Wilby Wonderful snippet: "Linger"

[luzula]

Title: Linger
Fandom: Wilby Wonderful
Characters: Carol French, Dan Jarvis
Rating: PG
Length: 300
Content note: Major character death in the story's past
Summary: Sometimes it's too late for change. And sometimes it isn't.
Notes: For the prompt "ghost" (every fandom needs ghosts). Thanks to spuffyduds for the beta! Wow, this was hard to cut down to 300 words, but I'm glad I did. Also, I'm so happy to write Wilby fic again.

Sitting on the porch, Carol blew the smoke out in a long exhale. It joined the dusky summer night.

"Thought you were going to quit?" said Dan's familiar voice.

She didn't look to the side. If she didn't look, she wouldn't see the translucence in his form--it disturbed her, even after the months that had passed. "What's the use? I'll just start again."

"True, I guess."

Silence, while she took another drag at her cigarette.

Dan's death had weighted Carol down. It had been her fault, of course--if she hadn't--and for such a petty reason-- But Dan had shrugged in his diffident way and said that he was the one who'd hanged himself. That it was what he'd meant to do. It was only months later that he admitted he'd changed his mind at the last moment, when it was too late.

They sat there, side by side. If Buddy looked out, he'd see only her.

"So why'd you never get divorced?" she asked, continuing last night's conversation.

"It just--never came up?" Dan said. "Like, I knew that wasn't what a marriage was supposed to be like. But there was never a time when..." He made an inarticulate movement with his hands.

"Yeah."

"So how's it going? With Buddy?"

Logical next question. Carol sighed. "I don't know. I remember this time when we were in love. But I can't--I don't know how to find my way back to that, you know?"

"Yeah."

Funny, she'd barely known his name before, and now here she was telling him her marital problems.

"Look--I'm dead," Dan said softly. "But you're not. You can still change things."

She looked at him, then, looked him in the eyes. "Yeah, I know."

"I know," she repeated. It felt like a pledge.

Comments

[seascribble]

Oh, I like this, even though I am SAD that Dan did not survive. I like him hanging around and forgiving Carol and trying to help her save her marriage with Buddy.

[luzula]

Thanks! The first reason I wrote this from Carol's POV was that it would've been too sad to do it from Duck's POV. But then it struck me that it could actually be really interesting to see what connection he and Carol would form.

[ride_4ever]

seascribe : "hanging around" was an interesting choice of words on your part. /0\

[seascribble]

Oh gosh, COMPLETELY unintended. D:

[mizface]

oh Luz, this is excellent. Sad and quiet and hopeful. Perfectly Wilby.

[luzula]

Thanks! I love writing Wilby fic, even though I rarely get ideas for it.

[(Anonymous)]

(oops, I seem to have commented on the linking post rather than the actual fic. ah well.)

[(Anonymous)]

I seem to have left my comment on the link-post rather than this one. Ah well.

Also, I had other plans for the afternoon, but I seem to have written a fic inspired by this one instead. I was wondering about what happened to Duck in this 'verse, and... http://archiveofourown.org/works/883145

[desireearmfeldt]

Okay, I seem to be failing at comment-leaving technology today. I left you some feedback at the link-post rather than here, and then I keep dropping comments into the ether... Ah well.

I had other plans for the afternoon, but I seem to have ended up writing a fic inspired by this one instead. I was wondering what happened to Duck... http://archiveofourown.org/works/883145

[luzula]

No problem! You weren't logged in, so the comments were screened (I had some anonymous troll comments a while ago, so I changed my settings).

And that is excellent! I love inspiring people. *opens your fic in a tab*

The first reason I wrote this from Carol's POV was that it would've been so sad to do it from Duck's POV. But then it struck me that it could actually be really interesting to see what connection Dan and Carol would form.

[desireearmfeldt]

Yeah, I realized that's what was going on only after a couple of attempts at commenting. :)

I think the Carol-Dan connection idea is a fascinating one, and more interesting than if it were Duck seeing Dan's ghost (which would be a fine story, but more...obvious). :)

[hazelwho]

Oh Luz! This totally gutted me. If Dan had died, I hope this is what would have happened next. Poor Carol. I'm glad she's got him to help her, in a weird way.

[luzula]

Thanks! I'm so glad it moved you, and that you liked the connection they formed. Prompts are awesome, the way they can inspire you to write something you had no idea about five minutes before. : )

[jesse_the_k]

Your writing invokes the clear, sometimes brutal, light of the island.

[luzula]

Thank you! And that is a fitting icon. : )

[ride_4ever]

Damn fine writing from you, as always -- BUT there will be no Duck/Dan in this 'verse. *weeps heartrendingly*

[luzula]

Thanks! And yeah, I guess there's a reason no one has written this (rather obvious) canon divergence AU before...

[riverlight]

Off topic, but: hey, thanks for the postcard!

(How do you say postcard in Swedish?)

[luzula]

You're welcome! : ) And postcard = vykort in Swedish, where vy = view and kort = card, because postcards often have pictures of landscape views on them, I guess.

[riverlight]

Aha, I knew I remembered it! Thanks.

[ardyforshort]

*SOBS*

[luzula]

Um, sorry? The prompt was ghost, and I just had to go there...