PART 5



When the three had finally returned to the hospital they went right for Anderea’s room. The busted through the door to find Byers in much the same position as before, his suit rumpled and overall looking rather un-kept.
He glanced up at them, his eyes red and puffy, “back,” he made the observation.
“yeah,” Langly replied, “How is she?” he was still apprehensive about approaching her.
“Better,” Byers rose to his feet, stretching his back, “The transfusion Yves gave did her a world of good.” He looked over her again, content with the colour back in her face and having the three of them returning alive and well.
“Yves, really?” Frohike replied, without holding back his surprise while squeezing Anderea’s hand. Happy to feel a strong beat under his fingers.
“She’s been full of surprises lately,” Byers smiled slightly before yawning. Jimmy smiled, they were starting to see the Yves he had always known was there, the reason he loved her.
“Come on buddy,” Frohike tilted his head to the door, “Looks like you could use a caffeine injection. My treat.”
Byers nodded, sending the other two out the door, picking his jacket back up before following.
“wait,” Langly grabbed his arm, “ah…thank you for…you know, being here.”
“Don’t,” the older man shook his head, “I couldn’t do anything, you’ve gotta bring her back,” he patted his friend’s shoulder.
The comment seemed a little philosophical to Langly to have come from the suit wearing Byers. How was he supposed to be able to bring her back? “Byers,” he turned, “What do ya – how do I?” He slumped defeated for words, his eyes also defeated, “I’m terrified.”
“I know,” he replied, “we all are.”
“No, I mean,” he turned to look at Anderea, “I mean, of her.” He whispered the last part feeling horrid for expressing it. Byers too seemed surprised. “I just mean, sure she seems like Anderea, but what if it’s not? Yves said she was like ……alien.” He shuttered involuntarily, feeling like he should crawl under a rock and die. Byers didn’t say anything, which made him feel worse. He looked to the slightly older man for direction.
“Do you love her?”
Langly scoffed at the question, “Of course I do! Have since I first laid eyes on her and if she died I’d crawl right in after her!”
The corner of his mouth twitched, “Than tell her that.” He left them alone after that.

Langly approached the bed, with little more courage than before and took the seat Byers had been occupying. Hesitating, he reached for her hand and held it.
“God, Derea,” he clenched her hand in his, kissing her fingers, “I’m sorry I haven’t been here to say it, but you know I love you. You gotta come back to me, or…or I just don’t know what. Remember you promised me. You promised you’d never die on me again!” His voice cracked and his head fell to their intertwined hands.


X X X


“Terrified…of her.”
The voices were still unclear, but she knew it had to be one of them. The grey was slowly thinning. She could almost see and felt like she could move. But the words hit her hard. She fell to her knees, as if she was physically hit. Slowly a black haze swept over her. Scaring her into a ball.
“Ree,” she cried out, louder now having the strength, but still needing the guidance.
“Derea…I love you.”
The words drifted to her, calling like a beacon.
“Ree! Ree!” she heard him then, the words she had been waiting to hear. She knew it was him. She rose to her feet again, driven to find him, be with him. “Please,” she was crying, frustrated at being lost, so close and so very far.
“…come back to me.”
“Ree I swear I’m trying!” She ran in the direction she would bet he was in, the grey thinning and the black fading behind her.


X X X


He sat with her hand resting between his, her pulse strong against his.
“Come on,” he whispered, kissing her hand. His eyes pressed shut. All his fears, real or otherwise, abolished by being here with her, “I need you.” He rested her hand back on the bed, his covering hers, “Please, god please!”
Her finger twitched.
His eyes snapped open.
Her eyes fluttered and mouth opened and closed.
He jumped up, “Derea!”
“rrr,” She tried to reply, but her throat was too dry and soar.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he kissed her forehead, “Just hold on,” he squeezed her hand before running to the door and swigging it open.
“She’s awake!” he called on into the hall, assuming the group would be standing there, and they were. He didn’t wait to see reactions before diving back in the room.

Each one smiled and sighed, saying their private thanks. Frohike, Byers and Jimmy filed into the room after Langly, Scully waiting behind, giving the family a chance at reconnecting. Herself saying thanks for her own family, partner and son, waiting at home.

The group of men crowed around her bed, smiling through ear brimmed eyes. She looked up, trying to focus on them, her eyes still not at full power, along with her voice. She swallowed hard several times, not being able to speak yet.
“Welcome back Darlin’,” Frohike gave the hand Langly wasn’t latched on to a squeeze, “You really know how to jump start my old heart.” He smiled bravely.
“ju…ust rying o eep ou,” she struggled with the words. Her throat burning as if she had spent the last two weeks vomiting, “on our oes.” She smiled.
“That you did girl, that you did,” he kissed her forehead.
“I’m really glad to have you…ah back,” Jimmy smiled from ear to ear.
She nodded to him, “e…oo.”
Byers just smiled tightly, the tears spilling out of his eyes, they got to keep their star.

“Excuse me boys,” Scully peeked her head into the circle, “But if I could tear you all away from her just for a moment, I need to run some tests. Just a few,” she reassured the younger woman, and the group also. “It’ll be fine,” she coaxed them out of the room, making her way to the bedside, “You can wait right outside.”

The men reluctantly walked out to the hall, getting a nod from Anderea. Their moods had changed, the darkness had faded and they could allow themselves to feel happy, almost ready to relax.
“How is she?” Yves made her presence known.
Frohike jumped a little, “You’ve really got to stop lurking in the shadows…” he muttered, mostly to himself.
“Seems good, just woke up,” Byers informed her, “Scully’s running some tests now.”
She simply nodded and almost fell over as Langly’s arms wrapped around her, “wh—“
“Thank you, thank you,” the words slipped out of his mouth, “For the transfusion, the compound, the everything!” He squeezed her once more before letting her go, leaving her socked.
The image of a deer in the headlights, “ah…you’re, please don’t mention it.” She backed up, feeling uncomfortable with the display of affection.
“Yeah, right,” Langly straightened himself up.
“But I am glad to hear she is doing better,” Yves smiled, turning to leave.
“Wait, aren’t you going to say hi?” Jimmy almost pouted, running up to her.
“I…” she started to say no, but his eyes broke her, “I just want to get cleaned up, I’ll be back.” She smiled and patted his shoulder.
He scrunch his nose up, like an animal smelling something foul, “You do smell like smoke.”
Her smiled faded, “Yes, well, I’ll be back.” With that she left down the hall back into her heartless image.


X X X

It was only days before Scully signed Anderea out of the hospital. Mostly because she was well enough to get back home, but also because it would be easier to guard her. She was doing much better, her nightmares had become less of tremors and more like unpleasant dreams and under the direct direction of Scully she was talking about the experience, as best as she could remember. Physically, she was almost healed. The bruises and lesions were still very visible and the feeling in her feet still wasn’t restored fully. But most importantly there were no lasting internal effects, at least that Scully could find.

They had all be there for her drive back home, back to the warehouse where she was going to stay from now on. At least right now they saw no reason for her to have to leave. They insisted she lay in the back of the van, even after her many objections.
“But I’ve spent the last month lying on my back,” she whined, and the possible innuendo wasn’t lost on Langly who tried to keep in the laugh.
“oh, not like that and you know it!” she elbowed him in the side, as best as she could, “And if you keep this up, I won’t be like that again.” At least her personality hadn’t been effected by the ordeal.
But she gave up on fighting them and let they baby her. She figured this was how it would be for a while, she’d just have to get used to it.

They pulled into the alley and parked the van, Langly helping her out and back in.
“Wait,” she said on their way to the door, her leaning on him for support. She looked up at the night sky, “Remember the first night we met? I asked if I could ever see magic in the stars again.”
He nodded, holding her tightly against him but careful of the bruise.
“I was sure the stars had all come crashing down around me. That there was no way I’d ever see their light again, especially when they had me…….but you, Ree, you fixed that.”
“But I, I didn’t…” he interrupted but she shhh-ed him.
Turning to face him and putting her finger to his lips, “You brought me back and showed me the light…” her mouth curved into a smile, “And created our own magic,” she kissed him, lightly only because of not having the energy to put the force into it.
He smiled too, “You are my light.” His smile became goofy and unsure.
She kissed him again, putting all her energy into it this time.


X X X


The hall was blocked off with biohazard tape and plastic walls. No one was really clear as to what might have been in there and thought it best to treat it as a possible health risk. A crew of about five worked to contain the mess and test the area and six men guarded the blackened site.
He stood on the far end, shaking his head and almost laughing to himself, wondering which one of their group had destroyed it.
“Sir?” a seemingly nervous man approached him.
He just turned his head slightly to acknowledge him.
“None of the specimens survived, all the data and files were destroyed,” he reported.
He simply nodded. He already knew that. Whoever had set the fire, and he knew it had been set, did so to hide the findings, to delay or even prevent the project from restarting. He reached into his pocket, he needed a cigarette, badly. But instead of the package he was expecting his fingers found a small glass vile. Pulling it out he held it to the light, blood. The smile on his face spread as he read the label. Scribbled in ink was a name; Anderea Jupitor. He clasped the vile tightly. He was glad he had. Reaching into the other pocket he retrieved the cigarettes he was after.


THE END……well not really!


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I think this might be my last LGM fanfic…… at least for the school year. I wish I could have gone out with a little more of a bang, but hey! *shrug* I do have a lot of other fic ideas swimming around in my head, so hopefully I’ll have some time to write more.

Special Thanks to Amy Jonas. She inspired the plot…actually suggested some of the main idea. Thanks so much! My muse REALLY needed the jump-start!




Part 1 I Part 2 I Part 3 I Part 4 I BACK