Sky Chaser
Mar. 27th, 2007 11:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
morgynleriWord Count: 1218
Chapter 1 - New Places
Commentary: Characterization, plot, appeal.
Old Friends
Allison looked down the empty strand of beach as she stretched, the sand gilded by the sun just peeking over the horizon, her attention focused inward. She had steeled herself for Emily not knowing her when she went to Rick's for dinner, but it had hit her harder than she expected.
"She's having one of her bad days, Al." Rick's voice was quiet as he let her into the small house. "Em.. she probably won't know you. She doesn't remember the grandkids at all, and she's thinking Corienne is the wife of one of the officers back at Hanscom."
Allison raised an eyebrow. "That was your post before you were my CO."
"Yeah."
She shook her head, stretching her arms over her head once more before starting to jog, trying to focus her mind on the activity, to let the physical movement wash the sting of being forgotten away.
"Who's this?" Emily looked up from the book in her lap, giving Allison a curious look. "I don't believe you've introduced us."
"This is Allison, Em. Sergeant Morgan. We gave her a place to stay after her divorce, before she moved back to the barracks." Rick waved Allison towards a seat. "Have a seat, Al. Dinner isn't quite ready yet."
"Mrs. Dennis is really quite kind to invite us all to dinner, don't you think, Sergeant?" Emily smiled, and Allison forced her lips upward into the polite smile.
"Yes, she is, Mrs. Short." Allison ran a hand through her hair, trying to dispel the sudden constriction of her chest, the sense that she'd just taken a physical blow.
Allison picked up her pace, pushing herself to her limits. Limits she hadn't tested like this in nearly twenty years. Twenty years since she'd filed for divorce, unable to make Mark understand that she would not give up the planes to raise a family. Would not trade in the sky for children. Would not let the career she treasured go without a fight.
"Damnit, Al! You wouldn't be giving up a career! Just a change of duties, and no flying those Cessnas for a year. Why is that too much to ask?"
"Flying and keeping planes flying is my career, Mark!" Allison glared at her husband over the table. "I told you that when we started dating! I thought you understood that!"
"We could get a nanny once the baby is born. Just one child, Al!" Mark gave her a pleading look, then ducked as she threw the nearest item to hand at him. The orange splattered against the wall, and Allison stalked towards the door.
She ran along the beach like she'd run the streets and paths of the base that night, trying to outrun the knot in her chest, the hollow feeling she'd only abandoned completely when she was in the air, flying against a backdrop of blue sky, the earth far below her.
~ ~~ ~
Horatio watched the sun rise over the ocean, his sunglasses dangling from his fingers, letting the crashing of the waves distract him from the desire to go to the lab on his day off. He looked off to his right at the sound of feet slapping against the sand, a slight frown furrowing his brow at the expression on the jogger's face. As if she ran to escape something.
She slowed to a walk as she approached him, nodding in greeting. "Morning. You wouldn't happen to have the time, would you, sir?"
"Six-thirty, ma'am." Horatio tilted his head, raising an eyebrow as she grimaced. "Is something wrong?"
"Not entirely, I suppose. I just expect a better time on two and half miles than half an hour. A month retired, and already I'm getting soft." She chuckled, shaking her head as she streached, watching him curiously. "You look familiar, somehow. Like someone I knew a long time ago." She held out her hand as she straightened up again. "Allison Morgan."
Horatio raised his eyebrows slightly, taking her hand as he replied. "Horatio Caine... If you don't mind me asking, Miss Morgan, where did you go to high school?"
"Same place you did, Horatio." Allison licked her lips, one corner of her mouth twitching upward in a wry grin. "It's been... a long time. Some.. what, thirty years?"
"Over thirty." Horatio hooked his sunglasses in his collar, looking out across the ocean for a long moment. "What.. what brings you to Miami, Allison?"
"Retirement from the Air Force. A job offer that lets me fly as much as I please, with an old friend for my boss." Allison shrugged, shifting her weight back and forth on her feet. "I didn't expect to see you again... Not unless I went back to New York. And I.. never intended to do that."
"Your family?" Horatio looked over at her, a sad smile on his face. He remembered her family, kept in contact with them after she'd left to fly for the Air Force.
"No." Allison held his gaze, and Horatio frowned slightly at the expression on her face. One of deeply rooted pain and shame. "I didn't want to run into you." She looked away, squinting against the sunlight. "Just... some things I never said. And I still don't think I can." She grimaced, shaking her head before looking back at him. "I've got to go, Horatio. New job, and I think I'll tell Rick I'll take it. Nothing like the sky to chase away discomfort."
She walked away without giving him a chance to reply, jogging across the sand to a parked car, looking back at Horatio with a troubled expression one last time before she stepped into the driver's side.
~ ~~ ~
"Short Hanger, Rick Short speaking."
"Good morning, Rick." Allison paced between unpacked boxes in her living room, mentally berating herself over the awkward meeting on the beach earlier. "I think I'll take you up on that job offer. I just need a few days to settle in."
"Hey, Al. You know, you can still take the rest of the week to think it over if you need it."
"No, no. I'm sure about this. Just... mind if I take one of the planes up today? It's been a few months since I last got up into that sky." She ran one hand through her hair, bouncing up on her toes as she glanced out her balcony door at the clear blue sky. "Just a few hours."
"I have one of the ladies that's not been reserved today." Rick paused, and Allison could see him frowning in concern in her mind's eye. "Are you all right, Al?"
"Just.. ran into someone I haven't seen in a long time. And didn't expect to see."
Rick sighed, and Allison grimaced, wondering how long it would take running that beach to excise the knot in her belly, or fill the hollow feeling in her chest.
"Look, Al. You bring that lady back in one piece, and then talk to someone about it. Before I let you take up a student."
Allison pressed her lips together, rolling her eyes. "It wasn't Mark, Rick. He should be in blasted California, far away from here. With the civilian he settled down with, happily watching his kids go off to college." She snorted. "And good riddence."
"Al."
"Fine. I'll talk to someone. And not just a photograph, either. Promise, Rick."
Chapter 3 - Close As Family
Chapter 1 - New Places
Commentary: Characterization, plot, appeal.
Allison looked down the empty strand of beach as she stretched, the sand gilded by the sun just peeking over the horizon, her attention focused inward. She had steeled herself for Emily not knowing her when she went to Rick's for dinner, but it had hit her harder than she expected.
"She's having one of her bad days, Al." Rick's voice was quiet as he let her into the small house. "Em.. she probably won't know you. She doesn't remember the grandkids at all, and she's thinking Corienne is the wife of one of the officers back at Hanscom."
Allison raised an eyebrow. "That was your post before you were my CO."
"Yeah."
She shook her head, stretching her arms over her head once more before starting to jog, trying to focus her mind on the activity, to let the physical movement wash the sting of being forgotten away.
"Who's this?" Emily looked up from the book in her lap, giving Allison a curious look. "I don't believe you've introduced us."
"This is Allison, Em. Sergeant Morgan. We gave her a place to stay after her divorce, before she moved back to the barracks." Rick waved Allison towards a seat. "Have a seat, Al. Dinner isn't quite ready yet."
"Mrs. Dennis is really quite kind to invite us all to dinner, don't you think, Sergeant?" Emily smiled, and Allison forced her lips upward into the polite smile.
"Yes, she is, Mrs. Short." Allison ran a hand through her hair, trying to dispel the sudden constriction of her chest, the sense that she'd just taken a physical blow.
Allison picked up her pace, pushing herself to her limits. Limits she hadn't tested like this in nearly twenty years. Twenty years since she'd filed for divorce, unable to make Mark understand that she would not give up the planes to raise a family. Would not trade in the sky for children. Would not let the career she treasured go without a fight.
"Damnit, Al! You wouldn't be giving up a career! Just a change of duties, and no flying those Cessnas for a year. Why is that too much to ask?"
"Flying and keeping planes flying is my career, Mark!" Allison glared at her husband over the table. "I told you that when we started dating! I thought you understood that!"
"We could get a nanny once the baby is born. Just one child, Al!" Mark gave her a pleading look, then ducked as she threw the nearest item to hand at him. The orange splattered against the wall, and Allison stalked towards the door.
She ran along the beach like she'd run the streets and paths of the base that night, trying to outrun the knot in her chest, the hollow feeling she'd only abandoned completely when she was in the air, flying against a backdrop of blue sky, the earth far below her.
Horatio watched the sun rise over the ocean, his sunglasses dangling from his fingers, letting the crashing of the waves distract him from the desire to go to the lab on his day off. He looked off to his right at the sound of feet slapping against the sand, a slight frown furrowing his brow at the expression on the jogger's face. As if she ran to escape something.
She slowed to a walk as she approached him, nodding in greeting. "Morning. You wouldn't happen to have the time, would you, sir?"
"Six-thirty, ma'am." Horatio tilted his head, raising an eyebrow as she grimaced. "Is something wrong?"
"Not entirely, I suppose. I just expect a better time on two and half miles than half an hour. A month retired, and already I'm getting soft." She chuckled, shaking her head as she streached, watching him curiously. "You look familiar, somehow. Like someone I knew a long time ago." She held out her hand as she straightened up again. "Allison Morgan."
Horatio raised his eyebrows slightly, taking her hand as he replied. "Horatio Caine... If you don't mind me asking, Miss Morgan, where did you go to high school?"
"Same place you did, Horatio." Allison licked her lips, one corner of her mouth twitching upward in a wry grin. "It's been... a long time. Some.. what, thirty years?"
"Over thirty." Horatio hooked his sunglasses in his collar, looking out across the ocean for a long moment. "What.. what brings you to Miami, Allison?"
"Retirement from the Air Force. A job offer that lets me fly as much as I please, with an old friend for my boss." Allison shrugged, shifting her weight back and forth on her feet. "I didn't expect to see you again... Not unless I went back to New York. And I.. never intended to do that."
"Your family?" Horatio looked over at her, a sad smile on his face. He remembered her family, kept in contact with them after she'd left to fly for the Air Force.
"No." Allison held his gaze, and Horatio frowned slightly at the expression on her face. One of deeply rooted pain and shame. "I didn't want to run into you." She looked away, squinting against the sunlight. "Just... some things I never said. And I still don't think I can." She grimaced, shaking her head before looking back at him. "I've got to go, Horatio. New job, and I think I'll tell Rick I'll take it. Nothing like the sky to chase away discomfort."
She walked away without giving him a chance to reply, jogging across the sand to a parked car, looking back at Horatio with a troubled expression one last time before she stepped into the driver's side.
"Short Hanger, Rick Short speaking."
"Good morning, Rick." Allison paced between unpacked boxes in her living room, mentally berating herself over the awkward meeting on the beach earlier. "I think I'll take you up on that job offer. I just need a few days to settle in."
"Hey, Al. You know, you can still take the rest of the week to think it over if you need it."
"No, no. I'm sure about this. Just... mind if I take one of the planes up today? It's been a few months since I last got up into that sky." She ran one hand through her hair, bouncing up on her toes as she glanced out her balcony door at the clear blue sky. "Just a few hours."
"I have one of the ladies that's not been reserved today." Rick paused, and Allison could see him frowning in concern in her mind's eye. "Are you all right, Al?"
"Just.. ran into someone I haven't seen in a long time. And didn't expect to see."
Rick sighed, and Allison grimaced, wondering how long it would take running that beach to excise the knot in her belly, or fill the hollow feeling in her chest.
"Look, Al. You bring that lady back in one piece, and then talk to someone about it. Before I let you take up a student."
Allison pressed her lips together, rolling her eyes. "It wasn't Mark, Rick. He should be in blasted California, far away from here. With the civilian he settled down with, happily watching his kids go off to college." She snorted. "And good riddence."
"Al."
"Fine. I'll talk to someone. And not just a photograph, either. Promise, Rick."
Chapter 3 - Close As Family
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Date: 2007-03-28 04:58 am (UTC)Nice touches with the Alzheimer's thing, too. It does hurt, and worse than a sucker punch, when you're suddenly forgotten like that.