FORGIVENESS ------------------------------------ Written by: Leontien Bosch E-mail: gotocyberspace@earthcorp.com Timeline: after 'After the Thaw' ------------------------------------ Author comments: This story starts where SOTF left us, and it actually is about.... Julia and Alonzo, I couldn't help it. Thanks to Amanda and Percy for reading it for me and Percy, thanks for the title. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Danziger filled the grave and walked back to the others. They took a last look at the grave and then turned around, leaving the Grendler behind to grieve over his lost mate. The walk back to the Bio-dome was in silence, everybody was thinking their own thoughts. And some didn't want to speak to anyone else. Once back in the Dome, Bess and Magus started to make dinner, but they couldn't finish it. They couldn't stop their minds wondering back to the stories the scouting party had told the others. They also figured that they wouldn't want to eat anyway, it was only reminding them of the last few horrible days. Magus left Bess standing behind a the table, going to her bed. Slowly the others were leaving the Dome too, either going to sleep or going on patrol. Soon there were only six people left in the Dome, after Yale had ushered the children out of the common room. Bess walked to the table and sat down beside Morgan. She looked at Devon, who looked back at her, understanding what had to be done. "Morgan, honey, let's go. You need to sleep. Ok?" Morgan lifted his head from the table and looked at his wife. He nodded and they stood up. Devon watched as they walked out of the Bio-Dome to their tent. "I think we should all try to get some sleep," Devon said, looking at Danziger. His head was resting on his arms, on the table. Then she looked at Alonzo and Julia. They were trying to have as much space as possible between them. For a moment she thought they were already asleep, but then Danziger answered. "So, why don't you go to bed Adair. To get some sleep. I'm fine were I am right now." Suddenly Julia stood up and walked to the door of her room. Before she entered, she turned around. "She's right. We need to sleep, its of no use to sit around here," she said, looking at the three of them, but especially at Alonzo. Then she left the room. Alonzo stared at her door, but didn't move to go to her. Devon thought. "Well, if you don't mind," she pushed her chair back and stood up. "Im going to bed." Getting no response from the guys she walked to Julias room. Devon knocked on the door. When she didn't hear anything she opened the door and entered. ************** Julia was lying on her cot thinking about the last few days. She hadn't told the rest of the group everything that had happened. They didn't need the know what had happened between her and Alonzo. She heard someone knocking on her door. She had first thought that it was Alonzo, but he wouldn't come to her now, not after what had happened. Everything they had said to each other. She heard the door opening and someone entering. "Julia?" Devon asked. She could make out the form of the young doctor lying on the cot." Are you sleeping?" she thought to herself. Julia turned around to face Devon. "No, I'm not and I probably won't sleep tonight." Devon walked to the cot and sat down. "Do you want to talk about it?" Julia stood up and began pacing the room, a familiar sign that something was bothering Julia. Finally she stopped and looked at Devon. "What is there to talk about, Devon? I told you everything that happened." "You're sure you told me everything?" Julia sat down on the cot next to Devon. "I told you the important things." She sighed. Devon looked at Julia. She thought a few minutes about the right course of action she would have to take. "Julia, tell me what happened between you and Alonzo." "Nothing happened, Devon." "I want the truth now. Julia, whatever happened between you, its killing you. I mean, look at you , you're a wreck. Normally you and Alonzo cant get seem to get close enough to each other and now you can't seem to get as much space as possible between you." Julia stared at the wall for a minute and then stood up and began pacing again. "Ok, Ill tell you what happened. It was right after Danziger proposed to go to the Grendler and bring a piece of it back to camp. Alonzo fought with him and I tried to stop them. When they were done, I told Danziger that I would go with him." "You already told me that, remember?" Julia looked at Devon. "Don't interrupt, please. If I don't say it now, I might never tell it to you. So I went with him, I would know what to do. After we came back and finished the rest of the meat, so that we would be able to eat it, I brought Alonzo a piece. He wouldn't take it." "No I won't do it. You go ahead and eat it." "Alonzo, you got to eat something." "Or what, Ill die if I don't eat? I'd rather die than to eat what used to be a living, sentient creature." Julia sighed. He wasn't going to eat it, no matter how much she told him that he needed to eat. She would try one more time, but she already knew that he was determined not to eat the Grendler. "Alonzo..." " Save it!" he looked at her angrily. Julia stood up and walked back to the campfire to get some soup for Morgan. Couldn't he see how much it was hurting her, to see that he was sick, slowly dying? She didn't like it to eat the Grendler, knowing that it had eggs, but she knew that without the proteins she would die ************** Devon looked at Julia's back. She knew how much it had hurt the young doctor, to eat a living being. "Did he eat it?" Devon asked after a minute of silence. Julia turned around and Devon saw that she had tears in her eyes. "Yes, he did. Eventually, we all did. But he hates me. For taking Danzigers side." She began sobbing again. Devon stood up and walked over to Julia, to hug her, to comfort her. "Shhhh, its alright. He doesn't hate you. He's just confused right now. Before you know it, hell be sneaking into your room again late at night." Julia had to laugh about that. "Are you sure?" "Im positive. That guy loves you. Look at all the things he did for you. He went back for you and he kind of protected you against Danziger, or the dead Terrian, whatever it was." Julia smiled and dried her tears. "Do you think I should go and talk to him now?" Devon walked Julia over to the bed. "No, I would let him come to you. It wasn't your fault that you got in that situation in the first place right? Now go to sleep, ok? Devon left Julia's room, after she made sure that she was sleeping. She had even threatened to sedate the young doctor, if she wouldn't go to sleep. Devon knew that they would remember the scouting trip for a long time. Julia was probably thinking that she would get nightmares about it and Devon wouldn't be surprised if any of them would wake up from one in the middle of the night. ************** Julia woke up from a dreamless sleep. It was still quiet in the BioDome, when she left her room. She quickly walked to the door and left the BioDome into the cold morning air. She greeted Walman, who had guard duty and walked out of camp. When she reached a group of trees, she stopped and leaned against the nearest tree. She had a lot to think about and she still wasn't sure of her relationship with Alonzo. Julia thought. She still didn't believe that he would stay here for her, although she was sure that he would leave after what happened the last few days. She looked around and recognized the terrain. It was close to the grave Danziger dug the day before. She decided to walk to the grave ************** Alonzo stared at the roof of his tent. Last night after Julia had left, he had gone to his tent. He had slept for a few hours, but woke up after a dream. It was a Terrian dream, although the Terrians weren't really in it. There was someone else in it, someone he really loved, but now he wasn't so sure anymore if that person loved him. The dream reminded him of the dream he had about Julia when his leg was still broken. Unconsciously he touched his leg. In this dream it was as if he was feeling the things Julia was feeling. He had hurt her, like she had hurt him, but worse. She was only trying to save him, to make sure that he would live, that he would survive the terrible trip to the cargo pod. It looked a lot like the time she was trying to make him take his pills and he refused to take them and making remarks about her chromosomes instead. The Terrians hadn't understood his feelings of hurt, anger and disgust. They had said that something was missing, the dreamer wasn't whole anymore. They did knew that it had something to do with Julia. So they had send him this dream, like they had done in the beginning, but they had used Julia this time. After the dream, he lay on his cot, thinking about a lot of things, including Julia. he thought and with that he stood up and left his tent, in search of Julia. Devon looked up when she heard the door of the BioDome opening and Alonzo entered. He looked around and then he walked over to Devon. "Have you seen Julia?" he asked and when Devon gave a negative answer, he walked to her room, only to return without Julia. "She's still sleeping?" Devon asked. Alonzo sat down at Devons table. "No, She's not in her room," he said, while thinking where she might be. "I saw her walking out of camp early this morning," said Bess who was standing nearby. "She said something to Walman and then she left camp I guess." Alonzo looked at Julia's door and then at the BioDome door. "I'm going to look for her. Bess, do you know where Walman is now?" he asked as he stood up. "He's in his tent I think," she said and Alonzo left the Dome. ************** Julia was sitting at the Grendler grave, quietly crying. It had been a bad idea, going back to the grave again, a place that held so much pain and sorrow. She hadn't felt this horrible before, not even when they had left her behind after they found out about the Council. Her mind returned to the day when Alonzo had come back for her. He had shown her how much he loved her that night and he had convinced her that she should come back with him to the group. Almost immediately an image of Alonzo from when they were on the cargo-pod trip was formed in her mind. she thought and decided not to think of anything that had happened on this planet anymore. She just stared at a tree in front of her. It didn't work, because soon the memories of Alonzo returned. She remembered trying to get him to take his medications. He was, as always, being stubborn. How he had tried to seduce her, when she was just out of cold sleep and not really awake yet. she thought and a smile came on her face. "Thinking nice thoughts I hope," she heard someone say from behind her. It was Alonzo, she could always recognize his voice. "Alonzo," she didn't turn around, she didn't want him to see that she had cried. "What are you doing here?" He took a few steps so that he was standing next to her. "I was looking for you." He was trying to start a conversation, but he had a feeling that she had put up her walls again, just like in the beginning. "Well, you found me so you can go now," she said, still avoiding him. he thought. But that was the reason he had fallen in love with her, her stubbornness. But sometimes, like now, he'd wished that she wasn't this stubborn. "Dammit Julia, Im trying to talk to you," he said, anger was in his voice. She turned away from him. "Why, so you can tell me how much you hate me?" she said, trying not to start sobbing again. "No, I can't tell you that, Im sorry. But I can tell you how much I love you." Alonzo took the few steps between her and turned her around. He kissed the few tears that were rolling over her face away. " Julia, I understand why you did what you did, back there. And Id like to make it up to you, if that's ok with you. Or do I have to break my leg again, so you can treat me?" He said and she laughed, now knowing that Devon was right, he didn't hate her. He leaned in to kiss her and she kissed him back. After a minute they drew back for some air and Alonzo slowly lowered her to the ground, not caring about the cold snow. ************** "Devon, don't you think we should go look for Julia?" Morgan asked, looking worried. "I mean, what if something happens to her, we'll be stuck on this planet without a doctor." "Don't you think Alonzo found her by now? He's been gone for a few hours now," Magus said. "Maybe he's found her and they just don't want to be found," Walman said and looking at Baines, who was trying to hold his laugh down. "I don't care what they are doing out there, but its freezing out there. I say we go after them," Danziger said, going to the door. "Danziger, wait. We'll split up ok, we'll have more change finding them," Devon said, putting on her coat. "Morgan and Bess, you take east, Magus and Walman, you two take west, Baines, you take Zero with you and take south. Danziger and I will take north. Yale, could you stay here with the children? " After an affirmative nod from Yale, she walked out of the door, followed by Danziger and the rest of the search team. While Devon was talking to Yale to arrange some last things, True spotted something in the woods. "Dad," she tugged at her dads coat. "No True, you can't come with us," he said, not looking at his daughter. "But dad, look over there, I saw something moving in the woods." Danziger looked at the direction True was pointing to. "Uhh Devon, I think we can all stay here." When Devon looked at him with a questioning look, he pointed at the same point his daughter had pointed to a minute ago. "Loverboy has decided to come home." Everybody looked at the couple that came walking from the woods, still wet from the snow THE END? Characters are owned by Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended.