A bloodymary fic idea came to me in a dream last night.
What if Grace and Simon had been married (in Grace's universe) before the Hail Mary mission? No one really knew about it coz neither of them really talked about it much, they're both private people and never really thought it was worth mentioning to people they weren't close to (which is pretty much everyone. Unsure whether Iron Lung characters like Ava, David and Jack would actually be friends with Simon in this universe or not).
Anyway, fast forward, Eva has sent Grace off on the mission believing Grace had nobody on Earth who would miss him. Simon finds a voicemail on his phone from a panicked Grace, and immediately seeks out Stratt demanding answers. She's apologetic but stands firm in believing that Grace is the best man for the job. Then Simon pulls out a positive pregnancy test (I imagine he's trans in this universe) and just slams it down on her desk yelling, "Well, then, you can explain to his unborn child why they don't have a dad anymore!"
For extra angst points, Simon has only just found out himself, so he never got a chance to tell Grace. Grace will live the rest of his life on Erid never knowing he had a child. Simon initially struggles to bond with his daughter because she reminds him too much of Ryland. Extra EXTRA angst points if Simon is still an amputee in this universe, having to struggle with new, single parenthood with a disability and no friends to help him, all while grieving his husband. Eventually, he settles into his role of "single dad" and becomes super close with his daughter, but he never gives up hope that somehow, miraculously, Ryland will find his way back to them (especially after the video messages).
Grace DOES come home one day, as an old man. He wants to see Earth one more time before he passes, and because never knowing what happened to Simon has eaten away at him his whole life. He's met by a middle-aged/older woman who claims to be his daughter, and honestly? No DNA test needed. She's almost an exact double of Ryland, except her eyes. She has Simon's eyes. Grace asks where her (other) dad is. She takes him to a cemetery. Simon Grace passed peacefully in his sleep years ago. Ryland was too late to say goodbye.
So, BASICALLY, the "9 months in my womb" meme but make it ANGST 🤣
(Additional note: the dream that gave me this idea was about Simon bitching about the situation to Ava and Jack, after just cussing Stratt out, but the whole time Jack just kept making coffee for ONLY himself and telling Simon, "Sorry, pregnant people can't have coffee", despite Simon having told Jack several times that there was decaff stuff in the cupboard. My brain very vividly remembers this very specific detail about Jack being a dick for no reason. I think he was still mad about the X-ray camera 😅🤣).
