Dead Zone Photo Challenge Fic
Title: Complex relations
Author: Crowie
Rating: PG
Word count: ~1800.
Characters: Johnny, Walt.
Disclaimer: Not for profit and all that lark.
Feedback: Of course.
Summary: On a road trip Johnny gets an unexpected vision.
Notes: First of all sorry for being too late with the challenge. Also I know the story is a little too short. So it's too little, too late but I hope it's better than nothing. Also the story is unbetaed, lack of time. I still want to refine it but I can't hang onto it longer with good conscience. I'm way too late as is. I'll hopefully be better next time.
Photos I got given: photo 1 and photo 2
It had all begun with Sarah.
J.J was invited to stay with a friend of his for a few days during the Christmas vacation and she thought it were a perfect opportunity for some manly bonding time for him, Johnny and J.J. They could all drive up together in the snow. Have fun.
Walt thought that mostly she wanted the time alone. She had emphasized how much nicer it would be for them to stay a night at a motel rather than driving up and then back again in one exhaustive 15 hour stretch. He couldn't blame her really. It was hard to handle three men in her life, especially if they didn't get on. J.J was getting bigger every day. Taking up more space. Becoming a person.
A person that was currently kicking at the back of his seat. "J.J could you please stop doing that, I'm driving."
"I'm bored."
Walt looked at him in the rear view mirror. J.J. looked tired and cranky. The air in the car was heavy and stale. It was time for a road stop soon. "Don't you have your gameboy?"
"It's out of batteries."
"Didn't your mother tell you to charge it before going?"
"I forgot." Came the sullen reply.
Walt sighed exasperatedly and turned to Johnny. "You keep him entertained. I'm driving"
Johnny rolled his eyes but turned in his seat to face J.J and started some quiz game with him. Walt tuned them out although he couldn't help but wince a little at how easily Johnny could handle his son.
***
It was late once they'd dropped J.J. off. Walt watched the door close behind him and sighed. J.J was getting older so quickly. He startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "He's growing into a fine boy isn't he?" Johnny said somewhere behind him.
"Yeah he is." Walt replied. Maybe Sarah had been right. The trip wasn't half bad so far.
Neither of them felt up to eating out once they'd found a motel so Walt volunteered to go and get them some food. The greasier the better.
***
Walt knew as soon as he opened the door to their room that something was wrong. He put the bags of food down and reached for his gun. "Johnny?" The door to the bathroom was open, the shower running. "Johnny is everything okay?" He could hear sobbing through the noise of the water.
As he entered the steamy bathroom he saw Johnny. He was crying, curled up in a corner, rocking and muttering to himself. "Johnny what happened!" Walt came closer and Johnny immediately latched onto him, his hand gripping Walt's. Walt sat down not caring about the shower that was still going. What was obvious was Johnny's pain. Walt cradled the still sobbing Johnny in his arms. "Shh shh it's going to be okay." He whispered while awkwardly petting Johnny's hair.
After a while Walt was soaked through. Johnny was still crying and rocking although it seemed as if Walt's presence had calmed him a little. Walt reached up and turned the shower off. Almost immediately Johnny came to although he was still gasping.
"Walt. That--. " Johnny clutched Walt and held on. "I-- " he trailed off, still in shock.
"Want to tell me what happened?"
"There was a woman here and" Johnny paused. "She-- she got raped. Not in this room but she was staying here. It hit me as soon as I turned the water on."
Walt couldn't imagine the trauma that Johnny had experienced. He couldn't think of anything to say so he just held Johnny tight trying to provide what comfort he could. After a while Johnny relaxed against him and seemed to calm down.
Walt's leg was starting to fall asleep and he was getting cold and damp. Although Johnny was warm in his arms. "Come on, let's get you to bed. You need the rest. Or you can eat. I brought food." Walt untangled himself from Johnny and it wasn't until then that he realized that Johnny was completely naked.
"! guess I should be used to the visions by now but--" Johnny sighed, shook his head and stood up.
Walt hadn't noticed before how captivating bathroom tiles could be. His head felt warm. A hand reached past him and grabbed a towel. "I'm sorry I should leave, let you recover as well as getting dry and." Walt stopped his ramble and headed out into the main motel room.
"Walt wait! You're dripping."
Walt stopped and closed his eyes for a moment. He was suddenly aware of just how uncomfortable he was. He was cold, wet and tired. He couldn't cope with what had happened to Johnny or even just Johnny in general. He missed Sarah.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize." Walt turned around and there was Johnny, wrapped in a towel. He was pale and looked tired.
Johnny grabbed another towel and handed to Walt. "You did bring a chance of clothes, right?"
"Yes."
"Sarah make you pack?"
The way Johnny's face brightened momentarily just by saying her name started an ache somewhere inside Walt.
"Never mind." The fleeting light left Johnny's face. "You definitely need to get out of these." He reached out his hand and touched Walt's shoulder and froze for a moment. "or you'll get sick."
Walt felt helpless and slightly violated. What exactly had Johnny seen?
Johnny sighed and started unbuttoning Walt's still dripping shirt. "I wasn't joking, you know."
"I know.' Walt glared at Johnny. "I don't need help to undress. Thank you very much." He backed off clutching the towel. "Leave!." Walt spat out. "I can take care of myself."
Johnny left the bathroom without a word.
In the morning there was frost on the window.
***
The drive home was stilted and awkward. Johnny had barely spoken a word. Walt didn't know what to say. Fortunately J.J. wasn't in the car this time around.
Walt didn't know what to think about what had happened so he didn't. He concentrated on the road. Getting into the zone where nothing existed but the road and the car. Johnny and all the issues knotted around him were pushed to the side with the drone of the engine and the ebb and flow of the other cars around them.
So it came as a surprise when Johnny broke the silence. "I want you to help me find the woman."
It took Walt a few second to realize Johnny had spoken. "What?"
"The woman, the one that was in the room. I need to find her." Johnny said persistently, as if he'd spent a lot of time thinking it through and weren't about to budge. "Now I can look for her on my own but it would be easier if you could help. You have access to records." Johnny's voice sounded strained. "I think she pressed charges."
Walt hadn't looked at him yet, eyes firmly fixed on the road. "Okay."
"Okay." Johnny replied and they lapsed back into an uneasy silence.
As soon as they were back in town, Walt dropped Johnny off and went home to Sarah. She sensed that something was off but Walt silenced her with a kiss. He felt wonderful to have her in his arms again and resolved to make good use of the few days they had before J.J returned.
***
Six weeks later Walt found the woman's files. She'd been raped seven years ago, the perpetrator caught and sentenced. Clean-cut case. Walt passed the details on to Johnny. They had been avoiding each other since the trip.
A few days after that Walt got a phone call from Johnny. "Could we-- I want to talk."
"Of course." Walt replied. He'd halfway been expecting something like this. As much as he liked ignoring problems it didn't make them go away. Especially when he didn't really know why thing's had turned sour in the first place.
Walt turned up at Johnny's place later that evening feeling slightly nervous. He didn't know what to expect. Johnny was waiting for him, opening the door before Walt had a chance to knock. Walt wanted to blame it on Johnny being psychic but knew that Johnny had probably just seen him through the window.
"You wanted to talk?" Walt hesitated before entering the house.
"Yeah, come in." Johnny looked better than he had the last time Walt saw him. "You want anything to drink?"
"No I'm fine." Walt started to relax. The strangeness that had been between them seemed gone, maybe Johnny had forgiven him or he, Johnny.
They sat on the couch in Johnny's living room. After minutes passing by with small talk about J.J, the weather and hockey. Johnny sat up straight and turned to Walt. "You know I didn't ask you to come just for smalltalk."
Walt nodded. "So what is it?"
"Right, you see.' Johnny rubbed his forehead as if trying to think of what to say next. "I went to see her. The woman, Jane, and she was fine. It had taken her time but--" He looked at Walt. "What she, I-- went through was awful. I was certain that I'd gotten the vision for a reason. Why else suffer through that, and she was fine. Didn't need me at all."
"Are you sure that was it?"
Johnny stared blankly out the window. "Yeah, it was all pointless." He looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry for unloading this on you but I haven't told anyone about the vision in the shower and--"
"Don't worry about it." It was amazing how much Johnny could go through and still stay strong and sane, or well mostly sane. Something dawned on Walt. "Actually I have a hunch that the vision might have been more for your sake than hers."
"What?" Johnny jerked and stared at Walt. "How can you say that. You saw how it affected me, you were there."
"I was." Walt acknowledged then continued: "I was trying to say that maybe the vision was there to show you that people can have horrible things happen to them and still be okay." He turned toward Johnny. "You know it's not the end. It might take time but things can turn out okay."
"Maybe."
They sat together, silent, for a while. This time the silence was comfortable and warm. Johnny seemed more at peace and Walt felt drowsy, almost lulled to sleep by the quiet companionship and the unnoticed weight that had lifted off his shoulders.
When it was time to leave Walt pulled Johnny into a hug at the door. "You'll be fine." Johnny froze for a moment. When Walt let him go Johnny was slightly flushed.
"Yeah. Now go, it's late." Johnny waved and hurriedly shut the door.
Walt turned, rather puzzled, but even that slight oddity at the door didn't put out the warm buzz he was feeling. He looked forward to crawling into bed with Sarah and tell her that she could stop planning random events to try make him and Johnny bond. They got along just fine already and maybe, this time, she'd believe him.
Author: Crowie
Rating: PG
Word count: ~1800.
Characters: Johnny, Walt.
Disclaimer: Not for profit and all that lark.
Feedback: Of course.
Summary: On a road trip Johnny gets an unexpected vision.
Notes: First of all sorry for being too late with the challenge. Also I know the story is a little too short. So it's too little, too late but I hope it's better than nothing. Also the story is unbetaed, lack of time. I still want to refine it but I can't hang onto it longer with good conscience. I'm way too late as is. I'll hopefully be better next time.
Photos I got given: photo 1 and photo 2
It had all begun with Sarah.
J.J was invited to stay with a friend of his for a few days during the Christmas vacation and she thought it were a perfect opportunity for some manly bonding time for him, Johnny and J.J. They could all drive up together in the snow. Have fun.
Walt thought that mostly she wanted the time alone. She had emphasized how much nicer it would be for them to stay a night at a motel rather than driving up and then back again in one exhaustive 15 hour stretch. He couldn't blame her really. It was hard to handle three men in her life, especially if they didn't get on. J.J was getting bigger every day. Taking up more space. Becoming a person.
A person that was currently kicking at the back of his seat. "J.J could you please stop doing that, I'm driving."
"I'm bored."
Walt looked at him in the rear view mirror. J.J. looked tired and cranky. The air in the car was heavy and stale. It was time for a road stop soon. "Don't you have your gameboy?"
"It's out of batteries."
"Didn't your mother tell you to charge it before going?"
"I forgot." Came the sullen reply.
Walt sighed exasperatedly and turned to Johnny. "You keep him entertained. I'm driving"
Johnny rolled his eyes but turned in his seat to face J.J and started some quiz game with him. Walt tuned them out although he couldn't help but wince a little at how easily Johnny could handle his son.
***
It was late once they'd dropped J.J. off. Walt watched the door close behind him and sighed. J.J was getting older so quickly. He startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "He's growing into a fine boy isn't he?" Johnny said somewhere behind him.
"Yeah he is." Walt replied. Maybe Sarah had been right. The trip wasn't half bad so far.
Neither of them felt up to eating out once they'd found a motel so Walt volunteered to go and get them some food. The greasier the better.
***
Walt knew as soon as he opened the door to their room that something was wrong. He put the bags of food down and reached for his gun. "Johnny?" The door to the bathroom was open, the shower running. "Johnny is everything okay?" He could hear sobbing through the noise of the water.
As he entered the steamy bathroom he saw Johnny. He was crying, curled up in a corner, rocking and muttering to himself. "Johnny what happened!" Walt came closer and Johnny immediately latched onto him, his hand gripping Walt's. Walt sat down not caring about the shower that was still going. What was obvious was Johnny's pain. Walt cradled the still sobbing Johnny in his arms. "Shh shh it's going to be okay." He whispered while awkwardly petting Johnny's hair.
After a while Walt was soaked through. Johnny was still crying and rocking although it seemed as if Walt's presence had calmed him a little. Walt reached up and turned the shower off. Almost immediately Johnny came to although he was still gasping.
"Walt. That--. " Johnny clutched Walt and held on. "I-- " he trailed off, still in shock.
"Want to tell me what happened?"
"There was a woman here and" Johnny paused. "She-- she got raped. Not in this room but she was staying here. It hit me as soon as I turned the water on."
Walt couldn't imagine the trauma that Johnny had experienced. He couldn't think of anything to say so he just held Johnny tight trying to provide what comfort he could. After a while Johnny relaxed against him and seemed to calm down.
Walt's leg was starting to fall asleep and he was getting cold and damp. Although Johnny was warm in his arms. "Come on, let's get you to bed. You need the rest. Or you can eat. I brought food." Walt untangled himself from Johnny and it wasn't until then that he realized that Johnny was completely naked.
"! guess I should be used to the visions by now but--" Johnny sighed, shook his head and stood up.
Walt hadn't noticed before how captivating bathroom tiles could be. His head felt warm. A hand reached past him and grabbed a towel. "I'm sorry I should leave, let you recover as well as getting dry and." Walt stopped his ramble and headed out into the main motel room.
"Walt wait! You're dripping."
Walt stopped and closed his eyes for a moment. He was suddenly aware of just how uncomfortable he was. He was cold, wet and tired. He couldn't cope with what had happened to Johnny or even just Johnny in general. He missed Sarah.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize." Walt turned around and there was Johnny, wrapped in a towel. He was pale and looked tired.
Johnny grabbed another towel and handed to Walt. "You did bring a chance of clothes, right?"
"Yes."
"Sarah make you pack?"
The way Johnny's face brightened momentarily just by saying her name started an ache somewhere inside Walt.
"Never mind." The fleeting light left Johnny's face. "You definitely need to get out of these." He reached out his hand and touched Walt's shoulder and froze for a moment. "or you'll get sick."
Walt felt helpless and slightly violated. What exactly had Johnny seen?
Johnny sighed and started unbuttoning Walt's still dripping shirt. "I wasn't joking, you know."
"I know.' Walt glared at Johnny. "I don't need help to undress. Thank you very much." He backed off clutching the towel. "Leave!." Walt spat out. "I can take care of myself."
Johnny left the bathroom without a word.
In the morning there was frost on the window.
***
The drive home was stilted and awkward. Johnny had barely spoken a word. Walt didn't know what to say. Fortunately J.J. wasn't in the car this time around.
Walt didn't know what to think about what had happened so he didn't. He concentrated on the road. Getting into the zone where nothing existed but the road and the car. Johnny and all the issues knotted around him were pushed to the side with the drone of the engine and the ebb and flow of the other cars around them.
So it came as a surprise when Johnny broke the silence. "I want you to help me find the woman."
It took Walt a few second to realize Johnny had spoken. "What?"
"The woman, the one that was in the room. I need to find her." Johnny said persistently, as if he'd spent a lot of time thinking it through and weren't about to budge. "Now I can look for her on my own but it would be easier if you could help. You have access to records." Johnny's voice sounded strained. "I think she pressed charges."
Walt hadn't looked at him yet, eyes firmly fixed on the road. "Okay."
"Okay." Johnny replied and they lapsed back into an uneasy silence.
As soon as they were back in town, Walt dropped Johnny off and went home to Sarah. She sensed that something was off but Walt silenced her with a kiss. He felt wonderful to have her in his arms again and resolved to make good use of the few days they had before J.J returned.
***
Six weeks later Walt found the woman's files. She'd been raped seven years ago, the perpetrator caught and sentenced. Clean-cut case. Walt passed the details on to Johnny. They had been avoiding each other since the trip.
A few days after that Walt got a phone call from Johnny. "Could we-- I want to talk."
"Of course." Walt replied. He'd halfway been expecting something like this. As much as he liked ignoring problems it didn't make them go away. Especially when he didn't really know why thing's had turned sour in the first place.
Walt turned up at Johnny's place later that evening feeling slightly nervous. He didn't know what to expect. Johnny was waiting for him, opening the door before Walt had a chance to knock. Walt wanted to blame it on Johnny being psychic but knew that Johnny had probably just seen him through the window.
"You wanted to talk?" Walt hesitated before entering the house.
"Yeah, come in." Johnny looked better than he had the last time Walt saw him. "You want anything to drink?"
"No I'm fine." Walt started to relax. The strangeness that had been between them seemed gone, maybe Johnny had forgiven him or he, Johnny.
They sat on the couch in Johnny's living room. After minutes passing by with small talk about J.J, the weather and hockey. Johnny sat up straight and turned to Walt. "You know I didn't ask you to come just for smalltalk."
Walt nodded. "So what is it?"
"Right, you see.' Johnny rubbed his forehead as if trying to think of what to say next. "I went to see her. The woman, Jane, and she was fine. It had taken her time but--" He looked at Walt. "What she, I-- went through was awful. I was certain that I'd gotten the vision for a reason. Why else suffer through that, and she was fine. Didn't need me at all."
"Are you sure that was it?"
Johnny stared blankly out the window. "Yeah, it was all pointless." He looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry for unloading this on you but I haven't told anyone about the vision in the shower and--"
"Don't worry about it." It was amazing how much Johnny could go through and still stay strong and sane, or well mostly sane. Something dawned on Walt. "Actually I have a hunch that the vision might have been more for your sake than hers."
"What?" Johnny jerked and stared at Walt. "How can you say that. You saw how it affected me, you were there."
"I was." Walt acknowledged then continued: "I was trying to say that maybe the vision was there to show you that people can have horrible things happen to them and still be okay." He turned toward Johnny. "You know it's not the end. It might take time but things can turn out okay."
"Maybe."
They sat together, silent, for a while. This time the silence was comfortable and warm. Johnny seemed more at peace and Walt felt drowsy, almost lulled to sleep by the quiet companionship and the unnoticed weight that had lifted off his shoulders.
When it was time to leave Walt pulled Johnny into a hug at the door. "You'll be fine." Johnny froze for a moment. When Walt let him go Johnny was slightly flushed.
"Yeah. Now go, it's late." Johnny waved and hurriedly shut the door.
Walt turned, rather puzzled, but even that slight oddity at the door didn't put out the warm buzz he was feeling. He looked forward to crawling into bed with Sarah and tell her that she could stop planning random events to try make him and Johnny bond. They got along just fine already and maybe, this time, she'd believe him.