Thanksgiving's Two Weeks Away
Title: Thanksgiving's Two Weeks Away
Characters: Ana Lucia, Rose, Bernard.
Rating: PG
Warnings: Only spoilers for S2
Summary: For lostfichallenge prompt #102: compassion. Missing scene from S2 where Rose reaches out to Ana Lucia, thanking her for saving Bernard and trying to help her integrate into the group.
“Hey, you,” Ana Lucia said, ruffling Vincent’s fur as he licked her hand. “Sure you wanna be seen with me?” she asked, glancing around the beach camp at the people she’d just joined. None of them looked her in the eye; it had been the same ever since she and her people had joined up with the survivors from the fuselage. It was all very well Eko saying that he’s sure they all understand that girl’s death was an accident, but none of them were exactly showing it.
The rest of her people seemed to be fitting in fine. Bernard was back with his wife, Libby was spending a lot of time with that big guy, and she’d barely seen Eko recently since he seemed to be hanging out in that crazy hatch for most of the time. But even when she was around them, they didn’t talk to her that much. Ana assumed they hadn’t forgiven her, either. Okay, she’d been in the wrong when she’d demanded that they all stayed with her instead of going back to the other camp, even though she’d known that Bernard and Jin just wanted to be back with Rose and Sun again. All she’d have had to have done was to show some compassion towards them, and she hadn’t even done that. Ana was used to people not liking her; it had always been the same, ever since her childhood, and eventually she’d just accepted it. But this time, she knew it was her own fault.
Vincent leapt to his feet and let out a bark; someone else was approaching. Ana glanced up to see Bernard and Rose coming towards her, Bernard holding a chocolate bar towards her. Ana looked at the label and saw that it read “Apollo”.
“We thought you could do with one of these,” Rose began. “I kept a lot of these for Bernard before you all joined us. He’s got a very sweet tooth, you wouldn’t think it of a dentist.”
“Thanks,” Ana replied mechanically, accepting the bar and waiting for them to turn away and leave her. She couldn’t imagine that they actually wanted her company, not after all that had happened.
“She doesn’t need to know that!” Bernard elbowed Rose. “Sorry, Ana. This is my wife, Rose.”
Ana nodded, shaking her hand. “Sure you want to waste this on me?”
“I thought you could do with something to cheer you up.” Rose answered, sitting down beside her, Bernard following suit.
Ana scowled. “What do I have to be happy about?” she asked. If anything, she was the one with the least right to be happy out of all of them.
“You’re alive,” Rose pointed out. “We all are. That’s something to be thankful for.”
“Is this the part where we all sit around eating turkey and telling each other we’re thankful to have each other in our lives? Because I hate to tell you this, but Thanksgiving’s a couple of weeks away.”
“Well, you’re smiling.” Rose replied. “That’s a start.”
But Ana’s smile was gone as quickly as it appeared. “It’s not true though. We’re not all alive.” She swallowed hard, thinking of the girl Shannon. She’d dreamed about her last night, seen the blood pouring from her stomach, just as she had the night before, just as she used to do after losing the baby.
“And that’s not your fault, Ana Lucia,” Rose reached out, took Ana’s hand in hers. “Bernard’s told me everything that happened to you out there.”
“What, where I put everyone’s lives at risk by trusting one of Them?” Ana still dreamed of Goodwin, too, sometimes reliving his death, sometimes he was already dead, chasing her through the jungle with the stake embedded in his heart.
“No, where you risked your own life to save them. Bernard, Libby and Eko, they’re all alive because of you. So that’s why I’m here with you, Ana Lucia, to thank you for bringing my husband home to me. He knows, well, we both know,” she gestured towards Bernard, who was nodding awkwardly, “that he wouldn’t be here with me now if it wasn’t for you. It’s true what Eko said to you, nobody blames you. We all understand that you were only trying to protect your people.”
“And I’m sorry,” Bernard cut in, “for what I said to you back there. I am grateful to you for everything you’ve done for us all.”
“No one’s against you, Ana Lucia,” Rose continued. “I know Jin’s tried to reach out to you, and Jack.”
Vincent barked loudly.
“And I think he’s trying to tell you he agrees too,” Rose laughed, and Ana eventually smiled, at last feeling that she wasn’t alone.
Characters: Ana Lucia, Rose, Bernard.
Rating: PG
Warnings: Only spoilers for S2
Summary: For lostfichallenge prompt #102: compassion. Missing scene from S2 where Rose reaches out to Ana Lucia, thanking her for saving Bernard and trying to help her integrate into the group.
“Hey, you,” Ana Lucia said, ruffling Vincent’s fur as he licked her hand. “Sure you wanna be seen with me?” she asked, glancing around the beach camp at the people she’d just joined. None of them looked her in the eye; it had been the same ever since she and her people had joined up with the survivors from the fuselage. It was all very well Eko saying that he’s sure they all understand that girl’s death was an accident, but none of them were exactly showing it.
The rest of her people seemed to be fitting in fine. Bernard was back with his wife, Libby was spending a lot of time with that big guy, and she’d barely seen Eko recently since he seemed to be hanging out in that crazy hatch for most of the time. But even when she was around them, they didn’t talk to her that much. Ana assumed they hadn’t forgiven her, either. Okay, she’d been in the wrong when she’d demanded that they all stayed with her instead of going back to the other camp, even though she’d known that Bernard and Jin just wanted to be back with Rose and Sun again. All she’d have had to have done was to show some compassion towards them, and she hadn’t even done that. Ana was used to people not liking her; it had always been the same, ever since her childhood, and eventually she’d just accepted it. But this time, she knew it was her own fault.
Vincent leapt to his feet and let out a bark; someone else was approaching. Ana glanced up to see Bernard and Rose coming towards her, Bernard holding a chocolate bar towards her. Ana looked at the label and saw that it read “Apollo”.
“We thought you could do with one of these,” Rose began. “I kept a lot of these for Bernard before you all joined us. He’s got a very sweet tooth, you wouldn’t think it of a dentist.”
“Thanks,” Ana replied mechanically, accepting the bar and waiting for them to turn away and leave her. She couldn’t imagine that they actually wanted her company, not after all that had happened.
“She doesn’t need to know that!” Bernard elbowed Rose. “Sorry, Ana. This is my wife, Rose.”
Ana nodded, shaking her hand. “Sure you want to waste this on me?”
“I thought you could do with something to cheer you up.” Rose answered, sitting down beside her, Bernard following suit.
Ana scowled. “What do I have to be happy about?” she asked. If anything, she was the one with the least right to be happy out of all of them.
“You’re alive,” Rose pointed out. “We all are. That’s something to be thankful for.”
“Is this the part where we all sit around eating turkey and telling each other we’re thankful to have each other in our lives? Because I hate to tell you this, but Thanksgiving’s a couple of weeks away.”
“Well, you’re smiling.” Rose replied. “That’s a start.”
But Ana’s smile was gone as quickly as it appeared. “It’s not true though. We’re not all alive.” She swallowed hard, thinking of the girl Shannon. She’d dreamed about her last night, seen the blood pouring from her stomach, just as she had the night before, just as she used to do after losing the baby.
“And that’s not your fault, Ana Lucia,” Rose reached out, took Ana’s hand in hers. “Bernard’s told me everything that happened to you out there.”
“What, where I put everyone’s lives at risk by trusting one of Them?” Ana still dreamed of Goodwin, too, sometimes reliving his death, sometimes he was already dead, chasing her through the jungle with the stake embedded in his heart.
“No, where you risked your own life to save them. Bernard, Libby and Eko, they’re all alive because of you. So that’s why I’m here with you, Ana Lucia, to thank you for bringing my husband home to me. He knows, well, we both know,” she gestured towards Bernard, who was nodding awkwardly, “that he wouldn’t be here with me now if it wasn’t for you. It’s true what Eko said to you, nobody blames you. We all understand that you were only trying to protect your people.”
“And I’m sorry,” Bernard cut in, “for what I said to you back there. I am grateful to you for everything you’ve done for us all.”
“No one’s against you, Ana Lucia,” Rose continued. “I know Jin’s tried to reach out to you, and Jack.”
Vincent barked loudly.
“And I think he’s trying to tell you he agrees too,” Rose laughed, and Ana eventually smiled, at last feeling that she wasn’t alone.