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jedibuttercupPG, B:tVS/EUReKA; 1200 words. (For August 13; follows No Place Like Eureka).
She seemed familiar to Nathan somehow, but not enough to account for the expression of disbelieving hope on her face.
Title: Down the Rabbit Hole
Author: Jedi Buttercup
Disclaimer: The words are mine; the worlds are not. I claim nothing but the plot.
Rating: PG
Summary: She seemed familiar to Nathan somehow, but not enough to account for the expression of disbelieving hope on her face. 1200 words.
Spoilers: B:tVS 5.05 "No Place Like Home"; Eureka 3.04 "I Do Over"
Challenge:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
twistedshorts - August, Day 13
Notes: Less cheery than the last, sorry. Probably more soon?
From the instant the vacuum seal had failed, Nathan had expected-- had known-- that the moment he activated the machine to shut down the time loop would be his last. He'd seen the results of Leo Weinbrenner's attempt to do the same thing, after all-- and though he was certain he would succeed where the other scientist had failed, he didn't expect victory to be any easier on the body standing inside the chamber.
If things had gone according to plan, he'd have been on his way to Allison's side at that moment, where he'd take her hand and smile over it at his antagonist and chief rival of the last two years. Instead, the pair of them were standing together without her while he sacrificed his life to save the world... but he couldn't quite regret making the choice to manually synch the field, either. Someone had to do it; he was the one best suited for the job; and if he had to die-- well. He'd made things right with Allison; there was someone there to take care of her and his daughter if he couldn't; and the entire world would owe its survival to his actions. What more could a man ask for on his epitaph?
He poised his thumb over the activation button on the touch-screen tablet, took a deep breath, and looked up at Carter, determined to go out with a smile. He wanted Carter to be able to tell Dawn and Allison that they'd have been proud of him; wanted Carter and Fargo to remember him this way, strong and commanding right to the end. Even if heart quailed at the last second, even if he really wanted to live--
The moment came, and he swept his thumb over the button. Their lives for his; there was really no question, he mused, as the world dissolved around him in a shower of light.
...And reappeared again, as though he'd never left. He blinked the spots out of his eyes, staring around the time maintenance lab in confusion, wondering where the hell Carter and Fargo had suddenly gone. It had worked, obviously, but just as obviously, something had happened...
A lab tech he didn't recognize suddenly shrieked, just off to the left of his field of vision, a wordless scream of shock and surprise. He jerked his head to the side to get a better look at her, then staggered and dropped the tablet computer from his hands as the spots he'd been seeing returned with a vengeance. He could feel the blood rushing from his face, and gravity pulling inexorably at his body; he recognized the signs of an oncoming faint, and collapsed to his hands and knees in dismay. What the hell had just happened to him?
"Dr. Stark!" the tech said breathlessly, finally recovering her voice, and hurried over to him in a clatter of sensible heels on hard flooring. "Oh, my God, I have to call Dr. Blake!"
Allison, he thought dizzily, and sank to the floor as his vision went entirely black.
When Nathan blinked his eyes open again, it felt as though it had only been a few seconds; but he knew better than to trust his timesense. From the way his head was throbbing, it was clear he must have been out for awhile; and just as clearly, there must have been some kind of time lag while he stood in the machine. He only hoped that the wave had carried him forward, rather than into the past.
"Ally?" he murmured, squinting over at the slumped female form seated next to the infirmary bed he found himself on. She looked just as beautiful as she had the last moment he'd seen her, except--
His mind froze, arrested by the sizeable swell at her waist, evidence of just how much time had gone by. Not hours, not days; months. And that's if-- if the child was-- if this was even the same year.
"Ally?" he called again, reaching out to stroke a manicured finger over her smooth cheek.
She startled awake with a gasp, reaching up to clutch at his hand, tears springing into her eyes. "Nathan," she said, breath catching on a sob. "We thought-- it's been months. Jack said you dissolved into light, we held a funeral-- I can't believe you're really here."
He chuckled wearily, drinking in the sight of her. "I almost can't believe it either," he said. "I was sure I was about to die, but I knew it would all be worth it if you were all right." His eyes dropped to her abdomen again, and he felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. "Did you know already?"
She furrowed her brow, confused, then followed his gaze to her stomach and smiled too, curving a protective hand over the rounded swell of the child within. His child. "I suspected," she said, "but I wanted to wait to surprise you until I was sure."
His mind boggled, just looking at her; he could hardly believe it, but he didn't doubt her, either, and the evidence of his eyes was right there in front of him. Months; he'd already missed most of her pregnancy, and who knew what else in that brilliant blink of an eye. He'd always expected that if he ever had a child of his own flesh, he'd be there from the first moment to the last; he had tasted what it was like to be a father with Callister and Allison's son Kevin, and wanted all that and more with a son or daughter of his own. He'd just have to make up for the lost--
"Dad!" a young female voice called from the door to the infirmary, and a rush of sneakered feet approached his bed. Nathan looked up to see a blue-eyed girl with long brown hair about Zoe Carter's age; she seemed familiar somehow, but not enough to account for the expression of disbelieving hope on her face.
Nathan put out a hand to stop her as she lunged to throw her arms around him, and furrowed his brow at her. "I'm sorry," he said. "Do I know you?"
She froze, then chuckled a little, her voice watery with tears. "Very funny, Dad," she said. "Seriously. I know you've been gone a long time, but--"
"Dad?" he blurted, staring at her. Images fluttered at the back of his thoughts-- little hands begging him for help with math homework, crossed arms and a furiously trembling lip facing him after an argument with Allison, a voice loftily informing him that she'd be staying at Zoe's for the evening-- but he could bring none of them clearly to mind. And none of them showed him a girl any younger than eight or so years old. "What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.
There was a crushed, disbelieving silence; then Allison broke it, sitting up straighter in her chair, worried lines bracketing her eyes. "Nathan-- this is your daughter, Dawn. Dawn Michelle Stark. You remember her, don't you?"
Daughter? "I'm sorry," he said helplessly, aware that something had gone very wrong despite his survival. "No, I don't."
-~-
(x-posted totwistedshorts)
She seemed familiar to Nathan somehow, but not enough to account for the expression of disbelieving hope on her face.
Title: Down the Rabbit Hole
Author: Jedi Buttercup
Disclaimer: The words are mine; the worlds are not. I claim nothing but the plot.
Rating: PG
Summary: She seemed familiar to Nathan somehow, but not enough to account for the expression of disbelieving hope on her face. 1200 words.
Spoilers: B:tVS 5.05 "No Place Like Home"; Eureka 3.04 "I Do Over"
Challenge:
twistedshorts - August, Day 13Notes: Less cheery than the last, sorry. Probably more soon?
From the instant the vacuum seal had failed, Nathan had expected-- had known-- that the moment he activated the machine to shut down the time loop would be his last. He'd seen the results of Leo Weinbrenner's attempt to do the same thing, after all-- and though he was certain he would succeed where the other scientist had failed, he didn't expect victory to be any easier on the body standing inside the chamber.
If things had gone according to plan, he'd have been on his way to Allison's side at that moment, where he'd take her hand and smile over it at his antagonist and chief rival of the last two years. Instead, the pair of them were standing together without her while he sacrificed his life to save the world... but he couldn't quite regret making the choice to manually synch the field, either. Someone had to do it; he was the one best suited for the job; and if he had to die-- well. He'd made things right with Allison; there was someone there to take care of her and his daughter if he couldn't; and the entire world would owe its survival to his actions. What more could a man ask for on his epitaph?
He poised his thumb over the activation button on the touch-screen tablet, took a deep breath, and looked up at Carter, determined to go out with a smile. He wanted Carter to be able to tell Dawn and Allison that they'd have been proud of him; wanted Carter and Fargo to remember him this way, strong and commanding right to the end. Even if heart quailed at the last second, even if he really wanted to live--
The moment came, and he swept his thumb over the button. Their lives for his; there was really no question, he mused, as the world dissolved around him in a shower of light.
...And reappeared again, as though he'd never left. He blinked the spots out of his eyes, staring around the time maintenance lab in confusion, wondering where the hell Carter and Fargo had suddenly gone. It had worked, obviously, but just as obviously, something had happened...
A lab tech he didn't recognize suddenly shrieked, just off to the left of his field of vision, a wordless scream of shock and surprise. He jerked his head to the side to get a better look at her, then staggered and dropped the tablet computer from his hands as the spots he'd been seeing returned with a vengeance. He could feel the blood rushing from his face, and gravity pulling inexorably at his body; he recognized the signs of an oncoming faint, and collapsed to his hands and knees in dismay. What the hell had just happened to him?
"Dr. Stark!" the tech said breathlessly, finally recovering her voice, and hurried over to him in a clatter of sensible heels on hard flooring. "Oh, my God, I have to call Dr. Blake!"
Allison, he thought dizzily, and sank to the floor as his vision went entirely black.
When Nathan blinked his eyes open again, it felt as though it had only been a few seconds; but he knew better than to trust his timesense. From the way his head was throbbing, it was clear he must have been out for awhile; and just as clearly, there must have been some kind of time lag while he stood in the machine. He only hoped that the wave had carried him forward, rather than into the past.
"Ally?" he murmured, squinting over at the slumped female form seated next to the infirmary bed he found himself on. She looked just as beautiful as she had the last moment he'd seen her, except--
His mind froze, arrested by the sizeable swell at her waist, evidence of just how much time had gone by. Not hours, not days; months. And that's if-- if the child was-- if this was even the same year.
"Ally?" he called again, reaching out to stroke a manicured finger over her smooth cheek.
She startled awake with a gasp, reaching up to clutch at his hand, tears springing into her eyes. "Nathan," she said, breath catching on a sob. "We thought-- it's been months. Jack said you dissolved into light, we held a funeral-- I can't believe you're really here."
He chuckled wearily, drinking in the sight of her. "I almost can't believe it either," he said. "I was sure I was about to die, but I knew it would all be worth it if you were all right." His eyes dropped to her abdomen again, and he felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. "Did you know already?"
She furrowed her brow, confused, then followed his gaze to her stomach and smiled too, curving a protective hand over the rounded swell of the child within. His child. "I suspected," she said, "but I wanted to wait to surprise you until I was sure."
His mind boggled, just looking at her; he could hardly believe it, but he didn't doubt her, either, and the evidence of his eyes was right there in front of him. Months; he'd already missed most of her pregnancy, and who knew what else in that brilliant blink of an eye. He'd always expected that if he ever had a child of his own flesh, he'd be there from the first moment to the last; he had tasted what it was like to be a father with Callister and Allison's son Kevin, and wanted all that and more with a son or daughter of his own. He'd just have to make up for the lost--
"Dad!" a young female voice called from the door to the infirmary, and a rush of sneakered feet approached his bed. Nathan looked up to see a blue-eyed girl with long brown hair about Zoe Carter's age; she seemed familiar somehow, but not enough to account for the expression of disbelieving hope on her face.
Nathan put out a hand to stop her as she lunged to throw her arms around him, and furrowed his brow at her. "I'm sorry," he said. "Do I know you?"
She froze, then chuckled a little, her voice watery with tears. "Very funny, Dad," she said. "Seriously. I know you've been gone a long time, but--"
"Dad?" he blurted, staring at her. Images fluttered at the back of his thoughts-- little hands begging him for help with math homework, crossed arms and a furiously trembling lip facing him after an argument with Allison, a voice loftily informing him that she'd be staying at Zoe's for the evening-- but he could bring none of them clearly to mind. And none of them showed him a girl any younger than eight or so years old. "What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.
There was a crushed, disbelieving silence; then Allison broke it, sitting up straighter in her chair, worried lines bracketing her eyes. "Nathan-- this is your daughter, Dawn. Dawn Michelle Stark. You remember her, don't you?"
Daughter? "I'm sorry," he said helplessly, aware that something had gone very wrong despite his survival. "No, I don't."
-~-
(x-posted to
twistedshorts)
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Date: 2009-08-14 07:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-14 05:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-14 07:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-15 01:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-14 09:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-15 01:43 am (UTC)... Maybe this weekend? *plots when to rewatch episodes*
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Date: 2009-08-15 02:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-14 10:05 pm (UTC)Glad to see you wrote a sequel.
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Date: 2009-08-15 01:42 am (UTC)