VIVID IMAGINATION

green eyes were wide, and gods she was angry. not only was it clear on her face, but anyone who knew her, knew that this was cersei. this was the same woman that took kings landing as her own. this was the same woman who had so many people slaughtered. she was COLD. there was hatred in her heart that had no room for love in her soul.  where was her baby? there was no child in her belly, and where was jaime? where was kings landing? jaime…. oh the traitor. finally she found herself in a bar, golden hair falling over her face beautifully, and she ordered for the the greatest wine that they had, then she clasped her fingers around the glass, her face showing no sign of a smile as she took a sip of it. “where is kings landing?” she murmured to the figure next to her without even looking upon them.

Even though his memories were all back and Sawyer knew damn well he had to find a way to escape, he wasn’t doing it without the others and they had to be careful. It might not look like it but they were trapped here and he wasn’t making a move until they knew exactly what was going on. Time travel was crazy and dangerous enough to meddle with, but dimension travel? Nuh-uh, he was playing it safe. He was an artist of the wonders of conning after all, and that meant, planning ahead of acting. And that meant keeping appearances and his bar running smoothly. Costumers were flooding in with the storm. Most didn’t seem confused but that particular woman, asking for fine wine at a bar, he had his eyes on her. 

Her question only assured what was evident. 

“What a damn shit show, first I was in prison and now I am here.”

“here.” connor tilts his umbrella to the side slightly as he see’s someone rushing past. “there’s room for two, i can escort you wherever you need to go.” tone is polite and he offers the stranger a small smile as he speaks, trying not to look as awkward as he feels.

“uh, hello?” jason waved a hand sarcastically at the older male before gesturing back to himself with a look of slight offence. “you’re looking at reanimated, breathing proof. i mean, i didn’t ask to get shoved into the lazarus pit. didn’t get much of a say in that part. but speaking of a victim of both crowbar and bomb-related injuries and sequential death, i know what the fuck i’m talking about.” he could still remember most people’s reactions to his return to gotham. a mix of surprise, intrigue, disbelief and, for the select few, disappointment. it helped shape him into the person he was today, though. he couldn’t complain. he couldn’t help but scoff at the other’s lingering response, amusement evident on his face once again. “y’know, i’ve been told that before. professional help isn’t really my jam. i had my own coping mechanisms before landing here ass-first.”

“Right..” Will raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t convinced, but decided to take him at his word. He put the bottle back in his backpack before growing quiet for a moment. His brown eyes glancing around the trees, features alert but expressionless. His gaze settled back on the man and he frowned a little. “Wut‘re ya doin’ out here then? ‘t’s a bit nippy for a hike, innit?”

Sayid listened, musing a bit on how ridiculous it all sounded. Even with all of his memories back, it didn’t make much sense to him either. He missed the days when the strangest thing about the island was how a polar bear came to inhabit it. Now there was time travel, and a possessed John Locke, and a god-like overseer who had assigned them all numbers and hoped they would jockey to become his successor. Sayid smiled dryly at the thought of trying to explain everything – fill in the gaps in Sawyer’s memory. He shook his head. “There were… many strange occurrences on the island. Time travel was one of them, yes, and the polar bear. You remember more than you think you do.” Sayid paused, glancing off. “At first I thought I was going crazy, when my memories returned. But I don’t have the imagination to make all of that up.”

leaning further back in his seat with a lazy grin, jason held the other man’s gaze as his fingers tapped playfully against the glass in his hands. “almost. gotham city. y’know, the place where people’s dreams and aspirations go to die? yeah.” as much as he trash-talked the place, gotham was a part of him. he never thought he’d see the day he missed the place. “what about you, pretty boy? somewhere fancy?”

“Gotham.” Sawyer repeated with obvious amusement and disbelief to his mouth as he stopped to look at the other before snorting. Yeah, of course the savvy joker would give a smartass response like that. It made it funnier how serious he had the audacity to sound. “Yeah, Gotham, know it well, man. Hell, me too, sure, why not. Actual Batman himself right here.”

Ever since the rain had started, clearing up the mist and thus clearing her mind, Clarke had been out on the streets, searching for the people she knew. She needed to find Madi, and Abby and Octavia, but most of her thoughts were being consumed by the woman she thought she had lost years ago – Lexa was here, somewhere. She thought she remembered meeting her at a party already, but though it had happened recently, the memory seemed faint and blurry, as if maybe it had only been a dream. And somehow when they had met, she hadn’t known her, not completely. The raindrops were heavy and cold, but the longer she walked, the more used to it she became, having become completely soaked in a matter of minutes.

And then she saw her. She stopped dead in her tracks, hearing her own heartbeat in her ears. The rain was coming down hard – from this distance all she could really see with any sense of clarity was her outline, but Clarke recognized her instantly. Her inhale caught in her throat and for a moment she found herself unable to speak, unable to move – it was all she could do to stay on her feet. “Oh my god,” Clarke breathed. “Lexa!” She was running before she even knew what she was doing – pausing only when she was standing in front of her. Clarke’s hands went up, fueled by a need to touch her, make sure she was real and not another dream. They had only just brushed against her face when the need became exponentially stronger, and she practically flung her arms around the other, drawing her into a tight, shaky embrace. She couldn’t feel the rain anymore, though it was still pounding against her skin, all she could feel was Lexa. “You’re really here…”

As the rain fell heavy on her skin, the memories from before were dimmed to give place to the conscience of her past life, of Triku and of the commanders. All was suddenly back and it almost knocked the air from her lungs as memory returned to the commander. Lexa was herself once again, not the awkward nice psychology student but the assassin, the resistance, blood must have blood. The woman who had survived in a destroyed continent, who had been chosen to rule by the color of her blood. The woman who had killed innocent children in order to survive. And with that the memory of Clarke came along, the love, and the guilt and the loss. She had lost her, she had died and yet, she was in this life now, similar to the city of light and Clarke was here as well, she had seen her.

She didn’t stop, running through the streets in order to find the blonde, attempting to remember everything she had told her about this existence in order to find her. But as if destiny was on their side, she was right there, under the rain, as beautiful as always. And real. tears came rushing to the commander’s green eyes before she ran towards Clarke as well, screaming her name back. She hugged her just as hard, but she didn’t cry, being strong for the woman she loved, as she had always been. She squeezed her in her arms. “Clarke.. I’m here, I’m here... But why are you here?” she pleased, pulling back to look at the blonde. “I thought you destroyed the city of light, Clarke, what is going on..? What is this place?”

He still really infuriated her sometimes. Especially now that she had told him everything because he wanted to hear it. Sometimes Ana Lucia tried too much to be liked, it was something she had done since being a little girl and had slowly started to shut herself down growing up. Maybe that’s why the young woman had isolated herself for so long on the island, how killing someone even by mistake had been able to just have her runaway from everyone’s angry and judging stares.

“Look, man.” Listening to his statement of wanting honesty. “You asked. I told you.” A bit of irritation in her tone. She placed the scheduling clipboard underneath the bar and situated the shot glasses just the way she liked them. Sure enough, one of their regulars was already coming to the door.

—

LATER THAT NIGHT.

–

Ana had locked up the bar, turned the sign to closed and driven home. When she got into her apartment, the car keys were promptly thrown on the side table along with the small pile of mail. Mostly some bills, advertisements. Not much really. Her olive colored finger pressed onto the message machine button to hear of anything that the girl missed. As usual, a telemarketer, one of her friends asking her to come out for the night.

Nothing fancy. Taking the hair elastic from her dark curls, the shiny black tresses tumbled over her shoulders and she slid the elastic onto her tiny wrist. The mail was picked up once more, envelopes torn open and started to be read.

That was until there was a buzzing at the door. The tomboy glanced to the speaker, already knowing who it was and hit the button that allowed him to come in. Footsteps neared her apartment and Ana Lucia braced herself for the rollercoaster that was Sawyer and opened her door. “Hey.” She offered with an up-nod.

Sawyer didn’t press the woman the rest of the night, even though his brain was torn and all over the place. He focused on his job throughout his shift as he would do any other time, but each day it was worse. After Sayid, it had been worse, even more after Kate, and now Ana Lucia was only bringing more memories back, making the personality and life he was used to and thought was his, more of a stranger inside him. He left earlier because Ana was the one closing the bar and he was supposed to pass by another close by bar to handle some issues after the closings of the night’s entertainment area in town. But once all was set he didn’t make it home. Ana Lucia would be home as well by now and so he drove there. 

After ringing at her place, he pressed his lips into a forced smile and nodded back. “Hey. Can I come in..?” he interjected and turned to her after she allowed him in, fingers running quickly through his hair in a reflex. “Look, I wasn’t tryin’ t’be a dick back then. Just a whole lot to process. Still don’t know if I am fuckin’ dreamin’.” he chuckled bitterly. “It ain’t about ya. Just most my memories are from here. You workin’ for me. And now those memories.. It makes no freakin’ sense.”

there is something intimidating about the way he looked at her. it sent chills throughout her system, as there is a reason for why she withdrew from his aura. but it wasn’t enough for her to pull from him. every fiber in her being fought against her mind. “Then that might be a chance you’re willing to take, not all of us are interested.” Another hint that she noticed something was off about their surroundings. No, she noticed and the slip of his name only confirmed it for her. “Whatever you think you know, Sawyer … leave me out of it.” but those were her defenses speaking and yet she didn’t walk away. She did the opposite.

a smile broke out across jason’s face at the others words, eyes bright with amusement. “been there, done that. if i’ve gotta dig my way out of another grave, just give me a heads up. and whoever’s gonna put the hit out better be creative. no crowbars or bombs this time. if i’m gonna die for a second time, i want it to be even more memorable than the first time around.” ( as if he’d pass up the opportunity to discuss his death. it was one of his favourite pastimes. ) cracking his knuckles with a pleased sigh, jason held the other’s gaze as if to challenge him. “you better not be getting my hopes up about this.”

Now he was blaming her for telling him something he wanted to know? Oh, hell no. Ana Lucia turned her head to the side to glance out of the front bar window and bit her bottom lip obviously frustrated with this entire situation. She slammed down the clipboard onto the counter. “Of course I didn’t know!” Her raspy voice shouted angrily.

“It came in waves over the last few days. If you haven’t noticed, we’re both a little unstable. One day I remember dying and the next I wake up in another shitty place. I needed a job, man. This was the next best thing. I hate retail, I hate being polite and I never want to be a cop again. I never want to hold a gun again.” The brunette turned now to fully face him.

“Truthfully, all of it came back the minute I kissed you. What was I supposed to do? Go to you with bits and pieces, explain how terrible I’ve been sleeping? It’s a bar, Sawyer. It’s not a therapist’s office. I thought I was losing my goddamn mind.” She folded her arms across her chest and stuck out her curvy hip like usual, putting her weight on her left foot in a stance.

“Maybe–.” She paused, almost weighing her options. “You should come to my place tonight after our shifts.” Ana figured they might as well talk, maybe nothing good would come out of it or maybe they could pick up the pieces from where they left off. “Just to talk.”

Yeah, right.

His fingers ran through his blonde locks in frustration as he listened to her, eyebrows furrowed, lips pursed in annoyance. He could tell she was telling the truth, he didn’t need to push more. As memories returned, he was more and more aware of telling when a person was lying. It was probably because of the fact he was conman. He was aware he wasn’t a good person and that was why he kept repressing the memories most, that and that cursed island. But he was starting to accept it more and more.

With a sigh, Sawyer lifted his eyebrows and chin, spreading his arms in defeat. “Fine. I’m sorry, Zelda. No hard feelings.” he shook his head and moved to swiftly dress his work apron. “Look, Y’ain’t the only one losing your mind here. All I want is some damn answers. Honest ones.” he looked at her, pondering her invitation. It was probably a bad idea to be alone with her if she remembered loving him. But right now they had to open the bar and get to work. He nodded, eyeing her and he forced a smile, one of his fake bitter ones when he wants to act like everything is okay when it’s far from it. His whole life was a mess.