Reconnecting
Jake
My world is cold and dark. Black is all I can see. My limbs won't move, I feel like there are weights pulling them down. I can hear people talking softly in the background. I can identify three voices, Billy, Wynnona, and Giovanni. I miss him so much. How long have I been asleep? All I remember are his eyes, those beautiful eyes I love, as he held me. Then there's just black.
I feel a warm hand grab mine and a kiss is placed against my forehead. Why is he saying goodbye? Why can't I wake up? I fight to move, to open my eyes, but nothing happens and I remain still. This can't be happening. Softly, I hear Giovanni speak.
"I have loved you since the moment you fell into my life and I will love you until the day I die and join you." He sounds like he's crying. Why can't I wake up? Move stupid body, move! Giovanni leans forward to place a soft kiss to my lips.
Billy moves to me; I can tell by the sound of his hooves against the floor and starts taking different instruments that are keeping my body alive away. Please, please stop! Give me more time! I'm awake!
But nothing comes out of my mouth.
The mask on my face is removed. Everything stops. I can feel my consciousness slipping away. I'm not ready to die. I don't want to leave behind the people I love so dearly. Lillian, my baby sister. Giovanni, the love of my life.
Wait.
I try and call, but nothing comes out of my mouth. I push harder to wake up, but my body is already dead. I just push harder, fighting with my body to make it do what I want it to.
"Wait." My mouth moves, but the word still doesn't leave my lips. I push harder again, forcing my eyes open. I stare at Giovanni's well-defined back as he goes to leave, his hunched and shaking shoulders.
"Let's get you to bed." Wynnona says softly to him.
"Wait." I finally can call out, crying to him to stay. Tears fill my eyes when he doesn't turn. Maybe this is some twisted dream. My body shakes as tears fall freely down my face.
"Jake?" Giovanni breaths out my name. He turns and the moment his beautiful blue eyes meet mine, I know this is all real. "Thank the Elder Gods!" He cries as he rushes to my side, grabbing hold of my face to kiss me all over. I giggle softly, reaching up to hold him with shaky arms. "I thought I lost you." He cries as he rests his forehead against mine, cupping my face.
"I will never leave you; I swear." I pull him into me as best I can and hug him. Wynnona is smiling at the both of us, she waves at me then turns to leave.
"I love you." Giovanni keeps whispering to me. "I love you so, so much." I kiss his cheek as best I can, not letting him go.
"I love you too." I whisper to him, feeling safe and content in his arms.
Wynnona
I go into my room on my ship. I grab a new shirt, knowing I stink, and it needs washed. I'll change after Athena cleans up my arm. I start to walk through the halls of my ship, massaging my stiff shoulder. A sweet aroma fills my nose; thus, I follow like a lost puppy. My stomach growls at me, making my lack of breakfast well known. In the ship's kitchen is Athena cooking something delicious.
"That smells fantastic." I tell her. She turns to smile at me, a smile that always makes my heart skip a beat or two.
"Yes, I know, you love my cooking." She says sarcastically. "Now, sit down." She ushers me into a seat. I take off my shirt leaving me in only my sports bra. Athena comes back with the first aid kit.
"What," I start to tease her playfully, "no whiskey to ease my pain." She glares at me as I smile back at her.
"I'm not feeding your addiction." She tells me as she gets to work on my arm. "Brett informed me that you're an alcoholic." I let out a groan, mentally promising to kill him. Actually, Athena had been a good influence on me. I'd started drinking less and less through this past year, having almost completely stopped.
"I'm going to kill him." I grumble. All she does is smile at me. She starts to stitch the wound shut, her soft hands working smoothly and swiftly.
"Jake woke up." I tell her, breaking our comfortable silence.
"I'm sure Giovanni is very happy about that." I can hear the smile in her voice.
"I bet we're not going to be able to separate the two of them for the foreseeable future." I smile, both of us falling back into a peaceful silence.
"Brett plans to propose to Keya tonight." She tells me softly, finishing with the stiches. I hiss slightly as she ties the knot on the thread. "Where are the scissors?" She asks. I shrug slightly, reaching into my boot to pull out a knife. I go to hand it to her but stop dead in my tracks. Athena places her teeth on the thread, her amazingly soft lips skimming against my skin. I whip my head around when she pulls away, starting at her amazed as my cheeks burn likely the same colour of my hair.
"I was, what?" I ask, fully flustered.
"I'm not done." I shut my mouth and turn to look at the stove. She places a piece of bandage over the stiches. "Try not to tear these ones out, please?" She asks sweetly, but my mind is racing somewhere else. She gives me a smile then goes back to cooking. I take a breath, getting up. I'm about to leave the kitchen area when fast footsteps rush into the room. Rochet comes running in with a note in his hand, Zelanna with two boxes in hand.
"What's going on with you two?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.
"Our parents have invited you to a ball." Rochet says, completely out of breath. Athena offers the both of them a glass of water. A while back we went to the twin's home planet to see if their parents would join the resistance. They would not see us, upset with their children.
"We have picked out some outfits for you to wear, we also have to teach you the traditional dance." Zelanna gasps out.
"I know it." Athena says with a wide smile. "I believe I helped invent it." A wonderful look fills her features. "I will teach it to Wynnona, worry not. Thank you both." They hand us the letter and boxes before rushing out. I don't look at the outfits, instead placing them in the room Athena and I share. For the first two weeks with us she slept alone, waking up every single night from her terror dreams. At one point she snuck into my room and into my bed. The next morning, I woke with her cuddled to my chest. She said that she had slept peacefully, so now we share the room.
I wrap some plastic securely around the bandage, taping it down before stripping and showering. After the quick shower I get dressed in my usual attire. Leather jacket, jeans, boots, and tank top. Once I'm dressed fully and done, I go to join Athena in the kitchen.
"It will be a day's journey to the planet, I suggest we leave tomorrow morning with everyone." She tells me as I look at the invitation.
"We don't have to leave right away." I read through the invitation. "The ball is in two weeks." I go to the stove to stop anything from burning as she looks over the invitation.
"I missed that." She says, confirming what I read. "So, give Jake the two weeks to heal up a bit then see if he's able to join?" She suggests. I turn around, fake saluting her.
"Yes captain." I speak in a higher voice, like a chipmunk, causing her to laugh. I smile proudly to myself as she calms down, going to take a step towards me. She trips over something however and starts to fall to the ground. I rush forwards, catching her in my arms. She clings to my bicep with one hand, the other draped over my shoulder. I clutch her tightly to my body, holding her upright. Her face is incredibly close to mine, our breath mingles between us. We are so close. If I leaned forward just a bit, our lips would touch.
Is it just me or is she getting closer? I start to slowly lean forward, my eyes flickering between her bright hazel eyes to her plump pink lips.
"Wynnona!" I hear someone shout my name from inside the ship. Almost instantly I identify it as Keya. Athena leans away from me just slightly to peer over her shoulder. I lift my head to look at the intruders.
"We just interrupted something, didn't we?" Brett asks softly, giving me a knowing look.
"No." I say at the exact moment Athena says, "yes." My heart flutters as she realizes what she's said and blushes the same crimson as my hair. She pulls away from me to go back to the kitchen. I turn to glare at my brother and his fiancé. I'm so happy for them, but still feel a pang of jealousy seeing papa's diamond flower ring on Keya's hand.
"Congrats Smith, I was right all along." I walk over and punch him in the shoulder. "You are going to reach happiness before me."
"Not unless I die first." He jokes with me. I go to grab the necklace dangling around my neck, pulling off Dad's ring.
"Take it." I tell Brett, handing it to him.
"I can't possibly-" I cut him off by grabbing his left hand, slipping the beautiful ring onto his ring finger. The ring fits him perfectly. I stare at the beautiful ruby in the middle of the ring, silver, perfectly carved talons of a dragon or bird clutching the side of the deep red ruby.
"Really, you're going to need them much sooner than me. Dad and Papa would want you to have them." He pulls me into a tight hug, thanking me softly. Keya steps forward and joins the hug, kissing my cheek.
"You have no idea how happy of a day it's been." He tells me as he takes Keya's hand, leading her to the kitchen. I follow them into the kitchen, reaching into the fridge for a beer when Athena kits my hand with a fork.
"Hey!" I glare at her.
"No." Is all she tells me, turning back to what she was doing.
"Why not?" I sigh, closing the fridge.
"Because you're an alcoholic." Brett says with a cheeky smile. I turn my glare to him.
"Brett run; I'm going to kill you." I start to chase him from the room. "And I am not!" I shout at Athena as I chase after Brett. She and Keya laugh at us as Brett runs from me in slight fear, but mostly amusement.