Title: Prisoner
Characters: Robert Plant, Summer Dylan, James Page Jr, Cameron Crowe
Word Count: 2991
Rating: PG-13 [language]
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: Summer is five months pregnant with Robert's child. Every little thing she does make him nervous. Can he relax enough for them to enjoy a holiday that's all about celebrating love?




February 1987, Shatterford, England

Sighing, Summer pushed up from the lounge chair and shuffled into the kitchen. While she understood Robert’s concern, she was pregnant, not an invalid. She could not remain locked up in the house forever. It was driving her nuts.

And the milk was bad.

Spitting out her mouthful into the sink, she reached for the carton to empty the rest of it before someone else had the misfortune of tasting it. As the white liquid swirled down the drain, her nine-year-old son stepped into the kitchen, vacantly greeting her. She turned around, leaning on the counter, and watched him. The boy mechanically pulled open the fridge, stared for a minute, and closed it before shuffling over to the pantry. He acted in the exact same manner, leaving the pantry without anything.

“Okay, spill,” she stated, catching him before he left the kitchen.

Jamie slowly turned to face her, but would not meet her eyes, “It’s nothing, Mum.”

“Don’t you ‘nothing’ me, mister,” she responded. “I can tell something’s wrong. Tell me.”

He sighed before flicking his eyes to hers, “I’m not supposed to tell you.”

“Why not?”

“Because Rob says it would upset you and that would be bad for the baby,” he muttered softly.

Summer’s eyes darkened briefly, “Well Rob isn’t here right now. So tell me.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he breathed.

Pushing off the counter, she approached her son. Without saying a word, her arms circled the young boy and pulled him close. He quickly buried his face on her shoulder, his shoulders shaking slightly as he began to sob. His tears soon stained her shirt, but neither loosened the embrace. He muttered unintelligible words into her shoulder. Summer merely held him and attempted to decipher his speech.

Finally, he pulled away, “Is it true you’re going to send me away?”

Her mouth dropped open, “Uh, what? Who told you that?”

“The kids at school.”

“No! Of course I’m not. You’re my son. Why would they say such things?”

“They all say when mums have babies with other men… then get rid of the old children.”

Summer pulled him back to her, kissing his forehead, “I am never letting you go, Jamie. I love you. I love you more than words can say, more than music can express. Yes, it was just you and me for quite a few years. And yes, there will be another one around in a few months to take up some of my time. But I will always love you, Jamie.”

“Mum…”

Tilting his head up, she looked into his eyes, “You are my son and I love you. Robert loves you. You are an irreplaceable part of this family. You are not going anywhere.”

“Not even if my father says I have to?”

“Not even if Jimmy says so,” she declared, kissed his forehead again, and stepped back. “Come on. We need to get some groceries. Go get your coat.”

James remained right where he was, “But who’s going to drive, Mum?”

Her eyes went to his, “I will, of course.”

“Uh…”

“What?”

“Rob says you’re not supposed to drive. The baby and all,” he declared sheepishly.

Summer rolled her eyes, “Go get your coat and mine too. We’re going to the market. I don’t care what Rob says.”



Entering the house with small bundle of daisies, a pint of butter pecan ice cream, a bag of baby carrots, and a fancy heart box filled with different kinds of chocolates, Robert called out for Summer. Not hearing a response, he headed into the kitchen. He stowed the ice cream in the freezer but left everything else on the counter.

Leaving the kitchen, he headed back to the front door and tripped over James’s book bag. Swearing he picked it up and hollered for the young boy. His voice echoed up the stairs, but no response followed. His concerns doubled with the resounding silence of the house. Quickly passing through the rooms on the ground floor, he hurried up the stairs to discover more empty rooms. Had something happened? Was Summer okay? Was the baby okay? He never should have gone to the promotional interview. Fuck his album. His woman and baby were far more important.

As he pulled open the door to head back out to his car, intending to track her down wherever she might be, Robert froze. His eyes snapped to a car weaving down the drive. For a brief moment, fear shot through his body. Summer did not need to be going out alone for any reason, but even more importantly, she did not need to be driving. If she were to get in a car accident, he did not know what he would do.

His breath left his lungs in a sigh of relief. She was not alone. Not only was James with her, which in hindsight was unsurprising, but she was not behind the wheel. It did not cross his mind that Cameron was at the house when he left. All that mattered was he was behind the wheel, Summer was not. 

As soon as the car halted, Robert pulled open the passenger door, “Baby, you could have waited for me.”

She carefully removed the seatbelt from around her belly before pivoting and holding her hands up for him to help her to her feet, “We needed to go to the market. And I had no idea when you were going to get back.”

“It couldn’t wait?” he carefully pulled her up.

“No,” she responded.

“But–”

“Jesus, Robert. Relax,” she declared and stepped around him, heading to the back of the car.

He quickly intercepted the offered shopping bag from Jamie, “Go inside, Summer. It’s too cold out here.”

“I’m fine,” she retorted.

“Go inside,” he repeated.

“UGH!” she threw her hands up. “I’m pregnant, Robert. Just pregnant!”

Before he said anything else, she turned and hurried into the house, leaving the three males standing around the trunk. Jamie dropped the bags in his hands, scowled at Robert, and ran after his mother. The singer glanced over at Cameron, who merely shrugged in response and reached for the dropped bags. The two men gathered up the bags and headed into the house.

“When did you arrive?” Robert asked as they set the bags in the kitchen.

“Oh, well… uh…” Cameron fumbled before focusing on removing the groceries from the bags.

The singer stared at Summer’s best friend, “How did you arrive?”

“Oh well,” he disappeared into the refrigerator for a moment before briefly meeting Robert’s eyes, “you saw.”

“I saw?”

Cameron nodded, “I drove here.”

“Just now?”

He nodded again.

“With Summer in the passenger seat? Of her car?”

He nodded again.

“How did you happen to come about driving that car if you just now arrived?”

“Look, Rob, I ran into Summer in town. She and Jamie invited me to come back here. And as she looked exhausted, of course I drove, even if it is weird driving on the wrong side of the road,” he explained. 

Robert’s heart stopped. He was not entirely sure which thought to follow: Summer being exhausted or Summer driving herself into town. Both carried a lot of worries and thoughts. He abandoned questioning Cameron, leaving the young man to put away the rest of the groceries, and went in search of his lady.

Finding Summer in their bedroom, suitcase on the bed, sheer terror filled his eyes. Jamie looked up from where he sat next to the suitcase, his eyes connecting with Robert’s eyes. The singer quickly motioned the boy out. Jamie folded his arms across his chest and shook his head, scowling at him.

“James, please give me a minute with your mother,” he requested softly.

Summer halted in her packing and glanced over her shoulder, “I have nothing to say to you.”

“Summer, please,” he reached for her.

She stepped away from his reach and returned to the closet, “Go away.”

“Summer, baby, please don’t do this.”

“Don’t do what?” she stomped back over to the suitcase, dropping a sweater on top of it. “You’re the one freaking out over everything.”

“Summer…”

“Jamie! Can you come help me?” Cameron called up the stairs.

The young boy looked to his mother, trying to see if he needed to stay by her side or not. Summer nodded and waved him off. Quickly hugging her, Jamie shot another glare at Robert and hurried from the room to assist his godfather in whatever was needed.

“Summer, can we just talk about this?” Robert pressed, stepping forward towards her.

“No,” she responded, moving back to the dresser and grabbing random articles of clothing from the top drawer.

He stepped in between her path from the dresser to the bed, “Please.”

Her blue eyes lifted, meeting his, “There’s nothing to talk about. You’re treating me like a child… no, a prisoner. You won’t let me do anything myself. You won’t even let me be out in the fucking sun. I can’t live like this.”

“Summer, I… I could not live if anything happened to you or our baby. Last time…”

“Last time, you didn’t even know I was pregnant until well after I lost the baby.”

“I know… I know. And it killed me to find out. I should have been with you. I should have been taking care of you so it didn’t happen. We never should have lost the baby. I will be damned if we lose this one.”

“Do you really think I don’t think about that child all the time? Do you really think I don’t worry that I’m going to do something wrong and that will happen all over again? But I can’t let those thoughts consume me. Not only for my own sanity, but because I have a healthy son. I must have done something right, because I have him,” she pointed out the door, tears running down her cheeks. “I didn’t have you hovering then. I had my mom for some of my pregnancy and Jimmy was around too, but they weren’t with me all the time. They didn’t impose stupid rules based on fear that I would lose the baby. Why the hell don’t you trust me with this baby? Why can’t you trust me?”

“Summer, we lost one baby. I don’t want to lose another.”

“YOU’RE NOT LISTENING TO ME!” she shouted. “YOU’RE NOT–”

Her angry words suddenly stopped, both hands pressing to her rounded belly. Worry instantly filled Robert’s face, thinking he was witnessing exactly the moment he feared. He stepped forward, feeling completely powerless, as he had no idea what was going on and she has yet to explain her sudden silence. Holding her hand out, Summer motioned for his. Stepping a bit closer, he placed his hand in hers. Summer quickly turned his hand over and pressed his palm to her belly. They remained just like that for a very long and quiet minute.

“Do you feel that?” she breathed, pressing his hand a bit more.

Realizing he was supposed to be feeling the baby move, Robert focused all of his energy into that. A smile slowly lit up his face and his eyes ventured from her belly to her eyes. Seeing a smile on her face as well, he grinned a bit more before leaning forward and kissing her.

“That’s our baby,” she breathed against his mouth. “Our baby.”

“Oh Summer, I love you. I love this baby, this miracle. I’m so sorry. For everything,” he quickly muttered. “I just want to protect you, to make sure you’re both safe. I have years to atone for. I’m sorry.”

“The past is past, Robert. Live in the present with me. That’s all we really have,” Summer claimed.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’ve just been so scared.”

“I am too, Robert. But we’re going to be parents. Together. And we’re going to be fine. I know we will be.”

His lips touched hers again, “I’m sorry. I love you.”

“Come on,” she pulled back slightly. “I’ve been promising Jamie he could feel his brother or sister kick for some time now. It looks like I can finally live up to that promise.”



Plopping down in an armchair, Jamie glanced over his mother lounging on the sofa with Robert. Saying nothing, he pulled the ribbon of the box of chocolates. He let the heart-shaped lid fall onto the floor and began to pick through the chocolates. Without any indication of which chocolate was which, the young boy picked them up one-by-one and nibbled on the corner, searching for a filling he liked. Cameron noticed what the boy was doing, but kept it to himself. It amused him far more than the program on the television. The anticipation for Robert’s reaction to the boy chewing on all of Summer’s valentine’s chocolates far exceeded the tension of the characters of the fail of an English drama.

Hearing the boy drop a chocolate into the box with a disappointed sigh, Robert glanced over at Jamie. His eyes instantly widened. Had Summer not be lying in his arms, he likely would have snatched the box from the boy. Instead, he frowned over at Jamie, shaking his head.

Summer finally noticed her son was the center of both men’s attention. Pivoting in Robert’s arms, she slowly sat up so that she could get a better view of whatever they were looking at. With chocolate smeared all over his face and a disturbed box of chocolates in his lap, Summer quickly figured out what amused Cameron and made Robert tense.

Biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing, Summer spoke up, “Didn’t find anything you liked, Jamie?”

“No,” he responded, setting the nibbled on chocolates on the coffee table.

“Maybe because they weren’t for you,” Robert suggested.

“Why don’t I get a valentine?” the boy’s dark eyes flicked to the older man.

“Because,” Summer slowly stood up, “you don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Girls are gross.”

“I agree,” Cameron spoke up, though he winked at Summer.

“What if the baby is girl?” Summer asked, carefully plucking one of the chocolates from the box.

He shrugged, “I dunno.”

She swallowed the chocolate, “Come on, little one. Bedtime.”

“But Moooooooooooom,” he whined. “Cameron’s here.”

“And he’ll still be here tomorrow,” she held her hand out to him. “You have school tomorrow, mister.”

“I don’t wanna go,” he complained, resisting when she pulled him out of the chair. “I wanna spend the day with Cameron.”

“He will still be here when you get home,” she barely glanced at Cameron to confirm it. “Bedtime, Jamie.”

“But–”

“I let you stay up half an hour later than normal, just for you to eat all of my chocolate from Robert,” Summer stared down at him.

“Sorry,” he mumbled and stood up, glancing at Robert. “Sorry, Rob.”

“Come on,” Summer hugged her son quickly before ushering him out of the bedroom.

With Summer and James gone, Cameron looked at Robert, “So…um… is everything okay?”

Robert smirked, “Yeah. Or it will be.”

“Wasn’t easy to keep him from running up to save his mom, you know.”

He sighed, “Thank you, though.”

“It’s no one’s fault she lost the first baby,” Cameron commented softly. “You don’t need to worry so much.”

Robert ran his hands through his hair, “I know. I’m going to try.”

“Well, I’m going to be around when you’re out doing the album promo stuff, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Summer wants to go with me.”

Cameron looked at the floor briefly, “Well if her doctor says it’s okay, you should let her.”

“I don’t… I don’t think I would be comfortable with that. And what about Jamie? We cannot go pulling him out of school. Next she’ll ask to go on the tour…”

“Well… this is something you need to discuss with her,” he stood. “I, however, am going to head to bed. Good night, Rob.”

“Good night,” he muttered to the filmmaker before reaching to turn off the television.

Getting to his feet and picking up the chocolates to put them away, Robert plucked one of the chewed on pieces out and plopped it in his mouth. Grimacing, he spat the chocolate out into his hand and promptly dropped the rest into the rubbish bin in the kitchen. After quickly turning out the lights, he headed up the stairs, smiling at seeing Summer standing at the top. His arms slipped around her as he reached the top, his lips briefly kissing her.

“I’m sorry your Valentine’s plans were ruined,” she muted.

“I had no plans,” he kissed her again. “Just a bad batch of chocolates and other foods you seem to crave often.”

“Really?”

He nodded, “Ice cream and carrots.”

“Oh my. That sounds really good right now,” Summer instantly responded.

Robert chuckled, “Go get comfortable in bed. I’ll get the ice cream and carrots.”

Snuggled in bed a few minutes later, Summer happily munched on baby carrots and ice cream. Spoon-feeding her butter pecan ice cream while she was curled around him, Robert could not vocalize how happy that moment made him. His true love was bearing his child. There was nothing better in the world than that, not even sex. Well, maybe sex with his love would be better than that.

“Robert?”

“Yes, baby.”

“Did you ever imagine this?”

“Imagine what?”

She pressed his free hand to her belly, “Lying in bed with a kicking baby between us.”

“I’ve dreamt it many times,” he stated, pulling away briefly to set the empty ice cream container on the nightstand next to the bag of carrots. “I didn’t really anticipate the odd craving of butter pecan and carrots though.”

Summer giggled, “Neither did I.”

Robert clicked off the light before lying fully down, pulling her close, “Hey, Summer?”

“Yeah?” she responded sleepily.

“I love you.”

She rubbed her cheek against his chest, “I love you too, Robert. Always.”