willing to bet that they were about to play matchmaker ... even going so far as to come up with ways to 'deal' with Nathan, if he decided to play protective cousin, the way Buck had played protective big brother with Adriana.
And that brought her to Buck. Nettie had seen, even if the young'uns hadn't, the way Buck looked at Charlotte Richmond when everyone was together at Nettie's home. Nettie didn't interfere in the business of others, but that was a situation that spelled trouble for someone. She was just selfish enough to wish that it spelled trouble for Charlotte's husband, who felt so threatened by anyone who could make his wife smile.
Nettie had learned from Adriana that several years earlier, Charlotte almost left Will for good. Part of that was the fact that she thought he had several of his buddies attack Vin out of jealousy. And an even larger part of it was the culmination of two years of misery, ever since the death of their daughter. In the end, she realized that she still loved her husband ... and something else. She was much stronger than she had ever given herself credit for.
It was because of that knowledge that Nettie didn't fear that Charlotte would use Buck to make her husband jealous. Her husband was already jealous. And the archaeologist had already learned she would be just fine on her own, she had done it before. At the moment, her major priority was taking care of her small daughter ... and there would come a time when it would be necessary for Charlotte to leave Will, in order to protect little Tansy. The explosion that would result from that was what frightened Nettie.
Nettie knew that everyone she loved would end up being affected, when Will Richmond finally went too far. Whether Charlotte wanted them to be or not, that was irrelevant. The others would be involved, one way or another. And Buck, being Buck, could not resist a woman in need. Further, wise old Nettie could see that he was falling in love with Charlotte (though it would take something huge for him to admit it to himself). Yet another reason for him to get involved. He couldn't help himself ... it was who Buck Wilmington was. There was a plus side to this, though. Buck wouldn't be alone. His little sister, who was just as protective of him as he was of her, would be there for him.
Which brought up an entirely new question. Adriana would stand at her brother's side, because that was whom she was. She would no more abandon Buck than she would abandon Vin or Mary or Chris. Nor would she abandon Charlotte, and that was the other part of Nettie's concern. When the proverbial shit did hit the fan ... and it would ... just how big a mess would result? Buck would be involved, which would in turn involve Adriana automatically.
However, Adriana would have been involved already, just by virtue of her friendship with Charlotte, and the fact that she was Tansy's unofficial godmother. She would become involved once more, if only to support her older brother. The only question became, how involved would she be? Just how far would she go in protecting her friend and her older brother, in the explosion which resulted?
Vin would be there for his lady. That was, as Casey would say, a gimme. Too many times in the past, Vin had been prevented from being there for Adriana, and he wasn't about to let that happen again. Besides, Adriana was his lady, and that was what a man did when his lady needed him. Which would mean that Richmond would probably go after both Nettie's boy, and Adriana. Nettie chewed her lower lip thoughtfully, trying to figure out a way around this. A way to solve this problem, without anyone getting hurt.
Trouble was, she couldn't find it. Nettie was a realistic woman, a practical woman, not someone who spent time lamenting over what should have been or what might happen. She sighed, accepting that someone would get hurt in this situation. The only thing left was to pray that it was no one important to her ... and if it was someone who was important to her, then there would be enough pieces left after the explosion for her to pick up. Something Nettie Welles was real good at ... she had been doing it her entire life.
But for tonight, she would be happy for her surrogate son, for his lady. She would be happy that her niece found herself a nice boy who would do right, and that her other surrogate daughter, Mary, had found Chris. Nettie wrapped her arm around her niece, giving her a little hug. Casey's arms wrapped around her in answer, saying softly, "It's a real pretty night, ain't it? The perfect night to be with someone you love. D'ya ever miss Uncle on nights like these, Aunt Nettie?" Nettie tightened her arms around her niece, thinking about her long dead husband.
"I surely do, sweet girl ... I miss him every night, but especially on nights like tonight. Oh, the stories I could tell you!" Nettie replied, laughing. She remembered herself at Casey's age. It seemed like so long ago. So very long ago. But she did not begrudge her niece her time, or Adriana hers. Nettie had had her time. She had loved and lost, and found love again, then she had been gifted with Casey.
She had a few regrets ... who didn't? But as she held her niece in her arms and gazed up at the sky, Nettie hoped that in forty or fifty years, Adriana would have this feeling. She hoped that Adriana would hold her adult granddaughter as she looked at the night sky. And she hoped, too, Vin was there to share that feeling. Nettie kissed her niece's hair, thinking of all the other young couples. Yes, she wished that for them. She wished them love and loss, joy and heartbreak. She wanted them to live, and know what living was.
She cast one last look at the starlit sky, gently kissed the top of her niece's head, then bid her niece a good night. Nettie would get little sleep tonight, but Casey was still a young girl, and still needed plenty of rest. It was a perfect night, and Nettie intended to use it wisely. As she passed by the old grand piano which sat in her sanctuary, she paused at the pictures which were a reminder of those whom she loved when they weren't here.
There was a picture of Chris and Mary, at the side of the pool, laughing and talking. A picture of Josiah pushing Billy on the tire swing in the backyard, and one of Nathan and Ezra mock-wrestling as Rain laughed. A picture of Casey, taken at her high school Homecoming, with JD's arms wrapped around her from behind. Here was a picture of Carly and Lacey Tanner, their cheeks pressed together with identical expressions of mock innocence ... they had to have learned that from Mary and Adriana.
And in the center was a picture of Vin and Adriana, taken at Busch Gardens. JD had taken it in the afternoon. Vin and Adriana had taken a break while JD went off to play some video games. When he returned, the archaeologist was curled up against Nettie's boy, her head resting securely on his shoulder. JD had taken a picture just as Adriana opened her eyes and offered them both a sleepy smile.
Nettie pressed two fingers to her lips, then grazed them across all the photos. These men and ladies and children were her family. Was ever a woman more blessed than she to have such a family? Nettie didn't think so. With her heart filling with joy, she went to her desk and sat down, pulling out the journal which was Adriana's gift to her on Nettie's last birthday. Pulling out one of the pens which sat off to the right, Nettie began recording the events of the last week in her journal. For those darkest of times, when it seemed like there was no hope ... she wanted to remember these days of joy.
The man entered the bedroom, watching the little girl sleep. She was close. He could feel it, though the trail had gone cold. And when the trail went cold, he came in here, because it reminded him of why he couldn't give up. He gazed at the child. She was a lovely little girl, true enough, but she wasn't his daughter. Still, like his daughter, this child had demanded great sacrifices. Her mother, for one.
She had been a lovely woman ... looked a great deal like his daughter did now, more than likely. That was why he had chosen her. Long, curly dark hair ... hazel eyes which turned green when she was happy and were dark when she was angry or frightened. She was around the right age, too. She was a little older than his daughter, but that wasn't important.
Her daughter was the important one, the reason he was doing all of this. So pretty. Dark hair fell lightly over the pillow, just as his daughter's had when she was a child. He started to approach her, but the light fell in a certain way in the room, and he backed up, his breaths coming in pants. He whimpered, "No ... no!" A second after that, it seemed like the room was filled with the smell of carnations, and the man backpedaled.
But it wasn't enough. A voice hissed in the back of his mind, "Leave ... the ... child ... alone!" He whimpered, falling to his knees, for the voice was all too familiar. The voice laughed brutally, "That is right, you killed me, but I do not die! My child is my immortality, and while I failed to protect my child from you, I will not fail a second time. You do not understand, do you? When you killed me, you set me free of the constraints which had bound me."
"No ... no, it wasn't my fault! It was hers! She turned you against me!" the man begged. He whimpered again as a female shape began shimmering into existence in front of him. He moaned this time. He had been visited in the past. But never like this. He begged, "Please, Katrien, it wasn't my fault! She turned you against me, that's why I threatened to take her away from you! So she could stop corrupting you!"
"She was four years old!" the woman thundered at him. He whimpered, covering his head with his arms, and the woman named 'Katrien' went on in a much quieter voice, "She was hardly more than a baby. She wasn't the corrupter, she was the innocent. You defiled your own child, you betrayed our little Adriana! And when I sought to protect her from you, then you murdered me. And you enjoyed it!"
"NO!" he wailed, trying desperately to cover his ears and squeezing his eyes shut, so he wouldn't see her. But the image popped into his head, a memory of the day he had murdered his wife, and left her body where their eight year old daughter could find it. He had loved his wife, yes he had, but their daughter had taken her away from him. It wasn't his fault ... none of this was his fault!
He had tried to atone, tried to bring his wife back in their daughter, but she had run from him. Katrien hissed, "You will leave her alone. There will be no second warnings. I can promise you this, my dear husband ... if you harm our daughter again, I will kill you myself. I will not wait for your son to do it for me. I ... will ... kill ... you!" With that, the smell of carnations became overpowering, and with a burst of light, she disappeared.
He sat alone in the middle of the living room, whimpering softly. He sat there, didn't know for how long. The smell of carnations lingered, long after his ghostly visitor departed. He sat there, and slowly the fear began to die away, as it always did. Each time she said that, and each time she had failed to carry through on her promise. A slow smile began to edge its way across his face.
He had killed her, and their daughter, a hundred times in the last ten years. Had left bodies scattered between here and Texas, then from Texas to Germany. Seeking his lost daughter in every dark-haired young woman who was of the right age and looked something like her.
He killed each of them, too, when they failed to be his daughter, his love, his wife. And Katrien only ever showed up when the trail warmed up. But the trail was cold. Wasn't it? With an effort, Avery Wilmington pushed himself to his feet. First, he checked on the little girl now sleeping in her room ... Laura was her name. Her mother was another who had failed him ... and so far, the little girl hadn't run away from him. Like the others did.
Avery cast his memory back, trying to remember what had interested his daughter when she was young, aside from her damned water globes. He tried not to think of the pleasure it had give him to smash those things, to smash any ideas she might have that anything belonged to her. Remembering that pleasure would distract him. What else? Well, there was Buck, his bastard son by a whore.
What else? History, of course. Wilmington looked around once more, his eyes settling on the computer which had belonged to Laura's mother. He had learned how to use computers, and the Internet. But until now, it had never occurred to him, to use the Internet to find his recalcitrant daughter. It was worth a shot ... at the very least, it was worth a shot. Wilmington quietly pulled the door to Laura's room shut, then made his way over to the computer.
There was a delicious irony, if a woman who died, failing to be his daughter, ended up providing the final clue to that daughter's whereabouts. And sitting at that woman's computer, entering his daughter's name into the search engine, Avery Wilmington began to smile. He hadn't found her yet, but he would. Soon. Nothing would be permitted to prevent him from reclaiming what was his. Nothing ... and no one.
The End
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