A post Thud! drabble

In anyone else, it would have been called the long dark night of the soul.

Vimes had seen too many countless long dark nights for that to mean anything to her.[1]

But something of that feeling was haunting her tonight as she sat in a chair rocking Little Sam. Everyone else was asleep, worn out from the night's celebration of the KV Accord[2], but Sam's ears had caught the sound of snuffling from the crib the next room over and she woke up instantly.

She had picked up Little Sam and sat in the rocking chair. Her daughter fell right back asleep, but if Vimes was honest, she wasn't ready to put her daughter back to bed yet.

Right now, there was nothing more that she wanted than to have Little Sam in her arms, asleep and drooling all over her night shirt.[3]

And to try and not to think about the new scar on her wrist.

Her Watchmen looked up to her. OTHER city's Watchmen looked up to her. She knew gods damned Kings that seemed to think favorably of her. Vetinari trusted her.

But more important than any of them were her family.[4]Saul thought the world of her, knew that she would always do the right thing. And she knew that to the little girl in her arms, she could do no wrong.

Letting them down, succumbing to that darkness that she now had a permanent, tangible reminder of on her wrist….that terrified her. Terrified her more than facing down mad werewolves and mobs, than traveling back in time[5], more then anything she ever had done before or would face in the future.

So she rocked in the rather comfortable chair, her daughter to her breast, the darkness kept away by the light of a candle, and that's where Saul found them in the morning.[6]

—-
Rhys, Low King of the Dwarves looked at Grag Bashfullson."And has the…thing gone away?"

The rather long answer that went through Bashfullson's mind was :

"Everyone who the Summoning Dark ever rode ended up mad or dead. She not only emerged neither of those things, but it left its mark on her. Nothing like this has ever happened before. I think it's gone for now but I have a feeling it won't be the last Vimes sees of it. And she's a mother with a little one, and a whole mess of enemies stupid enough to try and get at the Commander through her baby.

Out loud he only said, "Perhaps it is wisest to acquiesce to the Commander's reasonable demands?"

[1] Also, she probably would never phrase it like that.

[2] as well as actually being used to sleeping at night.

[3] one of the grey tatty ones emblazoned with "AMCW" the recruits wore while training with Detritus.

[4] the Watch were a really close second though.

[5]and since when had her life became this ridiculous?

[6]and because he couldn't resist, told Sam to wipe the drool off her own chin. Her dirty look only made him laugh.