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Walks along the Seine, laughing in the rain

Summary:

A little bonus scene in my Project Hail Mary/Artemis II AU where Jeremy can't sleep and asks Christina to sing to him.

A LULL IN THE CHAOS
Bedside vigil | Checking vitals | "Can you...sing? Until I fall asleep?"

Notes:

You don't have to have read the rest of the AU to enjoy this haha! All you need to know is that this is an AU where the Artemis II crew is on the Hail Mary mission, that's it!

Day 3 of Whumperless Whump July 2026:

Song: Our Last Summer by ABBA (although admittedly, I am a massive Mamma Mia fan and used the section that's in that movie, haha, so I don't know which version I'm going to put on the playlist yet, BUTTT the lyrics Christina sings match with ABBA's version not Mamma Mia's)

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

"Christina…" she knows exactly who the voice belongs to without having to turn over. She doesn't respond, hoping that Jeremy will assume she's asleep and leave her alone.

 

"Christina…" he hisses again, a little louder this time. She squeezes her eyes shut and stays very still. "Nana, I know you're awake!" He drops the whisper, speaking softly instead.

 

She sighs and turns over to face him. "What?" She's so tired… all she wants is to rest. But somehow, no matter how tired she is, she's always the last of their crew to fall asleep; that's probably why Jeremy assumed she was awake.

 

"I can't sleep, it hurts too much…" he complains, gesturing to his broken arm. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "We can ask Armando to get you some painkillers and something to help you sleep…"

 

She sits up, about to call the robot over.

 

"No!" He protests, and she furrows her brow in confusion. "I've already taken pain killers and sleeping medication just makes me loopy…"

 

She's trying to be kind, but she hasn't had a full night of sleep in almost two days. "Then what do you want me to do, Jeremy?" It comes out much harsher than intended and she can see the hurt in his eyes, even in the dark.

 

"I…I'm sorry, you can go back to sleep." Her anger dissipates when she hears him revert to his Canadian people-pleasing tendencies.

 

"No, I'm sorry...I shouldn't have snapped…" she apologizes sincerely. Jeremy is quiet for a few moments before he finally whispers, "Can you… sing… please? Until I fall asleep?"

 

Any remaining annoyance dissipates the second he says that. She's a little surprised by his request, but it's so sweet and vulnerable that her heart melts a little bit. "Sure…" she stares blankly at the wall across from her, trying to think of a song she knows by heart that could function as a lullaby.

 

"I can still recall our last summer…I still see it all. Walks along the Seine, laughing in the rain…our last summer…memories that remain."

 

While she sings she thinks about the day at the beach she'd talked to Jeremy about earlier, and wonders if the song is bringing memories back to his mind too.

 

"We made our way along the river and we sat down in the grass by the Eiffel tower. I was so happy we had met, it was the age of no regret. Oh, yes!"

 

That line reminds her of the trips to Paris they'd taken during the early days of Project Hail Mary to meet with ESA officials and astronauts.

 

"Those crazy years, that was the time of the flower-power. But underneath, we had a fear of flying, of getting old, a fear of slowly dying. We took the chance like we were dancing our last dance."

 

This song was once joyfully evocative of summer vacations for her. Now, it almost feels bittersweet. There's so many trivial things on Earth that she'll never be able to do again.

 

"I can still recall our last summer, I still see it all. In the tourist jam, round the Notre Dame. Our last summer, walking hand in hand…Paris restaurants. Our last summer…morning croissants. Living for the day, worries far away. Our last summer, we could laugh and play…" She hears Jeremy's faint snoring and smiles to herself, turning over in her bed and settling back down.

 

She finishes the song for herself, a few tears springing to her eyes as she thinks about what the rest of her life is going to look like in comparison to the life she had envisioned for herself on Earth.

 

"And now you're working in a bank. A family man, a football fan, and your name is Harry. How dull it seems…yet you're the hero of my dreams. I can still recall our last summer, I still see it all. Walks along the Seine, laughing in the rain. Our last summer…memories that remain…"

 

All she has is memories and her best friends now. And that's going to have to be enough.

Notes:

I know this one is short and I apologize! Tomorrow's is longer, I promise!