Free Fallin (Gavin+Elijah)

[Deleted]

1400 Hours, 1st March 2573
Canyon Bluff, Haven

Outfit

Kalli wiped her eyes once again. They were red and puffy from three long days of crying. Sidney was admitted to the medical center there in Canyon Bluff on the 22nd and things didn't look good. They had all held out hope until his final moments. Kalli never though that he would die. She had expected the old man to out live her, why wouldn't he, he was tough as nails after all. Elijah's dad hadn't been as hopeful and it seemed he had been right. Mr. Bainbridge had begun making all the peperations for the inevitable, funeral arangments, contacted those people who needed to be contacted and everything else the young girl didn't really know about.

Now here that stood watching the crowd of people walk away from the family plot on the Bainbridge land. Just off in the distance the thirteen year old Kalli could see the top of Sidney's ship, the Trinity could be seen rising over the tops of the trees that surrounded it. Kalli had wept more for Sidney then she ever imagend she would for her own father. Sidney was more a father to her then Killian ever would be. Before her stood Alexander, Spencer and Elijah the three brothers to one side of the newly filled in hole in the ground. To the other side stood their father David. Along side him there was Tristam , Sidney's good friend, and his grandson Gavin.

The six men were the ones who stayed behind to cover the grave after everyone had said goodbye and made their peace before leaving. Kalli had stayed behind as we'll. She wanted to help but she just couldn't bring herself to do so. She hadn't wanted to let go yet. She wished it was as simple as that. Just simple fill the hole in her heart like they had filled the hole in the ground.

The six men stood there without exchanging a word for a while. Kalli's eyes darted between them, the grave and the ship in the distance. She felt out of place, many of them family and the others close family friends that had been connected for decades. Kalli was the newest member to the group. Even if it had been many years since they had moved there she felt like the least connected.

Kalli's eyes met with Gavin's and she made a half hearted attempt to smile as the group began to break off from the grave and started in their separate directions. Gavin and Elijah started her direction and like a magnet she to began to approach them. She said nothing as she threw and arm up over Gavin's shoulder and sunk her head in to his chest. In this moment Gavin was her rock. Elijah and her had spent much more time together but he was the one who had suffered most. She couldn't imagine him being able to handle her emotional turmoil in that very second. "I'm sorry Elijah." Kalli eeked out as she lifted her head and looked over to him.

Kalli let go of Gavin and looked out to the ship once more. There was a part of her that wished she could go hole up inside it and just end the day. She wanted the day to be over."I'm sorry I shouldn't be crying."

[Deleted]

The sun was just coming off of its peak, beating down on the backs of the few men who had stayed behind to see Sidney off to rest. Labored breathing and the rhythmic sound of steel meeting earth  were the instruments with which they played Captain Bainbridge's dirge.

"Ow!"

Gavin loosed a short burst of flamboyant Mandarin under his breath. Leaning the shaft of the shovel against his torso, he inspected the base of his right thumb. Sure enough, the rough wood had left a splinter about a quarter of an inch in length embedded in his palm. The boy winced as he yanked the cause of his discomfort from its fleshy anchor. He ignored to pinprick of blood that was slowly forming at the point of the splinter's ingress and returned to his task.

It wasn't terribly long before the final sprinkling of dirt sealed the tomb of the once great man and the marker placed for all to know that here lay a man, no different than any other, but a legend in his own right. Gavin planted his shovel in the dirt and jogged to catch up with Elijah, who was going to join Kalli, the youngest member of their little group, and briefly met her gaze, giving a short nod in exchange for her half hearted smile. He caught up with his friend and lightly punched his shoulder. He offered no words, because he had none to give.

None, at least, that needed spoken.

As they reached the younger girl, Gavin unexpectedly found himself in the role of comforter as she swung an arm over the taller boy's shoulder, firmly planting her face in his chest. Gavin shot a confused look over at Elijah. As far as the group dynamic went, Kalli was much closer to Elijah than she was to Gavin. Heck, Eli was the only reason she even knew Gavin. Gavin awkwardly patted her back a few times as she squeaked something into his chest. The girl let go and looked off in the distance, where Trinity could just be seen.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be crying. "

Gavin smirked.

"Well, you know what Captain Bainbridge would have to say about that."

He adopted a stern expression, with a slight puzzlement about the eyes. He looked between Eli and Kalli, opening his mouth as if to speak, only to close it, as if second guessing his imaginary choice of words. Gavin inhaled deeply as he looked out over the horizon. When he spoke, he affected Sidney's old accent.
 
"Right, well..."

After a few moments, he shifted his gaze to the ground.

"Yeah."
 
A sad smile signaled the end of Gavin's homage to their strong, silent childhood hero.

[Deleted]

Elijah had known for a long time this day would come. Sidney had begun to show his age more and more over the last few years. Elijah Kalli and on some occasions Gavin had grown up hearing the stories of how the old man had fought in war after war and played his part in bringing freedom to the 'Verse. The only thing that was truly certain in life was that at some point death would catch up with you. Somehow though Elijah had believed that Sidney would always be there. Death was afraid to take the man, no death was hiding from Sidney, or so it had seemed for so long.  Sadly the time had come and Elijah had refused to deal with it. He had not shed a tear for his mentor, or made any note of sadness. Its the way Sidney would have handled it. He had never run from anything in his life. Elijah felt that is what he was doing to, but deep down that really was what he was doing. He was running from his emotions, refusing to feel anything about the situation. 

Elijah slung his shovel against a tree the moment they had filled it in and looked over to his brothers and father. he nodded to them as they began to walk off and head back to the house. He turned around to see Kalli and Gavin had stayed behind. Kalli rushed over and wrapped herself around Gavin. Since the day Sidney died only a week ago Elijah had put distance between them. They had grown close over the years. Very close actually but Elijah didn't want that close relationship with anyone after this. Being close to people was only an opportunity to be hurt, something he wanted to avoid after this point. In fact that had bordered on a relationship until this happened. 

Gavin spoke up and filled the void as Elijah approached the two. He hadn't really had much to say. "Don't worry about it Kalli Ann." It was hardly a comfort to her but at least he spoke. He had not said much of anything since it had all happened. "Like Gavin said, and let me translate it from how Sidney would have said it." Elijah was trying his hardest to take it in stride and not be upset by it all. "Don't worry about me, just keep my ship flyin." Sidney had always told Elijah that his ship would be his when he was gone. Now it was official, the Trinity was now Elijah's. Of course it needed a lot of repair and plenty of money to get the thing back in shape and flying again. now it was going to be Elijah's responsibility to get it back in working order and honor his grandfather. Elijah pointed out over the trees to the ship. "One day I will get that ship out there in the 'verse and when I do i could use a good crew to keep it flyin. I figure I got one of the best mechanics and a loyal first mate standing right here." He said to the pair with a smile. He wanted the conversation off the loss if he could get it that way and on to something they all shared as a positive memory of the old man. They all three had spent time playing on the ship as kids. Hell Kalli had actually spent time working on fixing the ship now that she was a bit older.