beyond_hope (beyond_hope) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-01-12 21:51:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, john crichton, sharon carter |
Who: Sharon and John
What: Baby confession
Where: Sharon’s house
When: December
Rating: Low
Status: Complete
John had been excited to get an invitation from Sharon. He’d not had much contact with her lately, a conscious decision on his behalf as he wanted to give himself a chance to get over her. He wasn’t sure if maybe it was too soon to be having this sort of meeting, but he got the feeling she needed a friend of some sort and he could do that for her. Bottle of wine in hand, he approached the door and knocked, fiddling with his jacket as he waited.
Sharon was reaching out to all of her friends in Orange County, and John--though she knew that he felt more for her than she felt for him--filled that role. He was a good man. She wanted to be his friend, even if she wasn’t sure they could be anything more. She wasn’t sure what she felt anymore, and didn’t want to go down that road. She had a lot on her plate.
She needed friends. She’d texted him to try and make their friendship stronger. She answered the door, looking tired, but present. Smiling softly. “Hey, John.” She opened the door a little wider to let him in. “Come on in.”
John looked up as she answered the door, happy to see her beautiful face. “Hey,” he smiled. “Thanks,” he stepped in the door and he got a better look at her in the light. Frowning and putting a hand to her arm, he asked, “Are you ok?”
Sharon nodded, attempting a more convincing smile. She sighed, and closed the door behind him. “...it’s cold out there,” she said, softly, then moved through to the kitchen. “...glad you found the new place okay?” She’d moved in with her college roommate Veronica not too long ago. Thank God. She was gonna need the support.
John followed her through to the kitchen, still watching her with concern. “Yeah, looks like it might be a white Christmas,” he said slowly. “It’s a very nice place,” he nodded, looking around approvingly, glad she seemed to be somewhere safe and secure. As they entered the kitchen, he held up the bottle in his hand and offered it to her. “I brought a little something to go with dinner, hope that’s alright,” he smiled at her.
“Oh. Yes. That’s fine.” Sharon accepted the bottle and set it on the counter. How was she going to get around a glass of wine? Well, she could have a couple of sips. It might settle her nerves a bit. “Thank you,” she added, nodding, about the place. It was quite nice. Now they had two incomes, they could afford something really nice. “You haven’t met Veronica yet, have you? My roommate? I think you’d like her.”
“Yeah, if you think so,” John narrowed his eyes at her again. Something was definitely off with her tonight and he couldn’t quite place it. He was fairly sure that it wasn’t entirely the awkwardness between the two of them. “What’s going on Sharon? Please, tell me,” he encouraged softly, worried about her.
Sharon sighed. He wasn’t going to let it go, was he? This was going to come as a shock. She turned and glanced at the table. “Why don’t you sit down. I’ll make some tea.” She suggested. Then she quickly added, “I’ll tell you. Just sit. I’ve got cookies, too.”
She moved through the kitchen, putting on the kettle, opening cookies, getting mugs out. It was easier to keep her hands busy. “...I got really drunk,” she started back at the beginning. “My ex-boyfriend, who wasn’t even my boyfriend at the time, said something that really hurt me. So I got drunk with my friend Aramis and… well, we spent the night together.” She cleared her throat. “...lo and behold, eight weeks later I’m pregnant with Aramis’ baby. When I told the ex, he fled. So. That’s what’s going on.” She wasn’t looking at him. She was almost afraid he was about to get up and storm out of her house.
“Sitting down news, huh? That’s not good,” John said quietly, sliding on to one of the kitchen stools as she started to talk. He listened intently as she spoke, she had a lovely voice, but what she was telling him was heart-breaking really. And she wasn’t looking at him, purposefully. Yes she’d made a mistake, but it sounded like she’d been pushed to it by her ex who’d then upped and left her. Bastard he thought to himself. She was pregnant. With another man’s baby, which should have been a repulsing factor for him, but instead he found himself drawn to her. She was facing away from him when she finished talking and he couldn’t think of what to say.
He’d always been pretty good with words, but sometimes actions spoke far far louder. He quietly got up from the table and moved across the kitchen to her. He reached out to place a gentle hand on her back, his other on her arm, squeezing gently as he tried to show his support. “Hey, you ok?” he asked gently.
“Yeah.” Sharon finally turned to look at him. The contact did show support. He wasn’t running away. That was surprising, to say the least. “I mean, I’ve got great friends, and Aramis is really supportive. I mean, he’s thrilled to be a dad.” She put on a smile, though it was still forced, nervous, and tired.
“And you? Are you thrilled to be a...a mom?” John asked carefully, his thumb rubbing back and forth on her arm without him realising it. “Is this Aramis guy going to...y’know, be in the picture?” he was trying to covertly ask if she and Aramis were going to raising the child together.
“Oh, yes. Absolutely.” Sharon said, nodding. She let out a gush of air. “I thought you’d… I don’t know. Run out the front door like my Ex did.” She cleared her throat. “Yes, actually. Aramis and his soon-to-be husband are thrilled to be daddies. They want to be very involved.” She believed them.
“You thought I’d run away? Jeez Sharon, what did that guy say to you?” John asked, appalled at the thought of someone making her feel so insecure. “First and foremost, whatever our history I’m your friend and if there’s anything I can do for you, anything, don’t hesitate to ask, ok?” he gave her a little smile.
“Nothing.” Sharon said, shaking her head. She didn’t want to think about her ex. She’d fallen hard and fast, and fought for him. And now he was gone. It left a pretty big hole in her heart. Now there was baby and Aramis and work and Veronica and Peggy… she had a lot of things to focus on. “Thank you, John.” Sharon said, and before she could stop herself, she turned to wrap her arms around him in a big hug.
“Hey, it’s ok,” John gave a little surprised laugh as she all but launched herself at him. He wrapped his arms around her in a warm, solid hug. “Anytime, that includes any ranting, raving, crying, screaming, ice cream eating you feel like doing,” he told her. “Especially ice cream eating,” he smiled, giving her a little squeeze before gently letting her go, holding his hands on her shoulders. He wanted to show his support, but he didn’t want to think he was being anything but gentlemanly. “Now, what say we order in some pizza and you tell me some more about your new passenger,” he suggested.
The hug was comforting. But he didn’t let it go too long, and she didn’t, either. They pulled apart, and Sharon chuckled. “Can we do ice cream before pizza?” She asked, moving to the freezer. “I’ve got some Ben and Jerry’s. And I don’t know a whole lot about my little passenger, except that he or she is due to come out and meet the world in late July.”
“Where are the spoons?” John laughed in reply as he watched her retrieve the ice cream. “So a summer baby, huh? How far along are you right now?” he asked, drumming his hands on the countertop as he waited, wishing he could be a bit more useful.
“I’ll end my first trimester sometime in January. Until then--or until we see a heartbeat on the ultrasound--it’s a crapshoot. I mean, there’s no guarantees at all, but chances of carrying to term skyrocket when we get to see the heartbeat.” She pulled out ice cream and spoons from a drawer. “I feel so much better lately, though. I mean, there was that crazy meteor shower, and I wished on a shooting star--” A laugh. “It’s insane. But I wished for the morning sickness to go away. And it’s gone. So I can eat again.”
“Well then,” John grinned at her as he took a spoon from her. “Let’s eat what we can while we can,” he playfully put his arm around her shoulder and guided her towards the front room to sit her down. “What about work? Are you still working with the agency? You’re not, y’know, in danger or anything are you?” he asked as he sat down on one end of the couch. He knew she worked in a dangerous career and could take care of herself, but he still worried.
“Still working with the Agency.” Sharon answered, then frowned a bit as she sat down on the sofa. “...so far so good. I’m still on field assignments, and I’m damn good at what I do, so no danger at the moment. I’m sure they’ll stick me on a desk when this goes public. And Aramis works with me, so that’s more protection.” Aramis wouldn’t let anything happen to her under normal circumstances. Now that she was carrying his child?
He wasn’t all that surprised when she said she was still working. She was a feisty, strong, independant woman after all and he would never doubt her ability. “You’re working with the father of your baby? Isn’t that like a conflict of interests or something?” John asked curiously, waiting for her to open the ice cream.
Sharon shrugged softly. “I don’t think so.” She opened the ice cream and dug into it with her spoon, then passed the pint over to him. “I think it’s more incentive to keep each other safe, actually. But it doesn’t really matter. I’m going to be benched fairly soon, anyway.” She wasn’t exactly happy about it, but was slowly coming to terms with how much her life was changing.
John accepted the tub from her and dug his own spoon in quite happily. “Fair enough,” he shrugged. “So long as you’re safe. I’m sure he’ll do what’s best by you in the field. What’s the agency’s policy on pregnant employees then? Are they just going to keep you in the office? Doing paperwork? Do they know what they’re letting themselves in for?” he teased with a cheeky grin before placing his ice cream in his mouth.
“I have no idea how it all works. I’m going to have to talk to Director Fury about the whole thing. I’m sure they’ll take good care of me. Especially considering Aramis and I work for the same company. We’ll get the whole Maternity leave and Paternity leave packages, and Health Insurance, all of that.” Sharon was sure of it. She’d seen some of the paperwork when she first signed on with The Agency. “And when I come back to work… they’ll probably put me on a desk, but I can still do good work from there.” It was going to be torture, though. She was trying to convince herself. She loved fieldwork, and hated being benched.
“You’re going to go stir-crazy behind a desk,” John laughed, scooping another helping of ice cream. “Aramis is going to have to bring you bad guys to pummel in the office,” he teased, sticking his spoon in his mouth.
Sharon grinned a bright grin. “Yeah. He will, too. He knows not to say no when I ask him for important things.” She winked, then dug her spoon into the ice cream, too. “It’s going to be a huge change. Really huge. But it’s going to be wonderful. A lot of work, but well worth it. I think.”
John watched her with a little amused smile for a second. She was gorgeous and he imagined she was only going to get more beautiful as her pregnancy progressed. “You’re going to be a great mom, I just know it” he said confidently.
Sharon blushed deeply, then took another bite of ice cream. She bumped her shoulder against his, grinning shyly.