Fic: Just A Little Bit Stronger
Feb. 2nd, 2015 04:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
s2309Title: Just A Little Bit Stronger
Characters (Pairings): Sara Ellis, OC
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 550
Spoilers: Parts of Sara's backstory.
Warnings: Discussion of an eating disorder.
Disclaimer: White Collar is Jeff Eastin's brainchild. Not mine.
Summary: The first item Sara recovered.
Author's Note: Title from Just A Little Bit by Maria Mena. For Day 1 of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
halfamoon, for the prompt Origins/Beginnings, a little Sara backstory. No guarantees that I'm doing all the days.
I don't feel like getting into Sara's head right now, so this is mostly dialogue.
This was supposed to be just humour, but my brain had other plans. Sorry.
"Did you get it?"
"What do you mean 'did you get it'? Of course I got it." Sara holds out a little white envelope with Alison's name and the date on it.
Alison rips it open and pulls out her phone. "Oh my god, thank you!"
"I wouldn't have got it back if she'd been right to confiscate it."
"You and your morals. I don't get how someone who makes a habit of stealing things off professors-"
"This is just one time."
"That's how every habit begins. One, two, three, fifteen thousand."
"Funny."
"Not a joke."
"All right. Next time she whacks your phone, don't come begging me to break into the staff room in broad daylight."
"Break in at night, then."
"Not the point."
"Okay, the 'point' can be figured out later. Right now, we need to celebrate. Food! Do you want pizza? Or Chinese? Or I know this one place that has the most amazing Thai-"
"Stop that."
"What?
"The babying. You're babying me. I don't need to be babied. I'm fine."
"Fine isn't being loaded onto an ambulance because you forgot to eat."
Sara's expression clouds over. "You don't get to-"
"I'm not having you clock out on me again, E."
That stops Sara, but only for a moment. "I'm fine-"
"You're not. You're skinny enough to slip through two shelves with a butt crack's breadth between them."
"That got you your phone back."
"Then I wish it hadn't."
Sara bites at her bottom lip to kill time.
"Look, I know your sister ran away, and your parents aren't acting like your parents, and everything is shitty and nothing is decent, but that doesn't give you an excuse to not take care of yourself." Only Alison could make that sound sincere and not mocking.
"I didn't choose to stop eating, okay? It just... happened."
"Believe me, I get it. Things sneak up on you. That still doesn't mean you sit around and let them knock you over."
"That's not easy."
"Which is why you need me."
"I know." Sara sighs. "Thank you."
"Whatever," Alison says, far too quickly. "By the way, you're staying at my place tonight. I need to know that you're keeping your food down, not barfing it out."
Sara laughs helplessly.
"Too soon?"
"No. Now is good."
"Good. Yellow teeth don't really suit you."
"Okay, that's low."
"Well, someone needs to stop you from being an idiot."
"And you, what, signed up for it?"
"Mine's the only name on the list."
"Ouch."
"It's true."
"Still stings."
"You know, I could call a few more people to our little party. Thanks to you." She grins and holds up her phone.
"Maybe tomorrow?"
"Just say when, babe. I'll pick up the phone."
"Mmhmm. You realize getting that back made me a criminal, right?"
"Nah. More like a repo man."
"Oh, because that's an improvement."
Alison smiles, but it's a touch too melancholy for the moment.
"What?" Sara asks.
"You're coming back. I didn't want to say it too soon, but... you're coming back. It's been a while."
"Where did I go?"
"You didn't go so much as... disappear. Literally and figuratively. You're coming back, though."
"That's good. Right?"
"Yeah." Alison pulls Sara into a hug.
"Bit much," Sara says as she hugs Alison back.
"Missed you."
Characters (Pairings): Sara Ellis, OC
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 550
Spoilers: Parts of Sara's backstory.
Warnings: Discussion of an eating disorder.
Disclaimer: White Collar is Jeff Eastin's brainchild. Not mine.
Summary: The first item Sara recovered.
Author's Note: Title from Just A Little Bit by Maria Mena. For Day 1 of
halfamoon, for the prompt Origins/Beginnings, a little Sara backstory. No guarantees that I'm doing all the days.I don't feel like getting into Sara's head right now, so this is mostly dialogue.
This was supposed to be just humour, but my brain had other plans. Sorry.
"Did you get it?"
"What do you mean 'did you get it'? Of course I got it." Sara holds out a little white envelope with Alison's name and the date on it.
Alison rips it open and pulls out her phone. "Oh my god, thank you!"
"I wouldn't have got it back if she'd been right to confiscate it."
"You and your morals. I don't get how someone who makes a habit of stealing things off professors-"
"This is just one time."
"That's how every habit begins. One, two, three, fifteen thousand."
"Funny."
"Not a joke."
"All right. Next time she whacks your phone, don't come begging me to break into the staff room in broad daylight."
"Break in at night, then."
"Not the point."
"Okay, the 'point' can be figured out later. Right now, we need to celebrate. Food! Do you want pizza? Or Chinese? Or I know this one place that has the most amazing Thai-"
"Stop that."
"What?
"The babying. You're babying me. I don't need to be babied. I'm fine."
"Fine isn't being loaded onto an ambulance because you forgot to eat."
Sara's expression clouds over. "You don't get to-"
"I'm not having you clock out on me again, E."
That stops Sara, but only for a moment. "I'm fine-"
"You're not. You're skinny enough to slip through two shelves with a butt crack's breadth between them."
"That got you your phone back."
"Then I wish it hadn't."
Sara bites at her bottom lip to kill time.
"Look, I know your sister ran away, and your parents aren't acting like your parents, and everything is shitty and nothing is decent, but that doesn't give you an excuse to not take care of yourself." Only Alison could make that sound sincere and not mocking.
"I didn't choose to stop eating, okay? It just... happened."
"Believe me, I get it. Things sneak up on you. That still doesn't mean you sit around and let them knock you over."
"That's not easy."
"Which is why you need me."
"I know." Sara sighs. "Thank you."
"Whatever," Alison says, far too quickly. "By the way, you're staying at my place tonight. I need to know that you're keeping your food down, not barfing it out."
Sara laughs helplessly.
"Too soon?"
"No. Now is good."
"Good. Yellow teeth don't really suit you."
"Okay, that's low."
"Well, someone needs to stop you from being an idiot."
"And you, what, signed up for it?"
"Mine's the only name on the list."
"Ouch."
"It's true."
"Still stings."
"You know, I could call a few more people to our little party. Thanks to you." She grins and holds up her phone.
"Maybe tomorrow?"
"Just say when, babe. I'll pick up the phone."
"Mmhmm. You realize getting that back made me a criminal, right?"
"Nah. More like a repo man."
"Oh, because that's an improvement."
Alison smiles, but it's a touch too melancholy for the moment.
"What?" Sara asks.
"You're coming back. I didn't want to say it too soon, but... you're coming back. It's been a while."
"Where did I go?"
"You didn't go so much as... disappear. Literally and figuratively. You're coming back, though."
"That's good. Right?"
"Yeah." Alison pulls Sara into a hug.
"Bit much," Sara says as she hugs Alison back.
"Missed you."
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no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 10:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 01:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 10:56 am (UTC)We know her years later when she's doing fine, which makes this a bit better, but still - I'm just glad Sara has a good friend in Alison. Where is she in present time, I wonder?
As always, I like the way you write Sara. Nice work.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 01:09 pm (UTC)I'm pretty positive that Alison ends up a doctor. That, or a paramedic. /random.Okay, no, she goes into neuroscience. (I've been thinking about this lots). And I think she and Sara are still in touch, and Alison still calls Sara out on her shit. And now I really want to know what Alison thinks of Sara dating Neal. And the move to London. And everything, really. *is screwed*Thank you!! :D
no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 01:20 pm (UTC)Thankfully we know Sara grew up to be an awesome, strong woman :D
no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 01:39 pm (UTC)Yeah, Sara needed that.
Thank you so much!!
no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 03:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 04:16 pm (UTC)