Fic: Dancing With the Devil What If?: Tattoos of Memories
Title: Tattoos of Memories
Series: Dancing With the Devil
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Maggie/Darien, Maggie/Krycek (in the past)
Summary: A prequel to Time of Your Life. Maggie has difficult news to tell Darien.
Disclaimer: The Invisible Man and the characters involved therein belongs to The Sci Fi channel. No copyright infringement intended. I'm just borrowing them for entertainment purposes. Maggie Rourke, Nick Fawkes and anyone else you don't recognize belong to me. Title was borrowed from the Green Day song of the same name.
Author's Note: This fic developed from a prompt in this challenge.
Maggie knocked nervously on Darien's door. She could hear him moving about inside before the locks clicked and the door swung open.
A wide grin spread across Darien's face when he saw her. "Hey, Mags." He leaned forward and tried to kiss her, but she evaded his lips and stepped inside.
"Hi, Darien. We need to talk." She worried at her lip.
Maggie sat on the couch, then bounced back up when Darien sat down next to her, and started pacing. Lights in the apartment flickered as she passed by them.
"Mags, honey, what's wrong?" Darien tried to catch her arm as she wandered past, but she avoided him. The light bulb in the lamp behind her broke with a pop and she jumped, letting out a surprised squeak.
"Oh, God, Dary. I'm sorry," she exclaimed, stopping in her tracks.
Darien grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the couch. "Wait. Just tell me what's wrong."
Maggie looked at Darien with sadness. She took a deep breath, wondering how to begin. "I'm pregnant," she finally blurted out.
A range of emotions crossed Darien's face before it settled into a wide grin. "Maggie, that's wonderful!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around her. She promptly burst into tears. "Not good? Maggie?" he asked, confused.
"I'm sorry, Dary," she sniffed and pulled out of his arms.
"Why're you-"
"It's not yours," she cut him off.
Darien froze. "What?"
Maggie stood up, wiping her tears on her sleeve. She walked to the window, putting space between herself and Darien. "The baby. It's not yours. I had Claire check. He's-"
"Kryeck's," Darien spit out, his eyes filled with malice towards the absent assassin.
"Yeah."
Darien didn't say anything for a while after that. Maggie stared at him, waiting for some kind of response, waiting for something from him.
"Leave. Please," he finally said, voice low and dangerous.
"Darien?" Maggie wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly.
He held up his hands. "Just . . . go." He waved towards the door.
"Yeah, all right." She nodded, trying desperately not to cry again. "I'm . . .I'm sorry." Maggie swallowed hard and walked to the door quickly. She pulled it open and slipped through, rushing down the stairs to her car waiting by the curb outside.
***
Darien stared at the closed door. He couldn't believe what Maggie had just told him.
Fucking Krycek. Despite kidnapping her, almost killing her and generally causing chaos in their lives, he still managed to seduce Maggie and get her pregnant. Maggie wasn't supposed to even be able to get pregnant.
That thought stopped him. Maggie had always said she couldn't have children. Some sort of accident when she was young had caused irreparable damage. Or so everyone had thought. But now... now she had her chance to carry a child, to be a mom. He leaned back against the couch and ran a hand through his hair.
Shit.
What the hell was he going to do? Could he stay with her? Help her raise another man's child? And what if Krycek came back? Would he try to take the baby?
What the hell was he going to do?
***
Somehow Maggie made it home and let herself into the house. How had she expected Darien to react? She'd just told him she was pregnant with another man's baby. She collapsed on the sofa, curling into a ball. Tears slid slowly down her cheeks and drew the throw pillow in against her chest. She had no idea how she could fix this. She couldn't get an abortion. She wasn't even supposed to be able to have children. How could she get rid of possibly her only chance to ever carry a child? And yet, how could she expect Darien to stay with her, help her raise Alex's child?
Maggie watched the sky outside grow darker, unwilling to shift from her ball on the couch. Her phone rang a few times, but she ignored it. She didn't want to talk with anyone. This was a mess of her own making and she needed to solve it on her own.
"Maggie?"
She lifted her head. Darien stood uncertainly in the entry to the living room, face hidden by the shadows thrown across the room by the dying light outside.
"Maggie, I've thought about this."
Maggie sat up, turning to face him. "Darien?"
He held up a hand to stop her. "Just . . . let me say what I have to." She nodded and he continued. "I don't like Krycek. I never will. Most of that has to do with you. So it hurt me when you slept with him. But I was willing to forgive and forget, you know." She heard him inhale sharply, as though the words physically hurt him. "Then you tell me this. How did you expect me to react, Maggie? Did you expect big hugs or something?"
She shook her head. "No. I didn't know what else to do, though, Darien. Would you prefer I lied to you? That I never told you." She felt herself growing irrationally angry. She shouldn't be getting angry. She didn’t have that right.
"Maybe!" he shouted, throwing his hands up. "Why did you even ask Claire? Why didn't you just let it be?" Darien crossed the dark living room and sat down next to her.
"And then what? When we found out in nine months or five years? What would we have done then?" She'd started crying again.
"We would have been happy at least." Darien's voice sounded thick with tears. Maggie wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his shoulder. He leaned into her, letting her support him.
When she spoke, her words were muffled by him. "It would have torn our family apart. This is better, Darien."
He nodded into her arm, but didn't say anything. He put his arms around her waist, holding her tightly. She felt his lips move against her arm, but didn't hear what he said.
She leaned forward so she could see his eyes. "What's that?"
He lifted his head, sadness filling his brown eyes. "I still love you. This isn't going to change that."
"I'm so sorry, Dary." She scooted closer to him, tightening her arms around him.
He nodded. "I know, princess." Darien shifted, leaning back against the arm of the couch, pulling Maggie against his chest. "We'll get through this. You and me, we'll be okay."
Series: Dancing With the Devil
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Maggie/Darien, Maggie/Krycek (in the past)
Summary: A prequel to Time of Your Life. Maggie has difficult news to tell Darien.
Disclaimer: The Invisible Man and the characters involved therein belongs to The Sci Fi channel. No copyright infringement intended. I'm just borrowing them for entertainment purposes. Maggie Rourke, Nick Fawkes and anyone else you don't recognize belong to me. Title was borrowed from the Green Day song of the same name.
Author's Note: This fic developed from a prompt in this challenge.
Maggie knocked nervously on Darien's door. She could hear him moving about inside before the locks clicked and the door swung open.
A wide grin spread across Darien's face when he saw her. "Hey, Mags." He leaned forward and tried to kiss her, but she evaded his lips and stepped inside.
"Hi, Darien. We need to talk." She worried at her lip.
Maggie sat on the couch, then bounced back up when Darien sat down next to her, and started pacing. Lights in the apartment flickered as she passed by them.
"Mags, honey, what's wrong?" Darien tried to catch her arm as she wandered past, but she avoided him. The light bulb in the lamp behind her broke with a pop and she jumped, letting out a surprised squeak.
"Oh, God, Dary. I'm sorry," she exclaimed, stopping in her tracks.
Darien grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the couch. "Wait. Just tell me what's wrong."
Maggie looked at Darien with sadness. She took a deep breath, wondering how to begin. "I'm pregnant," she finally blurted out.
A range of emotions crossed Darien's face before it settled into a wide grin. "Maggie, that's wonderful!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around her. She promptly burst into tears. "Not good? Maggie?" he asked, confused.
"I'm sorry, Dary," she sniffed and pulled out of his arms.
"Why're you-"
"It's not yours," she cut him off.
Darien froze. "What?"
Maggie stood up, wiping her tears on her sleeve. She walked to the window, putting space between herself and Darien. "The baby. It's not yours. I had Claire check. He's-"
"Kryeck's," Darien spit out, his eyes filled with malice towards the absent assassin.
"Yeah."
Darien didn't say anything for a while after that. Maggie stared at him, waiting for some kind of response, waiting for something from him.
"Leave. Please," he finally said, voice low and dangerous.
"Darien?" Maggie wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly.
He held up his hands. "Just . . . go." He waved towards the door.
"Yeah, all right." She nodded, trying desperately not to cry again. "I'm . . .I'm sorry." Maggie swallowed hard and walked to the door quickly. She pulled it open and slipped through, rushing down the stairs to her car waiting by the curb outside.
***
Darien stared at the closed door. He couldn't believe what Maggie had just told him.
Fucking Krycek. Despite kidnapping her, almost killing her and generally causing chaos in their lives, he still managed to seduce Maggie and get her pregnant. Maggie wasn't supposed to even be able to get pregnant.
That thought stopped him. Maggie had always said she couldn't have children. Some sort of accident when she was young had caused irreparable damage. Or so everyone had thought. But now... now she had her chance to carry a child, to be a mom. He leaned back against the couch and ran a hand through his hair.
Shit.
What the hell was he going to do? Could he stay with her? Help her raise another man's child? And what if Krycek came back? Would he try to take the baby?
What the hell was he going to do?
***
Somehow Maggie made it home and let herself into the house. How had she expected Darien to react? She'd just told him she was pregnant with another man's baby. She collapsed on the sofa, curling into a ball. Tears slid slowly down her cheeks and drew the throw pillow in against her chest. She had no idea how she could fix this. She couldn't get an abortion. She wasn't even supposed to be able to have children. How could she get rid of possibly her only chance to ever carry a child? And yet, how could she expect Darien to stay with her, help her raise Alex's child?
Maggie watched the sky outside grow darker, unwilling to shift from her ball on the couch. Her phone rang a few times, but she ignored it. She didn't want to talk with anyone. This was a mess of her own making and she needed to solve it on her own.
"Maggie?"
She lifted her head. Darien stood uncertainly in the entry to the living room, face hidden by the shadows thrown across the room by the dying light outside.
"Maggie, I've thought about this."
Maggie sat up, turning to face him. "Darien?"
He held up a hand to stop her. "Just . . . let me say what I have to." She nodded and he continued. "I don't like Krycek. I never will. Most of that has to do with you. So it hurt me when you slept with him. But I was willing to forgive and forget, you know." She heard him inhale sharply, as though the words physically hurt him. "Then you tell me this. How did you expect me to react, Maggie? Did you expect big hugs or something?"
She shook her head. "No. I didn't know what else to do, though, Darien. Would you prefer I lied to you? That I never told you." She felt herself growing irrationally angry. She shouldn't be getting angry. She didn’t have that right.
"Maybe!" he shouted, throwing his hands up. "Why did you even ask Claire? Why didn't you just let it be?" Darien crossed the dark living room and sat down next to her.
"And then what? When we found out in nine months or five years? What would we have done then?" She'd started crying again.
"We would have been happy at least." Darien's voice sounded thick with tears. Maggie wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his shoulder. He leaned into her, letting her support him.
When she spoke, her words were muffled by him. "It would have torn our family apart. This is better, Darien."
He nodded into her arm, but didn't say anything. He put his arms around her waist, holding her tightly. She felt his lips move against her arm, but didn't hear what he said.
She leaned forward so she could see his eyes. "What's that?"
He lifted his head, sadness filling his brown eyes. "I still love you. This isn't going to change that."
"I'm so sorry, Dary." She scooted closer to him, tightening her arms around him.
He nodded. "I know, princess." Darien shifted, leaning back against the arm of the couch, pulling Maggie against his chest. "We'll get through this. You and me, we'll be okay."