Title: ...And May The Stars Reach For Me

Author: JaimeBlue

Archive: Yes

Series/Sequel: Sequel to "Reach For The Stars"

Pairing: ... which means Tim/Darwin (but don't worry, it's not squicky)

Fandom(s): seaQuest/Xena:WP crossover ;p (can't stay away from them Greek Gods, eh?)

Disclaimer: They're not mine, never have been, and unless I win several million dollars, never will be outside of my dreams.

Warning: Ok, just in case you haven't guessed, if you're oversensitive to this kind of stuff, don't read it. But there is NO bestiality.

Dedication: To JoeyRZ, who can't let a good angsty fic go without a happy ending, and thus tortured me until I agreed to write this sequel (you can't see me, babe, but I'm sticking my tongue out at you!).

Time: This story takes place 3rd season, post-Kimura.

Summary: Tim O'Neill's life is once again changed forever.

Author's Note: The text with *** on each side is the text of Tim's note to his friends, and normally would be done in italics.



REACH FOR THE STARS 2: AND MAY THE STARS REACH FOR ME
By JaimeBlue
**************

Tim O'Neill reached out to hand some money to the driver, then stepped out of the cab. He took a deep breath of the sea air as he looked out over the endless waves of frothy teal. When he reached the edge of the sandy shore, he removed his shoes and socks so that he could feel the grains of sand between his toes as he walked.

‘What do I do now?' he thought as he made his way along the sand, head hung low and eyes on his feet. ‘Was it only a week ago that I walked off the ship for the last time? Lucas looked so sad, but he'll survive. They all will. They'll have to, because I just don't belong there anymore.'

He thought back to the moment he'd walked into the Captain's office and handed over his resignation. There was no move to encourage him to reconsider, as there had been with Captain Bridger. In fact, Hudson had almost looked relieved to have the commtech off his hands for good.

The hard part, however, had been telling Lucas and Commander Ford that he was leaving. While he'd grown close to so many of the others, especially Dagwood and Tony, he and those two men were all that remained of the crew of the very first seaQuest. They'd been through hell and back together several times over, and now he was leaving, much like Bridger had. But Tim had no excuse other than the need to leave.

And then he'd said goodbye to Darwin.

He kicked a piece of seaweed out of his path. Ever since the return from Hyperion, he'd clung to his friendship with Darwin like never before, so much so that it had scared him. He needed the dolphin's presence like a lifeline, yet he was always afraid of uncovering well-buried feelings. Kimura had been his salvation, his rock in the torrent of confusing emotions — and she had torn his heart apart.

After Kimura's betrayal, Tim was finally able to see the desperation that had driven him to her in the first place. He'd needed someone stable, someone who could care for him — someone human.

Eventually, he wasn't able to take it anymore. He hated this war, hated everything about it. He hated what it was doing to Lucas, to Tony — to himself. He'd had to get away, to take some time to grieve for the past he'd lost, and some time to remember who Tim O'Neill was.

And here he was, drifting from motel to motel along the Florida coast, trying to find a place to call home. He'd spoken to Lucas a couple of times, and while the crew was doing fine, the last call had him a little worried.

It seems that after he'd left the ship, Darwin had disappeared.

Tim desperately hoped his friend had found his way to Bridger, or even his mother if she was still alive. He'd sent a prayer to God every day since the call to watch over the dolphin, and he hoped his Lord was listening.

Tim stopped suddenly as he slammed into an object in his path, falling back onto the sand. He looked up at one of the greatest visions of beauty he'd ever seen.

"Hiya studmuffin. Still can't stay on your feet for very long, eh?"

Tim blinked.

"Oops, I forgot. Ya can't remember that far back. No prob, babe. Here, let me give you a hand."

Tim grabbed onto the proffered hand and allowed the scantily-clad blonde to lift him to his feet. After a few moments, he was able to pull his wide eyes away from her irresistible breasts in order to look her in the eye.

"Umm, who are you?"

"Just your friendly neighbourhood Love Goddess."

"Love Goddess?"

"Yep. You've been sending out bad vibes, like, major!"

"Bad vibes?"

"Uh huh. Now, why don't you have a seat and we'll see what Auntie Aphrodite can do for ya, babe."

"Aphrodite?"

"Will you stop that!"

Tim's mouth snapped shut. "Sorry," he replied sheepishly.

The blonde's face softened. "It's okay." She slipped an arm over Tim's shoulder and led him to a nearby outcropping of rocks so they could sit down. "You see, studmuffin, we've kinda met before, in another life so to speak."

"But reincarnation doesn't exist..."

"Hey, who's the Goddess here, me or you?"

"You."

"Okay. Now just listen. The important thing is that I haven't always been the coolest towards you, and even after all this time, I kinda owe you. That and Uncle Don decided to call in that favour I owe him..."

"Uncle Don?"

"Now him you've met. Poseidon?" She nodded at the look of comprehension in Tim's eyes. "I think you're getting it, babe. Anyway, we've both got a vested interest in getting you out of these dumps you're in. The thing is, you've got a major decision to make."

"What kind of decision?"

"Well, you have to decide on how much the life you're living now means to you."

Tim was silent for several moments, considering the statement. "That's what I'm trying to figure out, I guess. But what does it matter? There's no other option than to live this mortal life we're given."

"I have an option," she whispered in his ear.

He looked at her in shock. She smiled at him knowingly, then turned to look at the sea. After a few moments, a dolphin's chittering could be heard above the lapping waves, drawing Tim's attention from the Goddess at his side.

"Recognize that voice, babe?"

"Darwin," Tim whispered.

"As I said, you've got a decision to make. You can continue on as you have for the last while — absolutely miserable — or, you can give all of it up for a life unlike anything you've ever experienced with someone who cares for you dearly."

"Surely you don't mean..."

"Uncle Don made it work one way. It's no more difficult for us to make it work the other way."

"But that only lasted a short time."

"That's all it was meant to last, babe. This time, it'll be permanent. But remember, it means you'll never be able to communicate with your friends and family again. Even that vocoder thingy won't be enough to convince your friends that their dolphin's newest buddy was once human. And you'll never be able to walk, or run, or jump, or any of the other kind of stuff humans can do. As I said, it's a big decision."

Tim nibbled on his bottom lip as he considered the Goddess' words. While his initial reaction was disbelief, he knew what he'd seen when the ship had encountered Poseidon. With his own eyes, he'd watched his one-time lover revert to the form of a dolphin.

His thoughts turned to what he had left in this world. His family had refused all contact with him, having already gotten on with their lives after thinking him dead. He'd already said goodbye to all of his friends, and the only one he's intended on keeping in touch with was Lucas. With an amazing sense of clarity, he realized there was really nothing left for him in this world, nothing to make him stay, and nothing to lose.

"Can I leave a message for my friends first?"

The Goddess smiled and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, an old-fashioned scroll and quill appeared in Tim's lap.

"Isn't this a little... primitive?"

"Hey, it does the job."

With a sigh, Tim began writing a final message for his friends. When finished, he rolled the scroll up and handed it to the Goddess. "I wrote down all the names of those I want to read this..."

"Don't worry, studmuffin. I'll make sure they each get a copy." Her affectionate smile helped alleviate some of the nervousness Tim was feeling. "Now, are you ready?"

Tim took a deep breath, then nodded. "I think so. Yes, I definitely am."

"All right, babe. Now, first things first. Ya gotta get naked."

"What?"

"Well, those clothes weren't exactly made to accommodate flippers, if you catch my drift."

Tim nodded, turning his back on the Goddess. As he pulled away each piece of clothing, the Goddess freely ogled his body. ‘Once a studmuffin, always a studmuffin, eh babe?' she thought to herself. When Tim was finished, he shyly turned toward her, his hands covering himself. Glancing at his naked face, Aphrodite had a sudden longing for a time long ago and an old friend who'd brought new meaning to the words loyalty and friendship.

"Good. Now, all you have to do is go out into the ocean and dive underwater. The moment your body is completely submerged, the change will take place."

Tim nodded. Taking a deep breath, he took his first step toward the surf.

"Oh, and studmuffin?" He stopped and turned toward her. "Good luck."

Smiling, he continued walking until he felt the first licks of the waves against his toes. He walked out until the water was waist-high, then turned back to look at the Goddess. She waved, and he waved back. Then, taking a deep breath, he dove under the water.


* * *


Lucas wiped the sweat off his brow as he entered his quarters. His last shift on the bridge had been hellish, to say the least. ‘Who knew breaking in a new commtech would be so difficult,' he thought. It wasn't that he didn't like Lieutenant O'Malley. Everyone thought the woman was perfectly charming and eager to please.

She just wasn't Tim. There wasn't a communications officer in the entire navy like his friend, and Lucas was anxious for the man to come to his senses and return to the navy and to seaQuest.

His eyes widened as he looked at his bunk. There was a long object lying on his blankets. Picking it up, he saw it was some kind of rolled-up paper. Unrolling it, he sat on his bunk to read the handwritten words within.


***

To Nathan Bridger, Jonathan Ford, Lonnie Henderson, Tony Piccolo, Dagwood, and Lucas Wolenczak:

When I last said goodbye to all of you, I had no idea how permanent it would become. After this last letter, I will no longer be able to communicate with you. I cannot tell you why, not because it is not allowed, but because none of you will believe me. Rest assured, where I am going I will be happy with a good friend who will watch over me.

I want all of you to know that I have always appreciated our friendship, and I will keep an eye on all of you.

You always have been and always will be a part of my family.

Love, Tim.

***


As Lucas read the last words, he had to consciously close his gaping mouth. He couldn't believe it. Tim had left them all for good this time.

Visibly upset, he threw the paper onto his bunk and stalked off toward the moonpool. Although it had been a week since he'd last seen Darwin, he still went there to think and to hope that the dolphin would one day return. He settled onto the edge and leaned his arms on his knees.

"Lucas!"

He was startled by the voice coming from the vocoder. Darwin had returned!

"Darwin! Welcome back, buddy!"

Looking out over the water, Lucas watched as his friend surfaced. Much to his surprise, Darwin was accompanied by another dolphin with a darker colouring.

"Hello Lucas," the vocoder translated in a slightly different voice than that used for Darwin's speech.

"Hey there. Who's your friend, Darwin?"

"Tim."

Lucas laughed. "Your friend's name is Tim?"

"Yes."

"Did you give him that name?"

"No."

"Are there any other dolphins out there named Tim?"

"No. Just Tim."

Lucas couldn't help but laugh again before sobering up. "Darwin, I've got bad news. Tim, our Tim, he sent me a message saying he can't talk to us anymore."

"Tim here."

"No he isn't. He left a week ago, remember?"

"Darwin remember. Tim still here."

Lucas sighed. He knew the dolphin missed their friend, but this denial was a little silly. He concluded that Darwin must have taken to calling his dolphin friend ‘Tim' in an effort to regain the friend they'd lost.

Before he could speak again, Lucas was paged by Captain Hudson. After letting the Captain know he'd be in his office immediately, he rose from the edge of the moonpool.

"Well, I've got to go, guys. Tim, it was nice to meet you. I'll see you later, Darwin."

Turning, Lucas once again laughed to himself. A dolphin named Tim. And imagine the irony that the new dolphin would show up on the same day he received that strange note from Tim O'Neill.

Lucas stopped in his tracks. The strange note on paper, saying he was leaving, and that nobody would believe what would happen to him? Not just any paper, but some sort of ancient scroll, much like what the ancient Greeks and Romans would have used.

He turned around to look at the two dolphins playing in the water. He remembered the ‘Poseidon Incident' quite well. In fact, he was one of the few who hadn't dismissed the entire incident the moment they'd been released by Poseidon. He had yet to come to a conclusion as to whether or not it had actually been Darwin lying on the floor on the bridge, looking almost as human as the rest of them. If Poseidon was capable of making Darwin human...

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thought. It was pure sillyness. A human turned into a dolphin? Ridiculous!

He rushed off toward the Captain's quarters. He couldn't help but pause, however, when he remembered a small detail from the note he'd received.

It had not been addressed to Darwin.

Suppressing a shiver, he continued on to his destination.



=====
END