[Damon] Confessional
Who: Damon
Where: Medical Facility: Claire's Room
When: Day 24, during and after Rallying the Troops
Invited: Claire
Status: Incomplete
Damon excused himself briefly while the meeting continued. He wanted to talk to Claire before he set out - and before anything could trickle back through the grapevine to her. He knocked politely, as always and waited for the entreaty to enter, even though he'd spent all of his time since before Aaron's birth zonked out on the couch in Claire's room anyway. As much as everyone else might consider it his room as well as Claire and Aaron's - because even if he hadn't been telepathic, Damon wasn't deaf - he wasn't going to make any presumptions.
"What'd I miss?" Claire asked. She looked up briefly from where she changed Aaron - again - and gave Damon a smile that made his heart skip a few beats. She tried, but failed to hide her worry. "Is everything okay? Are those bastards back?"
"No, nothing like that. Everything will be fine," Damon wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans, trying to ignore the racing of his heart and keep his breathing level. (Christ! I haven't been this nervous since I was a teenager going for second base!) Aaron gave a little whine which helped Damon to take a few calming breaths and bring his nerves under control. As an added precaution against upsetting the infant, he pulled his shields in loosely; it meant sacrificing feeling what Claire was feeling, but at least he didn't have to worry about overwhelming Aaron with nervous anxiety.
Claire frowned at him. "It's not fine right now, though?"
"Huh?" Which was eloquence at its best. As soon as the words passed his lips, he remembered what he'd said, and noted that Claire had picked up on the subtle difference between everything is fine as opposed to everything will be fine. "I mean, yeah, there's a problem. But when isn't there?" Damon flashed a boyish, lopsided grin at her, hoping it would ally some of her unease.
It must have worked a small bit because as she lifted Aaron to her shoulder, he stopped fretting and Claire flashed him a brief smile. "What is it, then?"
"Sparrow is missing. So is Dr. Wilson," Damon sank to the couch, patting the cushion beside him in invitation. "For reasons that no one can figure out - beyond the fact that that idiot pirate is a drunk and an imbecile - Sparrow sprung Wilson and took off into the jungle." Claire's eyes went wide, Aaron began to fret again, and Damon knew immediately what path her thoughts were taking.
He slipped a comforting around her shoulder, ignored the nagging thought that taunted him that it may well be the last time he did such a thing, and gave her a squeeze. "Daniel is convinced, and a lot of people agree with him, including me, that if DHARMA was coming back with reinforcements they would have by now. There's a very slim chance that they're coming back here, but there's a very good chance that Wilson is going to their headquarters so . . . Daniel is sending a team in pursuit. It's a prime opportunity for us to get to the inside and get off this island."
"That's not so bad then," Claire chewed her lip, and didn't seem to be one hundred percent convinced of her words. "If it gets us out of here, right?"
"Right," Damon gave her a smile. He reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Then he surprised himself by leaning over and kissing her; nothing beyond the brief kiss that she'd given to him earlier, a brief, tender meeting of the lips before he pulled back, knowing that his blush probably gave away everything. But it was something that he had to do because he knew that he might never get the opportunity again. "Look, Claire, I have to tell you something. And I need you to listen, please, at least until I'm done? I need to tell you this because I . . . I don't want to lie to you and I don't want to hide it from you anymore and I don't want you to hear it from someone else.
"I'm going with them. I don't want to leave you and Aaron, I don't, but I know that you'll be safe here and I'm going with them because I can do things and they might need my help." He took a deep breath and forced himself to keep meeting her eyes, although this was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to say or do. "I know that I told you that I can feel people's emotions, and that sometimes - with people like me - I can hear their thoughts. There's more to it than that.
"I'm a little bit more than human, Claire. I can move things with my mind, and I can manipulate electronics and I can . . . I can teleport. Like in Star Trek, except I don't need any machines or equipment to do it. And I know that that's all freaky and weird and I don't blame you one bit if it scares you or you just want me to leave, or whatever, but I want you to know that you're one of the best friends I've made here and you - and Aaron - are the best things to happen to me and I don't want to lose that, but I … have to … I had to be honest with you. You deserve that much."
He trailed off, having run out of things to say, and realized that his breathing was erratic, his heart was pounding wildly and his vision was slightly blurry. Through sheer force of will, Damon didn't run for the hills and instead sat, waiting for the fallout.
Where: Medical Facility: Claire's Room
When: Day 24, during and after Rallying the Troops
Invited: Claire
Status: Incomplete
Damon excused himself briefly while the meeting continued. He wanted to talk to Claire before he set out - and before anything could trickle back through the grapevine to her. He knocked politely, as always and waited for the entreaty to enter, even though he'd spent all of his time since before Aaron's birth zonked out on the couch in Claire's room anyway. As much as everyone else might consider it his room as well as Claire and Aaron's - because even if he hadn't been telepathic, Damon wasn't deaf - he wasn't going to make any presumptions.
"What'd I miss?" Claire asked. She looked up briefly from where she changed Aaron - again - and gave Damon a smile that made his heart skip a few beats. She tried, but failed to hide her worry. "Is everything okay? Are those bastards back?"
"No, nothing like that. Everything will be fine," Damon wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans, trying to ignore the racing of his heart and keep his breathing level. (Christ! I haven't been this nervous since I was a teenager going for second base!) Aaron gave a little whine which helped Damon to take a few calming breaths and bring his nerves under control. As an added precaution against upsetting the infant, he pulled his shields in loosely; it meant sacrificing feeling what Claire was feeling, but at least he didn't have to worry about overwhelming Aaron with nervous anxiety.
Claire frowned at him. "It's not fine right now, though?"
"Huh?" Which was eloquence at its best. As soon as the words passed his lips, he remembered what he'd said, and noted that Claire had picked up on the subtle difference between everything is fine as opposed to everything will be fine. "I mean, yeah, there's a problem. But when isn't there?" Damon flashed a boyish, lopsided grin at her, hoping it would ally some of her unease.
It must have worked a small bit because as she lifted Aaron to her shoulder, he stopped fretting and Claire flashed him a brief smile. "What is it, then?"
"Sparrow is missing. So is Dr. Wilson," Damon sank to the couch, patting the cushion beside him in invitation. "For reasons that no one can figure out - beyond the fact that that idiot pirate is a drunk and an imbecile - Sparrow sprung Wilson and took off into the jungle." Claire's eyes went wide, Aaron began to fret again, and Damon knew immediately what path her thoughts were taking.
He slipped a comforting around her shoulder, ignored the nagging thought that taunted him that it may well be the last time he did such a thing, and gave her a squeeze. "Daniel is convinced, and a lot of people agree with him, including me, that if DHARMA was coming back with reinforcements they would have by now. There's a very slim chance that they're coming back here, but there's a very good chance that Wilson is going to their headquarters so . . . Daniel is sending a team in pursuit. It's a prime opportunity for us to get to the inside and get off this island."
"That's not so bad then," Claire chewed her lip, and didn't seem to be one hundred percent convinced of her words. "If it gets us out of here, right?"
"Right," Damon gave her a smile. He reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Then he surprised himself by leaning over and kissing her; nothing beyond the brief kiss that she'd given to him earlier, a brief, tender meeting of the lips before he pulled back, knowing that his blush probably gave away everything. But it was something that he had to do because he knew that he might never get the opportunity again. "Look, Claire, I have to tell you something. And I need you to listen, please, at least until I'm done? I need to tell you this because I . . . I don't want to lie to you and I don't want to hide it from you anymore and I don't want you to hear it from someone else.
"I'm going with them. I don't want to leave you and Aaron, I don't, but I know that you'll be safe here and I'm going with them because I can do things and they might need my help." He took a deep breath and forced himself to keep meeting her eyes, although this was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to say or do. "I know that I told you that I can feel people's emotions, and that sometimes - with people like me - I can hear their thoughts. There's more to it than that.
"I'm a little bit more than human, Claire. I can move things with my mind, and I can manipulate electronics and I can . . . I can teleport. Like in Star Trek, except I don't need any machines or equipment to do it. And I know that that's all freaky and weird and I don't blame you one bit if it scares you or you just want me to leave, or whatever, but I want you to know that you're one of the best friends I've made here and you - and Aaron - are the best things to happen to me and I don't want to lose that, but I … have to … I had to be honest with you. You deserve that much."
He trailed off, having run out of things to say, and realized that his breathing was erratic, his heart was pounding wildly and his vision was slightly blurry. Through sheer force of will, Damon didn't run for the hills and instead sat, waiting for the fallout.