Mace

[seeyousoonthen]

Savannah smelled. She smelled of horse and hay and sweat and dirt. She smelled of sunlight and salty ocean air. Her ride with Ranger had been wonderful, just what she'd needed. She hadn't seen a trace of Scott. In fact, she hadn't seen him at all in four days and today she felt she could breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe he was gone. Maybe she wouldn't see him again until the end of next month when she could make him go away and be done with him. In truth, he was wearing her down.

She had thought she'd go to the Hub for a glass of wine to relax and unwind but she caught the scent of herself and decided she'd rather clean up and change her clothes first. She headed from the barn to the compound, a smile on her face, a real one. She smiled and greeted everyone she passed and stopped when she came upon Mace.

"Well hello to you, stranger," she said.

Comments

[youlosetrack]

"Most of the time," Mace says, and that's the part he takes issue with. He isn't sure he'd rather spend time cooped up on a spaceship for over a year again, but at least then he'd felt nothing when he'd come to the conclusion that they were alone and he would probably never see his family again. He still knows that's true, that he won't get to see his sisters get married and have kids and live in a world with a blazing sun. (Because Capa had to have done it. He had to.)

"Think I'd like that part to happen now."

[seeyousoonthen]

"I know, honey," she said sympathetically. "I know."

There was nothing to say to ease the hurt and she knew Mace was naturally taciturn. There would be no long, heartfelt conversation about the loss, she was sure. He was a man of few word though she got the impression that he felt deeply and kept it all to himself.

"Have you lost anyone else here that you were close to yet?" she asked.

[youlosetrack]

"Shari's the first," Mace answers. There have been people he knows that he hasn't seen again, but nothing like this.

[seeyousoonthen]

"The first is the hardest," she said softly. "But that's true for the worlds we come from, isn't it? A first love or a best friend. Losing someone from your life always hurts. And it's rough when you miss people who aren't here like family."

It was was real sad to think about and the happiness she'd felt on Ranger slipped away. Her smile faded and the light in her eyes died as her mind wandered to her momma and daddy...and for the first time in a while, John.

[youlosetrack]

It's true; thinking of his sisters or his parents hurts. It's not a very present emotion, but a dim sort of pain, something left behind with Icarus. Mace takes another long drink, and when he looks over at Savannah, he frowns. "You okay?"

[seeyousoonthen]

She managed a tiny smile and a nod.

"Okay enough," she replied. "I'm...tired. I'm tired of seeing Scott and I'm tired of not getting to talk to my momma."

And every full moon made her ache to her core with the thought that she'd never see John again. The elation she'd felt when she'd first seen Mike had only proven to her that she would never get over that first, sweetest love of her life.

[youlosetrack]

The whole visions thing bugs Mace, and bothers him more that Savannah has them. Nothing he's learned of her makes him think she deserves anything like this at all. "Have you talked to someone about it? The council seems to be on top of it."

[seeyousoonthen]

"Oh, yes. I've been to a few meetings and I've talked to John a bit. And Kate is teaching me how to defend myself," she replied. "But I don't know that I'll need it. Scott was never mean or anything. In fact, he was sweet as pie up until...well...until that night."

[youlosetrack]

"You may not need it, but it's good to know it," Mace says. He doesn't even come close to touching the mention of what that guy did, because he knows he'd end up in jail if he ever had the misfortune of meeting him in any way. "Who's Kate?"

[seeyousoonthen]

"Kate Freelander. She's my friend," she replied, a smile brightening her up from the sorrowful look only moments earlier. "She takes care of Lilo...have you met her? She's this little Hawaiian girl who is so adorable. And amazingly creative."

[youlosetrack]

"I haven't," Mace says, but there are lots of kids running around. He doesn't really notice them enough to tell each other apart. "I don't really get along with kids."

[seeyousoonthen]

That made her laugh softly. The idea of not getting along with kids was so foreign to her. She just loved them, everything about them.

"Maybe you just need to spend more time with them. You should come to the children's office some time. They're really wonderful, you know. They see the world a whole different way."