unable to stop dwelling on the discworld trouser leg of time where, in the penultimate fight scene in Nightwatch, Carcer manages to kill teenage Sam Vimes.
Which means that the future that Duke Vimes came from can no longer exist, which means he can’t go home. Meanwhile you’ve got a bunch of history monks with stored up temporal energy, a prepared space outside of time, and the need to do some desperate damage control before the Auditors get involved. Death shows up, reality is unweaving, Sam is reading Carcer his discworld miranda rights because what else is he supposed to do.
and finally, with little other option, the monks de-age Sam so he fits the time period and send him back out into the fray.
(they didn't call it deageing of course. His memory is hazy, splintered during that terrible in between moment, They....took the time out of him? Sanded away the edges of his self for a terrible, workable fit? It...wasn't a good feeling.)
Just—damn. Sam Vimes having to live his whole crapsack life over again, but this time as his disillusioned-reillusioned, unwillingly-character-developed, noir-epic, Duke of Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes self.
Younger (Older? He's never felt so Old, His steps so Childlike, reality twisting in his gut like one of Dibbler's pies) Sam Vimes walking around in a haze after the revolution. Desperate to go home, knowing he can’t. Wanting to drink. Knowing he can’t.
The whole precinct feels pity, he really took Keel’s death hard, hardly speaks except to do his job. Eventually he has to grit his teeth and start being present, because what else is there to do?
Resists the urge to drink until Colon takes the whole watch out to celebrate because -he’s going to be a father!
Come on Sammy, one drink won’t kill you— and after the first drink he’s cracking jokes and after the second hes smiling and after the third hes honestly the life of the party and sometime after that he’s crying about how he was going to be a father and my wife would be ashamed if she saw me drinking like this and—
Oh shit, Did anyone else know he had a wife?? A PREGNANT wife??? What—aren’t you like 12—no you're 17 now aren't you but when did—
You guys n’ver met ’er—oh gods none if you ev’n know ‘er, is jus’ me...
What—when did you lose—
I lost her the same damn day I los’ ev’rythin else, whadya think...bleeding Carcer...the fuckin revolution...
So! That! Sam only vaguely remembers the night, but rumors travel faster than light on the disc, so by the next day the whole damn city knows about poor Sam brung low by the loss of his poor, tragic, pregnant wife, so young to be a widower, and the Seamstresses nod because they already knew, don’t ask them how, somethings you just have to know in that trade.
And his mother—I don’t know, sue me, I’m a time travel fiend but there’s something deeply intriguing about a man meeting his dead parent, who is somewhat younger than him, and stepping into the old relationship like a badly fitting thing that's supposed to fit well. She would know, right? How would she deal with her son’s impossible grief? Maybe she wouldn’t know—he spent most of the time out of the house, running with different street gangs, maybe he avoids her until she dies and lives with the guilt twice over. God, we don’t even know her name. There’s just so much narrative and emotional potential that I don’t even know where to start.
When he’s on duty, which is most time - it’s agonizing because at first he remembers cases, saves lives that would have been lost. But the more time passes, the hazier his memory because in the original timeline he was becoming an alcoholic. Fuck! A kid dies and he could have saved her if he hadn’t been such a drunk, if he had just remembered where the asshole lived, but it’s all a haze, and he wants to drown out his guilt, but that’s what caused this in the first place.
Good young Sammy, who spends his rare off-time in dusty libraries (and yes, the irony that he’s apparently Carrot now is not lost on him) reading gods-only-know.
It’s not like he can ask the wizards for help, cutthroat and vicious as they are now in the not-so-distant-past.
Good young Sam, who...talks to the Broken Drum’s pet Bouncer like he’s a real person and not a dumb rock? That’s a bit weird, but he’s a bit of a funny guy.
Good old Sam, who believed the testimony of the dwarf who said the humans were trying to rob him and let the dwarf go??
the PROBLEMS this man would cause, good grief. Can you imagine a moderately progressive middle aged man with some degree of begrudging diversity and equity training that he did, for all his sins, pay attention to, suddenly going back to like, 1990, going back just 30 years, and going...oh damn this is kind of fucked up, no man you can’t say that, holy shit.
Except Sam’s lived through even more rapidly shifting social moroes! There’s no seamstress guild, there’s no women allowed inside the university, there’s no black ribboner’s society. People hunted trolls for their teeth! But Sam can’t just unlearn everything, and he can’t shut up, and he has no real luck and anyway he would absolutely get himself (temporarily) fired.
FUCK. Sam has no idea what to do with that. None. Zero clue. Wanders around in a haze until that dwarf he saved from police brutality finds him and insists on repaying the debt. No, he insists, do you have any idea what debt means to a dwarf?
“Sort-of?” he replies hesitantly, and that honest admission of incomplete knowledge shows a hell of a lot more respect and understanding than any self proclaimed dwarf-expert ever did.
Gets a job as a surface man, hauling rocks into the city. It’s backbreaking work, but, in true Discworld fashion, it’s also one hell of a workout (again the irony of being Carrot is not lost him. he freezes for a minute while hauling a rock cart, when he remembers he's technically Lost Nobility too, in a strict sense, but someone curses at him in the street and he's comfortingly grounded)
And here is where this au slides into a SPECTACULAR romantic comedy, BEAR WITH ME. Because in his time on the Watch he’s already done noir, action adventure, war story, detective who dunnit, psychological horror, but guards guards only allowed him to be a romance protagonist in an extremely limited context.
Give me righteous, twenty-something-looking, can’t-say-he-doesn’t-have-style, young Sam Vimes, not an alcoholic, being fed three square meals a day by his dwarven forced found family, hauling rocks. He is startled to find him bumping his head on a low hanging bar that he doesn’t think used to be there, eventually realizing that he’s an inch or two taller than he remembers. Huh. Guess all that bearhuggers really did stunt his growth.
Still doesn’t get what some of the looks from women he’s getting are about, sure, he’s dirty but so is everyone else. Fine, he took his shirt off, but it’s hot out, there’s far wrinklier than him hauling heavy loads, get a life.
Happens to glance in the Ankh one day when it’s particularly slow and shiny and is startled to realize that he might be turning heads for a different reason. Oh. Right, not that he was ever a heartbreaker, but he did alright for himself... when he was a younger and his face hadn’t been broken so many times. Which...it isn't now.
Is mildly disturbed by the revelation.
Especially once things blow over at the precinct and what with high mortality rates, he ends up with getting hired again. The boys are delighted to have him back, nevermind that he’s an odd one, noone is ever quite in your corner like Vimsey, absence makes the heart fonder, no one else works that hard, and he’s not even competition for promotion. All around great guy, we should set him up with somebody and just, no.
It just keeps getting worse! He’s literate! He’s a feminist! He believes abuse victims! He’s got a tragic backstory! He’s unreasonably good in a fistfight! He’s kind to animals! Word gets around that there’s a good man on the watch and he’s just waiting for a good woman to come snap him up. The widower excuse doesn’t hold people off completely, and for some it’s its own sort-of appeal.
Things REALLY become stressful after he rescues that carriage full of noblewoman.
What’s he supposed to do? Let them get robbed? Or worse? Chasing down and beating up 10 goons is as easy as beating up one, when they’re that stupid, getting separated like that, drunk and distracted, and he knows these streets better than anyone, really it’s nothing. And oh lord he’s Modest too.
I mean, they were genuinely greatful, as genuine as people like that are capable of being, the skill having grown rusty. And then there is something...magnetic about the man. An air of command.
So, soon enough you get Lady Marigold of Marigrave calling on Treckle Road for that gallant young officer who rescued them, she really needs to thank him. And Viscountess Elanor Thitzferal specifically requesting that he guard her at her next soiree. And Baroness Julieta van Shoeholten insisting that he come to her home while her husband’s away, for... manly protection.
Aaaah just zero sympathy from the guys. None. 'It’s become a competition, they’re just trying to see who can get me into bed first, it’s like I’m a piece of meat, you can’t send me sir, the Marquess greeted me in a nightee last time you made me go to—' and 'small gods Vimes are you even listening to yourself, shut the hell up'.
Simultaneous to this, (again this is several years into the timeline) swamp dragon accessories come into style. Which means abandoned swamp dragons scrounging on the street. Vimes takes one back to his apartment, blows his paycheck on dragon medicine, and eventually, heart in his chest, brings it to the Ramkin estate. The sunshine orphanage doesn’t even exist yet and he’s just standing outside the gates like an idiot, what is he thinking. Turns around, but her carriage is pulling up and—
well. they meet. it's cute. he's never felt so young. he's never felt so old, too old for her, too poor—
and certainly her thoughts linger too long on the awkward, kindly, handsome young commoner, but is it any wonder she doesn't quite connect it to the stern, dangerous, sexy young guard the ladies seem to be in some quiet, cuthroat competition over?
i have this gorgeous, absurd scene in my head in which Vimes is strong armed into standing guard at some high society soiree and one of the pushiest ladies insists he dance with here, or, if he prefers, if he's not confident about his skills, he can dance with her in-private at her home and he’s like [grinding teeth, looking for a way out, seeinf one] “I would be honored to dance with you.”
Steps right into some ultra-complex dance with multiple partner swaps (she never thought he'd pick this one, devilishly intimidating to one not strictly trained, and you barely spend anytime with your first partner).
But he does alright. Better than alright, for a common man, sometimes misstepping but his hands and feet always end up where they need to be. Raises several eyebrows part way into the song because he's throuwing in some slightly scandalous, no innovative, extra lifts and twirls that wouldn't become fashionable for another decade or two. Who even is that guy? Some out of towner? No, no he's in a guards uniform...how very strange.
Gets to Sybll and she's used to embarrassment during these dances, she tries to get out of them when she can... but can't always. Men awkwardly skipping the lifts, or worse, trying and failing. But him — oh it's him, the one who helped little Erold, and looked at her like—like—well like she was someone beautiful. And he's doing it again, and he's strong and there's a quiet moment where she's in the air, they lock eyes, and the rest of the room melts away.
And then the partners change again, the moment ended.
Just...living throught it all again. To the left, a dance he almost knows the steps to, throwing others off balance with erratic moves , honest mistakes, and delibrate stepping on toes. Improvising. Ruining. Improving. Getting far, far too much attention.
Hes almost excited when the first assassains start coming after him. It's like a hobby.
Everyone tells him he should get a hobby.
Interactions with young vetinari...I don't have the energy to write it all down, the slow circling in on each other, both burning with the need to fix the city, save it, their city.
needless to say he ends up fired again, life under real threat after offending some high lord.
Conveniently enough he has an employment opportunity- bodyguard to fucking Vetinari on his 'grand sneer.' The bastard knows vimes isn't what he seems, though sam is pretty sure that he doesnt know the exacts.
Vetinari hypothesis:(the ghost of keel? Keels son, with some hereditary curse? Or a larger spirit of justice possessing a string of unrelated souls? He knows things he shouldn't- mind reader? Fortune teller? Havelock once arranged for a wizard to bump into him on the street, the magical fool gave an odd double look and then muttered something about destiny looping in on itself giving him a headache. Destiny? Lost noble? And hes far too familiar with sybyl, one of the few bearable noblewomen in this city. And his thoughts on guilds, when havelock can trip him into speaking... Most of all, if hes reading him at all correctly (for all the mystery hes not that hard to read, unless thats a very clever cover) then it seems that behind those dark haunted eyes is Respect. Loyalty. For vetinari. What an interesting man. A puzzling asset. An intriguing threat. )
Did I mention the timeline is changing, healing slowly around the place where it was torn? Healing enough around scars to perhaps get some flexibility back, with some painful stretches and...massaging of said scar tissue?
And hes heading to unresting uberwald, a place where a werewolf pack still hunts humans and, truely unrelated but perhaps equally exhausting, an eldritch spirit of vengeance just might be looking to stretch its legs in a hapless vessel?
Opening drabble
Vimes Vetinari Meta (Unwell)
Scene from the Uberwald Grand Sneer
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Museum AU (snippet)
Lucy Chen was angry. At HIM. Again.
“Is this really necessary?” she crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at Tim Bradford, Head of Security.
He gave her an annoyed look in response.
“Listen, Chen. I do an important job here. Not all of us can make a living out of painting pictures of naked men.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. He knew damn well that wasn’t what her job was (she was actually an art teacher who worked in museum education). But ever since he had confiscated her flyers, looking for nude models for an art class, he made fun of her. Her co-worker Rachel had commented that it was a shame Tim Bradford didn’t volunteer because he was quote “fine as hell”. Lucy did absolutely not think about him naked after that, ever.
“What’s going on?” that was Angela Lopez who worked with Tim in security and from Lucy’s experience so far she was actually nice. Although, she looked pretty intimidating right now.
“I couldn’t get into the museum because my access card doesn’t work. Mr. super cop over there”, Lucy made an annoyed pointing gesture with her head in Tim’s direction, “pretends he doesn’t know who I am and sticks to protocol.”
Angela looked between them for a second. And Lucy could swear there was a gleam in her eye. “He called the cops on you?”
“I did not call the cops!”, Tim sounded exasperated. “I simply have to manually check her ID to make sure she actually works here”.
“You KNOW I work here”, Lucy said through gritted teeth.
Angela definitely had a gleam in her eye.
“Bradford”, Nyla Harper’s voice, laced with authority, came from accross the entrance hall. “You had your fun, now let her through”. Nyla was the co-head of security and Lucy loved her because she usually treated Tim like an annoying little brother.
Tim ignored Nyla. But after making a show out of looking closely at Lucy’s face and afterwards at her ID photo, he gave it back to her and let her pass. Angela promised she would be in touch as soon as they found out what was going on with her card.
“Ugh, he is the WORST”, Lucy was still angry when she entered the office which she shared with Rachel and Tamara, her roommate and intern.
“Tim again?”, Rachel asked and exchanged a meaningful glance with Tamara which Lucy choose to ignore.
“Why does he have to annoy me all of the time?”
“Are you sure that is what he does?” Tamara sounded amused.
“What are you implying?”
“I don’t know... I always thought he is kinda flirting with you?”
Lucy tried not to blush but failed. “He is not!”
She heard Tamara whisper “sure” under her breath and choose to ignore that, too.
The truth was Lucy had no idea what exactly she and Tim had going on. Sometimes she thought there might be something flirty there - especially after Nyla’s wedding last year when he had asked her to dance with him and actually smiled at her.
From the start she had not been intimidated by his tough exterior but seen it as a challenge. Sometimes she was extra cheerful whenever she intercated with him and in return he pretended to be annoyed by that. They had played pranks on each other, starting with Lucy stealing his money from him after he had lectured her about keeping her backpack in an “unsecure place” while she led a group of kindergartners through the museum (she had left her backpack in the break room like everyone else).
Sometimes they do share intimate stuff with each other, too. For example when Lucy had found out about Tim’s wife, Isabel, a former employee at the service desk who had been fired when she, repeatedly, came to work high. After not seeing her for over a year, Tim caught her stealing money from the museum. He had tried to cover up for her. But Lucy had seen him and decided to talk him out of it. She told him that he would regret helping Isabel. He had been angry with her at the time. But the next day she saw him entering Grey’s office. The museum director was generally a kind employer but he had reported Isabel to the police after that.
In the almost two years that had passed since then, Lucy had absolutely not asked Angela about Isabel at one point and had totally not felt a fluttery feeling in her chest when Angela had told her that after Isabel’s return from rehab, she and Tim had decided to get divorced.
Last May, when Lucy’s abusive ex-boyfriend Caleb had tried to contact her again and Lucy had been scared, Tim had noticed and walked her home from work for a month after that.
When her best friend Jackson, a fashion model, had been in a car accident and Lucy couldn’t find out what was going on, it was Tim who called one of his cop friends for information and later drove her to the hospital.
So, Lucy knew that Tim was actually a good peson. He was generally liked among his co-workers, too. Angela and him seemed to be best friends even.
But still there were a lot of times when Lucy and Tim were at each others throats. Like when she had tried to recruit naked models for her adult art class: Tim had taken all of her flyers away and said they were against museum policy. Lucy knew he had made that up.
Or the time when Lucy was so angry at him because he thought about marrying his then girlfriend Ashley, although, she didn’t like his dog, Kojo? What was he thinking?
------
Tim Bradford watched as Lucy Chen finally walked towards the elevators. Maybe he had been a bit over the top this morning, of course he knew who she was and there actually wasn’t any protocol which forced him to double check her ID. But he always enjoyed ruffling her feathers a bit.
“Timothy, you do know that you are beeing pretty obvious, right?”
Tim spun around, giving Angela what he hoped was an outraged look.
Angela couldn’t stop a teasing smile from appearing on her lips. “Ohhh... you really do like her then.”
Tim closed his eyes and shook his head gathering all of his patience.
“Ang... please not this again, he started walking back towards their office next to the Museum’s gigantic wooden entrance doors.
Angela followed him. “Tim is in looove”
“Angela! Stop it.” He opened the door to the small room full of monitors showing surveillance footage.
Entering behind him Angela was about to say something when Tim let out a frustrated groan. “I don’t want to talk about her, ok? Besides, she would never consider dating me.”
“Why are you so sure about that?”
“She knows about Isabel, ok? About what I almost did for her? How I couldn’t stop my wife from becoming a drug addict. How I was so bad at marriage that she choose to live on the street...”.
Angela stared at him for a moment. “So that is why you don’t ask her out? because you are ashamed of your divorce?”
Tim ignored her and sat down to go through his paperwork.
“Tim, that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard”, Angela announced. “I am pretty sure Lucy is into you..”.
That caught Tim’s interest “Why would you say that?”
Angela rolled her eyes at him “I have told you this before you idiot: she asks me stuff about you sometimes.” Laughing quietly she added “she probbaly thinks she is low-key about it but she is really not.”
Tim thought about that for a minute. “Doesn’t matter she is dating that Chris guy from PR”. Tim said “Chris” with obvious distaste.
“No, they actually broke up a month ago”, none of them had realized that Smitty, the janitor, had stepped into the office.
“Smitty, do I wanna know how you found that out?” Angela asked carefully.
“I overheard her talking to Rachel”, Smitty revealed innocently.
“He still hasn’t ask her out, then?” Nyla appeared behind Smitty and Tim covered his face with his hands. Why was everyone involved in this?
“Oh, Timmy, don’t be sad”, Nyla gave him a playful clap on the shoulder.
“When you don’t ask her, I will...” Smitty couldn’t even finish his sentence before Angela and Nyla said in unison “No! Not again”.
Tim had enough. He walked past them, out of the building and took a deep breath on the sidewalk in front of Thorsen Art Museum.
---
I had the idea for this AU in my head for a while but I don’t have the patience or the time to write full fics (sorry ;)). But I wanted to bring it to life somehow. So here is a fraction of a Chenford Museum AU. I hope you enjoy this. Also I am sorry for any language mistakes.
Btw this is what I envision AU Lucy’s apartement to look like.
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