Work Text:
Timeline: Beginnings, part one (loosely based)
Challenge: Smile (challenge number 7)
Jack's POV
I knew all of her smiles. I knew her smile that curved slightly to one side, indicating that a fight was gonna go down. I could tell you exactly what her flirting smile looked like, as she captivated some of the merchants while I lightened their loads. She had this dreamy little half-smile as she thought about the future, or saw an infant. While not exactly a smile, I knew when she had been thinking of the past by her grimace. I have seen her smirk, laugh, giggle, cry and scream. I can tell which Z is the true one by her smile, pick her out of a crowd of her clones. Despite her protests at the 'Robin Hood gig', I had seen her honest, glowing smile as she handed out clothing and food, heard her silent prayers for whatever deity existed to watch over the homeless.
As I settled back in the moving van, the strange object the alien gave us secured between the two of us, I though back to first meeting her. Of hearing someone running hard, at me, around a corner, and the instant thought that someone was after my meal that I had lifted. Before I could even move though, a young girl plowed into me, trembling all over. As I reached out to steady her, her eyes flickered for a moment, and I suddenly found myself being surrounded by clones of her.
"Please, let me go," she whispered, heartbroken. Realizing I wasn't the only one with strange and odd powers, I grinned at her, relieved.
"Hi, my name is Jack. You have powers too?" I asked, crouching down to her level where she still kneeling on the frozen cement. Curious, she nodded, and I absently noted that the clones were disappearing. "Cool, so do I! Here, watch!" With that, I pushed my hand through the nearest wall. As I retrieved my hand, I saw her first smile. Granted, it was small, but I vowed to make her smile as often as I could. Quite a vow for a ten year old perhaps, but I had never gone back on a promise yet. "What's your name again?" I asked. Saw her weigh her choices, and finally said "Z. Just Z."
"Well, nice to meet you, justZ." With that, I saw her grin, and smiled back. "Where do you live?"
"I don't have a home," she said, eyes downcast.
"Well, neither do I, but I do have a little box up the street that I use, but it's a little big just for me. Would you like to live with me?" I asked. I didn't realize that I was holding my breath, but something told to me that I had to protect her, and guard her, and when she agreed to give my box a chance, I realized that my future had changed.
I realized that Z was saying something to me, and my attention returned to the present. As she talked, I realize just how often she uses her hands to demonstrate. I smile to myself a little, and focus again on her and on driving.
Even after all these years together, I thought that I had known all her smiles. But there was that little incident with the SPD officers, and and I realized there's one that I've not yet seen. I haven't seen her smile at me. Not the way I wanted her too. But that's okay. We still have time.