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Title: Memories - Old and New
Author: Caiti
Fandom: Magnificent Seven
Characters: Chris
Pairings: Chris/Sarah alluded
Genre: H/C, Angst
Rating: PG13/T
Warnings: n/a really - see below for prompts
Word Count: 519 words
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Story is done from the love of fandom and writing.
Summary: Chris considers his life. This is what happens when I try and write something over lunch.
Bingo Prompts:
Mag 7 Fill - Diaries & journals
H/C Fill - Loss of identity
Angst Fill - Broken promises
Cotton Candy Fill - Opportunity
Chris Larabee sat in front of his cabin door and stared at the book in his hands. A small, nondescript little thing, but it held his attention as few things could. The leather cover bore scorch marks and some of the pages appeared singed. His entire body trembled as he ran a finger over the binding.
Sarah’s journal.
It had been more than six years since the fire that destroyed his life. He thought the journal lost with his wife and son, but his oldest friend, Buck Wilmington, had managed to rescue some odds and ends from the burnt out cabin. The journal was one of them. He gave it to Chris earlier this morning.
”Figured you were ready,” Buck said with a sad smile.
Chris rubbed his hand over the cover. Should he open it? Should he take the opportunity to reconnect with her again? Sarah never let him read the journal. She said it was between her and God, and he just wait until she was ready to tell him. He had promised to leave it alone. But then, he had made a lot of promises.
Promises he never got to keep.
First and foremost, he had promised to make her happy and keep her safe. He promised Adam the same thing when he was born. Tears burned the back of his throat. His eyes drifted up to glare at the empty landscape before him. He remembered carrying his son through the cabin and out under the stars. Chris felt his breath catch as he heard himself promising Adam a world of opportunities.
”All this is going to be yours one day,” he murmured to his newborn baby boy. “The open sky, the free spaces, and a home to keep you safe – it’ll all be yours.”
His heart clenched. Promises made, but promises broken. He had been lover, husband, and father – a family man after years of wild living. Sarah gave him that; Adam sealed it. Losing them had broken him – he lost his family, his meaning, his very identity the day they died.
Who was he now? Who had he become?
Loud shouts and laughter brought his head up sharply. A sharp grin slid over his face as he watched two of his men racing their horses chasing after a third member of their fellowship. The final three men kept their mounts at a sedate ramble as they laughed and shouted encouragement to the others. He would have to find out exactly what Vin had done this time to gain Buck and JD’s ire.
Chris glanced back down at the journal.
He stepped inside the cabin and put the journal under his pillow. He would not read it; that would be one promise he would not break. Life had given him a second chance three years ago, and he had fallen into the opportunity without even realizing it. While the loss of Sarah and Adam still ripped at him, he had new faces, new names to bolster his identity, to remind him of who he was.
Leader, friend, brother – a good legacy for his family’s memory.
Reviews are always welcome.
Author: Caiti
Fandom: Magnificent Seven
Characters: Chris
Pairings: Chris/Sarah alluded
Genre: H/C, Angst
Rating: PG13/T
Warnings: n/a really - see below for prompts
Word Count: 519 words
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Story is done from the love of fandom and writing.
Summary: Chris considers his life. This is what happens when I try and write something over lunch.
Bingo Prompts:
Mag 7 Fill - Diaries & journals
H/C Fill - Loss of identity
Angst Fill - Broken promises
Cotton Candy Fill - Opportunity
Chris Larabee sat in front of his cabin door and stared at the book in his hands. A small, nondescript little thing, but it held his attention as few things could. The leather cover bore scorch marks and some of the pages appeared singed. His entire body trembled as he ran a finger over the binding.
Sarah’s journal.
It had been more than six years since the fire that destroyed his life. He thought the journal lost with his wife and son, but his oldest friend, Buck Wilmington, had managed to rescue some odds and ends from the burnt out cabin. The journal was one of them. He gave it to Chris earlier this morning.
”Figured you were ready,” Buck said with a sad smile.
Chris rubbed his hand over the cover. Should he open it? Should he take the opportunity to reconnect with her again? Sarah never let him read the journal. She said it was between her and God, and he just wait until she was ready to tell him. He had promised to leave it alone. But then, he had made a lot of promises.
Promises he never got to keep.
First and foremost, he had promised to make her happy and keep her safe. He promised Adam the same thing when he was born. Tears burned the back of his throat. His eyes drifted up to glare at the empty landscape before him. He remembered carrying his son through the cabin and out under the stars. Chris felt his breath catch as he heard himself promising Adam a world of opportunities.
”All this is going to be yours one day,” he murmured to his newborn baby boy. “The open sky, the free spaces, and a home to keep you safe – it’ll all be yours.”
His heart clenched. Promises made, but promises broken. He had been lover, husband, and father – a family man after years of wild living. Sarah gave him that; Adam sealed it. Losing them had broken him – he lost his family, his meaning, his very identity the day they died.
Who was he now? Who had he become?
Loud shouts and laughter brought his head up sharply. A sharp grin slid over his face as he watched two of his men racing their horses chasing after a third member of their fellowship. The final three men kept their mounts at a sedate ramble as they laughed and shouted encouragement to the others. He would have to find out exactly what Vin had done this time to gain Buck and JD’s ire.
Chris glanced back down at the journal.
He stepped inside the cabin and put the journal under his pillow. He would not read it; that would be one promise he would not break. Life had given him a second chance three years ago, and he had fallen into the opportunity without even realizing it. While the loss of Sarah and Adam still ripped at him, he had new faces, new names to bolster his identity, to remind him of who he was.
Leader, friend, brother – a good legacy for his family’s memory.
Reviews are always welcome.
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