Will's History

[William Blake]

Earth
12th February 2457

Will felt like he was living in a farce today - the day of his father's funeral. He hadn't quite made up his mind about how he felt yet; it had come as a surprise that the tyrant who made his life a living hell was no longer in the land of the living - he felt like it should be a welcome surprise, one that he should embrace and enjoy, but part of him was still unsettled, discontent, and he wasn't sure why.

His first instinct was to completely blow off the funeral altogether, they were supposed to be for paying your respects (yeah, right) and for closure, which Will believed he didn't need. Then he was asked to write a eulogy which he would read out loud at the funeral, and for appearance's sake, he agreed. I had taken a while to write an A4 page of lies, but he was ready to get this over and done with.

The church was packed with his father's so-called friends and colleagues, the majority of which Will couldn't ever recall meeting. The minister was reciting some old chapter of the bible which was supposed to relate to his father's life in some way, but Will wasn't paying attention. He was sitting, staring at the folded piece of paper in his hands, the lies he would speak, the secrets he would keep.

As he stood at the altar, he could feel all the eyes in the room staring at him expectantly. He unfolded the paper and glanced at it, taking a breath. This was the moment, all he had to do was read the piece of paper, and as soon as this was all over, he could walk away and never look back. Only, that discontented feeling was beginning to surface again. Part of him was tired of hiding, tired of lying for his father's sake when his father hadn't done him any favours and was long gone.

Carefully, he folded away the piece of paper and looked at the congregation.

"My father, Henry Blake, was effectively two men. There was the man that you all knew. He was kind, so I've been told, forthright, determined, he had good morals, he was a loving husband who doted on his wife - he was the best man that you all knew, he had all the desirable qualities that you could ask for in an up-and-coming governmental senator, a senator to light the way into the future."

Will took a breath. "Then, there was the man that surfaced after my birth, the man we all feared. He was a tyrant, he treated people poorly, and openly defied the laws he was supposed to be upholding; he drank like a fish, smoked like a chimney, and I lost track of the types and amounts of illegal substances I found around the house. We pretended not to notice, to treat him with the respect he supposedly deserved, we put up with him, let him do what he wanted because we were too afraid of what he might do to us if we defied his 'authority'."

"Some of us knew both of these men, the lucky few only the former. I only knew the latter, the man we feared. I'm sorry I didn't know the man you all knew, but I'm sure as hell glad the man we all feared is gone."

-x-

Will managed about ten minutes of the reception before he had to get out of there. He couldn't take the pity of the big eyes of concern any longer; it had been getting steadily worse since his speech, and had reached its peak. His hands were clammy, the back of his neck itched uncomfortably, and the next thing he knew he was breaking out into the open air and sprinting away down the street.

He needed to clear his head, and the only way he knew how to do that was through his free running. He ditched his jacket and tie, pulling open the top couple of buttons on his shirt before leaping over a wall and up a flight of stairs. He could feel his muscles flexing and straining as he jumped, dived, climbed, using his body and his surroundings to free his mind of the thoughts, of the emotions he was feeling - or, at least, he thought he was.

Will was on the tops of the buildings now, his mind racing. As he was about to spring from the roof of one building to the next, his foot got caught on the edge of the roof and he soared over the edge, arms flailing as he desperately reached out for something to grab onto - his fingers touched metal, and he grabbed on tightly, his ribs colliding with the iron staircase. He let out a groan, his fingers slipping, so he dropped to the floor, his feet hitting the tarmac briefly before he fell backwards.

Will lay there with his arms around himself, his eyes tightly shut, the pain in his legs and his ribs nothing in comparison to the one rising in his chest. A sob escaped his throat, and he brought his hands up to cover his face as he writhed on the floor, years of anger, upset, and hurt erupting from his body. Today was too much. Today, he couldn't cope.

[William Blake]

Earth
25th December 2460

Will had gone from the trouble making smart-arse, to the bottom of the heap on the move from senior school to university, what with graduating a year early, and being a year younger than everyone else. In his first couple of days he met a third year called Joe, who took Will under his wing and became a sort of big brother to him. They've been good friends ever since. Will introduced Joe to Fiona, who Joe married right out of university (she was seven months pregnant at the time), and they now had two girls - Charlotte and Jane, who Will was Godfather to. Joe lived in Canada with his family, and the year before Will was due to set off on the Venia, they invited him for Christmas. It took a fair amount of arm twisting, and a couple of phone calls from the girls to get him to agree. Joe knew they were Will's weakness.

Canada was kind enough to give them a white Christmas, and, as expected, Will was woken by the sound of screaming children bouncing all over his bed.

"Wake up!"

"We can't have our presents till you get up, Uncle Will."

"Yeah! We want our presents!"

"Uncle Will needs five more minutes," he groaned.

"No more minutes!"

"Now! Now!"

"Now!"

"All right," he growled, seizing a girl under each arm, getting up off the bed amidst a chorus of screams and giggles, "you want your presents huh?" he said, spinning them round, "you want your presents?"

"Yes!" they said in unison.

"Then go get them."

Will let them down and they both scuttled out of the room, giving him a chance to pull some jeans and a jumper on - it was freezing cold at 7 am in this house - before heading out of the spare room through to the kitchen in search of coffee. Joe was already in there with a mug full.

"The girls get you?"

"Like you knew they would," Will said, helping himself to coffee.

"We had an inkling they might."

"Oh, you had more than an inkling. If you and Fi think you're getting any presents now, you're sadly mistaken."

"We'll be distraught, I'm sure," Fi said as she entered the kitchen.

"You'd better be."

After a couple of mugs of coffee, Will was awake enough to watch Charlie and Janey tear open their wrapping paper and gush over their new presents. Then it was his job to keep the girls amused while Joe and Fi got everything ready for Christmas dinner.

Will decided to take them both ice skating on a nearby pond, that would get them away from the house long enough. Snow gently fell from the sky as they carved up the ice, Will giving them gentle pushes, spinning them round, and lifting them up into the air, having a great time. Will wasn't that great with relationships, but when it came to these two girls, he adored them, almost like they were his own.

Janey was sitting out on the snow to the side of the pond, complaining that her feet hurt while Charlie skated circles around Will. That was when Will heard a harrowing sound. The ice let out a piercing crack and the next thing he knew, both he and Charlie were plunging into the ice cold water. The temperature of the water felt like his body was being stabbed all over by tiny knifes, his body convulsed, he was in so much physical pain - then he remembered Charlie.

Emerging above the surface, Janey's screams filled his ears, followed by the gasping and splashing of Charlie, not a foot away from him. He reached out with his arm, trying to get a firm grasp on her, his fingers barely missing as she sunk beneath the surface. He dove down, peering through the murky water to find Charlie sinking, panic in her eyes. He latched onto her arm, pulling her close as he swam back to the surface.

He paddled to the bank, everything a blur, hoisting Charlie out onto the bank first before pulling himself out.

"Jane," he said, his teeth chattering, "get your Dad, now."

Janey nodded and took off as fast as she could back to the house, screaming for Joe all the way. Will could see Charlie fading, and he would have pulled her close, but his body was like a giant block of ice, shaking terribly.

"S-Stay w-wtih me C-Charlie," he pleaded, his own vision blurring as he touched her face, "d-don't... d-die."

Everything went black.

-x-

Will awoke in a hospital bed, machines around him beeping as someone small cuddled into his chest. Will gently reached up to stroke Janey's hair, looking across to see Joe sitting in a chair beside the bed, his head in his hands.

"Joe," Will croaked, his throat felt like gravel.

Joe looked up at Will, letting out a sigh.

"Charlie?" Will asked. Joe's eyes were red, Will assumed the worst.

"It was a bit rocky for a while there," Joe said, "but she's stable now. Woke up a little while ago, Fi's with her. She keeps asking about you."

Will nodded, a sense of relief washing over him.

"If you hadn't got her out of the water so quickly, the doctors said she wouldn't have made it." Joe sat forward in his chair, "Fi and I-"

"Don't thank me," Will told him, "it was my fault we were out on that ice in the first. I should have tested it, or taken them to a proper ice rink..."

"Will," Joe said, patting Will's arm, "it wasn't your fault. And, regardless, we owe you for our daughter. If it wasn't for you, we would have fallen apart. So-"

"Joe-"

"Thank you."

Will closed his eyes as they stung with tears, and eventually he murmured, "you're welcome."

-x-

It was the middle of the night, and although Will had been given orders to stay in bed, he'd slipped on a dressing gown over his (humiliating) robe and made his way across the corridor to Charlie's room. He'd never been very good at following orders. He opened the door a crack to find Charlie in bed sniffling, the bedside light on, a book under her nose - as per usual. She looked up from her book and sniffed loudly, her nose bunged up.

"Uncle Will," she said with a small but sincere smile, "you're okay."

"Right as rain," he lied, his body still aching all over, "and you've never looked better."

Charlie giggled, but it dissolved into a rasping cough, "what are you doing in here?"

He moved to sit on the edge of the bed, "I wanted to see that you were okay. Believe me when I say that there aren't many people I'd wander the halls of a hospital in a dress for," he smiled at her, tickling her under the chin.

Charlie giggled again, squirming before grabbing his finger, her grip remarkably strong considering her condition.

Will looked away from her for a moment, taking a breath, "I'm sorry I put you in danger," he said, closing his fingers around her tiny hand, "I shouldn't have, and I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Uncle Will," she said, before adding with a smile, "you're still my hero."

Will sniffed, looking across at her, returning her smile, "good to know." Slowly, he climbed to his feet, then reached over and kissed her on the forehead. "Sleep tight."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite."

[William Blake]

Earth
1st July 2452

It was 7:32 on a school morning and the master plan was already under way. Will and his friends were trying their most daring prank ever, and they were almost finished. Once they were done, they scampered back to their rooms to get changed into their uniforms and went for breakfast, angelic looks upon their faces. They'd barely got through a round of toast before they heard a cry, followed by laughter. All the boys in the hall looked round to see what was happening, only to hear, "MY CAR!"

None of them could resist any longer. The boys swarmed towards the door and out into the courtyard to find their science teacher, Eames Richards, going purple in the face while he stared up at his car which was wedged halfway up the flag pole like a piece of chicken on a skewer. Laughter and cheering erupted and Will high-fived his friends, enjoying this moment seeing their prank a success.

"WILLIAM BLAKE!"

"Oh wow, he's mad."

"This has your finger prints ALL over this," Richards yelled, "get here right now young man, before I drag you here myself."

"I'd like to see him try," Will snorted, heading to, essentially, meet his maker.

Richards escorted him to the Headmaster's office where he was rushed straight in, and sat down while Richards walked about the office, ranting and raving. Will could have sworn he saw a twinkle of amusement in the Headmaster's eye. Wasn't going to get him out of trouble though.

"I think you've figured that you're in a lot of trouble. Your father has been contacted, and he'll be coming here to collect you as you've been suspended for two weeks."

Could have been worse, Will thought about the suspension. Them calling his father though... he was going to need the whole two weeks to recover.

"Those two weeks are for you to think about what you have done. You're a smart boy William, possibly the smartest we've ever had at this school, you could do better."

"Yes, sir."

The journey south from the school was a silent one, with Will and his father sitting as far as possible from each other in the town car. His father didn't hide his distaste for the situation, the inconvenience of having to travel all the way north to the Scottish border from Manchester, and probably for having to hide all the things he didn't want Will to see away in the cupboards. Will would no doubt go around the house later finding them all and switching their positions just to confuse him.

They pulled up the drive and stopped outside the house, one of the only grand estates left in England.

"Study. Five minutes."

Will knew it had been coming. Part of him considered making a break for it, but he knew he wouldn't get far.

The study door stood ominously before him and, as always, he knocked before entering, as if asking permission for what was about to come.

The belt sliced into his skin, opening fresh wounds over old scars. Will gritted his teeth, holding back the burning tears and screams of pain. He would never get used to the pain and he hoped he wouldn't need to - a year, two at the most, and he could escape.

[William Blake]

Earth
18th August 2455

Travelling anywhere with a woman who was 8 and a half months pregnant probably wasn't a good idea, but Will, who had just turned 18 that day, and Joe and Fiona, who were both 22, hadn't exactly been thinking rationally when it came to doing something for Will's birthday. They were out on Dartmoor when the heavens opened and they hurried as quickly as they could back to the car. Will had barely opened the rear car door for Fi when she let out a cry of pain and bent over, breathing heavily.

"What's wrong?" Joe asked, immediately at Fi's side, while Will grabbed an arm to steady her.

"I'm not sure," she said, "but, I think my waters just broke."

"What?!"

"You're not due for another two weeks!" Will said, alarmed.

"Apparently the baby doesn't know that," Fi groaned, holding her stomach.

Joe ran his hand over his face, "well, there's nothing to panic about, we'll just get in the car and drive to the nearest hospital."

"Right," Will nodded, climbing in the driver's seat while Joe helped Fi into the back. Will turned the key in the ignition, but nothing happened. He frowned, trying again but to no avail.

"What's wrong?" Joe asked.

"I don't know," Will replied, scratching his forehead before climbing out of the car and going round to pop the hood. Joe and Fi watched as he disappeared behind the bonnet, then the car shook and they heard Will let out an angry cry, then a tirade of curses. "Some arseholes pilfered some of the engine parts."

"You're kidding."

"I wish I was."

"Can you fix it?"

"Not unless you can pull the necessary parts out of your arse."

Joe pulled out his cell, "I haven't got any signal."

Fi had another contraction, moaning in pain.

"Me either," Will said, coming round the back of the car.

"So we won't be phoning for an ambulance."

"What are we going to do?" Fi asked, trying to keep her breathing steady, her head resting against Joe.

Will looked around, trying to kick his brain into gear; there had to be something he could do without walking for miles to see if he could get signal. His eyes fell on the car radio. "I can try fiddling with the radio and my cell, see if I can't get through to someone that way. But I don't know how long that will take, or if it will even work."

"Sounds bonkers to me," Joe said, "but if anyone can do it, it would be you."

Will nodded.

"Otherwise, we're delivering this baby in the back of this car."

"Not if I can help it."

Four hours and much effing and blinding (from both Will and Fiona) later, Will was no closer to getting a message out for help, and Fiona's contractions were nearing the one minutes apart mark - as far as Joe could tell, she was nearly fully dilated, but he was, or had been anyway, a maths student, he knew nothing about this sort of thing.

"Will, I think the baby is coming."

"It's been coming for four hours already."

"I mean really coming. What do I do?"

Will craned his neck round to look at them both in the back seat, "you don't know? Didn't you go to any preparation classes or whatever they are?"

"We thought Fi was going to be in a hospital having a c-section, not in the back of your car!" Joe was flustered now, "you studied science, don't you know anything?"

If Will could have passed this off to anyone else then he would have lied and got himself out of it, but Joe didn't know what to do, and it wasn't like Fiona could do anything. "I briefly considered being a doctor at one point, I did some research," he admitted.

"Great, that's more than me, what do we do?"

With a sigh, Will climbed out the front of the car and opened the boot, flattening the seats so there was more room. Both he and Joe turned Fi round and got her ready for what was about to come. Will's hands were shaking, and he told himself that he had to do this for Joe, Fi, and the baby.

Birthing the baby wasn't exactly painless. Fi's screams could be heard echoing around the trees, and Joe's shirt sleeve was torn and ruined by the end of it, but now an exhausted Fi was holding her baby in her arms, and a tired Will was resting his head against the steering wheel, listening to the pair of them cooing in the back of the car.

"Will," Joe said, grasping his shoulder from the back seat, "mate, thank you."

"No problem."

"Fi and I were thinking, would you be Charlie's Godfather?"

Will lifted his head up and looked round at them both, "really?"

"Of course," Fi nodded, "there would be no one better."

A smile crept onto Will's face and Joe knew it was a yes.