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schizoauthoress_libraryTitle: Forgiveness
Author: D.L.SchizoAuthoress
Rating: PG
Spoilers: set during Wonder Woman vol 2, between issue 200 and 226
Warnings: mentions of surgery, mentions of canonical child death
Prompt/Fill: from this post -- "things you said when you were scared"
Word Count: 400
Summary: Vanessa fights the mental conditioning that helped turn her to villainy, and feels adrift. Good thing that Donna never learned how to let go of a sister.
Word of the Day: agape, (ah-GAH-pey), noun: Unselfish love of one person for another without sexual implications.
Note 1: Apparently Greg Rucka had plans to heal and redeem Vanessa, plans that got derailed by the Infinite Crisis tie-in stuff. Yet more reason to hate that she's Silver Swan in the DCRU.
Note 2: Cindy Evans is the biological daughter of Fay Evans, who had adopted Donna during her first marriage (to Carl Stacy). Cindy considers Donna her older sister, and she was friends with Nessie at one point.
Forgiveness
"I can't do this," Vanessa whispered.
"Yes, you can," Donna replied. She put a hand on Vanessa's shoulder. "Amazons are strong in many ways, and you're still an Amazon to me."
Vanessa turned her head toward Donna. The flesh of Vanessa's face was slightly swollen -- still healing, like most of her body, from Dr. Anderson's surgical removal of the cybernetic implants that turned her into the Silver Swan. The single eye that Donna could see right now was dull and red-rimmed. Vanessa retorted, soft and sullen, "I'm an Amazon like you have two heads."
I'm not an Amazon at all.
****
The rejection stung, but Donna didn't let it show. She knew that Vanessa was hurting -- had been hurting for a long time.
More than that, Donna knew that people who were hurting this badly often lashed out at anyone who tried to reach them, when they weren't ready for it. She'd been that way with Terry just before the divorce.... and with her friends, after the car crash that had claimed the lives of Terry, her son, and her stepdaughter.
Donna knew loss. Donna had dealt with loss many times. Each time, it hit a little different, for different people.
****
"No one who really cares about you expects you to be perfect." Donna saw Vanessa flinch, and knew she'd misunderstood. Donna continued, "That's an impossible standard. No one can meet it -- not me, not Diana, not even our gods."
"I feel like I'll never be forgiven," Vanessa whispered. She couldn't manage any louder while her throat healed.
"Some people won't," Donna replied, "but you're allowed to forgive yourself, Nessie." She reached out, touched Vanessa's hand. After a moment, Vanessa turned her hand beneath Donna's, and they held on to each other in silence.
"I don't deserve any forgiveness," Vanessa insisted.
****
"Sometimes it's not a question of deserving or not deserving. Sometimes it's just necessary, so you can allow yourself to really heal." Donna said firmly. She squeezed Vanessa's hand supportively. "You've got a good heart, little sister. I still believe in you."
Vanessa wasn't sure Donna's faith in her was well-placed. But she knew -- thanks to Cindy Evans as much as personal experience -- that Donna wouldn't give up on a sister.
'There's nothing to do but work to become worthy of that faith... and prove my big sister right.'
Vanessa managed a smile, and Donna's answering grin lifted her spirits.
*-*-*-*-*
Author: D.L.SchizoAuthoress
Rating: PG
Spoilers: set during Wonder Woman vol 2, between issue 200 and 226
Warnings: mentions of surgery, mentions of canonical child death
Prompt/Fill: from this post -- "things you said when you were scared"
Word Count: 400
Summary: Vanessa fights the mental conditioning that helped turn her to villainy, and feels adrift. Good thing that Donna never learned how to let go of a sister.
Word of the Day: agape, (ah-GAH-pey), noun: Unselfish love of one person for another without sexual implications.
Note 1: Apparently Greg Rucka had plans to heal and redeem Vanessa, plans that got derailed by the Infinite Crisis tie-in stuff. Yet more reason to hate that she's Silver Swan in the DCRU.
Note 2: Cindy Evans is the biological daughter of Fay Evans, who had adopted Donna during her first marriage (to Carl Stacy). Cindy considers Donna her older sister, and she was friends with Nessie at one point.
Forgiveness
"I can't do this," Vanessa whispered.
"Yes, you can," Donna replied. She put a hand on Vanessa's shoulder. "Amazons are strong in many ways, and you're still an Amazon to me."
Vanessa turned her head toward Donna. The flesh of Vanessa's face was slightly swollen -- still healing, like most of her body, from Dr. Anderson's surgical removal of the cybernetic implants that turned her into the Silver Swan. The single eye that Donna could see right now was dull and red-rimmed. Vanessa retorted, soft and sullen, "I'm an Amazon like you have two heads."
I'm not an Amazon at all.
****
The rejection stung, but Donna didn't let it show. She knew that Vanessa was hurting -- had been hurting for a long time.
More than that, Donna knew that people who were hurting this badly often lashed out at anyone who tried to reach them, when they weren't ready for it. She'd been that way with Terry just before the divorce.... and with her friends, after the car crash that had claimed the lives of Terry, her son, and her stepdaughter.
Donna knew loss. Donna had dealt with loss many times. Each time, it hit a little different, for different people.
****
"No one who really cares about you expects you to be perfect." Donna saw Vanessa flinch, and knew she'd misunderstood. Donna continued, "That's an impossible standard. No one can meet it -- not me, not Diana, not even our gods."
"I feel like I'll never be forgiven," Vanessa whispered. She couldn't manage any louder while her throat healed.
"Some people won't," Donna replied, "but you're allowed to forgive yourself, Nessie." She reached out, touched Vanessa's hand. After a moment, Vanessa turned her hand beneath Donna's, and they held on to each other in silence.
"I don't deserve any forgiveness," Vanessa insisted.
****
"Sometimes it's not a question of deserving or not deserving. Sometimes it's just necessary, so you can allow yourself to really heal." Donna said firmly. She squeezed Vanessa's hand supportively. "You've got a good heart, little sister. I still believe in you."
Vanessa wasn't sure Donna's faith in her was well-placed. But she knew -- thanks to Cindy Evans as much as personal experience -- that Donna wouldn't give up on a sister.
'There's nothing to do but work to become worthy of that faith... and prove my big sister right.'
Vanessa managed a smile, and Donna's answering grin lifted her spirits.
*-*-*-*-*
no subject
Date: 2018-03-31 10:58 pm (UTC)I also really liked Donna understanding how Vanessa was lashing out, relating it to her own experience, and helping cut through that to make Vanessa understand that Donna wasn't going to give up on her. And the "you're allowed to forgive yourself, Nessie."/"I don't deserve any forgiveness"/"Sometimes it's not a question of deserving or not deserving. Sometimes it's just necessary, so you can allow yourself to really heal." exchange was so good.
Finally, Donna referring to her as "little sister" just made my heart melt. That ending was so sweet. Really good work <3<3