bakerstreet | show and tell

show and tell

A Picture is Worth.... Meme
This ain't your mama's meme. Forget your RNG, forget your tired old prompts.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
It's easy. Comment with your character. Then go comment around.
But instead of pre-filled prompts with words or numbers, you find a gif or image (any gif/image from any canon or scenario you please) that sets the scene.
The picture is the prompt.

WARNING: THIS POST WILL BE IMAGE HEAVY. AND POSSIBLY NSFW AND THERE MAY BE TRIGGERS.
Some images will not be able to be hidden behind cuts, so please be aware that triggery material may be found within.

If you post an image that is violent or sexual in nature please LINK it, do not embed it into the comment.

Feel free to use this template to stick your image in there.

Good resources for images/gifs are weheartit or tumblr. For not so safe for work gifs/images go here and here.

original meme here

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[The tiniest bit of a smile flashes across Kirk's face at that, because, wow she really is their kid, sneaking around after bedtime and then it's, oh my God that is really his child up there.

If Carol is paying attention to him, she'll see his shoulders slump a little when the door upstairs closes. He's banking on Dorothy not being present for this conversation between her parents, because he seems to be unable to think straight with her around. Or even just with the idea of her in the same room as him right now. He's either too busy staring like in the park or fighting off a panic attack like now.

How the hell is he going to do this? What is he even thinking? Does he even think sometimes? Somewhere Spock is pleased that he's finally realizing this.

Jim runs a hand through his hair, a nervous tick of his. He's going to end up ~~completely bald~~ with a bald spot before Dorothy turns eighteen.]

What have you been telling her about me for the past two years?

[After being a mom for almost two years, Carol's gotten very good at multi-tasking and noticing details in the little things. So, yes she sees how Jim's shoulders slump and she wants nothing else but to hug and soothe those panics away. It's odd to see fear in him; he doesn't wear it well, but Carol understands what he's going through. She had them when she first found out she was pregnant, occasionally through it, and when she arrived home from the hospital with Dorothy.

She settles back onto the couch and lets her hands clean up her work on the coffee table in fount of her.]

Nothing. She hadn't asked, so I didn't tell. [She lightly sighs, and she looks kind of tired.]

She did ask questions tonight, however, and all I told her was that you're a good man and an excellent captain.

[Winona used to tell him the same sort of thing when he was a kid. And he remembers it becoming sort of meaningless after a while without real memories to back it up. And how that's a good part of the reason why he feels like he can't walk away. Carol maybe didn't want him to feel obligated but he can't see how that'd ever be avoided.]

You were never really going to tell me if I hadn't run into you guys in the park, were you? [It's phrased like a question, but it's really not one.]

No. I was going to tell you... eventually. [She truly was, but the right time never cropped up. After their night together, she didn't want to seem like a bother and at the time it seemed like Jim didn't want children. She thought she was doing him a favour by not telling him, honestly. But it appears that she was definitely wrong and she may have risked her friendship with him.

Carol grimaces and rubs her face with her hand, really not liking herself right now.]

I know I should have told you sooner, okay, and I know you'll never forgive me, but I hope we can at least have an amicable relationship. For Dorothy's sake.

[Kirk purses his lips to the side, like he doesn't... actually believe her when she says she would have told him eventually. And eventually is such a broad word that she could have arranged so that he got a letter after her death when Dorothy was like fifty or something ridiculous like that.

And you know, with this happening, he's wondering if there are other women and other children out there and he has no idea about any of it because he's not father material apparently. He's not denying that really, because seriously a two year old is more terrifying to him than a fleet of Klingon ships, but the thought irritates him all the same. Because no one defines James T. Kirk except for James T. Kirk.]

I just thought we respected each other more than that. [He says it bluntly, and he isn't sorry for that.] So you'll let me be involved now?

[Her mouth twists into a scowl and Jim's getting up on the list of things she dislikes right now.]

Is that why you never called? [She returns it just as bluntly, and she isn't sorry for that either.] I don't know. I get the distinct feeling you're only here out of obligation, and that's exactly what I wanted to avoid.

[Jim reeks of duty and beer, and she wants none of that even near her daughter. The only way she's letting him get involved is if he seems like he wants to be here. Dorothy may throw a few tantrums, may drop a few paint-bombs in her laundry, but Carol has her best interests at heart. The only people she's letting near her daughter are people that want to be there. And Jim aren't one of them.]

[Ha, she's got him there. Kirk looks down at his hands. He didn't call her either, that's true. And if he were being honest with himself, a good part of why he didn't call was because their last night together was so close to being like in a relationship, that it freaked him out. Because it had been easy and nice and all those gooey words that people use and that was clearly crossing the 'friends with benefits' line.

Jim makes a frustrated noise a moment later, looking back at her.] Carol, when the fuck have I ever done anything out of obligation?

[If he did that, he wouldn't be the captain he is. All of the responsibility that comes with the job, it's all in line with what he wants to do and when it isn't, that's when he starts breaking the Prime Directive and pulling reckless, daring stunts.]

[Carol lets out a sharp, sardonic laugh and her mouth screws into an angry sneer. There's a venom seeped into her words, almost a decade worth of repressed anger at Jim and at herself flooding into her voice. She's mad because Jim thinks he knows what's best for Dorothy. That he can just stroll in and tell her how to live her life and how to raise her daughter. He doesn't have to deal with the consequences, Carol does and she wants to minimize the damage. In fact, she simply wants to skip over the part where he ruins a little girl's life entirely.] Oh right, yes. The only time you do anything is for you. Nobody else but Jim Kirk matters, and anyone that doesn't think that you're Captain Wow is the bad guy. [She snorts out a chuckle.] Hurricane Jim, that's what you are. You come in, break a few hearts, trash some stuff, but, pfft, who cares? You look cool doing it, and that's all that matters.

You don't do anything out of obligation, you're right, and you're not even here because you want to be. You're here because you want to be able to sleep at night and think, "Hey, I may have been an asshole about it, but I tried. I left some tears behind me, but I'm okay." [She breaths out a hard, annoyed huff and settles back onto the couch. Her hand reaches up to wipe a stray tear from her left cheek.]

[Kirk's jaw clenches. Maybe that's true, maybe he does all those things. But he's also right so much of the time, that he doesn't see the problem with being a little self centered. His habit of being self centered saves lives. Time can heal feelings and things can always be replaced.

But she's wrong about the rest of it. He's going to feel like shit if this falls apart, and he isn't a real part of her life.]

I'm here because she's my kid and that means something to me, regardless of what you seem think of me as a person.

[If that was true, Carol still wouldn't feel so angry and so hurt after years of separation from him. She's hurt because she allowed herself to like then fall in love with him and he wordlessly rejected her. Perhaps he did it unknowingly, but she took offense at it. So, maybe a little of the reason why she didn't tell him was to simply spite him. The majority of it was nervousness and protection for Dorothy, though.]

Aw, I'm sure she'll take that to heart when she sees you once every few years. When she grows to hate because you're never there. Regardless of what I seem to think of you as a person, I'm more concerned about Dorothy. I don't want her to place her trust and love in you, and have it be wasted. I did that and I got burnt.

Edited 2013-01-27 02:23 (UTC)

[You might've thought it'd be impossible to go from pissed off to stunned silence in two seconds flat, but you'd be wrong. Kirk just proved that wrong. His mouth falls open a little bit, and it's so obvious that he had no idea that she felt that way about him. Both loving him and getting burnt by him.

Shit, Carol, the last they ever talked about it, they agreed to be friends with benefits. He'd felt himself edging towards crossing the line. He had no idea that she'd already crossed it and learning that... he'd liken it to standing on the edge of a cliff face and for the first time in his life, he's hesitating. And he doesn't know why.

Kirk drops his gaze again and licks his lips. Fuck. This is a mess.]

So what, the alternative is never being a part of her life? Because I did that, as a kid, I never had my father and trust me, that sucks more. [He's starting there because it seems easiest.]

And we'll never even know if you don't give me the chance.

[Her gaze is too focused on a Van Gogh painting near the dining room to notice Jim and his reaction to her confession. Yes, she knows she said it. It wasn't entirely planned, but she said it and there's nothing she can do about it. She's already placing her -- their daughter in his hands, what does it matter if she also does the same with her heart? She'd much prefer if that's damaged than Dorothy, to be honest.]

But, you're a perfectly fine person. [Despite what she said previously and it's said out of complete sincerity. What she said before was said out of anger and it's not as if Carol is entirely without faults either. She needed to justify keeping Dorothy and him apart.

She lets out a soft sigh and clasps her hands together.] Jim, I grew up in a nuclear family and it probably sucked just as much. It doesn't matter if it's a single-parent or a village raising a child, it only works if the people involved want to be there. If being a part of your daughter's life is really what you want, I can do little else but place my faith in you and allow it.

[Perfectly fine is not without issues nor does it mean that he wouldn't give almost anything for the chance to know his father. Maybe it's different for him because he knows now that it's all Nero and Spock's fault that his life turned out this way.

Kirk licks his lips again, and leans forward. It's what he wants. His heart is pounding in his chest and he has no idea how to be a parent but he wants it.]

Thank you.

[Yes, but at least he can see his child grow up in this life.

She looks at him and smiles in reply.] Hey. [She gently hits his hand to get his attention.] Dorothy's starting a new daycare tomorrow. Do you want to come over at around eight and come along? [Well, Carol says new. Dorothy bit the teacher at her last one.]

It'll only be for a few hours, at most. I want to see how she likes this one before I permanently put her in it.

[Yeah, because he is such an expert on daycares.

Kirk looks back at her, and if she sees something in his expression that's still shocked that she fell for him, well. It's there. He doesn't know what to say about it.

He nods after a moment.] Sure. [Pause. Wait.] What happened to the last one?

[Her smile warms and she leans forward enough to brush her fingertips across his knuckles. If Jim can't see why she fell for him, then she'll spend every minute of their time together from now on showing him why. And maybe he should figure out what to say about it, eventually. But he hasn't said anything negative about it, so Carol's taking that as a good sign until further notice.

When he asks what happened, she really tries to frown, but her smile remains in a grotesque mixture of a frown and smile.] Dorothy bit a teacher at the last one. To be fair though, the teacher was... a not very good man. Don't worry, I talked to her. [Mostly that she should come to her mommy if she had a problem with a teacher.]

[He will say something eventually. He just... God, he doesn't know what he needs. A solid knock to the head to put some sense in there, maybe.

Kirk laughs. It's good she talked to their daughter because Kirk probably would have high fived her for that.]

She is definitely your kid. [It's not like he came away from their encounters without marks on his body.]

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