Time Passages (Queen or Freddie Mercury Fanfic)

14. The First Night is the Hardest

Freddie

I admit, I wasn't exactly good company for much of that first day. I mostly sort of tried to get my feet back on the ground- went for a walk, explored the little house a bit, tested the sound of the upright piano in the parlor (which wasn't bad, but it obviously wasn't nearly as nice as my grand back at Garden Lodge), looked at the pictures on the wall (the ones that were still hanging, that is; there were several bare patches of wall where pictures clearly had been placed, but moved elsewhere), really just spent most of my time alone, thinking about things. I seemed to be in a constant state of upheaval from the very beginning. I didn't say much, didn't really react to much, just sort of soaked everything in, like a sponge, trying to wrap my head around what had happened to me.

So I'm afraid I may have made what should have been a relaxed Sunday evening meal between Julia and her son a bit strained. Nobody had very much to say, we just sat there, put food in our mouths, chewed and swallowed as fast as was considered civilized so we could get up from the table and do what we pleased. Farnsworth said more than any of us, and all he could do was repeat himself.

Julia and I refused to look at one another almost the entire time. Why, I don't know, but we didn't. As for the little boy, Danny, he didn't seem to know what to make of me yet. He kept throwing me curious little glances when he thought I didn't see, turning away whenever I looked back at him. Once he wasn't quick enough, and our eyes met straight on. I watched one corner of his mouth turn up in a cautious half-smile as he waited to see what I would do. After a second I winked, and he broke into a relieved grin.

That was almost the only normal moment throughout that whole first supper.

I suppose it was like I had been tossed back into my past instead of the future, back to the days even before Queen, the days when I lived hand-to-mouth, when I drifted in and out of friends' houses, living the life of a gypsy, when all I had in the world were wild, lofty dreams of fame and fortune, and the will to make them reality. And oh, how well I had succeeded. I don't say it to brag, I say it because it's true. That's basically what happened. I became a star- not all at once, mind you, it took time and not a little work, but I did it.

And then without warning, everything went tits up- and I woke in a strange bed in a strange world, in the little house of a woman I had only known for two weeks of my life, and hadn't seen in all of eight fucking years since then.

Eight years, I said to myself, running my fingers listlessly along the top of the table. Good God.

That's how long since I last saw her. Eight years since she left. Eight years since she had so effortlessly driven me out of my head, and helped me become the man I was now.

Eight years ago- or rather, as far as Julia was concerned, forty-two whole fucking years ago.

Good Lord, that made me feel so old.

Danny's high, hopeful voice shattered the silence at last. "I'm all done, Mom, can I please go watch some Futurama?"

Julia looked at him suspiciously. "Did you have anything else to do besides math?"

A long pause. "Ummm... uh, there was a chapter we had to read in English- but I can read it on the way to school tomorrow."

She dabbed at her lips with the napkin. "Sweetie, why don't you read it now, and just get it done?"

"But it's another dumb kiddie book- and besides, I read way faster than a lot of those guys."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Oh, yeah. They're a bunch a' slowpokes. You know Brent, he couldn't even read the word 'necessary' right. It was saaaad."

"Danny!" Julia exclaimed gently, throwing me an apologetic glance. "That's not at all a nice thing to say."