couldn't keep the night from coming in (Ben/Ilana, PG)
Title: couldn't keep the night from coming in
Characters/Parings: Ben/Ilana, OC (Emily Linus)
Rating: PG
Words: 433
Summary: They built this life to save themselves from what they left behind. For weatheredlaw's alphabet meme request, Zeus.
It is five years to the day since their Exodus from Hell.
They wonder if it’s just a coincidence that it is also their daughter’s birthday. But then again, when has anything ever truly been a coincidence in the lives they lead?
Ilana pretends it never happened, that the Island was just a place of myth and mirage. Ben, however, lives with the knowledge buried deep in his chest, the knowledge that came with thirty years of sin on his shoulders. He sits in his study and doodles on a notepad, the sunlight slowly peering in through the blinds. He can hear Ilana in the kitchen, battling the dishes and a sore throat that usually came with the dry November weather.
Emily is a thriving, curious girl whose thick tangle of dark hair and determined disposition is directly inherited from her mother. She is almost nothing like Ben, save for their identical bright blue eyes that hide secrets from everyone. She is good with secrets, but Ilana supposes that comes with the territory of being a Linus.
Ilana teaches her daughter the names of Gods long dead to the human ear. Artemis, Athena, Demeter -- Emily freezes mid-sentence and bites her lip, unable to remember who comes next.
-- Dionysus, Ben carefully corrects her without looking up from his book. Ilana shoots him a glare of disapproval and dismisses Emily. That’s all for today, darling. Their daughter leaves the room.
What was that all about? If she doesn’t remember on her own, then she can’t learn --
Then what? You just want to leave her out in the cold and chastise her for forgetting? He closes his book and begins to clean his glasses. I made that mistake once. Like Zeus, I forfeited all those around me for power. His voice cracks and Ilana looks down at her hands.
They never talk about before. Not in front of their daughter, not alone, not ever. It is an unsaid pact, a silent agreement -- the Island would never be mentioned again. It did not exist within the four walls of this house, this home they built to specifically keep their memories out. They built this life to save themselves from what they left behind.
Do you want to talk about it? Ilana asks in a low whisper, careful of their daughter overhearing them in the next room.
What good would it do? Ben slides his glasses back on and stands up, rolling down the cuffs of his sleeves. No matter how hard you try, Ilana, the past won’t stay buried.
Characters/Parings: Ben/Ilana, OC (Emily Linus)
Rating: PG
Words: 433
Summary: They built this life to save themselves from what they left behind. For weatheredlaw's alphabet meme request, Zeus.
It is five years to the day since their Exodus from Hell.
They wonder if it’s just a coincidence that it is also their daughter’s birthday. But then again, when has anything ever truly been a coincidence in the lives they lead?
Ilana pretends it never happened, that the Island was just a place of myth and mirage. Ben, however, lives with the knowledge buried deep in his chest, the knowledge that came with thirty years of sin on his shoulders. He sits in his study and doodles on a notepad, the sunlight slowly peering in through the blinds. He can hear Ilana in the kitchen, battling the dishes and a sore throat that usually came with the dry November weather.
Emily is a thriving, curious girl whose thick tangle of dark hair and determined disposition is directly inherited from her mother. She is almost nothing like Ben, save for their identical bright blue eyes that hide secrets from everyone. She is good with secrets, but Ilana supposes that comes with the territory of being a Linus.
Ilana teaches her daughter the names of Gods long dead to the human ear. Artemis, Athena, Demeter -- Emily freezes mid-sentence and bites her lip, unable to remember who comes next.
-- Dionysus, Ben carefully corrects her without looking up from his book. Ilana shoots him a glare of disapproval and dismisses Emily. That’s all for today, darling. Their daughter leaves the room.
What was that all about? If she doesn’t remember on her own, then she can’t learn --
Then what? You just want to leave her out in the cold and chastise her for forgetting? He closes his book and begins to clean his glasses. I made that mistake once. Like Zeus, I forfeited all those around me for power. His voice cracks and Ilana looks down at her hands.
They never talk about before. Not in front of their daughter, not alone, not ever. It is an unsaid pact, a silent agreement -- the Island would never be mentioned again. It did not exist within the four walls of this house, this home they built to specifically keep their memories out. They built this life to save themselves from what they left behind.
Do you want to talk about it? Ilana asks in a low whisper, careful of their daughter overhearing them in the next room.
What good would it do? Ben slides his glasses back on and stands up, rolling down the cuffs of his sleeves. No matter how hard you try, Ilana, the past won’t stay buried.