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#*broke down the door huffing and puffing* Im not late am i !??
bqnnabreado · 7 months
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Take Fremmy to the aquarium day !
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griffintail · 3 years
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Hello! So I was new at your blog and I feel like ive discovered the 9th cloud of heaven 🤯 so I don't know if youre in the mood but i loved your technoblade child reader fics and i really wanted to ask if you could write a overprotective!tecnho x f!child reader? i feel like it sucks so im not pushing you to do it-
I probably took it a different way than what you were thinking but I hope you still enjoy!
Utmost Care
Pairing: Technoblade X F! Reader
Warnings: Overprotective nature, Light Angst, Mentions of Swords, Mentions of Scars
~~~~~~~~~~~
Techno didn’t hold a lot of things with value but when he finally did, they were protected with the utmost care. That goes the same for living beings. His daughter certainly was one of those beings.
All of (Y/N)’s life, Techno always kept his eye on her or made someone he trusted with his life was watching her, meaning only he or Phil watched her. If Phil couldn’t watch her at the time, Techno then took her with him, keeping her close the entire time. And, if (Y/N) could tell the truth, as she got older, it was tiring.
She was thirteen years old but she wasn’t allowed to go off on her own. She either had to go with Techno and Phil, the only time she could be alone was in her own room. It was extremely tiring when she couldn’t learn new things that could be considered dangerous. Techno wouldn’t teach her to fight or brew or enchant because he said she’d never need it.
She just wanted to do something without the need for approval. She just wanted to be her own person and live her life as she wanted.
So…that’s how she started sneaking out hours at a time. She was only allowed her own peace and quiet in her room? Alright, she used that to her advantage and locked her door when she knew Techno was busy either tending to things and wouldn’t check on her for hours. When she left, she went to the one place she knew mischief was encouraged.
“Uncle Tommy!” (Y/N) grinned as she walked in the door.
“Here comes trouble!” Tommy grinned.
Tommy indeed encouraged the things Techno considered bad. He helped teach the girl how to fight, taught her to brew, showed her a few things with enchanting, and most certainly let her go off on her own around L’Manberg or the SMP, though he did warn her to be more careful in the SMP lands.
(Y/N) felt free and felt like her own person finally without a weight of watchful eye on her.
It was one of those days once more. Tommy was teaching (Y/N) the ways of the sword.
“Come on, stop trying to hit me and hit me!” Tommy grinned cheekily, then yelping as (Y/N) swung as hard as she could with a smirk.
It was just another day for the pair, they just didn’t know it wasn’t another day for Techno. (Y/N) always left when Techno was on his own because he did get distracted when Phil was around or Phil tended to help him. So, if Phil was around, going out was a no-go. Phil usually showed up in the early mornings so she could tell if she could sneak out pretty early in the day.
But, today, Phil had been held up in L’Manberg and came late.
“Hey mate!” Phil called as he walked over to Techno’s.
“Phil, you’re pretty late,” Techno said.
“Yeah, had to help with some things in L’Manberg first.” Phil shrugged. “Farming all by yourself today?”
“(Y/N) said she wanted to read and she might come out later,” Techno told him as they went into the house, Techno resting his hoe by the door. “(Y/N)! The old man’s here.”
“Fuck off mate.” Phil laughed.
Techno smirked as he cleaned off his hands but frowned when he heard no movement in the rooms above.
“(Y/N)!” Techno called once more.
“She might be sleeping in, let her be.” Phil waved it off. “She’s alright.”
But the voices whispered worry, only fueling Techno’s.
“She doesn’t usually sleep in. I’m going to check on her.” Techno said before going up the ladder.
He went to (Y/N)’s room knocking, but there was once more silence. He didn’t like that.
“(Y/N).” He said trying the door handle, but found it locked. “What the-Hey. What’s with the locked door?”
“Techno?” Phil called up concerned by the conversation he was hearing.
She wasn’t saying anything though and the voices whispered panic and Techno reacted. He took a step back before kicking in the door. Phil jumped before quickly coming up the ladder as Techno went into the room.
“Techno!” Phil shouted as he followed after.
Techno’s breath came quicker out of his nose as Phil came in.
“(Y/N)’s not here. Someone took her.” Techno moved past Phil.
Phil looked at his son leaving the room before looking at the teenager’s room. The only mess was the door but (Y/N) indeed wasn’t here and his wings puffed before he rapidly following after Techno.
“You know, the last thing I thought Techno would do was not teach you how to use a sword,” Tommy said as he leaned back on the bench overlooking the river below his base.
(Y/N) sat next to him, both of their training swords laying down close by.
“I always ask him to teach me but he just tells me I don’t need to learn how to fight. I’ll be fine.” She huffed. “What am I going to do if a mob manages to get in? Can you imagine if a creeper managed to come into our house? It could just blow me and the house up because I couldn’t do anything, I might as well just stand still.”
“Ah, he’s always had a stick up his ass.” Tommy waved his hand. “And an ego. He probably thinks he can keep everything from hurting you.”
“But that’s the point uncle Tommy!” (Y/N) exclaimed. “If he taught me, it’s almost a guarantee I won’t get hurt. I could protect myself and go out and meet people. Do whatever I want.”
“He’ll figure it out eventually,” Tommy assured her.
“Alright!”
Both of them jumped as they looked around wildly, Tommy giving a scream, hearing the voice of said man. Then, a moment later, they realized it was their walkies and shared a look.
“Whoever has my kid can bring her back now and have a painless death.”
“Uh oh.” They both muttered.
(Y/N) scrambled to get her things as Tommy stood up in a panic.
“Bye!” (Y/N) shouted before sprinting towards home.
How the hell was she supposed to explain this? Oh no dad, I just decided to wander in the forest with no warm clothes?
“It’s going to be a shitty day.” She muttered as she slipped into the portal and sprinted down the pathway towards the home portal.
Deciding it was better before her father started searching homes, she took out her walkie.
“Dad!” She spoke. “What’s the problem?”
Techno froze in his path, looking at Phil before taking off his walkie. “(Y/N), where are you right now?”
“I just…went for a little walk. My legs were starting to cramp up.” She lied, wincing slightly.
“Your door was locked (Y/N). What happened?”
“I don’t know the door handle must have broke.” She tried as she felt relief seeing the home portal.
“(Y/N), what’s going on?” Techno asked in frustration.
None of this was adding up. What the hell was going on?
“Nothing dad, everything is—” She stepped out of the portal and froze when she was met with two netherite decorated family members. “Fine…”
Phil’s eyes were wide as Techno stood there quiet for a moment.
“YOU WENT IN THE NETHER!?” Techno shouted throwing up his arms.
“Dad, look I can explain—” She tried.
“No! I-What were you thinking?!”
“I—”
Techno looked her over. “Is that a sword?! What—You don’t fight! What the hell were you doing?!”
“Look—”
“Mate—” Phil tried to even cut in.
“No! We’re going home.”
Techno went to grab her arm but she moved back.
“LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE!” (Y/N) shouted as she shook.
Techno stood in shock as Phil took a step back, this was between father and daughter.
“I-I-Yes! I snuck out! And yes! I have a sword! But its-I just wanted to live for once! You don’t let me go out on my own! You don’t let me train or learn anything you do! I stay at home! And read and learn about farming and crafting basic ass shit! And that’s it! If I’m lucky I get to go out to the village with you keeping a close ass eye on me! And I’m tired of it!”
Techno was quiet as (Y/N) took deep breaths before he came towards her.
“You know that to keep you safe.”
“Oh, shove it, dad! What’s the point of being safe when I don’t know anything! I felt like I was going crazy and I-I can’t do that anymore daddy. I can’t.”
(Y/N) had tears in her eyes. She hated it; she was so tired of it. She was so tired.
Techno was stood in shock hesitating before coming over and hugging her tightly.
“I’m sorry.” He muttered to her. “I…I didn’t know it was hurting so much…”
It was a bit awkward of a hug with his armor on but (Y/N) hugged him back regardless.
Techno had wanted to just keep her safe. He had so many enemies and seen so many things in his life…He just didn’t want his little girl to see all the same things he had and he didn’t want her to carry the same scars. But all the while, it seemed he was hurting her in a different way.
“I’m sorry. We’ll figure it out, ok?”
“Please.” She nodded.
He’ll figure it out, he’ll still make sure she was safe, but he’d figure it out for his little girl to be happy…
====================================
General Taglist: @devilchicc @technoblades-sword
(WHY CAN"T I TAG YOU)
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lils-writes · 5 years
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Honey of a Tomato: Day 6
First | < Previous | Day 6 | Next >
AO3
I’m not late! Right on time!
Day 6 : Futre / Family of @chlonathweek
Weeks had passed since their first date. Weeks had passes since their second and third date as well, and Chloe was over more and more often, taking up the painting lessons Nathaniel had offered her on that first date. He had no reason to be nervous, but as he stared at himself in the mirror, flattening his shirt for what seemed like the millionth time in the past hour, his confidence dropped exponentially. The worst part was that it wasn’t even the idea of the date that made him nervous. It wasn’t the insecurity of disappointing Chloe. It was the idea of sitting across from the Mayor of Paris, Mr. André Bourgeois.
With the little courage that hadn’t magically vanished alongside his self-esteem, he made his way to Le Grand Paris, a bouquet of flowers in hand. Once more, this time in front of the glass door of the hotel, Nathaniel flattened his shirt, taking a deep breath before stepping in. So far, there was nothing wrong. People buzzed around the lobby as they always did, Mr. Bourgeois nowhere in sight. This meant that Nathaniel still had a moment to himself before getting his head bitten off. Still, the boy wished that moment had been a little longer.
“Ah! My boy! You must be Nathaniel! Chloe has said but good things about you!”
Nathaniel gulped, eyeing the hand that was held out for him. He had practiced this. Or rather, he had completely freaked out when Chloe invited him to the obligatory dinner that Mayor Bourgeois had ordered when Chloe announced that she had a boyfriend, and immediately called Alix. Nathaniel had wished that his best friend had been a little more helpful, but she simply redirected his call to the only person she knew that would be able to blend into a Bourgeois family dinner: Adrien Agreste. But, if the redhead had been skeptical at first, he couldn’t have been happier with the results, having practiced over and over proper etiquette. This would be simple. He just had to shake the mayor’s hand.
And simple it was. Simple, but terribly awkward. Nathaniel could feel the clamminess of his hand against the perfectly normal hand of Mayor Bourgeois. He could see the smile fade off of the older man’s face as he wiped his hand against his pants. If Nathaniel could have disappeared at that very moment, he would have been more than glad to.
Thankfully, magic didn’t make him vanish in thin air, otherwise, he would have missed the sight that was Chloe Bourgeois. He would have missed the jaw dropping beauty that he was lucky enough to call his girlfriend. If she normally was beautiful, gorgeous even, then she was stunning in that moment. Maybe it was that Nathaniel was bias, smitten by her beauty, maybe it was her smile, or the cocktail dress she wore, but she was by far the prettiest person in the room. Her beauty was intoxicating, dangerous for his health. She made his heart beat at an unusually high pace.  
“Hey Nath.”
Her words were barely audible, muffled by the kiss she pressed to his cheek. But she was quick to turn her attention to her father, accepting the hug he was offering her.
“Shall we head to dinner?”
Both Chloe and Nathaniel nodded, following the mayor to the private dining room that had prepared for them. Chloe grinned at Nathaniel, linking her arm with his. It calmed him down a little, bringing his breath back to a normal pace.
Dinner was a lot less awkward than Nathaniel had expected. Mayor Bourgeois proved himself to be a regal, respectful man. Nathaniel has expected him to pry into his personal life, trying to get every detail about him. He half expected him to tear him apart, dissing him, making sure that he felt like more than nothing next to his little princess. And his assumptions, his expectations, they had been saved for when Nathaniel started to feel comfortable, dinner half way done.
“So, tell me my boy, what kind of work do you do? How do you provide for yourself and eventually for my daughter?”
Nathaniel gulped, pushing his food around his plate in a nervous manner. His mouth went dry, unsure how to answer the older man. If he was honest, the man would probably scoff and make a comment about his unstable job. But if he lied, well, it would be even worse.
“I’m an artist, sir. I sell my art, take commissions and I am also currently working on a comic with one of my friends. It is enough for me to live decently, at least in my opinion.”
Mayor Bourgeois nodded, taking a long sip of his wine. Nathaniel could feel the next question coming, probably more unpleasant than the first. “And what are your intentions with my daughter? Is it for the money you clearly lack or is it genuine interest? Because, if I remember correctly, you two weren’t necessarily on friendly terms back in school.”
Chloe tried protesting, putting her father back into his place, protecting Nathaniel and insisting that he didn’t have to answer the insensitive questions of her father, but for the first time in the night, he didn’t mind. He didn’t have the urge to run to the bathroom and puke, the anxiety previously upsetting his stomach. This time, he had the situation under control, a sly smirk visible on his face as he leaned back into his seat.
“You see, sir, I couldn’t care less about the money. I have no interest in Chloe’s fortune. As I said before, I have enough to provide for myself, and that’s all I need. I know that your daughter is capable of providing for herself a well, so I do strongly believe that we will be able to come by when the day comes. And, in the events were you would cut her funds or she no longer were capable of providing for herself, I would work twice as much, If I must, to keep her happy and satisfied, despite the sacrifices we might have to make.”
Chloe glanced at him with a visible look of concern. The boy simply shot her a grin and gave her hand a squeeze under the table. He could see her shoulders drop and her breathing getting heavier. Luckily, she calmed a little as soon as Nathaniel rubbed his thumb against hers, soothing her nerves. He hoped she understood than everything was alright, that he would never let himself be put down by the older man.
“Very well,” Mayor Bourgeois clicked his tongue, swirling the wine in his glass, “I see your intentions are genuine. What are your views on marriage? Children? I think it would be best if you only have one, and I insist that they take the surname name Bourgeois. I wish not for my name to disappear and you will get to benefit of it, so I hope you have no objections.”
Nathaniel opened his mouth, but Chloe was faster than him, slamming her hands against the table, sending her chair back as she got up. If her actions weren’t enough to convey her anger, her booming voice convinced everyone in the room that she objected to her father’s interrogation.
“Daddy, no! You’re going to stop this right this instant! You promised me! You promised me that you’d be nicer than mom had been last time I brought someone home! There is no reason for you to be so harsh on Nathaniel! He has done nothing wrong! Why don’t you want my happiness? Why must you always scare them away?”
Nathaniel paled at the sight of the tears streaming down the blonde’s cheeks. He could picture the flames in her eyes as her fingers tug into the table, crumbling the tablecloth with her grip. Her voice was strained and angry, a look he had never seen on her, even back in school. It was a different kind of anger. A sad kind of anger.
“My little princess, I’m only looking out for you and-“
“No, you’re not looking out for me. You’re just making me miserable, Daddy. And stop calling me your little princess. I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m an adult now and I can choose who I want to love. I can choose who I want in my life. And Daddy,” Chloe’s voice broke, tears still falling from her ocean blue eyes, “please, for me, please leave Nathaniel be. Leave the man I love be. He makes me happy, Daddy. Haven’t you noticed?”
André stared at his daughter speechlessly. Chloe waited, waiting for an answer, but she didn’t expect it to come from Nathaniel.
“You love me?”
Chloe bit down on her lip, realizing what she had just admitted to. The blonde eased down back into her chair, suddenly embarrassed by her sudden outburst and totally unromantic declaration. “Of course I do, you dummy,” she huffed, turning away from her blushing date. “Who wouldn’t? You’re amazing at everything you do, you’re insanely attractive and you’re an amazing kisser.”
Mayor Bourgeois cleared his throat, feeling out of place. He excused himself, leaving the two lovebirds to themselves. This gave Nathaniel to opportunity to freely take Chloe’s hand, turning her just enough to meet her eyes once more.
The air was heavy, silence filling the room. There were a million things to say, but neither one knew where to start. But, per usual, Chloe was the one to break the silence, unable to contain it much longer.
“Im sorry. I shouldn’t have blurted that out. It was reckless and I don’t know what I was thinking. This was not how I imagined declaring my feelings to you. But I meant it, when I said that I love you. I don’t say things I don’t mean.”
Nathaniel’s grip on her hand loosed, until he pulled his hand back completely, covering his mouth as he laughed. Chloe huffed again, puffing her cheeks in anger, offended by his laughing. She turned away from him once more, ignoring the fact that her chair was being pulled closer to him. She even ignored his nose colliding with her shoulder as his laughter still filled the room.
“I’m sorry, Chlo, I didn’t mean to laugh. I’m not laughing at you, I swear! I just,” Nathaniel choked on his laughter, tears forming in the corner of his eyes as he grinned at the blonde who turned her attention back to him, “didn’t expect it and it actually makes me really happy. I promised myself to take baby steps with this relationship, but you make it impossible. You make me want to jump right in, not hide a single thing from you, not question my feelings for a single moment. So I’m going to say it right now: I love you too, Chloe. I love you to the moon and back.”
His second declaration was hushed, cut off by one of Chloe’s heavenly kisses. Nathaniel couldn’t help but pull her closer to his chest, getting comfortable with the taste of her lips. Love, that was the flutter he’d been feeling. Love, that was the warmth in his chest. Love, that was the sweetness he tasted on Chloe’s lips as he stole far more kisses than he intended to.
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thelamppoststation · 5 years
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Future’s Past by TheLampPost
In 2008, a year after James managed to get off that godforsaken rock, he receives a visit from a young woman with blue eyes and blonde hair. She hands him a locket and a letter, then demands answers to questions that he didn't even know existed. Post season 6 (Suliet) - This story is also partly set during the DHARMA days.
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Chapter 1: Wonder                                                    
              DHARMA Initiative: Motor Pool, July 1975            
"I'm pretty sure it's the engine. It's been giving me trouble for the past week and a half. There's this odd ticking sound," Phil jerked his index-finger back and forth, "that just won't let up."
"Uhu."
"I'm pretty sure I saw some smoke in my rear-view the other day as well."
"Uhu."
"And the backlight is busted."
"Uhu."
"Look, I would have brought it in sooner, but you know how LaFleur gets."
Danny snorted.
"I do, do I?"
"He's been up my ass all week about clocking in late. I told him, 'listen, I can't help it, sleep paralysis is a real thing, you know?' But he's just not been in a very sympathetic mood, lately."
"Uhu."
Danny stepped around back and unlocked the latch on the blue VW T2. He groaned, scratched the back of his head, reaching for a non-existing itch that was easier to define than the inside of this particular engine. That was a lie. He understood perfectly well. Trouble was, he didn't care to understand. Good American vans were easy to come by nowadays. In fact, just the other day he heard Mitchell talk about the latest Chevrolets, how they're taking the market by storm, and yet folks here imported German vans. German. Vans. It was irritating, not up to par, and he should have objected to this detail when they first assigned it to him. After all, his skill lay in engineering, not fixing Nazi cars.
He closed the latch and sighed; Phil was still babbling away in his left ear, something about sleep apnoea and narcolepsy. Where did the Initiative find this guy, anyway?
"I'll have Juliet take a look at it."
"Juliet?"
Phil's thick brows shot up, not quite disappearing beneath his thinning hairline.
"She's s'posed to start her shift at one."
"Juliet Carlson?"
"Uhu."
"You hiring women these days?"
Danny shrugged.
"Many of them emancipated ones want to grease up, try out some real jobs; I ain't complaining, the view's been much improved since she started tinkering away," he winked and motioned for Phil to step closer. "Nimble fingers, that one's got," Phil's eyes widened and Danny playfully punched him in the arm.
"You and her?"
"Ha! I wish. Pretty sure she's got a thing for your boss."
"LaFleur?!" Phil frowned. "How'd you figure that?"
"He comes 'round here lookin' for them blonde locks more often than Linus beats up his kid in a drunken frenzy."
"Danny!" Phil exclaimed, then dropped his voice to a low whisper. "We don't talk about that."
"We ain't talkin' 'bout lotsa things that's goin' on 'round here. Don't mean it don't happen, Phil."
"It's none of our business."
"Yeah? You gone say that to his kid if ever he come knockin' on ya door for help? 'Ain't none of my business, kid. Scram?' Or what about them recruits we buried last week? I ain't seen a single letter went out to them families. We also just gone pretend that ain't our business?"
The truth of the matter was, Danny wasn't wrong, he knew he wasn't; too many things were happening on the island that consistently and conveniently escaped members' attention. Just the other day, after he'd caught Linus beating the shit out of his sad puppy of a kid again, it occurred to him that he just couldn't be the only one who'd ever been witness to such a plain show of domestic abuse. How could he be? What a farce! The D.I. endlessly prattled on about life and death, war and peace, love and hate; they talked about everything that went above and beyond mere mortal comprehension; yet, when it really came down to it – whenever, Roger would turn up drunk for his shift again, or Ben showed up to class with a black eye and busted glasses – well, if anyone'd ask him, he'd say the DHARMA folk just didn't want to see. 'Them things that truly need fixin', them things that matter in the here and now; them such things don't matter to the DHARMA fuckin' Initiative.'
"It ain't! - I mean, it isn't!" Phil nervously pulled at his sleeves.
"Uhu," Danny sniffed. "Guess it ain't, then."
"Hi boys!"
Phil jumped, unprepared for the sudden intrusion. Danny jerked around, a genuine 100-watt smile gracing his face. At least the island provided him with some distractions; them nice blue eyes surely gave him palpitations from time to time.
"Well, well, if it ain't Jules. You early, doll. Your shift don't start 'til one."
"Hi Phil."
"Juliet," Phil gave her a curt nod, his eyes darting off to the side.
"I left early yesterday, figured I'd make up for the time today."
"Well, you're in luck. Phil here says his van needs some lovin'; told him you're just the gal he's lookin' for."
She grinned and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Suppose she's not your type, eh?"
"Nah, you know how I like 'em, big and busty. None of that angular, wide eyed crap" he winked.
Juliet shook her head, unable to hide the amusement that tugged at the corners of her lips.
She should be more outraged by such sexual innuendos, but this was Danny, and Danny was about as threatening as a baby hippopotamus. Ever since she'd signed up for the motor pool detail she'd expected backlash, ridicule, jokes about her inability to hold a screwdriver the right way up. But instead of huffing and puffing about her true place being in the kitchen, Danny had surprised her. His open-mindedness about her abilities made her feel welcome, and as a result she embraced his testing and teasing with a smile rather than a grimace. Also, she was capable of making some pretty sharp remarks of her own keeping Danny on his toes plenty.
"What seems to be the problem?"
She stepped closer to the van, and turned her attention back to Phil. He gave her an odd look and a quick once over before spewing forth an incomprehensible string off words.
"I – uh," a twitch tugged at his eye.
"I – eh," he scraped his throat.
"The engine is ticking and – uh– I."
He pulled at his collar.
"Uh, backlight –."
Danny sniggered, and put an arm around Phil's shoulder.
"The engine is givin' 'im some hiccups, and you're gonna wanna replace the backlight," he said.
"Right," Phil nodded. "That."
"Okay, no problem. I'll see what I can do," she moved towards the work station and slipped her gloves on. "Check back in at the end of the afternoon."
Phil gave her another curt nod.
"Anything else?"
"No," he said, his eyes sliding up and down her jumpsuit once more, then he turned to Danny, pursed his lips and said:
"See you later, Dan."
"later, Phil."
Juliet tilted her head to the side as she watched Phil stalk off in the direction of the barracks.
"What's with Phil?"
"What ain't with Phil?" he snorted.
She laughed.
" 'S got his panties all tied up in a knot when he heard his boss and you are sweet on each other."
She froze; the look in Danny's eyes imparting far more than she was willing to acknowledge. How in the hell did that rumor spread about?
"Where'd you hear that?" she asked, leaping back into movement. She opened the van's front latch, and propped the hood up.
"You ain't foolin' anyone, doll. He's up here more often than he's out 'n 'bout checkin' perimeters. Always somethin' "broke" on his VW. Uhu," he winked.
"It's not like that, Danny. You know that."
"I'm just tellin' 'em how I see 'em, doll. And I sure seen lotsa ogling happenin' 'round these parts lately."
"I'm telling you, you're seeing it wrong."
"I am, am I?"
He tapped his nose, then shrugged and slammed his hand against the side of the van.
"Don't forget to freshen the oil, doll," He turned away. "I'll be in my office. Say hi to LaFleur when he stops by."
He walked away.
"Shit," she whispered under her breath.
He wasn't wrong, James had been stopping by a lot, lately. In fact, his van would randomly break down at least twice a week, and whenever he wasn't able to make it to the motor pool he'd find some way to lure her out into the jungle. Not Mitchell, not Tom, not Danny; he always requested her. Stolen moments between noon and night time, where the undergrowth, vines and muddy soil created noisy friction and impossibly to wash out stains. To think that they were getting away with it, she snorted. So much for keeping the "un" out of the "complicated".
"Shit, shit, shit," she pulled off her gloves, and threw them back onto the work station.
"What ya cursin' at the world for, Blondie?"
And there he was, just like Danny said he would be; a dimpled smirk plastered onto the side of his face. She felt a flutter pull at her insides as he leaned against Phil's van and crossed his arms in front of his chest. There was a slight spark in his eyes today, burning holes into carefully constructed resolutions; just by looking at him she was already breaking promises that she'd only just made.
Fuck.
"What are you doing here?" she snapped.
"Thought you might wa–… you in some kind of trouble, or somethin'?"
She huffed.
"Danny thinks he's got us all figured out," she motioned between them.
"Oh…"
"Yeah, oh."
She shook her head and turned away from the station, but before she could brush by him he caught her arm in mid-stride. Another wave of flutters raced through her body, tripling her heartbeat; a thousand tiny wings flapping in the darkness, tying her to the present. This was crazy. What they'd been doing was crazy. There was a time, not too long ago, that these exact same eyes had looked at her with disgust. When he'd banded together with Sayid, had watched her from the corners of narrowed eyes. Nothing would have pleased him more than to have put a bullet through her head when she'd walked away with Claire's medicine, having revealed more about his life than she should have been able to know. But now? His hand pulled her back searing dark marks of desire into her skin. Now, he wanted her.
"It don't have to matter," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"We don't have to keep hidin'. Maybe, we should just try the whole out-in-the-open thing."
"The out-in-the-open thing?" she rolled her eyes.
"You know what I mean."
"No, I don't actually. What do you mean, James?"
He smirked, his eyes sparkling with unleashed mischief; a second later he'd turned her to him and pushed her back against the side of the van, knocking the wind clean out of her.
She gasped, within seconds he had two, three, four buttons undone on her jumpsuit.
"You startin' to comprehend, doctor Burke?" he whispered into her ear as one of his hands disappeared down her jumpsuit. A shiver ran across her spine, and his lips curved against her throat; his slight kisses travelling upward, only momentarily halting to nip at her skin here, then there. This wasn't exactly the answer she'd been looking for, but as his lips found hers, his intentions read loud and clear. She responded without protest, not even wanting to resist, caught up in the lure of their game, she almost didn't hear…
"Ehum, ehum."
Her eyes flew open; the unmistakable cough of an accidental voyeur.
"James," she pushed at his shoulders, his grip tightened.
"James," she repeated.
He let out a low grunt but pulled back.
She coaxed her head in the direction of the sound; James half-turned, then a sly smile spread across his face and she mentally rolled her eyes. Of course, he would be excited about getting caught red-handed, he practically lived for the thrill of forbidden moments like these; out in the open, yet, far enough away from prying eyes.
"Goodmornin' Doctor Long," he said, his hands leisurely sliding out of her jumpsuit.
"Mr. LaFleur. Miss Carlson."
Juliet's cheeks flushed a brighter shade of red, but Long hardly seemed to notice. If anything, he looked rather blasé about the matter, as though he'd just taken a sip of a particularly bitter cup of coffee and had decided that nothing could possibly ruin his day more.
"What brings ya to this neck of the woods?"
"I was hoping to have a word with miss Carlson, here" Long said, studying the undone buttons on her jumpsuit with a raised eyebrow.
James inclined his head.
"Don't let me stop ya."
"In private," he added.
Juliet looked up in surprise; what could possibly be so important that it demanded her immediate attention? He could hardly be here about a van. Long did everything on foot; good for the lungs, he said. Suppose he didn't consider chain smoking his way through DHARMA meetings a tad more hazardous to his health than a sedentary lifestyle. Not for the first time since they'd arrived she'd marvelled at the general attitude of the 70s; 'the era of the wilfully ignorant and the blissfully blind', Miles had said at some point. He might be onto something there.
"You OK?" James asked, pulling her attention back to the present.
"Yeah," she nodded, finishing buttoning up her jumpsuit. "I'll finish up here; I'll see you tonight."
"OK, then," he shrugged, the subtle shift in his demeanour conveying that he was anything but OK with the abrupt brush off, but he would let it go for now.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Don't forget to bring the tacos."
"As long as you bring the game."
He laughed and winked.
"Count on it, Blondie."
With a knot in her stomach she watched him go. He'd soon realize that the stars in his eyes weren't truly meant for her. He longed for green emeralds, and lush brown curls. She knew; her name had slipped from his lips in his sleep on more than one occasion. It hurt. It hurt a lot. But neither time travel nor distance could make him want her. He had to come to that conclusion on his own. He might never, and that was OK too. It wasn't supposed to mean anything anyway.
She shook the thoughts from her head.
"What can I do for you, Doctor?"
"I'd rather we talk some place private. I do not usually discuss topics of a delicate nature out in the open like this."
"Delicate?"
Didn't he just clear her last week?
"Should I be worried?"
The way he stood there, chin up in full on doctor mode; it gave her pause. It was familiar. Too familiar. She used to approach women in the clinic in a similar manner. When their hopes of seeing two pink lines would be dashed by that disappointing singular one. 'I'm sorry; maybe, next time,' she'd say.
But Long wasn't a fertility doctor, and he certainty wouldn't be alluding to a next time of any sort, not after all he'd just been privy to.
"Let's go to my office, shall we?" his expression remained void of emotion and it did nothing to reassure her. She could almost hear James whisper in her ear: 'He'd make for a great Other. Stoic. Empty eyes. Soulless. Kinda like you in the beinning.'
She followed him across the square to the infirmary; inside Alice and Debra were seated behind long white desks. Fragments of excited conversation fluttered about the room, the air filled with an ease that she'd never quite associated with the infirmary before. She greeted them, and they responded in kind.
"Juliet," Long began, after he'd closed his office door behind her.
"Please, sit."
She almost laughed out loud; the irony of the situation crept through thick layers of unwritten pieces of paper and sticky post-it notes on yellow bare walls, this used to be her office. Or rather, it would be, 26 years from now. In her time, it looked more desolate, discolored paint peeling off the ceiling and walls, pieces of brown tape desperately trying to hold onto corners of hastily torn off leaflets. Here, right now, it looked freshly painted; no marks of wear or the inevitable sense of dread that would soon inhibit the place; it even smelled better.
"We found something in your blood that I think we should discuss."
"Oh?"
"How have you been feeling, lately?"
She shrugged.
"Just some headaches, but nothing so bad it'd be worth mentioning. Why?"
"You and LaFleur have you been seeing each other long?"
She narrowed her eyes at him; that was an odd question. What did that have to do with anything? And besides –
"I don't see how that's any of your business."
"Well, it becomes our business when you decide to procreate."
"Excuse me?"
"Procreate, it means –"
"I know what it means; I haven't a clue what you're talking about."
"The DHARMA Initiative has rules about pregnancies, Juliet. You have to submit the proper documents, and apply for absence of leave so that you can be thoroughly examined on the mainland before try outs start," he paused. "Unless you've decided to leave the island, of course. Obvously, you'd be free to do whatever you want, then."
"Try outs? What are you–?"
"There's no need to deny it; according to the data you provided last year you're not in the habit of regulating your menses, you've not been prescribed any type of birth control, and the Initiative has been denied requests to import male contraceptives. That only leaves us with one possible scenario. You planned for this to happen," he hesitated. "I'm a little surprised, though. Did you really think you could hide it from us? Surely, you must have known there'd come a time we'd find out."
She stared, her eyes all but rolling out of her skull.
"You're saying, I'm…?"
She shook her head. No, no, no.
"You're wrong,"
Something must have gone wrong with her blood test; a mix up, maybe. A false positive, surely. She grabbed the file from his desk and started flipping through it. The RFLP and SNP aligned perfectly with what she remembered from her med-school results. Her brows knit together. These were hers, but…
"It has to be a false positive."
"We're quite sure."
"I can't be pregnant."
"According to our–"
"You're not listening to me; I can't get pregnant."
Long frowned.
"You mean; you haven't been able to conceive until now?"
"No," was she really going to have to spell it out? Was he that dim?" I'm infertile."
It hurt to say; she'd never actually said it out loud before.
Long appeared confounded.
"You're infertile?"
"Yes, I – I– "
How could she ever explain that the adult version of the boy who currently lived three barracks down the road from her had been the cause of her infertility? How could she begin to explain that in 26 years' time he was going to lure her to the island, and lay claim to her as though she was his slave to keep: 'After everything I've done to get you here! After everything I've done to keep you here! How could you possibly not understand…that you're mine?!'
Ben had forced her hand, and after all this time the memories of that day continued to fester like big open wounds, growing more and more repulsive each day.
"There's this drug called Chlorhydelone. It's a trial drug," she began. "I took it a little over a year ago."
"Why?"
Why?
She watched little Benjamin Linus sometimes, from the window inside her barrack; the sight of him always ignited confusion. She hated him, but she also pitied him; a dichotomy of indecision forevermore debating with unrelenting thoughts, wracking havoc with her original proclamations.
He'd glanced up once, as though he'd sensed her eyes on him, and they'd stared at each other; this broken boy with his busted Harry Potter glasses complete with duck tape, minus scar, and the object of his future obsession, staring. She'd hastily stepped away, and pulled the shutters down with a force that vibrated through the entire house.
"I was told that it was safe," she lied. "But eventually, I learned that the effects of the drug had done irreparable damage to my reproductive organs."
Long shook his head.
"What was the trial for? Why didn't you mention this during your first medical exam?"
"I didn't think it worth mentioning."
"You didn't think infertility would be worth mentioning?" Long pinched the bridge of his nose, and leaned forward on his desk. "Juliet, don't get me wrong, this truly is quite a remarkable story. But you have to understand that from where I'm sitting, I'm having some trouble piecing together certain facts; why would you be involved in this? How did you get involved? Were there more people who were being tested on like you?"
"Evan," she put her arms on the desk, mirroring him. "I can't talk about the experiments, or who performed them," she lied. "And I didn't mention it, because–" she looked away, the painful reminder of what had happened in the weeks following her actions bubbled to the surface. It surprised her how much of that faded pain still felt so fresh.
"Because I couldn't."
Long regarded her with calculated suspicion over the rim of his aviator glasses. Then he sighed and pushed himself up from his chair.
"You should have been more forthcoming, Juliet. We could have run our own tests. This island–" he stopped.
"This island, what?" she repeated, knowing full well where he'd intended to go with that line of thought.
"Forget it," he waved the thought away with his hand. "The truth of the matter is that the tests we conduct here are very accurate. If what you're saying is true, then there's only one way to confirm it."
She nodded.
"I understand."
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              DHARMA Initiative: Infirmary, July 1975            
"This is going to be a little cold."
Debra applied the thick blue gel to her belly, squirting it out over her skin with flowery adolescent strokes. She shivered, her bellybutton's repurposed design looking oddly disturbing in all of its crooked glory. Debra laughed.
"First time?"
Juliet nodded, not quite sure how else to respond. She'd been through the motions countless times before: apply the gel, clearly express what the patient can expect, apply the proper amount of pressure to the probe, move it in the longitudinal plane across the belly–
"Longitudinal."
"Sorry?"
"You're holding it wrong."
Debra frowned.
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are," she placed her fingers on top of the young nurse's hand. "Let me show you."
Debra started to protest, but Juliet was already moving the transducer down to her pubic bone. She applied a little more pressure, and slowly maneuvered the device upward.
"See?"
Almost instantly an image popped up on the monitor.
Debra turned her head, her frown deepened as she scratched her head with her other hand.
"How did you know?"
"Just simple logi–" She trailed; her eyes arrested by the image on the monitor, an unmistakable flutter catching her attention. It appeared at the bottom of the screen, a steady rhythm, corroborated by the rapid thumping that emanated from the monitor's speakers. A heartbeat.
Her hands flew to her mouth.
"Omph! Careful," Debra said.
It was small. So small. She'd almost missed it; the size of a raspberry, and because she knew where to look did she see the tiniest of hands shift ever so slightly into view, showing signs of life that could not possibly be thriving inside her body.
"Oh my–" she whispered.
Up until that moment she'd been so sure. There'd been no morning sickness; no sign or indication of any sort that her body was preparing itself for radical changes. For all intense and purposes the Chlorhydelone should have completely destroyed both of her fallopian tubes and uterus. She hadn't had her period in months, and yet here she was bearing witness to the impossible.
She moved closer to the screen; Debra shifted the probe into a different position to accommodate her better.
"It looks to be about–"
"63 days," Juliet whispered. "9 weeks."
"How–?"
"I just do," she swallowed hard; her breath catching in her throat.
"Well," Debra shrugged, and turned her attention back to the monitor. "It looks healthy. Strong."
"It does," she smiled, betrayed by the tremor in her hand as she reached for the screen. Still captivated by the image, the tightness in her chest continued to expand further and further, until soft drops of relief and sadness carved red roads of opportunity down her cheeks. "It really does."
There was so much that she wished she could say to the young nurse, yet there was so very little she could actually reveal. The DHARMA Initiative would never understand the true power of the island. How it healed the irreparable, cure the terminal, restore fertility. But also, how it could take all of that away in the blink of an eye. Over the years she'd learned how the island acted as some type of enabler, pulling strings on puppets through time and space per Jacob's request. And now, she appeared to be in the eye of its hurricane.
She abruptly pulled her shirt down; the image on the screen cut off.
"Wha–?!" Debra started.
"I have to go."
"We're not done, yet!"
"I can't stay."
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A/N: I am sooo excited to be sharing parts of this story with you guys already! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to drop a line. It's going to be quite a ride. I don't even know how long this story is going to be, but it took me about a month to work out all of the details. I know how it ends! Just don't know how long it will take for me to get there! It will definitely be a Suliet story, but MANY of the other characters will also appear in this story, along with some original characters, like Danny! For every subsequent chapter and section I'll insert a place and time, because if I don't do that it will turn into a mess very quickly. So, I recommend that before you start reading each section you take note of where all of the characters in the story are and at what time!
Other than that, I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter! And if you got this far, thank you so much for reading!
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