========================================================================== A DAY IN HER LIFE Lynne Leeper ========================================================================== Timeline: Years after Author's E-Mail: soaron@netcom.com ========================================================================== AUTHOR'S NOTES: O.K. This story is the result (sort of) the Fan Fiction Challenge. The plot device I used is, yes, overused, but I thought it would be fun to try it on Danz and Dev. As usual, I make no claim of being a writer. I intend no infringements. Etc. ========================================================================== A Day in Her life by Lynne Leeper John Danziger glanced around the room. It was a typical dinner crowd at the Grinning Grendler, but it wasn't really night yet. There was still several hours of daylight left, but when it came to feeding several hundred people every night, it had to be done in shifts. Devon and Danz had chosen to be a part of the early crowd since Devon was needing more sleep these days. She was eight months pregnant now and was resolved to taking care of herself and their child within her with her usual tenacity. This meant getting to bed a couple of hours after sunset and she didn't sleep well on a full stomach. Danziger returned his attention to his wife who was stirring up a strange concoction of various vegetables, fish and Bess Martin's home-made jams. To him it looked like a nightmare, but Devon downed it with gusto. He never knew what to expect each night as her appetite changed to suit her mood. He'd always thought that the old myth of pregnant women craving weird foods at all hours was due to poor nutrition. Devon proved him wrong since Julia had made a case study of her and she was so closely monitored that it was impossible for her to *not* be getting everything she needed. He marveled at how Devon took the changes that were occurring within here in stride. He knew she was frequently in discomfort - he had caught her in an unguarded moment when she had let it come through. But Devon being Devon, she wasn't about to ignore her responsibilities to either the colony or her family. John had suggested that she could delegate some of her work for the colony to others, but even he had to admit, no one else here had her skills. He had already talked to the kids and had assigned them household chores to lighten the load. He made sure he spent ample time at home to see that those chores were done as well as others he had taken upon himself. Still, he wasn't sure which was harder - being the expectant father or being the expectant mother of a child. Well, it was safe to say he'd never know since he could never really know what Devon had to go through, even in a single day, being pregnant. ************************************** Danziger had been spending the last several weeks working on the power turbines driven by the Morgan River. There were a dozen of them that supplied all of the power that New Pacifica could use. They employed the use of water wheels to turn a shaft that in turn, through reduction gears, drove twin electromagnetic turbines at each site. Since these engines ran continuously and it was important to make sure they were properly cleaned, lubed and in alignment. Too much wear anywhere along the line could throw one of these off balance enough to cause it to seize up and virtually self-destruct. Since this had been the best environmentally sound way to get power, John had made it a point to see to these servicings personally. It was his prerogative as a committee member of New Pacifica to make that decision. Since the days were staying light long enough, John asked his work crew to return to the turbine they were currently working on after dinner since it would only take an hour or so to finish. That way he would have the entire day tomorrow free to spend at home with Devon. Jim Keiler and Bobby Lawton were waiting for him outside of the Hotel with a dunerail, and the three were back at the site in minutes. Bobby went right back to the sluice gate and made sure it was still firmly closed, then went to help John and Jim move the cam shaft back into place. This was tricky work since the shaft was heavy but required to be placed carefully into position as to not knock any of the gears out of alignment. It was a three man job to handle the thing, one to handle the winch, the other two to position the shaft. John wished more than once that someone had thought to pack a mini-portable lifter in with the rest of the colony's supplies, but in the pioneer spirit, they made due with human power instead. A zero unit was too big to fit in the space and besides, had the touch of a bull elephant. Bobby kept the tension on the cable of the winch that currently supported the shaft while Danz and Jim moved it into position. "Getting close," Danziger said, hunkering down to get a good line-of-sight as the shaft was coming down to meet the gears. "Just another six inches." Bobby was sweating profusely now from the effort of maintaining a steady pressure. He felt the sweat rolling down his arms and was annoyed by the itching it caused. He glanced down at his bare arm as a reflex and froze. There was a spider on his arm, one of those nasty buggers that he had found he was extremely allergic to and it was heading towards the cuff of his glove. In that brief moment, he panicked and let go of the cable supporting the cam shaft and with a yelp, shook his hand hard enough to dislodge both the glove and the spider. A split second later he realized what he had done. Danziger jumped as Bobby cried out and the cam shaft came down hard into the gear bed, grazing the back of his head on the way down. He found himself suddenly sitting on the floor, his eyes unable to focus and his ears ringing. He missed the barrage of swearing coming out of Jim as he appeared in front of him as a dark blur. It took several moments for Danz to regain enough of his senses to understand that something had gone wrong. He looked up to see a fuzzy version of Bobby talking non-stop at him, but the words didn't make any sense. "What?" Danz managed to squeak out. He strained to get Bobby's face in focus. The kid looked upset as far as he could tell. He felt hands pull him up and support him as he was led out into the receding daylight. It made his already pounding head hurt even more when he struggled to keep his eyes open as they sat him down in the passenger seat of the rail. Danz' head began to slowly clear while they were on their way back to New Pacifica and he finally realized what had happened. "The cam shaft!" he exclaimed, sitting up. The motion made him a bit dizzy. "Don't worry about it," Jim said firmly. "It isn't going anywhere." He looked at Danz for a moment. "How's your head doing?" he asked. "It's still sitting on my shoulders," he answered. "I think." "Let's let the Doc decide that," Jim replied. Danz pondered that for a moment. "What happened?" he asked. "A cam shaft fell on your head," Jim answered, deadpan. "I think I could figure that much out for myself," Danz shot back sarcastically. "*Why* did it land on my head?" Bobby, who was riding behind Danz, finally spoke up. "God, I'm so sorry, John" he began. "It's all my fault! I saw this spider on my arm and I freaked! I let go of the cable!" Bobby moaned. Then another thought occurred to him. "Devon's going to kill me!" Danz slowly turned to look at him. The boy was in a panic and there was no point in rubbing it in. "Don't worry about it," he mumbled, turning back to face forward. He had to close his eyes to keep himself from getting disorientated as the scenery whizzed past his vision, his eyes not quite being able to track anything that was moving. His head felt incredibly numb and heavy. They had just made it through the Hospital door when Julia appeared. She was quick to pump him full of systemic buffers to keep him from going any deeper into shock. Danz lay quietly as she ran her diaglove over his head, guessing that Jim had called her while they were on the way back. He hadn't even noticed. "Yep. You've got a concussion, but for some reason you managed to keep your skull from cracking wide open," she announced, then probed the back of his head with her fingers. Danz winced as she found the point of impact, but kept quiet. "You aren't even bleeding, though you're getting one hell of a bump," she told him. "Well, we'll keep you here tonight to make sure nothing shows up." "No. No way," Danz said, sitting up slowly. "I'm going home." No way was he going to stay in a room full of monitors hooked up to him. It gave him the creeps. "Danziger, you've got a head injury..." Julia started lecturing. "And there's nothing you can do here that I can't do at home," he interrupted her. "Besides, I'm sure by the time I get there you will have told Devon all about this and she'll make sure I behave," he finished ruefully. "You got that right!" she said, then realized she had just agreed with him. "O.K., O.K. But I'm going to give explicit instructions to Devon and if you give her any trouble, I'll see to it that you're hauled back here and tied down a bed!" Julia warned. "You're bedside manner is as good as ever," he quipped, managing a weak smile. ************************************* Jim drove Danziger home in the dunerail, the sun getting low over the Sea of Antias. John didn't even have a chance to step out of the rail before Devon was down by his side barking orders to Jim. "Come on, let's get him to bed," she said curtly, wrapping Danz' right arm over her shoulder and her left arm around his waist. Danziger stayed quiet as Jim and Devon pulled him up the stairs and carefully sat him down on the bed. Devon took a minute to thank Jim for his help while True and Uly pushed their way in through the door. True was on her father like a wet blanket, making him cringe as the bed bounced up an down from her landing on it. "Dad, you're hurt," she cried out. It was a bit more than his ears could take at the moment. "Hey, hey. I'll be fine, angel. I just need to rest, O.K.?" he told her softly, wrapping his arms around her. True looked into his eyes and could see his discomfort. Devon had given True her moment, then said, "We have to keep an eye on him for a while. Julia says he's to rest for at least a week." She went to sit on the other side of him. He looked a bit disgusted at her announcement. "And if he refuses to rest, Julia will keep him on Sediderms," she smiled up at him. Uly walked up and reached out to touch John's forehead, a distant look on his face. Danz felt the pressure in his head recede a bit, much to his relief. "You'll be O.K., dad," Uly pronounced, then smiled. Devon stared at her son wondering if he had gone into Terrian mode. Uly reached forward and gave Danz a hug. Danziger felt a wash of warmth from his step son, and gave him a big smile when he let go. "Goodnight, dad," he said, then left the room. True then gave him another, longer hug and brushed the hair out of his face. "Better do what mom says, or else I'll glue myself to you and make you!" she said fiercely. Devon chuckled at the expression of feigned horror on her husband's face. True looked at Devon. "If he doesn't behave, let me know," she insisted. Devon gave her a wink, then True gave her dad a quick kiss and then excused herself, shutting the door on the way out. Danziger sighed. "I'm a prisoner in my own home!" he complained. Devon picked up where True left off, lightly caressing is temple. "It's a burden to be loved!" she said, then kissed him gently. He may have been a prisoner, but he couldn't complain about his jailers. *********************************** Danziger was grateful to finally be able to sink into bed. Devon had removed his dirty clothes and helped him put on a clean pair of pajama bottoms. Julia had warned her not to fuss over him too much until he was safely past the danger of going into shock. He needed rest and didn't really care about cleaning up and Devon's only concern was to see to it he got well as soon as possible. Once she was sure he was comfortable, she left the bedroom to go finish up her evening chores. There wasn't much left to do, for which she was grateful, since she got tired so easily these days. The extra weight of carrying a child took its toll. Whenever things began to drag her down, all Devon had to do was think about her life as it currently was versus how it had been back on the Stations. No contest, she would remind herself. Her life here with John, Uly and True was priceless to her, well worth giving up her family's fortune and a life of sterile luxury as one of the rich elite. Thinking of John, she got up and went to see how he was doing. He was breathing deeply and slowly, as he always did when he was asleep. Assured that he was O.K., she decided to turn in for the night even though it was early. Her condition made her need more rest anyway and there wasn't anything she had to do that couldn't wait until morning. She slid under the blankets and curled up with him, Danz waking just enough to accommodate her. Both comfortable, Devon drifted off into a deep sleep. *************************** Danziger awoke slowly, sunlight trickling in the east-facing window of the bedroom. God, he felt like a slug. His eyes didn't really want to focus giving everything a soft outline. After a few moments of staring out the window, he recalled having a cam shaft bounced off of his head. Funny, his head didn't feel bad, just a bit fuzzy. He thought about it for a moment, then reached up to where the bump was. To his surprise, he couldn't find it. He ran his hand around his head and couldn't find anywhere that hurt. His hair felt a bit weird too. he mused to himself . A bit of nausea was still there, but that could be because he was hungry. He was very hungry. He glanced over at Devon who had buried herself under the covers, probably to keep the sun out of her eyes. He smiled at that, remembering how she was usually up before he was. Well, she needed the rest and he was more than happy to let her sleep in. He slowly sat up, then stood up with a sigh, and immediately found himself catching his balance. He had almost toppled forward. Steadying himself, he started to shuffle his way to the bathroom. As he focused on the door, he was struck by how somehow the room didn't look quite right. Something was wrong with the perspective. He decided that the concussion he supposedly had was the cause, then shuffled his way, eyes half closed, to stand in front of the bathroom mirror. he thought, taking a deep breath as he looked up into the mirror. A shock ran through him as he caught his image in the mirror. The face he was looking at was very familiar to him, but it wasn't his. His hand went up to touch his face, but the face he was touching was Devon's. *********************** For the first time in his life, John Danziger knew what it felt like to be scared shitless. He felt the blood run out of his face and saw Devon's face go pale in the mirror. He looked down at himself and saw Devon's round abdomen draped in her gown instead of his flat washboard abs. He felt all around himself and only found his wife's familiar curves. he shouted to himself, closing his eyes. After a moment, his breathing steadied and he slowly looked back into the mirror. He still saw Devon's face. Shaking, he removed the gown he was wearing and took a good hard look. It was still Devon's body. The small scar on her hip from sliding down a rocky hill when they were looking for water was still there. He turned slowly around, noticing the tan lines, now a bit distorted, he loved to trace when they were making love. He felt his chest, his hands finding her breasts, then reached down to find his manhood - the final test. Gone, all of it. Danziger's mind was a whirlwind. He couldn't even begin to understand what was happening to him. Then something in his mind suddenly twitched, and his panic faded away to be replaced by curiosity. If he was in Devon's body, who was that in bed with him? He put the gown back on, not wanting to scare Devon, if that's who was still in bed. He slowly crept back into the room. It dawned on him that he had been sleeping on Devon's side of the bed, and that the other person was on his side. He slowly walked around to the sleeping form buried under the covers, then reached down to peel back the covers. A mop of blond curls was exposed, followed by his familiar male features. Ludicrously, popped into his thoughts, then he pushed that aside as he struggled with reality. The eyes of the man in bed slowly opened to look at him. A smile formed on that face. "Hi lover," the man said groggily, and he reached up to touch Danz' face. Danziger froze for a moment as he felt what should have been his own hand caress his face. He felt a pleasant warmth run through him, then shocked by his own reaction, pulled back. The man on the bed frowned. "What's wrong?" the man asked in a pleasantly deep voice, his face showing concern. This was too much for Danz. He slowly backed away from the bed, shaking his head in denial. "Devon, what's wrong?" the man asked pulling back the covers and sitting up. The man was obviously worried. Danziger stood, not answering for a moment, taking a good look at the man sitting on the bed. It was definitely him, , he thought, though it was odd to see himself from this perspective. The man stood and walked towards him, reaching out. "Hey, baby. What is it?" the man asked gently. Danziger finally found his voice. "Who are you?" Danz asked. The man looked shocked. "What?" he asked, giving Danz *the look*. "I don't get this. I don't get it at all!" Danz shouted. The man looked at Danz carefully, panic creeping into his expression. "Devon, please, tell me what's wrong!" the man pleaded. How could he be in two places, no, two *bodies* at once? Danz started thinking about all of the weird unexplainable things that had happened to the Eden Group since they crashed on G889. It had to be another one of those things. Could the Terrians be playing a joke on him? No, it wasn't their style. But what then? The man had put his arms around Danz, doing his best to comfort him. A sense of revulsion came over Danz at the thought of himself being held by a man, but this was Devon's body and the responses he was feeling were hers. For a moment, he was pleased that he had this effect on her. Then reality sunk back in. Danz moved away from the man, heading towards the bathroom. "Um, sorry," Danz said. "I'm not feeling myself right now." He turned to face the man who had a very hurt look on his face. "Give me a few minutes. I need to get a grip," he said, backing into the bathroom and closing the door. Danz sat down on the toilet, and took a deep breath. All he could think was, After a few minutes, he heard the bedroom door open and the man walk out - probably to use one of the other bathrooms. Danz suddenly felt an irrational need to get out of the house, away from the person who seemed to be him. Maybe seeing others would help him. Danz carefully opened the door making sure he was alone, then went through Devon's things to get dressed, hoping that he was making decent choices. He was always aware of how Devon dressed and didn't want to seem any more out of place than he already felt. When he was feeling reasonably sure that he looked up to par, he took a deep breath and strode out into the hallway. He could hear the shower in Uly's bathroom running. Danz decided to test something. He opened the door slightly. "Um, John?" he asked, feeling ridiculous. The man in the shower turned. "Devon?" the man asked. "I'm going to the Hotel. I've got some things to do and I don't feel up to making breakfast this morning," he said. The man hesitated. "All right. I'll see you there," the man answered. Assured that he wouldn't be immediately pursued, John Danziger left the house in a rush and headed for the Hotel. *********************** Danziger was greeted by everyone he saw on his way to the Hotel. The only problem was they all addressed him as if he was Devon. Somehow, the walk seemed longer than usual and he was puffing quite a bit as he walked up the steps to the porch. Man, his back was killing him! He stopped to try to massage his back for a moment and was startled when Walman opened the door in front of him, extending his hand as an offer of support. "Good morning, Devon," Walman smiled. He had become very protective of her since she and Danz had announced the coming of their child. Danz recoiled, a scowl passing over Devon's face. Walman grimaced. "Get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning?" he asked. Danz glared back. "Very funny, Walman," Danz answered. "Just trying to be the friendly, entertaining local barkeep," he quipped, but didn't question her bad mood. Being pregnant was supposed to do that to a woman, right? One thing did bother him, though. "Hey, Dev, where's John?" he asked lightly. It wasn't like John to be out of sight of her these days. Danz looked startled for a moment, realizing what he was asking. "Oh, he'll be here in a minute," Danz answered. Walman shrugged, then followed her inside. "What would you like for breakfast?" he asked. "I'll go get it for you while you take a seat." Danz knew that everyone was catering to his wife these days, and didn't mind her having the extra attention. But he wasn't Devon. "Oh, uh, all I want right now is a cup of coffee," Danz replied. Walman looked at him curiously. "You usually want to eat us out of house and home in the morning. You taking up John's bad habit of soaking up a cup of coffee before you eat?" he asked playfully. Again Walman noticed how unsure Devon looked. "Just not hungry this morning" Danz mumbled, suddenly losing his appetite. "Whatever you say boss," Walman said and left to get Danz a cup of coffee. Danz made his way to a table, grateful he was finally able to sit down. How did Devon deal with this extra weight all of the time? He made a point of smiling at Walman when he brought him his coffee, then sat quietly and watched the people who came in and out of the bar for breakfast. Everything seemed as it should be, it just looked a little different. He wondered if it had anything to do with looking at the world through brown eyes instead of blue ones. Several folks went by, most giving Danz a "good morning", then it occurred to him that something was missing from the otherwise perfect picture. Where were True and Uly? For that matter, where was Yale? And why didn't his physical counterpart have the concussion he was supposed to have? Danz needed some time alone to think out what was happening to him. He slowly pushed himself upright, his back complaining loudly. In this condition, he knew he couldn't go far, so decided to head for Devon's office. Even though it wasn't that far away, it felt like miles to him and the stairs had left him winded. Once through the door, he headed for Devon's desk and sat in her chair, then leaned back to rest while he let his mind wander over his predicament. ************************** He was awakened by a knock on the door. Danz lifted his head from the desk to see the door open slowly. The man who he should be poked his head through the opening. "Devon? Can we talk?" the man asked. Danz realized he was cornered. That fear must have been reflected on his face because the man stayed well away, waiting for whom he thought to be Devon to indicate it was all right to come closer. Danz knew he couldn't put this off forever. He still had no idea of what was going on. "John, come in," Danz said, feeling like a hypocrite. His male self came forward and pulled up a chair in front of the desk. The man studied Danz' face carefully. "You weren't at the Hotel for breakfast. Walman says you didn't eat," the man began. Danz stared down at the desk. "Why won't you tell me what's bothering you?" the man implored. "It's not like you to keep secrets from me," he said, instinctively reaching across the desk for Devon's hand. Danz forced himself not to recoil from the man's touch. It occurred to him that his most likely ally and confident would be - himself. He needed to be able to talk to someone about this, but Danz just wasn't ready to explain it to anyone, even himself. "I don't know what to tell you," Danz began carefully. "I don't understand what I'm feeling myself right now." "Is it something to do with the baby?" the man asked. Danz thought about it for a minute, then shook his head. "No, I don't think so, " Danz answered. "How about something to do with your time with the Terrians?" the man continued. "I don't know, possibly," Danz sighed. "I haven't been able to figure out, umm, what is happening to me." It was eerie to look into his own eyes and see the concern there. He suddenly understood why the entire Eden Advance Group had given Devon and him their space long before they ever admitted their feelings to each other. Looking at his own face he could see the bond that was irrefutably there. He felt himself blushing, again the victim of Devon's natural response to his physical proximity. The man saw the blush and hope filled his eyes. "I love you, Devon," he breathed. "I'll do anything I can to help you. You know that. Just let me back in. Let me be here for you." Danz felt himself being overwhelmed by Devon's responses - heart rate up, a wash of emotion that was overriding his logical thought. He couldn't react fast enough to avoid the kiss that followed, the man leaning over the desk to reach Devon's lips. As horrified as he was, Danz was also intrigued by the sensations that ran through Devon's body. They were very different from what he felt from his male side. Not any more or less, just different. The man sat back and stared at Danz, feeling relief that he still had a hold on Devon. "Why don't you talk to Julia about this. Maybe she'll have some idea of what's going on," the man suggested. Danz thought he might have a point and nodded in agreement. "I'll walk over with you if you like," the man offered. Danz decided that it might be a good idea if he had an escort. Devon's mobility was limited these days and it wouldn't hurt to have a helping hand. "Sure. Let's go," Danz answered. The man grinned down at him and offered Danz his hand. Danz forced himself to take it and let himself be helped down the stairs. ***************************** The man was quite accommodating to Danz as they walked to the Hospital. Along the way, Danz became aware that he really needed to go to the mens', um, ladies' room. Danz told the man of his need and his male self courteously obliged him. The restrooms in New Pacifica were typically single stalls - no gender restrictions applied. Danz headed for the nearest one as soon as they reached the Hospital while his counterpart went to find Julia. Julia and the man were waiting for him when he finally finished his business, Julia noting the intrigued look on his face as he walked out of the restroom. "Everything O.K., Devon? You were in there quite a while," Julia asked walking up to her, diaglove extended. Julia pressed her hand to Danz' neck. "You tell me," Danz answered. "I seem to be disoriented this morning." That was the understatement of the year. "Come on," Julia said taking Danz' arm, "we better get a good look at you," and led him to an examination room. The man went and sat down in the waiting area, concerned for his wife's welfare. Julia was very thorough with Danz, Devon being the only human on the planet who had Terrian DNA and was having a baby. She made frequent tests of Devon's metabolism and carefully tracked the development of the baby girl she was carrying. She wanted to know how many of the Terrian components Devon was carrying would transfer to her child. "Your blood sugar's very low," Julia told Danz. "What did you have for breakfast?" Danz looked a bit guilty. "Ummm, I wasn't hungry this morning," Danz told her. He was definitely starving now and Devon's stomach growled to prove it. "Well, you better eat right after we're done here, otherwise I'll probably get a frantic call from John telling me you've passed out!" Julia admonished Danz. Danz just nodded. Julia started reviewing the data she had collected from her diaglove readouts. Danz watched as she started mumbling and peered harder at the screen. "What the..."Julia exclaimed under her breath. Danz had a sinking feeling come over him. "What?" Danz asked. "You're encephalogram has changed! " Julia exclaimed, looking up at him. "How...?" Danz asked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that part of this looks like it's from a different person," she explained. "I didn't think anything like this was possible, even in a drug induced state." Julia quickly examined the self diagnostics in her glove and frowned. "Everything checks out..." she said shaking her head. "This is weird." Julia looked back at the woman seated on the diagnostic table. "Devon, you said you started feeling this way this morning?" Danz nodded yes. Julia sighed. "Well, let me run some tests. Maybe your Terrian DNA is causing this. For now I'd say just do what you normally do," Julia suggested, " after you've eaten something." Danz stood up carefully, then thanked Julia for her help. The information she had given him was at least a thread he could hang his sanity on. He might be in Devon's body, but at least there was evidence his mind, his thoughts were there. The man was waiting for him. he thought to himself. He couldn't deny his physical self and decided he would think of him as "John" for now. "How'd it go?" John asked. Danz shrugged and decided to tell him the truth. "Julia found an anomaly in my encephalogram. She thinks it might have something to do with the Terrian DNA I have. She's going to look into it," Danz finished. He saw a deep frown pass over John's face and knew exactly what he was thinking. One of his own fears had been that someday Devon might change to the point where she wasn't even human anymore. There was no telling what price the Terrians exacted from her when they saved her life. He feared that one day she was meant to join them, and what was happening now had rekindled that fear. Another of his own fears was that their unborn child might also become Terrian. It had been a relief that Julia's reports up to now had shown their little girl to be very human, only showing traces of the DNA that Devon carried. John took Danz' hands in his, and Danz didn't flinch this time. This apparent improvement in Devon's behavior towards him made John smile. Danz decided to play the part. "Julia says I should just go on as normal," Danz said. "But I am hungry so would like to go back to the Hotel to eat." John's smile grew and he put is arm around his wife's waist as they walked out of the Hospital. Danz sighed inwardly. One thing had really been bugging him. Where was Devon? Or where was Devon's personality? If the emotional reactions he was experiencing were a clue, she should be here, perhaps buried somewhere in the sub conscience. Danz held onto that thought, not wanting to think that she was gone. He also began to recognize that while he was in her body, he had the responsibility of taking care of it and their child within. But what if this turned out to be permanent? The thought made Danz shiver. "You cold?" John asked, pulling Danz closer. The seasonal change had brought a briskness to the air, but it still wasn't chilly, especially to Devon's hard-working metabolism. "No. I was just wondering if these feelings will ever go away," Danz answered. John bent his head to Danz' ear. The sensation of his own warm breath on Devon's ear and neck was intriguing. "I'm here for you, I always will be," John whispered. Danz felt Johns lips on Devon's temple and felt the wash of warmth from her response. Danz realized that he was getting used to Devon's reactions and if things didn't get back to normal soon, Danz was afraid he might lose himself in her. They made it to the Hotel and John helped Danz get seated at a table. Walman saw them come in and John asked him if there was anything left to eat. It was later than Danz realized since Walman informed them that lunch was already being prepared. He went back into the kitchen to see what was ready. John sat himself close to Danz, the way he always did with Devon. "Where are the kids?" Danz asked. John looked startled and it was obvious that the question upset him. "They're out with Yale, remember? On an overnight school field trip?" John answered. Danz had no such recollection, but played the game. "Oh, that's right. It totally slipped my mind," Danz said reassuringly. "I'm sure they're fine," John said, misreading Danz' concern. "You know if anything happened, the whole colony would know about it in a flash." "I know," Danz answered, flashing John a big smile, "I just can't help getting worried." John smiled back, feeling like things were smoothing out. Walman appeared with a plate of fruit and the makings of sandwiches. It pleased John to see his wife dig in after she had missed breakfast. Danz could see it in his face. Since they were silent while they were eating, Danz took the time to study John. This was a unique opportunity to see himself as Devon saw him, to see how he reacted to her. Feeling how deep Devon felt for John and vice versa, Danz reflected that it was a good thing that Devon was pregnant. How could he possibly handle an encounter with himself behind closed doors? When they were finished, Danz decided that if he really were Devon, she would go back to work. "Well, I should probably get to my office. I've had the whole morning off," she told John. He sighed, then reached over to squeeze Danz' hand. "Yeah, I still haven't been up to finish the maintenance on that turbine yet. Bobby and Jim are probably wondering where the hell I am," John admitted. "You turned you Gear off again," Danz said flatly. John grinned. Danz knew he had. He would have. "Don't worry, I'll turn it back on," he said standing up and offering a hand to his wife to help her up. Danz accepted the help finding that filling Devon's empty stomach did nothing to help his balance problem. Walman waved good-bye to them as he crossed the room to pick up the dirty dishes and they left the Hotel. John walked Danz back to Devon's office and when he was sure she was comfortable, left to join his work crew. Danz sighed with a bit of relief, glad to finally have some privacy. He was coming to terms with his predicament, but needed to form some plan on how to find a way to get out of it. As much as he loved Devon, he didn't want to *be* Devon. He wanted to be John Danziger, her forever friend, lover and confidant. Danz still had no idea of how this whole thing happened so he decided to start digging through the medical library files on Devon to see what he could find. Danz activated Devon's desk top computer to begin his search and he was greeted with a number of messages for Devon. Danz started scanning some of them and was shocked to discover just how many projects Devon was involved in. How could she possibly keep up with all of this, especially now? He made a point of contacting some of the people who had sent messages to see if there was a way to lighten Devon's load. Now that he had a better idea of just what she was doing, he decided that it was time for him to have a word with her about trying to do too much. Feeling a bit miffed with his wife's tendency to overwork herself, he turned back to his own problem. Julia had locked Devon's medical files away from prying eyes as she did all colony members, but Devon had a password to unlock those files. Knowing his wife all too well, it didn't take Danz long to figure it out. He had been looking for about an hour when a knock came on the office door, startling him. *************** "Come in?" Danz called out. The door opened and Bess Martin poked her head in. "Hi, got a few minutes?" Bess asked with a smile. Danz recognized that smile and knew it meant she was sticking her nose in where it didn't belong again and Danz couldn't think of a response fast enough to stop her from entering the room. Bess quickly crossed the room and sat in the chair John had left in front of Devon's desk. "Hey, you weren't with John at breakfast this morning. You O.K.?" Bess asked in a nonchalant way. "I'm fine, Bess," Danz answered. "Can I help you?" Danz hoped she hadn't stopped by just to gossip. "Oh, I'm just here to say 'hi', see how you're doing" she answered. Danz thought. He was in for the duration. "Everything's fine," Danz reassured her. "Well, it's just that John was looking a bit upset this morning. Almost took Morgan's head off," she said. Danz could imagine the scene. He undoubtedly would have done the same thing, knowing Morgan. "Really? He seemed fine when we had an early lunch," Danz replied sweetly. Bess pursed her lips and shrugged. "Oh. Well, it's just that you two never arrive separately for breakfast and I just thought that, well, you two might have had a ..... disagreement?" she suggested lightly. Danz groaned inside. The last thing he needed right now was to get into his relationship with Devon with the "Scoop of Gossip" on G889. "I mean, I imagine it has been a while since..., well you know, because you're carrying a child, and you know how men can get when they don't get enough," Bess ventured. Danz thought struggling hard not to blush, but had no answer for her. "Yeah, I thought so," said Bess, condescendingly. "I know it must be rough on you to find ways to please John when you're not in the mood," she continued. "When I'm having my period and Martin wants attention, I have found that I can take care of him by..." "Bess!" Danz shouted. He had heard enough. "John is fine, believe me. I know how to take care of him, thank you." Bess looked at Danz thoughtfully. "Ah, but is he taking care of you? So many husbands get so turned off by their pregnant wives that..." "Bess, I'm fine," Danz said, cutting her off. He had to get her out of here. "Look, I really do have a lot of work to do. Can't we continue this some other time?" "Well, if that's what you want," Bess said feeling a bit put off. "Yes, that's what I want," Danz said firmly. "All right, then. I'll see you at dinner," Bess said with an insincere smile and left Danz feeling like he just missed being hit by a worm bullet. However, what Bess had said stuck with him. Was he giving Devon enough of the right kind of attention? Sure, he made sure he was always available for her, helped her get through the day, but did she need more from him? He made a note to ask her - if he every got out of her body! Danz pulled his attention back to Devon's computer. He had to find an answer to all of this. If he didn't, he was afraid he'd probably go insane. True, Uly and their unborn child needed a mother and a father - not two fathers, one which happened to be a woman. **************************** Danz returned to Devon's office after his third trip to the restroom. It was annoying to have to deal with this so frequently. To make things worse, the only bathroom in the office complex was downstairs which meant having to deal with getting down stairs with a complaining bladder without toppling forward, then having to get back up those stairs again. It would have helped if he wasn't so thirsty all of the time. Danz had made so many mental notes about how to improve things for his pregnant wife, he had started a file on her computer to make sure he didn't forget any of them. Danz gave the water cooler in her office a dirty look as he sat down again at Devon's desk, accusing it of being the source of most of his problems that afternoon. He sighed and started to continue his search through the library files when there was a knock on the door. Now what? "Come in," he said in Devon's most diplomatic tone. Margaret Vercoutere entered the office, with a data pad in her hand. "I hope I'm not disturbing you but when I didn't hear from you this morning, I thought I'd stop by," Margaret explained. Danz quickly reviewed the email messages he had scanned earlier. He didn't recall there being one from her. "I'm sorry," Danz said. "It's been a rough day. I've really been disorganized," he told her. At least it was the truth. "I understand," Margaret said glancing at Devon's distended belly. Danz felt himself starting to blush again. Devon's emotional reactions were tough to control and he usually lost. "Well, ah, what were we talking about?" Danz asked hoping she wouldn't be suspicious. Margaret did give him a long look before answering. "You know, the new school programs Joann Burgoyne and I have been developing for the kids," she prodded. Margaret had decided that her days as Michael Henderson's executive assistant were over and had turned her exceptional organizational skills towards helping the colony set up educational programs for the kids. She and Joann had come up with a lot of innovative ideas, many of them geared toward the kids and adults alike learning more about G889. As always, Devon had asked to review these ideas before they were put before the colony for approval even though she was no longer in the position to say yes or no to any idea alone. Devon felt she had a better overview of the colony to see if any conflicts or duplication of effort would occur with any project. "Ah, yes, Danz replied. He remembered seeing a note in Devon's calendar reminding herself to give Margaret the green light on her ideas. Danz had no idea what they were but at least he could pass on the message. "I'd say go for it," Danz told her. Margaret smiled. "I thought you'd find them worth-while," Margaret said. Danz just smiled back. Margaret took that as a hint that Devon wanted to get back to what she was doing, so left with a nod. Danz sighed with a bit of relief, then turned back to his search. **************************** After several hours of searching, Danz felt he needed a break. Besides, he knew that Devon made a point of taking an afternoon nap ever since she was four months into term. Danz had put a comfortable couch in her office for her to sleep on when she needed, and he decided to take advantage of it now. It was awkward lowering himself down, but he finally was able to make himself comfortable. Danz let his mind wander and he found himself searching down inside Devon's body to the child growing there. He closed his eyes and experienced the sensations he felt coming from there, then tried to send his thoughts to the baby. He was aware of the special link between a mother and her child and wondered if he might have that privilege as well, since he was here. Danz had no idea how long he spent in his exploring. Somewhere along the line, he had fallen into a sound, soothing sleep. He was emotionally exhausted from what he had been going through for the last eight hours, and Devon's body needed the rest as well. **************************** It was almost dinner time when John poked his head into Devon's office. Danz made a point of giving him a friendly welcome in spite of how depressed he was feeling. His hours spent on Devon's computer didn't tell him anything he didn't already know. John could see that his wife was tired, probably from working too hard again. He walked behind the desk and pulled Danz out of Devon's chair and held him close. Danziger's mind was trying to remind him that this was wrong for some reason, but Devon's body was enjoying the contact. In the end, Devon's emotions won and Danz allowed himself to be hugged and caressed. he thought. Then he realized that those intimate moments with Devon were timeless, not something to be kept track of. Danz' appreciation of their relationship was deepening by the minute. "Ready for dinner?" John asked. "Starving!" Danz replied. He was exhausted as well. This being pregnant was harder than it looked. The extent of Devon's strength and endurance never ceased to amaze him. The two took the walk to the Hotel at a leisurely pace. John was happy to have a receptive wife again and didn't bother Danz with questions about how he felt at the moment. For his part, Danz was happy just to be heading for a meal and tried to put his failure at finding any answers out of his mind. It was far too soon to consider defeat. Dinner was uneventful and nobody seemed to notice that anything was particularly wrong. Any anomalies could be chalked up to Devon's pregnancy. Julia stopped by to tell them that she hadn't found anything so far, but was still running tests. Bess had been eyeballing them for a while, but Danz made a point of making John smile to let Bess know that there were no marital problems with the Danzigers. The sun was getting low on the horizon and John suggested that they go watch the sunset. The kids were due back in the morning, so they might as well enjoy their last evening of peace. Danz agreed, feeling too tired to pursue any more library files. After they had settled into their favorite spot and had some time to relax, Danz had to admit, this was a good life. Yeah, everyone worked hard to build and maintain the town and their homes, but it was worth it when the rewards at the end of the day was going home to a family or watching the sunset. The tide was low and gentle and Danz felt himself giving up the last of his resistance towards being intimate with John. Why fight it? He was in Devon's body and she needed this intimacy with her husband, particularly since she was carrying his child. Besides, he was too tired to fight. Danz shifted a bit in John's arms, and as the sun hit the waterline, Danz felt his eyes closing. ********************** John Danziger woke up slowly. Who was that pounding on his head? The problem was that whoever it was on the inside of his skull. Well, whoever it was gonna regret it big time. He reached up to rub an itch at the back of his head. "Owww!" he hissed, jerking his hand away. He felt something move against him. "John?" Devon asked sleepily. She shifted to take a good look at him. He had been sleeping so deeply all night, he hadn't even moved. "John!" Devon reached over to stroke his face to get his attention. "Hmmmph," was all he could manage. He felt like he had been hit by a transrover. Then it came back to him. He hadn't been hit by a transrover, he had been brained by a cam shaft. Wait a minute! John forced his eyes open but he couldn't focus. He felt a warm hand on his cheek and a blur moved into his vision. It wasn't easy, the splitting headache he had making it difficult, but he forced his eyes to focus on the blur right in front of him. "Devon!" he exclaimed in a whisper. His hand went up to confirm that he was really seeing her. She took his hand and guided it to her face. "I'm here," she told him. He closed his eyes and let out a low moan. He was back in his own body! He hurt like hell, and his stomach felt more than a little queasy, but he was where he was supposed to be. The relief of that alone overrode the pain he was in. Devon misunderstood his reaction and reached over for her Gear to call Julia. John opened his eyes in time to see her grab the Gear and reached up to intercept her hand. "No," he whispered softly. "I just need you." Devon put the Gear down and brushed the hair out of his eyes. "I have some pain reducers Julia sent along with Jim. She thought you might need them in the morning," Devon offered. "Yeah, well she wasn't wrong" he admitted. "Do you think you can swallow these?" she asked him, holding the bottle out for him to see. "Yeah, I guess so," he said and Devon smiled at him. "I guess you'll live after all. Hang on a minute, I'll get some water." Danz watched as Devon levered herself off of the bed. He felt a pang of familiarity of the effort it took just to get up being eight months pregnant. It left him feeling guilty. He shouldn't be a burden on her at a time like this but the thought of moving at all made him cringe. Devon reappeared from the bathroom with a glass of water in hand. She set it down on the night stand and lowered herself back down to sit by him. John gathered all of the energy he could muster to push himself upright, Devon's hands supporting him. She put the pills in his mouth and followed up with the glass of water. He dutifully made the effort to swallow, then sank against the headboard. "This isn't fair to you," Danz mumbled. "What isn't fair?" Devon asked, confused. "You shouldn't have to be catering to me. You have enough to deal with right now," Danz said softly, reaching out to place his hand on her abdomen. Devon covered his hand with hers and looked at him thoughtfully. "You didn't go and get hurt on purpose, John. Accidents happen," she told him. "I'm just grateful you'll be O.K.. From what Jim told me, you could have had your skull crushed." "What? And miss being there when our daughter is born?" he scoffed. "No way, Adair. I was all alone when True was born, and I absolutely won't let you have our baby without me," he finished and he meant it. Devon leaned forward to kiss him, and he responded as enthusiastically as his dizzy head would let him. "Whoa there, big fella!" Devon teased as she pulled away. "I think you need to rest." Danziger couldn't argue with that, but he really needed to get to the bathroom first. "Um, I need to use the can. Give me a hand up?" he asked, pulling himself upright again. Devon steadied him, then stood and braced herself to take his weight. Devon escorted him to the bathroom, waited for him to finish, then put him back into bed. Once settled safely onto his pillow, Danz looked up at Devon having a good idea of how much of an effort that was for her. "You are incredible, you know," he told her. "Not that I disagree with you, but what makes you say that?" she asked him. "You just are," he answered, knowing he could never explain how he knew. Just then, Uly poked his head in the door. "Mom, dad?" Both turned to look at him, so he decided it was safe to enter. He climbed onto the bed to sit next to Danz and was rewarded with a smile. "If you boys will excuse me for a moment, I'd like to get breakfast started," Devon said, getting up. John felt a pang of helplessness watching her leave. If he hadn't been hurt, he would had gone with her to help. As if she had read his mind, Danz heard her out in the hall. "True's volunteered to help out this morning," her voice drifted back to him. Feeling a bit less guilty, Danz turned back to his step son. "How are you feeling this morning?" Uly asked him. Danz grimaced. "Like a Grendler is sitting on my head, but I'll live," he said. Uly grinned at him. "Did you get what you wanted?" he asked. Danziger gave Uly a confused look. "Get what I wanted?" he asked. "Yeah. In your dream last night," Uly said matter-of-factly. Danziger's eyes widened as it became obvious that Uly knew about his day inhabiting Devon's body. "What do you know about that?" he asked Uly in a tense voice. Uly just shrugged. "You wanted to know something. I don't know what it was, but I opened the door for you to find out," Uly answered. "I thought it might help you sleep better if you were distracted from the pain." John stared at his son and then started laughing. That made his head hurt so he stopped and lay there with his eyes closed for a minute. He thought about what Uly said - this was something he wanted to know? Opening his eyes, he was treated to a worried look on the boy's face. "You have no idea of what it was all about?" Danz asked curiously. "No, of course not. I would never try to spy on your dreams," Uly insisted. Danz marveled. Danz reached up and tousled Uly's hair. "It was O.K., wasn't it?" Uly asked, worried. Danz thought about it. Now that he knew what had happened, somehow he couldn't be angry with Uly. He had to admit, it was something he had been curious about, what it was like for Devon to get through the day being pregnant. "Yeah, it was O.K." Danz smiled. "And you're right. It did make me forget about the pain." Uly looked relieved. "But let's not tell your mom about this, O.K.? This is just between us men." Uly nodded in agreement, somehow understanding that it had been deeply personal. The two were still grinning at each other when Devon returned to the room. She had meant to ask Danz if he felt up to eating something, but when she glanced at her husband, then at her son, she was instantly sure she had missed something. "What?" she asked the two of them, glancing back and forth between them. "What what?" Danz asked innocently. Devon stared at him. "What's the joke?" she asked. "The two of your are grinning like something's going on, something that I probably don't know about" she accused. Uly climbed back off of the bed and headed out of the room. "There's no joke, mom. Honest," he said as he passed her. Devon looked back at a grinning Danz. "I suppose you'd say the same thing?" she asked a bit miffed. Danz just extended his hand to her and after a split seconds consideration, she accommodated him. He wrapped his arm around her waist as she sat next to him and he put his other hand on her abdomen, extending his warmth towards the child there. "Like I said, you're incredible," he said, getting a bit groggy from the pain pills he had taken. Devon knew she wasn't going to get a straight answer from him so contented herself with tucking him in and stroking his temple until he was asleep. She sighed as she quietly left the room. She didn't know what had passed between the two men in her life, but she had to admit that she was pleased that the two of them had such a good rapport. Devon went back to the kitchen where True was preparing the fruit for their breakfast and smiled to herself. Well, the boys weren't the only ones who had their secrets she thought, staring at her step daughter. With that thought, she started humming and returned to fixing the eggs. Fini.