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ciirceeDead Snippets are things that I wrote as part of a larger fic and then found that it didn't work. This bit was actually going to be the beginning of a larger fic, but I've changed bits and pieces and it doesn't fit now. Parts of this will turn up again (in the fore-mentioned fic) at a later date.
But I wanted an update and I've been too busy to write much, and too tired from picking up extra days at work.
The one thing that I've actually been working on is part of the ficathon and cannot be published yet. Besides which, it is not finished. So there. Make do with what I give you! *cackles evilly before losing interest and wandering off*
“Liam!” Charlie grinned at him. Charlie positively beamed at him. Liam felt his own face split. “Eight pounds at least, according to Jack! My son,” Charlie said proudly, offering out the blanket swaddled infant. Liam took him, felt the weight and the warmth of him.
“What a big fellow you are,” he murmured, laughing with absolute joy as the baby frowned grumpily. “He’s grand, Charlie. How’s Claire?”
“She’s beautiful,” Charlie answered, his face lighting even more if it were possible.
Liam shifted the baby in his arms and felt something cold and hard rasp against his skin. “What’s this?” he asked, twisting the blanket to examine it.
Charlie leaned close, peering at it too. Then he shrugged. “Just the zip. We had to wrap him in my old hoodie.” As he had years and years and years ago, Charlie nudged Liam with his shoulder. “It’s the one you gave me for my birthday. Come in handy, that.”
“Charlie…” Liam looked around and noticed that they were not in a clean, sterile-white hospital. They were in some sort of cave, with a fire guttering close by and stars shining through the jungle trees. “Oh my god,” he whispered.
“Named him William. It’s another form of Liam. Or long for Liam. Not sure which it is. Not that we named him for you, specifically,” Charlie said, as though he hadn’t heard him. “Well, okay, we did name him for you specifically. But Claire says it fits him because he’s a Capricorn. Earth sign and all that. She’s already working on his chart.”
“Oh my god, Charlie,” Liam breathed, hugging the baby tightly. “I did this to you. I didn’t look after you. I let you get lost. Bloody fuck, Charlie, I let you die!”
Charlie scowled. “Watch your language! That’s all I need, for my son’s first words to be curse words. What would everyone say?” He stroked the baby’s forehead. “Don’t you listen to your uncle Liam. He’s a foul-mouthed tosser.”
“Charlie!”
“True, innit?” Charlie smiled and then, to Liam’s surprise, took his face in his hands. “I love you, Liam.” He said, shaking him lightly. “You’re my brother. I know that you love me, and that you always have. You didn’t mean for any of it to happen. It’s all right.” He lifted his hands and reclaimed the baby. “You’d better go. Karen’s calling for you.”
“What?” Liam felt as though somebody had blindfolded him, spun him around, and set him loose without a tail to pin on the donkey.
“Karen. You’ll hear her in a moment.” Charlie turned, walked toward the fire. “Give her my love, yeah?”
“Wait! Charlie!”
“Liam?” He felt Karen’s hands shaking him, warm on his shoulders. “Liam?”
He sat up, the quilt puddling about his waist, and ran his hands through his hair, clutching his head tightly almost afraid that he’d lose it if he didn’t. “Christ, Karen, congratulate me,” he muttered. He lifted his face to look at her. “I’m an uncle.”
But I wanted an update and I've been too busy to write much, and too tired from picking up extra days at work.
The one thing that I've actually been working on is part of the ficathon and cannot be published yet. Besides which, it is not finished. So there. Make do with what I give you! *cackles evilly before losing interest and wandering off*
“Liam!” Charlie grinned at him. Charlie positively beamed at him. Liam felt his own face split. “Eight pounds at least, according to Jack! My son,” Charlie said proudly, offering out the blanket swaddled infant. Liam took him, felt the weight and the warmth of him.
“What a big fellow you are,” he murmured, laughing with absolute joy as the baby frowned grumpily. “He’s grand, Charlie. How’s Claire?”
“She’s beautiful,” Charlie answered, his face lighting even more if it were possible.
Liam shifted the baby in his arms and felt something cold and hard rasp against his skin. “What’s this?” he asked, twisting the blanket to examine it.
Charlie leaned close, peering at it too. Then he shrugged. “Just the zip. We had to wrap him in my old hoodie.” As he had years and years and years ago, Charlie nudged Liam with his shoulder. “It’s the one you gave me for my birthday. Come in handy, that.”
“Charlie…” Liam looked around and noticed that they were not in a clean, sterile-white hospital. They were in some sort of cave, with a fire guttering close by and stars shining through the jungle trees. “Oh my god,” he whispered.
“Named him William. It’s another form of Liam. Or long for Liam. Not sure which it is. Not that we named him for you, specifically,” Charlie said, as though he hadn’t heard him. “Well, okay, we did name him for you specifically. But Claire says it fits him because he’s a Capricorn. Earth sign and all that. She’s already working on his chart.”
“Oh my god, Charlie,” Liam breathed, hugging the baby tightly. “I did this to you. I didn’t look after you. I let you get lost. Bloody fuck, Charlie, I let you die!”
Charlie scowled. “Watch your language! That’s all I need, for my son’s first words to be curse words. What would everyone say?” He stroked the baby’s forehead. “Don’t you listen to your uncle Liam. He’s a foul-mouthed tosser.”
“Charlie!”
“True, innit?” Charlie smiled and then, to Liam’s surprise, took his face in his hands. “I love you, Liam.” He said, shaking him lightly. “You’re my brother. I know that you love me, and that you always have. You didn’t mean for any of it to happen. It’s all right.” He lifted his hands and reclaimed the baby. “You’d better go. Karen’s calling for you.”
“What?” Liam felt as though somebody had blindfolded him, spun him around, and set him loose without a tail to pin on the donkey.
“Karen. You’ll hear her in a moment.” Charlie turned, walked toward the fire. “Give her my love, yeah?”
“Wait! Charlie!”
“Liam?” He felt Karen’s hands shaking him, warm on his shoulders. “Liam?”
He sat up, the quilt puddling about his waist, and ran his hands through his hair, clutching his head tightly almost afraid that he’d lose it if he didn’t. “Christ, Karen, congratulate me,” he muttered. He lifted his face to look at her. “I’m an uncle.”
