Disclaimer: I don't own Earth 2 of course. No copyright infringement is intended and no money was made from this. Any similarity to any other story not my own is coincidence.

The title is taken from the Neil Simon play of the same name.

Title: The Odd Couple
Genre: Earth 2, gen
Rating: Mild PG for some swearing
Timeline: Just sometime during the season before the end and probably after the winter-camp
Author's Note: This one was sitting around unfinished in my files, and I actually just wanted to finish it up. I'm not sure about it, but it is what it is... *shrug*

Time breaks indicated by boldface, lj cuts, and ellipse...

The Odd Couple


“It’s my turn!” True’s outraged young voice echoed through Eden Advance’s latest campsite in a woodland clearing.

“No it’s not!” Uly yelled back.

“Is so!” was True’s simple, angry response.

“No it’s not!” Uly shouted back before he let out a yip of pain as True tried to grab the Gear from his hands.

Uly held onto the Gear tightly though, and soon the two children were reaching the first stages of a knock-out-drag-out fight.

“Hey, hey, hey, you two,” John’s deep voice rang out as he quickly made his way to the squabbling children.

Deftly, he pulled them apart.

“But Dad,” True protested, “Uly’s hogging the Gear, and it’s my turn! Besides, all he wants to do is play one of those stupid games that the Terrians taught him,” she added vindictively, knowing how Devon had told him not to.

“You had it all morning yesterday, and all you played was Bounty Hunter,” Uly shot back, knowing himself that it was a game that her dad had forbidden True to play.

“You little…” True growled as she launched herself in Uly’s direction, only to be caught and held back by her father’s strong hands.

“Oh no you don’t young lady,” John warned his outraged daughter.

“Uly!” Devon called as she ran over. “Uly, what’s going on here?” She demanded.

“She started it,” the young boy protested.

“I don’t care who started it,” she replied, her voice stern, “It stops now. You are a part of this group and you have responsibilities like any other member. You promised Bess that you would help her with food, and instead, I find you here fighting with True.”

Uly ducked his head as he heard the disappointment in his mother’s voice.

“And you young lady, promised to help me with the Transrover,” John admonished his daughter.

“Sorry, mom,” Uly replied as True apologized to her father at the same time.

“Now, Uly give me the Gear and no VR until you have your chores done.”

“And the same goes for you young lady, and no VR at all, unless you can share with Uly, you hear me?”

“Yes mom.”

“Yeah,” True answered her father quietly.

“Now get,” Danziger directed his sullen daughter.

“Go on young man,” Devon prompted her son.

As the two children headed off to their chores, Devon turned to Danziger. “What are we going to do about those two?”

“Devon, they’re kids. They’re gonna get in a couple of dust ups. I remember having a few in my day with my best friend growing up on the Stations. Man, could Billy throw a mean right hook,” John grinned wryly and rubbed his jaw in faded remembrance.

“Right hook? John, we have problems enough without the children fighting, and certainly you don’t condone violence as a means of solving issues?”

“Come on Adair, lighten up. These kids have been through a lot, and under the circumstances, I think they’re handling it pretty well. So they’re squabbling a little right now; it’ll blow over,” he shrugged.

“John,” Devon began.

“Devon, it’ll be fine, relax. They’ll work it out in a couple of days.”

Before Devon could respond, Yale approached, calling for Devon’s immediate attention.

“It’ll be fine, Devon, go on, I’ll keep an eye on them,” Danziger assured her as he walked back over to True and the vehicles.

Devon sighed and made her own way over to the waiting tutor…


Several days later, the small war between the children had still not eased and its next battle raged in the most recent campsite that Eden Advance had established.

“I want to ride!” Uly demanded as True rode the bicycle that her dad had made from the plans that Yale had given him.

“You don’t know how,” True responded, wheeling in a circle around the boy.

“Do so,” Uly protested.

“Do not,” the young girl taunted as she deftly continued to turn the bike in circles around Uly.

“You fall all the time, and even when you don’t, you’re all wobbly,” she taunted.

“It’s my turn, True,” Uly cried, running after her as she laughed, speeding up on the bike but still wheeling around in circles.

“Only if you can catch me,” True dared the younger boy as she darted away with the bicycle, her eyes turned back to him and not ahead of herself.

Suddenly, True crashed into Morgan. The large containers of supplies that he was carrying went flying as he fell back with a cry of pain and outrage. True herself, went flying in one direction, and the bike in another. The bike landed with a heavy crash, bending the front wheel out at an almost 90* angle to the right.

“What are you doing? You could have killed me! And I think you may have broken my leg!” Morgan shouted, drawing the attention of the other members of Eden Advance.

True was on the ground, crying, mumbling incoherently as Morgan continued to rage at her. The slender man struggled to his feet and advanced painfully on the crying girl, railing at her about her carelessness and disregard for the safety of others.

Uly himself stood back, stunned at what had happened and watching in horror as Yale, Danziger, and his mother rushed to where they were. He looked over to the right and saw Julia coming over rapidly as well, her Diaglove ready. And from the mess tent, Bess was running over, her face full of concern as she heard her husband’s raised voice.

As Morgan reached True, Danizger bellowed out, “Back off, Martin!”

“She tried to kill me,” the bureaucrat protested.

“And I’m saying if you don’t get away from my kid, I’m going to finish the job!”

Morgan started sputtering in outrage as Danziger loomed before him.

“Uly, are you okay?” Devon asked her son in concern.

“I’m fine, Mom. I’m okay,” he reassured his worried parent.

When Devon was certain that her son was all right she turned her attention to the situation. “What’s going on here?” She asked.

“They’re both fine,” Julia pronounced. “Just a few bumps and bruises.”

“That girl’s dangerous,” Morgan said indignantly as Danziger glared at the smaller man while he gathered his daughter up in his arms.

“Watch it Martin,” John growled.

“Danziger,” Devon tried to defuse the situation by drawing the Tech’s attention.

“It was my fault,” Uly said in a small voice.

All eyes looked to him and Uly shifted uncomfortably under the attention, but in a determined voice, continued. “It’s my fault. I wanted a turn on the bicycle, so I chased True. It was my fault, she was trying to take a turn and I was bugging her. She just didn’t see Mr. Martin because I was bugging her.”

“Uly?” Devon asked in surprise.

“Morgan, Honey,” Bess soothed, trying to ease the situation. “I think it was just an accident, and I’m sure True will be more careful in the future. Right True?”

True nodded dumbly and after a few more moments of sorting everything out, the adults returned back to their duties and the chores that needed to get done, leaving the two children standing next to the broken bike.

After a few minutes of silence, True hissed, “Why did you say it was your fault?”

Uly shrugged. “Because I thought your dad was going to get in a fight with Mr. Martin. Besides, I didn’t want you to get in trouble.”

“Yeah well, I didn’t need your help,” True replied. “And I don’t need you protecting me. I can stand up for myself. Probably better than you can. I been taking care of my dad and me for a long time,” she finished defiantly, before she walked away, leaving Uly with the broken bike…


Almost a week later, True and Uly sat on a couple of stumps in the Advance’s latest camp, receiving their lessons from Yale. As the tutor conducted his lesson on old Earth history, True looked longing in the direction of the lake. For now, she and Uly had been forbidden from entering, or even really approaching it, since Julia said that it had some unusual properties and there seemed to be something about it that linked it to the Planet and the Terrians in some undefined way.

True had protested the ban, to no avail, but that did not stop her from wanting to get to the lake and as far from lessons as possible.

“True?” Yale prompted the distracted young girl. “True, are you listening?”

“What?” She responded, startled from her daydreams as Uly snickered.

True narrowed her bright eyes and glared in Uly’s direction before she looked back at Yale. “I don’t understand why we need to learn all this stuff anyway. Who cares what a bunch of people did on old Earth so long ago that nobody even remembers?” She said in sullen protest.

“You never understand,” Uly said.

True turned on her peer. “Just because you never had anything to do when you were sick but learn about a bunch of stupid stuff that nobody cares about anyway…You think you’re so smart, but you don’t even know how to do anything that doesn’t have to do with some boring old lesson.”

“Do so, I know lots of stuff you don’t know,” Uly protested.

“Now children,” Yale admonished.

“Yeah right,” True taunted. “This is stupid and I don’t need to be here. He’s your tutor anyway, not mine.”

“True,” Yale said in a calm voice. “Your father wants the best for you and feels that you should take advantage of every opportunity,” he reminded the young girl.

“This stupid,” she protested as she suddenly stood up, “and I don’t care about any of it. Besides, we aren’t on the Stations anymore. This is a new place, and we should be learning about it, not some stupid Earth that’s a million stars away.”

Yale was silent for several moments, and True shifted uncomfortably under the tutor’s patient gaze.

“Sorry, Yale,” True finally said quietly.

Yale sighed, and after several moments finally spoke. “I believe we can conclude our lessons for today, but tomorrow we shall make up the extra time,” he warned them both. “You may go, but stay close to camp,” he admonished them as both children dashed away.

In moments, True had outdistanced Uly as she dashed into the wooded growth surrounding the camp. But it wasn’t that hard for Uly to find her where she had found a small hidden spot in the brush near the lake where she could enter it unseen.

“You aren’t suppose to be here,” he said as he walked over to where True was standing cautiously back from the gently lapping water.

“You aren’t to suppose to be here either,” True pointed out.

“But I was just finding you.”

“So.”

“So, I’m not the one that broke the rules first.”

True shook her head. “Just leave me alone. Go away.”

Uly ignored the angry demand and stepped carefully toward the shining blue waters. After a moment of watching the gentle ripples, he turned back to True, a challenging look in his eyes.

“I dare you,” he taunted her.

“What?”

“I dare you to get in the water.”

“What?” True repeated, surprised at the challenging expression on the younger boy’s face.

Uly smiled slightly and a little smugly, causing True to narrow her eyes in his direction. Then, with a determined air, she untied her boots and drew them off, tossing them carelessly aside. Her socks quickly followed in the direction of her boots. Finally, True rolled up her pants legs and turned back to Uly, settling her hands on her hips.

Uly gave her a challenging look once more, sending True into the water as she took up the dare. Defiantly, she made her way into the warm blue waters, the tiny waves lapping gently around first her ankles, then her calves. She twirled back in Uly’s direction and stuck out her tongue.

Suddenly, before Uly could say a word, True gave a cry of surprise and fright. And though it seemed impossible, she disappeared beneath the quiet waves lapping around her legs.

“True!”

Uly rushed into the water, reaching into the spot that the girl had vanished. In her place, was her wavering image, long blonde hair swirling, as if caught up in the waves. Her eyes were wide with fright and called wordlessly to Uly, pleading with him to help her. She reached a shimmering hand outward in his direction.

Without hesitation, the young boy reached for his friend and a tingle passed through him as his fingers slipped into the warm water. When he grasped at the wavering reflection of True’s hand, the tingle became a buzz that seemed to fill his whole body.

He ignored the feeling as best as he could and tried pulling True to the surface. For a moment, it seemed as if he would succeed, then Uly heard the trilling song of the Terrians. He had only a moment to register the presence of two Terrians emerging from the water, before he too was drawn into the rippling waters…


“Uly, what’s happening? Where are we?” True asked in a high voice, looking around with wide, bright eyes.

The sound of Terrian song surrounded them and everything was a blue wavering haze as if they were underwater. True reached for Uly’s hand, and as her hand grasped his, he was suddenly bombarded with what seemed like a thousand and one images and sensations…

He saw a young infant asleep in a small cradle; then a little blonde haired girl taking her first toddling steps; and finally, the same little girl grasping her father’s hand…

“Uly, what’s happening?” True’s tight words echoed through their dreamlike surroundings. Then her voice softened to an almost uncharacteristically sympathetic tone. “Is that you?” She asked gently. “You were really sick. I didn’t know you were that sick. That it hurt so much…”

“You see it too?” Uly asked, even as he saw a blur of more images, not just of True’s past, but a wash of possibilities for his friend’s future…

He could see True as a teenager, laughing as she danced wildly in the ocean waves; as a young woman repairing a Transrover; kissing a young man…

“I see you, Uly,” the young girl whispered. “I saw who you were… and I… I think that I can see what’s going to happen.”

“Me too; I see you too I think,” the young boy said. “It’s weird.”

True laughed unexpectedly.

“What?” He asked almost indignantly.

“It’s a little more than weird.”

“Yeah I guess,” Uly replied.

“What’s happening?” True asked again.

“I don’t know,” Uly answered. “How should I know?”

“Well, you’re the one that’s friends with the Terrians. And you’re always doing all the weird stuff like this.”

“Well, I don’t know,” he replied tersely just as another jumbled flood of images washed over him…

True playing with him in the rain, followed by the image of her as a young woman dancing with a man that Uly finally recognized as himself. Finally, he saw True and himself, both as adults, sitting under a tree holding hands…

“That’s us,” the young girl gasped in a surprised voice. Her hand tightened its grip on Uly’s.

Suddenly, the sound of Terrian song grew louder and the wavering aqua light grew blinding…


“Danziger, have you seen Uly?” Devon asked the mechanic as she looked around the campsite in an attempt to catch a glimpse of her young son.

John slid out from underneath the Transrover where he had been working. “What?”

“Have you seen Uly? It’s almost time to eat, and I can’t find him.”

“Yale said that they finished their lessons early and went to play,” he replied. “I just saw them playing hide and seek on the north side of camp.”

John rose and looked over in the direction that he had last seen the children. Devon followed his gaze, seeing nothing but the breeze whispering through the trees at the edge of the camp.

“They’re just hiding, Devon,” John reassured her as he took note of her expression. “It’s all right; we’ll just go find them.”

John immediately headed to where he had last seen the children followed closely by Devon.

“True Girl, come on now, time to eat,” Danziger called. “True Girl!”

Devon walked away from John a small distance, her eyes scanning the surrounding brush.

“Uly!” she called. “True!”

She pushed her way through the bush and stopped short upon seeing True’s socks and boots tossed carelessly at the lake edge.

“Danziger! Danziger, over here!”

John pushed his way through the brush, practically skidding to a halt next to Devon. All color drained from his face as he saw what she was staring at. He reached down for the small boots, then looked out across the water. Without another word, Danziger was heading into the water.

Suddenly a high pitched trilling stopped him, and two Terrians rose from the shallow waves. True lay limply in one Terrian’s arms, and Ulysses lay unconscious in the other’s.

John reached an unthinking motion for a weapon, stopping when he released that he was carrying nothing on him that could serve as such. With a growl, he started toward the Terrians, violence in his eyes.

“Wait, Danziger,” Devon urged him, placing a hand on his arm.

“Adair, that’s my kid,” the technician growled.

“John, I don’t think that they mean the children harm,” Devon spoke in a quiet soothing voice, as much for the Terrians as for John standing next to her. She urged him to step back slightly with her, giving the natives some small space.

Slowly, the two natives waded through the water in the humans’ direction, still trilling softly. Gently, they placed the children at the water’s edge. Then, before either parent could say or do anything, the Terrians sank quickly into the damp soil with a last long note of song.

John surged forward to where the Terrians had disappeared.

“Damn it,” he swore, striking the ground in a futile gesture.

Devon knelt down next to the children just as Ulysses and True blinked and opened their dazed eyes.

“Uly! Uly!” His mother said urgently, brushing wet strands of his light hair from his forehead.

John turned and made his way over to his own now waking daughter. “True Girl, you okay?”

She shuddered and took a deep breath before nodding weakly in response.

Danziger gathered True up in his arms. “Let’s get you out of here, True Girl.” He rose with his daughter in his arms, followed closely by Devon with Uly…


A few days later, they were on the move again, plowing through the rain and green wilderness. Both Devon and John had insisted, over all protests, that Uly and True ride in the back of the Transrover. Together, both children watched the scenery moving slowly past. Finally, True tucked her knees up and looked over to Uly sitting so quietly next to her.

“Uly?”

He looked over to his friend.

“Do you feel different?”

“What?”

“After that whole thing in the lake, do you feel any different?”

The young boy shrugged and turned back to the brightly verdant forest they were skirting around.

“Do you think…” True paused to take a breath before continuing quietly. “Do you think that what we saw was real? Is that what’s really going to happen to us?”

“I don’t know, maybe,” Uly replied carefully.

They both fell into a thoughtful silence.

“Maybe…” True bit a lip thoughtfully. “Maybe that’s okay.”

Uly turned to look at her again.

“Weird,” she added quickly. “But, okay.”

Uly nodded a bit in response and they both fell silent once more.

“Thanks,” True finally said quietly.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Uly replied.

“I’m glad that you’re okay, too.” She grinned suddenly. “Weird, but okay,” she teased.

“Look who’s talking…”


“See Adair,” John said, dipping his head in the direction of the kids. “Told you it would all blow over. Best of friends now.”

“Until the next argument,” Devon countered.

“They are our kids,” John said with a smirk…

Fin