~Inspired by NCIS episode 9x14 Life Before His Eyes~
The alternate reality device sat on her desk, a picture frozen on the screen. Aja stood at the window, staring out over the town that she called home thoughtfully.
Her conversation with her daughter had led to some reflection on what would’ve been. Could’ve been had she never come to Arcadia all those years ago. So she had taken the alt reality device and found one where she never set foot on Arcadian shores.
Charlie Cohn had certainly believed Arcadia would’ve been good without her. Or he did, until she showed him exactly what it could’ve been had he had his way.
He had left her office an hour ago, without a word, taking with him a copy of the picture frozen on the screen. A small run down port town, residents barely making it by. She went around the town with the device and Mr. Cohn, showing him all there would be if things had been different. The man didn’t like what he had seen. Tried to deny it, even said she was lying. But the image of the grave yard, the tombstone of his wife and daughter got him to believe.
It was Parker who had saved his wife that day, when labor had gone wrong. He saved Christine and her mother from death that day. And he wouldn’t have been there without Aja.
“Ya can hate me, Mr. Cohn. Even blame me fer a lot of things that changed in this town.” she had said and turned to look at him. “But can you really disapprove of me in light of what could’ve been had I not been here at all"”
She knew the picture of his family’s grave had been a harsh way of pleading her case to get him to ease up on his daughter about her friendship with Mara, but with stubborn men, sometimes you had to smack them with the harsh truths in order for them to truly see.
It wasn’t only his eyes that had been opened by those images. But Aja’s as well. She had taken a trip to RhyDin City with the device and roamed around. Her presence there, made minor differences. But mostly with certain people. The town itself, looked about the same. Aja doubted that RhyDin City would ever suffer with the loss of one person. But the lives in that town certainly would.
She saw Sivanna and Alec living separate lives. The people she had come to know as family, were not connected. She couldn’t find Hochi or any evidence at all that he had ever been there. Riverview stood, but didn’t seem to hold the same sort of hopeful look that it had in her reality.
The alternate view of life, had she never come to Arcadia, was a dismal one. For all the traumas, and battles. She saw the way it would’ve been and didn’t like the image.
Arcadia woud’ve seen Tristan married to a woman who cared nothing for the people. He would’ve abandoned the yards under her urgings and left there. Rico, would’ve never returned home, leaving Mami a lonely widow alone in that big palace in Avalon. The graveyard had been filled with names of the residents Aja knew well, but had died as Arcadia slowly descended into a slum town.
Her own impact to this town and these people hit her hard.
“Remove one thing and all of life changes.” Tanner’s voice echoed in her ears. Something he said to her years ago while out at sea. He had no way of knowing he had been talking about himself. It had been his choice to settle in Arcadia, to push to help it grow.
With Rico, it had been Tanner who had invited him to come with them. Where would he be if that chance encounter in that tavern not happened"
“Remove one person, Tanner...” she said out the window quietly. “And all of life changes.”
Without Tanner, she would’ve probably died decades ago. Or had been somewhere she never wanted to be. Tanner was the one that freed her from the Quistguard hold, given her hope, something else to fight for besides herself.
The alternate reality device sat on her desk, a picture frozen on the screen. Aja stood at the window, staring out over the town that she called home thoughtfully.
Her conversation with her daughter had led to some reflection on what would’ve been. Could’ve been had she never come to Arcadia all those years ago. So she had taken the alt reality device and found one where she never set foot on Arcadian shores.
Charlie Cohn had certainly believed Arcadia would’ve been good without her. Or he did, until she showed him exactly what it could’ve been had he had his way.
He had left her office an hour ago, without a word, taking with him a copy of the picture frozen on the screen. A small run down port town, residents barely making it by. She went around the town with the device and Mr. Cohn, showing him all there would be if things had been different. The man didn’t like what he had seen. Tried to deny it, even said she was lying. But the image of the grave yard, the tombstone of his wife and daughter got him to believe.
It was Parker who had saved his wife that day, when labor had gone wrong. He saved Christine and her mother from death that day. And he wouldn’t have been there without Aja.
“Ya can hate me, Mr. Cohn. Even blame me fer a lot of things that changed in this town.” she had said and turned to look at him. “But can you really disapprove of me in light of what could’ve been had I not been here at all"”
She knew the picture of his family’s grave had been a harsh way of pleading her case to get him to ease up on his daughter about her friendship with Mara, but with stubborn men, sometimes you had to smack them with the harsh truths in order for them to truly see.
It wasn’t only his eyes that had been opened by those images. But Aja’s as well. She had taken a trip to RhyDin City with the device and roamed around. Her presence there, made minor differences. But mostly with certain people. The town itself, looked about the same. Aja doubted that RhyDin City would ever suffer with the loss of one person. But the lives in that town certainly would.
She saw Sivanna and Alec living separate lives. The people she had come to know as family, were not connected. She couldn’t find Hochi or any evidence at all that he had ever been there. Riverview stood, but didn’t seem to hold the same sort of hopeful look that it had in her reality.
The alternate view of life, had she never come to Arcadia, was a dismal one. For all the traumas, and battles. She saw the way it would’ve been and didn’t like the image.
Arcadia woud’ve seen Tristan married to a woman who cared nothing for the people. He would’ve abandoned the yards under her urgings and left there. Rico, would’ve never returned home, leaving Mami a lonely widow alone in that big palace in Avalon. The graveyard had been filled with names of the residents Aja knew well, but had died as Arcadia slowly descended into a slum town.
Her own impact to this town and these people hit her hard.
“Remove one thing and all of life changes.” Tanner’s voice echoed in her ears. Something he said to her years ago while out at sea. He had no way of knowing he had been talking about himself. It had been his choice to settle in Arcadia, to push to help it grow.
With Rico, it had been Tanner who had invited him to come with them. Where would he be if that chance encounter in that tavern not happened"
“Remove one person, Tanner...” she said out the window quietly. “And all of life changes.”
Without Tanner, she would’ve probably died decades ago. Or had been somewhere she never wanted to be. Tanner was the one that freed her from the Quistguard hold, given her hope, something else to fight for besides herself.