Aberrant: Stargate Universe - Like Lazarus from the grave

[Mr Fox]

The morning after the team returned from the mission Yseult was disturbed from her rest and answered the phone a touch gruffly, "Yes hello?"

"General Landry would like to see you in his office at 08:30 please." The general's aide offered no more information.

An hour later when Yseult had finished an impatient breakfast she entered the office.

"Good Morning Doctor, please have a seat. I have spoken with the President directly and his new pick for the IOA committee and they've given me an answer to your request."

[Yseult Sierra]

This was the call Yseult had been waiting for what seemed like months, though in fact it was only a little over a week. She didn't taste a single bite of her rushed breakfast, thoughts entirely focused on the possibility of seeing her family again and what the IOA had decided.

Yseult strode into General Landy's office, mixed trepidation and anticipation making her fingers tingle. She sat down, taking unnecessary interest in smoothing her suit-skirt. She crossed her legs, then recrossed them the other way, eager and yet almost fearful of hearing Landry's answer.

"Général Landry, merci, thank-you, for getting back to me so soon," Yseult said, voice tight with control, but sincere. Her strong, slender hands were clasped tightly in her lap, trying to hide her trembles, large, turquoise eyes almost glowing with expectation. "What... The IOA, how have they decided to do in response to my request?"

[Mr Fox]

"Well," the General spoke, "The IOA, did not change their mind despite the new US representative taking your side." He raised a hand quickly to forestall any interruption, "But, the President along with General O'Neill informed the committee that you would be reunited with your family regardless of what they decided. He went so far as to suggest they must be missing vital parts of their anatomy, namely their hearts, to prevent a mother from being able to watch her children grow up."

Landry smiled broadly seeing Yseult's great relief wash over her face. "The Al'kesh that was captured during you mission to Washington is waiting to take you directly to your home. Colonel Mitchell will pilot, but you are welcome to take any of the other specialists with you if it would help to convince your family of your identity. They will of course have to sign an NDA, and while you can reveal the existence of the stargate program to them and the nature of the specialists, missions and other activities of the program are still classified."

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult's heart filled near to bursting with relief and joy at hearing that her request had been granted, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears of gratitude. A part of her had believed the American government, especially the military, would never have relented - she had never so glad to have been proven wrong.

The stunning blonde bounced to her feet, her unrestrained elation making her look even younger, and leaned across the desk, taking Landry's hand in both of hers.

"Oh, mon Dieu! Merci, merci! This, you are not knowing how much it is meaning to me!" Yseult cried joyfully, pulling Landry's hand to her lips and kissing it in thanks.

Yseult left the General's office, almost skipping, arms wrapped around herself giddily. Her spirits were soaring with the thought of going back home, back to her family. Walking back to the lift, those she passed saw the most emphatic smile they had ever seen on the formerly reserved researcher. Soon, so soon, I will be holding you in my arms my little ones, and I will never let you go. François, your wife is coming back from the grave and will drown you beneath a sea of kisses.

Exiting on the Level 25, she paused just outside the lift on the way to her quarters. With slightly trembling fingers, Yseult undid the top two buttons of her blouse and reached between her breasts. With a sharp tug, she snapped the thin chain around her neck, eyes locked on the elegant, braided band she hadn't dared to wear on her finger since her body had been stolen.

With trepidation, she slid the ring onto the fourth finger of her land hand. Her eyes closed with rapturous wonder as she felt it fitting perfectly, as if it had been made for this hand, silent tears falling down her sculpted cheeks. She could contain herself no longer.

"Je retourne à mon famille," she cried out in sheer happiness. I am going back to my family!

She just needed to change, then to see if some of the friends she had made here were willing to accompany her. Janet Frasier had been a family friend for years, so she definitely had to come, and she felt closest to Olivia of all the specialists, so would ask her as well. After a moment's hesitation, she decided to ask Kyria to come as well - if all else failed, she would be able to show them the truth.

But she didn't think convincing François would pose too much difficulty. The biggest obstacle had been being allowed to go back to her family. Nothing was going to stop her now.

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult wiped the tears away from her face with the back of her hand then briskly walked to her quarters, almost at a run. First, she left messages for Janet, Olivia, and Kyria to either call her back immediately or meet her at her room as soon as possible. Then she changed.

She put on a stylish pin-stripe skirt-suit that was almost exactly the same that she owned before, but fitted to her new figure, along with a creamy, silk blouse and stiletto heeled, knee-high boots. Her underwear was the racy sort that she wore for herself and for François, a matching set of garters and bustier.

She styled her hair up in a simple and elegant up do, added a pair of gold hoop-earrings, then tried to apply her makeup to make herself appear somewhat older, she was a 34 year old scientist,doctor and mother, not a co-ed. But she never used much cosmetics and she found the effect garish and washed it away and applied her regular, elegantly subtle amounts.

Then she sat at her desk, looking at family photos, remembering in full detail the context of each, while she waited for responses to her call.

[z028 Riley]

Kyria appeared in very short order, having only missed her call by a minute or so. She smiled at seeing the doctor so dressed up, but restrained from peaking in on why. She was starting to get the hang of this whole 'privacy' thing.

"Hey, Yse! What's going on? Your message sounded urgent. Good but urgent."

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult turned in her chair to face Kyria, her lips slightly curved in a beatific smile, those wide-irised turquoise eyes gleaming. On the monitor of the laptop behind her, Kyria could see the photo of a large, handsome man - who did bear a familial resemblance to Ryah Hawke - dressed in a tux with his arms around a petite woman with short dark hair, plain faced but with a pretty smile, dressed in a white gown.

"The SGC, they are saying I can be with my family again," Yseult said softly. "The IOA, they are not wanting it so, but the President and Général O’Neill, they are saying I can."

Yseult stood up and walked over to the younger woman, giving her a hug, all signs of her reserve gone. "In just a few hours, I will be holding 'tit Loric et ma belle Monique again, kissing ma joie François again."

Yseult took a step back, straightening her jacket, trying to restore her composure, but the ecstatic grin wouldn't be smothered. "I was hoping, Kyrie, that your offer to be accompanying me when I was able to see my family again is still valid. Just in case, François, he is having a difficult time believing what he is hearing, yes?"

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

Olivia came into the room grinning broadly, her arms open wide. "I heard you from the hallway," she grinned, her eyes bright with empathic joy. "Oh, Yseult!" She gave her friend a close hug. "Oh, that's wonderful news!"

[Mr Fox]

In only a short time Yseult and her companions were beamed aboard the Al'kesh by Cam. They were assigned quarters and the journey to Canada got underway. In only minutes it was over and the group was ushered into the cargo bay. Cam spoke questioningly, "Yseult, I know this could be a touchy situation, but we're here for you. The General has given me permission to bring them aboard and even bring you guys through the Stargate to the Beta Site if that's what it takes to convince them. So how do you want to do this? Do you want to go alone or have some or all of us with you?"

[Yseult Sierra]

Yseult almost wished they hadn't taken the Al'Kesh, that the trip back to her home had taken longer. She would have preferred more time to mentally prepare herself for seeing her family again. But the moment was upon her, and now she wouldn't dream of waiting.

Looking around the cargo bay at the others, Yseult's intense, turquoise eyes - her irises shrunk to a normal diameter by her contacts - were bright with gratitude for their support. She would ensure that François and the children met them all, but first, she thought it would be easier if François wasn't presented with a group of strangers.

"Thank-you Cameron, all of you, but I am thinking, since Janet is a friend of the family, her and I, we would speak with my husband first." Her lips curved a trifle with wry mischievousness. "Just to present him the idea, before presenting him with more... concrete evidence of what has occurred."

Yseult gave everyone a warm hug, then stood next to Janet, holding her hand tightly, then gave Cameron a nod to say she was ready. With a muted flash of white light, the two doctors disappeared, reappearing behind the garage of Yseult's sprawling bungalow on the outskirts of Montreal.

They walked around the garage and made their way up the front door, watching their steps in the snow, holding their coats against the chill wind. On the cleared veranda, Janet looked up at her - now - taller friend, who towered above her in four-inch heels.

"Are you ready, Yse?" Janet asked, happiness and concern for her friend in her voice, giving Yseult's hand a squeeze of support. Unable to speak through her anticipation and trepidation, Yseult gave her quick nod.

Janet took a step forward and pushed the doorbell, the melodic tone ringing. A moment later, the door eased open, a large man, broad shouldered and handsome, standing in the doorway. His grey eyes passed over the stunning blonde with barely a pause before settling on Dr. Frasier, lips quirking into a surprised smile.

"Janet? Qu'elle surprise," François said, in a smooth, accented baritone, that still made Yseult's heart flutter after all these years.

She nearly cried at the sight of him, instantly noticing the tenseness to his strong shoulders, as if he was bearing a great weight and tiring; the sorrowful crinkling at the corner of his eyes; the restraint to his gorgeous smile that had never been there before. Yseult barely stopped herself falling into his arms, or pulling him towards her with a thought. She bit her lip and wrapped her arms around herself tightly.

"The surprises haven't even started yet, François," Janet countered with a warm grin of her own. She glanced at Yseult, then looked back at François, her eyes piercing and somber. "Can I and... and my friend, come in? We have things to tell you, concerning your wife."

[Yseult Sierra]

"Yse?" François asked, puzzled, grief clouding his eyes for a moment, before he nodded and waved the women in, his gaze passing over the woman he didn't know was his wife with dismissive curiosity. "Please, come in and be welcome. Janet, Mademoiselle, can I take your coats?"

Yseult almost jumped, startled to hear her husband use her name, though she knew he had no way of knowing the exotic blonde was his wife. She slid out of her coat and handed it to him, subtly posing, wanting to see what he thought of the statuesque beauty who wore a style very reminiscent of wife's. She was both proud and hurt that his quick study of her showed only mild disinterest.

François led them to the den to check in on the children. Yseult smiling lovingly as her turquoise eyes fell on Loric and Monique, whom she hadn't seen in nearly three months, every minute, every second, away from them wounding her deeply.

Loric was standing in front of the large screen plasma TV, the Wii controllers swinging wildly in his hands as he played one of his games, whooping with exuberance. Monique was sitting on the carper, bent over the coffee table, drawing. At François inquiring if they needed anything, Loric tore his eyes away from the flashing screen, a broad grin on his open face.

The sandy haired six year old dropped the Wiimotes and dashed at them, feet thumbing the ground. Yseult just began kneeling, about to scoop her young son in her arms when he ran right by her, throwing a tight hug around Janet's legs. Yseult almost sobbed, being ignored by her son.

"Jan-ette!" he cried in his high voice, giggling. Janet ruffled his hair, giving Yseult a sad, fierce smile over his head, mouthing that she would be holding him soon.

Monique stayed at the coffee table, but looked up at them with huge, liquid dark eyes in her pale face, so much like what her mother's used to look like. Monique gave them a small, shy wave, then bent back to her drawing, face pressed close to the page.

François smiled at his son, glad to see him smiling, then managed to coax him back to his game as he led Janet and Yseult to the study. He closed the door most of the way, leaving open a crack, just in case the children called, then crossed his arms, facing the two women.

"Now, what is this that your needing to tell me about my wife?"

"A moment François," Janet said, reaching into her purse and pulling out an official stack of paper, handing it to him. "I - we - need you to sign this non-disclosure agreement first. Then we can tell you exactly what she was involved in."

François' eyes narrowed on the proffered NDA, then looked at the women angrily. "What does this matter? Yseult is dead. I am not caring what she did while working at Cheyenne Mountain."

"That is not entirely true... François," Yseult said, speaking for the first time in her husband's presence while inhabiting a body not her own. "Please, the NDA, sign it, and we will tell you everything."

François' eyes widened at the unexpected husky, local accent of the exotic looking blonde, surprised by the tone of pleading in her voice. He took the NDA, quickly read it, then roughly signed it, pressing so hard that the paper tore a little.

"There! Now, say what you wish to say."

"François, mon amour, je ne suis pas mort."

"Quoi?" François said incredulously.

"Let me tell you about the StarGate..."

[Yseult Sierra]

"... and that is being how I am your wife, François, vraiment."

François watched the stunning blonde as she spoke for near two hours straight, spinning her unbelievable tale. The woman claiming to be his wife looked nothing like the Yseult he knew, but her taste in clothing was similar, her mannerisms, the way she tilted her head or worried at the ring on her fourth finger, a ring he recognized very well, all called to him.

He had asked his own questions throughout the recounting as well, personal ones that only his wife would know. The woman answered instantly, with more detail than he even remembered, though the details came back to him as soon as she revealed them. He wanted to believe, he truly did...

"I must be admitting, ma belle, you are being very convincing. But your story, it is too fantastical to be true." François stood up and gestured to the door. "Janet, Mademoiselle... Sierra, I am thinking it is time for you to be leaving."

"Non! François, it is me! Your Yseult!" the desperate scientist cried, standing up and stopping him with her hands on his broad, tapering chest. It was odd, with her heels on, she was only 2.85 inches shorter than her husband, but she didn't let that distract her. She had already taken out her contacts lenses, revealing her uncannily thick irises. Her turquoise gaze was pleading. "Here, I am showing you."

Her eyes narrowed as she glanced at the dishwasher. Suddenly, the door swung open on its own, the racks sliding out. With a whisper of effort, Yseult made all the plates and utensils, cups and bowls rise up into the air, then circle the kitchen table. François' blues eyes went wide, his mouth dropping open at the sight. The woman, she had said she was capable of such, but to see it...

Yseult's sharp ears heard a faint gasp behind her and she spun with smooth grace, eyes going to the kitchen entrance. Her two children, eyes wide as saucers. Monique had her hands to her mouth, but 'tit Loric's face was red with anger.

"You are not Maman!" the young boy screamed at the woman claiming to be his mother, then dashed to his father's side, batting a floating plastic up out of the way, and hugging his leg as he glared at Yseult with glistening blue eyes. Yseult's golden face went pale, feeling as if she had been slapped. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she turned from her precious boy and back to her daughter, to suffer through her reaction.

Monique's face was solemn, holding her hands lightly over her stomach as she slowly approached the strange woman who wasn't as strange as she thought. She stopped right in front of Yseult, looking up at her with dark, depthless eyes. Her small hands reached up, making a small noise, wanting the woman to bend down. Knowing her daughter's expressions and mannerisms, Yseult fluidly knelt down on a knee, face level with her daughter's. Monique held Yseult's head in her hands, her face only an inch away, staring unflinchingly into those uncanny turquoise eyes.

"Maman!" Monique cried in soft exclamation, pulling herself into Yseult's embrace. Yseult let her own tears flow as she stood back up, holding her daughter tight. The dishes dropped to the kitchen tiles with a crash, but she didn't care. "Oh, ma belle chouette, I have missed you so. Yes, Maman is back."

Yseult laughed joyously, and though the tone and timbre varied greatly, François still heard the echo of his wife's laughter. "Monique, she is believing me. So, François, now I will be showing you even more. Toi aussi, Loric."

Supporting her daughter with one arm, and the surreptitious use of telekinesis, Yseult reached into her purse and pulled out a radio. "Cameron, I am needing the transportation aboard the ship for five, if you would."

"No problem, Yse, beaming you up in... Five. Four. Three..." Cameron's confident voice squawked back through the radio, "... Two. One."

Dr. Janet Frasier and Yseult's family disappeared in a flash of white light and reappeared elsewhere.

"Mon Dieu!" François gasped, seeing the new surroudings. Loric had stopped crying, eyes wide as he looked around, spying the new people - he waved with the innocent unconcern only a child could feel. Monique simply sighed, burrowing her face into the crook of Yseult's neck and shoulder.

"Olivie, Kyrie, Cameron, please be meeting my family." Yseult's velvety soprano overflowed with joyous pride.

[Mr Fox]

Cam grinned, this was the kind of assignment he could really feel good about. He was deeply please to have had some small part in the reunion.

"Pleasure to meet you sir. Colonel Cameron Mitchell, you can call me Cam if you like." He extended his hand to the other man who took it somewhat bemused by all that had happened.

[z-Olivia Jenings-Izumi]

"I'm Olivia." The woman who offered her hand and smiled at François was not as lovely as his wife's new form, but there was a peace and calm about her that was attractive in its own way. "I work with Yseult, and am her friend. I'm here for emotional support - you know how we women gang up together."

[Yseult Sierra]

"François. Cam, it's nice to meet some of Yse's other coworkers, besides only Janet. Mademoiselle Olivia, enchanté," François said, shaking their hands, his voice a smooth baritone, his accent a mild echo of his wife's. Other than his bemused smile and slightly widened eyes, François seemed to be handling his wife's revelations and his new surroundings with admirable aplomb, even Kyria only receiving a quick, admiring look before his eyes continued moving... Or it might have just been suppressed shock.

Loric was straining forward, a hand pulling at his father's grip, wanting to explore the strange new place as only a six year-old can. With an admonishment to not touch anything, François let Loric go, who promptly shot forward to the cockpit, where Cameron was having a devil of a time stopping the young boy from pushing anything critical. Loric didn't seem perturbed in the least by the strangers, offering wide smiles and hugs, but the glowing lights of the control panel drew his attention like a moth to flame.

Yseult chuckled ruefully, shaking her head in exasperation. "My son, Loric, he is not changed in the slightest." With a soft sigh, she set her daughter on her feet, hands kneading her shoulders gently. "And this, she is my first born, Monique. Say hi to maman's friends, ma belle chouette."

Monique was much more subdued than her younger brother, staying in her mother's embrace. She looked at the others with dark eyes beneath dark lashes, a faint, tender curve to her lips and gave them a small wave. "Bonjour," she said accommodatingly in a voice barely more than a whisper. Yseult smiled and stroked her hair.

"Yse, this is... this is too much to deal with all at once. You, alive, aliens and spaceships..." François stood next to the woman claiming to be his wife, awkwardly placing his hand on her shoulder. "I'm not even sure what else to ask. This... StarGate, would it be possible to see it?" His question was directed to the specialists as a whole.

[Yseult Sierra]

Cam gave Yseult's Husband a grin. "I think that can be arranged, François. In fact, that request had already been cleared. Sometimes, it really does take seeing to believe." Cam spun back to the console, pulling Loric up onto his lap and guiding his small fingers to press the needed cystal-like buttons. "C'mon kiddo, you can help me drive."

"Okay folks, first stop, Colorado Springs, then half-way across the galaxy." The hum of the engines increased as the Al'kesh rose up into the stratosphere and turned south.

Yseult walked up to her husband, nudging him to put an arm around her as both of them put an arm around Monique, both of them watching the view scrolling pass on the main screen. She leaned her head against his shoulder and gave a happy sigh as her husband's arms tightened around her waist. "It is incredible, yes, but we are together again, mon amour. That is all that is mattering."