Date: 10/11/2000
From: SouthernSlider

Ah, yes. We are moving along here quite nicely now, but you knew, DMD, I would have to pause for a little hanky-panky. It wouldn't be an SS fanfic without it. But hold on to your toes. I still have something else up my sleeve somewhere down the line.

And I was going to scold for just a minute on having back to back posts, but I know everyone is posting at the party so you're off the hook this time. On with the show.
-------------------------------

United We Slide, Divided . . . We Disappear

 

Chapter Twenty-two

Remmy and Maggie tumbled out of the cab
almost before it had come to a complete halt. Running
into the hotel, Remmy slammed into a bellhop loaded
down with suitcases of new guests.

“Sorry, man. Real sorry,” he said, scrambling to
right the man and his bundles. Maggie ran on ahead
giving the scene only a momentary glance.

“Has Quinn Mallory returned to the hotel yet?”
she asked the clerk and trying to catch her breath.

“No, ma’am. We haven’t heard from him since
he left to go scouting the islands.”

Remmy came forward as he finished his
sentence. “Remmy, we have to head back to the airport.
We need to talk to the pilot of that plane,” Maggie said.
She turned back to the clerk. “Listen, if Quinn does
show up, you keep him here. Tell him Maggie and
Remmy are here and will get in touch soon.” She
pointed a stern finger in his face. “Don’t let him leave!”

“Yes, ma’am!” said the clerk with a flinch.

Maggie and Remmy hurriedly caught a cab again
and instucted th driver to get them to the airport pronto.
When they arrived they wasted no time grilling the man
behind the office desk about the pilot of the plane. They
rounded him up and began their interrogation.

The pilot explained everything to them about
spotting the raft, landing and finding only one survivor.
When they told them what that survivor had said -- that
there had been others -- the pilot told them there had
been no signs. He surmised the man must have been
hallucinating. Maggie and Remmy refused to believe it.
They decided to find out for themselves.

Maggie picked up the phone and dialed the hotel.
“Yes. This is Maggie Beckett,” she said to the desk
clerk on the other end of the line. “I don’t suppose
you’ve heard from Quinn Mallory?” When he said ‘no’,
she continued. “Listen to me carefully. If he returns tell
him, Maggie and Remmy have gone back to the island.
Tell him he is to go straight to the hospital and talk to
the survivor he brought in. We’ll meet him there when
we return.” She slammed the phone down and ran to
catch up with Remmy as he headed for the waiting
plane.

On the flight over, she found herself chewing her
nails, something she hadn’t done since she was a little
girl. Her father had put a stop to it immediately with a
little vinegar. He had said it was a sign of weakness, of
nervousness, and there was no place in the military for
weak, nervous individuals.

But now she had every right to be nervous.
Lives hung in the balance. Colin could be alive or dead.
Even this Kelly, Wade’s sister, Conrad kept talking
about. And Quinn. Where the hell was he? Did he
think Colin dead? If so, there was no telling what he
had done to himself. As mad as they were at each other,
Maggie knew Quinn would blame himself for
everything, and that could prove to be the last straw for
him. Would he take his own life?

The more she thought and questioned the
circumstances, the more nervous she became. She
ripped a nail down to the quick. “Ow!” she yelled
shaking her hand, then staring at the damage. “Shit!”

Remmy looked over at her upon hearing the
outburst, but said nothing. He was in his own world of
pain at the moment. Q-ball and Farm-boy had come to
mean a great deal to him. They were his only family
now, along with Maggie. He had concluded that they
would never get back home, and had resigned himself to
living out his lives with these people.

He had also thought he might live out his life
with Wade and the professor, too. But they were gone
now, and so might be the Mallory boys. Was he doomed
to lose everyone he had been sliding with? Was he
going to wind up on some alien earth all alone to live his
life?

“There it is,” shouted the pilot. Maggie and
Remmy both looked to their right and saw the yellow
raft on the shore below. Maggie grabbed her stomach as
it knotted up. Remmy said a prayer.

***

Kelly and Colin had awakened with the sun as
they lay on the beach in each other’s arms. One more
round of love-making took over before they headed to
the water for an early morning swim. When they
returned and donned their clothing for the first time
since last night, Kelly grew pensive. Colin let her sit in
silence for a few minutes before asking about her
thoughts. He had to know. Did she regret the last
twelve hours?

She was almost startled by his question. “Oh,
Colin, no. Of course not.” She grabbed his face with
her hands and kissed him softly. “I was just thinking
about the turn of events in everyone’s lives. Wade and
Quinn started out destined to be lovers someday. We
both fought with our siblings and now they’ve both
disappeared, and we’ve taken on their role. Kind of
ironic, isn’t it?” She paused and looked out at the sea,
then spoke again. “Kind of bittersweet that the only way
we could meet is for our brother and sister to follow the
path they did.”

They looked at each other with sympathetic
understanding then fell into each other’s arms. She was
right, Colin thought. They never would have met if
Wade hadn’t been taken by the Kromaggs; if Quinn
hadn’t become cold to that hard fact, and if he and
Quinn hadn’t argued about the whole thing. Could he
find pleasure now with Kelly at the expense of Wade’s
life and his separation from his brother?

“Colin, look!” Kelly yelled pulling him from his
disheartening thoughts. He saw her pointing skyward.
“A plane! They’ve come back for us.”

Colin shaded his eyes from the sun and, indeed,
saw a plane descending toward them. He jumped up and
started pulling Kelly back toward the treeline. If they
were going to land, they would need most of the beach
area where he and Kelly had been sitting.

“Remmy! Look! People! It’s a man and a
woman,” Maggie shouted. “It has to be Colin and
Kelly. It just has to be.”

Remmy searched the beach below until he saw
the two figures. As the plane reigned in closer for a
landing, he saw them running to get out of the way. He
knew then they had their man.

“Oh, Maggie. You are so right. That is
definitely Farm-boy. There is no mistaking that run,”
he said with a wide grin on his face. Maggie grabbed
him around the neck, nearly choking him.
-----------------------------

Yeah, yeah. As much as I love my Colin, I know he can't run. So for the benefit of all of those who love to poke fun at that, I included a little jab. But, all is well . . . for the moment.

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SS

yippie!

Date: 10/11/2000
From: DieselMickeyDolenz

So the two lovers are about to be rescued....maybe. I suppose we still have Quinn to save, don't we? You know, they could just leave Quinn behind and slide from Hawaii with Kelly. ;)

DMD

WhooHooo!!!

Date: 10/12/2000
From: dellyone

Finally the lovebirds get rescued.:-) Can't wait to read the next part.

dellyone

Original URL http://www.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/1095/2891
Nominated by DieselMickeyDolenz