Written by Erica Rose Jackson Sorry I’m so behind on this blog challenge. I’m catching up because I committed to all fifty-two weeks, even if they aren’t working out to the right weeks. So, here we go. My worst review came on a fanfiction I wrote about Jay Garrick (John Wesley Shipp) on The Flash. I wrote a romance story between Garrick and an OC. A reader wrote a scathing paragraph long review about how Garrick is too old for this story. The review also mentioned a woman back on Earth 3 (Garrick’s home) who was being disrespected by my fanfic. This person must not truly enjoy fanfic, or what it is supposed to be, because it’s a chance for the fans to tell the story they want to see. What I learned was the ability to brush off angry readers’ reviews and keep writing. There was a point, right after I read it, that I wanted to stop all together, especially when it comes to Jay Garrick stories. But I knew that wasn’t the right move because I love writing and no one should be able to stop me, especially over canon issues which fanfiction does not have to abide by. I got over the bad review and, even, wrote another Garrick story. Check out chapter one below and then you can click here if you want to read the rest. Preface - Momentum aka Carter McKinley joined Team Flash shortly after Zoom was revealed as Jay Garrick, their so called friend. Her speed, coupled with Barry’s, helped the team to conquer the big bads and allowed each speedster to have a break from time to time. Her name came after a heated debate between Cisco and Harry with Cisco’s winning. “Barry, didn’t you say that he had a prisoner back on Earth 2?” Carter asked once Zoom had been defeated. He nodded, “Do you want to go get him out?” “Of course, after what you just did, you deserve the break of a lifetime,” she replied. Cisco accompanied her to their breach and sent her through. She freed the man, unable to remove the helmet, and returned with him to her Earth. “You couldn’t get that thing off?” Caitlin asked when Carter appeared in the Cortex with the real Jay Garrick. Carter shook her head, “I tried, but it wouldn’t budge,” she shared as she helped him to a chair where Caitlin took over on the attempt to free the poor man. While Caitlin worked, Barry walked in. “Is that him?” he asked. Carter nodded just as Caitlin freed him, allowing him to stand and turn. “Yep, the real Jay Garrick,” but he had Barry’s Father’s face. Carter watched as Barry turned and left the room and then saw the confused expression on Garrick’s face. “Caitlin, can I have a minute with him?” Caitlin nodded as she left the pair alone. Carter moved closer to the stranger, “You’re his father’s doppelganger and Zoom just murdered him,” she revealed causing sadness to take over his face. “You couldn’t have known. I just wanted you to know so you wouldn’t take his reaction personally.” She changed the subject, “Is there anything I can get you?” He shook his head, “I’m just happy to be out of the cell and that mask,” he replied, taking a seat across from Carter’s. “Thank you for coming to get me. I just need to recover a little and then I can get back home, where hopefully my Earth isn’t destroyed,” he revealed. Carter reached out, placing her hand on top of his, “If you want, you’re welcome to stay with me while you get back on your feet. I have an extra room,” she offered. “I don’t want to be any trouble,” he began, not removing his hand, “You’ve already been more accommodating then you could ever know.” “You wouldn’t be any trouble at all,” she answered his protest, “Please, let me do this for you. I will feel much better about sending you home if I know you’re ok.” Jay pulled back his hand to place it on his chin, thinking her offer over. Finally he leaned forward, “If you really don’t mind then I will.” His response caused a large smile, an unexpected one, to cross her lips, “Just let me know when you’re ready to head there,” she stood to check on Barry and to suppress her enthusiasm. Carter had always had a small crush on Barry’s dad and, she assumed, that was the cause of her school girl behavior with this man she didn’t know at all. Later on that afternoon, Carter drove Jay to her home. They made a stop to get him some essentials before arriving at their destination. Carter led him inside, giving him a small tour before reaching the guest room, “This is where you’ll sleep,” she revealed, “There’s a bathroom in here but feel free to roam anywhere in the house.” “Thank you,” he replied, his clean shaven face enhancing his handsome features. “If there’s anything you need, my room is next door,” she replied, feeling suddenly flushed, “Do you need anything before I go start something for dinner?” she asked, hoping to escape him. Jay shook his head as he walked into the room to get settled, allowing Carter to race to the kitchen and cool down while she looked for something edible for them. Carter came across some hamburger meat, pasta sauce, and some angel hair so she set to work on spaghetti and meatballs. By the time her meal was almost done, Jay stepped into the room and took a seat at her island. He was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt but still looked amazing. “It smells great out here,” he complimented as she passed him a glass of wine. She nodded, “We’re just lucky I had anything to cook,” she played off the praise, “I’m out running with Barry too often to keep this place well stocked,” she took a sip of the wine, knowing it wouldn’t be the thing warming her cheeks. Jay smiled before he spoke again, “Either way, I’m grateful that you’re generous and skilled in the kitchen. The only thing I can imagine that could be worse then being imprisoned could be a trip to McDonalds,” he joked, causing Carter to let out a loud laugh which caught her and sent her into a fit of giggles while she finished putting together their food. Jay couldn’t help but to laugh with her. Carter laid their bowls out in front of them before she took a seat across from her, ready to test her feelings with some small talk. “You must have someone back on your Earth worried sick about you,” she began, “Like a wife or a girlfriend. I can’t imagine how it would feel for someone I love to suddenly disappear.” Jay stopped mid bite and locked eyes with her, “No, there’s no one at home, which I am thankful for after this.” Carter nodded, unsure of where to take her questions, so she ate silently, instead. After a few minutes of silence, Jay spoke, “Why do you ask?” Carter almost choked on a noodle as the words left his lips. She did her best to compose herself and took a sip of wine, “Just curious,” she lied, hoping she was believable. He smiled while looking down, shaking his head, “I don’t think that’s it. I’ve been out of the game for awhile now, but I think I still know what it looks like when someone is interested in someone else,” he revealed causing Carter to stop what she was doing and stare at him, working through her next move. She took a deep breath and spoke, “Ok, you’ve got me. I am attracted to you. And, I know I don’t know you but I feel drawn to you,” she paused thinking over their day, “Don’t worry, though, it started after I offered you a place to stay. I didn’t lure you here under any false pretences.” “I wasn’t concerned with that, at all,” he replied gently, “I’m actually happy to hear that you’re interested in me because I was instantly attracted to you,” he looked into her eyes sending a shiver down her spine, “At first, I assumed it was because of my time locked away but I didn’t have the same feeling toward any of the other women back at S.T.A.R. Labs,” he confessed. Carter took a long sip of wine before replying, “So, what do we do about our feelings? You live on a different Earth so it’s not as if we can start dating,” she allowed her words to linger in the air, wondering if he’d realize what she was proposing. Jay raised a brow at her statement, “What exactly are you suggesting?” “I forget that you may be more old school when it comes to these things,” she teased, barely knowing him but confident, “We can just have a fling, just a physical thing. You get to go home and I stay here without all the messy feelings.” “I am afraid the ‘messy’ feelings are already present, but I am open to your idea,” he smiled softly, “Let’s discuss it in the morning because it has been quite a day,” he stood and took their dishes to the sink and began cleaning up. Carter moved to stop him, “Guests don’t do the dishes. Go get some rest.” He looked as if he may object but then realized where their close proximity to each other could lead and nodded, “I will see you in the morning.”
0 Comments
|
Archives
January 2023
|