ER/Stand Crossover

Note: Well, this is it. there will be at least one, possibly two epilogue chapters, but this is the end. i'm not sure that this has the impact I had hoped for so please feel free to comment.

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It really was too cold to be wandering around. Doug shined his flashlight along the tracks, and wished that all three of the missing females would just magically appear. He cared, god knows he cared, but he was freezing and that was starting to numb his body and his concern. The others seemed just as dulled as he felt. They had all been very quiet as they walked through the snowy woods. Doug didn't know what they were thinking, but he was scared. It was the end of the road, that he knew. There was going to be a confrontation. He wasn't afraid for himself. If it was his time to go, if it had to be him, he was ready. He wasn't happy about it, he didn't want to die, but if it happened, he had everything in order. The baby would be taken care of, though he admitted that it would hurt to never see it born. His one regret, if it was he to die, was that he hadn't talked to Lucy about what he had been feeling.

At first, it felt like a betrayal of Carol, a much worse betrayal than sleeping with Kerry was. That had been a betrayal of the body, and not something new. He had casually cheated on Carol so many times, he couldn't even count them all. Carol would have been stunned to learn that he'd gotten Kerry Weaver knocked up, but once past the initial shock, she would have found it pretty damn funny. It was different with Lucy. Sometimes, even though they weren't sleeping together, he could picture being with her for a long time. He had felt that way about Carol, although it was different. He had loved Carol. To love another woman had felt like a betrayal of the heart. So he had done his best to keep things on a friend level with Lucy, despite how he felt. It was wrong anyway, he had told himself. He was taking advantage of someone who was fragile. Now he could see that he was being loyal in a way that he didn't need to be. Carol wouldn't be angry with him. He hoped that she was happy, where she was and he was beginning to see that he could be happy too, and that wasn't betraying Carol's memory. He hoped that he would at least have a chance to talk to Lucy.

" There's a farm out this way." Carter said loudly. " It was abandoned but there's a barn and some out buildings. The tenant was into gold mining." The younger man pointed off into the distant. Doug knew they were on the right track as he squinted and spotted a dim light in one of the buildings. Luka and Randi noticed it at the same time he did, while Jeanie and Dave were looking out into the woods.

" I think we've found somebody," he said cheerfully. His senses told him that they had found everyone, that Lucy would have returned before dark otherwise. She didn't like to admit it, but she was probably more afraid of the dark than Taris was. I just want five minutes, he pleaded with whatever higher power might be listening, just to make things OK. I didn't get it with Carol. I'm not asking that much.

Lucy heard them approach long before she was able to spot them. We're not a steathly group, she thought as she heard first Luka then Randi shout positions at each other. Then again, they weren't hiding but she was. She considered waking her two companions, but didn't. It wouldn't solve anything, and she had a feeling that Kerry hadn't been sleeping much. If the worst came, if Flagg actually appeared, then it would probably be best if Kerry had some sleep. It wouldn't do to have her flip out at exactly the wrong moment. Taris, who was curled up in Kerry's lap, was a different story. She simply needed the sleep. Considering how exciting and rushed the last two days had been, it was amazing that the kid wasn't comatose from overload. Besides, she thought, its all coming into place. She knew that whatever was about to happen would happen to them all.

Besides, she was relishing the moments of quiet. In a matter of minutes, it was going to be busy and noisy and the air would be filled with recriminations. She didn't want it. Not yet. She wanted those last few minutes, the last few before the world changed drastically.

It was end time. She knew it. She could feel it. It was almost as if the very earth beneath her feet trembled at the thought of what was about to happen. It frightened her and yet in a strange way she felt exhilarated. It was bizarrely exciting, like a massive adrenaline rush. It was her own probable death that featured in the excitement but to a point, she didn't care. She hadn't lied about what she had said to Kerry; she had always felt in the back of her mind that she was somehow destined to die young. Before the plague, she had always assumed that it would happen in some random act of violence. That she would be walking home from class and be attacked by some thief or something like that. When the bikers that had assaulted her didn't kill her, she had started to wonder if that was because she was being held for some higher purpose. She wasn't positive that it would be her. She knew it couldn't be either Randi or Kerry. As much as the latter wanted the role of martyr, it wasn't meant to be. Randi, she felt, had never been a serious contender for the role. Carter and Dave were both coping far too well to be chosen. If it was one of them, that left them short a provider. Jeanie was needed, by Taris who had latched onto her like a drowning person did a life preserver. For the same reason, she didn't want the chosen victim to be Luka. Doug was probably as good of a candidate as she was. He was depressed and she suspected that he was never going to really get over Carol 's death. Still, he had a baby to look forward to. If there was a chance, if she could change anything, she would make sure that Doug wasn't the one. It was possibly the only thing she could do.

With that decided, she started to shake both of her companions awake. There was no point in putting off the inevitable any longer.


Carter didn't like it, not one bit. For starters, he had never liked the Foster's farm. It always made him feel guilty to know that a relatively nice family had been tossed out over the mining shaft that they had built. Bobby had liked the old man that had lived there and had been devastated when they had arrived at their usual summer retreat only to find the entire family gone. Carter could admit, he had not been entranced by the family the way Bobby had been, he had been far more upset by Bobby's reaction than anything else. It had been their first real lesson in how cut throat their family could be, and he had never forgotten it. Oh sure, he could see his grandfather's point on the matter. The family hadn't owed the land and they lived there free of charge as long as they farmed and did what they were told so building a gold mine was a violation of trust but it wasn't a forgiving act to toss them all out.

He hadn't even been out to the farm since that summer so long ago. It looked much the way it had when he was eight, only much more dilapidated. The windows were still boarded up. Bobby had often bragged about using the mining shaft as a clubhouse but John had seen through that. Once the Fosters had gone from the site, the only thing Bobby had done was walk out there to mope and feel bad. Bobby had never really forgiven their grandfather, and looking at the ramshackle house years later, John could admit that it still made him angry.

Then there was the simple fact that he knew, despite all the rationalizing, that he was looking not at a house but a battlefield. He had thought, he had hoped that the fight was over, that it had ended in a fiery blast of radioactive hell in the high desert of Nevada. It had seemed that way to him for weeks, but slowly he had felt a new sort of tension. It wasn't just about the baby that he worried, although he did worry about the baby almost constantly. It was usually his first and last thought of every day and even at that moment he was worried about it. It was cold and dark and Randi was tired, and he felt an overwhelming fear that something bad was going to happen to them. That something bad would happen to Randi.

It won't come to that, he told himself as they checked out the house. I'll make sure of that. If it got violent, and he sensed that it would get violent very soon, he would make sure Randi made it through. That was one reason why he was willing to check out the house when even he, a less than intrepid tracker, could spot the dim lights over in the mine building. He wanted to put off the confrontation for as long as he could, but after a few moments he knew it was futile. He suspected the only reason they were rattling around the old house was denial anyway. " Look, we're wasting time. We should check out the mining building."

Everyone turned and looked at him. He was not surprised that they all appeared to be disappointed. He didn't want to bring on the final battle either, but at the same time they were wasting time. They all knew what was going o go down, he could see that in their eyes. To each it was just a question of who it would be, who would be the unlucky one that didn't make it. Carter didn't want to see anyone die, and he didn't want to hasten anyone's death especially his own, but he didn't see the point in putting it off any longer. They were searching the wrong place. The final confrontation would be in the mining shaft. " We need to get this finished," he said softly. " We saw lights out by the mining building. Let's get this over with."

He turned and walked out of the house, not looking back. People would follow him if they wanted. He didn't have any illusions about being a leader in their group, that was a role that had been hung on Luka, if anyone could claim it. He didn't want to be a leader so that was fine, and while he could admit that it would feel good to have everyone follow him off to whatever fate held for them, he didn't expect it.

So when he felt a hand encircle his own, he knew without having to think that it was Randi. " Hey you."

" Hey yourself." She put her arm around him. " If you think I'm letting the father of my child run off and get killed, you've got another thing coming."

" And we can't let a pregnant woman wander around alone. That's what got us into this mess to begin with." That was Dave. Carter turned around and saw that everyone had followed. Dave just smirked. Everyone else looked a little awkward, but Carter couldn't help but smile.

" Let's get this show on the road," he said.


Dave trotted on ahead of the group, his thoughts whirling. It was time. That he knew, that he was certain of. It was hard, knowing that there was a damn good chance that he would die in the next few minutes, to think of anything but that. He was afraid, and he wasn't afraid to admit it. Something bad was going to happen. His only wish was to make sure that whatever it was that happened didn't happen to Kerry. He wasn't sure how he could do that, but he intended to try.

He shoved through the wooden door and raced through the front room, stopping only to take in the fact that no one was in the furniture filled room. He dashed into the next room, and stopped short as he found himself staring down the barrel of two guns. " Don't shoot!"

Both Lucy and Kerry quickly lowered their guns. " Damn it Dave, what are you doing here?" Kerry asked, her irritation plain.

" Gee, I don't know. Maybe I was a little worried about the woman that I love. You know, the one that left a puddle of blood on the kitchen floor before running off without leaving a note? Do you know how worried I was?" Dave made it a point to look indignant. After all he was the injured party.

" I left a note in your jacket." She pointed to it. With a start, he realized she was right, that there was a folded sheet of paper in his pocket.

" I left a note too," Lucy said. " On the fireplace mantle."

" I put a note on my bed," added Taris. Unlike the women, she at least looked sad. " I'm sorry, Dave. I didn't know you were worried."

The problem, Dave thought, was that it was hard to stay mad at any of them, but especially a cute little girl. " OK, I'm not mad, but what are you guys doing out here? We really have been going out of our minds." He sniffed the air. " Why does this place smell like a gas station?" Somehow he didn't think that a mining shaft should smell of flammable liquid.

" I was planning something. I had hoped to leave the rest of you out of it but you foiled my plan." Kerry didn't managed to erase the irritation in her voice, though he could tell by the look in her eyes that she was relieved to see him. He understood it because he felt it too. He was relieved to see her and at the same time he wanted her to be any place but right there. Because the end was coming and he understood exactly how it would play out.


Kerry wanted to shout at them all. It took supreme effort to stand there and keep quiet as they all piled into the small room. Everyone being there made the place seem much more cramped than it actually was. The gasoline stench was starting to make her feel lightheaded and that didn't help either. Her plan is ruined, she thought, and now what am I supposed to do? Somebody had to die, she accepted that, but she didn't like it, and she didn 't accept Lucy's theory that it couldn't possibly be her. Although Lucy's pregnancy theory did make some good points, it completely ignored how Flagg had targeted her. She wished everyone had just stayed away, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel relieved and pleased that everyone had come. The real problem was that she knew it was right for everyone to be there, and that meant that events were completely out of her control. They were all pawns in some grand game and she sensed that no matter what any of them did, they would have ended up in the same exact place. It made her mad.

" What the hell were you thinking?" Doug asked. She supposed that he had a good reason to be upset. He was worried. Mostly about the baby, she didn't kid herself there, but there was a little left for her. That made her feel good, despite the fact that she thought someone was going to die in the next few minutes. If nothing else, it gave her the hope that the next twenty years were not going to be a constant battle between her and her child's father. At least there was some affection there.

" I guess I was hoping to get this over with." In retrospect, she did think she could have gone about it better, but she doubted that any of them would have bought her story.

However, looking at their faces, she realized suddenly that they did believe. They all knew, from John with his grim look that reminded her so much of Mark Greene, to Randi and her ever present smirk. It was about to happen, she could almost feel the tension vibrating through her body.

Maybe if Dave had bothered to read the note I left in his jacket, you wouldn't have been as worried." Damn, she thought suddenly, is there ever a situation where Doug and I won't snipe at each other?


Randi couldn't help but snicker at Kerry's words. It wasn't funny, not really. Doug and Kerry just couldn't resist. It gave the moment a touch of normalcy, a moment they needed. Whatever happened, Randi decided, it wasn't going to change them. She just wanted it to be over, already.

It was as if someone heard her silent plea. The room, already cold, grew colder to where she could feel the cold entering her bones. She wanted to run, but instead she clenched her hand onto John's arm. He tensed up but that didn't surprise her. She felt pretty tense too. Suddenly, a blast of ice cold wind rushed through the room, bringing with it a blinding storm of dust. She blinked, clearing her eyes, and saw that there was now a man standing in front on the entrance to the mining shaft.

He's so normal looking, was her first thought. It was hard to believe that the demon that had been taunting them and making them miserable looked like nothing more than a middle aged man in a denim jacket. He looked like one of the construction workers that used to hoot at her when she walked to work. Except for his eyes, that is. His eyes seemed to bore into her with a dark power that she could feel tingling through her. She realized with a start that he was essentially impotent. His magic, once powerful, was gone and all he had left was simple tricks. He could be defeated. The problem, Randi realized, was that someone needed to push him back into the shaft and then light a match. That pretty much ensured somebody dying. That assumed that a bullet wouldn't do the job and she wondered about that.

Flagg looked all of them over, a smirk on his face. " Well, well, the gang' s all here." Randi shivered at his words. There was something quintessentially American about Flagg, and it made his words twist into more than they actually were. There was still power there, but Randi could tell that he was afraid. He pointed to Doug. " So tell me Dr. Ross, what do you think your woman Carol would think of your activities this summer? Somehow I don't think she'd be pleased."

Doug didn't visibly react, but Randi knew him well enough to know that Flagg's words had hit the man like the well aimed blow she knew Flagg meant. Randi realized suddenly what Flagg's game was. He planned to divide them and weaken them. Her eyes narrowed. It wasn't going to work. She watched as Doug stiffened up and mentally applauded.

" I know she wouldn't be pleased because we wanted to live our lives together." Doug paused. " But she died. She didn't want me, or any of us to be miserable, mourning for the rest of our lives."

Flagg waved off his words. He pointed to Carter. She could feel Carter tense but he didn't back off. " Dr. John Carter, last of the wealthy industrialists. I wonder how your family would feel about your little ex-convict whore."

" I imagine they'd be unhappy," John said easily. " They would have had to deal with it, the same way they dealt with everything else. They would have come around eventually. Or not. It doesn't change the fact that I love Randi." It wasn't exactly a resounding declaration of love, but she had always accepted that John didn't really have a way with words. He did, however, have a way of making her feel safe and as he squeezed her hand, she felt safe.


Luka felt that every sense he owned was on fire. Flagg was less than ten feet away. Everything the demon was saying, he tuned out. It was like the war, he told himself, and this is the final battle. What Flagg said, nasty as it was, was unimportant. What mattered was waiting for the right moment. He had understood Kerry's plan as soon as he had entered the mining area. The shaft was reeking of gasoline and there were gas cans conveniently stacked nearby. What he wanted, what he needed, was a clear shot. It wouldn' t kill Flagg, but a well aimed shot would force Flagg into the shaft. Another shot would catch the shaft on fire, and that would take care of the beast once and for all.

He glanced at Dave and Kerry. They both nodded slightly, as did Lucy. Doug, Randi and John seemed to understand that they were acting as a distraction, so that the rest of them could get into position. He kept his focus on Flag' s movement, waiting for the perfect shot.

Flagg seemed to take them all in and dismiss them with a wave of the hand. Then, he spotted Taris, who was hiding behind Jeanie. " What do we have here?" he chortled with evil glee. He made a move towards the girl. Luka saw him framed against the mineshaft. It was the shot. He opened fire.

Flagg was flung back into the shaft. Luka kept shooting, to keep him down. He knew, just by watching the twisting form that looked human and then not, that the bullets weren't injuring him, just holding him back. Lucy was shooting with him, and Dave and Kerry were firing into the gas soaked beams. After a moment everyone joined in and all Luka could hear or see was the flashing boom of automatic pistol fire.

His gun locked back. Out of ammo, and there was still no spark of fire. Almost at once, the firing stopped as everyone ran out of ammunition. He felt his entire body grow cold as Flagg, still in the shaft, rose to his feet.

" That was amusing," he sniffed as he brushed himself off. " So amusing, I' ve decided to offer you all a deal. I let you live. but only if you hand the little girl over to me. Or I start killing you all one by one."

It wasn't going to happen, Luka knew that, but for a moment, he was simply stunned by such an evil idea. He started to step forward, but Jeanie pulled him back. She looked into his eyes, and he knew suddenly what she was going to do. I love you, she mouthed, and then she stepped into the shaft.


It wasn't easy. She didn't want to die. She wanted to see the next spring, when there would be two babies added to their group. She wanted, more than anything, to hold Luka one last time, but she couldn't. There wasn't time. Flagg was weak, and she had to get close for it to work. Someone had to die. And Jeanie Boulet was determined that it wouldn't be any of the people she loved, most especially Luka and Taris. I hope he finds what I left him, she thought as her hand clenched around the instrument of her death. " You'll have to go through me," she said, a slight smile coming to her face.

Flagg grinned, making her feel cold and slimy. " First to the slaughter. Tell me, my Nubian queen, what has you so amused?"

She held up the cigarette lighter that she had picked up back in Iowa and showed it to him. " I always thought that it'd be the cigarettes that killed me, not the damn lighter." Then she flicked the lighter and watched as the universe erupted into fire.



Part 61
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