Held In Time
Rifiuto: Non Miriena
Summary: There's people you grow up knowing, seeing every day. And then, there's the people you only know through what others tell you, through pictures and video. You have grainy, fuzzy memories of them, and as you grow, the memories begin to fade; the scent of their hair, the sound of their voice, the feel of their skin. Until they're nothing but a flash in your memory. But what if you could go back and change the past? Find them, save them from meeting their untimely ends too soon? If you got the chance, would you do it? Would you go back in time and try to save them? Would you risk your own life, your own existence, so that they could live? Fourth in the Haunted Universe.
2033, Eureka, Oregon
The album dropped, falling open when it hit the floor. She knelt down, picking up the various other trinkets that had fallen, and stopped, at the photograph staring up at her. She sat back, taking the album into her lap. A couple stared up at her- they were young, beautiful even, sitting on the stairs in a home. She was wedged between his legs, his arms wrapped tight aroun her shoulders, his chin resting on her shoulder. She wore her long raven hair down around her shoulders in waves, and they were grinning like idiots at the camera. Her eyes moved down to the date beneath the photograph:
Jo and Zane, January, 2012
Her breath caught. It was them.
She'd only ever heard about Jo Lupo and Zane Donovan from family- her step-dad was Jo's best friend, had looked out for Zane after Jo died- but never had she known them.
That she could remember.
She had vague memories of a woman letting her piggyback around the bunker, or a man wrapping his leather jacket around her. Memories of sitting in front of someone on a motorcycle, or playing Hide and Seek. And what she didn't officially remember, she knew from watching video her parents had shot. The videos were the only time she really got to hear their voices, listen to their laughter, watching them be as in love as they had been. Old photographs were all she had to see their faces, their eyes, their smiles.
But videos, photographs, stories, wouldn't bring them back. She would never be able to touch them, hug them, have any sort of contact with them. Her parents had memories of the pair she would never have, and she longed for them so.
A moment passed, before she got up, closing the album and putting it back on the shelf. Then, she grabbed her book bag and turned to go. She got no further than the door. A framed photograph on the mantel caught her eye. It was her aunt, a soft smile on her face, holding a toddler. Tears began to run down her cheeks, and she returned to the shelf, grabbing the album and stuffing it in her bag. Then, she grabbed her keys and left, brushing the tears from her cheeks.
She swallowed, the coffee was hot against her throat, and she relished the heat as it ran towards her stomach. She looked up, to see her older sister enter the Cafe, and after a moment, she set her coffee down, getting up as the older woman made her way towards the counter. "Jea!" Her sister wrapped her in a hug, before pulling away.
"Sorry I'm late, Joey. I got sidetracked." Her sister chuckled.
"Don't worry about it, Jea. Being... Head of Security is tough. You can handle it. She did." Her sister replied. The older woman bit her lip.
"It's... not because of work, it's because of-" She looked around. "Can we... sit somewhere else?" The younger woman nodded, and grabbed her cup and the cup Vincent had set down for her sister. Then, she led her to a table in the corner, taking a seat.
"So, what's up, Jen. You look upset." She asked, once the two had settled down. Jea took a deep breath. A moment passed, before she pulled the photo album out of her back and set it on the table, opening it to the photograph of them on the stairs. She slid it across the table.
"I was... looking for that book Mom wanted and... knocked this off the shelf. It opened to this page." The younger woman's blue eyes moved down to the photograph, reading the names.
"Oh Jea..." Her sister sniffled.
"I don't even remember them. I have... fuzzy memories at most. The ones of him are a little better, but her... practically nonexistent." She licked her lips. "I want to know what they were like."
"Don't look at me, Jea. They both died before I was born."
"You were born before he died." Her sister corrected.
"I might as well not have even been concieved when he died. I have no memories of him- or her for that matter. If you want to know about them, ask Mom and Dad." She sipped her coffee. "They should be here any-"
"There are my girls." Both looked up, to see Jack and Allison Carter make their way to their table. When they got close enough, the two got up, hugging their parents before returning to their seats. "It's about time we all got together. How's Oxford, Joey?" Jack asked, as one of the waitresses set their coffee in front of them. The younger girl shrugged.
"British. It's Oxford." The twenty-year-old replied. Jack laughed, reaching out to pat his daughter's hand. He caught his oldest daughter pulling the album towards her and closing it, and reached out, stopping her. "Jenna, what's this?" He pulled the photo album towards him, opening it, as Jenna sat back, biting her lip. He opened the album, scanning the photographs, before stopping on the one that had started the conversation in the first place.
"They looked so happy." Allison whispered, leaning against Jack's shoulder to see the photograph of their deceased friends. He nodded. "Could you imagine what they'd be doing now, if they were here?"
"Probably have a gaggle of deliquent kids by now." Carter whispered in response, gaze on the photograph. Allison chuckled softly, glancing at the date.
"This was taken months before she died. At least they had a few more months of happiness before Dr. Hansen took her from us. I only wish it hadn't happened. Maybe they'd still be with us." Jack squeezed her hand in comfort. Licking her lips, Jenna said,
"I want to know more about them."