User:JonBuck

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Icon	Xanadu story universe

Chapter One: Homecoming

"It's time we left," said Alex.

"I agree. This very afternoon," I said. Alex was pushing me back to the hotel after our impromptu celebration at the Walkers' tent. All three siblings were now reunited with their parents. Of course the ordeal of learning to live with the changes wrought by the Xanadu effect was just beginning for them, for us and more than ten thousand others.

First, we spoke with my parents, who had arrived yesterday morning. This time, it was not a disaster. They gave us their prayers and wishes for my safe delivery and a healthy child, along with their unconditional love, be she Mer or biped. I knew this was how it would turn out, I was happy that it resolved as quickly as it did. They would head back to Ashville and come visit when we figured out where we would move to.

It took less than twenty minutes to pack and throw our stuff into the back of Alex's car. We would have to come back for mine, which had been damaged (I couldn't drive it now anyway). The real test was to come next. We decided to leave legitimately rather than 'Jedi' our way off the premises. This required waiting in line for thirty minutes (it was to get much worse in the next few days), being separated, then answering a twenty-minute questionaire read by a staff-sergent. I had to lay down on the floor for my 'height' to be measured, 7'10" from pate to fin. Finally, we were each issued a shiny new I.D. card with photo (I had to tie my hair back to show my Vulcan features), a verbal description of changes and a new Florida drivers' license (mine conditional to the use of hand-controls, Alex's included a permit to carry his lightsaber). Last but not least, we gave the National Guard their wheelchair back. They didn't demand it, but we felt it best if we got my own. Altogether, this took about an hour.

It was a great relief to be away from that place and headed home, but it was also frightening. I knew the 'home' I was headed for could never really be home anymore. It was too far from open water. Fortunately, we had only moved in last July, so our roots weren't deep.

We didn't talk much on the way, we were each lost in our own thoughts. I began to feel anxious, almost embarassed, like I felt that first evening after the change. Somehow, I didn't want the neighbors to see me crawl.

"You'll carry me into the house, won't you?"

"Sure, right across the threshold, just like I will on our wedding day." Alex grinned. When he looked at me and saw how upset I was, however, he grew serious. "Are you OK?"

"Yes, just feeling a bit of anxiety."

"I know just what you need. There are no beaches around, maybe a pool? We could really freak the mundanes."

"It's more a social anxiety than water. I just don't want the neighbors to see me crawling into the house."

"OK." He gave me a look that told me that though he didn't understand, he'd walk barefoot over broken glass to make me feel better.

I stayed silent for a few moments, then spoke, "You're perfect for me. You know that, don't you?"

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We pulled into the driveway. Once more, everything looked just as it had when I left for Orlando last Thursday. Alex came around to the passenger side, opened the door and carried me into the house. The first thing I did, while Alex was unloading the car, was crawl from room to room, to check everything out. I looked in closets, under beds and behind furniture. I was like a bunny sniffing out a new burrow for dangerous scents. "Is this some sort of Vulcan or Mer maternal instinct? Or am I just going nuts?" I thought.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" responded Alex.

"No! And you left all the closets in a mess putting together your Jedi outfit!"

"Oops! I was counting on you being amused enough by my efforts to overlook that."

"You weren't counting on bringing home a cranky, pregnant mermaid, were you?" "Well," I said aloud. "She's also hungry. Go fetch something to eat and I'll forgive you and straighten out the closets myself, at least those parts of the mess I can reach."

"Chinese carryout?"

"Yes, but no seafood, please. I can't stand the stuff cooked anymore, and the Chinese don't do sashimi."

Alex left, and I began unpacking. I was done and starting to contemplate the closet, when the doorbell rang. "Crap! I'm betting that's not you yet, is it Alex?" No response. I crawled up to the livingroom door. The bell rang again. "Just a moment." I raised myself as high on my tail as I could, putting one hand on the wall for balance. I was wearing a sun dress, so, if someone didn't know better, or didn't look over my shoulder to see my fin splayed out behind me, they might think I was standing on my knees. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

It was Mrs. Linzky, one of our neighbors. She was a retired school teacher and a widow. Alex got along quite well with her, she always seemed a little intimidating to me, perhaps it's the teacher thing. She was a bit befuddled, probably because she was used to looking up at me.

"Hannah!" She looked down over her spectacles. "I heard you-two got caught in that terrible thing that happened in Orlando. Are you-all doing alright?"

"Uh, not too bad. Considering." I noticed she was carrying a covered dish. I was going to have to invite her in. This was going to be awkward (in more ways than one) no matter what I did, so I resigned myself to it. "Would you like to come in and sit a spell?"

"Sure, if you don't mind. I brought some eggs."

"That wouldn't happen to be your deviled eggs, the recipee with horseradish would it? We like those!"

"Why yes, they would." she smiled.

"Just a moment." Mer bodies are not made to back up in. "Here goes," I thought. I leaned back, spun around, did a single hop crawl to the couch, then a half turn/half flip onto the middle of the couch. I ended up sitting primly, my tail half curled to the left, displaying my large purple and gold fin on the carpet. "Just put the eggs on the kitchen table and come sit." I patted the seat next to me.

I half expected her to pee herself or maybe just keel over, but evidently highschool teachers in her day were made of sterner stuff. She froze for a moment to regather her wits, took the eggs into the kitchen, then sat next to me, showing only a bit of a flush on her face.

"So...You're a mermaid," she said quietly.

"Yes," I nodded, adding the sweetest, most uncreepy smile I could manage.

Then, she truly surprised me. She laughed, gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You are so lucky! Since I was a little girl, I wanted there to be mermaids! I wanted to be one too! Now they...you're real!" She wanted to know all about how it happened and if it might happen again. I really thought she might buy a mermaid tail and camp out at the Xanadu Center.

I didn't know how to handle this. I was getting dropped down Alice's rabbit hole...again! This time, by a school teacher!

After a while, however, I relaxed. I began to see her curiosity as friendly, an innocent childhood fantasy, rather than something I should worry about. I related the whole story of my change, and some others as well. Eventually, she asked, rather shyly, if she could touch my tail and fin. I consented.

"The scales are rather warm and dry, aren't they?" she said.

"Well, I am a warm-blooded mammal, nearly all of us Mer are, though some have a harder time out of water than others."

"Your fin is so delicate-looking, but it feels tough."

"It is tough. It has to move a lot of water, fast."

"You don't switch back and forth, between human and mermaid, do you?"

"No, I'm a mermaid 24/7. If there is a way for me to change, I haven't found it yet. Some can switch, however. They're Mer when wet, or change with a magic phrase or even at will. Most are of the 'just add water' variety, thanks to Darryl Hannah and a certain Australian TV show." I laughed and added, "I bet some folks were in for a rude surprise when they got home from the convention and took a shower!"

Alex arrived about that time with pan-fried dumplings and chicken mu-shu. Edna politely declined our offer to share supper with us, but promised to keep in touch. After she left, I turned to Alex, "I think I have a fan."

"You have a fan? Why do you think I'm late? I spent fifteen minutes signing autographs at the carryout. Oh, our local CNN afiliate would like an interview with a real mermaid and her Jedi-guy sometime tomorrow."

"Wow. When they call back tell them I'll do it, but only if they tape some sequences of me swimming, not just rolling around in a wheelchair."

"I think that's pretty much a given. They'll probably want to see me play with my lightsaber. Cut a Volkswagen in half or something.

"Speaking of wheelchair," Alex pulled a communicator out of one of his many pockets and turned on the screen, "we have an appointment in the morning at 9:30 for you to pick one out at the medical supply warehouse downtown."

"Do I get my pick?"

"I suppose, so long as we can make the co-pay. The food's getting cold, by the way, want me to carry you to the table?"

"Yes please, I'm starved!"

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I woke up early the next morning, feeling, if anything, more anxious. Early mornings have always been bad for me in that way. I usually let others do the worrying. Alex is a good worrier. I generally just try to deal with things as they come. Everything always seems more overwhelming to me in the early dawn for some reason. I slipped quietly out of bed. What now? If I fiddle with the closets, I'll make too much noise and wake Alex. Same thing if I start sorting through the squeeky dresser drawers. I could watch TV with the volume way down low, but I felt more than my usual revulsion for television and it would remind me that I was going to be on the TV news sometime today, which wasn't going to help. Finally, I decided on cornflakes.

I'm about convinced that my recent feeding frenzies are a Mendenhall rather than a Mer or Vulcan maternal thing. I recall both my older sisters alternating between ravenous hunger and debilitating nausea during their first trimesters. I'm pretty sure my newly acquired taste for raw sea-creatures is Mer, however. Of course, it was probably floating somewhere in the back of my mind when my tail became permanent last Saturday. Afterall, the mermaid costume was chosen for me as some kind of goofy 'Hannah hates sushi' joke. On the other hand, Skye likes raw fish now too. I'm not sure about the other new Merfolk.

I quietly crawled into the kitchen. Unfortunately, the cereal was all on the top shelf of the cabinet. What fool was responsible for that? Yep, it was me, back when I was 5'9" and didn't worry about reaching for stuff. I grabbed the counter and pulled myself up until I sat on it. Then, I twisted around, opened the cabinet door, reached up and grabbed the box of flakes. Scales don't have much traction on counter tops. I yelped, slid off and hit the floor with a thud. Somewhere in the process, the box of flakes exploded and I whacked the tingly part of my elbow. When Alex rushed in, I was writhing on the floor, covered in cornflakes. All he needed was some flour and beaten egg and he could have had a fish fry.

"Are you OK?!"

"Nooo!" I wailed.

He sat next to me, slipping and sliding in the cereal, "Is anything broken? Where does it hurt?"

Seeing him slide barefoot in flakes tickled me. I laughed and cried hysterically, "(Tee-hee)...arm...(tee)...stinger...(hee)... nothing's...(sniff tee-hee)...busted!"

"What about inside?"

"That's OK...(sniff hee). She's OK, I'm sure of it."

He held me and calmed me down. A great thing about having a Force-sensitive for a loved one, they really can kiss it and make it feel all better. I was still upset, however, and finally burst out, "I am not handicapped! I am a sea-creature! I do not belong in a wheelchair! I belong in the water!"

"Well, actually, no one belongs in a wheelchair," Alex reminded me. "It's just a mobility tool. An expediant 'til we can move to a better place."

"You're right." I flipped the cornflakes off my tailfin. "But, who am I fooling anyway? I can't leave the land entirely, nearly everyone I love and care for are land-creatures. Meanwhile I can't even make myself a bowl of cornflakes without courting disaster! Edna should see this, then tell me how lucky I am!"

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I helped Alex sweep up the cereal, as best I could, then sat in one of the kitchen chairs while he fried some eggs (I had lost my desire for cereal). We ate mostly in silence, finally, Alex looked at me seriously and said, "You know, I'm getting tired of being a fiance."

"Huh?"

"Let's just get married." He reached across the table and took my hands in his.

"OK."

"I mean today."

"Yes."

"There's no real reason to delay. You're already pregnant. I know you always wanted a formal wedding..."

"I said OK!"

"All right then!" he grinned.

"Formal woulda been nice, but that's a lot more complicated now. How do I get down the isle for example, roll, swim, crawl or have Poppa carry me? And that's just one detail. By the time we got it all figured out, I'd need to wear maternity. so, let's just do it!"

About that time, the phone rang. Alex answered it. After a short conversation, he hung up. "The news people want to meet us at the city pool at 7:30, that gives us an hour."

"I guess I'd better get to it then." I slid off the chair and headed for the bathroom.

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We pulled into the parking lot with maybe a minute to spare. There was the camera truck, with its long telescoping antenna and a SUV with the station's logo on its side. I had serious butterflies, I mean hyperactive butterflies the size of jumbo jets in my belly. I really didn't want to do this. Mermaids can't run, but if there had been a river or lake near by to escape to, all they would have seen of me was a cloud of dust and a tailfin.

It was too early to pick up the wheelchair, so Alex had to carry me to the pool. There were four folding directors' chairs next to the water. Alex was told to put me in the one on the far right and sit next to me. I was wearing a black swim-top and a large beach-towel. I wondered how long I would have to hide at the bottom of the pool before they would give up and go away.

When they turned on the cameras, there was a problem right away. Under the bright lights, my scales were causing serious glare. It looked like I was sitting on a supernova. Great! Maybe they'll make me go away and just interview the Jedi. No such luck, they sprayed my tail down with some kind of shine-cutting powder and changed some of the angles.

The hosts were two women, one a perky blond in a red dress with lots of cleavage, the other a perky brunette in a black dress with even more cleavage. If this had turned into a battle of the boobs, I would've been looking at third place. The director made some gestures and pointed, the brunette began introducing me. The whole interview is a blur in my brain, but Alex said I did pretty well.

They had me relate why I was at the convention and how I came to be dressed as both a Vulcan and a mermaid, what the change was like and what happened after. They had me show off my ears, gills and partially webbed fingers. They asked about Vulcan telepatic abilities and how they mesh with those of a Jedi. They briefly touched on mobility problems and if I had any regrets about what happened. I was honest and said I had some regrets, but was beginning to accept things as they are. The only awkward part of the interview was when they asked me if, as a mermaid, I had any special powers. I didn't want to tell them of what we had discovered so far about the siren song, but I didn't want to lie. I sort of laughed it off, but Ms red-dress continued to probe.

"But, what about singing? We all know that the ancient Sirens used to cloud men's minds with their song."

"Alex has told me that I sing very well and women have always been able to cloud men's minds."

Everyone laughed and that seemed to satisfy, this wasn't 60 minutes afterall.

When the interview ended it was time for a swimming demonstration. During the commercial break, they introduced me to a young lady who was the high school regional freestyle swimming champion. They were making this into a competition. I didn't really like that idea, but. "All right" I thought, "Bring it on!" Alex lowered me into the pool and somebody shouted go! Once I got my fin pumping, it wasn't really a race. I finished my lap before the highschooler got to the far end. I can see that the Olympic Committee is going to have to change some rules if Merfolk are ever to be allowed to compete. The youngster was a good sport about it though, and shook my hand afterwards.

I could sense they were a bit disappointed. Mers swim fastest underwater, so there's not much to see in a mermaid race but a blur, then a head pops up past the finish line. I asked if they wanted to see some jumps. They were enthused. I did several jumps, including some flips, twists and spins. I even did a little dance with my tail churning the water, keeping me upright. I have no problems showing off when it comes to swiming. The only bad thing about the experience was the chlorine, it made my gills burn. I kept my head above the water as much as I could after that.

I stayed in the pool throughout Alex's interview, watching and slowly swimming about. They asked him many of the same questions, but concentrated on Jedi powers and what it feels like to use the force. They were especially fascinated by his lightsaber of course. They took a close up of it and had him turn it on and off for them. Finally, from around the corner of the building they rolled out an old Volkswagen beetle. I laughed until I nearly peed.

After it was all over, Alex carried me back to the car and we set off for the medical supply warehouse.

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I didn't take long to find a suitable chair, strong, light and manuverable. No bells and whistles. No fancy stuff or colors. I didn't want to get attached to it, and didn't intend to spend any more time in it than necessary.

Our next stop was the courthouse for the marriage license. It being Wednesday, we had a long wait ahead of us. We attracted a lot of attention, not all of it nice. For the first time, I felt some unease being in public. It was the first time we were out away from the Convention Center area. Finally, it was our turn. We handed the clerk our I.D.s. She was a large, middle-aged woman who stared and stared at me and at my I.D. until I became decidedly uncomfortable. She picked up a book from a desk next to her, read from it, then stared at me some more. Eventually, she said, "I can't issue you this license."

"What?!" We both exclaimed at the same time.

"It says right here in Florida Statutes," she tapped the book. "Both parties must be of the human species. You," she looked at me, "are clearly not human."

Alex was shocked into silence. I bolted out of the chair on tail muscle and grabbed the counter to hold myself erect. "Care to repeat that, harridan!" The clerk jerked back and began to consider where the nearest security guard was. I had started to pull myself over the counter, when Alex grabbed me about he waist.

"How could she not be human!" he snapped. "She's carrying our child!" "Easy dear. Ripping her lungs out won't help." he thought to me.

Reluctantly, I let him pry me from the counter and set me back down.

"If you can prove that, with a pregnancy and paternity test, I can issue a license."

"We'll see about that!" Alex turned about and pushed me out of the room. As we left, most of the faces were shocked and sympathetic. There were a few smirks. There was nothing in my life up to that time that could compare to the humiliation of that moment. As soon as we were out of their sight, I burst into tears, growled and twisted the right armrest of the wheelchair until it snapped off.

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"I can't believe we have to prove that I'm human before we can get married!" I said, once we were back in the car. "Can we even prove that!" I put my face in my hands.

"One idiot doesn't make a universe. We don't have to get the license from the county we live in. We can even go across state lines. Let's try the next county over."

"I don't know if I can go through that again."

"I don't think we will. But, if we do, what say I let you crawl over the counter and maul the next clerk?"

"Deal! But I'm serious. You'll have a much harder time stopping me if it happens again."

It didn't happen again. The next clerk hardly batted an eye. He just asked us, "Ya'll get caught up in that Xanadu thing?" Then he clucked sympathetically, and issued our license. We went home to change and call a Justice of the Peace.

Alex put on the best Jedi robes he could conjure up. I looked throught my entire wardrobe looking for something nice enough to feel good getting married in. It wasn't easy. I finally found a cream-colored sheath that was gathered at the waist and left one shoulder bare. For jewelry, I asked Alex's advice.

"Pearls, or silver choker with matching earrings?"

"Both."

"Huh?"

"Silver choker on the neck, and the pearls..." he took them and wrapped them around my tail, just above the fin.

"Cool!" I said. "I would have never thought of that. You look great, by the way. What about me? Does this dress make my tail look fat?" I tried to sound serious, but didn't do a good job of it.

Alex snorted out a laugh, "You look gorgeous!"

Alex had a friend from the bank who was a JP. We called and he was more than happy to do the honors at his house. When we arrived, he had already snagged a couple of his neighbors as witnesses. Alex knelt, I stood on my tail with his arm linked with mine to keep me upright. A few minutes later and it was done. I was Mrs. Edward Alexander Harris. A single toast with Bourbon, and we left for home, where Alex carried a very happy mermaid across the threshold.

Chapter Two: Moonlight and Shadow

Skye lay on her back, arms outstretched and allowed herself to float very slowly to the surface. She had been sleeping at the bottom of the lake, but woke up a couple of hours before dawn, with no desire to go back to sleep. She felt no need for activity either, so she just drifted along with her thoughts. She was beginning to feel lonely. Hannah was gone, Emily was gone. One by one the small colony of Mermaids was being deminished as relatives claimed them and took them away to some attempt at a normal life. Nearly all those near Skye's age or younger were already gone. Things proceded slower for the older Mers, especially those who had been living independent lives that would be almost impossible to return to. A few, like Skye, were stuck in the lake due to sensitivity to drying out. They would have to stay until special arrangements could be made.

Skye's family was in a particularly difficult situation. They needed to accomodate two daughters with very special needs for particular kinds of space in land, water and air. Jim, their father, was now looking for a new home for them all, but, because of the economy, it looked unlikely that they would be able to sell their old home for anything near what they still owed on it. Meanwhile, they lived out of their tent to stay close to their children.

Skye's face quietly broke surface. Slowly she expelled water from her chest-cavity, reinflated her lungs and began breathing air. It smelt of newly mown grass with a touch of woodsmoke. The water had smelt of algae, fish and, sadly, just a little bit of feces. That shouldn't be surprising. Porta-potties didn't arrive until Tuesday and none of them were suited to Mer use. Crawling out on land, entering the potty on hands and tail, then contorting one's self to actually use it without getting filthy, well, it was just easier to find a quiet place under water and take care of business there. In that sense, it was not a bad thing that the Mer population was decreasing. This problem was not likely to be resolved soon. Each Mer body was designed more by imagination than nature, therefore, they didn't even all have the same plumbing arragements.

Creating hardly a ripple, Skye rolled over and looked around. A gibbous, waning moon illuminated the landscape. The first thing she noticed was Wynd, quietly grazing near the shore. She was happy that her sister was also awake, and decided to go talk to her, though the conversation would be one-sided, it would still be a comfort.

Just as she started to push-forward with her tail, she noticed that something black had broken away from the shadow of the wood and approached her sister. An icy-cold feeling came over Skye and she was just about to shout out a warning when Wynd looked up and the shadow stopped. Shadow and pegasus seemed to stare at one another. Skye was filled with an overwhelming certainty that if she made a sound, something horrible would happen. This 'stand-off' seemed to last an eternity, then a low voice spoke words too soft for Skye to understand. Wynd nodded and the shadow approached her again. It now stood at her head. It was nearly as tall as a human, but was also nearly formless.

Hardly daring to breath, Skye moved forward. Her tail moving so slowly it hardly stirred the water. Barely enough of her head was above surface to see. Her ears straining to listen. She knew she mustn't snoop, but she sensed there was something terribly wrong about what was happening, and that her sister was in danger, though she may not realize it.

Finally, Wynd grunted and nodded her head vigorously. Skye arrived at a patch of reeds near the shore. She could hear the shadow whispering, but again could not understand it. Then, very suddenly, the shadow left the way it had come. Disappearing so quickly that it must have flown. Wynd stood, legs slightly splayed, head down and eyes closed.

Skye raised herself as high out of the water as she could, to see better. She had just resolved to climb out onto land, when the ground at Wynd's hooves began to glow silver, like a concentration of moonlight. The light spread up her legs in a swirling motion, until she was entirely engulfed. It then concentrated in intensity about her head and neck. Her head shrank. Her neck lengthened, then two appendages sprang out of either side.

Skye could no longer stop herself. She pulled herself onto the grass and cried out, "Wynd, what's happening!?" Then the glow was gone, only a few sparks like circling fireflies lingered, fading. Wynd stood contemplating her arms and flexing her fingers. From the waist up, she was very much as she had been before Kubla Con. Only now, her hair, which had been dark, was now purest white, and her ears were those of a small horse. Below the waist she was still a winged horse.

In awe, Skye approached her sister. "Wynd, you...you're..." She couldn't find words.

Wynd noticed her for the first time. Her eyes widened with fear. "Skye! What are you doing here?!"

"You can talk!"

"What did you see! Tell me!" There was anger as well as fear in Wynd's voice.

Skye shrank back and curled her tail defensively about herself. "Just a silvery light...and...a shadow." A tear crossed her cheek.

Wynd bit her lip. "You mustn't tell, Skye! If you love me, you can't tell anyone, ever, or I'll become an animal again, without a mind of my own! I couln't stand that, not again."

"OK...I won't. What will you say? You've...changed again."

Wynd shrugged. "I just woke up like this." She could see the effect this was having on her sister. Her face softened. She knelt down onto the grass and reached out. Skye crawled up and hugged her. "Skye, I had to make a promise. A promise I have to keep. Now, you have to promise me."

"OK. I promise. No one will know." Skye frowned, "What kind of promise did you make?"

Wynd ignored her question. "It's almost daylight. I have to cover up," she said shyly. "Will you come with me to the tent and help me find something to wear?"

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I woke-up about two hours before dawn. I wasn't restless, infact, I felt more content than I have since before the Kubla Con, or perhaps ever. I stretched, flexed my tailfin and snuggled closer to Alex, who was lightly snoring. I lost myself in my thoughts.

I haven't been sleeping much, night after night, I've been waking up hours before I normally would. Nevertheless, I feel fine and rested. Then I thought, "How much sleep do Vulcans need?" I didn't remember any mention of that from any of the films or fan fiction. That reminded me, "I'm thinking all my thoughts with a Vulcan brain. What effect does that have?" All my thoughts since last Saturday all seem to be the same normal me. How can I define normal? Would I have reacted the same to being a Mermaid if I'd had a human brain?