Title: My Friend the Observer
Rated: PG for the fact that we're in a post apocalyptic wasteland setting
Summary: dark-fluff (typical me) set during the time gap of "Back in the Dark Again", which I will assume most of you have read
Characters: Peter, Olivia, Robbie (I'm gonna say he's like 2 or 3 here) and oh yeah the Observer
Warnings: none (I know, right? No dead bodies or bloody gore or disturbing stuff! OMG Fantasy Cat what the hell is wrong with you? LOL)
If September were a real man, he would be a man of many regrets.
Ever since his meeting with Dr. Bishop, September felt remorse and concern for the man's boy…even it wasn't truly his son. But there truly was nothing he could do…he had no power to help Walter cross over, nor could he help Peter and Olivia return to him. Everyone was trapped in the circumstances they have landed themselves in.
And all September could do now was observe the two shadows that were treading cautiously through a barren wasteland.
Through his binoculars, he could see how tired and beaten they were. They walked as if they were limping not because they were hurt but because the darkness and the death that surrounded them was absorbing every ounce of will and energy they had left. Olivia could barely support herself. She had one arm cradling her womb where the future Bishop was resting, while her other grabbed onto Peter almost weighing him down. They both wore long heavy coats to endure the winds and cold temperatures.
September observed them stepping into abandoned towns, breaking into houses where residents were long dead, coming out with very little luck in finding the food they needed to survive out here.
It was something September could not see happen. He first began by leaving a fresh fruit basket by the couple as they slept. Probably not the best idea since a basket full of fresh food appearing magically in the middle of a Blight-stricken world was considered highly suspicious. Peter and Olivia spent a whole hour sniffing and licking at the food before their hunger and desperation finally took over and their concerns of the food being poisonous were soon forgotten.
In the future, September would instead keep track of the locations that Peter and Olivia would visit next and made sure to leave 2 or 3 packages of food and necessities for them to find. He made sure the food was healthy for the baby and nothing aging or rancid. September knew nothing about feeling good but he felt accomplished to see the couple's spirit slightly lift every time they found something.
He also didn't know what it was like to feel fear but he knew that Peter and Olivia were heavy with fear, not just of their surroundings…
He watched from binoculars and calculated every detail of the moment when Robert Bishop II came into the world. The fear in Peter and Olivia had been sensed once more, along with great despair. Robert was small and incredibly skinny. His ribs were visible through his skin. There was no guarantee that such a weak child would survive the upcoming freak winter.
So September went into action again. The shelter that the family was staying in was becoming more inadequate. Peter was often seen out in the snow finding food and sometimes working on a project of his own.
He was building an igloo, one that would give Olivia and his son a better chance at surviving. But the storm during this difficult winter made the project more and more difficult. Peter only managed to construct a few bricks a day. It wouldn't be enough in time.
As soon as Peter retreated for the night, September approached the igloo and began constructing a layer overnight. Unlike normal humans, observers like September were completely resistant to cold temperatures and storms. He was able to work quicker and more efficiently than the humans could in their weakened state.
The plan worked perfectly…so well in fact that the family didn't hesitate to take shelter once they saw the completed igloo for the first time.
September was not only their mysterious savior, he was their guide. Here and there, he created unusual traces…signs and distractions that would eventually lead the family to a familiar looking old cottage.
Even now as they were safely settled, September continued to watch the family struggle. But his central human of focus was Robbie, still as weak and skinny as he was when he was born.
Robbie would shyly peak out the cracks and windows of the house; his only allowed means of exploring the outside world. And it was shortly after he began taking his first steps when his small green eyes looked out the window and in the distance saw something his parents could not…
A strange bald man who stood watching the house relentlessly.
Since then Robbie became enamored with a strange mix of fear and curiosity.
Robbie never became a normal hyperactive toddler. The living conditions never allowed for it. He remained a quiet bystander often sensing the fear and sadness that often consumed his mother and father. It was only when Robbie would approach them or be in their company would gentle smiles emerge from their faces.
In his own little way, Robbie liked to think that he had a gift.
Eventually he got tired of being trapped inside the house all day. His dad was gone a lot looking for food. His mom was sick all the time and seemed to do nothing but sleep for all but a few hours of each day.
And he knew that the strange bald man was still out there watching them. He would look out the window and there he stood. The man's eyes seemed to pierce back at the boy's as if he was being summoned.
So Robbie waited for the perfect time, one when his dad was not around and his mom would be fast asleep. Robbie cautiously climbed out of bed daring to not wake the strange thing living inside his mom's belly. Although his mother assured Robbie that it was harmless and only temporary, it still felt very creepy to him.
He was getting better and better at climbing down the stairs on his own as long as he was careful and then he played with the hole at the bottom of the front door. He crawled through and found himself out in the in the strange and frightening new world.
But as he expected the strange bald man was out there to greet him.
"Hello, Robert."
The boy just stared at September with his mouth dumbly half opened. "Who are you?"
"Someone you shouldn't be talking to."
"Oh." Despite this, Robbie still stood there which made September all the more curious.
"You're not afraid of me?"
The boy shook his head. "Why do you watch us all the time?"
"Because the universe you live in is a desolate and dangerous place…" Reading the boy's mind, September did say "and yes, that is why your parents have been shielding you from it."
Oddly enough, Robbie understood the bald man's complex words. And in turn, September could sense a great fear and concern.
"What's wrong with my mommy?"
"She is very sick," the man said bluntly. He felt uneasy about answering the boy's next question…if his mother was going to die. Even he couldn't look that far into the future and be certain.
September then placed his hand into his pockets. "If you wish to help…" He pulled out an unusual green herb resembling a fern. "Give this to her. Have her eat it."
After having the unusual plant placed into his tiny hands, Robbie curiously looked at the green leaves. He had never seen green leaves before and found it very unusual. "And she'll get better, right?"
Robbie looked up to find the strange bald man was no longer there. The boy became afraid. Having been distracted by the company of his strange friend, Robbie didn't seem to take notice of how dark and cold his surroundings were until now. It was dark gray and almost unseeable.
He started to cry and look around. He almost wanted to call out for his mommy and daddy but then he did a complete 180 turn and saw the front door right there in front of him. Having stepped outside until this day, Robbie wasn't even sure it was even his house but there was a hole at the bottom.
He decided to take the risk and crawled in. Miraculously, Robbie was in a familiar looking living room once more. He felt relieved but now he understood why his parents never let him go outside the house before.
Still fascinated with the green leaves, Robbie began to stroke their unusual texture. He almost didn't hear someone coming through the front door.
Fortunately, it was his father, who was quite surprised to find his son downstairs and alone.
"Robbie?" He looked very worried. "What are you doing down here? You should be in bed."
Robbie struggled to find the right words because he knew his father was eyeing the plant in his hands. "Give…this to mommy?"
Peter sniffed the plant and a wave of painful familiar senses struck him. It smelled like the other side. And lately he had almost forgotten was plant life smelled or even looked like. "Where…" He stopped to think. There was no way Robbie couldn't have gotten this outside. For one thing, Peter was certain he forbade him to go out there and even Peter himself would've recognized it since he was rarely at home these days.
Perhaps it had been hidden among the mess and the squalor all along and Robbie just happened to stumble upon it. In that case, Peter would be more forgiving. He was just a child after all.
"Never mind." He opened the plastic bag containing the food he gathered from today's scavenging…some canned fruit and an unusual small package that Robbie had never seen before.
"What's that?" he asked.
"Something for your mother," Peter said smiling. "Today's a very special day for her."
Olivia was slowly stirring awake when she saw an unusual light enter the room. She almost didn't noticed Robbie's absence until he came running up to her bedside. She was confused, as she could've sworn Robbie was supposed to be napping with her.
Robbie presented the plant in his hands. "Eat?"
Olivia was surprised by her son's present. She thought of telling him it wouldn't be a good idea but the look in his eyes was telling her, for one reason or another, that he was really counting on her to eat this plant.
Carefully she sniffed it like Peter did and took a few small bites. To her surprise the plant was quite edible and had a strange tint of pepper.
She could've sworn the spicy taste reminded her of something.
After eating the plant whole, Peter arrived carrying a small plate with a yellowish substance topped with a thick-lit candle.
"I couldn't find a real birthday candle," Peter said.
Olivia recognized the familiar food the candle was resting in. She gave Peter a weak smile. "You know…I don't really like Twinkies."
Despite this, Olivia was happy. The only upside to being stuck in this other reality, was that the birthdays were better. There were no daunting cards or bitter memories to haunt her. She felt like for the first time in a very long time, she was celebrating her birthday like a normal person. Of course, she wouldn't be eating the Twinkie cake that was intended for her. She would give it to Robbie instead. It would likely be the only opportunity he had to enjoy something like this.
"Happy Birthday, Olivia," said Peter.
And although Robbie was too young to understand what birthdays were, he was happy to see his parents together and smiling. It was something he hadn't seen in a very long time.
He imitated his father, with smiles and all. "Happy Birthday, mommy!"