Fic: Five Days Gone Epilogue [DCU--Tim/Cissie]
Title: Five Days Gone
Authors: lady_sarai, zoe_chan
Continuity: Future AU.
Word Count: Total length: 31,500 This chapter: 1,800
Pairing/Characters: Tim/Cissie, Bruce, Dick, Kon, Bart
Rating/Warnings: Teen for language
Disclaimer: We do not own anything or anyone. We promise.
Note: As stated--this takes place in the future. Bart and Kon are alive (it's very handwavey as to how), Tim and Cissie are married. Tim has given up Robin and become Kestrel.
Summary: Cissie gets kidnapped.
Epilogue: November 25th
For the second day in a row, Cissie woke up and stumbled to the bathroom. She barely paused long enough to flip the light switch before she dropped to her knees in front of the toilet and started heaving. When she stopped throwing up, she registered the sound of water running and she propped her elbows up on the toilet seat, shoving her hands into her hair. She felt Tim’s hand on the back of her head and took a shaky breath. “I’m okay,” she told him weakly.
"Hmm," he murmured noncommittally. He offered her a damp washcloth and a glass of water. "I have to admit, I have my concerns. This-" he raised an eyebrow at her as she kneeled over the toilet. "Does not look like okay."
Rinsing her mouth, she spat into the toilet and sat back on her heels. Tim took the glass back and she pressed the washcloth over her face with a sigh. She shivered a little and her stomach churned. “It’s probably just the flu,” she managed.
"You think?" he asked mildly.
“I-” She stopped, pressing her mouth shut in a tight line, breathing slowly through her nose. When the wave of nausea passed, she leaned sideways against Tim. She blinked against sudden hot tears and muttered almost under her breath, “I hope so.”
He rubbed her back in small circles. "Me too, but…" he sighed. "I think I'd like to be sure."
“What do you mean?”
"You need to see a doctor, Ciss."
She whimpered and turned her face into his shoulder. “I don’t want to.”
He wrapped his arms around her. "I know, honey. But you need to."
She shivered again. “I just-when’s it going to end, Tim?” she whispered, pressing closer. “It’s not fair.”
“It's not," he whispered into her hair. "But we need to make sure you're okay, and that means we need to get you to the doctor's."
She took another slow, deep breath and finally nodded against his shoulder. “Okay.”
"Okay," Tim agreed. He hesitated a moment. "How does eight thirty sound?"
Cissie sighed against him. “You already made an appointment.” It wasn’t a question.
He winced. "Please don't be mad. I just wanted to make sure we got you in today."
She shook her head. “It’s okay,” she murmured. “But-can you help me back to bed for a few hours, then?”
He nodded. "I can do that." He helped her to her feet and back to the bedroom. While she lay down and settled herself back into bed, Tim went back to the bathroom and pulled the mop bucket out of the little closet where they kept the cleaning supplies. He filled it partway with water in the bathtub and brought it into the bedroom to set beside Cissie. "Just in case," he said, smiling a little.
She smiled weakly at him and caught his hand, squeezing it. “Thank you,” she murmured, closing her eyes and beginning to drift off. “Love you.”
"Love you, too," he said, smoothing her hair back over her ear. She was already asleep.
~*~
Cissie sat on the table in the examining room, gripping Tim’s hand a bit harder than strictly necessary. “I can’t believe you got me an appointment before hours,” she grumbled.
“It is an emergency.”
She sighed, but Tim was spared her reply when the door opened and Dr. Williams came in. She smiled kindly at them, shutting the door behind her and setting the chart on the desk. “Well, no offense, but I was kind of hoping not to see you again so soon. What seems to be the problem?”
"Cissie woke up sick yesterday and this morning," said Tim when Cissie didn't respond.
She grimaced. “It’s probably the flu,” she muttered.
Dr. Williams nodded, glancing over her chart. “It’s possible,” she said, “but it’s good to be cautious.”
"Thank you," Tim murmured mildly.
Cissie frowned at the floor and let go of Tim’s hand to rub her palms on her thighs. “So what is it, then?”
"Well," Dr. Williams began slowly. "We won't know until we have a look at you. But I need to ask a few questions first. When did this start?"
Cissie bit her lip and squeezed her hands together. “I threw up yesterday and this morning,” she said slowly. She avoided looking at Tim, focusing on the rug. “But I started feeling nauseous three… maybe four days ago. And I’ve been feeling kind of… tired all week.”
Tim frowned, but didn't speak. Dr. Williams nodded slowly. "I see. And do you know if you've been in contact with anyone recently who's had the flu?"
Cissie hesitated and then shook her head slowly. “I don’t think so. I mean-I work with kids, and I don’t see the same ones every day, so you never know. But not that I can think of.”
Dr. Williams set her chart down again and leaned forward in her chair. “Is it possible that you might be pregnant?”
Cissie blinked at her and then gave a short laugh. “Pregnant? No. I’m not pregnant.”
Tim opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again, looking thoughtful. He glanced over at Cissie, frowning a little. "Are you sure?"
She looked at him. “Of course-” She stopped abruptly, eyes widening. She glanced at the doctor and then back at Tim, reaching for his hand again. “But we-I’m on the pill, and we-I can’t be,” she murmured weakly. “Can I?”
Tim hesitated. "Cissie," he began slowly. "I don't think you've been on the pill since you got back, have you?"
“I… No,” she said. She frowned, thinking. “I’ve been waiting… but we’ve used condoms and-” She squeezed Tim’s hand. “Do you think…?”
"I think… there might have been a time or two we didn't use a condom. I think it's possible."
Cissie was silent for several moments. “Oh my god,” she whispered.
Dr. Williams stood up, smiling. “Well, I think our first step is to get you a pregnancy test. I’ll be right back,” she said, leaving and closing the door behind her.
Cissie looked, bewildered, at Tim. She opened her mouth and shut it again, speechless.
He grimaced. "Yeah, I know," he agreed.
She tugged on his hand. “I didn’t think… I never thought of that.”
Tim shook his head slowly. "Me either. I think… I was completely in worst case scenarios."
She nodded. “I know, me too. I-I know I’m late, but I thought that was-you know. Because of everything,” she finished weakly.
Tim gave a little half-smile. "I have to admit, I wasn't really thinking about it."
Cissie gave a shaky laugh and pressed a hand to her face. After a minute she said, “Tim. What if I am?” She paused and under her breath muttered, “What if I’m not?”
Tim pulled her into his arms. "Whatever happens, it will be okay. I promise."
She put her arms around him and sighed into his shoulder. “Okay.”
~*~
An hour later, they returned to the apartment and Cissie watched Tim set everything the doctor had given them on the coffee table. The shock was beginning to wear off and she was starting to worry about Tim. She put away her shoes and watched him for a minute. “Tim?”
"Hmm?" he glanced over at her, looking slightly dazed.
“You haven’t… said much,” she said slowly. “What-are you okay?”
He blinked a couple of times in surprise. "Me? I'm fine. I'm great." He smiled. "How are you?"
“Um.” She stopped, thinking. “I’m good.” She laughed a little. “Surprised. But… Good.” She looked at Tim and smiled slowly. “Did that really just happen?”
Tim nodded slowly. "Yeah… I think it did. Are-are we going to be parents?"
Cissie gave a small laugh. “I-I think we are.” She crossed the room and looked at the pile of pamphlets on the table. “Wow.”
"Wow," Tim agreed. "You want to look at these or just forget about the responsible stuff and celebrate?"
She looked up at him and grinned slowly. “I think-maybe-we should celebrate.” She stepped closer to him, putting her arms around his waist. “Are you-sure you’re okay with this?”
"Am I…" he laughed. "I'm scared out of my mind-I'd be crazy if I weren't-but, yeah. I'm okay with it. I'm… yeah. I'm more than okay."
Her grin widened and she hugged him. “Me too. Tim.” She laughed a little. “A baby. Oh, my God.”
"I know. I never even thought…" He laughed again. "This… is so cool."
She pulled back to look at him. “It is cool,” she agreed. “And terrifying. And exciting. And surprising.” She shook her head. “I didn’t think we’d leave with good news.”
"Me either." He gave her a lopsided grin. "It's nice to not be the universe's dumping ground for once, huh?"
She laughed and reached up to take his face in her hands. “God, yes,” she murmured, and pulled him in for a kiss. “I know we hadn’t discussed having kids yet, but-I’m really happy, Tim,” she admitted.
"I am, too. So…" he grimaced. "Does celebrating mean we have to tell our families?"
She frowned a little. “I think… we can keep this to ourselves for a little while.” She hooked her arms behind his neck and gave him a small smile. “We’ve barely known for an hour. And-we’ve had so much bad news. I’d… kind of like to hold onto this for a little while. Just us.” She hesitated. “Is that okay?”
"More than okay-I think it's an excellent plan."
Cissie smiled, relieved. “Good. So. How do you want to celebrate?”
"Well, I have a couple of options," Tim said with a smile. "But all of them involve us calling out sick from work today."
She grinned up at him. “Well-I was sick this morning. And we did go to the doctor’s. And besides-it’s not everyday you find out you’re going to be a Daddy.”
A foolish grin split Tim's face. He laughed. "You're… right." He laughed again.
She laughed with him and hugged him. “So let’s call out. What are our options for celebrating?”
"Well, sparkling cider, movies, and cuddling on the couch. Alternatively," Tim laughed again. "Sparkling cider, baby stuff catalogues, and name books."
Cissie beamed. “All of the above?” She laughed again, feeling giddy, and hugged Tim closer. “I am so happy,” she murmured into his neck.
He smiled into her hair. "Me too."
Authors: lady_sarai, zoe_chan
Continuity: Future AU.
Word Count: Total length: 31,500 This chapter: 1,800
Pairing/Characters: Tim/Cissie, Bruce, Dick, Kon, Bart
Rating/Warnings: Teen for language
Disclaimer: We do not own anything or anyone. We promise.
Note: As stated--this takes place in the future. Bart and Kon are alive (it's very handwavey as to how), Tim and Cissie are married. Tim has given up Robin and become Kestrel.
Summary: Cissie gets kidnapped.
Epilogue: November 25th
For the second day in a row, Cissie woke up and stumbled to the bathroom. She barely paused long enough to flip the light switch before she dropped to her knees in front of the toilet and started heaving. When she stopped throwing up, she registered the sound of water running and she propped her elbows up on the toilet seat, shoving her hands into her hair. She felt Tim’s hand on the back of her head and took a shaky breath. “I’m okay,” she told him weakly.
"Hmm," he murmured noncommittally. He offered her a damp washcloth and a glass of water. "I have to admit, I have my concerns. This-" he raised an eyebrow at her as she kneeled over the toilet. "Does not look like okay."
Rinsing her mouth, she spat into the toilet and sat back on her heels. Tim took the glass back and she pressed the washcloth over her face with a sigh. She shivered a little and her stomach churned. “It’s probably just the flu,” she managed.
"You think?" he asked mildly.
“I-” She stopped, pressing her mouth shut in a tight line, breathing slowly through her nose. When the wave of nausea passed, she leaned sideways against Tim. She blinked against sudden hot tears and muttered almost under her breath, “I hope so.”
He rubbed her back in small circles. "Me too, but…" he sighed. "I think I'd like to be sure."
“What do you mean?”
"You need to see a doctor, Ciss."
She whimpered and turned her face into his shoulder. “I don’t want to.”
He wrapped his arms around her. "I know, honey. But you need to."
She shivered again. “I just-when’s it going to end, Tim?” she whispered, pressing closer. “It’s not fair.”
“It's not," he whispered into her hair. "But we need to make sure you're okay, and that means we need to get you to the doctor's."
She took another slow, deep breath and finally nodded against his shoulder. “Okay.”
"Okay," Tim agreed. He hesitated a moment. "How does eight thirty sound?"
Cissie sighed against him. “You already made an appointment.” It wasn’t a question.
He winced. "Please don't be mad. I just wanted to make sure we got you in today."
She shook her head. “It’s okay,” she murmured. “But-can you help me back to bed for a few hours, then?”
He nodded. "I can do that." He helped her to her feet and back to the bedroom. While she lay down and settled herself back into bed, Tim went back to the bathroom and pulled the mop bucket out of the little closet where they kept the cleaning supplies. He filled it partway with water in the bathtub and brought it into the bedroom to set beside Cissie. "Just in case," he said, smiling a little.
She smiled weakly at him and caught his hand, squeezing it. “Thank you,” she murmured, closing her eyes and beginning to drift off. “Love you.”
"Love you, too," he said, smoothing her hair back over her ear. She was already asleep.
~*~
Cissie sat on the table in the examining room, gripping Tim’s hand a bit harder than strictly necessary. “I can’t believe you got me an appointment before hours,” she grumbled.
“It is an emergency.”
She sighed, but Tim was spared her reply when the door opened and Dr. Williams came in. She smiled kindly at them, shutting the door behind her and setting the chart on the desk. “Well, no offense, but I was kind of hoping not to see you again so soon. What seems to be the problem?”
"Cissie woke up sick yesterday and this morning," said Tim when Cissie didn't respond.
She grimaced. “It’s probably the flu,” she muttered.
Dr. Williams nodded, glancing over her chart. “It’s possible,” she said, “but it’s good to be cautious.”
"Thank you," Tim murmured mildly.
Cissie frowned at the floor and let go of Tim’s hand to rub her palms on her thighs. “So what is it, then?”
"Well," Dr. Williams began slowly. "We won't know until we have a look at you. But I need to ask a few questions first. When did this start?"
Cissie bit her lip and squeezed her hands together. “I threw up yesterday and this morning,” she said slowly. She avoided looking at Tim, focusing on the rug. “But I started feeling nauseous three… maybe four days ago. And I’ve been feeling kind of… tired all week.”
Tim frowned, but didn't speak. Dr. Williams nodded slowly. "I see. And do you know if you've been in contact with anyone recently who's had the flu?"
Cissie hesitated and then shook her head slowly. “I don’t think so. I mean-I work with kids, and I don’t see the same ones every day, so you never know. But not that I can think of.”
Dr. Williams set her chart down again and leaned forward in her chair. “Is it possible that you might be pregnant?”
Cissie blinked at her and then gave a short laugh. “Pregnant? No. I’m not pregnant.”
Tim opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again, looking thoughtful. He glanced over at Cissie, frowning a little. "Are you sure?"
She looked at him. “Of course-” She stopped abruptly, eyes widening. She glanced at the doctor and then back at Tim, reaching for his hand again. “But we-I’m on the pill, and we-I can’t be,” she murmured weakly. “Can I?”
Tim hesitated. "Cissie," he began slowly. "I don't think you've been on the pill since you got back, have you?"
“I… No,” she said. She frowned, thinking. “I’ve been waiting… but we’ve used condoms and-” She squeezed Tim’s hand. “Do you think…?”
"I think… there might have been a time or two we didn't use a condom. I think it's possible."
Cissie was silent for several moments. “Oh my god,” she whispered.
Dr. Williams stood up, smiling. “Well, I think our first step is to get you a pregnancy test. I’ll be right back,” she said, leaving and closing the door behind her.
Cissie looked, bewildered, at Tim. She opened her mouth and shut it again, speechless.
He grimaced. "Yeah, I know," he agreed.
She tugged on his hand. “I didn’t think… I never thought of that.”
Tim shook his head slowly. "Me either. I think… I was completely in worst case scenarios."
She nodded. “I know, me too. I-I know I’m late, but I thought that was-you know. Because of everything,” she finished weakly.
Tim gave a little half-smile. "I have to admit, I wasn't really thinking about it."
Cissie gave a shaky laugh and pressed a hand to her face. After a minute she said, “Tim. What if I am?” She paused and under her breath muttered, “What if I’m not?”
Tim pulled her into his arms. "Whatever happens, it will be okay. I promise."
She put her arms around him and sighed into his shoulder. “Okay.”
~*~
An hour later, they returned to the apartment and Cissie watched Tim set everything the doctor had given them on the coffee table. The shock was beginning to wear off and she was starting to worry about Tim. She put away her shoes and watched him for a minute. “Tim?”
"Hmm?" he glanced over at her, looking slightly dazed.
“You haven’t… said much,” she said slowly. “What-are you okay?”
He blinked a couple of times in surprise. "Me? I'm fine. I'm great." He smiled. "How are you?"
“Um.” She stopped, thinking. “I’m good.” She laughed a little. “Surprised. But… Good.” She looked at Tim and smiled slowly. “Did that really just happen?”
Tim nodded slowly. "Yeah… I think it did. Are-are we going to be parents?"
Cissie gave a small laugh. “I-I think we are.” She crossed the room and looked at the pile of pamphlets on the table. “Wow.”
"Wow," Tim agreed. "You want to look at these or just forget about the responsible stuff and celebrate?"
She looked up at him and grinned slowly. “I think-maybe-we should celebrate.” She stepped closer to him, putting her arms around his waist. “Are you-sure you’re okay with this?”
"Am I…" he laughed. "I'm scared out of my mind-I'd be crazy if I weren't-but, yeah. I'm okay with it. I'm… yeah. I'm more than okay."
Her grin widened and she hugged him. “Me too. Tim.” She laughed a little. “A baby. Oh, my God.”
"I know. I never even thought…" He laughed again. "This… is so cool."
She pulled back to look at him. “It is cool,” she agreed. “And terrifying. And exciting. And surprising.” She shook her head. “I didn’t think we’d leave with good news.”
"Me either." He gave her a lopsided grin. "It's nice to not be the universe's dumping ground for once, huh?"
She laughed and reached up to take his face in her hands. “God, yes,” she murmured, and pulled him in for a kiss. “I know we hadn’t discussed having kids yet, but-I’m really happy, Tim,” she admitted.
"I am, too. So…" he grimaced. "Does celebrating mean we have to tell our families?"
She frowned a little. “I think… we can keep this to ourselves for a little while.” She hooked her arms behind his neck and gave him a small smile. “We’ve barely known for an hour. And-we’ve had so much bad news. I’d… kind of like to hold onto this for a little while. Just us.” She hesitated. “Is that okay?”
"More than okay-I think it's an excellent plan."
Cissie smiled, relieved. “Good. So. How do you want to celebrate?”
"Well, I have a couple of options," Tim said with a smile. "But all of them involve us calling out sick from work today."
She grinned up at him. “Well-I was sick this morning. And we did go to the doctor’s. And besides-it’s not everyday you find out you’re going to be a Daddy.”
A foolish grin split Tim's face. He laughed. "You're… right." He laughed again.
She laughed with him and hugged him. “So let’s call out. What are our options for celebrating?”
"Well, sparkling cider, movies, and cuddling on the couch. Alternatively," Tim laughed again. "Sparkling cider, baby stuff catalogues, and name books."
Cissie beamed. “All of the above?” She laughed again, feeling giddy, and hugged Tim closer. “I am so happy,” she murmured into his neck.
He smiled into her hair. "Me too."