[ussgeorgetown] "Finally"
- From: "N'Ellie Coyne" <nelliecoyne@xxxxxxx>
- To: <ussgeorgetown@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2005 18:48:09 -0400
**This takes place during the Lunach party before Tempest's heads off to the GQ
"Finally"
John Hale, Lindsey and Miranda Craig
The sound of applause and cheering echoed through Lindsey's ears as she
descended from the platform. Her champagne glass was still held in a vice-like
grip mostly to stop her hands from shaking too badly. Spying John and Miranda,
she made a beeline for them as Captains and Admirals patted her on the back and
called their support. "So..." she said as she approached. "Did you like the
speech?"
John reached up to take her hand, drawing her to his side, smiling brightly,
"You were brilliant."
"Thanks," Lindsey grinned, trying to sip her wine without spilling it down her
uniform. "Damn but I didn't know I'd be so nervous."
John laughed. "I'd have shit myself up there."
"You were great Linds!" Miranda beamed.
"Thanks, Mirrie. Now all I gotta do is stop my hands from shaking and we'll be
fine." Lindsey let out the breath she'd been holding for the whole trip across
the hall. "All those Admirals..."
"That's nothing'." Miranda replied with a smile. "Just think about all the
people that will be at your wedding. Mom and Dad and Granddad and Grandma, plus
John's family and all those admirals."
"Yeah, well, I ain't got much for family, but the boys have never seen a
wedding, so we'd definitely have to do it right." John added.
"Wedding?" Lindsey's eyebrows shot up. "I ain't marrying no one." She glanced
between the two, totally confused. "Who said I was getting married?"
Miranda grinned. "The light in your eyes every time John walks into a room?"
Flushing the colour of plums, Lindsey glared at Miranda. "What light? There's
no light. At least... I don't think there's a light, is there?"
"I have to admit, that's not exactly the reaction I was hoping for when we got
to this talk, love." John frowned, though his eyes still smiled.
"Bright enough to out shine the Austin skyline." Miranda answered.
"You noticed it too?" John grinned.
Lindsey stammered, her colour brightening by several degrees. "I... W-what
reaction were you expecting?" Confetti and confessions of undying love? Career
first, remember?
"Well...how about we start with a smile, instead of that terrified look you're
wearing now. Go from there." John suggested.
"Ya know at some point all of this," Miranda waved her hand around the room.
"ends. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone to go home too once it does? I mean
even Granddad made time to have a life other wise we wouldn't be here cause
we'd be short a parent."
Lindsey's mouth twitched into a tiny smile involuntarily. "I guess so, it's
just not something I've ever given much thought to," she lied fluidly.
"Neither's John, right honey?"
"Actually, Lin, " John answered quietly."It is. A hell of a lot of thought,
actually. Especially here lately"
Slowly, Lindsey turned toward him, her smile broadening into a grin. "You have?
And what have those thoughts consisted of?"
Miranda stood there watching the two of them as if she were watching a tennis
match, her head turning to one of the other depending on which one was speaking
at the time, but then quickly jerking towards the other one to see their
expressions.
"Well, it mostly consisted of me not wanting to let go of you. Ever. I mean, I
can live with the fact you got your career, and I'd never ask you to give that
up, but dammit, I can't just give you up either. And then it sort ends up me
asking myself, John, you dumbass, if she wanted to stay with you she'd have
stayed back then, right? But see, I can't help hoping I'm wrong there, and
maybe we just got crossed somewheres along the way.
What d'you think?" John turned to her hopefully.
"I think... Hell, I don't know!" Lindsey wanted to storm off, leave him like
he'd left her. She wanted to pull him close, sink into him, tell him she loved
him and always had. "I think," she said very quietly, "that wires get so easily
crossed sometimes, don't you?"
John nodded, holding her as though terrified she might run off. "I think they
do. But see, if we was to decide not to let them stay that way. To uncross them
together from here on out, maybe. It could work. Don't you think?"
Lindsey leaned forward, brushing her lips over his. "I think that together is
the only way to uncross them. But... Tempest." She frowned then sighed, pulling
away. "I can't leave her, John."
"Wait," Miranda said, more to herself then the other, so all this time Lindsey
thought John left her behind for his career and John thought she wanted hers
more then him?" Miranda blinked, her young mind reeling. "Wow that was one hell
of a twenty year opps."
John laughed. "Yeah, it as, wasn't it." he looked at Lin, abruptly serious
again. "I came back, Lin. As Missy here, I came back plenty, trying to catch up
to you. Hoping to. But then you started writing how your career was taking off,
how you were finally getting all you dreamed of. I figured I wasn't part of
them dreams anymore."
"You told me when you left for the Academy that career came first," Lindsey
said simply, shrugging, trying to forget how painful it had been to hear it at
the time. "Are you saying that you didn't mean it?"
"Lin, dammit, think back. I said I needed to go do this. I said career first,
then us. I was gonna set it up so I could support you, then come back for you.
Remember? I didn't mean the career came before you, dammit. I meant I needed to
get set up so I could take care of you. You deserved that." John looked
incredulous. "Tell me you ain't been thinking all these years I could ever put
anything up there more important than you are to me."
"She has." Miranda answered for her sister.
"Son of a.." He shook his head, unable to believe his ears. "I ...I still got
the ring, Lin. Carried it with me, every day since I got it for you. Since I
walked back to that house and you weren't there." He withdrew it from his
pocket then, a whitegold ring with a princess cut diamond set upon it. "Broke
my heart you left me like that." he admitted quietly.
Welcome to the club. "Whoa." Miranda looked at the ring and smiled. Then
suddenly felt as if she were a huge third wheel. Wonder if they'd notice if I
slipped away. Slowly Miranda inched away from the couple.
"I left you?" Angry tears started to prick Lindsey's eyes but she swallowed her
spiteful response. "I... I had to go visit relatives, you know that."
"I was told that." He admitted quietly, tears springing to his own eyes then as
well. "Told by your father it would be better if I let you be. I thought that
come from you, so I did. I gave you space. But dammit, Lin, what about the
letters? You don't think you could have answered just one? In all that time? I
come back after my next rotation, got Missy here on the swing I used to push
you on, and you off to find our own world. Took talking to your Momma to get
you to write to me again, why was that?"
"Letters?" Lindsey shook her head, confused and scared. "I didn't get any
letters." Her fear turned to anger again. "You're lying, you didn't send any
damn letters. Else I would have seen them, wouldn't I?" Calm down Lindsey,
don't wanna make a scene at your own party, do you? She breathed deeply,
letting her anger dissipate.
"Oh, hell, Lin, I ain't never lied to you, not once in my whole damned life. Be
damned if I'm gonna start now. But you go on saying so if it makes it easier."
He slowly closed the ring box, moving to put it back into his pocket, looking
hurt.
"Um." Miranda said softly as she stopped backing away. "I think he means the
ones Mom's got in the cedar chest in her bedroom."
"Don't," Lindsey whispered, " don't go making this my fault because if you walk
away tonight, I don't want you to walk back." Carefully, she reached out to
touch his hand. "Although, I don't want you to go at all." Turning to stare at
Miranda, Lindsey opened and closed her mouth several times, before managing,
"What letters in what cedar chest?"
Miranda cleared her throat. "The one in her room, the one at the foot of the
bed. I.. um.. Well I was kinda looking for birthday presents once and well that
lock is soooo easy to pick." Miranda smiled sheepishly. "There were a bunch of
papers and stuff in there. Official looking stuff and letters.. A bunch of them
all tied with a ribbon, had your name on them. I didn't get to read any of the
stuff I saw cause Mom came in and had a really big cow. I was in so much
trouble, you'd have thought I'd broken planetary security or something."
"They're the ones I sent you for near on five years, 'fore you finally wrote
back, I imagine. Shoulda known."John answered, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Lin...I came back after basic, like I promised. You were gone, on holiday with
your aunts, I was told. Your daddy said you wanted space. Wanted me to go on
and find my own, too. I thought..." he stopped, clearing his throat."I thought
you'd decided we wasn't...you ...you didn't want me after all. I wrote though.
Figured I'd wait to hear it from you. When you didn't answer, I came back after
my first tour. Figured I'd just ask you outright. But you was gone. I went
ahead and left one last note with your Ma...but when you answered...you were so
happy...so excited. Didn't seem you'd left any room for me serious like, so I
took what I could get. I stayed friends." he looked at her, his eyes wounded.
"I couldn't just walk away, Lin. Not then. And not now."
"I never saw them, not any of them," Lindsey said with quiet disbelief. "God,
and all this time you thought I just never responded because I didn't love you.
And I thought..." Does it matter? "Hell, I don't care what I thought. Stay?"
she asked as she slipped her hand into his. "Stay with me."
John nodded, choking back tears, unable to answer as he drew her to him
tightly. When at last he had himself together again, he withdrew the ring from
his pocket once more. "only if you will."
Miranda looked at her sister and nodded her head so hard it looked as if it
would snap off.
Laughing and grinning, Lindsey nodded, not sure she could trust her voice.
"WHOOHOO!" Miranda cheered.
John took the ring with shaking hands and put it on her finger quickly, as if
afraid that given another moment to think she just might change her mind.
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