FIC: As the World Shuffles Along (Multi-Fandom) October Set
And I have to break out the obscure book warning again (but seriously, why is there no fan base for Eva Ibbotson’s work. I don’t care that they’re stand alone stories rather than a series or anything. I need fandom!).
Title: Down Once More
Fandom: The Secret Countess/A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
Characters: Westerholmes
Timeframe: ~20 years after epilogue (WW2 outbreak)
Theme: This is War - 30 seconds to Mars
~*~
A warning to the people
The good, and the evil
This is war
To the soldier, the civilian
The martyr, the victim
This is war
~*~
The whole household has gathered around the wireless, both upstairs and downstairs, and an air of dread has settled over Mersham.
Everyone knows what is coming. The older inhabitants have already seen war, and they unfortunately feel the same building tension this time as well.
The Earl, grey now starting to streak his dark hair, is unable to meet his wife’s eyes. Too afraid to let those old memories surface. Too afraid that their own children will be marked by war. Anna herself grips his hand, knowing what Rupert is trying to suppress. They both lost family in the Great War. To lose more... to see their children go to war... Anna holds in a sob at the thought.
The Dowager lays her hand on her daughter-in-law’s free hand, sharing a knowing look with the younger woman.
Their eldest son, George after his Uncle, is pale but determined.
Rupert already knows that he will fight, can read it in his son’s set face and stubborn body language.
He already prays for his boy’s safety. He’s still so headstrong at eighteen, but imminently sensible. That, God willing, should carry him through. Though Rupert still longs to tell him he can’t go, he knows it would be remarkably hypocritical of him.
Larissa, Evelyn and Andrew at least were still too young, still at school. Of their safety at least, he and Anna could be more confident.
King George’s words flow over them all, the dreadful certainty of war no longer able to be denied.
The broadcast ended, and the family sat in silence before Anna sought her husband’s embrace.
Once again, their world was going to change forever.
~*~
Title: Cold
Fandom: Amazing Spider Man (movie)
Characters: Peter Parker
Timeframe: George Stacey’s Funeral
Theme: Two Funerals - Battlestar Galactica season 1 soundtrack
~*~
The weather for the funeral of Captain George Stacey is as miserable as the people gathered to bury him.
Peter can see Mrs Stacey barely holding herself together as her husband is given a rifle salute. How long had she dreaded such a day coming to pass?
Gwen is standing beside her, the two boys either side of the two women. Peter would love nothing more than to be with her at the moment, support her, let her know that he still cares.
But dammit, he’d promised.
He hadn’t wanted to make that promise. But he knew there was a truth behind the Captain’s words, much as he hates it. But more to the point, how could he possibly refuse someone who had just stood beside him in this fight, a true hero. You can’t just refuse a hero like Captain Stacey.
Peter wanted to be down there. Technically, it wouldn’t be breaking the promise. He would have to go near Gwen. But she would seek him out.
And he was afraid of her reaction.
The last time he’d talked to her face to face was the day of the attack, at school. Everything had changed since then. Hell, it wouldn’t be too hard for her to blame him for her father’s death (like he was-he’d left the Captain alone with the Lizard, maybe they’d been another way that they didn’t think of...).
So Peter had lurked on the outside of the church, soaked to the bone as he payed his private respects to Captain Stacey, both as Peter Parker and Spiderman.
And he couldn’t help feel that he deserved to feel this uncomfortable.
~*~
Title: Trust
Fandom: Avengers Movie-verse
Characters: Tony Stark
Timeframe: Ironman through to Avengers
Theme: Cold War - X-Men First Class Soundtrack
~*~
Trust is not something that comes easily to Tony Stark.
Even as a child, there were few people he had trusted. His mother. His nanny. His friend at elementary school until he’d moved interstate.
He supposed he trusted his father at some level, despite the relationship that soured and never had the chance to be repaired.
But more than that, he’d come of age surrounded by people that all wanted something from him, rather than actually caring about him as a person. So the people he trusted were few: Obie. Pepper. Rhodey. Jarvis.
Ok, so, Jarvis didn’t really count, seeing as he’d designed the AI, but Tony felt like including him anyway. He almost qualified as human in Tony’s eyes anyway.
The events that went down in the aftermath of Afghanistan and the creation of the suit had left him more shell-shocked than most people realised.
One of the few he’d trusted had turned on him.
In those following weeks, he’d struggled. The public had still been given the story that Stane had died in an accident, and expected Tony to grieve for him. The grief that Tony showed was real. But it wasn’t for the man. It was for the man Tony had thought he knew. Because in hindsight, Tony wonders just how long Stane had been waiting to seize his chance, and the implications made Tony feel sick.
It really was a no-brainer, in his mind at least, to keep the palladium toxicity to himself. No use setting himself up for more trouble. He trusted Pepper and Rhodey, yes, but there was an overlying caution that made him hold back.
(That, and the thought of Pepper’s face crumbling at the news sent a thrill of fear down his spine.)
That SHIELD was asking him to trust them was laughable, but he’d had little choice in the matter in the end. Sure, he hadn’t been burned by them this time, but that wasn’t to say they wouldn’t turn on him later.
It’s his driving need to know everything about something that usually get him into trouble. It used to be about his projects, but now, it’s anything he is involved in. That he hacked into SHEILD shouldn’t have been a surprise, really. How did Fury expect him to blindly put his trust in SHEILD without a little digging, really?
But looking around at this dishevelled team, somehow, he trusts them. He isn’t really sure why.
Apart from apparently fighting aliens and capturing a crazy alien demi-god could really bring people together.
~*~
Title: Best Chance
Fandom: Once Upon A Time
Characters: Emma Swan, Snow White/Mary Margret
Timeframe: “Lady of the Lake“
Theme: The Sad Man With the Box - Doctor Who season 5 soundtrack
~*~
Snow is overwhelmed being in this room.
Emma can see it written all over her face, especially when she starts talking about all the things she would have done in this room.
Emma know in her mind that Snow and Charming loved her, tried to give her what they had thought would be the best chance (and really, it’s not like they knew what sort of world it was they were going to, so her lingering resentment was kinda illogical). But in her heart, there was still traces of doubt.
It was moments like this that reminded her that she’d lost just as much as anyone in Storybrooke. That she had been loved so deeply for such a short time, and then lost. She finds the welling of emotion in her chest uncomfortable.
The thought occurs to Emma that she has no right to sulk and be mad at her parents. Didn’t she give up Henry so he could have his best chance too?
But reconciling her head and her heart is not that simple.
She has had to rely on herself for so long. She isn’t used to having someone put her needs above theirs unconditionally, and it scares her a little.
But she finds, even as an adult, she’s still craving it.
Just as much as she can read that Snow craves being able to be her mother.
Maybe this will work. Even with the messed-up aspects.
~*~
Title: Stories Past
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters: River Son, 11th Doctor, Brian Williams
Timeframe: Post-“Angels of Manhattan”
Theme: Never Let Me Go - Florence + The Machine
~*~
And it's peaceful in the deep
Cathedral where you cannot breathe
No need to pray
No need to speak
~*~
They shouldn’t have stuck around in the graveyard.
But it’s too late to change that now. River has lost her parents once again, and the Doctor has lost more friends.
She at least can contact them again. It’s the Doctor she worries about. She can’t stay with him now. They both need their space to grieve, so to speak.
But there is a visit the Doctor has to make.
He once promised Brian Williams that he’d bring Amy and Rory back safe. He does not like the thought of telling Brian that they aren’t coming back.
River has come with him for this last trip to Leadsworth.
Brian is relatively unfussed by the TARDIS appearance in his living room, but his face shifts when Amy and Rory fail to appear.
“What happened, Doctor?” he asks quietly.
The Doctor and River do their best to explain New York, and luckily Brian seems to be following it. They left out how exactly they’d broken the paradox at Winter Quay, though.
Brian’s face is still pale as he mulls over the information.
“They are alive, though?” he whispers.
River nods. “Yes, they are alive,” she confirms.
“But they can’t come back here.”
“I’m sorry,” River replied sadly.
The three sat in silence for a while, before Brian looked at River suddenly and asked “And who are you?”
River’s mouth twisted in to a wry smile. “It’s complicated,” she warned. “But I’m your granddaughter.”
Brian just blinked at her, disbelief written on his face.
“We’ll need a while to get through this story...”
~*~
Oh, Doctor Who... I can’t even decide what I feel about Angels of Manhattan. *flail* But dammit, I want Brian and River to meet!
Title: Down Once More
Fandom: The Secret Countess/A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
Characters: Westerholmes
Timeframe: ~20 years after epilogue (WW2 outbreak)
Theme: This is War - 30 seconds to Mars
~*~
A warning to the people
The good, and the evil
This is war
To the soldier, the civilian
The martyr, the victim
This is war
~*~
The whole household has gathered around the wireless, both upstairs and downstairs, and an air of dread has settled over Mersham.
Everyone knows what is coming. The older inhabitants have already seen war, and they unfortunately feel the same building tension this time as well.
The Earl, grey now starting to streak his dark hair, is unable to meet his wife’s eyes. Too afraid to let those old memories surface. Too afraid that their own children will be marked by war. Anna herself grips his hand, knowing what Rupert is trying to suppress. They both lost family in the Great War. To lose more... to see their children go to war... Anna holds in a sob at the thought.
The Dowager lays her hand on her daughter-in-law’s free hand, sharing a knowing look with the younger woman.
Their eldest son, George after his Uncle, is pale but determined.
Rupert already knows that he will fight, can read it in his son’s set face and stubborn body language.
He already prays for his boy’s safety. He’s still so headstrong at eighteen, but imminently sensible. That, God willing, should carry him through. Though Rupert still longs to tell him he can’t go, he knows it would be remarkably hypocritical of him.
Larissa, Evelyn and Andrew at least were still too young, still at school. Of their safety at least, he and Anna could be more confident.
King George’s words flow over them all, the dreadful certainty of war no longer able to be denied.
The broadcast ended, and the family sat in silence before Anna sought her husband’s embrace.
Once again, their world was going to change forever.
~*~
Title: Cold
Fandom: Amazing Spider Man (movie)
Characters: Peter Parker
Timeframe: George Stacey’s Funeral
Theme: Two Funerals - Battlestar Galactica season 1 soundtrack
~*~
The weather for the funeral of Captain George Stacey is as miserable as the people gathered to bury him.
Peter can see Mrs Stacey barely holding herself together as her husband is given a rifle salute. How long had she dreaded such a day coming to pass?
Gwen is standing beside her, the two boys either side of the two women. Peter would love nothing more than to be with her at the moment, support her, let her know that he still cares.
But dammit, he’d promised.
He hadn’t wanted to make that promise. But he knew there was a truth behind the Captain’s words, much as he hates it. But more to the point, how could he possibly refuse someone who had just stood beside him in this fight, a true hero. You can’t just refuse a hero like Captain Stacey.
Peter wanted to be down there. Technically, it wouldn’t be breaking the promise. He would have to go near Gwen. But she would seek him out.
And he was afraid of her reaction.
The last time he’d talked to her face to face was the day of the attack, at school. Everything had changed since then. Hell, it wouldn’t be too hard for her to blame him for her father’s death (like he was-he’d left the Captain alone with the Lizard, maybe they’d been another way that they didn’t think of...).
So Peter had lurked on the outside of the church, soaked to the bone as he payed his private respects to Captain Stacey, both as Peter Parker and Spiderman.
And he couldn’t help feel that he deserved to feel this uncomfortable.
~*~
Title: Trust
Fandom: Avengers Movie-verse
Characters: Tony Stark
Timeframe: Ironman through to Avengers
Theme: Cold War - X-Men First Class Soundtrack
~*~
Trust is not something that comes easily to Tony Stark.
Even as a child, there were few people he had trusted. His mother. His nanny. His friend at elementary school until he’d moved interstate.
He supposed he trusted his father at some level, despite the relationship that soured and never had the chance to be repaired.
But more than that, he’d come of age surrounded by people that all wanted something from him, rather than actually caring about him as a person. So the people he trusted were few: Obie. Pepper. Rhodey. Jarvis.
Ok, so, Jarvis didn’t really count, seeing as he’d designed the AI, but Tony felt like including him anyway. He almost qualified as human in Tony’s eyes anyway.
The events that went down in the aftermath of Afghanistan and the creation of the suit had left him more shell-shocked than most people realised.
One of the few he’d trusted had turned on him.
In those following weeks, he’d struggled. The public had still been given the story that Stane had died in an accident, and expected Tony to grieve for him. The grief that Tony showed was real. But it wasn’t for the man. It was for the man Tony had thought he knew. Because in hindsight, Tony wonders just how long Stane had been waiting to seize his chance, and the implications made Tony feel sick.
It really was a no-brainer, in his mind at least, to keep the palladium toxicity to himself. No use setting himself up for more trouble. He trusted Pepper and Rhodey, yes, but there was an overlying caution that made him hold back.
(That, and the thought of Pepper’s face crumbling at the news sent a thrill of fear down his spine.)
That SHIELD was asking him to trust them was laughable, but he’d had little choice in the matter in the end. Sure, he hadn’t been burned by them this time, but that wasn’t to say they wouldn’t turn on him later.
It’s his driving need to know everything about something that usually get him into trouble. It used to be about his projects, but now, it’s anything he is involved in. That he hacked into SHEILD shouldn’t have been a surprise, really. How did Fury expect him to blindly put his trust in SHEILD without a little digging, really?
But looking around at this dishevelled team, somehow, he trusts them. He isn’t really sure why.
Apart from apparently fighting aliens and capturing a crazy alien demi-god could really bring people together.
~*~
Title: Best Chance
Fandom: Once Upon A Time
Characters: Emma Swan, Snow White/Mary Margret
Timeframe: “Lady of the Lake“
Theme: The Sad Man With the Box - Doctor Who season 5 soundtrack
~*~
Snow is overwhelmed being in this room.
Emma can see it written all over her face, especially when she starts talking about all the things she would have done in this room.
Emma know in her mind that Snow and Charming loved her, tried to give her what they had thought would be the best chance (and really, it’s not like they knew what sort of world it was they were going to, so her lingering resentment was kinda illogical). But in her heart, there was still traces of doubt.
It was moments like this that reminded her that she’d lost just as much as anyone in Storybrooke. That she had been loved so deeply for such a short time, and then lost. She finds the welling of emotion in her chest uncomfortable.
The thought occurs to Emma that she has no right to sulk and be mad at her parents. Didn’t she give up Henry so he could have his best chance too?
But reconciling her head and her heart is not that simple.
She has had to rely on herself for so long. She isn’t used to having someone put her needs above theirs unconditionally, and it scares her a little.
But she finds, even as an adult, she’s still craving it.
Just as much as she can read that Snow craves being able to be her mother.
Maybe this will work. Even with the messed-up aspects.
~*~
Title: Stories Past
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters: River Son, 11th Doctor, Brian Williams
Timeframe: Post-“Angels of Manhattan”
Theme: Never Let Me Go - Florence + The Machine
~*~
And it's peaceful in the deep
Cathedral where you cannot breathe
No need to pray
No need to speak
~*~
They shouldn’t have stuck around in the graveyard.
But it’s too late to change that now. River has lost her parents once again, and the Doctor has lost more friends.
She at least can contact them again. It’s the Doctor she worries about. She can’t stay with him now. They both need their space to grieve, so to speak.
But there is a visit the Doctor has to make.
He once promised Brian Williams that he’d bring Amy and Rory back safe. He does not like the thought of telling Brian that they aren’t coming back.
River has come with him for this last trip to Leadsworth.
Brian is relatively unfussed by the TARDIS appearance in his living room, but his face shifts when Amy and Rory fail to appear.
“What happened, Doctor?” he asks quietly.
The Doctor and River do their best to explain New York, and luckily Brian seems to be following it. They left out how exactly they’d broken the paradox at Winter Quay, though.
Brian’s face is still pale as he mulls over the information.
“They are alive, though?” he whispers.
River nods. “Yes, they are alive,” she confirms.
“But they can’t come back here.”
“I’m sorry,” River replied sadly.
The three sat in silence for a while, before Brian looked at River suddenly and asked “And who are you?”
River’s mouth twisted in to a wry smile. “It’s complicated,” she warned. “But I’m your granddaughter.”
Brian just blinked at her, disbelief written on his face.
“We’ll need a while to get through this story...”
~*~
Oh, Doctor Who... I can’t even decide what I feel about Angels of Manhattan. *flail* But dammit, I want Brian and River to meet!