Hey! Just a little Oneshot I made up. Set after Church met up with the Reds and Blues in season 12.
Church jumped into Caboose for two reasons. One, Carolina wanted some privacy, and two, Tucker and Wash didn't really like him at the moment, for different reasons. So, lucky him, he got to go inside Caboose's head. Yay. He walked inside, feeling the serene sense Caboose usually had, though with the immense joy he ALWAYS had. He turned around, and saw Caboose's mental image of himself standing behind him.
Wash and Tucker watched as Caboose sat down and seemed to stare into nothing. Noticing their confusion, Carolina shed some light on the situation.
"Church jumped into Caboose. I sometimes get like this when he's talking to me in my head. It's best to leave him alone," She told them. They nodded and left Caboose to his thoughts, whatever they may be.
Church swore he jumped five feet in the air when he saw Caboose standing behind him.
"Goddamnit! Don't sneak up on me like that," He said, staring at the regulation blue soldier behind him. Then something struck him. "Hey, why are you so different from what Caboose acts like outside his head?" He asked. Caboose stared at him a moment, before sighing.
"I am the memory Caboose knows. He doesn't know I exist, and perhaps that is for the better. Follow me," The projection commanded before walking away. Church stared at him quizzically. They stopped at what looked like a giant filter. "This is what keeps Caboose innocent," The projection said, staring up at it. "It takes the memories I know and waters it down to stop him from becoming cold-hearted. Memory can break a person, for it is also truth, and truth is very deadly."
Church just stared at the filter in awe. He noticed the bumps and cracks on it. It seemed like The Projection could read his mind. "Each crack comes from a memory this filter cannot change for the better. For example, O'Malley," Church flinched at the name. "Also, these are from when you left him, twice," The Projection gave him a cold stare at this remark. "Caboose holds a special place in his mind just for you. He couldn't stand the thought of you leaving, so the first time he pretended it was hide and seek, though the next two times he couldn't lie to himself about it. It broke him, and I had to pick up the pieces," The anger held within in those words hit Church like a train. "If you leave again, Caboose will break. And this time, I won't be able to put him back together."
Church didn't know what to say, so he ran. He ran and jumped back into Carolina, thoughts jumbled and fearful. Carolina asked him what was wrong, what he had done in Caboose's mind that had caused him to leave so suddenly. Church took a minute to pull himself together before replying.
"I asked I question that I wish I hadn't." When asked for details, all he said was.
"Some secrets shouldn't be told,"