#the lethal protector

"Do you ever want to start a family?" The words came out of Libby's mouth in a wistful tone. She hadn't necessarily meant to say them out loud. For a moment, she had forgotten that she and her partner, Bob, were both former abuse victims and families were a sensitive subject. It wasn't something she could normally forget, but at times like this, when the two of them were blissfully spending time together, she would be able to forget their pasts, if only for a second.

"A what? Oh my God, you're pregnant." Bob said with fear permeating his expression, breathing already becoming shallow, about to give way to a panic attack. The only time Libby had ever come close to bringing up children before was in the middle of a passionate night when she screamed out for him to get her pregnant. He was so shocked at the time that he pushed her off of the bed by accident. Kids... had not been mentioned since the unfortunate breeding kink discussion.

"What? No! I was just wondering, Bob!" Her face softened from her surprise at Bob's assumption as she responded. "If I even thought there was a chance, you would know. I would never keep you out of the loop if something like that were to happen, not even for a moment."

"Good. Because I think I'd be a terrible father." Bob said, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. Bob had been the victim of his own father far too many times. The physical and verbal abuse were too much to bear. Libby, by contrast, had largely been a victim of heavy emotional abuse. The rare instances of physical abuse had, however, been enough to make her flinch whenever a hand was raised in her presence.

"What? You're not your dad, Bob. You're not your mother, either."

"It's still all in me. The potential, I mean."

"Do you think I'm mine?"

"Well no, of course not."

"Then why do you think you're going to be yours?" Libby prodded, looking intently at her partner, face soft and concerned.

"I've already got my mother's mental illness. I've also got two ticking time bombs inside my brain; it's only a matter of time before I hurt people like he did." Libby sighed deeply. She paused to study Bob's face, heartbroken at the depressed resignation in his voice.

"Hon... Look... I'm my father's daughter. I get into stupid fights with people over stupid shit. I'm kind of always angry because I'm in so much damn pain. I'm kinda violent. But I'm still not an abuser. That's not a choice I'll ever let myself make. I will not hurt people I claim to love. All that rage? All the anger at the world? At him? At the cycle of violence, he and I both got caught in? I choose to channel it into constructive things. Like beating up bad people." She grinned as she said the last sentence, unable to contain the glee she felt at the idea that she protected people who were vulnerable. People like the two of them had once been.

Bob laughed. He took a moment to gaze at Libby. She was, in fact, all of the things she had said. She liked to argue with Walker about politics. She was usually cursing at one of her joints. She had a habit of going just a smidge farther than was needed on missions. And she never resisted the urge to hurt a man who tried to assault a woman or child. Ever. She was the hero they both were desperate for as kids. She was right. It was a choice. Sometimes a choice that people convinced themselves was the only one, but still a choice.

Bob mumbled something to Libby about how she was always right, then took her into his arms and held her there. He couldn't undo any of what had been done to them. But he could avoid ever doling the same fate out to anyone else. And Libby... He already was better to her than his father ever was to his mother. She was mentally ill, so was he, but there was never ever a hand raised between them. No screaming matches. Only calm conversations. Her arguments were reserved for Walker and Ven, her symbiote. Maybe, just maybe, with time and patience, growth and healing, they could be parents one day. Or maybe the whole "different universes of origin" thing would get in the way. He wasn't really sure. What he was sure of was that he should nudge Libby to get them into his bed, before they fell asleep on the floor and she had worse pain than usual. He would focus on the now. Now was where he was needed.

"You never answered, you know." Libby prodded slightly as she began to drift at Bob's side.

"Yeah. I could see us that way. Someday."

Little did they know that that day would be *gunshots*

Soooooooooooooooo... How we feeling about my first oc x canon fic? I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it myself. But I'm sick of Libby only living in my head. She belongs on tumblr, with other obnoxious chronically ill autists who love Bob Reynolds.