Log: Jyn Erso and Marcus Cole Who: Jyn Erso and Marcus Cole What: The rose plot When: June 12 Where: Atlantis Base, Jyn’s apartment Warnings: Some references to war
Jyn woke up early and stretched. She could see out the window that it was a beautiful day and she almost wished that she didn’t have to go to work but she wouldn’t do that. She would never shirk her responsibilities, no matter how much she might want to. For a moment, she just lay there, letting her mind wander over the past couple of months and realized that for the first time in a very long time, she was happy. She’d been in Atlantis for a year now and it had been quite a year. Even though she had a hard time making friends at first, Cassian had helped her get through that when he had arrived. She’d met some wonderful people, had some adventures and then of course there was Marcus. Jyn smiled as she thought of him. They’d started out as friends sharing their love of books but had become more and that also surprised her. She’d never really been in a relationship with anyone as she was usually on the run. The few times she’d been with someone, it had been mostly sexual and that was by mutual agreement since the only men she met were usually on the run too and even if she had fallen for one of them, it was highly unlikely that she’d ever see him again.
Marcus was different. He was her friend, yes, but he had become more than that and he made Jyn happy. They had fun together, he made her laugh and he made her smile which had at one time in her life been very hard for anyone to do. Sitting up, she looked at the end of her bed and saw a rose lying there. It hadn’t been there when she’d gone to bed, she would have seen it but there it was now. “Where did that come from?” she said and reached out to pick it up. Bringing it to her nose, she smelled it and smiled and then she felt a sharp pain in her finger. “Ow,” she said, looking at the drop of blood and then suddenly everything went black.
Marcus didn’t hear rumors about the missing people until after breakfast. Teams one through nine had endurance training on Tuesday mornings, and it was during drills that Marcus noticed Jyn’s absence - along with that of several others. Peter Pevensie was the only member of Team Six present, and he was clearly not happy about the fact. With the reports filtering in of unconscious people throughout Atlantis, training could be set aside. A call to Jyn went unanswered, so Marcus decided to try her apartment. Damon Salvatore answered his knock and let him in to find Jyn still asleep. She looked peaceful, and Marcus almost smiled with relief. “Sleeping beauty,” he said, teasingly. “You’re missing training.” There was no response. “Jyn.”
But she didn’t wake at his voice or at any attempt to rouse her by shaking her shoulder, either gently or more forcefully. The phrase dead to the world crossed his mind, and Marcus cut it off sharply. Harder to banish was the image of Susan Ivanova, braces around her neck and head, hooked to machinery and wrapped in blankets. Jyn’s face wasn’t so pale or her breathing so shallow. It did seem that she was simply very deeply asleep, but Marcus felt an echo of a familiar fear.
He contacted Medical and was assured by Dr. Fitzsimmons (the older, but actually younger one) that the doctors and healers were looking into all avenues of treatment for the affected. Even magic, apparently.
Jyn was completely unaware of everything around her. She was lost in a dream world and nothing about it seemed familiar. She was on a huge bed in that world and she could hear people moving around but no one approached her or tried to talk to her. It was a strange feeling, to be aware of some things and not others. She somehow sensed that this was not Atlantis but she had no idea where it was.
Marcus hadn’t spoken to Regina Mills during her previous stay in Atlantis. He couldn't really say he knew her, only the version of ‘Mayor Mills’ who had existed in the Emma Swan’s accidentally created pocket dimension. For that matter, Mark Collins hadn’t liked or trusted the mayor any more than the rest of the town had. Then again, Marcus Cole didn't particularly care for Mark Collins either, truth be told. The stolid, head in the sand mine operator, hiding in duty and blaming the people he cared about most was too familiar. If Mark’s false memories hadn’t come part and parcel with his younger sister, Laura, Marcus would have just as soon forgotten them. But he had the memories and the passing comments of Henry and Emma on the network and both testified to Regina's competence and expertise in whatever her area might be - whether managing city affairs or casting magic. The curse that had afflicted the Podkru in Mount Weather had been broken by a son’s love for his mother. In a somewhat less mystical way with the help of some alien technology, Marcus’s love for Susan had saved her life - easily worth the exchange of his own. After a day of anxious watching, Marcus was willing to at least try Regina's suggestion.
When it came to those he cared about, Marcus was willing to try anything. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.
Still lost in her dream world, Jyn didn’t immediately realize that what she was feeling was real. It felt like a kiss and as awareness finally dawned, she knew that it could only be one person. No one else would have made her feel this way because even though he had kissed her before, it hadn’t been like this. Her eyes fluttered open and she pulled back just to enough to speak as she reached up to tangle his fingers in his hair, not wanted to completely break contact.. “Marcus,” she whispered, her voice still not quite awake. “What happened?”
At her movement and voice, Marcus released his breath in a relieved, half-laughing exhale. He smiled, almost giddily. There were so many in his life whom he’d lost, whom he'd failed to bring back. He couldn't help, but be giddy.“You weren't waking up,” he said, which probably wasn't a very good explanation for being in her room, kissing her awake. “They seemed to think it was a sleeping curse.” He shrugged, but he was grinning too much for casualness. “Atlantis, you know.”
“A sleeping curse? What…..the rose?” She looked at it and then back at Marcus. “I remember sticking my finger on a thorn and then there was nothing, it felt like a dream.” Suddenly she smiled. “But I’m not going to complain if that’s the way to break the spell. It was certainly worth it.” Jyn touched his lips, running her fingers over them. “But you’re smiling as if you know something I don’t know about that kiss. What is it?”
Marcus had been smiling mostly in sheer relief, but his expression turned to a mix between sheepish and mischievous at the question. “An expert in magic seemed to think the curse required true love’s kiss to break, but you know I’ve never been a fan of destiny.” He sat back, unsure how she would take that. Marcus wasn’t entirely certain how he took it, in all honesty.
“I can’t say that I believe in destiny either,” she said. “Although my mother would say that the Force has a lot to do with what happens to us so maybe that could be considered destiny. I don’t know. “ She reached out and took his hand and looked into his eyes. True love’s kiss? Did she love him? Jyn had never been in love, she’d never trusted anyone enough to love them. If things had been different, she might have loved Cassian but once they were out of the situation they’d met in, she’d come to see that the love she had for him was not the kind to build a future on. He’d found that with Mara and she couldn’t be happier for him.
“So true love’s kiss. I can tell you that no one has ever kissed me like that before,”she said with a smile. “And you haven’t even kissed me like that before so maybe there is something to all that. I don’t know but I do know that I’ve never felt this way before about anyone.”
Marcus couldn’t say that he’d never felt similarly about anyone, never been desperately in love before, but- “I’ve never kissed anyone like that before,” he said. “There was a woman on Arisia III.” Hasina had been a possibility, a potential. They’d both been fond of each other, but he’d dithered about doing anything until the day before the Shadows attacked. “She was killed when the colony was destroyed.” One of many on his conscience. “And an officer on Babylon 5.” He couldn’t imagine not loving Susan Ivanova. He still did, but Susan was worlds and years behind him. “But I died.” No doubt it was terrible tact to talk about the previous loves of one’s life with the woman he’d begun to see a future with. “It was me or her, and I’m terrible at letting go. When we couldn’t wake you up…” It had been like seeing Susan on her deathbed a second time. The same fear, despite his knowledge of Atlantis’s quirks. Most were harmless, but COS had attacked the city before. He raised a hand to stroke Jyn’s cheek. “I’m terrible at letting go.”
Moving a little closer, she rested her forehead against his. “Then don’t,” she said. “Don’t let go.” Jyn knew that life was fragile and happiness was a rare thing. She’d seen far too much suffering in her life, lost far too many people and now she’d found someone who understood that and she knew that whatever this was, it was something special. “Maybe Atlantis just felt like giving people a nudge in the right direction. The trees did but I guess that wasn’t good enough for them.” She smiled at him and shifted so that she could kiss him softly.