Coming Home
By Lyn
Missing scene for Fallen
Gen
He supposed it was because he had literally fallen from the sky that he now felt such a kinship with it. Now, with pallid grey walls surrounding him, closing in on him, he missed it so much, it was stifling. The melancholy woke him from deep sleep, suffocating him as he dreamed of reaching for the clouds, dragging himself back to anchor himself in the place where he knew he had once belonged, yet no longer remembered. It was like clinging to gossamer, tearing from his hands and leaving him floundering for a hold on a life he no longer remembered.
He missed the sky.
The memories he had hoped would come flooding back once he returned remained locked away, allowing just the briefest glimpse, enough to tease but skittering away like quicksilver the moment he tried to grasp them, and he now felt more vulnerable than when he'd been found in the field, naked and terrified.
"I need to go outside," he said. "Can I see the world you say I called home?"
Jack stared at him for a moment, a small frown creasing his forehead then he nodded. "Sure."
He followed Jack into the elevator and hung on grimly as the car lurched upward, leaving his stomach somewhere below. Jack grinned and he realized how foolish he must look. "We're a long way down," Jack said. "You'll get used to it."
"Will I?" he asked. "I'm not sure I want to."
"Why not?" Jack nodded at the armed guard and led the way out of the building.
Daniel shrugged. "I thought I was doing the right thing, coming back with you. Now… I'm not sure where I belong."
"You belong here… with us," Jack replied. "We're… family."
Daniel stopped and looked up. The sky was dark and clear, stars adorning it in a pinpoint diamond display. The very sight of it released, just a little, the heavy foreboding that seemed to have been forever present since he had left the only home he could remember. He sat down on a bench and looked upward. The sky drew his attention back as though he was connected to it, a life force drawing him in, keeping him safe. He took a deep breath, savoring the fresh, cool air.
Jack sat down beside him, close enough that their shoulders touched but said nothing, as though he knew Daniel needed this time to reconnect. After several minutes, Daniel spoke. "This is what I miss the most. The freedom, the fresh air," he gestured upward, "the sky. Will I have to live down there forever?"
"Well, you had an apartment… several actually," Jack said, "but you keep disappearing on us and we have to keep closing them up." He bumped his shoulder lightly against Daniel's. "You can stay at my place till we find you something, once we get all the red tape cleared up."
There was something familiar about the words, a teasing yet gentle note in Jack's voice, another wisp of memory that tugged at him and brought with it a feeling of warmth, of belonging.
Perhaps he had come home after all.
End