<USS Avalon> Somewhere Between Lives

"Somewhere Between Lives" 
Vevay Davie and Melanie Redgrave

With a brown paper bag in hand, Melanie made her way down to the security 
office. She'd decided that she was going to have lunch with Elijah so she made 
him his favorite sandwiches, and herself peanut butter and pink salmon and 
pumpernickel. Walking into the security offices she looked around for him, but 
he wasn't in the room. Spotting a striking young woman sitting at a corner desk 
she walked over and soft said, "Excuse me."

Vevay glanced up and stopped short. Soliel... Who the hell is that? "C-can I 
help you?"

Something about the woman stuck something deep inside Melanie. A fierce 
fondness and protectiveness and a strong surge of.. lust? love? The look in the 
girl's eyes brought sudden images to the front of Melanie's mind. The precious 
one from my dream. Melanie's cheeks colored, she was unable to look away. "You 
know me don't you?"

Nodding slowly, Vevay couldn't make her voice work. Connection... Love... Who 
are you? "Soliel."

How could this be? How could she have known about her dream? Had she projected 
it? Slowly Melanie nodded. "It's my birth name the one I went by in my.. But 
that isn't what you called me.." Again Melanie's cheeks flushed at the thought 
of what she had done to the girl. 

"Lady." Vevay shivered, trying to shrug off the images that were flowing 
through her mind. After her disturbing dreams of the night before, Vevay was on 
the verge of tears at the thought of there being another. "Dear God, am I 
destined to be in love with every member of this crew?" she whispered in 
horror. 

After placing the brown bag on the desk, Melanie seemed to move on instinct 
alone. She walked around to the other side of the desk and took the girl's chin 
in her hand. "I don't understand how you know of my dream, Vevay, but I don't 
believe it was a bad thing."

Falling into Melanie's eyes, Vevay could almost feel the other world take her 
over. "No, La... that is, Soliel. I... What's happened? Why do I know you?"

Melanie blushed and then quickly let go of Vevay's face. "I'm so sorry I didn't 
meant too.." Pausing she took a deep breath and explained, or at least tried 
too. "A few nights ago I had the most vivid dream. One in which you were apart 
of my life, apart of my.." What was the word? "We were among other things..." 
Melanie looked around quickly. She hadn't shared her dream with Elijah. She 
hadn't wanted to tell him the roll he had played in it. Turning back to Vevay 
she whispered, "Lovers. I must have.. I don't know projected it to you?"

"Did you dream of the Captain too? That you danced with him. That you..." Vevay 
blushed and for some strange reason suddenly wanted Melanie to touch as she 
just had. "That you were in love with him and he with you?"

Melanie wanted to laugh at the thought of her and the Captain even if it were 
in a dream, but she held it back. "No, in my dream he was..." She had to 
think.. "Was merely someone who worked with someone I didn't get along with. 
You were my main focus." Melanie's voice had dropped to nearly a whisper. Why 
was she telling this poor girl about her dream so openly? Though she did seem 
to know if it already. "I'm sorry if I've somehow..." She stopped when she 
noted the look in the girl's eyes. Longing? Reaching out Melanie smoother back 
the girls hair. It felt natural. Again she pulled away. She shouldn't have done 
that. "I'm sorry.."

"Don't be." Standing, Vevay reached forward to brush Melanie's cheek. "I 
thought I was going mad, I thought... Ffej didn't believe me, he hasn't had any 
dreams at all."

The glint from her engagement ring made Melanie reach up and take Vevay's hand 
from her cheek. In another world I would have kissed her for her tenderness and 
scolded her for her nervousness around me. But we're no longer in the world of 
dreams and fantasies. "I couldn't bear telling Elijah about the kind of man I 
dreamt him to be. I haven't spoken to anyone about the dream."

"He seems like such a lovely man now. God but I hated him. There are times that 
I can't separate dream from reality anymore. I just... You know, I really do 
think I'm going mad." Dropping her hand to her side, Vevay stood back and 
wrapped her arms around herself. "It's all such a nightmare." All of life... 

Melanie was starting to understand the part about separating the dream from her 
life. She wanted so badly to reach out and pull the young woman to her, to 
comfort her, to punish her, to love her, to... Melanie growled inwardly. "I 
don't think it was such a nightmare. I do not regret the emotions I felt in 
that dream."

"I do... Some of them, anyway." She shrugged. "Maybe not the emotions, but the 
life, the world. My existence was so much more horrific than it already is. I 
don't think I'd want to go back, not even for the love I had for you." 

For some reason she couldn't explain, Vevay's words hurt as if Elijah had just 
told her he no longer loved her. "I wouldn't give up my life with Elijah and 
our baby for anything, but if I had to choose another life I would want most of 
the one I had in that dream. I could of course do without the war."

"My world, my life there, was twisted, contorted by my father." Horror haunted 
her eyes. "His abuse was so much more... all encompassing. And I... I killed 
him. I can remember the feeling of his life seeping out of his body only to 
come rushing back when I brought him back. I'd almost kill him then bring him 
back then almost kill him... it went on and on for months." Her words caught in 
her throat and she choked. "I was capable of that," she said, meeting Melanie's 
eyes with disgust, self-loathing and fear. 

Melanie couldn't help herself. She walked over and pulled the girl to her, 
holding her tight in a comforting embrace. "The Soliel I was in the dream, your 
Lady, she knew that Vevay, and yet she still cherished you, she wanted so much 
for you. She beat the man who hurt you and felt great gilt for not seeing him 
for what he was, she blamed herself for giving him that chance to hurt you the 
way your father had. She sent him away to serve as a slave knowing that he 
would either submit or die.. She wished for the latter." It felt odd to be 
speaking of herself in this way, because wither or not it were merely a dream, 
she was talking about a part of herself. She could have so easily been that 
form of herself. 

"I'm not her, though, am I? I'm not capable of those things." Not that you know 
me, not that you have any clue who I am. Vevay buried her head in Melanie's 
shoulder, her arms hugging around her waist. 

"No we're not them." Melanie said softly. "Our lives are far different from 
theirs. Perhaps for the best, perhaps even in some way for the worse. I can 
think of at least one thing that is worse." She waited until the girl looked up 
at her. "I don't have you in my life here in anyway." Why do I suddenly miss 
something I never truly had?

Vevay almost kissed her. Almost. But... Ffej. "I miss that too, but what I've 
got here is just as wonderful and it's pure too. He's lovely and sweet and 
gentle. I'm sorry." She laughed lightly. "Though I'm not sure for what." 

"Your loving Ffej, and my loving Elijah doesn't dishonor or take away from what 
they had together, Vevay." Melanie smiled at the girl. "Somewhere that Soliel 
is still blissfully adoring and teaching her Dear One the finer points of life 
as she sees them."

"I'm glad she's not me anymore though, I have to admit." Pulling away, Vevay 
sighed and shook herself. "So, yes, you never said what I could help you with." 

For a moment Melanie didn't know what the girl was talking about, then suddenly 
the brown bag reminded her and she blushed. "I was looking for Elijah."

"Oh, he's in with God... I mean His Royal Majesty King of Pricks... I mean 
Sierra." Vevay winked at her. 

Melanie laughed. "That's as clever as Sir Head-up-his-own-ass." After her 
laugher faded, Melanie looked at the girl closely and asked before she could 
stop herself, "Would you like to meet and have a drink or lunch or something 
sometime?"

"Yeah, I'd like that." Smiling, Vevay returned to her seat at her 
oh-so-fascinating job of 'sitting.' 

"Great." Melanie smiled. "I'll comm. you then and we'll set something up. I'm 
just going to leave this for Eli." She said pointing to the bag. "I made more 
then he'll eat your welcome to a sandwich. I should go now." Cause I can't stop 
wishing I could still.... "It was wonderful to finally meet you Vevay." With 
that Melanie walked out of the security office and back towards her quarters. I 
wonder if I still have my copies of the Anne Rice Beauty books.

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