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arfic-l-digest        Sunday, February 25 2001        Volume 01 : Number 006




----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 01:08:31 -0500 (EST)
From: Ailie McFarland <[e-mail]>
Subject: (arfic-l) Strangers 1/1 PG

Title: Strangers 1/1
Author: Ailie McFarland
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Buffy: Crush / Angel: Thin Dead Line (i.e. this weeks eps)
Summary: Angel receives a surprise visit from a concerned friend.
Feedback: Hello, you=92ve reached Ailie=92s ego. I=92m not in right now, bu=
t if you=92d leave me a
message about this story, I=92d really appreciate it!
Archives: http://www.geocities.com/aixla
Distribution: If it helps at all, I=92m gonna say yes.
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, Angel or any other characters. If I did the=
ir lives would be a lot
happier ... most of the time.

Author=92s note: Something tells me I stand a good chance of =93being Josse=
d=94 on this one ...


She was there when I woke up. That in and of itself isn=92t all that unusua=
l; I often dream of her lying in my bed. Usually when that happens I see he=
r as she was on that night that never existed. That peaceful, content look =
she had as she slept is something that I will never forget. But tonight it =
wasn=92t like that. Instead, she was standing in the doorway of my room, br=
ow slightly furrowed.

=93Buffy?=94 My sleep addled mind began to fuzzily grasp the concept that t=
his wasn=92t a dream. =93How long have you been here?=94

She offered a small smile. =93Not long. A few minutes, maybe. I just didn=
=92t want to wake you.=94

I grabbed my shirt from the bedpost and shrugged into it as quickly as poss=
ible. Not that I have anything she=92s never seen before, but the last thin=
g we need right now is to tempt the fates. =93What are you doing in L.A.?=
=94

=93Drusilla.=94 That one word caught my full attention. =93She arrived in S=
unnydale on a train from L.A. a few days ago.=94

=93Casualties?=94

Buffy just nodded. =93She told Spike about everything that=92s been going o=
n here, so when she left I thought I should call and give you the head=92s =
up. Only when I called I got a message saying the
phone for the office had been disconnected. So I called Cordelia at home ..=
.=94

I sat back down on the edge of the bed. =93And she told you what=92s been h=
appening here.=94

=93Some of it,=94 Buffy shifted her glance down to the floor. =93They fille=
d me on the rest when I went to see Wesley at the hospital.=94

=93How=92s he doing?=94 I hated not being able to go and see for myself, bu=
t as Cordelia so eloquently put it the last time I tried, they don=92t need=
 me. And she was right. They are better off without me.

=93He=92ll be alright,=94 she was still staring at the floorboards as if th=
e meaning of life was hidden between them. =93He=92s out of ICU now, but it=
=92ll probably be a few more days before they let him
go home.=94

Silence descended. Time is so strange. It used to be that when I was with h=
er the time flew right by, and now each second feels like an eternity in an=
d of itself. Finally she crossed the room and took a seat in the over-stuff=
ed easy chair beside the bed. =93Angel, they=92re worried about you.=94 She=
 paused before continuing. =93I=92m worried about you.=94

Her hair cascaded down over her shoulders as she leaned toward me, remindin=
g me of the first time I ever saw her. Buffy had been so innocent then, wav=
ing to her friends as she sucked on that ridiculous lollipop. Her hair had =
been longer then, only a little longer than it was now. Had I really been g=
one that long?=20

The flood of repressed emotions and memories surprised me, and I lashed out=
. =93What would your boyfriend do if he knew you said that to me?=94 As soo=
n as the words were out I regretted them. How can I have lived so long with=
out learning not to let my mouth run ahead of my brain?

The expression that crossed her face at the mention of that name sent the k=
nife of regret even deeper into un-beating heart. Something had happened be=
tween them. =93Riley went back to the
military.=94=20

I knew better than to push further than that. I reached out to touch her ha=
nd. =93Look, I=92m ...=94

=93Forget about it.=94 Buffy mumbled as she pulled away, leaning back in th=
e chair. I had ruined things again. I seem to be getting pretty good at tha=
t, these days.

After a moment, Buffy broke the silence again. =93I=92m sorry. About Darla.=
 I know how hard it was the first time you had to ...=94

=93Kill her?=94 I stood up and began to pace the length of the room. =93You=
 can say it, you know. I won=92t go crazy because you said the K word.=94

Buffy stood. =93No, I=92m not afraid I=92ll drive you crazy. I think you=92=
re already half-way there.=94

=93Imagine that!=94 I threw my hands up in the air. This was all beginning =
to sound very familiar. =93In case they left out this part of the story, I=
=92ve got an entire law firm being *paid* to do
that.=94

=93I know about the lawyers.=94 Buffy was yelling now. =93I know about the =
tricks. I know about how they gave Darla to you and then took her away agai=
n. But I also know you. And I know that you
can ...=94

I turned mid-stride and caught her by the arm. =93No you don=92t! Not anymo=
re. You don=92t know me any better than Gunn, or Wesley, or Cordelia knows =
me. You can=92t know me because even I don=92t know me anymore! All I know =
is that Darla is here and it=92s my responsibility to take care of her.=94

=93Why?=94 Buffy wrenched her arm free from my grasp, and I could see red m=
arks where my fingers had pressed into her skin. =93Why is it your responsi=
bility? Is this your atonement? Your
way of punishing yourself? Where does it say that you have to go up against=
 this without help?=94

I pointed toward my chest. =93Right here. Because I care about them too muc=
h to let them get stuck in my mess. And because there are people that they =
can help. I can=92t do that any more! I
just can=92t.=94

And suddenly it was quiet again. Buffy=92s eyes looked into mine, and I cou=
ld tell she was searching for the Angel that she knew. I felt like shaking =
her and showing her that he doesn=92t live here anymore ... but I knew she =
could see that for herself. The look in her eyes was almost the same look I=
 remember from being Angelus. One of utter disbelief. But this time there w=
as something else there as well. Something I couldn=92t quite read. I can=
=92t remember the last time I looked at her and didn=92t know what she was =
thinking.

Without a word she turned and walked out the way she came in. At the doorwa=
y she paused, and turned to look at me one last time. I half expected her t=
o say something like =93Call me if you
change your mind,=94 but she didn=92t. She just turned and left.

I guess we=92ve both changed more than we realized.

FIN



- -
 To unsubscribe to arfic-l, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe arfic-l" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2001 20:02:09 -0800 (PST)
From: Worlds Away <[e-mail]>
Subject: (arfic-l) FIC: Worlds Away (14/??)

Title: Worlds Away (Part 14/??)

Author: M. Bumbarger

Email: [e-mail]

Fandom: New Series Tomorrow People

Rating: PG-13/TV-14

Summary: The Tomorrow People are swept away to a
different world, where they must take up the lives of
their alter-egos and try to find their way home . . .
which won't be easy.

Dedication: To Victoria for demonstrating my absent
minded-ness with the earlier posting of Parts 12 & 13
:-)

Disclaimer: The Tomorrow People (Adam Newman, Ami
Jackson, Megabyte Damon, and Jade Weston) are the
property of Roger Damon Price, Thames Television, ITV,
Tetra Television and Nickelodeon. They are used here
without permission, but not for profit. The lands,
countries, customs, deities, and original characters
are mine and mine only, springing from the depths
of my imagination and should not be used anywhere else
without my permission. Please do not repost this to
any list or archive it anywhere else without my
express permission.

Previous parts at
http://www.alternate-realities.net/worldsaway

****

Chapter Fourteen

"Is my lady certain that she does not wish a heavier
cloak? It is a bit cool this afternoon. The sky looks
like rain."

Gripping her many layers of skirts in both hands, Jade
drew to a sudden and complete stop halfway down the
staircase. She even managed to not smirk when Sarena
faltered and nearly stumbled forward before quickly
stepping back to be on the same step with the Lady
Jadina of House Ruele. The first twelve hours of
having a maidservant had been absolutely wonderful and
Jade had basked in the attention she received from the
other girl; nearly twenty-four hours later, she was
very tired of the fawning and hovering and would have
given her right arm to have the girl out of her hair
for a even a few hours. Particularly when Sarena's
presence greatly reduced her opportunities to talk
with Adam and Megabyte; while her two friends had been
locked in Lord Bial's study, Sarena had insisted that
her lady receive a bath, a hair washing, and a
pampering that could only have been completed at a
spa. That hadn't been so bad, but over dinner Jade had
been positively dying to speak to Adam, but surrounded
as they had been by everyone else, it had not
happened.

Breakfast had been no different, and immediately
following the morning meal she had been swept off by
Lady Margot to discuss the preparations for the
prince's bride. Not that Jade had been allowed to
contribute much to the conversation or decision
making; mostly she had the privilege of nodding,
smiling and agreeing with every word and decision that
Lady Margot made.

Supper again left them surrounded by servants and
listening ears that they could not expose themselves
to. Jade was left looking glumly forward to another
few hours of following around and mimicking every word
that Lady Margot said until Adam saved her. It was
Adam who had suggested an afternoon ride with "one of
my more prettier cousins," and of course, not even the
Lady Margot would argue with the High Prince of
Stiborn.

Well, she didn't argue very strenuously.

Now, the only problem was getting Sarena out of her
hair long enough for her to have some privacy with her
friends.

"No, Sarena, I do not want a heavier cloak. I do not
want a hooded cloak. I don't want thicker gloves, I
don't want to change into heavier stockings, and I am
absolutely positive that this *is* the riding dress
that I want to wear."

Sarena blinked, and Jade winced inwardly. Clearly,
*her* Lady Jadina did not speak so openly; obviously
not, or Jade would not have spent most of the morning
serving as Lady Margot's parrot. Sarena recovered
quickly however, and nodded, her hands coming up to
straighten Jade's cloak, "I'm sorry, Jade. It's just
that having you away for so long - we haven't been
separated that long since we were small girls. Not
even your wedding trip lasted as long. I don't know
what to do with myself if I'm not taking care of you."

Jade sighed, immediately regretting her harsh tone. As
odd as it was, sometimes it was hard to remember that
this was not her world, and this was only a role she
was playing until she could find her way home again.
She tried to put herself in Sarena's shoes, and
wondered what she would do if their situations were
reversed - if she had been raised to be a
lady-in-waiting; and realized she would quite probably
be driving the lady of the manor insane as well - only
true noble bred ladies wouldn't find the attention
overwhelming at all.

"I'm sorry, Sarena," Jade paused, only a heartbeat,
and covered it by stepping forward. She didn't know if
she *should* apologize, if that was ever done, and she
didn't dare look at Sarena's face to confirm or deny.
"I just hated being on a boat and I'm a little
overexcited to see Prince Adam." There, neither of
those were lies.

"I don't see why I couldn't come along," Sarena
accepted the words without question, linking her arm
gently around Jade's as the two descended the steps
together. "Eris knows that you couldn't have had much
fun with your husband - pardon me for speaking ill of
him, Jade - for company."

The words raised Jade's curiosity, as much this time
as they had the first. One thing that she had observed
these past two weeks was that everyone seemed to give
Lady Jadina some small measure of pity for being
married to Lord Marmion. Even his parents went out of
their way to shower her with kindness and attention,
as though they didn't expect her to receive it from
any other corner. Not that Jade would have expected
any sort of affection from Megabyte; it did strike her
as peculiar that obviously the relationship that Lady
Jadina shared with Lord Marmion was no better than
that Jade shared with her fellow Tomorrow Person. And
judging from the comments, at least Jade was lucky
enough to have Megabyte's friendship; Jadina had not
even that.

Thinking about it, Jade felt a pang of sorrow for the
girl whose life she had taken over. An incurable
romantic, it was hard for Jade to imagine being thrown
into a marriage that was not based on anything other
than land and titles. A loveless marriage that was
certainly a horrible thing to have to deal with, and
Jade actually found herself truly grateful for
Megabyte's friendship. Even if he did still see her as
annoying kid, at least he had not brushed her off
these past two weeks; he had actually made her safe
and reminded her that she was not alone.

"It wasn't so bad," Jade spoke aloud without meaning
to, and catching the startled wide-eyed look Sarena
threw in her direction, she hurried on. "I mean, I
think he's coming around to things, accepting them. I
think we might even be friends someday."

Another not quite a lie and how quickly Jade was able
to spit them out.

Sarena's very unladylike snort betrayed her feelings
on that matter. "I love you like a sister, Jade, and
you have always been good to me. That is why I will
tell you this - do not hold your breath, or you will
be holding it until the moon falls from the sky. Lord
Marmion is a heartless, spoiled brat who doesn't come
close to deserving you for a wife."

"Maybe not," Jade sighed, patting the hand at her
elbow, "But I still have to try."

"I know," Sarena squeezed Jade's arm, "You are too
sweet and wonderful to do any less."

The words warmed Jade, although as her hand brushed
against Sarena's she had felt -- something -- a
twisting, bitterness beyond the words. But it was gone
as quickly as Jade sensed it and she could only
attribute it to Sarena's clear and obvious dislike of
Lord Marmion Ruele.

They continued on in silence, sweeping into the
stables where Adam and Megabyte already waited for her
arrival. Three horses had been brought forwarded and
were saddled, and not a groomsman or stable hand was
in sight. Half-hidden from sight, Adam fussed with the
saddle on a sable colored horse, while Megabyte fussed
with his riding gloves. Both of them seemed oblivious
to her arrival, so Jade cleared her throat loudly.

"Hello."

It was enough. Adam smiled at her from beneath the
horse, "Hello, Jadina. Will your lady being joining
us?" Although the words were friendly, Jade caught the
subtle undertones in Adam's voice and both on his
face.

She quickly shook her head, but was spared answering
by Sarena, who dipped quickly into a low curtsy, "No,
Your Highness. I was just walking a bit with my lady.
I trust that she is in good hands."

"I give you my full reassurance that she can not be in
any better hands," Adam responded with a charming
smile, his attention fully riveted on Sarena.

Jade had known girls like Sarena, girls who could turn
boys into drooling, slobbering, inanely babbling
morons with just a smile and the batting of eyelashes.
Usually, she found a reason to dislike those girls;
usually they were either so simple-minded or stuck on
themselves that they were easy to dislike. Sarena
however, was neither simple-minded nor egotistical,
and Jade could only stare at the other girl with envy
as she watched even Adam fall prey to Sarena's charms.


Most of which were apparently oozing out of her
bodice.

Meow, Jade chided herself. She squared her shoulders,
"You weren't waiting long were you?"

"Does it matter?" Megabyte asked sourly. Oddly enough,
Jade noticed he was doing everything in his power to
*not* look at Sarena.

Megabyte's response was enough to pull Adam's
attention from Sarena and fix the other Tomorrow
Person with a glare. Yet, somehow his words still
remained warm and affectionate, directed at Jade. "No,
you're right on time."

"I'll be going," Sarena's smile could have lit the
entire stable, and probably very well did as she gave
a respective curtsy again to Adam - this one not as
deep this time, thank goodness - and turned to place
an affectionate kiss on Jade's cheek. "Do be careful,
and if rains, do you very best to keep try. We can't
have you taking ill when His Highness' fiancΘe will be
here any day now, can we?"

"Stop fretting," Jade ordered, but smiled anyway. It
was hard to not smile.

Adam presented Jade with the reins of a chestnut mare
when Sarena was out of earshot. "This one is yours,
Lady Jadina. Her name is Quesella."

Jade smile at the creature, slowly stroking the thick
mane. "She's beautiful. How did you find out which one
was mine?"

"You just have to know what questions to ask and who
to ask them of," Adam shrugged. "Trust me, it's
becoming a lot easier to find out anything I've ever
wanted to know about Stiborn without looking like I've
lost my mind."

"Yeah, maybe that's because they already know that
you've lost your mind," Megabyte sniggered.

"Whatever, Megabyte," Adam rolled his eyes in the
direction of the redhead.

"So, Jade can you even ride a horse?" Megabyte asked.

Jade flinched at the sarcastic tone of his voice.
Folding her arms across her chest, she glared at him,
"Can you?"

He paled, and the look on his face was answer enough
for her. She smiled smugly. "I used to take riding
lessons when I was little. I think that I will manage
well enough."

"And you think I won't?"

[Do you think the two of you can try not arguing until
we're away from the Keep?] Adam's chastisement rang
out in her head, [You two don't sound anything like a
lord and lady. You sound like two kids.]

[News flash, Adam. We're not a lord and lady.]

[Until we get out of here, you better learn to be.]
The words left no room for argument.

The saddling up and ride from the stables was
undertaken mostly in silence. Jade could tell that
Megabyte was sulking - he clearly didn't like the way
Adam had dressed him down with a few words - and he
also clearly was about as uncomfortable on a horse as
he would have been with wings attached to his back.
Jade would have laughed at his shifting in the saddle
and the way he clung to the saddle horn, if she had
not been so busy getting her bearing back. Only Adam
seemed relatively at ease, but Jade recalled that Adam
had the pleasure of being land locked for the past two
weeks.

"So, what do you think is going on, Adam?" Jade
finally gained enough control to edge her horse up
besides Adam's, the Keep far enough away from them for
them to speak openly.

Adam laughed. Not a laugh of humor, but a sad, soft
laugh of confusion. He shook his head, "I've been
trying to figure that out since I got here, Jade. And
unfortunately, I'm no closer to an answer now than I
was then."

"Maybe it's magic," Megabyte volunteered thoughtfully.


Adam glanced back at the Tomorrow Person who lagged
behind them. "Oh, yesterday you were treating me like
I was a nutter and today you believe me?"

"Not one hundred percent, but," Megabyte shrugged, "If
there is a such thing as magic, then maybe that's what
brought us here."

Jade looked from one to the other, truly lamenting
that she had not been privy to the conversation and
reunion in Lord Bial's study. "What's this about
magic?"

"Adam thinks that Merlin is here."

Adam ignored the comment and addressed Jade directly.
"This world has magic, Jade. Real magic. And all of
Megabyte's smart-ass comments aside, he might have a
point. I know that thing I saw on the beach couldn't
have been natural."

"But why us? And why here?" Jade asked.

"And where's Ami?"

Megabyte's question bathed Jade in an ocean of guilt
and shame. She hadn't even thought about their missing
friend since their first few days here; and, she had
been so ecstatically happy to see Adam that she still
had not really focused on Ami's absence. Here she was
so worried about herself, and so wound up in her own
world that she had forgotten all about Ami. What if
Ami was here and she was totally and completely alone
with none of them around? And she didn't have the
pleasure of being royalty like Adam or at least
"married" like Jade and Megabyte. What if she was a
servant that wasn't appreciated, or she was a trapped
in a horrible marriage to a man with seven wives --

"Jade," Adam's hand on her arm pulled her from her
spiraling thoughts, a soft comforting smile on his
lips, "It's all right. I'm sure that wherever Ami is,
she's fine. She can handle herself pretty well.
There's a good chance that she's not even here at
all."

Jade paled. Had she been speaking aloud? It was a
wonder that Megabyte wasn't teasing her mercilessly.

"No," Adam responded to her unspoken thoughts, "But
you were broadcasting pretty loudly there."

"And can you really imagine Ami trapped in a horrible
marriage or something? She'd probably have her husband
running scared within twenty-four hours," Megabyte
laughed.

"But she could be here, I mean, we don't know that
she's not here --"

"I think, that for now, we need to operate on the
premise that she isn't here," Adam cut her off before
she could lose herself in a panic and guilt again.
"Personally, it makes me feel a lot better to think
that she's back on earth, trying to find a way to get
us back."

"Yeah, because if she is here, and we can't sense her,
then who knows what could be happening to her?"
Megabyte added as he finally managed to exert some
control over his horse and maneuver it on the other
side of Jade's.

Adam glared at him across Jade's horse. "Thank you,
Megabyte. Let's try not to be overwhelming with the
comforting."

Despite his tone, Jade sensed the discomfort and worry
that had already begun to gnaw at Adam. He always took
so much on his shoulders, trying to be the strong one,
and this time was no different. He was far more
worried about Ami - or rather Ami's absence - than he
wanted to let on to either of them.

Jade reached out and patted his hand, hoping to convey
her own comfort. "She's okay."

Adam gave her a smile that didn't quite touch his
eyes, "I know she is. Besides, wherever she is, at
least she isn't married to Megabyte, right?"

"Oh, you're real funny, Adam. Like being married to
Jade is a picnic?"

Jade stuck her tongue out at him.

The teasing banter lightened the mood - if only a
small bit.

"I think the most important thing right now, is that
we act as normal as possible," Adam said after a
while. "We have to be who everyone thinks we are. And
in the meantime, we need to find out anything we can
about that portal that we saw. I can research at the
Palace, there maybe something in a book somewhere,
some kind of spell or something."

"And what should we do?" Megabyte asked.

"Ask around. Listen," Adam looked over at the two of
them. "Servants talk and gossip, and sometimes they
know a lot more than you think they do. They might be
full of rumor and superstition, but even superstition
comes from somewhere.

"The worse that can happen is that we're still stuck
here in a month and a half and I end up married."

*** End of Chapter Fourteen




=====
*********************************************
Worlds Away
http://www.alternate-realities.net/worldsaway
*********************************************

__________________________________________________
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------------------------------

Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2001 20:04:31 -0800 (PST)
From: Worlds Away <[e-mail]>
Subject: (arfic-l) FIC: Worlds Away (15/??)

Title: Worlds Away (Part 15/??)

Author: M. Bumbarger

Email: [e-mail]

Fandom: New Series Tomorrow People

Rating: PG-13/TV-14

Summary: The Tomorrow People are swept away to a
different world, where they must take up the lives of
their alter-egos and try to find their way home . . .
which won't be easy.

Dedication: To Mandi just because I enjoyed "Slow
Night" so very much!

Disclaimer: The Tomorrow People (Adam Newman, Ami
Jackson, Megabyte Damon, and Jade Weston) are the
property of Roger Damon Price, Thames Television, ITV,
Tetra Television and Nickelodeon. They are used here
without permission, but not for profit. The lands,
countries, customs, deities, and original characters
are mine and mine only, springing from the depths
of my imagination and should not be used anywhere else
without my permission. Please do not repost this to
any list or archive it anywhere else without my
express permission.

Previous parts at
http://www.alternate-realities.net/worldsaway

*****

Chapter Fifteen

Adam rode along thoughtfully behind his friends. The
afternoon ride had gone well - and one good thing
about being the prince was that no one questioned his
motives, or odd requests. If the High Prince wanted to
ride alone with his cousin and his cousin's wife, then
no one tried to stop or question him. Well, if you
didn't count the almost half-hearted protest that Lady
Margot gave when it was clear that Adam would be
wresting Lady Jadina from under her wing.

Getting rid of Hagen had been easy; the man needed no
encouragement to find his own amusements. To Adam's
surprise, getting rid of Stewart had not been all that
difficult either. Despite seeing ambush and assassins
in every corner, evidently Stewart was convinced that
Lord Marmion had no intentions of sticking a dagger
into Adam's ribcage. Adam might not have been so
certain about that if he hadn't known that the current
incarnation of Lord Marmion really wouldn't have any
such motive and couldn't have attempted to kill Adam
even had he wanted to.

Of course, soothing his fears about Megabyte and Jade
had only created new ones -- or rather, a new one.
Ami. Was she here? Was she on earth? He had no way of
knowing; after all, he hadn't truly been able to sense
Megabyte and Jade from a distance, so Ami would be no
different. And if she was here, this world was not
small - could they ever hope to find her? Random
chance led to him Jade and Megabyte and Adam held on
fervently to the hope that random chance might lead
them to Ami as well.

Forcing thoughts of their absent Tomorrow Person
aside, Adam reined in his horse and looked to Megabyte
again. He could still see the hurt and sting in Jade's
eyes when the other had announced that he *needed* to
speak to Adam alone before they returned, and he did
feel for her. Despite the fact that Megabyte and Jade
were getting along better than they ever had before,
and far better than Adam would have expected under the
circumstances, some things still had not changed.

"So, what was so important that you had to send Jade
away first?" As much as he hated to admit it, Adam was
curious about what precisely was on Megabyte's mind.

"I'm having an affair," Megabyte said. Actually, he
blurted the words so that they all ran together
sounding more like 'Imhavinganaffair,' and it took
Adam a moment to translate. Then, as a red that
matched Megabyte's hair filled his face, the other
continued, "I mean, not me. Marmion. Marmion is -- was
- -- having an affair."

If Megabyte hadn't looked so positively miserable and
scandalized by the confession, Adam might have
laughed. He didn't know what he had been expecting his
friend to say, but that certainly had not been it.

Not that Adam was surprised by that sort of news about
Marmion. His conversations with Hagen, a few sketchy
notes in the prince's private journals, and the
general attitude he picked up on from those around him
told Adam that Lord Marmion was not a pillar of
virtue. Hagen had even openly commented en route to
Elspera Keep that he hoped that some time spent with
Lady Jadina might have persuaded Marmion to only seek
entertainments in his marriage bed.

Adam was under the definite impression that the only
reason the prince and Hagen tolerated Marmion at all
was because they had grown up with the young man, and
he was *their* cousin.

"How exactly did you find this out?" Adam thought it
was better not to mention that there was no need to be
so secretive. Hagen knew of Marmion's infidelities, as
did Stewart. And, as he had told Jade and Megabyte
earlier, servants are far more observant than given
credit for and they did tend to gossip.

"She - she - she kissed me!" Megabyte blurted the
words out, going even redder than Adam would have
imagined. "I mean, there I was, chaining clothes and
she just walked into my bedroom and kissed me!"

"Somehow, Megabyte, I never thought you would object
to a pretty girl kissing you," Adam teased. "She is
pretty?"

"Yes! But that's not the point. The point is that I'm
Marmion, and he's married and he's a complete jerk."

"Well, then this is your opportunity to change that,
Megabyte."

"And you know what the worst part is? She acts like
nothing happened!"

"That is usually the case with affairs --"

"She just went on, doting on Jade like she hadn't been
attacking me earlier. You saw her, Adam, she treats
*Lady Jadina* like she's the best thing on earth and
then she turns around and screws her husband. What
kind of woman does that?"

It took Adam's brain a moment to catch up with
Megabyte's tirade. As it did, the pieces of the puzzle
clicked into the place - the cold glares Adam had
thought he was only imagining that Megabyte gave to
Sarena, or the way he thought that Sarena had spent
far more time than she should have with her eyes on
*Lord Marmion.* "Sarena? You're having an affair with
Sarena?"

"No. Marmion is having an affair with Sarena. I'm
being molested by Sarena." Megabyte glowered, "Legan
knows too. Legan knows and even he doesn't do anything
about it. He just treats me like I'm dirt."

"No offense, but from what I know of Marmion Ruele, he
is dirt," Adam said. He held up a hand to forestall
any outbursts from Megabyte. "I know you're not him,
and I'm glad that you're not nearly the jackass that
he seems to be. Maybe that's the one good thing that
can come of us being here -- you can give Marmion a
personality makeover."

Megabyte scowled. "And what do I do about Sarena?"

"Whatever you want." Adam shifted in his saddle. "Is
that why you sent Jade away, so she wouldn't find out
about this?"

"What was I supposed to do? Let her know that the
*Lady Jadina* is being totally taken advantage of and
being made a fool of by her lady in waiting? Come on,
Adam, Jade and I may not get along, but I'm not going
to do that to her. At least I wasn't going to until I
actually figured out what to do about it."

"And what are you going to do about it?" Adam tilted
his head thoughtfully. "Better yet, what do you want
to do about it?"

"What do you mean?" The redhead appeared genuinely
confused.

"Well, Megabyte, you do have Sarena's attention. And,
as you pointed out to me, she is very . . .
beautiful," Adam stumbled over the description because
beautiful did not even begin to describe her. The
woman gave off vibes that would set men to one
another's throats for her attention if she so desired
it; the fact that she knew it did very little to
dampen her attractiveness and appeal. Women like
Sarena were dangerous; wars had been rumored to start
over less.

"Are you saying that I should --" Megabyte stared at
him with absolute incredulity.

Adam held up his hand, "I'm not saying anything,
Megabyte. I'm asking you what your feelings are. What
do you want to do about Sarena? And shipping her back
to the Palace with me is not an option, so don't even
suggest it."

Megabyte was quiet for a while, chin resting on his
the heel of his hand while he seriously contemplated
the question. "I don't know. I mean, it's like, it
wouldn't be right you know?"

"Consider me the devil's advocate. Why wouldn't' that
be right?"

"Well, for starters, I'm married."

"Marmion is married," Adam corrected him.

"And I'm Marmion. And youÆre the prince à and now do
you see how screwy this all is? I'm *married* and even
if it is to Jade, it just doesn't seem right. Besides,
it would really hurt Jade's feelings if she found out.
I think she actually likes Sarena."

Adam raised an eyebrow, but decided not to comment on
Megabyte's concern with hurting Jade's feelings. It
certainly wasn't something his friend had concerned
himself with back on earth; maybe being trapped alone
with Jade for two weeks had done Megabyte and Jade's
friendship some real good. "So?"

"Do you think she'll just go away if I tell her to?"

Adam laughed, the first genuine laugh since they began
their ride. "You're *Lord Marmion Ruele,* she has no
choice. You could tell her to go the capital and play
in carriage traffic and while she may not follow
through, she certainly couldn't tell you 'no.' "

Megabyte considered it, "What if she doesn't go away?"

"You're a smart boy, Megabyte. You'll figure something
out."

***End of Chapter Fifteen


=====
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http://www.alternate-realities.net/worldsaway
*********************************************

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------------------------------

Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2001 19:52:15 -0800 (PST)
From: Worlds Away <[e-mail]>
Subject: (arfic-l) FIC: Worlds Away (16a/??)

Title: Worlds Away (Part 16a/??)

Author: M. Bumbarger

Email: [e-mail]

Fandom: New Series Tomorrow People

Rating: PG-13/TV-14

Summary: The Tomorrow People are swept away to a
different world, where they must take up the lives of
their alter-egos and try to find their way home . . .
which won't be easy.

Disclaimer: The Tomorrow People (Adam Newman, Ami
Jackson, Megabyte Damon, and Jade Weston) are the
property of Roger Damon Price, Thames Television, ITV,
Tetra Television and Nickelodeon. They are used here
without permission, but not for profit. The lands,
countries, customs, deities, and original characters
are mine and mine only, springing from the depths
of my imagination and should not be used anywhere else
without my permission. Please do not repost this to
any list or archive it anywhere else without my
express permission.

Previous parts at
http://www.alternate-realities.net/worldsaway

*****



Chapter Sixteen

In one way, Adam had been absolutely correct -
Megabyte did think of a way to deal with Sarena. For
what it lacked in creativity and originality, it made
up for in the directness of the approach. Put simply,
Megabyte went out of his way to avoid the woman.
Which, surprisingly enough in a keep the size of
Elspera was not an easy thing to do. It seemed to him
that if he wasn't spending time with Adam and Hagen,
and Sarena wasn't attending Jade, then she had a
curious knack of appearing wherever Megabyte happened
to be.

It was making him incredibly uncomfortable and more
than a little guilty. The guilt only made him angry,
because he knew that it was guilt that he had no
reason to feel. Still, it did not change the fact that
Sarena did not seem to get the hint. It was obvious
that the woman was used to having her way with men,
and that Lord Marmion was no exception, and she seemed
unable to accept that while he was away in the
northern provinces some thing had changed between
them.

Namely, Megabyte noted to himself as he checked the
saddle and bit on his horse, that *Lord Marmion*
gained a conscience.

Whatever. It didn't matter. Sarena was currently out
of sight, if not out of mind, and as far as he knew,
she was performing her duties of tending to Jade hand
over foot. Although Sarena's behavior towards Lady
Jadina bothered Megabyte more than he would have ever
said aloud, he did and said nothing to change it.
After all, what he could he say?

"Hey Jade, your lady-in-waiting is a two-faced
back-stabbing skank?"

All right, so he could say that, but it wouldn't do a
particular lot of good. Jade probably wouldn't believe
him anyway, especially when Sarena was also honey
goodness to her lady Jadina. And from what Megabyte
had managed to figure out, things were a bit more
complicated than that. Sarena had been raised by Lady
Jadina's side, raised to be her companion and personal
maidservant, and before coming to Elspera Keep, the
two had been closer than sisters.

The knowledge that Megabyte gleaned from some of
Marmion's older journals and correspondence, and from
simply taking Adam's advice and trying to listen to
servant gossip, was that the wedding had almost not
happened because Marmion had not wanted his new bride
to bring any 'trappings' of her old house with her.
That included servants. Marmion felt that if he was
going to be forced to wed the child Jadina that she
would start off their marriage as not only his wife,
but his subject in Elspera Keep, a member of House
Ruele with no other ties or linkage. Fortunately, Lady
Margot had stepped in, and with a quiet word to Queen
Carrina, Sarena, and two other ladies-in-waiting and
one steward had joined House Ruele with the marriage.

"My lord, you are going riding?"

Megabyte glanced over the back of his horse to meet
the curious, and somewhat contemptuous glare of Legan.
How Marmion ever managed to get stuck with a personal
valet that seemed to loath even being in his presence,
was one of those mysteries that Megabyte had not
figured out yet.

"Yes, Legan. I am going riding."

"Alone?"

Megabyte bit back the very smart-ass retort that
immediately painted itself on the tip of his tongue.
He was trying his hardest to not make waves, to show a
different, kinder, gentler side of Marmion Ruele, but
Legan did not always make it easy. "Yes, alone. It
gives me a chance to think."

That wasn't necessarily a lie. During the time that
Adam had been at the Keep, and Megabyte sorely missed
his old friend even if the elder was only a telepathic
call away, the two of them had discovered that if they
wanted privacy, the best way to find it was on
horseback. Marmion and the prince had gone riding
quite frequently, and after the first few days of fear
and soreness, Megabyte had actually become accustomed
to riding a horse. He would still prefer a motorized
vehicle any day of the week, but he, and his horse,
Brazar, did get along much better these days.

"Is your father aware that you are taking leave? I was
under the impression that --"

"My *father* decided that he had some business to
attend to at the Palace and that I could be given one
day where I did not have to oversee everything. That
is why he has the Duke of Rigora in his service as
well."  Listening to himself talk, Megabyte shook his
head slightly and returned his attention to Brazar. A
few weeks ago, he would never have spoken with such
formality, but it seemed that this world was growing
on him. The only times of late that he allowed himself
to be just Megabyte was when he was alone with Adam,
who was back at the Lion Palace, or Jade, whom
Megabyte was lucky to see at meals or for an hour or
so before they retired to their separate sleeping
quarters.

"I did not mean to imply that my lord was shirking his
duties."

Megabyte yanked on the saddle strap. "Yes. You did."

Their eyes met and held, a silent war of wills. Legan
did not correct the accusation, but rather than push
the envelope even further, Megabyte let it go. He
didn't want to deal with it right now.

He also did not wish to deal with the sultry, feminine
voice that called out from the stable entrance, "My
lord?"

The words "Go away, Sarena," somehow seemed childish,
so Megabyte did not say them. Instead, he chose an
equally childish way of dealing with her - he ignored
her.

"I assume you come bearing a missive from the Lady
Jadina?" Legan asked, the disgust apparent in his
voice. Megabyte noticed, belatedly, that the stable
hands and groomsmen had made themselves scarce when
Sarena appeared.

Great, he had a starring role in a soap opera.

"I was out merely out walking and noticed that milord
was out as well," Sarena dismissed Legan with a toss
of her head, gliding towards Megabyte and Brazar. "I
was wondering if my lord would be in need of anything
before going on what is surely to be a most lonely and
tiresome ride?"

Megabyte looked at her, and nearly broke into peals of
laughter when his next words froze her in mid-stride.
"Where is my wife, Sarena? Shouldn't you be at her
side?"

Until that moment, Megabyte had not thought that it
would be possible to see Sarena unnnerved, her usual
poise and grace slipping away as her eyes widened to
the size of saucers. She clutched her hands in front
of her, blinking at him and drew a sharp breath. "She
is with the Lady Margot. In the kitchens."

Megabyte watied, and when it became clear that Sarena
would say no more, he prodded her. "And what is she
doing there?"

Sarena now stared at him as though he had sprouted
another head, and even Legan showed a bit of concern,
although Megabyte was certain that he was more
concerned for his own hide if Lord Marmion had lost a
few screws.

"There is a new cook, from Albarasque no less. The
Lady Margot thought that it would be a fitting touch
and honor to do such for the Damiar Princess and her
party."

"Hnn," Megabyte nodded thoughtfully, pausing as he was
poised to hoist himself into the saddle. "Well, why
don't you go and get her, Sarena. Tell her that I wish
to see her quite urgently. I'm sure that she won't
mind being rescued from the kitchen and my mother's
shadow."

Sarena's eyes did bulge out of her head. Her jaw
worked soundlessly, and for a moment, Megabyte was
afraid the woman would have a stroke right there in
the stable. It took her a full thirty seconds to
regain her composure, and another ten to form words,
"Certainly my lord does not wish to interfere in the
goings on of household management. Your mother would
be most displeased with you. If you have need --"

"Legan," Megabyte slid his eyes from the Jade's
personal maid to his valet, "Apparently Sarena is
having some difficulty comprehending my words. Could
you kindly escort her to the kitchen and see that she
seeks out my wife as I have asked?"

Although Megabyte was not looking at her, he had no
problems feeling the wave of anger and indignation
that rolled off of Sarena. He heard her sharp breath,
and heard the loud crunching of the straw and grass
beneath her feet as she stalked from the stables. He
felt Legan's mirth and saw the man smirk.

"My lord, a man who plays with that much fire -"

"Legan. See that Sarena delivers my message to my
wife," Megabyte cut the man off with a wave of his
hand, his eyes already beginning to dart around the
stables. He found what he was looking for, a single
groom daring to attempt to duck quietly in to tend to
the horses, "You there! Prepare Lady Jadina's horse,
we're going riding."

"A-a-al-lone to-to-together?" The groom stared at him
in utter shock, stuttering a response when he might
never have dared to speak up otherwise.
"Mi-mi-l-l-ord?" The last was added quickly, and the
man flushed from his neck to the roots of his hair.

"Unless there is a problem with my wife's steed? Is
she ill? Or overtired?"

"No-no, no milord. She will be ready shortly." The
groom hurried more deeply into the stables, nearly
stumbling over his feet as he did so.

"Oh and Legan?" the Tomorrow Person and Lord of
Elspera Keep called after the back of his departing
valet, "See if someone in the kitchen can prepare
something for us to eat. I don't think we'll be back
in time for supper."


****
TBC . . .



=====
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http://www.alternate-realities.net/worldsaway
*********************************************

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