December 20, 2017

Shaw walked around the Christmas tree farm at random, looking over pine trees disinterestedly.

"They all look like trees to me," Shaw said finally. "How about you pick?"

"I picked last year, it's your turn," Gen insisted, and Shaw shrugged.

"You're the one who likes them, you should get to choose your favourite. I'll like whichever one you choose."

"You promise?" Gem asked, eyes glinting in the afternoon sun as she looked at Shaw.

"Yeah, because you like it." Gen broke into a grin and shot away into the trees.

"One that fits into the house this year, Gen!" Shaw called after her ward. "Less than 7 feet, please!"

December 20, 2014

Shaw felt... almost guilty, going straight home after work, but it was almost dark and she needed to be in the house by sundown. Reese had been recruited to work on the cluster tonight anyway, so why did she care? She shoved her gloved hands deeper into her pockets as she walked back to her apartment block. It wasn't a traditional Yalda, because she would be alone, but she had been alone on Yalda for years now. Shaw might not make a fuss of traditions, but every year like clockwork she found herself hurrying home by dusk, sitting in a well-lit room, talking to relatives on the phone. Before video-calls she could get away with rolling her eyes, but it was nice to hear stories about her father as a child, about herself as a child, stories about her cousins and the singing of her aunts.

Once upstairs, Shaw locked the door. She did a quick recon of the entire apartment and, satisfied it was empty, sliced the watermelon open, flicking open her laptop and opening Skype.

December 20, 2017

"So... aunty Sam visited me at school that year you were... away." Gen said, trimming the Christmas tree Shaw had dragged inside. Shaw turned, watched Gen incredulously as she climbed on a chair to hang tinsel from a branch. Shaw turned back to the box of decoration; mostly ones Gen had made over the years.

"You didn't mention that when you were talking about her the other day," Shaw said casually.

"Well, you sounded mad at her."

"I'm not mad at her. I'm mad she's gone. Did she treat you well?"

"She mostly took me to diners and talked about computers. She was cool. I liked her. She and Fusco used to switch out weekends. He took me to Timezone and we got Wendys on the way back to school."

Shaw fingered a bauble Gen had made their first Christmas together. "Yeah. She was cool." Shaw sighed. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, then."

"it's OK. I know what your life is like." Gen smiled up at Shaw. "Root always said she would find you. I'm glad she did."

"She didn't." Shaw hesitated; they'd talked a little about the simulations; Shaw woke up screaming sometimes, even now, and she'd explained as much as seemed appropriate for a 10 year old. "I was hiding, when I got out, in case I put everyone in danger by contacting them. And when we did meet... I spend months of my life with a simulated version of her, a version too good to be true, where she was... kind to me. Made me feel worthy. Made me feel safe."

"And when you saw her for real she didn't?" Gen asked.

Shaw sighed. "I shouldn't be talking about this with you," Shaw said.

"Romance shouldn't have a gender, Shaw," Gen pointed out.

"She was the same person she'd always been, when I saw her for real. But the simulated version of her had been based on her. It was very confusing." Shaw hung the bauble on the tree. "You asked yesterday if she was my friend. She was, I think, mostly. I was hers, anyway." Shaw walked into the kitchen. "I thought I told you to put that watermelon away," Shaw called back to the lounge room.

"I did," Gen called back, concentrating on tinsel-to-foliage ratios.

"Then why is it on the kitchen table?" Gen sighed and climbed down from the chair.

"I put it away, see," Gen said, opening the pantry. There was a watermelon on one shelf. Shaw looked between the watermelon on the table and the one in the pantry. Her gun was locked away in the gunsafe upstairs, like it always was when Gen was with her, so she grabbed a knife from the chopping block and stood in front of Gen, pushing Gen behind her into the pantry. There were footsteps, then a woman stepped into view.

"Hey sweetie," Root said, not even looking down at the knife aimed at her. "You miss me?"

December 20, 2014

Shaw looked up when the door opened, but she didn't bother to cock the safety off the gun in her hand.

"Happy Yalda," Root said.

"What are you doing here, Root?" Shaw asked. It was late enough that most of her family had dropped off the call.

"I read that you shouldn't be alone on Yalda. That gathering together prevents harm. Also, that watermelon is very large for one person."

"Then why did you get me an entire whole-ass watermelon, Root?" Root sat at the table next to Shaw, took a slice of watermelon, watched Shaw as Shaw watched her eat it.

"No one should be alone for the longest night of the year," Root said reasonably. Shaw pushed a punnet of strawberries toward Root, who ate a few with apparent enjoyment. "Also, I tried the baby oil, and I can't get the tape off."

Shaw rolled her eyes and Root sheepishly unbuttoned her coat, then unzipped her jacket. The shoulder of Root's shirt was soaked through with oil.

"You've ruined your shirt," Shaw said matter-of-factly as Root started to unbutton it.

"Your shirt," Root quipped and Shaw grunted loudly in disapproval.

December 20, 2017

Shaw was frozen, staring. Gen moved first, stepped around Shaw, taking the knife away from her and putting it on the table before stepping forward and hugging Root.

"Shaw said you were dead, but Finch said that about her too and she'd not dead, so I kind of hoped..." Gen babbled. Shaw stared, blinked and stared again.

"I'm really here," Root said, stepping forward. "I'm ok." Shaw surged forward then, caught Root against her so tightly that Root's lungs emptied in a rush and it took Root a few moments to bring her arms around Shaw to return the hug.

"How?" Shaw asked finally, against Root's collarbone.

"The Machine had someone come get me, switch out a body, put in an implant, the works. I woke up in a medical facility in Yonkers. Spent most of my time doing rehab; shrapnel damage." Shaw felt down Root's spine, stopped here and there and felt Root nod when she found lumps. "The Machine... forgot about me, mostly. Or thought I was dead; I wrote in a contingency in case one of us had to go deep cover. She thought I was Nikola Farnsworth," Gen squeaked at the name and Shaw could feel Root smile against her forehead. "She just knew that she had to keep me alive for some reason."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Shaw asked. Root laughed against Shaw.

"I haven't even told The Machine yet," Root said. "But tomorrow is Yalda and we can all be together and tell our stories. Like old times."

"Whole-ass watermelon, like old times," Shaw mumbled against Root, and Root laughed again, ignoring the moisture she could feel on her neck.

December 20, 2014

Shaw removed the last of the tape as Root flinched. Shaw wiped down the skin with an antiseptic before testing the range of movement of the shoulder. Seemingly satisfied, she nodded.

"You're not getting another shirt out of me," Shaw said gruffly.

"So you want to keep me topless, in your apartment, on the longest night of the year?" Root asked flirtatiously. Shaw rolled her eyes and threw the oily shirt back at Root.

"Keep it, and call us even," Shaw said gruffly. Root buttoned the shirt, suddenly looking uncertain.

"Um, thanks Sameen. I didn't mean to intrude on your... tradition. I just... hoped you wanted company. You don't need to be alone," Root tugged her jacket back on.

"I like being alone," Shaw said sharply, then looked over at Root's vulnerable face. "But it's a whole-ass watermelon, Root. Eat up." Root smiled cockily then, and Shaw almost regretted it. "If you're going to stay, you have to tell me a story and read a poem from Divan-e Hafez." Root smiled.

"Oh, I can tell you a story," she said...

Notes:

I still hate watermelon.

Yalda is the Persian winter solstice celebration which includes everyone getting together and staying up late to make sure everyone is safe on the darkest night of the year. They eat the last of the summer fruit, and they tell stories.

I have nuts, pomegranate, cherries and peaches and my bird and I will spend the 10 minutes after dusk when she's not a complete grump doing an hecking consume, tomorrow night, which is when Yalda is in 2020.

This series is taking a lot of research to complete.

... I just realised I dont know if America has Timezone, but it is late and I have work tomorrow. I do know it has Wendys.

I didn't start this intending Root to be alive but it made sense.

Also lol, remember Skype?

Also, in Australia yonkers means ages.