her-story6

[her-story6]

A Secret Admirer

Your eyes. They're blue As is the light that surrounds you Your voice, like bells Your smile, a cool breeze Your laugh is like fairies Your words, a friend Your arrival halts the heart It resumes in your presence I do not want you But I love you I do not crave your touch I admire your existence

[her-story6]

The Widow's Deck

The green walls bend and flow in the wind the carpet squishes and molds between bare toes The red castle towers over the deer in the meadow that dash and dart through the curtains The furniture of bark and leaves dig deep into the floor of mud The castle is empty, save for the rug of ladybugs and walls of animal heads that watch the soul There are beds and tables, yes, but they are asleep while the rest of the world is awake The castle is but a room a loft overlooking emptiness And the people, oh the people flit around never making the trek to the top Where I perch, alone, watching the sea of gold toss and dance in the breeze The ocean gives way to the horizon brown tinted green, speckled with life These wooden walls are crowned in red as someone dims the lights The ceiling flickers softly to life as people fade away I, too, begin to drift the world around me dimming Lulled to sleep by the melodic tones of this secret, hidden palace

[her-story6]

The Inept Artist

There are songs in my soul that my voice cannot carry

There are sculptures in my mind that my hands cannot form There are paintings behind my eyes that my fingers try to sketch

But the capabilities of my body do not measure up to the creations of my spirit The buzzing words in my brain squeezed out into mediocre poems The endless ideas in my heart jotted down in unfinished stories The melodies in my throat hummed only in total isolation But now my head feels less fuzzy and my chest is much less tight And I've moved molecules around in space leaving something, anything behind While the newly vacant places inside me are filled by the next deep breath

[her-story6]

Pixars 22 Rules of Story Telling

[her-story6]

Guess who's back?????

Tis' me!

... I mean I've been here the whole time but the point is I finished 'The Six Queens'

Here's the final chapter!

[her-story6]

Y’all!!! Y’all!!! Y’all!!!!!!!!!!

I updated!!! A fic!!!!!! A real fic!!!!!!!!!!! My fic!!!!!!!!! Finally!!!!!!

Ok seriously- ‘Waking From Death’ is 2/3 chapters now and I hope to finish by the end of the year.

Updating one of my fics is HUGE for me because I fell into a slump and it sucked. I’m pretty proud that I finally got something out there so I hope y’all will at least enjoy it a little :)

[her-story6]

A short drabble for a @queendomsecretsanta gift for @wii-cked from @2nerd4this but posted on my side blog for.... reasons, I guess

---

For the first few weeks back, the Queens had made a point to travel in a group and go on outings together, never leaving less than half home together. 

There were a few reasons for this- if they wandered out alone or in a pair, they were bound to be lost and confused within minutes. Teamwork had turned out to be the only way for them to adapt to this new society, much to their annoyance. 

On the same vein, the other large reason for this rule was that leaving any pair of Queens alone would most likely lead to an argument. A few times, they left a Queen alone at home, but after they returned to Kitty in a full-blown panic attack on the kitchen floor, they decided that it was most definitely best to stick together when at all possible.

Of course, this could only last for so long as their lives became more chaotic and different Queens gained different responsibilities outside of the home. Slowly, they began to entrust different Queens who didn’t argue often with staying home together or allowing a Queen who agreed to stay home alone to do so. This worked well for several weeks, and by the time their schedule with the show became so chaotic that more... unfortunate pairs were left together, all of the Queens had had basic reconciliations and all the necessary apologies had been made.

As such, the first time Seymour and Boleyn were left alone for the evening, the others barely hesitated to embark on their separate journeys. Even the two themselves were looking forward to a night to themselves rather than dreading a possible impending argument. The two had become somewhat close as the cousins connected over shared family trauma and found similarities between the three of them. Even considering their past controversy, any issues had been mostly resolved and they were prepared to continue building a good relationship.

---

Not long after the other four Queens went their separate ways, promising to be home by eleven, the two eldest cousins found themselves lounging in the living room and falling into more genuine conversation than they had had since the early days of reincarnation and reconciliations. 

“Annie-” Jane suddenly became meek and soft as she turned to the older Queen. Anne frowned softly but tilted her head as a signal to continue. Jane hesitated and smoke again, this time much quieter than the preceding relatively light conversation. “You- I- You know I never meant it, right?”

“Meant what, Jane?” Anne asked softly, though she already had an idea.

“You know...” The third Queen shifted awkwardly in her seat, “Back then. I never meant anything that happened.”

“Oh, of course not, Janey. I thought we already settled this.”

“Oh, we did, we did!” Jane hastily reassures, “I just wanted to make sure that you knew that I would never, ever, do anything to hurt you, even back then, when I didn’t know you as well.”

“Jane, love,” Anne sighed, resting a hand on her leg, “I know full well that you would rather give yourself up for any of us Queens before purposefully hurting us.”

“Really?”

“Well, you would, wouldn’t you?” Anne tilted her head knowingly.

“I mean... yeah, but any one of us would.” Jane shrugged.

“Perhaps that’s true but that doesn’t make it any less meaningful. We had a rough patch in the beginning but now we’re basically a family. Why were you even thinking about that?”

“...no reason,” Jane broke the brief eye contact and began to fidget restlessly with the hem of her shirt. Anne simply raised a disbelieving eyebrow and the younger woman sighed. “Just... rough nights and the like. Nothing you did, I promise, I’ve just been having a few... off days.”

“Nightmares?” Anne asked sympathetically, to which Jane nodded. “I’m sorry, mon amour. Katherine and I know all too well of nightmares- we all do. I promise we’d all understand and be more than willing to help if you needed half of the support you give us.” Anne squeezed the younger woman’s hand and smiled. “Now- not to awkwardly transition, but how do you feel about a movie night?”

Jane smiled widely and nodded, allowing herself to be pulled into Anne’s arms as she extracted the remote from between the cushions and flicked on the television.

By the time the other Queens returned home, just as the clock turned eleven as promised, the two were fast asleep in each other’s arms. 

[her-story6]

some fucking resources for all ur writing fuckin needs

* body language masterlist

* a translator that doesn’t eat ass like google translate does

* a reverse dictionary for when ur brain freezes

* 550 words to say instead of fuckin said

* 638 character traits for when ur brain freezes again

* some more body language help

(hope this helps some ppl)

[her-story6]

If I started posting about 'The Six Queens' and giving background info on the Queens, more info on Espoir and the setting, fun facts, etc.... would y'all be interested? What would you want to know?

[her-story6]

Y’all!!! I updated ‘The Six Queens’  and honestly I’m kinda proud. 

Chapter 20!!!!! 

[her-story6]

I have the first draft of the next chapter ‘The Six Queens’ finished! The current plan is to write one more chapter/one-shot before I post it so I don’t feel so buried, so it may be a few days, but I’m super proud that I even started it 🤣

[her-story6]

Aight friends, based on the fact that I'm going to try and let new chapters/fics sit for at least a day or two before coming back and editing/posting, combined with the fact that I've barely started any of the ones I should be currently working on...... it's gonna be a little while.

There are plenty of excuses I could use, but it's just... not happening🤷‍♀️. I will get around to them eventually, but it will be probably at least a week. Sorry folks, thank you for your patience

[her-story6]

I have recently realized that I could probably greatly benefit from not posting chapters/fics the moment I'm done just because I'm desperate for validation. Not only would it give me content to post later when I've fallen into a slump and give me a head start on chapters so I don't find myself in a situation like the one I'm currently in, it would probably make my writing actually decent because I would edit it more and take my time.

[her-story6]

“5 times Cathy calls Lina ‘mum’ and 1 time Lina calls Cathy her daughter”

aka, my most recent procrastination project. I promise I’ll get to the other fics, y’all, I swear. Thank you for being so patient.

Note- I don’t usually hc Cathy as calling Lina ‘mum’ but it was fun to explore for one fic.

.

     I

No one could ever figure out how Cathy was always the last one to get sick when a bug went through the house. It was just how it was, every time.

Funnily enough, every time, she would do the same old routine. The others don’t think she noticed the pattern, but it was blatantly obvious to them, and it would be annoying if it wasn’t so endearing.

First, she would try and deny it, but once they made it to the theater, she couldn’t hide it for very long before she was frog marched back home and into bed. From there someone, usually Catalina, would stay by her side for a few days until she had either become less stubborn or more lucid. Either way, she would eventually give in and agree to rest. Finally, she would come back around and pretend like nothing ever happened. 

Honestly, this cycle happened in some form or another for all the Queens, so no one said anything. They all had their own reactions to illness that more or less stemmed from past trauma, and none of them desired to relive anything like that.

The most recent illness was no different.

To no one's surprise, Cathy had been driven home by Catalina between the afternoon and evening performances, and the elder were currently in the process of trying to get her goddaughter into bed without physical injury.

“Look, Cathy, love, just let me help you,” Lina tried again as Cathy just barely caught herself on the kitchen counter instead of tumbling to the floor.

“I got it, Ari,” the sixth Queen huffed, face scrunching in concentration. She was probably trying to sound determined and intimidating, but Catalina would have laughed if she wasn't so exasperated 

“Mija, you barely made it inside without cracking your skull on the ice. I'm begging you, just let me hold your arm when you go up the steps.”

Cathy, who had been taking a short break on a stool, glanced slowly between the aforementioned steps and her godmother, clearly thinking carefully (or as carefully as she could in her half-lucid state) before sighing.

“Fine. But just to get you off my back.” 

“Fair enough, querida.” Catalina smirked before sliding forward and linking arms with the smaller woman. Cathy struggled to stand for a moment, before allowing Lina to lead her to the steps.

The first Queen would have been very worried about her goddaughter’s sudden lack of basic motor skills, except it was already a miracle she had managed to survive one show without passing out. This specific illness had caused even Anna, the most composed of all of them, to slide magnificently down the theater staircase before telling Jane all sorts of embarrassing secrets..

They had all been so tired and so out of it that they had practically blacked out for three days, and with the hazy mind came awkward conversations and hours laying in bed.

By the time they reached the top of two flights of stairs, Catalina was supporting basically all of Cathy’s weight. She regarded this as a good thing, though, as it meant that the girl would put up little fight in going to bed.

“Lina, don't we have a show?” Cathy broke the silence that had formed when they reached her door, rolling her head to look at her godmother.

“Not right now, Cath. It's time for bed.” Catalina noted the shift in tone and adapted accordingly, lowering her tone and slowing her speech.

“It's bedtime?” 

“Exactly, querida,” Catalina chuckled. “Do you want to change clothes?” 

Cathy let out a long, almost dramatic groan as she glanced between the dresser and the bed, before shaking her head.

“No. I wanna sleep.”

“Alright, then. Come on.” 

The older woman led Cathy to the bed and helped her get situated under the covers. While she burrowed deeply so was barely distinguishable under the blankets, Catalina turned to close the curtains and set down the water bottle she had slipped under her arm on the way up here.

After said tasks were done, she sat down on the edge of the bed and reached over to brush a lock of hair out of her goddaughter’s eyes. 

“Sweet dreams, mi hija. I'll be right downstairs if you need me.”

“Mhmmm” Cathy hummed in acknowledgment, pushing slightly into the touch as she shifted in bed. Catalina smiled softly at her for a moment, before leaning down and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“I love you, mi hermosa hija,” she whispered softly as she rose from the bed and walked towards the door. Just as she was about to slip through it, though, a quiet mutter from Cathy stopped her dead in her tracks.

“Love you too, mum.”

     II

Catalina didn't mention that night to anyone.

She didn't mention how her heart skipped a beat, and then she couldn’t stop smiling all night.

She didn’t tell the other Queens of the slip-up, because she could imagine their amused and slightly concerned expressions now. 

She most certainly didn’t say anything to Cathy, because honestly- she didn’t want to know whether she meant it or not, or if she would be ashamed or proud, or if she truly felt that way.

As such, the first Queen tried her best to continue life as normal. Pushing the incident to the back of her mind, she was almost able to act completely normal around her goddaughter again. 

Until, of course, she said something that was arguably even more heart-stopping.

“Querida, I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s very reasonable,” Catalina tried to reason as the two faced off in the kitchen. The other four were lounging in the living room and trying very hard to not be seen listening in.

“Come on, Catty, just think about it, I mean-”

“No, Cathy. That’s just not realistic. I’m sorry, love.”

“But, madrina-” the sixth Queen whined, leaning dramatically over the counter. Catalina, who had been digging around in the fridge for ingredients (as Cathy had interrupted her while she was fixing dinner), turned around much faster than she meant to and stared at her goddaughter open-mouthed.

“What did you just say?”

“I- oh, I’m so sorry,” Cathy began to stutter as she sat back and looked down, “I didn’t mean, I mean, I did, but if you’re not alright with it, then I’ll never say it again, of course, I’m sorry, I-” 

“No!” Catalina exclaimed, then immediately composed herself. “No, it’s fine. It’s great actually.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes, of course. It’s only fair, if I call you hija then why can’t you call me madrina?” Catalina smiled, reaching across the counter to squeeze Cathy’s arm gently. The younger woman gave her a hesitant smile, then nodded.

“Alright, good.”

“Good,” Catalina echoed. She watched her goddaughter for a few more moments, pretending not to feel Jane’s amused gaze on them, then took a step back. “The answer’s still no, though, mija.”

“Ughhhhhhh,” Cathy groaned dramatically, lowering her forehead onto the counter. “Fiinneeee”

Catalina could do nothing but chuckle.

          III

It had been a few weeks and Catalina was just about used to hearing the word ‘madrina’ from her goddaughter’s mouth and every time, she couldn’t help but beam. The proud look on Cathy’s face when she noticed was almost enough to give her a heart attack.

What really did give her a heart attack, though, was when she received a call from the hospital, telling her that Cathy had been in an accident.

This certainly wasn’t the first time one of them had ended up in an ambulance. 

Anne, of course, had taken multiple trips, but there was also the time Jane sprained her wrist and when Anna had taken a wrong step on her morning jog and ended up in an ankle cast for the next two months. 

As such, after the doctors assured her that Cathy was all fine and they just needed someone to pick her up because the car was not drivable, the panic wore off and she was more relieved than worried. 

When she arrived at the hospital, the nurses led her outside a sitting room where she could see Cathy sitting, holding her purse close to her chest and bouncing her leg restlessly. The nurse peaked her head into the room, gesturing for Lina to stay put, and said- 

“Catherine, your mother’s here to pick you up. You have all the forms settled, so you’re free to go.”

Before Catalina could say anything, the nurse disappeared around a corner as Cathy slipped through the door.  

“Heyyyy,” Cathy started, shifting her purse so it was over her shoulder and looking up at her godmother. “Sorry about that, they didn’t seem to like my idea of just getting a taxi home.”

Catalina was relieved to see that Cathy was more embarrassed than nervous, so she decided to ignore the elephant in the room as the two started walking to the exit.

“No problem, mija. I’m just glad you’re alright.”

“Yeah, me too,” she chuckled. “It wasn’t my fault, by the way. The other guy took full responsibility and his insurance will pay for everything.” 

“That’s good.” Catalina nodded, holding the door open as they went outside. Cathy shivered slightly against the nipping wind, but said nothing else on the walk to the car. 

Once they were back on the road, though, Catalina grew tired of the awkward silence.

“So,” she started, and out of her peripherals she could see Cathy shift, “mother, huh?” Catalina tried to keep her tone light and amused, and was grateful when her goddaughter let out a soft chuckle. 

“Yeah, sorry about that. It was all so rushed and I didn’t want to make it more complicated than it had to be by explaining our relationship. They wouldn’t even let me call you.” 

“No worries, I was just wondering. Our relationship is pretty hard to explain.”

“You can say that again,” Cathy agreed, and the two laughed as the conversation easily shifted to a more lighthearted topic.

           IV

“Oh, come on Catherine! Do you really have to be so uptight all the time?”

The room suddenly became silent at Cathy’s outburst, all heads, which had previously been focused on a heated argument between Anne and Catalina, turning to the sixth Queen. Cathy took this as permission to continue.

“I’m sorry, but you really need to lighten up some times! Anne just wants to go out with Kat and I for a night, what’s the big deal?”

Catalina was taken aback, unaware that her goddaughter was even involved in the issue, but didn’t back down.

“The big deal is that it’s not safe. I’m not letting you stay out all night in the middle of winter, especially with the roads like they are. We are already down one vehicle, we can’t lose the other one too.” The first Queen tried to keep her voice even, but the look of anger in Cathy’s eyes caused her to waver on the last few words. 

“Why do you even get a say? We’re all adults in this situation and it’s really none of your business,” Cathy countered. Anne had taken a step back and was now more of a spectator than a participant. Arguments between Cathy and Lina were rare, and when it happened, they all knew not to get involved.

“First of all because it’s my name on the car registration,” Lina started, quickly losing patience. “Secondly because I don’t want any of you getting hurt when I can stop it.” 

“You wouldn’t stop Anna or Jane from going!” Cathy exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “It’s just because you don’t trust us.”

“That is not true at all and you know it, Catherine Parr.” Catalina’s voice had lowered dangerously, and Anna and Kitty took an actual step back.

“Do I?! How would you know how I think?”

“You need to calm down. It’s been a long week and we all need a break,” Catalina once again tried to reason calmly, having caught herself before she could make the conversation spiral further. 

“Come on, mom! You can’t control us forever.” 

“I don’t know what’s going on with you right now, but I think you should-,” Catalina stopped dead when her brain registered what Cathy had said. “Wait, what?!”

“I-” Cathy’s voice suddenly returned to its normal pitch as she came to the same realization. The room was frozen for a solid minute, all eyes back on Cathy, as her eyes grew wide and her face contorted in confusion. “Whatever.” She finally scoffed, then immediately disappeared up the steps.

Catalina watched after her, mouth wide open and blinking comically. Only the sudden cackling laughter from Jane brought her out of a stupor.

“Oh my god!” Jane said through laughter. “That was beautiful.”

“Jane-” Anna warned, but there was a clear amused smirk on her face as well. 

 “You all heard that too, right?” Catalina turned to them, still reeling. 

“Oh, yeah!” Jane beamed widely, reaching forward to pat her friend’s arm. “Good luck with that, love.” 

 “Oh, thanks,” Catalina said sarcastically, rolling her eyes even as she tried to process the last few minutes. 

 “So.....” Anne interjected after a few moments of silence, the word clearly a question. 

“No, Anne,” Jane answered her question before it could be asked. “It was a stupid idea in the first place and I think Cathy’s out for the night anyway.” Catalina sent the third Queen a grateful look for taking the question.

“Ughhhh, fine,” Anne huffed dramatically. “It’s probably for the better anyway. Now Kit and I can finish our movie marathon.”

It was quite a statement on Catalina’s mental state when she said nothing to try and discourage the cousins from pulling (another) all-nighter, and the two took the momentary lapse to disappear up the steps. This hesitation was also noticed by Jane and Anna, who glanced at each other in concern. 

“You alright, Lina?” 

“I-” she started, then paused and leaned back against the fridge with a sigh, “This is going to be a really awkward conversation, isn’t it?”

Jane chuckled softly, nodding. “Yeah, probably. Kitty called me ‘mum’ once and she didn’t look me in the eye again for a week.” 

“That’s just the thing, though. This isn’t the first time.”

“It isn’t?” Anna joined in the conversation now, sliding onto a stool across from the other two women.

“I mean, we all know she calls me ‘madrina’, which is different, but still. But she was really sick one night and right before she fell asleep, she, uh... she said ‘love you too mum’” 

“Awwwww” Jane cooed, smiling cheekily. 

 “Not helpful, Jane,” Catalina bit back, without any real force behind it.

“Sorry, sorry, I know. But seriously, do you have a problem with it?”

“No! I mean, I don’t want to make it a normal thing, obviously, but it’s nice to know that she thinks of me like that.”

“Then what’s the issue?” Anna asked, leaning her chin her hand and tilting her head.

“I just don’t want her to feel weird about it. We’ve had.... conversations. About her mother and my Mary and not replacing them and the like, and I just.... I don’t know, it just feels weird.”

“That makes sense. I suggest you let it rest for now. Wait for her to come to you, maybe.”  

“You’re right, Jane, I know,” Catalina shook her head, sighing once more. “There’s nothing I can do for now. Thank you, ladies.”

“No problem, Ari.” Anna smiled, and Jane nodded in agreement. “Go get some sleep.”

“That’s exactly the plan. Maybe I’ll stop by Anne’s room on the way and apologize. Good night, Queens.” Catalina nodded politely at them, then slipped up the stairs. 

“Good night,” they echoed, sending each other one last amused look before carrying on with their nightly routine. 

          V

It had been two days, and Catalina was trying her best to be patient, but Cathy had yet to initiate any conversation with her, let alone one about the topic that was very clearly weighing heavily on both of their minds.

It was painfully clear that they were avoiding each other, and based on Jane’s annoyed sighs and Anna’s pointed glances, the others had noticed as well.

Eventually, though, to everyone’s surprise, it was Cathy who broke the silence.

“Lina, can you help me fix dinner?”

Alright, so it wasn’t what she was hoping to hear, but at least it was something. Catalina, of course, accepted immediately and the two soon found themselves alone in the kitchen, once again surrounded by an uncomfortable silence.

It wasn’t until the meal was in the oven that the first Queen decided enough was enough.

“Cathy, I think we need to-” Catalina started, setting down the bowl she had been washing.

“I really don’t want to talk about it, Ari. Can’t we just pretend it never happened? Please?” 

The sincerity in her goddaughter's voice almost caused Catalina to give in, but she shook her head and stood her ground.

“You know we can’t, querida. Let’s just get it over with, huh?”

Cathy looked ready to object, but after a quick internal battle, she sighed and nodded, turning the faucet off and jumping up on the counter. Catalina watched her carefully, then followed suit, setting down her washcloth and leaning against the fridge.

“First of all,” Cathy started, shifting so her feet were tucked under her. Lina held back a comment about dirty shoes on the counter as her goddaughter composed her thoughts. “I just wanted to apologize for the argument in the first place. It was stupid and I didn’t mean anything that I said.”

Catalina nodded slowly, mulling over her words, before asking simply- “Anything?”  

Cathy hesitated, knowing exactly what she was referring to. “I-,” she paused, swallowing hard. “I honestly don’t know. I was worried at first that you would be uncomfortable, that I had crossed a boundary, and of course I don’t plan on... on calling you that on a regular basis or anything, but....... I dunno.”

Catalina nodded once more, then allowed herself to hesitate, set on thinking out her thoughts before saying them.

“I completely understand. As we’re being honest, I also have to say that I could not tell you all my feelings about it. I think- I think that if it became a habit, I might not be very comfortable with that, but I would never be upset about a slip-up. And every so often, if it comes out... less on accident, I don’t think I would protest too hard.”

“No, yeah, I get it.” Cathy nodded, visibly relaxing as the tension seeped away. “What had me so confused was the difference between ‘madrina’ and ‘mom’. Two completely different connotations, but I have no way of putting the specifics in words.”

“Yeah! Yeah, that was exactly what I was thinking.” Catalina nodded, a smile forming on her face. “It’s actually really nice, to know that you see me like that, because I completely reciprocate that feeling. It’s very clearly not a traditional relationship, but we don’t have to explain it to anyone else if we don’t want to.”

“The word ‘traditional’ doesn’t apply to anything in this house, it seems,” Cathy joked, and then smirked slightly. “You know, that wasn’t the first time I had made that mistake.”

“Oh, I know,” said Catalina simply. Cathy seemed surprised for only a moment before she just shook her head and chuckled softly. 

“So we’re good?”

“Of course, mija.” Catalina nodded, reaching to squeeze her goddaughter’s leg. “I’m sorry I didn’t bring this up earlier. I was just nervous you would say something I didn’t want to hear.”

“Oh, me too. But I’m glad we got it all sorted.”

The two stared at each other for a few more moments, just smiling and allowing themselves to appreciate the moment. 

‘The moment’, however, was cut off with a shrill beep from the stove, which caused Catalina to jump and bump her side on the fridge handle. 

“Ow!” 

“Oh, careful, madrina.” Cathy smiled cheekily, “Don’t want to break those fragile old bones of yours.”

“I’ll have you know, mija,” Catalina retorted, as they both set to work on taking out the pans and setting them out on the counter, “These bones are barely a year old. I think I’ll be fine.”

“If anything, that’s more concerning! These bones materialized out of thin air!”

“Oh, please querida, don’t give me an existential crisis right now, I can’t handle it.”

“Your old lady brain struggling to keep up?” Cathy asked, barely containing a laugh.

“Why, you-!”

And when the others came down to the duo ignoring the still beeping oven as they bickered, they didn’t say anything, too relieved to see that they were speaking again. 

          +I

The Queens didn’t go out to bars together very much anymore, after numerous bad experiences their first few months, but every so often, when a large celebration was in order, they made an exception for Anne and allowed the second Queen to bring them around to her favorite establishments.  

By this point in the night, there had already been multiple counts of harassment amongst the six of them, and no one was really reacting anymore. Even Lina, who was above only Cathy in the ‘most likely to get catcalled’ list, had been forced to get a little snippy when a man wouldn’t leave her alone.

Cathy, of course, was blissfully unaware of most of this.

The others had tried to explain to her multiple times why she wasn’t harassed nearly as much as the others. 

(‘It’s because you look like a twelve year old’ Anne had suggested, and then Anna had shaken her head and said ‘No, it’s just because you look like you would kill anyone who touched you. That’s a compliment, by the way’.)

That wasn’t to say she was completely unharmed, for she had of course had her fair share of bad experiences. They were just rarer.

This, apparently, was just one of those nights, though, because as Catalina made her way back from the bathroom at their most recent (and final, accordion to Jane) bar, she just barely caught her goddaughter’s curly hair peeking out from behind a large muscular man leaning over her on the other side of the room. 

Immediately, the first Queen changed her route and pushed through the throng, trying to gauge the situation before interrupting. As she grew closer, she began to catch snippets of their conversation.

“Come on, beautiful,” the man sneered, leaning cockily against the wall and effectively cutting off Cathy’s escape route.

“I already said no, I’m sorry,” Cathy responded, much calmer than Lina had worried. “Look, I just want to go back to my friends, please.”

Something in the man’s expression changed, and Catalina had no desire to see what happened next (it could have been fine, but she wasn’t going to take that chance) so she sped up and covered the last remaining ground in seconds, before sliding seamlessly between her goddaughter and the man.

“Kindly leave my daughter alone, sir,” Catalina tried to be as civil as possible, crossing her arms and drawing herself up to her full height.

“Your daughter?” the man questioned, scoffing slightly. He leaned around Lina to peer at Cathy. “You come to bars with your mom?”

“Actually I come to bars with my daughter, but that’s really none of your business. Please just leave her alone.”

He looked ready to argue, but with one raised eyebrow from Lina, he decided it wasn’t worth it and turned on his heel, walking away while muttering something under his breath.

“Thank you, but I really didn’t need your help. It was more amusing than anything.” Cathy rolled her eyes, stepping out and following her godmother through the crowd back to their table. 

“I know, I just thought it was better to be safe than sorry.” 

“Fair enough.” Cathy nodded, then hesitated. “‘Your daughter’, huh?” 

Catalina let out a barking laugh, then cocked her head in thought, pulling Cathy to a stop. Cathy tilted her head in curiosity, glancing back at her godmother. Finally, Catalina simply nodded and said, now completely serious-  

“You heard me.”

[her-story6]

I wouldn't be upset at all!!!

That’s very good, then. 

I’m just feel bad that I keep getting new inspiration without finishing old projects 🤷‍♀️

[her-story6]

Exactly how upset would people be if I posted the fluffy one-shot I'm working on instead of the many many multi-chaps and requests that I still have to do?

[her-story6]

Cathy & Catalina fluff prompts you say? Just off the top of my head- Cathy coming home from something officially good but also intense (like her first book signing) and everyone keeps saying how fun it must have been and how lucky she is- except she's also really tired and overwhelmed and exhausted. She feels like admitting it would look ungrateful though so she tries to stay positive until she ends up breaking over some stupid small thing. Luckily Lina picks up the pieces and takes care of her.

Oooh, this took forever, but I had a lot of fun, thank you for the prompt! It ended up being more hurt/comfort than fluff, but it still worked. Thank you so much!

It had been a long day.

That wasn’t to say it hadn’t been a good day. No- it was great, in most respects, at least.

Publishing a book without having to fight for recognition because of her gender had been a dream of Cathy’s since reincarnation, and she still wasn’t quite able to wrap her mind around the fact that people loved her book so much that they wanted her to sign it. Honestly, it’s insane and amazing. The concept that she wrote words from her brain onto paper and suddenly they were in the brains of hundreds of people around the world was mind-blowing.

But still- her first book signing was much more exhausting than she had expected. She had assured the others that she didn’t need them to tag along, that she could manage on her own. Catalina had almost insisted but had eventually agreed to remain back in order to avoid being patronizing. The others recognized her assurances as a wish to prove herself and stepped back without much argument.

Now, though, as she walked home from the bus stop alone, Catherine Parr almost wished she had brought at least one other Queen with. 

The signing itself had been good, she supposed. It was well organized and the fans were amazing and her agent was completely in control. She didn’t have to do anything except sit and smile and talk and sign. 

Still, it was a lot. She was never great with crowds, and even worse when she was the center of attention. There were lots of questions about her next book, which had been causing her major grief, and about halfway through, she was suddenly hit with the realization that the number of fans she had was equal to the number of people she could disappoint with this next book, or the lack of it.

Even after it had all been over, the bus was late and she was stuck in the rain for almost an hour. Then the bus had been super crowded and she was stuffed between a mother and her crying toddler and a creepy middle-aged man who wouldn’t stop peering down at her.

Needless to say, Cathy was looking forward to retreating into her own room and decompressing and... perhaps having a nice little cry session.

Stumbling up the front steps, slouched and pulling the jacket tighter around her body, she fumbled with the knob before managing to pull open the front door.

In the living room, just as expected, were the other Queens, but instead of lounging on the couch or sitting around the table like usual, they were all five standing there, smiling widely in her direction and very clearly expecting something.

“Hi?” Cathy tilted her head awkwardly, chuckling softly as she glanced around. Kitty and Anne both had ridiculous smiles plastered on their faces, and the former was rocking back and forth in clear excitement. Jane looked just as excited but was a little more contained. Anna and Catalina were both smiling as well but were much more subdued than the others. 

For a moment, none of them said anything, still staring at her, eyes wide and smiles bright. Eventually, it was Kitty who burst.

“How’d it go?! Tell us everything!”

Cathy struggled to repress a sigh, instead trying her best to make her smile seem genuine. She really should have seen this coming.

“It was good!”

“Yeah?!” Jane asked, obviously quite pleased with the answer. The other four mirrored her expression, in some way another. Cathy nodded, shifting awkwardly as she tried to take off her jacket and shoes without making it apparent that she was avoiding their gazes.

“Yeah. Yeah, everyone was really nice and- and my agent was great and the venue was very nice and... and yeah,” she trailed off awkwardly, nodding. The others didn't mind.

“That's wonderful!” Jane exclaimed, and it was a small relief to Cathy that she finally broke the stillness in the room in order to walk to the sixth Queen and take her damp jacket. “We didn't want to be creepy, but we were all so excited to hear all about it that Anne watched your phone to see when you'd get home.”

Cathy nodded, forcing out a soft chuckle. “That's really nice of you. I worried you had all just stood there the entire time I was gone and waited.”

Jane and Kitty laughed, both genuine and elated laughs, and Cathy resigned herself to the fact that she was going to have to endure a few more hours of socialization. They had been waiting for her. And they all seemed so excited! It would be incredibly rude to retreat to her room now.

“It must have been so much fun!” Anne skipped across the room, much more chipper than Cathy had seen her in a long while. “I know you're an amazing writer and all, but your own book signing? Insane!”

“Yes, how lucky we are to have been reincarnated in a time like this. Perfect for a writer.” Anna sidled over to the couch and slid down into it, smirking slightly up at Cathy. 

The sixth Queen nodded slowly, stepping farther into the room and glancing around at the others, who were just staring at her.

“Hi?” she repeated, tilting her head in confusion. Jane jumped slightly and tore her gaze away, gesturing back to the kitchen quickly.

“Oh! Right! We thought we’d have a little celebration for you, so we -and by we I mean Lina and I, don't worry- we cooked some foods you like.”

“And a movie night!” Kitty jumped in excitedly. 

“Oh, I-” Cathy stuttered, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, “I appreciate it, but you all don't need to do this for me, it’s not really a big-”

“Too late!” Anne laughed. “We’re really proud of you, Cathy, so let us pamper you tonight, alright?” The second Queen’s voice became much more sympathetic and she smiled softly.

Now Cathy definitely couldn't say no. No way. ‘We’re proud of you’ was her weak spot! But it would be fine- it shouldn't be that hard to just relax and enjoy time with her family, no matter how long of a day she had had.

“Alright,” Cathy conceded, allowing Anne to lead her to the dining room table. “Thank you, all of you, this is really sweet.”

Her gratitude was met with elated smiles from the others as they sat at the table with her, and despite the positivity that was emanating from all of them, Cathy couldn't help but feel claustrophobic and a sense of dread settling in her chest.

The bright smiles from Kitty and Jane, the jokes from Anna and Anne, and the twinkle in Catalina’s eye felt much more daunting at the moment than Cathy had ever felt before from the other Queens.

It was going to be a long night.

---

Dinner was great, it really was. 

The food was amazing, as always, and the other women had granted her the small mercy of not forcing her into the conversation. They laughed and smiled and joked and Cathy couldn't help but feel off.

But it was fine.

Every so often she would glance up from her food to catch Catalina watching her, head tilted in curiosity. Every time, she would give what she hoped was a reassuring smile, and her godmother would simply nod and turn back to her own plate. 

Eventually, though, she knew this blessed silence on her part would be forced to come to an end.

“So, Cathy-” 

Called it. Everyone had reached the end of their meal and conversation had picked up. When Anna addressed her, though, they had all fallen silent and turned to face Cathy.

“-how’s that second book coming along? You’ve been spending an awful lot of time working on it the past few weeks, so I can’t wait to see what you’ve got.”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Cathy started, setting down her fork and pushing her plate away, “It’s- it’s getting there.” She forced out a weak smile, but apparently that was enough for Anna, who beamed.

“Wonderful! I’m sure your fans are so excited.”

Cathy paused at this, glancing down at her lap in silence. She could still feel the Queen’s gazes fixed on her, but she was just so... tired. 

“Cathy?” Catalina asked, voice suddenly much softer than it had been all night.

“Yeah,” Cathy muttered, trying to keep herself from snapping at her godmother. “Really excited.”

“You don’t sound very convinced,” Anne remarked sarcastically.

“Well, I am!” Cathy’s head shot up and she glared at the second Queen. “I just signed a hundred books for fans, don’t you think they’d want another one?!”

“Cathy, I don’t think that’s what she meant, she was just-” Jane tried.

“Whatever.” Cathy shook her head and rose from the table, grabbing her dishes and making her way to the sink.”

“Cathy, we just wanted to ask about your book. What’s the big-” 

“O-kay,” Catalina interrupted Kitty before she could finish her sentence. “It seems like we are all finished eating, so I’m going to pop some popcorn. Anna, can you get the movie started?”

“Uh, yeah.” Anna nodded, glancing between Cathy and Kitty awkwardly before getting up from the table and walking through the door towards the living room. Catalina stared at the rest of them, who were still looking at her. 

“Go on to the living room, please.”

“Right.” Jane nodded and obeyed, Anne and Kitty following quickly behind. Cathy lingered momentarily, still watching her godmother. Catalina had turned back to the microwave, but she sent the younger Queen a reassuring smile over her shoulder when she noticed she hadn’t left yet. 

Cathy took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded as well. She disappeared into the living room not long after, grateful that Catalina had stepped in when she did. Now she just had to survive a few more hours, where they would all hopefully be too invested in the movie to talk to her.

No such luck.

The movie (Bandits) had barely begun and Cathy was already fighting to stay awake. In the dim light of the living room, the exhaustion from the day was threatening to take over and she could feel a migraine coming on. The sixth Queen was curled up in an armchair, body buried in a thick blanket and head in her hands.

“Cathy?” Kitty whispered. The youngest Queen was sitting on the floor next to her, leaning up against the couch. Cathy hummed softly and turned her head to see the girl peering up at her. “Are you alright?”

“What?” Cathy rubbed her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, just a headache.”

“Are you sure? You’ve been acting odd all evening.”

“I’m fine, Katherine,” Cathy all but snapped at the girl, then remembered herself and softened her voice. “I’m sorry.”

By this point, the other four had noticed this conversation and Anne had paused the movie.

“What’s wrong, Cath?” Jane asked as she turned in her chair. Cathy scoffed.

“I said I’m fine, guys. Can we just- just finish the movie? Please?”

“Well, it seems like you aren’t really enjoying the movie, and we did it for you, so...” Kitty said, and she didn’t mean to be rude, Cathy knew, but the sixth Queen suddenly grew very quiet.

“Cathy?” Catalina asked when Cathy hadn’t responded. 

“Cathy, I didn’t mean to make you upset, I was just saying that we did this for you and we-”

“I’m sorry, okay?” Cathy yelled suddenly, head snapping up. The others watched as her face morphed immediately from anger to terror and her body curled in on itself.

“Cathy?” 

“Mija, what’s-”

“I want to be left alone, please,” Cathy interrupted as she stood from her chair, blanket sliding to the floor. “I’m sorry.” 

And then she disappeared up the steps, leaving five confused Queens in her wake.

---

How could she be so stupid?

It had been a long day, sure, but that was no excuse to snap at her family and be so ungrateful for everything they did for her. She was supposed to be happy and it wasn’t their fault she wasn’t.

They were probably mad at her, and they had every right to be, but that didn’t mean she was looking forward to the inevitable scolding anymore than normal.

Cathy had shut herself in her room as soon as she got there, locking the door behind her and burying herself under the covers. She had just enough wit left about her to hold back the rising sobs, knowing that soon enough her request would be denied and someone would want to talk to her.

Sure enough, a knock on the door shook her from her thoughts.

“Mija?”

As Cathy extracted herself from the tangle of blankets, she sighed sharply. She was expecting her godmother to be the one who checked on her, but the dread was just the same.

“Cathy?” Catalina questioned again as the woman in question unlocked and opened the door. Cathy gave her a weak smile and stepped aside before shutting the door sharply behind her. The two stood awkwardly in the middle of the room for a moment before Catalina sighed and smoothed her skirt.

“How about we sit down, alright?”

Cathy didn’t respond but obeyed nonetheless, sinking onto her bed. Catalina watched her for a moment before taking a seat in the desk chair. Still, neither said anything for a long while, both more interested by something on their lap.

Finally, it was Cathy who broke the silence, voice somehow both resigned and frantic.

“Look, I’m sorry, alright? I know I shouldn’t have yelled at you and I should have been more appreciative, because I had a good time at the signing, I really did, but I’m just so tired, and I know it’s not an excuse, but I can’t bear to have you think that I was being bitchy for no reason! Please, Lina, I didn’t mean-”

“Whoa, Cathy, slow down,” Catalina interjected as Cathy was struggling to catch a breath in her rant, holding her hands out in a placating manner. “What are you talking about?”

Cathy blinked up at her godmother, then squinted her eyes in suspicion. “I’m- I’m apologizing.”

“Whatever for?”

Cathy had already opened her mouth to answer, but didn’t expect that question at all, so she stopped in her tracks. Catalina looked completely serious, not like she was pulling one over on her, but she never really could tell with her godmother.

“Wha- what for?” Cathy repeated, incredulous. “For- for snapping at Kitty. And all of you. Wait, what are you doing here then?”

“I just wanted to make sure you were alright.” 

“Oh.” 

“Yeah.”

There was more awkward silence for a few moments, before Catalina sighed and leaned down, trying to catch her goddaughter’s gaze.

“You’re clearly not alright, though, mija. Why were you apologizing?”

“I-” Cathy stuttered, “I just meant that I shouldn’t have been so ungrateful. I know how lucky I am to have the fans I do have, and then I came home and you had all planned it out so nice for me, but I didn’t appreciate it like I should.”

“Mija, we don’t care about that,” Catalina hummed. Cathy nodded, but didn’t look convinced. “You know that, right?”

“I mean- yeah, but having a long day doesn’t give me an excuse to be so selfish and unappreciative.”

“Oh, no, querida.” Catalina sounded genuinely heartbroken, and Cathy was taken aback. “Love, we really just wanted you to have a good day. I’m sorry. I’m sorry we just made it worse.” 

The first Queen regarded her goddaughter closely, but Cathy didn’t raise her gaze from the floor. Catalina sighed, then stood slowly and slid across the room so she was sitting on the bed next to her. Cathy silently slid closer to her godmother and allowed the older woman to wrap an arm around her as she relaxed against her side.

“Did you really think I came up here to yell at you?”

“Yeah,” Cathy chuckled softly, “I thought you would all be mad. You looked so excited when I got home, and I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

“Not possible.”

“I know, but... I dunno. I don’t want to disappoint my fans either.”

Catalina paused, then decided to take a risk.

“Care to elaborate?”

Cathy hesitated, then nodded. 

“That second book I’ve been working on? It’s... it’s not going very well. I have an idea, I do! I’ve just hit a wall and I’m struggling. I got lots of questions about a release date today and I honestly don’t think it’ll be for another year or so.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry querida. That sounds very frustrating.”

“Yeah” Cathy nodded tiredly. “There’s just so many people expecting so much of me and I know that I can easily let them down if this one isn’t very good.”

“That makes sense.” Catalina nodded sagely. “But if they are true fans, they would rather wait for an amazing book than get a rushed one sooner, right?”

“...yeah.” Cathy conceded. 

“I suppose that just made it all so much worse, huh?”

“Yeah. I had a good time, I swear. But after it all, when I got home, I was just really tired.”

“I noticed.” Catalina smirked. “I bet it was really overwhelming, all those people. I still wish you had let me come with.”

“In retrospect, that would have probably been a good idea.” Cathy smiled softly, burrowing deeper into the other’s arms. 

“This is what happens when you don’t bring your old godmother along for emotional support, mija,” Catalina joked, and Cathy let out a sharp laugh.

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

“Seriously, though, querida, I’m so sorry we didn’t see how miserable you were.” Catalina shifted so she could see Cathy’s face. The sixth Queen opened her mouth to say something, but Lina interjected, “Please don’t apologize.”

“How did you-”

“I’m psychic, mija. I thought you knew this.”

Cathy laughed softly again, but grew quiet quickly. Catalina began to run her hands through the girl’s curly hair.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

The younger woman hesitated, then shook her head.

“No. I just want to forget about it all. It was just very overwhelming and everything seemed to pile on. I’m not even upset. Just really, really tired.” 

“That makes sense. I suggest you go right to sleep, then”

“Probably a good idea.” Cathy nodded, but made no move to extract herself. 

“I suppose a few more minutes of cuddling couldn’t hurt, though.” Catalina chuckled, pulling the girl closer as she moved so she could lean against the headboard.

“Mhmm” Cathy hummed, face buried in her godmother’s cardigan.

“Alright, mija.” Lina smiled. “But if you fall asleep, I will wake you up to change into nightclothes.”

Cathy nodded minutely in understanding as the last of the tension left her body.

It had been a long day.

This was the perfect way to end it.