{ Walt; Mirrors Don't Reflect Your Empty Heart }
Title; Mirrors Don't Reflect Your Empty Heart
Character(s); Walt, mentioning of O6 and his Grandmother.
Rating; PG
Words; 1,146
Summary; Home was where he had been happy, home was where he had walked on the beach with Vincent, with nothing to do but to throw the ball and let Vincent fetch it.
Disclaimer; I do not own them, I just like playing with them.
A/N; For Queen demonqueen666, who requested Gone But Not Forgotten.
He still woke up screaming in the middle of the night, but his grandmother didn't check on him any more. He'd pushed her away once too much.
--
"Walt, are you okay?"
She came into his room again, watched him with his heart racing in his chest. The tears on his face reflected the moonlight coming in through the crack in the curtains and he could see the worried look on his grandmother's face. The images of a dead Ana-Lucia, a dead Libby, a pile of dirt and buried corpses still swimming in the dark room before him.
"Don't come in, Grandma. I'm cool. Just leave me alone. I'm not a kid any more."
His voice sounded low and hoarse and it wasn't just the change his body had made. It was the fear and pain deep inside of him.
--
And she had left, closing the door softly behind her. It had been the last time she'd checked on him. He stopped being a kid after they returned, to a completely new life that was supposed to be a happy one, one where him and his father could finally be the son and father they always wanted to be. Were he could be the son his father deserved. He stopped being a kid after his father told him what he had done to get them off the island. He knew that they had had to get away from it, that bad things were about to happen, Walt knew, but he still blamed himself for what had happened. And he blamed his father for doing all this and for going back, for not taking him with him, whatever it was that he was doing there.
--
Walt had wanted to go back almost as soon as they got home. This wasn't home, he reminded himself. Home was where he had been happy, home was where he had walked on the beach with Vincent, with nothing to do but to throw the ball and let Vincent fetch it. Home was where there were fellow survivors, people that would be in his heart forever. Home was a sunlit beach and pouring rain that would only last a few minutes, home was where he had finally found his real father again, where he had learned to love him, like he hadn't been able to love Brain, ever. Home was where he had slept on airline pillows, woken up by nature instead of an alarm clock.
He hadn't forgotten about the Others, about Room 23, but that was all in the past. A bad memory that didn't have any weight on the dreams he had at night.
His home was the island, not here.
--
He hadn't heard from any of the other survivors and since he wasn't talking to his father, he didn't know how much he knew. He just knew that he was going back to set everything straight, to save the people he had once betrayed. Walt hadn't wanted to believe him, but deep down in his heart, he knew he'd been telling the truth. He wouldn't have lied, however horrible it was. At least he'd had to give him that, although he would give anything for his father to have lied about the people he'd killed. To haven't killed the people in the first place. The people that still visited him in his dreams.
--
He was watching the news when he suddenly saw the faces of Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun and Aaron appear on screen. He turned the volume up, his face twisted in concentration and sudden happiness. But a feeling in the pit of stomach told him this was no good. Where were the others? And why were they lying? Why were they telling the biggest lie Walt had ever heard? What was going on?
He waited every day for someone to come see him. He expected Hurley or Jack or maybe even Sayid, although he'd never had talked to him much. He even wanted Kate at some point, having admired her strength on the island. He'd expected anyone, but nobody came and Walt was alone again, his hopes of ever returning crushed.
--
One night, when an exceptionally bad dream had woken him from his sleep again, Locke was there.
"They haven't forgotten about you, Walt. I haven't forgotten about you, don't be afraid. I know of your dreams, but they will all disappear when you go back. You must go back, Walt, you know that, right?"
Walt just nodded, knowing this was for real. It was not one of his dreams, not one of his nightmares. Finally, everything was going to be alright.
"You'll be away from here faster than you expect now, there's a chance to return, I've made sure you can all return to where we belong. Where we're supposed to be."
"When?" was all Walt could say.
"Soon, Walt. Very soon."
Walt blinked and Locke was gone. Like he hadn't been there at all.
--
Walt didn't dare hope too much on a happy ending and after a few days he even began doubting his own ability to divide his dreams and reality, because still, nobody came. His suitcase was packed, in the corner of the room, like it had been ever since they got back. The only thing that had changed where his clothes, because he'd grown out of his old ones.
It took a week, but then, finally, the doorbell rang and Jack was standing on his doorstep.
"Quick, Walt. We need to go, there's not much time. Everybody's waiting for you outside. Grab your things, say goodbye to your grandmother and come as fast as you can."
Walt didn't even hear the end of Jack's sentence, the door slamming shut behind him. He didn't take long to say goodbye, it hurt him to know he was never going to see her again, but he knew she was glad he would be happy.
"There's nothing better in the world for me now than to see that smile on your face, Walt. You know, it's the first time I've actually seen you smile in all the time since you've been back. I'll miss you, son. Now, go and don't you forget about me," she smiled at him, her hands on his face, eyes soft and full of tears.
"I won't, Grandma. I love you."
--
And then he was gone. He wasn't scared, because he knew where he was going to. It might look different than he remembered, things had happened that had changed it forever, but there were things that had changed for the best. And now they were going back, he could not keep the smile from lighting his face as he stepped into the car, welcomed by the 'Oceanic Six'. He wasn't scared, because he was with them and they were all going home.
Character(s); Walt, mentioning of O6 and his Grandmother.
Rating; PG
Words; 1,146
Summary; Home was where he had been happy, home was where he had walked on the beach with Vincent, with nothing to do but to throw the ball and let Vincent fetch it.
Disclaimer; I do not own them, I just like playing with them.
A/N; For Queen demonqueen666, who requested Gone But Not Forgotten.
He still woke up screaming in the middle of the night, but his grandmother didn't check on him any more. He'd pushed her away once too much.
--
"Walt, are you okay?"
She came into his room again, watched him with his heart racing in his chest. The tears on his face reflected the moonlight coming in through the crack in the curtains and he could see the worried look on his grandmother's face. The images of a dead Ana-Lucia, a dead Libby, a pile of dirt and buried corpses still swimming in the dark room before him.
"Don't come in, Grandma. I'm cool. Just leave me alone. I'm not a kid any more."
His voice sounded low and hoarse and it wasn't just the change his body had made. It was the fear and pain deep inside of him.
--
And she had left, closing the door softly behind her. It had been the last time she'd checked on him. He stopped being a kid after they returned, to a completely new life that was supposed to be a happy one, one where him and his father could finally be the son and father they always wanted to be. Were he could be the son his father deserved. He stopped being a kid after his father told him what he had done to get them off the island. He knew that they had had to get away from it, that bad things were about to happen, Walt knew, but he still blamed himself for what had happened. And he blamed his father for doing all this and for going back, for not taking him with him, whatever it was that he was doing there.
--
Walt had wanted to go back almost as soon as they got home. This wasn't home, he reminded himself. Home was where he had been happy, home was where he had walked on the beach with Vincent, with nothing to do but to throw the ball and let Vincent fetch it. Home was where there were fellow survivors, people that would be in his heart forever. Home was a sunlit beach and pouring rain that would only last a few minutes, home was where he had finally found his real father again, where he had learned to love him, like he hadn't been able to love Brain, ever. Home was where he had slept on airline pillows, woken up by nature instead of an alarm clock.
He hadn't forgotten about the Others, about Room 23, but that was all in the past. A bad memory that didn't have any weight on the dreams he had at night.
His home was the island, not here.
--
He hadn't heard from any of the other survivors and since he wasn't talking to his father, he didn't know how much he knew. He just knew that he was going back to set everything straight, to save the people he had once betrayed. Walt hadn't wanted to believe him, but deep down in his heart, he knew he'd been telling the truth. He wouldn't have lied, however horrible it was. At least he'd had to give him that, although he would give anything for his father to have lied about the people he'd killed. To haven't killed the people in the first place. The people that still visited him in his dreams.
--
He was watching the news when he suddenly saw the faces of Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun and Aaron appear on screen. He turned the volume up, his face twisted in concentration and sudden happiness. But a feeling in the pit of stomach told him this was no good. Where were the others? And why were they lying? Why were they telling the biggest lie Walt had ever heard? What was going on?
He waited every day for someone to come see him. He expected Hurley or Jack or maybe even Sayid, although he'd never had talked to him much. He even wanted Kate at some point, having admired her strength on the island. He'd expected anyone, but nobody came and Walt was alone again, his hopes of ever returning crushed.
--
One night, when an exceptionally bad dream had woken him from his sleep again, Locke was there.
"They haven't forgotten about you, Walt. I haven't forgotten about you, don't be afraid. I know of your dreams, but they will all disappear when you go back. You must go back, Walt, you know that, right?"
Walt just nodded, knowing this was for real. It was not one of his dreams, not one of his nightmares. Finally, everything was going to be alright.
"You'll be away from here faster than you expect now, there's a chance to return, I've made sure you can all return to where we belong. Where we're supposed to be."
"When?" was all Walt could say.
"Soon, Walt. Very soon."
Walt blinked and Locke was gone. Like he hadn't been there at all.
--
Walt didn't dare hope too much on a happy ending and after a few days he even began doubting his own ability to divide his dreams and reality, because still, nobody came. His suitcase was packed, in the corner of the room, like it had been ever since they got back. The only thing that had changed where his clothes, because he'd grown out of his old ones.
It took a week, but then, finally, the doorbell rang and Jack was standing on his doorstep.
"Quick, Walt. We need to go, there's not much time. Everybody's waiting for you outside. Grab your things, say goodbye to your grandmother and come as fast as you can."
Walt didn't even hear the end of Jack's sentence, the door slamming shut behind him. He didn't take long to say goodbye, it hurt him to know he was never going to see her again, but he knew she was glad he would be happy.
"There's nothing better in the world for me now than to see that smile on your face, Walt. You know, it's the first time I've actually seen you smile in all the time since you've been back. I'll miss you, son. Now, go and don't you forget about me," she smiled at him, her hands on his face, eyes soft and full of tears.
"I won't, Grandma. I love you."
--
And then he was gone. He wasn't scared, because he knew where he was going to. It might look different than he remembered, things had happened that had changed it forever, but there were things that had changed for the best. And now they were going back, he could not keep the smile from lighting his face as he stepped into the car, welcomed by the 'Oceanic Six'. He wasn't scared, because he was with them and they were all going home.