Santa has a gift for Marti!!! =D
Title: Everyone likes stories about true love
Written for my friend Marti,
astra2104, for
lost_hohohowith the prompt “Desmond is babysitting for Claire (maybe with a flashback Des/Penny )” Merry Christmas my lovely, I hope you like it!!!
Length: roughly 2000 words
Spoilers: vague ones until 3.06 "I do"
I want to thank the wonderful
keyweegirliefor the beta! See! A team effort! =D
Everyone likes stories about true love
Desmond was sitting on the beach facing the camp, looking at the scene before him and waiting for his cue. He was too far away to hear, but knew exactly what was going on, thanks to of one of those puzzling visions he had at the oddest moments. Jack was trying to convince Claire to lead him to a medical hatch or something, while shunning off Kate who insisted she could show him, and Charlie wanted to play body guard more than he wanted to stay to watch the baby. When too many hands ended up on hips, he got up and went straight to Claire.
"I’ll watch the little man while you go."
Claire looked up at him, bringing Aaron closer to her chest in an involuntary movement of protection.
"What? How…"
He had no patience to explain, especially when everyone had heard about his precognitive ‘abilities’. He wished they would just roll with it and accept him as the island weirdo.
"It’s okay. Sun is feeling sick and John is God knows where. I'll do it."
Claire chewed on her lower lip, obviously tempted while Charlie’s face darkened. Desmond knew the young man though of him as a rival, although he had never done anything, to his knowledge, to deserve it. He smiled at the small boy and took one of his little hands.
"You know Aaron and I get along great, eh?"
And like each time Desmond said his name like that, rolling the ‘r’ and with a very Scottish ‘a’, Aaron had a joyous belly laugh. Real laughter, one that surprises you coming from tiny infants. A happy laugh that has everyone hearing it smiling as well, and that was all it took to reassure Claire.
"Oh, okay then. We shouldn't be long."
"I know."
Desmond answered while picking up the boy that was reaching out for him already. Claire seemed surprised at his ease handling him, no apparent clumsiness or fear that most men show with babies. Desmond grinned at her
"Oldest of six. Trust me, beautiful, I know what I’m doing."
Claire smiled
"I can see that." She then cooed at Aaron, caressing his head. "Mommy is coming back soon, love."
Aaron just made bubbles as a goodbye while Jack hurried everyone to go. Claire looked back a couple of times before they crossed the jungle line, while Charlie pressed her forward with a hand in her lower back. Desmond moved Aaron's little arm to make him wave until he knew that she could not see him anymore. He then took the baby by under the arms so the boy faced him, feet dangling.
"And what do we do now, Aaron?"
The baby laughed again, then put a fist in his mouth and looked at him with his wide blue eyes.
"Want to hear a story?"
The baby did some approving bubbles.
"Excellent. Let’s get comfortable."
Scanning the beach, Desmond's eyes felled on Sawyer’s airplane seat. It would be just fine, if the owner would let him use it. He walked up just as the southerner got out of his tent with a handful of clothes. The tall blonde was scanning the beach, seemingly looking for something or someone himself.
"Hey brother, laundry today?"
Sawyer looked at him with a smirk and his eyebrows shot up in surprise of seeing him with the baby
"Your psychic powers amaze me as always, Yoda. Oh and look at that: it seems you inherited the bundle of joy. How wonderful for you."
Desmond smiled. He liked attitude.
"Yes, Jack needed Claire for a hike and Charlie insisted on going as well."
Sawyer turned to the jungle and rolled his eyes.
"And that explains where Kate is too." He said, exasperated.
"If you are going to do laundry, would you mind if I sit here with the little man?" Desmond asked.
Aaron did happy baby sounds and Sawyer smiled at him, something he rarely did at least that genuinely. Catching himself, he then did a vague gesture towards the airplane seats.
"I don’t see why not… if you leave when I come back."
"That’s perfect. Thank you."
Desmond didn’t wait for Sawyer to go away to settle down and placed Aaron on his lap, head at his knees and facing him.
"Mmmm. It’s been a while since I’ve done this. So, what about…. Let’s see …. a love story, Aaron?"
Predictably, the boy laughed at his name once more, moving his legs with excitement and flapping his arms. Desmond smiled widely at him, thinking he should not over do the name trick if he wanted it to work for a while, but it was hard to resist.
Sawyer’s voice came from inside the tent.
"Got things mixed up, there, Alexander Selkirk. He’s a boy: he’s not into fairy tales."
Desmond laughed.
"Everyone likes stories about true love, brother. Love conquers all."
Sawyer scoffed and came out of his tent with more clothes, many belonging to Kate and stood by them, looking down.
"You shouldn’t put delusions in that poor boy's head. Luckily though, he won’t understand a thing you say."
Aaron looked up at Sawyer, reaching to him with his hand. Sawyer bent and let him grip his finger, smiling again.
"Your nanny Des was all by his lonesome for too long, Aaron." He sing song, and flashes a satisfied grin when the baby laughs at the way he drawl the name too. "Don't worry Huey. Uncle Sawyer will tell you the truth about chicks when you’re old enough to know what to do with them."
Desmond sighed as Sawyer pulled to get his finger out of the little boy’s grip, fighting him softly as he tried to pull it to his mouth. Sawyer gathered all of the clothes and made a bundle, before strolling towards the jungle.
"Have fun, boys!" He said over his shoulder as he went.
"Don’t mind the Grinch, little man. He’s just found love and he’s still unsure how to cope with it. Love is scary for someone that has been hurt."
Aaron looked at him and gurgled.
"Okay, so let’s get on with this story eh? Once upon a time, in place very different than this one, there was a handsome young man that we shall name… erm… Dee. Yes, Dee. Dee had a little room up in an old and cold townhouse in Edinburgh, down in the quarter where the tourists and good people never go."
Aaron had gripped of one of his fingers and was holding on strong, listening carefully, or so it seemed, to the inflexions in his voice. Desmond suddenly longed for wind and cold mists, wondering if he’d never see his homeland again.
"By the way, young one, when you grow up to be a man you have go see Scotland. It will rob you of your soul, and you’ll hurt every second that you are away from it, but it’s well worth it."
The baby tugged on his finger and answered the best he could.
"Aaah ahha"
Desmond smiled, hoping the boy would, one day, get to see more of the world than the hell in a paradise’s disguise this island was.
"Where were we? Ah, yes. Dee was a carefree optimist, even if he was dead broke at the end of most weeks. Note that little man, its important: Dee was poor." The boy was looking at him, fascinated to hear him talk for so long.
"One day, Dee put on his best suit, which was sadly a size too small and had seen better days, and went to the Reid Memorial Church to see the rehearsals of the Edinburgh Symphony Orchestra. Why, do you ask, does Dee go there?" Aaron cooed on cue. "I would like to tell you that he was a connoisseur of classical music, but that’s not it. Our brother Dee is an avid reader though, and he was intrigued by the piece, the tone poem Don Quixote composed by Richard Strauss. But the real reason he went is because his baby sister was rehearsing her first concert as a violinist, and Dee was very proud of her. He would not be able to afford the tickets for the real representation, but he still wanted to show her his support."
Aaron starts kicking a bit, as if he’s getting a bit restless. Desmond let him chew on his finger, and soon the infant has covered it with saliva.
"You are wondering where the love story is, lad? Be patient. We are almost there. Dee had brought a big bag with him and he was sitting down holding it on his knees, looking at the high ceilings, stain glass and magnificent wood carvings in the church. He came early to have a good seat. When the musicians got in their place, his heart swelled with pride to see how pretty and wonderful his sister looked, Dee knew how much she had worked to get there. However when the music started, something magical happened."
The baby is calmer now, sucking on his index finger, eyes still wide and blue, never leaving his mouth.
"Dee had a vision. The music was beautiful in itself, and it did remind him of the novel he loves, but it was the lead cellist that had captured all of his attention. She was sitting in the front, next to the conductor, at stage left. She had hair like gold, her gracious neck angling so her left ear was leaning close to the scroll of the cello. She was totally in the moment, in a trance maybe, her shoulders squared but relaxed, her hands moving freely to produce deep, rich, and vibrant sounds. Dee had to remember to breathe throughout the performance, fascinated by this creature of charm and beauty. He felt desire flow through his blood, envy for the instrument between her knees."
Desmond paused and sighed.
"It was love at first sight. If there was only one thing Dee would be sure of his entire life it was that his soul had been stripped from him in a church. After the concert, he sprang to his feet to clap with all his heart, feeling a bliss he never experienced before, a borderline mystic experience. Dee took the flowers he had bought that night out of his bag and went towards the stage, approaching carefully, hoping the vision would not disappear. As much as he wanted to go directly to the golden cellist, maybe to vouch eternal love, who knows what he would have said at that moment, the flowers were for his sister. If he had to be honest, Dee didn’t even know how she had done, but she looked happy and that was all that mattered. She loved the flowers too, especially since she surely knew it meant he didn’t eat that night."
Aaron eyes were starting to close, lulled by the rhythm of Desmond’s voice. He yawned and Desmond bent down to kiss his forehead lightly, touched by the confidence and abandon of the little boy. The baby grabbed a handful of hair but Desmond untangled his little fingers easily.
"You are tired, little man, you should take a nap. It will make your mother happy."
The large blue eyes were fluttering by then, trying to fight sleep but clearly losing the battle.
"Don’t worry lad: one day I’ll tell you the rest of the story. How the golden cellist was fabulously rich but still fell in love with the poor optimist, just like in a fairy tale. About the villain too, because there is always a villain in epic love stories. One day, I’ll tell you, even if right now, I’m not sure there will be a happy ending."
To help Aaron drift to sleep, Desmond stopped talking and started to hum Don Quixote, or as Strauss had subtitled a part, ‘Fantastic Variations for Large Orchestra on a Theme of Knightly Character". Sometimes, he thought it was the perfect score for his life. If only he hadn’t left to fight whirlwinds, maybe there would have been a happy ever after.
The end