Page 15 of 19

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 12:07 pm
by MamaDee52
BelevnDreamsToo wrote:EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

FANTASTIC, As usual!!!

Can't wait!! :wink: Thanks J :D
lol J , you took the words right out of my mouth. :shock: Keeping my fingers crossed that all will turn out right.

hugs ~ Dee ~

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 12:33 pm
by Ellie
Ohmigod. Can't wait for the next chapter! I hope LeeLee's ok. And I'm glad that Rafe and Isabo both understand why he wants to stay there and they love him enough to support his choice. Thanks for posting. :D

-Ellie

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 1:21 pm
by Michelle in LA
Ohhhhhhhhh, Deb!

Don't kill us, your loyal following!

Please don't tell me he gets there too late, loses everything, then goes back and finds the others have left, so he's deserted on this planet with no one?

Or the usual Hollywood version, where he'll lose the woman (they cast so few to begin with, and seemingly only for the fun of killing them off), she'll die in his arms, and he'll have to raise the baby alone? So someone will descend to the present-day DNA donor for Max? Hmmm. That doesn't work.

Which way is your deviant brain taking us? We can never tell. Please take a tip from Mme. Vivian and "don't leave us wanting." ;)

.

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 1:34 pm
by Michelle in LA
sunrise102 said:
Oh man!! I'm on pins and needles! On the edge of my seat! Leelee's gonna be ok right?!?! Oh please! And conclusion? Why? Why should this wonderful story ever need to end? As far as I'm concerned it can go on forever. I'm sure on one would complain. Least of all me. I'll be both looking forward to and dreading next week.
There. If I'd read the other fb first, I could have saved myself the trouble. This says it all.

Unlike the popular (and unpopular) belief espoused by Katims, WB, and others, happiness is not boring. Obstacles are good only when overcome, and we get back to "the moments between"*—the wonderful, timeless moments when nothing seems to be happening, and something can really be, or begin.

I could readily sign up for chapters and chapters of just the two of them being happy together.

Also: Loved Max slipping into the tribe's language, and adored Isabo being a real sister—someone who's supportive, who actually loves her brother and understands, who wants him to be happy. That was sweet, and very touching.

If the First Order of the Granilith is that you can't use it for personal gain, then Max should be acquitted: he followed its guidance, and did what was right for Antar in delivering it from someone who wasn't right, and giving it into the hands of someone born to lead them. There was no other way of breaking through their (disappointingly) Earthlike gender bias.

So one wonders—did his connection to the Granilith enable him to control it, or was it directing him?

*Katims

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 12:33 am
by frenchkiss70
Next week? how am I going to make it? And why should this wonderful story end? I'm sure there is still plenty to tell :wink:

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 11:55 am
by Natz
frenchkiss70 wrote:Next week? how am I going to make it? And why should this wonderful story end? I'm sure there is still plenty to tell :wink:




So right can't wait for the conclusion!!!!!

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 6:11 am
by dreamerbabylioness
Ahhhh!!

Hope LeeLee and the baby are okay :S

Loved the part, it's nice that Max is so happy, and that they can all see and understand it :) Also good that he's able to get them back... wouldn't have been fun for them to be stuck there!

Can't wait for the conclusion :D

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 10:50 am
by Scottie
Caught up just now on the last few parts, and I can't believe this is almost the end. I'll keep my fingers crossed for a happy ending. I'm not sure if the TAT stories require a happy ending or not.

I've really enjoyed reading this story, whichever way you choose to end it; I've really missed your writing and am glad you've returned in fine form.

Thank You

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:27 am
by Breathless
Before I post the ending to this story, I want to thank Fred for coming up with this challenge. I’ve never done a challenge before, but I liked the idea of a series of stories written by different authors, all tied to a main theme. It was a great idea, and I enjoyed being a part of it.

Next I want to thank my friend BelevnDreamsToo who beta’d for me. Your emotional feedback is always inspiring! What would I do without you?

I wish my friend Cherie was still here, sharing with us her poetic talents. I know she’s in a better place, but I miss her bubbly presence. I’m so glad I had the chance to know her, and that her heart and soul lives on in her writing.

With this story coming to an end, I want to thank all of you for stopping by to visit, even though my postings weren’t as “regular” as in the past. Michelle, sometimes I think I drive you crazy! Thanette, I was so happy to see you stop by. It doesn’t look like I’m going to make it to ComicCon this year, but I look forward to seeing you next spring in Austin. You too, CheriBomb. And RoswellScripter. Maybe I’ll be able to check out more of the music scene next year. Scottie, I hope we get to see each other again one day. Tribeca sure was a lot of fun. Itzstacie, I hope your post Katrina life is getting back to normal.

sylvia37, kay_b, and Smac, I look forward to more “chatting” with all of you.

Some of your names are so familiar I feel like I know you, even though we’ve never met. Arianneleigh, Zanity, Morning Dreamgirl, MamaDee52, Flamehair, mrsjbehr, Evans3, frenchkiss70, Behrobsession, Roswell 10/2/00, Alien614, Natz, isis7777, Jason’s Lover, mareli, behrlyliz, RosDude, paper, sunrise102, ruthandnina, Erina, dreamerbabylioness, Leigh, roswell3053, roswellluver. Thank you all for stopping by and sharing your time with me.

DMartinez, I was so surprised to see your name! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you on one of my fics before. Thank you so much for posting.

Ellie, did I ever tell you how much I like your screen name? Reminds me of a little girl I once knew...

Ling, thank you for coming out of “lurkdom” to make your first post here.

I usually don’t leave feedback to feedbackers because I’m always afraid of leaving someone out. If I missed your name I’m sorry. Feedback is the only way a writer knows that his or her story is reaching someone. Without that, what would be the point of posting? To all the lurkers, your “views” are an integral part of this, too. Thank you for stopping by.

I’ve been asked “What’s next?” now that this story is coming to an end. For those of you who remember my promise of “Aftershock”, the third installment of my “After” series, you’ll have to wait on that one for a while longer. It’s not ready to begin posting yet. But I do have another story that’s been on the back burner for a long time – about 3 years. It’s a CC, future fic. I hope to begin posting it in about 2 or 3 weeks. I hope you’ll all give it a look.



Back in a minute with the conclusion …

Debbi

In The Beginning, Part 20 , Conclusion

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:36 am
by Breathless
In The Beginning
Part 20


Stardate: 17267
Starchart: 77042
Location: System M9447, Spiral Galaxy 46229

Planet #3
Unnamed continent, southern quadrant



The full moon rose on the far horizon, orange and huge, almost close enough to touch. Stars vied with it for attention, winking from the ebony heavens. In the distance, beyond the fire’s glow, the ocean crashed rhythmically against the shore. A soothing sound, as constant as the sky above them, or the ground below, though on this night it didn’t calm the girl’s pounding heart.

“Well?” she demanded of her young companion.

“Well, what?” he said as he stirred the fire, adding another log.

“Max! LeeLee! Did he get to her in time? Did he save the village?”

With a flare for the dramatic, the boy sat back and said, “No one knows.”

“WHAT?” she cried.

He glanced at her, fighting to keep the smile off his face. The intensity in her dark eyes was almost comical. She’d become so immersed in his story, it was almost a physical need for her to know the ending.

He’d been aware of her for his entire life, watched her grow from a child into a budding young woman, as he himself was entering into manhood. In the last year her breasts had filled out, going from flat to curvaceous, her hips becoming more defined, causing strange sensations in his own body every time he looked at her.

What began as a flutter in his stomach usually moved lower, though he didn’t think she’d noticed. Yet. She still saw him as a childhood friend, but one day he hoped that would change.

She grabbed his arm and shook him. “You can’t leave it like that!”

His face flushed at the contact. He was glad the firelight hid the telltale glow suffusing his cheeks.

Taking up the story again, he said, “Some say he raced across the plains without his feet ever touching the ground. But when he got to the village it was too late. There was nothing left but burning huts and bodies on the ground. The men all slaughtered. The women and children gone.”

Her hand flew to her face, covering her mouth. “Oh no!”

“He found Kenny in the field, the one LeeLee called Max’s lazy place, barely breathing. He’d crawled away, apparently trying to make it back to the plains to find Max.”

“He didn’t die, did he? Kenny didn’t die!”

“No, Max saved him,” the boy smiled. Firelight sparkled in his honey colored eyes.

“And then what? Did they go after LeeLee?”

“Yes,” he nodded, but his smile had faded, and a grave tone had entered his voice.

“Nooo,” she said, afraid by his look that she knew what was coming next.

“They searched the mountains for days – weeks – following the trail, but by the time they found LeeLee it was too late. Her condition made her slower than the rest. Her captors, they…”

“They killed her? The monsters killed her!”

“When Max found her he fell to his knees and gathered her into his arms. He tried to heal her wounds, but her body had already grown cold. He couldn’t save her. Or their child.”

“Oh God,” her voice trembled. Firelight sparkled off the tears in her eyes.

“He held her for hours, vowing that he would find her again someday, that his soul wouldn’t rest until they were together again. He promised they would be reborn and reunited in the next life, and no matter where she was, he would know and he would find her.”

“What happened to Max?” she asked, choking back a sob.

“Some say the sky exploded with a blinding light and lifted him up to the stars.” The boy raised his hand and pointed at the sorrowful face on the moon. “Some say he lives there now, turning in a constant circle, searching the earth and the heavens for her. Never resting. Calling out her name.”

“How sad,” she wept, leaning into the boy, her warm tears dripping onto his bare chest.

He hoped she didn’t feel him catch his breath.

He circled his arm around her shoulders and moved his lips close to her ear. “Others say he reached the village in time and moved them all to safety.”

It was her turn to catch her breath.

“Really?” she said, lifting her dark eyes up to meet his.

For a minute he couldn’t answer, her presence was too overpowering, but then he gathered himself together to finish the story.

“They say he moved everyone to the inland sea, and then further south, to the ocean, where the food is plentiful, and the soil rich. His son was born in the spring, and the following year, a daughter. Legend says they had at least a dozen.”

“Oh,” she sighed, “I like this ending much better.”

“Look,” he reached into his pouch and pulled out a shiny object.

“What is it?” she asked, awed by its strangeness. Not wood, or stone. Smoother than anything she’d ever seen before. He turned it over, revealing a design carved onto its surface.

“I don’t know what it is,” he said, resting it on her palm.

“Where did you get it?”

“My grandmother gave it to me, right after she told me the story. She said it’s been in our family since the old days.” He took out a thin length of rawhide and threaded it through the hole at the top of the object.

“The way you described it, it sounds like the necklace in your story. The one Max gave LeeLee.”

“I guess it does,” he said, holding it up to let it dangle.

“Do you think the story was real?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Do I think Max came from the stars? No, but every legend has some truth in it. Do I think Max and LeeLee really existed? Yes,” he smiled, “I think they did.”

“Me too,” she said.

It might just be his imagination, or a trick of the firelight, but looking into her eyes now, he thought maybe there was something different there. An awareness he hadn’t seen before. An awareness of him. Impulsively, he slipped the necklace over her head, smiling as the pendant settled in the cleavage between her breasts.

Brushing back her hair, his eyes grew wide with excitement and he said, “Oh, I didn’t tell you yet! The Council met today and made the final selection. They picked me as the next Shamah! I start my training tomorrow.”

“How exciting!” she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck. He closed his eyes, breathing her in, holding the hug as long as possible. All too soon she pulled away.

She cupped his face between her hands. “I’m so proud of you.”

The “thanks” that was wedged on his tongue froze in place as he stared at her. That look was back in her eyes, that sparkle he was now sure wasn’t caused by just the firelight. His lungs inexplicably refused to draw in air, and then her face moved closer and suddenly breathing didn’t matter.

Their lips touched, turning fantasy into reality.

A new beginning …