Stitch in Time
The clock is slow.The only other explanation is that my watch is slow. My watch is never slow. I bring it up to my ear and tap at it just in case. That same crisp snap of a click it always has. The clock on the wall clicks back at me, off by a whole three-and-a-half minutes. It makes my knee jerk.
I only last another two minutes before I'm up on a chair. It's mocking me, just out of reach and ticking away. The closer I get, the crazier it drives me. So close, fingers inching up the wall—if I can just get at it...
The ship gives a groan, like a whale, and reels away to one side. For one second, I don't fall, fingers latched onto the clock in suspended animation. Then, the world starts again in a gray and black blur of steel and my stomach drops out. All my breathe leaves with a thud as I fall straight onto my back. It all goes black, and I'm sure I groan in pain when I roll on my side. The clock's heavier than it looks—clock? I must've brought it down with me, and it's crushing at my lungs.
"Jesus—you all right?"
A voice and its fingers come out of nowhere and turn me onto my back. Red hair haloed against the stark lights overhead, and I'm squinting against them to see whose voice it is. I don't recognize the blue eyes, but there's worry in them.
I'm nodding, and after a while I take over for the instinct and do it on my own. Nothing feels broken, and I've already found my breath again. The fingers digging into my shoulder help me sit up, bringing the clock with me.
It's a woman. I must be staring—her blue eyes go narrow.
"Yes." It comes too quickly, and I look at the clock instead. "I mean, yeah. I'm fine. I should live." I try on a smile, and it feels awkward.
"What happened?" She's English. She's got that tight-lipped academic accent to her. Maybe a bit of Oxford, if she's on this boat. She still has her hand on my shoulder. Keep me steady, make sure I don't fall back into nothing. I clear my head with a shake.
"I fell." Her eyebrows lower into a flat line, and her eyes go narrow again. I try again, rubbing a hand across my face—nervous habit, I've been trying to kick it. Honestly, I really have. "Er... The clock. The clock was slow."
She checks the watch on her own wrist. The band is blue; it matches her eyes, even if it's just a little bit off. She turns the clock in my hands to get a good look at the still-clicking hands. "No it's not." She looks up and starts to go for my arm, but quickly pulls her hand back while shaking her head. "May I?"
I jump when I realize what she wants and I stumble over "Oh, right, of course," when I offer her my watch hand. She takes it—she's got a firm grip, sure of herself as she inspects my watch and swipes a red curl out of her eyes.
"Yeah, you're off." She gives me back my arm, and she's try on her own smirk. I like hers better. "All for nothing, huh?"
I only realize I'm laughing when it hurts in my ribs and I double-up to stop. I wave off her persistent hand, and I keep a weak smile up to show her I'm fine.
That hand changes course as she offers it to me. For a second, I'm not sure whether she wants to shake or to pull me up. She makes the choice for me, takes my hand and shakes it as firmly as she'd taken my arm before.
"Charlotte Lewis." She's gotten too much sun—she's pink under her eyes where the shade line of her hat disappeared.
"Daniel." I can't help the pause, and I wince at myself. Stupid, stupid... "Faraday. Daniel Faraday. Hi." I want to hide my face in with hand, but she still has it. She lets go when she realizes.
Her eyebrows spring up into her hair. "You're Faraday." It's not a question. It's an astonished revelation. They've been talking about me. Faraday's cracked, Faraday hides himself below decks and tries not to throw up into the head every five minutes. Faraday plays with time and spends it all alone. Faraday's a nut-job. I've heard it all before. I just straighten my shoulders and nod.
She sits back, like she's trying to get a better look at me. That's a little disconcerting.
"What?" I ignore the fact that I'm holding a clock that isn't really slow.
"You're not exactly as advertised." She laughs, and I figure I'm off the hook. She gets to her feet, then sticks her hand back down to help me up. I tuck the clock under my other arm for protection and stumble at the added weight.
"I think my madness is greatly exaggerated." I'm mumbling, which probably isn't helping my cause. I'm also holding a clock.
"They say you're a little more than half-crazy." She still smiles. "And you're not even the one that talks to spooks."
I grin, something nervous, something I'm not used to, and I try to flatten out my hair. It's useless; it's always been useless. "I don't get out much."
"Well, Dan—" She sounds confident, straightforward, like she's used to taking orders and giving them, too. She's a field academic, I can see it in her eyes. "—I can call you Dan, can't I?"
"Sure. Of course." I nod like an idiot, but once I start I can't stop. "It makes sense; we'll be working together, you should call me whatever makes you feel comfortable, and if Dan works for you, then Dan works for me." This time, I do hide my face in my hand. "Sorry. Rambling."
She crosses her arms. She looks tall and imposing, something about those eyes. But she's smiling to set it off, and it helps a little. "I haven't gotten a tour of our facilities yet. They just flew me on an hour ago."
My hands don't like having nothing to do, so my free one rubs at the back of my neck. "I could... I mean, would you like me to?"
She nods. "If the fall didn't knock your brain loose, that is."
Charlotte's nicer than Miles. She's still got that rigidness in the way she walks, like she's used to getting her way and will argue 'til she's blue in the face in order to get it. Miles doesn't pretend to play nice; he tells you what he wants and he gets it. Miles doesn't like me, but the feeling is pretty mutual. If it weren't for Charlotte, it looked to be a pretty long trip. She has a way of smiling that isn't pretentious, if not a little tight. Like she's not used to it, a muscle she has to stretch out. She's trying it out now, and I'm pretty sure she's getting better at it.
"Well, ah..." Words, Faraday, use your words! "I can... I can show you where we're sleeping—all of us, I mean. Not just you and me. There's Miles and Naomi and..." I have to finally set the clock down, and with it goes the weight in my chest. "Maybe I should stop talking." I laugh again, and it sounds better this time.
Charlotte just shrugs. "They've got someplace to eat on this boat, don't they?"
It's a relief, and I sigh with a nod. "Yeah. Let's... Let's start there."
As we go, I wind the knob on the side of my watch, adjusting it up three-and-a-half minutes.
AN: Er, hello again. Fancy meeting you here? So, it appears Dan has taken up residence in my head. Dunno if that's a good thing or not. I've gotten some very lovely reviews so far, and I want to say THANK YOU!! Dan loves you too! Uhm, I think I'm a Dan/Charlotte shipper, even if it's only onesided. Because I'm weird like that. This could also be taken as a friendship fic, so take it as you will! Thanks for reading, leave me (and Dan!) some love, and STAY AWESOME!