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Fic: If At First You Don't Succeed...
Title: If At First You Don't Succeed...
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: DG and Glitch (mention of Hank, Emily, Az and some random OCs)
Rating: PG
Summary: A change in the weather brings back some memories for DG.
Warning: pre-series and post-. *Written for the Prompt Tables at tm_ficfest. Prompt 03-01: white as snow, with a side-prompt of ice from kseda. For kseda. :) She came up with the title, too
Disclaimer: The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.
DG was sitting at the edge of the pond, staring at nothing and letting her mind wander freely. She had gone back to that one winter in Kansas, when the temperature had dropped so suddenly that everyone had been sent home from school at lunch. Folks were told to stay home because a blizzard was coming through and, by nightfall, staring at the snow on the television gave a better view than looking out the window.
The weather in the Outer Zone hadn't reached quite those levels, but even Azkadellia mentioned that it was odd weather for that part of the Zone, at this time of the annual. Out of boredom, one afternoon following her lessons, DG had started exploring her new-old home. There were clothes in closets, painting on walls and books on shelves.
She didn't remember any of it, of course, but that didn't stop her from making up some exciting tales about the subjects in one of the large murals in the third room on the fourth floor. Her tutor, of course, proceeded to tell her exactly who was in the painting, and what they were doing.
Honestly, her version was better.
A breeze brought DG back to the pond and she reached up to pull the hat down over her ears by another inch. The suns were beginning to set, not that one would really know for as cloudy as the sky had been all day. DG went back to that storm and smiled as she remembered waking up the next morning to see feet - not inches, but feet - of snow covering everything she could see.
There was no getting to the garage, let alone school, so she spent three days at home, helping Popsicle fix things around the house, helping mom clean and holing up in her room, drawing pictures of all the places in her head. It was after lunch on the third day that Emily finally let her go outside to play in the snow.
But only for an hour.
Behind the barn, just through the trees, there was a pond. During the hot summer, DG would sneak away from the house and dive in. She'd always end up back at the swing, allowing time for her clothes to dry before she headed back inside the house. Emily probably wouldn't freak out as much, but DG wasn't supposed to go past the trees on her own.
Looking back, DG was pretty sure Popsicle knew she went alone, but he never said anything, so she never asked. When the weather turned colder, he would take her out to the pond and teach her how to ice skate. Once she'd mastered staying up, they would work on turning. She'd managed circling the pond and, after her first straight line on one skate, they brought Emily out for an impromptu Icecapades.
DG found a pair of skates in one of the closets on the first floor during one of her excursions. She pulled them out and wandered down to the Zone's version of a garage. She'd spent just enough time down there to get to know the old men who tended to the vehicles of the Outer Zone that they would turn a blind eye and let her fiddle under the hood now and then.
What would the folks of the Zone say if they knew their automobile had been tuned by a princess?
The man who ran the garage said he knew a guy who could sharpen the skates, but doubted DG would ever have a chance to use them, because the weather never really got cold enough to freeze anything south of the Northern Island. DG thanked him, passed the skates over and got to work on the truck in the last bay.
It was almost a week before she made it back down to the garage, and he had the skates waiting for her. She finished replacing the timing belt on the black coupe and assisted two of the other mechanics with a brake realignment before it was time to get back home. Taking the skates with her, DG wished the guys a good day and headed back, hoping she had enough time to get cleaned up before dinner.
The sound of crunching snow behind her brought DG back to the pond. "Time to go inside so I don't freeze into a popsicle?" she asked, hearing Emily's often-repeated comment in the back of her mind. She didn't have to turn to know Glitch was behind her; she always knew when he was there.
"Not quite," he answered, taking a few steps closer to her. Another breeze reached DG's cheek and she shivered slightly. "Lot of good those are doing you," Glitch stated, pointing to the skates sitting on the ground next to her.
"Not sure why I even brought them out here," she shrugged and finally looked away from the pond, but still not at Glitch. He sat down next to her, facing the opposite direction.
"You could put them on and go for a spin," he suggested, nudging her shoulder with his.
"I never got to spinning," she said with a sad smile, finally looking at him. She hadn't gone past the tree line ever again after that day. Popsicle had spotted DG on the porch, being bundled up by Emily, and he'd gone to check on the generator. DG had been building a snow-crow at the edge of the yard and, for whatever reason, decided she wanted to try spinning.
So she got her skates out of the barn and headed for the lake. The snow was pretty deep, but she had waded through deeper drifts at recess. DG reached the edge of the pond, poked at the icy surface with a foot and nodded. She had her boots off and the skates on in a matter of seconds and was slowly working her way across the ice.
Emily had come out to the porch and called for DG a few times, as her hour was up. Hank came around the corner from the shed and noticed the look on her face. He glanced over to the snowman and back to Emily as she asked where DG was. The crack of the ice echoed through the trees and bounced off the barn. A second later, they heard DG scream for Emily and both set off running for the tree line.
DG felt the ice go squishy under her feet and knew she was in trouble. She didn't know if she should stay still or bolt for the edge of the pond; the water wasn't that deep, but she had two shirts, a sweater and a heavy winter coat on. She wasn't stupid, and knew that if the ice did break, she'd go straight to the bottom. Quick as she could, DG pulled off her coat, hat and gloves and tossed them as far as she could across the ice.
She was three strides away from solid ground when the ice gave and she screamed for her mother as a hole opened up and sucked her in. The water was so cold that DG thought she was being stabbed a thousand times, all at once. She tried to pull herself up, but the sweater and two shirts were water-logged and she was fighting a losing battle.
The next thing DG knew, something yanked on her arm and she was flying. The rush of fresh air in her nose made her cough and she could hear someone crying. Opening her eyes, she could make out a shape that had to be her mother, but she was fuzzy. "Get her, Em," she heard, but it sounded like her head was in a bucket.
As more oxygen got into her system, DG realized where she was and began to cry. Emily pulled the sweater over DG's head, and the two shirts, and wrapped the heavy coat around her. "Hank?" DG heard her mother ask.
"I'm fine. We need to get her inside," Hank replied. DG didn't remember much else after that. 'Seems to be a trend,' her brain supplied as she looked back to the frozen surface.
"You could give it a try now," Glitch offered with an optimistic grin. He stood up and held out a hand. "I won't let you fall." DG looked up to him and shook her head.
"I don't trust the ice," she said sadly. Glitch stepped around her and knelt down in front of her.
He quickly attached the skates to her feet and, taking her hands in his, Glitch asked: "You trust me?"
DG's head tilted to one side and she smiled. "With my life."
Glitch gave her a nod. "I won't let go." DG let out a long breath and finally gave her arm a shake, letting him know she was ready and Glitch pulled her up. He walked her across the ice and stopped in the dead-center of the pond. DG's grip on his hands had tightened with each step, but he wasn't complaining.
"Now, spin," he demanded. DG raised an eyebrow and reared back slightly.
"It's not that easy, y'know. There's physics and gravity and... stuff," she grumbled.
"Nonesense," Glitch said, shaking his head. "Just let go and trust yourself."
"Just like that?" she asked with a slight grin. Glitch smiled again and leaned close.
"Trust yourself, DG." She stared at him for a moment and, still holding his hands, pushed away, letting herself glide backwards until she was at arm's length from him. She lifted one foot enough to get her heels together and gave Glitch a nod. He started pulling her to one side and turned with her, using himself as the pivot.
"See?" Glitch smiled once they'd made a full circle. "You can spin!" DG pulled herself toward him and gave him a smile.
"Thank you," she said quietly. When his brow furrowed slightly, she said: "Thank you, for not letting go."
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: DG and Glitch (mention of Hank, Emily, Az and some random OCs)
Rating: PG
Summary: A change in the weather brings back some memories for DG.
Warning: pre-series and post-. *Written for the Prompt Tables at tm_ficfest. Prompt 03-01: white as snow, with a side-prompt of ice from kseda. For kseda. :) She came up with the title, too
Disclaimer: The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.
DG was sitting at the edge of the pond, staring at nothing and letting her mind wander freely. She had gone back to that one winter in Kansas, when the temperature had dropped so suddenly that everyone had been sent home from school at lunch. Folks were told to stay home because a blizzard was coming through and, by nightfall, staring at the snow on the television gave a better view than looking out the window.
The weather in the Outer Zone hadn't reached quite those levels, but even Azkadellia mentioned that it was odd weather for that part of the Zone, at this time of the annual. Out of boredom, one afternoon following her lessons, DG had started exploring her new-old home. There were clothes in closets, painting on walls and books on shelves.
She didn't remember any of it, of course, but that didn't stop her from making up some exciting tales about the subjects in one of the large murals in the third room on the fourth floor. Her tutor, of course, proceeded to tell her exactly who was in the painting, and what they were doing.
Honestly, her version was better.
A breeze brought DG back to the pond and she reached up to pull the hat down over her ears by another inch. The suns were beginning to set, not that one would really know for as cloudy as the sky had been all day. DG went back to that storm and smiled as she remembered waking up the next morning to see feet - not inches, but feet - of snow covering everything she could see.
There was no getting to the garage, let alone school, so she spent three days at home, helping Popsicle fix things around the house, helping mom clean and holing up in her room, drawing pictures of all the places in her head. It was after lunch on the third day that Emily finally let her go outside to play in the snow.
But only for an hour.
Behind the barn, just through the trees, there was a pond. During the hot summer, DG would sneak away from the house and dive in. She'd always end up back at the swing, allowing time for her clothes to dry before she headed back inside the house. Emily probably wouldn't freak out as much, but DG wasn't supposed to go past the trees on her own.
Looking back, DG was pretty sure Popsicle knew she went alone, but he never said anything, so she never asked. When the weather turned colder, he would take her out to the pond and teach her how to ice skate. Once she'd mastered staying up, they would work on turning. She'd managed circling the pond and, after her first straight line on one skate, they brought Emily out for an impromptu Icecapades.
DG found a pair of skates in one of the closets on the first floor during one of her excursions. She pulled them out and wandered down to the Zone's version of a garage. She'd spent just enough time down there to get to know the old men who tended to the vehicles of the Outer Zone that they would turn a blind eye and let her fiddle under the hood now and then.
What would the folks of the Zone say if they knew their automobile had been tuned by a princess?
The man who ran the garage said he knew a guy who could sharpen the skates, but doubted DG would ever have a chance to use them, because the weather never really got cold enough to freeze anything south of the Northern Island. DG thanked him, passed the skates over and got to work on the truck in the last bay.
It was almost a week before she made it back down to the garage, and he had the skates waiting for her. She finished replacing the timing belt on the black coupe and assisted two of the other mechanics with a brake realignment before it was time to get back home. Taking the skates with her, DG wished the guys a good day and headed back, hoping she had enough time to get cleaned up before dinner.
The sound of crunching snow behind her brought DG back to the pond. "Time to go inside so I don't freeze into a popsicle?" she asked, hearing Emily's often-repeated comment in the back of her mind. She didn't have to turn to know Glitch was behind her; she always knew when he was there.
"Not quite," he answered, taking a few steps closer to her. Another breeze reached DG's cheek and she shivered slightly. "Lot of good those are doing you," Glitch stated, pointing to the skates sitting on the ground next to her.
"Not sure why I even brought them out here," she shrugged and finally looked away from the pond, but still not at Glitch. He sat down next to her, facing the opposite direction.
"You could put them on and go for a spin," he suggested, nudging her shoulder with his.
"I never got to spinning," she said with a sad smile, finally looking at him. She hadn't gone past the tree line ever again after that day. Popsicle had spotted DG on the porch, being bundled up by Emily, and he'd gone to check on the generator. DG had been building a snow-crow at the edge of the yard and, for whatever reason, decided she wanted to try spinning.
So she got her skates out of the barn and headed for the lake. The snow was pretty deep, but she had waded through deeper drifts at recess. DG reached the edge of the pond, poked at the icy surface with a foot and nodded. She had her boots off and the skates on in a matter of seconds and was slowly working her way across the ice.
Emily had come out to the porch and called for DG a few times, as her hour was up. Hank came around the corner from the shed and noticed the look on her face. He glanced over to the snowman and back to Emily as she asked where DG was. The crack of the ice echoed through the trees and bounced off the barn. A second later, they heard DG scream for Emily and both set off running for the tree line.
DG felt the ice go squishy under her feet and knew she was in trouble. She didn't know if she should stay still or bolt for the edge of the pond; the water wasn't that deep, but she had two shirts, a sweater and a heavy winter coat on. She wasn't stupid, and knew that if the ice did break, she'd go straight to the bottom. Quick as she could, DG pulled off her coat, hat and gloves and tossed them as far as she could across the ice.
She was three strides away from solid ground when the ice gave and she screamed for her mother as a hole opened up and sucked her in. The water was so cold that DG thought she was being stabbed a thousand times, all at once. She tried to pull herself up, but the sweater and two shirts were water-logged and she was fighting a losing battle.
The next thing DG knew, something yanked on her arm and she was flying. The rush of fresh air in her nose made her cough and she could hear someone crying. Opening her eyes, she could make out a shape that had to be her mother, but she was fuzzy. "Get her, Em," she heard, but it sounded like her head was in a bucket.
As more oxygen got into her system, DG realized where she was and began to cry. Emily pulled the sweater over DG's head, and the two shirts, and wrapped the heavy coat around her. "Hank?" DG heard her mother ask.
"I'm fine. We need to get her inside," Hank replied. DG didn't remember much else after that. 'Seems to be a trend,' her brain supplied as she looked back to the frozen surface.
"You could give it a try now," Glitch offered with an optimistic grin. He stood up and held out a hand. "I won't let you fall." DG looked up to him and shook her head.
"I don't trust the ice," she said sadly. Glitch stepped around her and knelt down in front of her.
He quickly attached the skates to her feet and, taking her hands in his, Glitch asked: "You trust me?"
DG's head tilted to one side and she smiled. "With my life."
Glitch gave her a nod. "I won't let go." DG let out a long breath and finally gave her arm a shake, letting him know she was ready and Glitch pulled her up. He walked her across the ice and stopped in the dead-center of the pond. DG's grip on his hands had tightened with each step, but he wasn't complaining.
"Now, spin," he demanded. DG raised an eyebrow and reared back slightly.
"It's not that easy, y'know. There's physics and gravity and... stuff," she grumbled.
"Nonesense," Glitch said, shaking his head. "Just let go and trust yourself."
"Just like that?" she asked with a slight grin. Glitch smiled again and leaned close.
"Trust yourself, DG." She stared at him for a moment and, still holding his hands, pushed away, letting herself glide backwards until she was at arm's length from him. She lifted one foot enough to get her heels together and gave Glitch a nod. He started pulling her to one side and turned with her, using himself as the pivot.
"See?" Glitch smiled once they'd made a full circle. "You can spin!" DG pulled herself toward him and gave him a smile.
"Thank you," she said quietly. When his brow furrowed slightly, she said: "Thank you, for not letting go."