Before - Legends Crash Course 2: Perfect -- OC/drama/mystery -- **Completed 10/31**

They weren't THAT big of issues! Geeesh!

So do betas often stand between the writer and the mob like this? I think it might be safer to refuse to beta anything if that's the case.

 

The third may or may not happen. I'm arguing with the characters about that. I've got another sequel already 6+ years behind schedule that I need to finish up first.

and now that I've heard from my betas...

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"Shael!" I gasped, reaching desperately for him.

"Nooo!"

Fingers tangled in my trailing hair and my feet swept out from under me as my head was jerked back. My ribs exploded, my scalp screamed, and blackness rushed over me for a moment. Tolwyn hauled me back against him, one hand fisted in my hair. My feet scrambled for balance to take the pressure off, but he just pulled tighter till my head was pressed against his shoulder. None of the Horsemen had taken the time to scoop up a weapon from Thackary's fallen men and they'd never have gotten through building security if they'd been armed, but Tolwyn shielded himself from them with my body. I clutched and clawed at him, struggling to be free.

No, not now. I'm saved, he can't do this!

"Crash!" Shael cried.

"Shael!"

"She's mine," Tolwyn hissed. "I made her." He stepped backward, farther into the living room, dragging me with him.

"Let me go," I gasped, hot tears of pain and terror rolling down my cheeks. "It's over."

Tolwyn thumped me in the ribs and the pain stole my breath. I staggered against him, my legs sagging under me, unable to fight him further. Shael called my name again, rushing forward, but he checked his motion abruptly.

"She. Is. Mine." And then the sight of a small, snub-nosed blaster in Tolwyn's extended hand told me why Shael had stopped. "Mine," Tolwyn repeated dragging me farther away from them. "I made her, trained her. She can't leave me."

Death slowly raised a calming hand, his face a mask of worry. "Just calm down there. The cops don't need to get involved. No one needs to get hurt. No one else needs to know about this. We just want her back. She belongs with us."

I felt Tolwyn shake in denial. "No. She's mine. Chenowyth doesn't want to leave me, not really."

I would have answered, denied his ridiculous claim, but I didn't have the breath or energy to do more than pant. Besides, he wasn't talking to them anymore. He was talking to himself, or maybe to me, but nothing anyone else said was really registering. Crazed as a sun-stroked rancor and just as dangerous.

He stepped back again and I could see the broad windows in my peripheral vision, heard the whistle of wind through the blast hole. The late evening sun glittered along the cracks that crazed the window. There was nowhere for him to go. The only exit was the broad opening into the foyer, effectively blocked by the five Horsemen ranged there. Now I could put names to them: Nash, Trapper, and Ishtari. It was small comfort in the situation, but I would take anything I could get just then.

Shael jolted forward as Tolwyn jerked hard on my hair and I cried out. "Let her go!"

Tolwyn stopped moving, his voice dropped to a harsh whisper and I suddenly felt the cool kiss of the small blaster muzzle against my temple. "I won't let her leave me."

Shael's eyes went wide, face going ashen. "No!" His eyes flashed to mine, and I whispered, "I love you," and locked my gaze on him, wanting him to be my last sight in this life. After all this, I never even made it out of the apartment. All my planning and sneaking had been for nothing. I was going to die only a stride or two from my husband, but I knew that Tolwyn wouldn't outlive me by long, the Horsemen would see to that. Small comfort at the moment, but my husband would live, and so would my children, a son and a daughter at home in Armageddon. Did I have time to tell Shael to take Seo?

I waited as the second stretched into eternity, hoping there wouldn't be any pain. I'd never actually been hit by a blaster shot before, so I had no idea what it felt like. Would I live long enough to hear Shael scream my name one last time? Motion flickered at the edge of my attention,

 

I will say it now:

*bawls out of relief*

Holy cow, great intensity. There was a lot of detachment from Tolwyn that was believable as she was trying to immediately regrasp the essence of what she had known before. The reunion with Shael was awesome and I thought Trapper bouncing Seo was just plain adorable. And hurray for me finally getting to see Ishtari again in a story! Okay, that one was obvious.

Only complaint: Can't we see Hue again?

 

I say he deserved a far more slow death but at least he's dead now And I'm happy about that Yay!!! She's free and safe again!!!!!!

Thanks for Pm'ing me or I would've missed it!

 

*exhales*

Great post. The reunion with Shael was lovely, and the intensity of this entire scene was really something else. Plus, Tolwyn got his just desserts, which was definitely a bonus.

Nice work, and thanks for the PM!

 

Detective to the rescue! Yay! I thought it was going to be Qui-Gon there for a second.

 

Wow! I spent the last few days doing a marathon read of this story and its prequel, and "WOW!" is really all I can say. You've crafted such an excellent set of characters, such realistic environments! The tension, the suspense ... everything is absolutely wonderful. I was on the edge of my seat reading the last few posts.

"All mine. Forever," Tolwyn whispered sensuously into my ear, the blaster muzzle pressing harder.

*shivers* He's so exquisitely creepy.

We were over seventy storeys up and the building tapered slowly. The droids were going to have quite a job cleaning things up.

Yay for squished Dai!

 

Loved it! Really glad Tolwyn went to a messy end!

Although Crash now knows where she comes from I'm still a little concerned about her readjusting to her normal life...

 

HA! Finally the twit gets his just deserts. Wonderfully tense. Looking forward to the epilogue.

 

Those were some intense scenes. Crash's feelings about finally remembering who she is, who the Horsemen are in relation to her, and Dai's creepiness all add up to a stunning emotional montage. You wrote it very well.

 

Hi guys!
I'm new and this (Crash Course 1&2) were some of the first fan fics I read and it has definitely turned me onto writing again.

All I have to say is wow!
I loved your writing and was sorry that I was in on the banter between you all because I definitely wanted to join the Kill Dai club!

I just wanted to say KUDOS!

Thanks!
AL99

 

Vast and humble appologies for not actually finishing this story. Yes, it's true, there's a couple scenes left. Life... happened.

I hope to get those scenes completed and posted soon. Certainly much faster than it took me to actually come back and finish reading all your wonderful comments.

To those that are still reading after all this time... Bless you. I don't deserve you.

To those who have moved on... I'll miss you. Thank you for stopping by and encouraging a lowly writer like me with your comments.




~Lilith

 

I still check every week to see if this has been updated. Glad to see you back.

 

Okay, next scene, with no further ado...


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The world went fuzzy after that. The detective appeared, but went away again. Roble and the others all came over to check on me, I think, but they went away again, too. Shael was always there. He never let go of me, holding me close, but finally calm enough to be careful of my ribs. When I murmured something incoherent, Seo was placed in my arms. I snuggled him close and he stopped that last of his fussing and fell asleep.

Voices muttered, rose and fell. A light touch on my shoulder turned me from my tiny world for a few moments as Hué came to check on her handiwork. I managed a tired smile for her, a squeeze of her hand. That was all I could give her. I didn't have anything else to spare.

Grey and dim as the world had gone, I still managed to remember to have someone grab the bag of clothes and supplies for Seo before I was led out of that place. At the sight of the swoop I balked. I couldn't help it, the blasted triggers were still stuck in my head, even though I knew they weren't real. I was just too tired, too emotionally battered to force my way past them. Hands urged me forward and I resisted still, holding my son close and making small sounds of distress. Hué's voice came then and an enclosed speeder was presented next. I allowed myself to be placed inside and huddled in the back, pressed close to my family. "Please go slow," I mumbled against Shael's shoulder.

After a time we stopped and I was unloaded, Shael lifting me, child and all, and carrying me through a doorway. More voices, a feeling of crowding that was familiar and comforting, sounds echoing properly. A piping voice asked about mommy, followed by soft words in a reassuring tone.

"Home. Safe."

"Yes, Crash, you're safe. You're home. You're safe. Oh, Chenowyth."

"Not Chenowyth," I muttered, shaking my head violently, and felt him stiffen against me. "I'm Crash. I'm Crash. I'm Crash." It became a chant, an anchor, a plea. Sheal stopped it with a kiss. "Yes, you certainly are." The tension drained out of his body and then I was settled next to him on something soft. Seo was taken from my arms. I fought, trying to grab him back, keep him safe, until Shael stroked at my hair and murmured that it was all right. The right voice, the right smells, the right sounds reassured me once again. Pain flared in my ribs as someone probed gently at them, then a cold hiss at my neck took the pain, and the world, away entirely.

*******

I woke cradled against my husband's chest. The beat of his heart under my ear, the warmth and scent of him, soothed and comforted. It took a few moments to realize that there was a secondary source of heat pressed into the nook at the back of my knees. I lifted my head from Shael's chest to look.

Terryl lay curled up against me, his arm wrapped around a very battered stuffed wookiee, thumb not actually in his mouth, but certainly brushing his lower lip. A smile curved my lips and a warm flush crept through me. This was right. This was how it should be. Well, I was on the wall side of the bed, with Shael between me and the world, but that was normal, if not exactly how I would prefer things.

Across Shael's chest I saw Tyche's crib, made from spare swoop parts. Next to it, someone had padded a cargo pod with pillows and blankets to make a bed for Seo. He was awake and staring at me, wide-eyed. I gave him a soft smile and he relaxed back into his nest, as if waiting for that reassurance from me.

I settled back down, listening to the wonderfully noisy sounds of over a hundred people going about their evening in a single room. I was where I should be. My family was close around me, and all was right in the world. With that thought, and Shael's familiar scent, to comfort me, I drifted back to sleep.

*******

When my eyes again opened, Terryl and his stuffed wookiee were gone, probably for breakfast and lessons. Tyche and Seo were gone, too. It was just Sh

 

Oh my gosh! I hadn't dared to hope for a new update, yay!

And it so completely gave me the warm fuzzies Wonderful post Lilith, well worth the wait. Completely and greatly cute post. <3

 

Wow . . . such a beautiful chapter. After everything that has happened to her, she gets to go home and spend the night surrounded by her family. I can't imagine anything more peaceful for her.

 

Next. See? Faster than before still.



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When we were half way across the floor, the echoing thunder of engines in the entry tunnel interrupted us and told all that someone had arrived. Half a dozen swoops shot into Armageddon and landed. Five of them had passengers. Hué's boys had gotten their swoop ride after all, though the youngest two had been secured to their drivers by the simple expedient of zipping the children inside their gang jackets. Little goggled faces, wreathed in smiles, peeked out from Bulldog and Sloan's chests.

Shael paused only a moment to identify the arrivals before taking me the rest of the way to an empty table. Instead of depositing me in a chair, he sat and held me in his lap. At the moment it was nice, but I knew it was going to get old fast, no matter what I'd said before about it. I'd never liked it when he got all protective.

Hué's husband stared around wide-eyed, stiff and tense, not knowing what to expect next and obviously in a bit of shock at finding him in a gang base. The boys were already spreading out to explore, despite their mother's warnings to behave. The youngest immediately found Terryl, who clutched his wookiee protectively away from the stranger, but took his thumb from his mouth and stared back just as solemnly.

"Got a wookiee."

"Got a brother."

"Me too. New one. Da said."

I dragged my eyes away from the boys and elbowed my way out of Shael's lap in order to greet Hué properly. She remembered about my ribs and gave me a very careful hug. As soon as we released each other, Shael snatched me back. Again, I couldn't blame him and snuggled in comfortably.

I waved Hué into a chair and she gave the whole warehouse a quick glance before leaning in close to me.

"Are you sure you're safe here, Chenowyth?"

I nodded, smiling at her reassuringly. "Quite sure. And my friends call me Crash."

"What kind of a nickname is that?"

"A long story, and thanks to you I actually remember it. Along with the rest of my life."

Hué nodded, then reached into a pocket and drew out a business card. It was Sylk's. A second number was written on the back. "I commed her last night to tell her what happened. I hope you don't mind, but she was worried about you, too. That's her private comm code. She says you should probably talk to her again, at least once."

Shael slipped the card from my hand and read it. "A mind healer?"

Hué nodded. "A very good one."

"Oh, sorry, where are my manners? Hué, this is my real husband, Shael. And all the rest are my family, the Horsemen. Shael, this is Hué. She was my only friend for a while there."

"Oh, I know her." Shael's smile was warm. "She called us, love. Commed right in and asked for Death, just like your note said. Only she figured you were in serious danger, didn't want to wait, insisted we come immediately. She told security she'd invited a few ?friends' over and got us into the building easy as anything, though we got a few strange look from the other tenants. Led us right to your door."

He pressed his face into my neck and sighed deeply. I reached up lay my hand on his cheek. We stayed like that for a long moment, before my husband?what a wonderful thing to say that about the right man!?remembered our audience.

"Have you eaten? We're just about to start serving lunch."

"Oh, I don't want to be a bother..."

I laughed. It probably wasn't particularly tactful of me, but I couldn't help it. "Hué, look around you. What's five more in a crowd like this?" She glanced around at the swarming swoopers and gave me smile. "Please stay. We haven't many women with us and I'm the only mother so far. I find I rather like girl talk."

"In that case, I can hardly refuse."

"Good. Besides, I think it'd take food to bring your boys back from where ever they've gone to, including your husband, it would seem." I couldn't spot him anywhere, but that only meant he wasn't standing stiffly uncomfortable and sticki

 

Aww, loved it. Thanks so much for the PM. I'd never have found the last two updates otherwise. Could you please PM me again if you add more? I'd hate to miss anything.

 

"Yes," Shael said. "We need to thank you properly for what you've done for us. For me. For Crash."

"Ha!" I exclaimed. "A meal won't do that. That'd take stacks of credits, oaths of servitude, and probably our first born. But," I continued, as the triplets began to bring loaded plates to the table, "we can start with food."

These few lines just show how much Hue has helped and befriended Crash over this entire period. Thank goodness for friends, for they'll do anything to help those they care for.

 

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to my faithful readers. And here, for your enjoyment (hopefully) is the last post of this story. Just in time for Nano to start up... *sigh*



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Halfway through the meal the intruder alert light over my computer console began blinking. I started to rise automatically to check on it, but Shael held tight and kept me in his lap. Pors reached the console moments later and began pressing buttons. I tried again to rise, but Shael hauled me tighter against his body and slipped a slice of muja into my mouth when I opened it to protest.

?Relax, you trained him well enough for this.?

Mouth full, my fingers flashed.

?Sorry, love, that was beyond my limited vocabulary.?

?She was protesting the reckless regard you have for her computers,? Hué supplied.

Shael and her own husband looked at her in surprise. She smiled. ?I?ve picked up quite a bit from my Lorrdian patients.?

I swallowed quickly. ?They?re my computers, Shael. You know I don?t like other people touching them. Who knows what could happen if I?m not around to protect them??

?Love, you?ve been gone. Someone had to do the work. Especially since that?s why that man took you in the first place.?

?What??

He frowned. ?No one told you? He was holding you hostage to force us to slice his personal history into a squeaky clean paragon of society. We didn?t want to tell him that he had our infamous slicer, so we had to rely on Pors to do what he could until we managed to get you back.?

Hué gave a sputter of indignation. Her husband gave a snort of rueful laughter. ?Talk about your irony.?

?We didn?t think it was all that funny.?

?No, of course not.?

In the awkward silence that followed everyone but me turned their attention to the four boys who chattered non-stop around mouths full of food. I ticked my fork against my plate and watched Pors work. Hué watched me for a few moments and then broke the silence.

?Chen...? She smiled ruefully when she saw my expression. ?Crash, so what?s going on??

?Intruder alert. Someone tripped our detection net. The computers will tell me-? Shael gave me a squeeze and I rephrased. ?I mean they?ll tell Pors where.?

?Can you see them??

?We?ve got holocams on all the entrances. Unless they know where the cams are we should have a good look at whoever it is.?

Death and Famine arrived at my computer station in short order to confer with Pors. I couldn?t read Pors?s lips since he doesn?t have any, but when they were done Death strode our way with Famine in tow. Everyone had turned to look by the time he got within easy speaking distance.

?War, Crash, we?ve got a guest.?

Shael sighed. ?And I assume we know who it is??

?The detective.?

I sighed deeply and bowed my head over the table. Ellison would have questions. Cops always did, the good ones anyway. Death lay a gentle hand on my shoulder.

?You don?t have to talk to him if you don?t want to. He can stand up there all week if he likes.?

I sighed again and lifted my head. ?No, it?s probably best to get it over and done with. He?s persistent enough to try and wait us out.?

?Sylk would be the first to point out that talking about it helps,? Hué pointed out. ?This might be a good starting point.?

I nodded.

?Then I think we should put on our company clothes and go talk to him,? Death said.

Shael gave me a searching look. I nodded again to him, with a tired smile. He shifted his gaze from me to his little brother and gave a jerk of his head at Trapper. Sloan nodded and took Tyche from Trapper, who had somehow managed to acquire both children. The two men rose and passed off the babies to willing hands at other tables. Shael rose and lifted me into his arms again, and we left the Jotlipans to finish their meal.

Comfortable as it was, one of Shael's shirts and a blanket were not the right attire for meeting a police detective. Shael helped me into my riding leathers, as the state of m

 

Beautiful. Just beautiful. This is, without a doubt, the best OC-centered story I've ever read.

 

Thank you very much.

 

You are amazing. Don't ever forget that.

Bravo.