Nearer My God to Thee
By: Pip
CATEGORY: Angst
WARNINGS: Character Death
AUTHOR’S NOTES: I don’t usually write death fic, but this is an idea I’ve had for the longest time. I was determined to fight the brabbits off on this one, but yesterday, when I picked the title for the DV Sky prompt fic, I ended up listening to some Titanic music (b/c ‘A Promise Kept’ is one of the track titles from the OST), and really felt in the mood to listen to the track ‘Nearer My God to Thee’ (the Isalonist version) on Back to the Titanic – for people who aren’t an OST enthusiast, like myself, this is the very last song the band plays before they are overcome with water…the very SAD song. And thus Titanic music ONCE AGAIN pushed me to write this… If you really want an emotional impact, try listening to the song while reading the fic (though it’s really not necessary)…(and at this rate, I’ll have a fic for every damn Titanic track before you know it)
AUTHOR’S WEBSITE:
http://brabbit-hole.livejournal.com/
Brilliant orange flames burned high into a black sky, the light of the fire flickering dancing shadows just short of his muddied boots.
Dull blue eyes blazed in the glow of the flames, gaze fixed intently before him. The heat of the fire ghosted at his face, but he felt nothing but the chill of the dead world around him. He’d never thought it’d be possible to feel any more broken than he’d felt in the past.
Yet here he stood, surrounded by dark night and before a fire whose worth was beyond measure, and he felt broken. Broken, lost, and flailing in a wash of unknowns.
He didn’t know what the future might hold for him – he’d never been gifted with the fates to know what might lie ahead. The what-ifs, the what-might-bes – those had never been within his reach. The certainties, however – those he’d had an abundance of.
The certainty of loss had always hung like a veil above him – and he was sure he would’ve at least gotten used to it by now. It had happened so often, so many times before, that it should get easier – so much easier.
But it didn’t get easier. It only became harder, a heavier burden he had to carry with each passing day.
Watching the flames dancing before him, he didn’t think he could shoulder that burden anymore. The cost had been too great… So much had been lost to him, too much…
He felt the tears begin to fall over, the sounds of soft crying reaching his ears. It took a long moment for him to realize he wasn’t hearing himself, but another.
Shining blue eyes turned towards the right for a moment, then slowly back to the front. Gently, he reached his hand out and took a slender one within it, tightly squeezing as fingers linked.
He didn’t know what the future held – certainties would always be true. Death would always come, they’d always have to fight for what was right, the risks would always be too great, and the cost would always be too much…
But they would never be alone again – never lost for long.
It was a promise – it was a certainty.
“He’d want us to keep fighting.” She whispered to him, voice thick with sadness and loss.
Tears continuing to stream from his fixated gaze, he nodded. “I know.”
Daniel lifted his head a little and felt the new weight of the dog tags pull against his neck. Bringing his hand up, he stood up straighter and brought his fingertips to his brow in the way he’d seen so many times before – the way he’d been taught, but never used.
“It was an honor.” He whispered to the burning pyre, which held the body of a friend who had become closer to him than he’d ever thought possible.
Vala squeezed Daniel’s hand tighter, and leaned against him in sadness. “Goodbye, dear Cameron…” She whispered, the tears evident in her tone. “We’ll never stop, and we’ll never forget…”
Daniel brought his hand down and gave a short nod in agreement to the final resting place of Colonel Cameron Mitchell – for his legacy was an unarguable certainty.
** The End **
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