For theatrical_muse
169 - Fragile
Glass can be shattered.
Metal can be crushed.
People can be broken.
Spirits ruined.
Faith destroyed.
There is fragility in life and in everyone, even the strongest of people.
Derek Reese hasn’t known the Connors very long but he sees their weaknesses, he sees how there are tears wearing into cracks and he wonders how long until they break, one way or another.
Sarah’s a strong woman, one of the strongest Derek knows, but she’s not invincible. She’s just as human if not more human than a lot of people and it's in those moments where she can’t do what needs to be done that he sees her instead of this façade she portrays to the world and to John. She breaks more and more each night, when she doesn’t save a life or she fails John. Derek can see it, even if she doesn’t think he can.
And then there’s John.
In the future he’s unshakeable and hard, but right now he’s nothing more than a kid who obviously resents the fact he’s got the fate of the world resting on his shoulders. It’s a tough thing to live up to, but weakness is part of being human and you need to fall before you can rise above the shattered remains of yourself.
The worst thing of it all is how estranged John and Sarah seem to get, day to day, with the more pressure that’s put onto their shoulders. Derek can see it happening, the way Sarah is hard and unyielding (he understands) and how John all but flinches under it, not fully understanding why things are the way that they are. Sacrifices are made, on both sides. It’s tearing them apart and it’s constant, stripping away pieces of both Sarah and John until there’s very little left.
It’s heartbreaking, but ultimately necessary.
The future isn’t bright and it isn’t one Derek would wish on anyone, but it’s better that John and Sarah go into it with their eyes open. It won’t hurt as much then.
Muse: Derek Reese
Fandom: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Word Count: 338
Glass can be shattered.
Metal can be crushed.
People can be broken.
Spirits ruined.
Faith destroyed.
There is fragility in life and in everyone, even the strongest of people.
Derek Reese hasn’t known the Connors very long but he sees their weaknesses, he sees how there are tears wearing into cracks and he wonders how long until they break, one way or another.
Sarah’s a strong woman, one of the strongest Derek knows, but she’s not invincible. She’s just as human if not more human than a lot of people and it's in those moments where she can’t do what needs to be done that he sees her instead of this façade she portrays to the world and to John. She breaks more and more each night, when she doesn’t save a life or she fails John. Derek can see it, even if she doesn’t think he can.
And then there’s John.
In the future he’s unshakeable and hard, but right now he’s nothing more than a kid who obviously resents the fact he’s got the fate of the world resting on his shoulders. It’s a tough thing to live up to, but weakness is part of being human and you need to fall before you can rise above the shattered remains of yourself.
The worst thing of it all is how estranged John and Sarah seem to get, day to day, with the more pressure that’s put onto their shoulders. Derek can see it happening, the way Sarah is hard and unyielding (he understands) and how John all but flinches under it, not fully understanding why things are the way that they are. Sacrifices are made, on both sides. It’s tearing them apart and it’s constant, stripping away pieces of both Sarah and John until there’s very little left.
It’s heartbreaking, but ultimately necessary.
The future isn’t bright and it isn’t one Derek would wish on anyone, but it’s better that John and Sarah go into it with their eyes open. It won’t hurt as much then.
Muse: Derek Reese
Fandom: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Word Count: 338