Disclaimer: I don't own drop dead fred, believe me I wish I did...but I dont. I make absolutely no financial profit from any of this it's done purely for love of the fandom (which seriously needs more love) and the movie (cos who doesn't love Fred?)
Soo, finally plot progression...sketchy plot progression but progression of the plot no less. Next chapter will be better hopefully...
Emma Dilemma fought to keep the frown of exhaustion from her face as the small boy scrambled into the bundle of sheets rucked up around him, dragging with him the woollen monkey, tucking the soft toy beneath sheets before his mother bent to do the same to him. Watching Elizabeth smooth the sheets around Jakes prone form, Emma hovered uneasily by the foot of the bed, all day she and Jake had built worlds around themselves keeping the young boy thoroughly entertained had become easier as the day passed and she got to know him better, learnt that he liked messy games but hated to lose (something which reminded her very much of Fred). However all the time her own fun had been tainted by guilt dwelling within her gut at the knowledge she was here for one reason and one alone, and it had nothing to do with becoming close to the young boy who's warm brown eyes where currently on her anxious form.
"Would you like a story?" Emma watched Elizabeth sweep Jakes blonde fringe away from his eyes, such a fierce love was in her eyes when she looked at the boy, a mother's love…sometimes it confused the young woman to think of loving some-one so intensely and instinctively…She sometimes wondered if her own mother had ever looked at her like that.
Jake kept his eyes on Emma the Dilemma as he nodded in answer to his mother's question, she was lingering at the foot of his bed, hands toying with the grubby ties of her left sleeve as she shifted her weight from foot to foot, her green eyes glinted in the light being thrown from his lamp but refused to meet his own, instead they fluttered at the space about his head like they were following a group of invisible butterfly's.
Elizabeth settled onto the bed beside her son and reached for the tome of fairy tales kept in the bedside cabinet, the soft give of the bed beneath her a welcome relief to her tired body, the pillows bowing to support and enfold her back and shoulders. All day she had been keeping an eye on Jake and his new friend, watching for signs a small part of her mind still hoping that it was actually Fred and this introduction as a 'friend' had been a trick or something, but as the day had worn on and she had cleaned up little to no mess her hopes dwindled. Something about the way Jake interacted with them told her it wasn't Fred, something that she didn't think she would ever be able to explain to another person if asked. She knew Fred, knew his reactions and his games, knew his mischievous spirit and this felt different…
Emma waited, watching with Elizabeth as Jake began to doze before Lizzie had even reached the halfway point of the story, his eyes drifting peacefully closed, much to the open surprise of his mother. Usually Lizzie would have to fight to get the young boy to sleep, he would fight his eyes open and demand story after story all in an attempt to stay awake a little longer and keep the nightmares a little further away. She watched as the older woman finished the story, carrying on until the end even when it became apparent the boy had already fallen into a deep sleep, hands gripping Mr. Pooh close against his chest, the woollen Monkeys face squashed against his pyjama clad shoulder. While Elizabeth stayed where she lay outstretched on the bed dress fanning elegantly around her legs, watching her son sleep with awe in her eyes, Emma watched her, pondering over her next move mentally, hoping what she had heard was correct…
Elizabeth sighed and set the book down on the table beside her, eyes still watching Jakes small form, lips parted as shallow breathes passed between them, his body still and peaceful. It was the most settled she had seen him for weeks.
"Thank you." Elizabeth whispered into the still of the room, the comforted smile coming to her easily. Whoever this friend of Fred's was she was thankful, ok so the nightmares could still come, but this was the easiest Jake had slept for so long it made her feel lighter simply looking at him, some of the weight in her chest from the helplessness she fought every night lifting. Emma Dilemma laughed softly despite herself, tugging reflexively at one of her tangled pigtails.
"Don't thank me yet…" Elizabeth didn't react to the words, unable to hear or see the young woman moving closer to her side of the bed, still simply taking in her son at rest. She couldn't wait for Mickey to see when he got home…
Emma shuffled closer, bare feet barely lifting from the floor, toes burying themselves in the plush rug beside the bed, her eyes scanned over Elizabeths still form, watching, looking, searching-
A misted light caught Emma the Dilemma's attention; a single twisting outreaching spark seemed to shoot off from Lizzie's ankle before disappearing. Attention peaked she moved closer, praying it hadn't been a trick of the light, praying she hadn't crossed the bridge on useless rumour… Lizzie shifted, reluctant to leave her son's side yet she shifted deeper into the embrace of the over plumped pillows, welcoming the embrace of the bed beneath her. As she shifted Emma watched for the light she had seen, when a flash caught her eye, the spark glinting beside Elizabeth's ear, still dulled, like a flashlight being swung hap-hazardously through thick fog. A green Flashlight.
"Ah ha!" Emma cheered, relief flooding her, the plan was still far from perfect, and who knew if it would succeed, but there was a chance! There was a chance it could, Elizabeth and Fred still held a connection, it was weak, nearly non-existent in fact, but it was there. Emma sunk onto the bed, just missing dropping onto Lizzie's ankles and watched the light, the one precious flickering hope, the proof the sign of Fred and Lizzies bond…the light he had given her..
Fred had been with Elizabeth such a long time, far longer than any friend had been with a charge, there had been rumour that there was a chance, just a chance their link was…developed. More robust than other friends links; lingering perhaps. Fred of course had never hinted either way, not even to her, the repercussions would have been traumatic to both parties if the powers that be had ever discovered the rumours to be true; the link would have been forcibly severed and after so long it was any-ones guess what effect that would have had on Fred or Lizzie. Fred's presence had been a near permanent fixture in Lizzies life, having that ripped away could have been devastating…(Emma refused to contemplate what it would have done to Fred.)
Reaching out towards the spark felt like reaching towards a flighty firefly, it kept darting about Elizabeth's body, eluding her, brightening as she approached then zinging off along the line of Lizzies form and lingering, allowing her fingers to come within millimetres, the dim glow pulsating almost like a heartbeat was beating within. Emma's eyes followed it, she knew she couldn't catch it, it was never something physical, never something that could be held, no matter how tempting, but watching it fly about, so alive despite how faded and weak it appeared was almost invigorating to the girl already dizzy with relief that the thing was even there.
A car engine disturbed the peace within the room causing Elizabeth to ease herself gingerly from the bed, not wanting to disturb her sons rest, and cause Dilemma to lose sight of the flickering spark as the other drew away from her outstretched hand. She listened as the engine shut off and a car door shut, Lizzie already making her way from the room, softly closing the door as she went, somewhere in a quitter corner of her mind Emma dilemma realised that Fartpants must be home from wherever he had disappeared off to today (She thought Fred had mentioned that Fartpants built things once a while ago and that meant he left for long periods of time…).
Emma the Dilemma allowed a small smile to tweak at the corners of her mouth, mind still giddy with hope as she tried not to let the innumerable doubts and uncertainties, all the what if's that could go wrong to clog up her mind and kill the first shard of optimism she'd felt since jumping the bridge with her borrowed magic. She watched as a small frown creased Jakes brow, his nose screwing up, unthinking she reached a hand out and smoothed the skin, hoping to soothe the nightmares she knew would come before they arrived. Already the young boy seemed to have wormed his way into her heart, she supposed it had something to do with the fact he was the first real interaction she had had with any-one but Fred for so long...
"They'll stop Jake." Dilemma whispered, fingers still trying to soothe the crinkled skin as she spoke and ease the nightmares away, despite their inevitability. "I promise I'll make them stop..."
Dilemma Knew that all the while the walls were weak the nightmares would continue, children like Jake where sensitive to disturbances along other planes normally, but the pressure the walls where under, the cracks that where splitting apart in the defences of the differant planes where creating enormous ripples, leaving nightterrors of horrors in the children of this worlds dreams. Worlds that where never meant to mingle where becoming compressed together by something...something that had been locked away in the space between worlds for nigh on millenia and had been woken up. Watching as the discontented frown eventually eased from Jakes face Emma the Dilemma thought back to the flickering misted light that Lizzie still carried with her and hoped it was strong enough to allow her to keep her promise.
