erinm_4600
in
12to32
Fic: The Genuine Thing
Title: The Genuine Thing
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: DG, Evie, Stephen, Natalie, Miles, Eva and Frank (mention of Carter, Kate, Cain, Raw, Tutor, Glitch, Popsicle, Robo-Mom, Az, the witch, the Mystic Man, Mo-Bats and Gulch)
Rating: G
Summary: What happens when reality intrudes on fantasy?
Warning: post-series. Kinda. Some time after 'Half Life' for Medical Investigation. *written for Color Challenge 01 at tm_challenge. Title comes from the cowboy origin of the phrase 'cut the mustard.'
Disclaimer: The original characters belongs to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. Medical Investigation and the characters belong to NBC and their respective actors.
The Genuine Thing | Really, the Genuine Thing | Genuinely, the Real Thing
DG jerked out of her daydream and looked up to see Evie shaking her head. “You better hope Carter doesn’t see you noddin’ off, Deej.” DG sat up and grabbed the next mustard bottle from the collection on the table and twisted the cap off. The restaurant was fairly empty, thanks to the post-breakfast and pre-lunch lull, so DG had taken the opportunity to do some menial tasks that required little to no effort.
Ever since the twister a few weeks back, she had a tendency to slip off into the little world she’d created for herself. Popsicle said she’d smacked her head pretty hard when the wind pushed through the house and knocked her into the bookcase. She’d been out for the entire twister, as well as half the following morning.
There was some minor damage to the house - a few loose shingles - and the windmill had a good twist in the rotor. She swore - up and down the block - that, for the next two days, she’d been in a twisted version of Oz. Mom just shook her head and blamed DG’s overactive imagination. She’d also mumbled something about forcing an insanity plea not being the way to keep her bike.
DG grumbled for two more days and continued to swear it had all happened. She knew names, faces... Finally, she began writing it all down; everything she could remember. After one day, she’d filled three notebooks, the backs of half her class handouts and two sketchpads. Popsicle bought a dozen notebooks for her the next day and she filled three of those by dinner.
Funny thing, she noted: she’d never been a ‘writer.’ She’d drawn faces and landscapes and symbols. Now, the faces had voices and quirks and she could hear all of them, plain as day. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see and hear more.
She saw a sister, an evil witch and a man with a zipper on his head. Popsicle laughed out loud when she told him he was actually a robot. There was a quiet, hairy man; a wizardy-type; a transforming dog and half-monkey, half-bats. There was also a cop - one who’d made her feel safer than Gulch ever did.
It was no wonder she associated the place with a cracked-out Oz. Hell, she’d even talked to Dorothy! At the farmhouse, even! But, live in Kansas and what do you expect? All the tourists came through asking Oz questions and anyone named Dorothy must know the Cowardly Lion. There was no escaping it.
Not even today.
DG heard the small bell on the front door jingle behind her as she replaced the cap on the newly-filled bottle. “Come on,” she heard a female voice say. “You’re so totally Dorothy.” DG rolled her eyes slightly but didn’t turn to see the group enter. Evie called from the counter for the group to sit anywhere and DG grabbed another bottle as the group took their seats two tables behind her.
“You’ve got the brown hair; you hang out with three guys,” Eva Rossi said after sitting in the chair next to the window. Doctor Natalie Durant looked to the others in the group and shrugged.
“What about me?” Doctor Miles McCabe, who was sitting next to Eva, asked. Eva looked at him for a second and nodded.
“Scarecrow.” Natalie laughed as she pulled a menu from the small rack at the end of the table. Miles looked across the table to Natalie and Doctor Stephen Connor, then back to Eva.
“So, I have no brain?” he asked as he reached for a menu. Eva shook her head and grabbed a menu as well.
“No, but you’re always asking questions. 'Thirst for knowledge' and all that.” Natalie caught his eye and nodded as Stephen took the menu from her hand and passed it across the table to Frank Powell. Evie brought over five glasses of water and gave them all a wide smile.
“Welcome. Soon as you’re ready to order, give me a shout.” They all nodded back and Evie returned to the counter.
“What about Frank?” Natalie asked with a smirk, looking across the table to him. Eva and Miles turned to their right to look at him as well and Frank groaned.
“If you say ‘Lion,’ there best be a ‘fierce’ or ‘terrifying’ with it. ‘King of the Jungle’ sort of thing.” Stephen simply shook his head.
“This from the man who had a fit when he had to wear a t-shirt with a seal on it.” Natalie, Miles and Eva snickered while Frank grumbled. Natalie nodded to Evie, who returned with an order pad. After all their orders were placed, Evie returned to the counter and passed the slip to Carter.
“So,” Natalie said, turning to Stephen. “That makes you the Tin Man?” Stephen’s eyes sparkled for a moment before he glanced at Eva and smirked.
“You do realize that you’ve branded yourself a flying monkey, right?” Frank snorted into his glass of water and Natalie’s face shot behind the menu she hadn’t put away yet. DG also looked up from the table at the sound of his voice then shrugged. Eva looked back to Stephen with a fish-face. Passing his menu back to Natalie, he glanced again to Eva.
“Running around NIH, doing Kate’s dirty work...” Eva blinked.
“Are you calling Doctor Ewing the-” Miles asked with a raised eyebrow.
“If the silver slippers fit,” Stephen stated, taking a moment to look around the small café. Miles and Eva looked at each other, then to Stephen.
“You mean ruby slippers, don’t you?” Eva asked with a nod. Stephen’s brow furrowed and looked to Natalie, who put a hand on his arm and looked at the younger members of the group.
“Since they were doing the movie in color, they wanted the shoes to stand out. So they made them red. In the book, however, the shoes were silver.” Natalie looked at each of her teammates and shrugged. “What?” Stephen said nothing and smiled as Miles and Eva shared a look.
Frank looked at his watch. “Think we’ll be back in Bethesda in time to watch the game?” he asked Stephen, whose response was a half-nod, half-shrug.
“Deej!” they all heard and looked toward the counter. “A little help?” Evie asked, nodding toward the collection of plates Carter had placed under the warmer. Stephen and Natalie watched as the waitress two tables over stood up from a sea of mustard bottles and moved to the counter. Evie nodded to the turkey sandwich and picked up her tray.
“Grab one of those mustards, too.” DG nodded as she reached for the plate. Moving back to her previous spot, DG grabbed the bottle she’d just filled and stood behind Evie as the plates were passed out then dropped the tray to her side and took a step to the right.
“Turkey sandwich?” DG asked as she looked up to the table. She nearly dropped the plate when she saw the man sitting in front of her. Stephen flashed her a grin and raised his hand as DG set the plate down in front of him and forced her gaze anywhere but on him.
“Now that’s a sandwich,” he said, looking at the sandwich with approval. He glanced up a second later and nodded to DG. Pointing to the mustard bottle in her hand, he smiled. DG blinked and set the mustard on the table.
“Sorry...” she stammered then turned and moved back to her mustard collection, fighting the urge to look back.
“So,” Stephen asked Natalie a moment later. “Why am I the Tin Man?” DG’s eyes went wide. Thank God she was facing the other way.
The eyes. That jaw. The ring.
Wyatt Freakin’ Cain was sitting in the Hilltop Café.
EDIT: The commentary is HERE
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: DG, Evie, Stephen, Natalie, Miles, Eva and Frank (mention of Carter, Kate, Cain, Raw, Tutor, Glitch, Popsicle, Robo-Mom, Az, the witch, the Mystic Man, Mo-Bats and Gulch)
Rating: G
Summary: What happens when reality intrudes on fantasy?
Warning: post-series. Kinda. Some time after 'Half Life' for Medical Investigation. *written for Color Challenge 01 at tm_challenge. Title comes from the cowboy origin of the phrase 'cut the mustard.'
Disclaimer: The original characters belongs to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. Medical Investigation and the characters belong to NBC and their respective actors.
The Genuine Thing | Really, the Genuine Thing | Genuinely, the Real Thing
DG jerked out of her daydream and looked up to see Evie shaking her head. “You better hope Carter doesn’t see you noddin’ off, Deej.” DG sat up and grabbed the next mustard bottle from the collection on the table and twisted the cap off. The restaurant was fairly empty, thanks to the post-breakfast and pre-lunch lull, so DG had taken the opportunity to do some menial tasks that required little to no effort.
Ever since the twister a few weeks back, she had a tendency to slip off into the little world she’d created for herself. Popsicle said she’d smacked her head pretty hard when the wind pushed through the house and knocked her into the bookcase. She’d been out for the entire twister, as well as half the following morning.
There was some minor damage to the house - a few loose shingles - and the windmill had a good twist in the rotor. She swore - up and down the block - that, for the next two days, she’d been in a twisted version of Oz. Mom just shook her head and blamed DG’s overactive imagination. She’d also mumbled something about forcing an insanity plea not being the way to keep her bike.
DG grumbled for two more days and continued to swear it had all happened. She knew names, faces... Finally, she began writing it all down; everything she could remember. After one day, she’d filled three notebooks, the backs of half her class handouts and two sketchpads. Popsicle bought a dozen notebooks for her the next day and she filled three of those by dinner.
Funny thing, she noted: she’d never been a ‘writer.’ She’d drawn faces and landscapes and symbols. Now, the faces had voices and quirks and she could hear all of them, plain as day. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see and hear more.
She saw a sister, an evil witch and a man with a zipper on his head. Popsicle laughed out loud when she told him he was actually a robot. There was a quiet, hairy man; a wizardy-type; a transforming dog and half-monkey, half-bats. There was also a cop - one who’d made her feel safer than Gulch ever did.
It was no wonder she associated the place with a cracked-out Oz. Hell, she’d even talked to Dorothy! At the farmhouse, even! But, live in Kansas and what do you expect? All the tourists came through asking Oz questions and anyone named Dorothy must know the Cowardly Lion. There was no escaping it.
Not even today.
DG heard the small bell on the front door jingle behind her as she replaced the cap on the newly-filled bottle. “Come on,” she heard a female voice say. “You’re so totally Dorothy.” DG rolled her eyes slightly but didn’t turn to see the group enter. Evie called from the counter for the group to sit anywhere and DG grabbed another bottle as the group took their seats two tables behind her.
“You’ve got the brown hair; you hang out with three guys,” Eva Rossi said after sitting in the chair next to the window. Doctor Natalie Durant looked to the others in the group and shrugged.
“What about me?” Doctor Miles McCabe, who was sitting next to Eva, asked. Eva looked at him for a second and nodded.
“Scarecrow.” Natalie laughed as she pulled a menu from the small rack at the end of the table. Miles looked across the table to Natalie and Doctor Stephen Connor, then back to Eva.
“So, I have no brain?” he asked as he reached for a menu. Eva shook her head and grabbed a menu as well.
“No, but you’re always asking questions. 'Thirst for knowledge' and all that.” Natalie caught his eye and nodded as Stephen took the menu from her hand and passed it across the table to Frank Powell. Evie brought over five glasses of water and gave them all a wide smile.
“Welcome. Soon as you’re ready to order, give me a shout.” They all nodded back and Evie returned to the counter.
“What about Frank?” Natalie asked with a smirk, looking across the table to him. Eva and Miles turned to their right to look at him as well and Frank groaned.
“If you say ‘Lion,’ there best be a ‘fierce’ or ‘terrifying’ with it. ‘King of the Jungle’ sort of thing.” Stephen simply shook his head.
“This from the man who had a fit when he had to wear a t-shirt with a seal on it.” Natalie, Miles and Eva snickered while Frank grumbled. Natalie nodded to Evie, who returned with an order pad. After all their orders were placed, Evie returned to the counter and passed the slip to Carter.
“So,” Natalie said, turning to Stephen. “That makes you the Tin Man?” Stephen’s eyes sparkled for a moment before he glanced at Eva and smirked.
“You do realize that you’ve branded yourself a flying monkey, right?” Frank snorted into his glass of water and Natalie’s face shot behind the menu she hadn’t put away yet. DG also looked up from the table at the sound of his voice then shrugged. Eva looked back to Stephen with a fish-face. Passing his menu back to Natalie, he glanced again to Eva.
“Running around NIH, doing Kate’s dirty work...” Eva blinked.
“Are you calling Doctor Ewing the-” Miles asked with a raised eyebrow.
“If the silver slippers fit,” Stephen stated, taking a moment to look around the small café. Miles and Eva looked at each other, then to Stephen.
“You mean ruby slippers, don’t you?” Eva asked with a nod. Stephen’s brow furrowed and looked to Natalie, who put a hand on his arm and looked at the younger members of the group.
“Since they were doing the movie in color, they wanted the shoes to stand out. So they made them red. In the book, however, the shoes were silver.” Natalie looked at each of her teammates and shrugged. “What?” Stephen said nothing and smiled as Miles and Eva shared a look.
Frank looked at his watch. “Think we’ll be back in Bethesda in time to watch the game?” he asked Stephen, whose response was a half-nod, half-shrug.
“Deej!” they all heard and looked toward the counter. “A little help?” Evie asked, nodding toward the collection of plates Carter had placed under the warmer. Stephen and Natalie watched as the waitress two tables over stood up from a sea of mustard bottles and moved to the counter. Evie nodded to the turkey sandwich and picked up her tray.
“Grab one of those mustards, too.” DG nodded as she reached for the plate. Moving back to her previous spot, DG grabbed the bottle she’d just filled and stood behind Evie as the plates were passed out then dropped the tray to her side and took a step to the right.
“Turkey sandwich?” DG asked as she looked up to the table. She nearly dropped the plate when she saw the man sitting in front of her. Stephen flashed her a grin and raised his hand as DG set the plate down in front of him and forced her gaze anywhere but on him.
“Now that’s a sandwich,” he said, looking at the sandwich with approval. He glanced up a second later and nodded to DG. Pointing to the mustard bottle in her hand, he smiled. DG blinked and set the mustard on the table.
“Sorry...” she stammered then turned and moved back to her mustard collection, fighting the urge to look back.
“So,” Stephen asked Natalie a moment later. “Why am I the Tin Man?” DG’s eyes went wide. Thank God she was facing the other way.
The eyes. That jaw. The ring.
Wyatt Freakin’ Cain was sitting in the Hilltop Café.
EDIT: The commentary is HERE