A Little Fall Of Rain Can Hardly Hurt Me Now
Title: A Little Fall Of Rain Can Hardly Hurt Me Now
Fandoms: Lost/Fringe crossover.
Characters: Ana Lucia Cortez, Charlie Francis.
Warnings: Spoilers for all of Ana Lucia's episodes, and for Charlie's conversation with Olivia in A New Day In The Old Town.
Rating: PG
Summary: Charlie visits Ana in the hospital after she recovers from being shot.
“What are you doing here?”
Ana glanced up at the man who sat by her hospital bed, who quite frankly was the last person she’d have ever expected to visit her. Agent Charlie Francis had only transferred in from Brooklyn a few weeks before she’d been shot, and she’d barely worked with him. Mike visited most days at first, but initially the relentless cheer drove her nuts, and then when he’d talk about his time on patrol, Ana would start missing it. Eventually, Teresa Cortez had suggested he kept away for a while, telling him that she didn’t want Ana getting upset by all this talk of work, that she was concerned that either Ana would get upset because she missed it too much or that she’d start feeling that she had to go back before she was quite ready. Frankly, it pissed Ana off that Teresa thought she knew what was best for her when she didn’t have a damn clue.
Teresa herself wasn’t welcome as a visitor for exactly those reasons. And as for Danny, well, Ana knew she didn’t want to see him again even if he had any intention of coming, not after his parting words to her the last time he visited before clearing all his crap out of their apartment. "Your mother and I both told you you should take it easy, go on desk duties until the baby was born. But you didn't listen. You killed our baby, Ana Lucia."
In fact, Ana was starting to think she’d prefer not to have visitors. Better off alone, that was what she’d always said. It had been what she’d said to Danny when they were first in the process of getting together, before he’d talked her round. Now she realised she should have stuck to her guns.
“Mike told me what happened back there,” Agent Francis began.
“Still doesn’t explain why you’re here,” Ana replied. “Come to gawk for yourself and report back to all the other guys? Because there’s nothing to see here. I’m fine.”
“No, Ana.” Charlie shook his head. “I’ve come to see how you are.”
“Why would you even care?” Ana asked. “You don’t even know me.”
“Because I’ve been just where you are now.” Charlie told her. “I ever tell you about when I was in Brooklyn PD?”
Ana shook her head, scowling.
“I had a call out to a domestic disturbance. Guy beating the crap out of his girlfriend. Nothing I hadn’t handled before. He came out with all the usual spiel about how it wasn’t what it looked like, how it was just a minor argument that got out of hand.”
“Heard that one before,” Ana rolled her eyes, mildly interested now despite herself.
“So I got him on the ground, cuffed him, and was all set to get him booked when I heard a gunshot coming from the next room. It was the girl. She pulled her gun on me.”
“She did what?” Ana asked incredulously. “After you’d just rescued her from that guy? That’s gratitude for you.”
“There, you’re smiling.” Charlie grinned at her. “That’s a start.”
“First time in a long while.” Ana admitted. “So what happened?”
“She got me in the chest.” Charlie replied. “I was in ICU for a week. They didn’t tell me until I got out of there and onto a regular ward that she’d actually killed my partner. I was in hospital for two weeks after that, and I kept telling Sonia, that’s my wife, and anyone else who asked that I was fine. But my captain, he saw right through me. He knew I wasn’t fine, that I was scared. Just like I know the same thing about you.”
“Who’s scared?” Ana joked weakly, knowing that he was right, appreciating that he was the first person who’d actually come out and said so instead of all that mealy-mouthed crap about how she must feel lucky to be alive, she was better off without Danny anyway and blah blah blah.
Charlie chuckled. “But I also know that you’ll get through this, and while you’re scared right now, you’re gonna be fine. You’re a good cop, Ana. Never forget that.”
He was gone by the time Ana returned to the force. Raggs had told her that Charlie’s wife, Sonia, had never really adjusted to California, and he’d been transferred back out east. But Ana had tried to keep his words in mind as she returned to her duties, told herself the same thing when she had a momentary panic that she couldn’t do it.
When she quit the force after shooting Jason, it was Charlie’s words to her that rang in her head as well as her mother’s. She had been a good cop once, but she’d let them all down; Charlie, her mother, herself.
And as she prepared to return to her mother, Ana reflected that she was relieved that Charlie would never know what had happened. But by facing up to her actions, she felt that she could finally be the person he had believed she was.
Fandoms: Lost/Fringe crossover.
Characters: Ana Lucia Cortez, Charlie Francis.
Warnings: Spoilers for all of Ana Lucia's episodes, and for Charlie's conversation with Olivia in A New Day In The Old Town.
Rating: PG
Summary: Charlie visits Ana in the hospital after she recovers from being shot.
“What are you doing here?”
Ana glanced up at the man who sat by her hospital bed, who quite frankly was the last person she’d have ever expected to visit her. Agent Charlie Francis had only transferred in from Brooklyn a few weeks before she’d been shot, and she’d barely worked with him. Mike visited most days at first, but initially the relentless cheer drove her nuts, and then when he’d talk about his time on patrol, Ana would start missing it. Eventually, Teresa Cortez had suggested he kept away for a while, telling him that she didn’t want Ana getting upset by all this talk of work, that she was concerned that either Ana would get upset because she missed it too much or that she’d start feeling that she had to go back before she was quite ready. Frankly, it pissed Ana off that Teresa thought she knew what was best for her when she didn’t have a damn clue.
Teresa herself wasn’t welcome as a visitor for exactly those reasons. And as for Danny, well, Ana knew she didn’t want to see him again even if he had any intention of coming, not after his parting words to her the last time he visited before clearing all his crap out of their apartment. "Your mother and I both told you you should take it easy, go on desk duties until the baby was born. But you didn't listen. You killed our baby, Ana Lucia."
In fact, Ana was starting to think she’d prefer not to have visitors. Better off alone, that was what she’d always said. It had been what she’d said to Danny when they were first in the process of getting together, before he’d talked her round. Now she realised she should have stuck to her guns.
“Mike told me what happened back there,” Agent Francis began.
“Still doesn’t explain why you’re here,” Ana replied. “Come to gawk for yourself and report back to all the other guys? Because there’s nothing to see here. I’m fine.”
“No, Ana.” Charlie shook his head. “I’ve come to see how you are.”
“Why would you even care?” Ana asked. “You don’t even know me.”
“Because I’ve been just where you are now.” Charlie told her. “I ever tell you about when I was in Brooklyn PD?”
Ana shook her head, scowling.
“I had a call out to a domestic disturbance. Guy beating the crap out of his girlfriend. Nothing I hadn’t handled before. He came out with all the usual spiel about how it wasn’t what it looked like, how it was just a minor argument that got out of hand.”
“Heard that one before,” Ana rolled her eyes, mildly interested now despite herself.
“So I got him on the ground, cuffed him, and was all set to get him booked when I heard a gunshot coming from the next room. It was the girl. She pulled her gun on me.”
“She did what?” Ana asked incredulously. “After you’d just rescued her from that guy? That’s gratitude for you.”
“There, you’re smiling.” Charlie grinned at her. “That’s a start.”
“First time in a long while.” Ana admitted. “So what happened?”
“She got me in the chest.” Charlie replied. “I was in ICU for a week. They didn’t tell me until I got out of there and onto a regular ward that she’d actually killed my partner. I was in hospital for two weeks after that, and I kept telling Sonia, that’s my wife, and anyone else who asked that I was fine. But my captain, he saw right through me. He knew I wasn’t fine, that I was scared. Just like I know the same thing about you.”
“Who’s scared?” Ana joked weakly, knowing that he was right, appreciating that he was the first person who’d actually come out and said so instead of all that mealy-mouthed crap about how she must feel lucky to be alive, she was better off without Danny anyway and blah blah blah.
Charlie chuckled. “But I also know that you’ll get through this, and while you’re scared right now, you’re gonna be fine. You’re a good cop, Ana. Never forget that.”
He was gone by the time Ana returned to the force. Raggs had told her that Charlie’s wife, Sonia, had never really adjusted to California, and he’d been transferred back out east. But Ana had tried to keep his words in mind as she returned to her duties, told herself the same thing when she had a momentary panic that she couldn’t do it.
When she quit the force after shooting Jason, it was Charlie’s words to her that rang in her head as well as her mother’s. She had been a good cop once, but she’d let them all down; Charlie, her mother, herself.
And as she prepared to return to her mother, Ana reflected that she was relieved that Charlie would never know what had happened. But by facing up to her actions, she felt that she could finally be the person he had believed she was.