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Post by William Blake on Sept 11, 2010 6:36:27 GMT -5
It was like there wasn't a time these days where Will wasn't sleep deprived. They were still in proximity to the black hole, which was wreaking havoc with people all over the ship. They would have moved already, but the scientific research was taking longer than originally expected, and the crew wasn't in any physical danger being there. They just had to put up with it for now and deal with whatever flashes of the past and future they were given.
Will had only seen one thing so far, and that had been a version of his future with Natalie. It had been surprising, to say the least, and to say he hadn't freaked out about it would have been a lie. But, as was the way with things like this, it was only one possible version of the future, it didn't mean things were actually going to happen that way.
He was on his way to engineering after taking a long overdue and yet unintentional nap at the table beside his dinner - luckily his face missed the plate and the chef had seen fit to at least let him sleep for a while before gently waking him. Feeling a little more refreshed, he was ready to get back to work.
Will stopped at a bathroom on the way, but as he pulled the door open and stepped inside, he didn't find white walls and toilet cubicles, instead he found himself stepping out into a carpeted corridor with wooden panel walls. Frowning, he spun round to see the door close behind him - a wooden one in place of the perspex one he had originally opened. What the...?
Taking a breath, he glanced up and down the corridor. This place seemed familiar somehow, a lot like... no, it can't be. But it was. It was his father's house. Except, light was streaming in through the windows, the carpet was bright and fresh, and the walls and furniture weren't covered in dust. Instead, on a cabinet only a few feet away from where he stood, there were photos and trinkets, things he recognised from a box he'd found in the attic years ago.
Walking over to it cautiously, like the floor was going to fall out from under him at any moment, or everything was going to vanish before his eyes, he laid a finger on top of one of the photo frames. His finger didn't go through it or anything; it was really there. Picking up the photo, he found it was one of his Dad in his happier days diving to hit a tennis ball. His Mum had taken that photo.
Taking a breath, he realised exactly where he was. He was in the past.
Hearing a feminine giggle from the open door next to him, he froze, clutching the photo frame tightly in his fingers. All the hairs on the back of his neck stood up on end and he felt his temperature drop, a churning feeling in bottom of his gut. He had a feeling he knew who was behind that door.
Part of him wanted to burst through the door and throw himself at the woman that was potentially someone he'd been wanting to meet his whole life. The other part told him it was too risky. Who knew what he would say or do if it really was the person he thought it was hidden behind that plank of wood.
Placing the frame down, he took a deep breath, edging towards the door. Another giggle came, then a voice said, "settle down for goodness sakes." The voice was like a chorus of angels singing, beautiful and rich. Will bowed his head, his chin hitting his chest. Oh God.
His weight shifted and the floor board beneath his foot creaked. "Is someone there?" Will almost let a curse slip from his mouth as his head whipped right back up in panic. He couldn't just stand there, soon she would come and investigate for herself. He knew she would.
Almost willing himself not to, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Sorry for scaring you," he offered sheepishly, his eyes falling on the woman before him. She was lounging back in a rocking chair, her long auburn hair falling in messy curls across her shoulders, her large blue eyes sparkling at him as she fixed him with a curious gaze. She was also heavily pregnant.
Heavily pregnant with him. It was his Mum.
It looked like she was about to say something, but she hesitated. "Do I know you?"
Will's mouth was dry, he couldn't speak.
"What's your name?"
Swallowing hard, he managed to find his voice. "Will, uh, William."
"What are you doing here?" Her gaze wasn't hard, annoyed, or scared, anything of the things she should have been feeling having found someone trespassing in her house. Instead it was like she was staring right inside of him, trying to figure something out, him out.
"I just..." he wasn't often lost for words, "I... got lost?" It felt half truthful at least. He was supposed to be on the Venia working on fixing a fried coupling right now, not standing in the old drawing room talking to his long deceased mother.
"It's not hard in a place like this," she said with a smile, her blue eyes still fixed on his. "Where are you supposed to be, Will?"
"Not entirely sure on that either," he admitted, figuring telling her the truth probably wasn't an option. He wanted to try and figure out exactly when this was. "How long till you're due?"
"He should have been here a couple of days ago now, but he's a stubborn one," she rubbed her stomach, "hell of a kicker too, he's going to pack one hell of a punch someday."
Will couldn't stop himself from letting out a chuckle. This was so surreal, and it was all true. If he was two days overdue, then she was going to be giving birth in a matter of hours. She didn't know it, but these would be the last hours of her life.
He felt his eyes sting with tears and she noticed instantly, seeing his eyes shine. "Sweetie, are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he said, waving her off, rubbing his eyes, ordering himself not to make this any harder than it already was.
"You don't look okay," she said, her face full of concern, "want to talk about it?"
He couldn't believe this. "I shouldn't..." he said.
"There are no shoulds and shouldn'ts," she told him, "come on. Talk to me." She gestured for him to come on over, patting the seat beside her.
Will didn't know what he was doing, his feet carried him over automatically, his rear meeting the hard wood of the chair. He was so close to her now, he could smell her perfume, sweet and enticing, the smell that he remembered lingering around his cot not long after he was born. His father used to spray it sometimes when he wanted to remember her.
"What's wrong?"
"You're not going to believe me."
"Try me," she said, "I have a great imagination."
Will knew that he shouldn't say anything, that affecting the past could change his whole future. But, as long as he didn't tell her anything major, then he hoped that everything would be okay. And no matter what she said, there was only a slim chance that she would believe anything that came out of his mouth.
"I'm from the future."
She let out an adorable snort of laughter, then saw the look on his face, and quickly said, "oh my gosh, I'm sorry."
"I said you wouldn't believe me."
"No, no, go on," she told him with a sincere nod, intrigued, "when are you from?"
"2461."
"Twenty four years from now," she said, working it out in barely a couple of seconds. "You look about that old."
"I am."
The look on her face grew more curious. "And what do you do in the future?"
"I'm the Chief Engineer on board a ship called the Venia," he said, "we were commissioned by the government to help investigate strange anomalies occurring across the Universe."
"Sounds amazing."
"It's hard work, but it is rewarding."
"How did you get to become Chief Engineer at such a young age?"
"Determination, stubborness," he said, "and great smarts. It's something that I think I inherited from my mother."
"She must have been a wonderful woman."
Will's breath got caught in his throat. "She was."
She noticed the slight pause and looked at him, trying to read him again.
"It's strange," she said.
"What is?"
"You look so familiar," she said, "if it weren't so ridiculous I'd say you were..."
"What?"
"It's just... your face, you look like my husband, and the way you speak... and those..."
"What?"
"You have my eyes."
"My mother's eyes."
She drew a hand up to cover her mouth, her eyes wide. "I... you..."
"I'm William Blake."
Upon hearing the name, tears began to spill out down her cheeks. "My baby boy." She reached her hands out towards him, and he slipped off the chair onto his knees beside her, allowing her to put her hands on his face. "Oh my God, it's you."
"It's me," Will nodded, unable to stop himself from crying either.
"You grew up so handsome," she said through her tears, "and you've done so well for yourself. Oh, I'm so proud of you."
He couldn't even express how good it was to hear those words come out of her mouth. He'd been waiting for someone to tell him that all his life, that he'd achieved something, that someone was proud of him. And now the one person in the world that he'd most wanted to hear it from was telling him that he had done good.
A soft sob escaped his lips and he placed his own hands on her soft forearms, staring into her eyes. "Thank you."
"Oh, baby, you're so welcome," she gushed, smiling at her son. "You are amazing," she told him, "and you mean the world to me, okay? I love you, don't you ever forget that."
"I won't," he sniffed, "I love you too."
A faint humming sound started resonating in his ear, and all the hairs on his arms stood on end. Something was happening.
"Look," he said, unable to stop himself, "I..." He wanted to tell her to not listen to his Dad when he was born, as soon as she went into labour, to demand to be taken to the hospital, but he felt her hands slip from his face, the whole reality pulling away from him. "No, no, wait!" he cried, but it was too late.
He found himself sitting on the floor of the bathroom on the Venia, his face damp with tears, his hands shaking.
"No," he whispered again, bringing his hands up to his face, letting the tears just fall. He couldn't save her. She was still gone.
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