scrawledfables

[scrawledfables]

Day 003 - Falling

It was definitely a fever she realised. Hot one moment, cold the next. Shivering at all times, and definitely sweating more than she should be. She tried to hole herself up in their bedroom as much as possible, but God, there was a baby who needed her almost constantly at the moment and if Lottie wasn’t asking her for something, or wanting to snuggle her mama, she was trying to climb out of her crib to come and join her in mama and papa’s bed.

China couldn’t wait for Liam to get home, that was for sure. Life with a toddler wasn’t easy, and between doing her own work in the studio with Gabe and her sisters, shooting, and being a mom to Charlotte... yeah, she could use the break.

She tried to bury herself in the blankets a little more; sweat it out, overheat herself until the fever broke, but Charlotte had other plans. A moment later, there was two small hands reaching to clutch the blanket, and pull it free from over China’s head.

“Ma.” Lottie grinned a toothy grin, her eyes twinkling like her parents did with such excitement for the day ahead. “Up. Up.” She bounced a little on her butt with a giggle and a clap of her hands excitedly.

China tried to remember when she fell asleep with Lottie in the bed, but last night was a feverish blur, and she just accepted that, now, this was a thing.

“Little more sleep, Lot.” Chi pleaded, eyes closed and a sigh in her tone.

“Maaaaa.” Lottie whimpered now, and lent forward.

Chubby, clumsy baby hands reached forward, almost taking China’s eye out in the process as she forced open China’s eyes, her head cocked to the side to look into her mother’s eyes.

“A num.”  Charlotte said now, a small clutching opening and closing of her fists grabbing at the air.

Food, the baby needed food.  China sighed, not remembering the last time she had had something to eat, but her body didn’t want anything right now.

“Num.” Chi huffed some messy dark locks of hair from her face, let her hand reach out to smooth over the fluff of hair on her daughter’s head. How long had it been since she had tamed her hair? How long had she been feeling like this?

“Ma?” Lottie spoke still making grabby hands toward her mother, bringing her from her thoughts.

“Right.” Chi found her sluggish body moving from the bed, standing up to take her daughter into her arms, “Food for my hungry little Bean.”

Lottie pulled a face at the words. “Ma, no Bean. A’Lottie!” She said with a gleeful giggle that brought some form of smile to China’s lips. 

“You are a Lottie.” China responded, letting a kiss press to the soft cheek of her baby girl. 

There was a dizziness that swarmed her vision as she entered the kitchen, it made her stumble for a moment, so much so that she put Lottie down on the floor to explore downstairs, not trusting herself to carry her. China blinked it away as best she could while she made some toast, and cut up a banana onto Lottie’s pink plate, along with filling a sippy cup of juice.

“Here you go,” she said as she entered the living room where Lottie had all her toys out on the floor already, chatting happily to her teddy bear as they fiddled with the remote control. 

“A ‘cho, mama.” Lottie said, sticking the remote in the air, the other fist pointing to the TV screen.

Chi set the breakfast down on the floor and took the remote from her daughter, flipping through to find some Mickey Mouse programme before Lottie let out a banana-filled cheer and a messy clap of her hands. 

“Mama needs to lie down, Bean.” She smoothed back some of the course hair, watched it spring back from where she set it quickly. 

There were black spots at the edges of her vision, beginning to over take her view entirely. Her brain was dancing. Her body thrumming. Head pounding against her skull painfully. China settled herself down on the couch with ease, her eyes already long shut as she listened to the distant singing of Lottie along with Mickey. 

Waking up some hours later she felt like she had been hit by a bus. Her chest hurt, her entire body ached, and the fever was definitely getting worse. The sun was down, and that worried her more, because, despite the droning of a Disney show on the TV, Lottie was completely missing. Her blood ran cold. China got up, ignored the dizziness and rushed around the house to see where the toddler had gotten to. She found Charlotte fast asleep hugging a box of spilt cereal she had managed to knock from the counter in her hungry need for some food.

The guilt felt worse than the sickness did. Knowing her poor baby girl wasn’t being cared for like she should be broke her heart. But help was so far away; Liam was on a promotional tour a couple of hours away, her siblings were in LA for the weekend, and her parents hadn’t spoken to her in years now; not since they found out about the baby. 

She had no choice, though, and right now she needed her mother.

China fumbled to free her phone from where it had been on charge on the dining table. The number, she hoped, would still be the same. Her siblings hadn’t mentioned that it changed, anyway.

Her hands shook as she found the number and pressed the phone to her ear. It rang, thankfully.

But then it rang... And rang... And rang... Then voicemail.

She slammed the phone on the table ungracefully, forgetting about the toddler fast asleep on the floor. The sound of cries met her ears a second later from her startled baby girl, China’s eyes instantly filled with tears. 

“No, baby, I’m so sorry.” She apologised, moved to pick the girl up and cradle her close. 

She didn’t think as she walked, felt the relief of her aching body as she slipped into bed with her daughter hugged close to her. 

“Ma, hot.” Lottie struggled, pushing her small body away from her mother’s grasp. 

Medicine. She needed painkillers. Something. 

“Lay right there.” Chi slid from the bed, tucking Lottie in in her wake. She padded down the stairs toward a high cupboard in the kitchen were painkillers were stashed from their daughter’s reach, took the bottle and shook two onto her palm and took them quickly.

It wasn’t the quick relief she needed. 

China opened the back door, picked up her phone, and walked outside, sat herself on the porch as she scrolled through her phone numbers. Liam’s was easy enough to find, but her shaky fingers struggled to call him. Once she had managed it, she pressed the phone to her ear.

She half thought maybe he was asleep and wouldn’t pick up. But he answered only a second later, seemingly keen on talking to her. 

“Hey, beautiful,” Came the familiar Australian accent.

“Hi.” Chi huffed out, weakly and tiredly.

“She got you run ragged?” He asked, a chuckle in his tone.

“Uhm,” Chi teased at her lip. Her head fell into her palm, heavy and weak, “I need you to come home.” She stated, simply.

It must have taken him aback, because there was a pause, and then rustling. He knew she wouldn’t ask something like that without something being seriously wrong.

“What’s happened?” He asked, still rustling as he was moving around in haste.

“‘m just not well, Lottie’s fine.” China let the cool breeze of the air wrap around her body, enveloping her in the coldness for just a second. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, quickly now. She knew he was remembering Finland a few years back now, and God, she hoped it was no where near as bad as that.

“Just the flu. I’ll be fine, just gotta sleep it off.” She was talking in clipped tones, he noted, and that worried him more. 

“Go up to bed. I’ll be there soon.” 

“Mkay.” Chi let out, more sluggish now than before. 

The phone hung up. She set it down, didn’t remember to pick it up from the porch, or close the door behind herself as she walked inside. Trance like, up the stairs and into the bedroom where the soft snores of Lottie were coming from. 

She joined the baby in their bed a moment later, and sleep came far too easily. 

Waking up was different than before. Much time couldn’t have passed, but she felt so much worse. Her throat scratched like sandpaper, her skin was on fire, and her breathing was rough and hard. She needed to get some water into her, hopefully ease her throat a little, so she walked through to the connected bathroom, turned on a tap and took a mouthful of water from a glass she had in there.

The cold water felt luxurious for only a moment. China let the tap run for a little while longer, before she cupped her hands and splashed the water over her burning face. It helped, even if for only a second.

Nothing was in focus. Her eyes were jittering all over the place and the dark spots were back. She tried to focus on her reflection, when something caught her eye. 

Behind her in the mirror was a familiar figure. Smiling, curly hair on his head, freckles all over his face.

“Cam.” Chi ghosted out, her knuckles white on the sink as she tried to hold herself upright. “What’re you doing here?”

He stepped closer to her and if she wasn’t breathless before, she was now. China turned to face him, but as she did, she was met with nothingness. She frowned, confused and dizzy from the sudden turn. 

“Taking you with me.” He answered from somewhere else.

China turned this time to follow his voice. He was in the open doorway to the bedroom, arm outstretched. 

“Where’re we going?” She asked, moved closer to the figure, felt the oddly cold feeling of his hand in her’s. 

“You’ll see.” He answered, but there was still a smile on his face, a soft reassurance that it would be okay. It was alright.

“I should,” China turned, one hand still in Cam’s one outstretching to her sleeping little girl in the bed behind them, “I can’t leave her alone. She should come with us.”

“She can’t.” Cam answered gently, and firmly. “She has to stay.” He told her and lead her to the balcony doors. 

“What’s out here?” China asked now, attention gone from her daughter, she opened the doors and stepped outside into the brisk Atlanta air. 

There was a light. Odd, because last she recalled it was really late at night. 

“What’s that?” She asked, eyes looking to the light, transfixed as she looked at it. 

“Home.” Cameron told her. He squeezed her hand just like he used to, and lent over to press a kiss to her cheek that left tingles in its wake. “It’s time for me to show you.”

She didn’t recall many of the other feelings. 

He led, she followed. 

Guided softly through the light to a land unfamiliar to her own, she felt like she was floating for a moment, falling and flying simultaneously. Then solid land. She snapped back to herself, but he was still there beside her, with that comforting smile, and she knew he would keep her safe. He would show her the way, like he always did. 

It wouldn’t be for another hour that Liam would get there. Find a fast asleep Lottie and the balcony doors open. See the horror of his wife spattered on the concrete ground just below the balcony. 

No one would ever know what really happened. 

But, standing there beside her first love, gazing down on her new love and their daughter, China could get used to this new form of home.

[scrawledfables]

Day 002 - Protect

She was exhausted, to say the least. Charlotte had been fussing the night through, and when China finally got her to settle enough for a small nap, she woke up to her least favourite sight: a diaper explosion, and another, wide awake, and fussy baby girl. A hand scrubbed over her eyes as she made a mental note of what she needed to do to fix this; she scooped the tiny wailing girl into her arms and moved to the changing table. 

“I know, Lot, mama’s sorry.” Chi apologised as she quickly took her sleeper off along with the diaper and made quick work of cleaning the girl up enough for now. She was relieved, for sure, when Lottie settled somewhat now. “That’s mama’s girl.” Chi pressed a kiss to her head before picking the squirmy, naked girl up in her arms, taking her through to the bathroom. 

It wasn’t long before she was kneeling over the small baby bath on the floor of the bathroom, covering the small girl in bubbles and letting her enjoy the water as she was fully cleaned.

There was another round of fussing when the water got cold enough for Lottie to no longer enjoy it, so China wrapped her in a warm towel and took the baby back to her nursery to get dried and dressed.

She sang ‘You Are My Sunshine’ softly as she got Charlotte all dried, lotioned, and into a pastel pink onesie that had a little bunny pattern on it. 

“There you go.” Chi cooed softly as she picked her up and held her close to herself, bouncing the girl as she made her way to the messy bassinet, using one hand to strip the sheet to take it down to be washed. She opened the window to air the room out a little, before gathering the pile of washing up in her free hand. 

Charlotte wasn’t fussing any more, Chi figured maybe she had fallen asleep in her hold, but those big blues were gazing up at her as she looked down to check on the girl. 

“I guess nap time will have to move elsewhere.” China cooed as she headed downstairs, putting the clothes and sheet in the washing machine and popping open the back door for the waiting Delta. 

She grabbed a pacifier on her way to the living room before she knelt onto the floor, settling Charlotte down into her little rocking chair, putting it on for her along with a little bit of background noise from Winnie The Pooh playing on the TV. 

“There you go, all cleaned, and settled.” She kissed her baby’s forehead another time before she moved to settle herself on the couch, keeping an eye on Charlotte whilst she updated Liam as to what they’d been up to this morning. 

At least that had been her plan, but her eyes had grown heavy whilst she was sitting there, and it wasn’t long before she was falling fast asleep right there.

It was an hour later that she woke up. Not due to Lottie crying, but the sound of padding footsteps repetitively walking across the kitchen floor back and forth. China peeled her heavy eyes open, glancing to the gently moving chair where Lottie lay sleeping, and her eyes instantly widened.

Right across Charlotte’s once spotless lap was a smattering of dry dirt, in a pile that seemed to be mounting. 

“Oh my God.” She sat up quickly as she cursed aloud and very swiftly moved to take the girl from the chair as fast as she could. 

Of course, she hadn’t stopped, in her brief panic, to realise, but the moment she picked Lottie up, it woke the newborn quickly, and soon enough loud wails were leaving tiny lips, and huge globs of tears falling down her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t-” She inwardly cussed at herself as she began trying to wipe the dirt off of Charlotte’s onesie, but it was doing nothing to help the situation. 

Charlotte was still screaming. China was still frantic. And in walked Delta, looking like the happiest of pups in the world, her jaw somewhat wide, and full, Chi realised, of dirt. 

Of course. 

“Delta!” She shouted, mostly because she had to go over the noise of Lottie, who, at her mama’s yell, screamed even more. “No, bad pup! Go back outside, now!” 

Frazzled was putting it lightly, but there was a screeching baby in one ear, and an exhausted mama who couldn’t catch a moments rest. She didn’t stop to think before she was rushing back up the stairs to change Charlotte’s clothes again. 

“Mama’s so sorry, baby girl. So, so sorry.” Chi muttered as she settled Lottie back on the changing table, swapping out her onesie for another fresh one. “I didn’t mean to yell.” She spoke again. Charlotte settled a little at the sound of her mother’s softer voice, but there were still whimpers and tears that broke Chi’s heart. 

“It’s okay, darling.” She picked Lottie up and bounced her a little before heading downstairs and into the kitchen. 

There, in the corner of the kitchen, lay Delta. All big puppy eyes, looking very sad and sorry for herself. 

Lottie was fussing again, so China barely paid Delta any mind. She walked toward the bottle warmer and put one on to heat up, before putting the dirt covered onesie now into the washing machine, starting it off with a sigh. 

She bounced Charlotte a little more until the bottle warmer beeped, and took it out, testing it before taking it into the living room, settling into a comfortable position, fixing a blanket over her daughter before she began to feed her. 

Finally, it was quiet. 

And in the soft quietness she had a moment to contemplate and calm herself down. That was when it hit her; the guilt. Her own eyes filled with tears as she tried to focus, instead, on the girl in her arms suckling away at the bottle hungrily, but she couldn’t shake the image of a sad Delta from her mind. 

She wiped her free hand beneath her eyes, trying to not dwell on the feeling of failure that was lingering huge and hard in her chest. A week. Liam was away filming for all of a week and she couldn’t even keep it together for the few days that he was gone.

The tears were falling fast, she drew her attention to the falling asleep Charlotte in her hold. Taking the bottle from her, popping the girl into a sitting position to wind her before she laid her back down to continue her feed.

That was when Delta wandered into the room. Her eyes still as big and as sad as they had been before, looking bashfully to the floor, ashamed of something she didn’t understand was wrong; she was just protecting the baby, like all good pups would do. 

“Hey, Delta.” Chi cooed gently, offering a smile.

Cautiously the pup walked to her mama, then put an experimental paw on the sofa cushion before she saw Chi’s encouraging smile and hopped up. There was one of her rubber ducks in her mouth. A pink one from Lottie’s gender reveal. 

After a moment of just sitting there sadly looking the baby over, Delta set the duck on the soft pink blanket as almost a present to say she was sorry. Chi broke more, her hand found the pups head and she gave her a firm scratch behind the ears. 

“I’m so sorry, pup.” She apologised, pressed a kiss to Delta’s fur and watched how her tail began a small happy wag. “You’re a good pup, Delta. I didn’t mean that.” She confessed, and felt Delta set her head into her hand before lying into China’s side. Her own little, ‘you’re forgiven, mama,’ that made Chi smile.

Her heart began to feel a little better with the sleepy Lottie in her hold, and Delta contently at her side. She turned on some cartoons for the pup, and let herself sink back into the cushion more now that everything felt right again. 

Maybe, just maybe, she’d make it through the next few days without Liam after all. 

[scrawledfables]

Day 001 - Midnight

She always appreciated the way the moon shone off of the ocean in the middle of the night. Loved the fact, because it was dark out, the mugginess of the sky wasn’t noticeable enough to distract from the view, nor could she see the thick, dark slosh of the sea she knew was heavily polluted and disgusting below her. 

There was something magical about this time of night entirely...

Soft waves lapping at the wooden, eroding braces of the dock where she sat, her legs dangling dangerously. Most people on The Isle might have been afraid of being so close to the dirty body of water, but Uma wasn’t afraid, there was very little she was afraid of.

He stood leaning against a rotting, moulded pole of one of the closed stalls along the dock, watching her, smiling. Harry loved this time of night as much as Uma did, but for many different reasons. It wasn’t the dark that masked the situation they were born into, nor was it the moon or the waves... it was her.

Sometimes he caught her, on a normal day, with this glint in her eyes of hopefulness; of a life beyond everything for her, and for her crew. Those times, however, were rare and very far between.

Instead, on nights like tonight, when the clouds overhead weren’t throwing poisonous rain down on their home, or the sky wasn’t crashing with thunder, he caught her with that look in her eyes. 

Transfixed. That was what she was. 

Much like he was as he watched her.

As if in a trance, he walked over to her. Noticed that she didn’t even flinch at the sudden appearance of him behind her, his hook menacingly sliding across her shoulder, hooking loose teal braids, pulling them gently off of her shoulder and behind her back.

“Staring isn’t polite, Harry,” was all she offered him, with this false disdain in her tone that drew a grin from him, flashing those pearly whites menacingly.

“S’a good thing there’s nothin’ polite about you or I, lass.” He spoke back, making her realise just how close he was to her, his words causing hot breath against her ear. 

There was a desire there. It was always there. Yet, Uma knew, she wouldn’t give in to such things so easily. She let her tongue run along her own teeth teasingly, and found her hand loosely reaching up to comb through Harry Hook’s hair.

He melted like putty in her hands. Knees weakened, eyes closed, and this soft mewl of a sound left his lips at the satisfaction. It turned, quickly, to a yelp of pain, as her fingers tightened to grip his hair, she tugged and brought his head around now so he was looking her in the eyes.

“Ow!” Harry let out, this wounded puppy look on his face. “What’s that for?”

The chuckle that tore from her lips made his pout almost entirely disappear. If that was what brought her such joy, he’d gladly let her do it again. 

“It isn’t nice to sneak up on your Captain.” She stated now, eyes shooting these stern daggers he knew was all for show. 

He held back his comment. ‘Nice? Who was nice on The Isle of the Lost?’ knew it would instantly get him another telling off. Instead his eyes found her lap, bashful and apologetic in ways they weren’t used to expressing verbally.

“Yes, Captain.” He resounded, a sigh to his tone.

“What were you doing?” Uma asked now, quick and firm. 

“Just making sure my Captain was ‘ome safe an’ sound.” Harry answered, but there was an avoidance of his eyes. They wouldn’t meet her’s and she knew, instantly, it was a lie.

But she could have some fun with that later.

“Then you’d better make sure I get home safely,” She let his hair go, and felt the way he didn’t instantly move. Realised it was a lot less of her holding him in that position, and more so him laying there of his own accord. After a beat, she whacked his shoulder. 

Harry’s hand instinctively reached for the spot, but he took the hint, moved from her lap, and stood up. “Yes, Captain.” He offered his hook for her to take and help her stand. She didn’t take it. He loved that about her; the independence she had.

Uma didn’t say a word as she walked down the docks toward her ship. Harry didn’t press anything, either. He walked with a stance that screamed intimidation, until they reached the door to her cabin. It was bar other than a tattered mattress they had foraged from the garbage boats once, but it was her home. 

“Here yer are, delivered right to ya door.” He spoke, watched her turn to face him and roll her eyes. 

“Goodnight, Harry.” 

His lips were waiting, puckered up like some weird joke. He felt the familiarity of a gentle hand meeting his cheek turning his face away from her, but he still waited. Long after her hand left his cheek, and he heard the creek of the wooden door close behind her. 

Yes, he loves nights like these.

[scrawledfables]

A Tale of Troubles

It was eight in the evening when Jordan McKee was tucked into her bed by her mother. The small seven year old was thankful for the warmth and comfort of her blankets to be wrapped around her. A tired smile lulling across her features as her mother pressed a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose. Soft humming met her ears, and Jordan smiled ever so wider at the familiar sound. Before long her mother’s hand was patting tenderly at her back.

Pat, pat, a smooth rub in a circle, then up and down, before repeating the process.

By the time the song she was humming came to an end Jordan’s bright eyes were closing. With each blink the brown orbs fell shut for longer periods of time, seemingly heavier every time she battled to open them. The gentle smile stayed when her eyes did finally remain shut.

Her mother smiled at the sleeping girl. Pushing herself to tuck the blanket around her exhausted form before she turned and left the bedroom. The door was ajar to let the slight light of the hallway creep in through the gap; just incase the child was struck by another bout of nightmares, as was common lately.

At barely ten that night the phone rang, piercing the calm of the home. Jordan still slept on, her brother had gone to his room half an hour prior, and her mother was settled in the kitchen to make some dinner for when Jordan’s father was to arrive home.

She answered the phone with an almost hopeful spring in her step. The smile on her face fell just as the chicken in the frying pan began to burn to a cinder.

Jordan awoke to the undeniable sounds of her mother crying. The girl with her heart full of hope and happiness, pushed herself out of bed ready to give her mom a strong hug for whatever reason it was needed. She had just slipped into her slippers, tugging her tatty brown bear behind her, when she bumped into her brother on the hallway.

“Matty? What’s wrong?” She blinked the tiredness away before raising her free hand to rub with the back of it against her eyes.

“I don’t know, Jordan.” Matthew, her brother, huffed. He had obviously grown fed up of the curious child’s constant questions. Regardless, he sighed and looked to the girl with a pat atop her head. “Why don’t you go back to bed, I’ll go see what’s wrong.”

He was older than her by four years, and definitely wiser than her. The boy understood the last thing his mom would have wanted was her two children prying into her business. But, he had promised his sister.

“Okay.” Jordan nodded, her disheveled hair bouncing on her head. She lazily turned and walked back into her bedroom.

Jordan couldn’t reach the light switch on the wall without dragging the small chair away from her tea party table, and frankly that would make too much noise. Instead she walked to the side of her bed and turned on the lamp. Her index finger played over the worn down label attached to her teddy, she was subconsciously bitting the inside of her lip.

Her mommy was crying louder now. Matthew had reached downstairs moments before, Jordan knew it. Something must be very wrong if the crying only got worse. Still she stood there on her bedroom rug near the bedside table, daring not move. Her brown hues were wet with tears even though Jordan didn’t know why they happened to be that way. Empathy, one would call it. Someone else was upset so by right she felt her heart sink to her stomach.

The burning smell of the chicken reached her room and she frowned a little more. The sound of the frying pan cremating the meat faded away into nothing; Matty was obviously handling the issue. Now that the other sounds seemed to have ceased her mother’s crying sounded even louder. Jordan braved herself with a very deep breath before she walked out into the hallway.

Just as she came to the top step the girl froze. A piercing scream, like none she had ever heard before, filled the home. It was Matthew, she knew that for certain. It didn’t stop. It carried on for so long, and her mother’s franticness grew. Jordan took the stairs as fast as she could now. Her slippered feet meeting the wooden floor of the living room within moments.

There, on the floor just a few feet from the couch, was Matthew. Writhing upon the floor in pain. Tears streaked his face, his body contorted in so many ways Jordan couldn’t keep track of him. He still screamed on, rigid hands clutching one around his stomach the other pressed to his forehead.

Her mother was in the kitchen doorway in complete shock. One of her own hands was on her forehead, the other clasped very tightly over her mouth. She was still crying as she carried on watching her son’s body convulse from the immense pain.

Jordan stood just over the doors threshold. Her lips were quivering at the sides and her bear had fallen to the floor in a clatter of beads lost within the sounds of screaming and crying. She barely had a sense of the time but they must have stayed in those places for five or so minutes before her mother took steps away from the living room. Knocking into a kitchen cupboard before she sunk down it into a crumpled heap upon the floor.

She watched through horrified and very scared eyes as her brother seemed to still twitch and shake from the pains. Saw the slight tinge of red that had tainted his fingers from a cut along his forehead. The coffee table, once light, now stained on the corner from where his head must have smashed against it.

Before long the door was heavily knocked upon.

After another moment it was kicked.

Flying open a swarm of police entered the scene. One called through their walkie-talkie for an ambulance. Another tried to arrest her mother. Jordan saw first hand just where the pain had come from, and she wished she had not.

The cop fell to the ground much like her brother. Stunned by the pain he cried out and slumped away from her hysterical mom. Guns automatically pointed her way whilst one officer swept the small girl into their arms and took her out of the home.

Jordan last saw her mother and brother that night.

The police men offered her a cup of juice and a snack, settled her down on one of the sofa’s in their office for the night since social services would only be called in the morning. She cried herself to sleep, clutching to the bear as if it were her last lifeline. The final words that left her mouth that night was the faint sob of, “Daddy?”

At nine that morning a blonde social worker came and visited Jordan. She was accompanied by an all-too nice lady, with bright red locks, who claimed to be there to help. They passed her paper and a box of crayons, set a camera up within the chief’s office and chatted to her as if it were the most normal of set ups.

“Jordan?” The psychologist asked firstly, tossing her ginger hair to one side with a sigh. “My name is Dr. Miller.” She finally introduced after not getting a response. Trying to give the girl the most comforting of smiles.

Jordan sat on a chair with swinging legs, her feet definitely not reaching the floor. One elbow was against the desk, her head lolled against her hand. The other idly drew with a purple crayon. A flower, maybe. It could be a dog or a cat. Maybe a very discoloured sun. The two women in the room could never determine the series of scribbles.

“Is Matty gonna be okay?” She asked, brown eyes looking to the ginger woman. They didn’t seem as bright as they had yesterday. They were deflated by what they had seen and by the weight of tiredness and hours of crying.

“He should be, yes.” Dr. Diane Miller nodded her head. “Matthew had a bump to his head.” Jordan only nodded in a reply, remembering the sight of blood tainting his pale skin. It had terrified her, “Has that ever happened before?”

Jordan still gave no reply, her legs seemed to swing more vigorously. Soon enough her drawings became less intentional. The once flower-cat-dog became scribbles of pointlessness. Spirals, crossed lines, shapes, anything to distract herself.

“Jordan? Sweetheart.” Diane craned her neck to look at the girl. Struggling to meet her turned down gaze.

To her surprise, Jordan looked up, eyebrows raised, eyes wide. “Where’s Mommy? ...Daddy?”

That brought a sigh from the two women.

“Jordan,” The blonde now spoke, twisting her body towards the girl. She reached softly over and took the purple crayon from her clutch. It met the table with a muted clatter before a finger hooked beneath Jordan’s chin, forcing her gaze onto her blue eyes. “Daddy had an accident last night.” Her words started off slow. When she saw a look of pain twist over the girl’s features she knew she had gotten the message that he may be hurt, at least, so she decided to continue. “He didn’t make it.”

“Didn’t make it where?” A faint whisper came from the child.

“He died, sweetie. He had to go to heaven.”

For a seven year old Jordan was pretty sheltered to things like this. She had never gotten a pet to learn that one day they died, nor had she met her family members in order to learn of the deaths that had happened since she had been born. Instead her slight information on this came from the school playground. Her friend, Sean, had lost his grandmother once. She didn’t know what the big fuss was but it wasn’t like she had a grandmother of her own to know. Instead she had hugged him, and cried with him, told him it would be okay - and then raced him to the slide.

The joy of a child’s mind.

“Is Matty going there too? Since he had an accident?” Jordan asked now, glancing back to Diane.

Her head shook in reply. Two hands clasped and the woman leaned on the desk to look closer at the little girl. “Does Matty have a lot of accidents at home, Jordan?”

She thought for a moment. Her lips screwed to the side, eyebrows knitting together. The girl hadn’t even understood that her father was dead and now they were bombarding her with more questions. How was she meant to know that they believed her mother to have been abusing Matthew?

A list popped into her mind. Matty tripped in the garden once and scraped up his knee. He had broken two fingers when he fell off of one of the tree’s branches, too. There was also the time they both decided to play ‘jump on the bed’ and Matty had jumped right off and broken his collarbone. Along with the actual injuries he had broken many vases and pieces of electrical equipment around the home, usually with a ball of some form.

Her parents had both called those all ‘accidents’.

So, she nodded her head. “I guess, yeah.”

Little did she know just how big an impact those words would have on her future.

[scrawledfables]

Charlotte Victoria

It was definitely wrong, China realised as the months changed and soon enough they were preparing for their second Christmas together. Just over a whole year since their engagement, and less than a month from their wedding, the test she had taken that had come back positive some eight months ago now was almost entirely forgotten.

Sure, she had considered bringing it up once or twice, as a joke, or just as something to throw in his face when they were at a disagreement, as something he’d put her through but didn’t know a damn thing about it, but, despite how emotional she had been as of late, she didn’t have the heart nor the energy to do so.

As other symptoms faded away, new ones appeared or older ones became more obvious, yet, she still managed her best to ignore them or explain them away as she had been doing for months now; Her tiredness grew worse, the stomach flutters turned more intense, and suddenly she had new aches and pains she had never experienced before.

China knew from her still somewhat flat stomach - even though there was a soft only slight bulge there she was currently blaming on Thanksgiving, and at Halloween it was blamed on candy and before that she blamed it on her birthday diet – that it was in no way to the size or scale she knew it should have been. If that test had been right and she was eight, almost nine months gone by now, she’d be huge, she knew that much at least.

They were a week away from wrapping up for the holidays, which she was beginning to welcome, because it had been weeks since she had seen Liam last, claiming to feel too tired or too unwell to even attempt her usual flying stunts that she would have pulled back and forth so they could spend some time together.

Thankfully, it was Friday, and their director had called the shoot early, which meant she was back in her apartment before one, and she had the chance to just stay in and rest.

China had tried to watch a Christmas movie, but found herself shifting uncomfortably on the sofa every so often with a pain shooting through her back before it settled to a dull, persistent ache she just couldn’t shake. She decided that maybe a hot bath would ease her back somewhat, so she settled on the side of the tub whilst the water filled it up slowly, with a soft, floral scent from the bubble bath that was frothing at the surface of the water.

She let herself sink into the tub with a sigh of relief, as the hot water began to ease out her aches and pains as best it could. It was soothing and calming as she lay there, watching it ripple and make slight waves within the bubbles.

Her eyes were heavy, and soon enough she had drifted off to sleep, enjoying the feeling of her body slipping into complete ease.

She awoke around thirty minutes later with an odd ‘popping’ sensation in her stomach. It was a little weird since out of all the new things she had felt the last few months this wasn’t something she had ever felt before.

China frowned, and felt the pain firm in her back; figuring she had probably overstayed her welcome in the bath anyway, she stood from the water and grabbed a towel. She was surprised when, at her feet the puddle of bath water dripping from her body was added to by some clear liquid trickling down her legs.

Embarrassed to say the least she made haste to clean herself and the floor up, before getting herself into some pyjamas so she could rest at last.

The pains came and went as she did, but they were only annoying and uncomfortable at the moment, nothing more, so she pushed them aside and tried to focus on having the rest of her relaxing day.

She was settled on the balcony to enjoy the late afternoon air when her phone rang and a familiar photograph of herself and Liam lit up the screen.

“Hey, handsome.” China greeted softly as she answered it, listened to him chuckle down the line to her.

“Hi beautiful, how’re you?” He asked.

They settled into a familiar pattern of chatting and catching one another up on their day, the pains not really distracting her too much other than making her brow tense every so often, but she knew, whatever all of her feelings meant, it wasn’t a good sign.

“I’ve got the weekend free, and a ticket to come and see my favourite girl.” He told her to only be met with a sigh down the phone to him.

“I’m not feeling great,” She started, and now he sighed, because he had heard this excuse for months now and he was beginning to panic that maybe they were through, what if she didn’t want the life he wanted? “But we’ll be together next weekend, Liam. One more week.”

“Yeah.” He answered, distant and disappointed, because he had honestly been looking forward to seeing his fiancé and now here he was wondering if she was still his fiancé.

“I promise, we’ve got a whole Christmas with our names on it.” She swore, and hoped it would pick up his mood. “I just think I need a bit of rest. I’m good, we’re good-”

But as she tried her best to reassure him, her body tightened up with the most painful cramp of all, and her throat was locked with a silent gasp of pain as she doubled into herself, setting the phone on the balcony table whilst she tried to catch her bearings.

She stayed like that for a few seconds, hands pressed to her stomach, tears in her eyes, and took some deep breaths until it had gone away again, then picked the phone up, and figured she probably missed whatever he had said, but she honestly didn’t know if she could deal with that right now.

“I’ve got to go, speak soon.” China told him, almost dismissively as she hung up the phone without waiting for his response.

A moment later she realised she forgot to tell him that she loved him, but it was too late now, she told herself she’d let him know later.

For now, she stood herself straight and headed back into her apartment, getting a hot cup of tea to try and settle herself down once again.

She tried to focus on another Christmas movie but the pains were still present, and annoying her now. Her tired eyes were heavy as the sun faded away, so eventually she simply took herself off to her bed. It was still early evening, but she let herself nuzzle into the warmth of the thick wintertime comforter and tried to get some decent sleep – it had been difficult to do lately, odd aches or butterflies in her stomach (definitely butterflies and not kicks) had been keeping her awake most of the night. She was thankful when her brain shut off enough to let her eyes to firmly close and sleep over took her.

When she felt a small jostle in the bed beside her at around nine, she woke momentarily to find herself wrapped in a very familiar pair of warm and comforting arms, she simply gave a gentle satisfied sound and let herself rest a little more in his warmth.

A short while later, China woke in more pain than she had been in before, her entire back felt like it was burning with fire, and aching beyond any normal level she had grown used to. She groaned softly, but recognised Liam’s snores, knew he hadn’t listened to her pleas for him to not show up, and regretted every choice she had made the last few months.

She slipped quietly from the bed on achy feet, made her way to the en suite bathroom connected to her bedroom, and locked the door firmly. Just in time, too, because the pain that was lingering on her back moved around in what was almost like a growing spark of lightning, curving around her sides, through her stomach, making it tighten so painfully she had to grip onto the bathroom sink so she didn’t fall straight to the floor. China was thankful she didn’t cry out in pain, the sound was lodged in her throat like a thick knot. She whimpered, one hand still holding herself upright on jelly-like legs, as the other pressed to the softness of her somewhat flat stomach.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, Chi let the pain pass. Huffed gently and blew loose strands of dark hair out of her eyes and off of her sweaty forehead. Her knuckles still didn’t release the hold they had on the sink, fearful if she let go yet she’d crumple to the floor to never stand up again.

She could have stood there for hours, regaining her bearings, waiting for the strength to return to her limbs, but a nauseous feeling grew in her stomach, making her mouth oily, telling her she was going to be sick if she didn’t hurry, so she ushered her unsteady legs over to the toilet and threw up what little she had eaten today into the porcelain bowl, crumpling to her knees as she did so.

There was little to no energy in her body. So, when a knock came to the bathroom door, she didn’t even muster a sound.

“Chi? You okay?” He asked, as if the sound of her vomiting and retching hadn’t woken him from his sleep; he knew she wasn’t okay by any stretch of the word. “I’m coming in, alright?” Liam let her know, gave a jostle of the handle, to only find that it was locked. He sighed, and ran a hand over his weary face. “You need to unlock the door for me.” He pleaded, but heard no sounds on the other side of the door, which worried him more than anything.

He waited another moment or two, before rushing to the bedside table, grabbing a card from his wallet, he stuck it in the lock and shifted it with some careful adjustments until the door popped free.

When it swung back he took in her sweaty, pale form hunched over the toilet, shivering and shaking, looking completely drained, but her eyes were open and she seemed to follow him with her dulled browns, so he knew she was conscious.

“Hey,” Liam crossed the room to her side, sank on the floor beside her, a soft hand running gentle circles over her back. “Why didn’t you tell me it was this bad?” He asked, but knew she wouldn’t answer, her eyes were thick with the need to sleep, bags lingering beneath them like she hadn’t managed to sleep through the night in months. He was cursing himself for not noticing it sooner.

Liam’s hand moved some of her dark hair away from her face, feeling her warm cheeks and clammy forehead with a small huff. “Let’s get you back to bed, okay? You look like you could use a good rest.”

He worried his lip between his teeth as he watched her, concerned for a moment that it was something bigger; knew she hadn’t felt right for some time now, but honestly, he thought she was just pulling away from him, that maybe the relationship they had was too much to handle for her. Instead, here she was, quite obviously not well, and he felt guilty instantly for even letting that thought cross his mind; that she was just honestly telling him the truth.

Chi let out a soft hum of approval, probably letting him know that she liked that idea, at least he very much hoped that was what it meant. Liam carefully scooped her up into his arms and carried her through to their still-dark bedroom, tucking her beneath the covers before he went back and cleaned up the bathroom.

He shut the bathroom light off before sliding into bed and joining her; realised she was still awake when she rolled over and snuggled closer to him, a place she slotted so perfectly. He softly kissed the top of her head. “Sleep.” Liam whispered, let his thumb run up and down her arm gently and soothingly. He waited, listening intently for the moment her breathing evened out, before he let his own do the same.

She didn’t know what time it was when she next woke up, but it was still dark outside, she noted. The pain was worsening still, so she turned away from Liam, unsure if her legs could carry her weak self to the bathroom another time, she hunched into herself instead, huffed out whatever pain she was feeling, and tried not to make too much noise or any extreme movements the more intense the feeling grew.

Just like last time, however, pain spread around from the burning in her back, across her sides, and like lightning through her stomach. She gasped out, sucking air through her teeth harshly, and turned to bury her face into her pillow so it would muffle any other noises she would make.

Chi counted, because she didn’t know what else to do to take her mind off of the pain. ‘One, two, three, four, five, six,’ The pain began to slip away to the fiery ache that was deep in her back, ‘seven, eight,’ the breath she was holding she let out as it eased completely.

Whatever this was, it was doing a number on her body, for definite.

Sleep didn’t come following that pain. She stared at the wall, willing herself to rest more; felt like she needed an eternity of rest but her heavy eyes couldn’t close thanks to the pain working through her back.

China didn’t know how long it had been, but it returned again, moving around her sides, to the shooting cramp that seized up her whole stomach once more. This time she was a little slower to let her face meet the pillow, and a small yelp left her lips that she tried to muffle as quickly as possible.

She knew whatever her attempts were, they weren’t going to work, the moment the bed shifted beside her and the lamp lit up the room, “China?” Liam asked, groggily.

Chi didn’t answer; busy sinking her teeth into her lip to try and muffle her noises thanks to the pain, but it didn’t matter anymore, the game was up. Liam lent over her form to look at her but noticed her face buried into the pillow, so he quickly got out of bed and crouched at her side of the bed. A hand found her shoulder, but China still didn’t look to meet his gaze, yet he could see the way she was hunched into herself in a pain filled way, and panicked almost instantly.

“Chi, I need you to tell me what’s wrong.” Liam urged with a squeeze of her shoulder. He was completely worried now, and it only increased when she didn’t turn to look at him or offer him an answer.

“Okay, we need to get to the hospital, something clearly isn’t right.” He hoped it would prompt her into some action, but all she did was let out another gentle whimper into the pillow, so he kicked into action instead, throwing on his jeans and a shirt before he pulled the blankets back off of China.

Her whole body was hunched into itself as tight as it could go, and she was clutching her stomach tightly. “Alright,” He started, but wasn’t sure she would manage to move much on her own.

He should have called an ambulance, but he knew on a Friday night in a busy city they may be waiting a while so he instead offered a small, “I’m sorry if this hurts.” Before he jostled her body ever so gently into his strong arms. She was heavier than usual, but in no way difficult to carry at all.

China let out a small gasp as he picked her up, kept her arms tight around her taut stomach, let her teary face bury into his shirt as he grabbed her car keys on the way past the door and  rushed her out of the apartment to the elevator.

“I need you to tell me how long it’s been this bad.” He pleaded as he stood there cradling her, waiting for the elevator to arrive at their floor.

Chi didn’t offer an answer so he held her a little tighter, unsure if she had lost consciousness or not by this point, and rushed into the elevator when it got to them. He pressed the button with one finger outstretched before making sure to hold her close to him, thought last minute that she might have needed to change out of her pyjamas, gotten a coat on, or some shoes but before he could think about turning back to do just that, she whimpered again in his arms and creased into herself even more.

He could feel his top dampening and realised quickly she was crying, which worried him all the more. “Okay, okay, we’ll be there soon, I promise.” Liam swore as the elevator ‘dinged’ and the doors opened to reveal to the lobby.

A concerned door man held the door open as he rushed through and toward the parking garage where her car was. Fiddling with her key for a moment to unlock the car doors before he had the passenger side opened and set her down as gently as he could.

In the shoddy parking garage lights he could see her pale, sweaty complexion, and took in her tear stained face. “Why didn’t you tell me it had gotten this bad?” He asked, definitely in more of a panicked and concerned yell.

China who had been looking down at her bare feet for the time being, snapped teary browns up to meet his blues, but there was a fury there Liam had never seen before, it made him take one step away from her. “Well forgive me for not telling you when you were never around to care!” She shouted back, and he was just about to return the favour when another pain shot through her stomach that had her hands reaching for the dash in front of her in a pained gasp.

Priorities, he reminded himself, right now them arguing was definitely not a priority.

“You’re going to be okay.” He reassured her with a softer look and a squeeze of her shoulder gently, after a second he closed the door and swallowed down his feelings and whatever response he had wanted to give, rushing to the driver’s side and climbing in.

China still hadn’t released the dash, her knuckles pale and her face completely scrunched up. More tears fell down her face quickly now.

“We’re going to be there soon.” Liam reassured her as he put the key in the ignition and took off onto the main street. He wasn’t certain where the hospital was, so he fiddled quickly with Google Maps on his phone finding the nearest one and laying it in his lap so he could follow it.

Liam was relieved when a moment into driving China’s grip finally left the dash and she sat back in the seat out of breath, but seemingly not in as much pain as she had been in before.

She carefully brought her feet to the edge of the seat to hunch her knees to her chest in the hopes it would ease her back ache some, but it honestly didn’t do much other than give her a place to rest her arms and her head for a little while.

“Do you feel sick again?” Liam asked her as he glanced to her out of the corner of his eyes. He stopped at a red light and looked to her fully in time to hear a small noise she made and a head movement he couldn’t quite make out.

“Chi, I know, you don’t feel well, but I need you to answer me, I can’t give the hospital any answers if I don’t have any.” That earned him a glare, but at least he could see her face once more.

She didn’t know what to tell him, still fully in denial of the situation. China took a shaky breath. “No, I don’t feel sick.” She managed in a soft tone.

Liam nodded, thankful she was saying something to him, and sounded coherent enough that he was no longer worried she may pass out at a moments notice. “And the pain?”

Her eyebrows raised, but he missed it as a car horn beeped behind them. The light had gone green so he rushed over the next intersection to the next set of lights. “China,” Liam prompted again with a quick glance to her, “The pain started when?”

“This afternoon.” China mustered, but it was through gritted teeth and he knew whatever the pain was; it was returning. Her body turned away from him toward the door as she folded into herself once more, a whimper of pain leaving her lips.

Liam nodded, but couldn’t shake the worry in his own eyes as he drove on, following the directions on the map. He was just thankful he didn’t listen to her telling him not to come and see her; so glad she wasn’t on her own right now, because he’d hate to think what may have happened.

He waited this time, let her rough breaths and soft whimpers tell him all he needed to know before she uncurled from herself ever so softly back to her somewhat hunched form, then asked, “Do you have any idea what it may be?”

He stopped at another set of red lights behind a bustle of queuing up cars; should have realised that wasn’t a good sign at all. But it gave him the chance to look at her, see the way teary browns refused to meet his gaze, and the way she seemed at a mental war with herself.

“China…” Liam prompted again, taking the moment to rest a hand on his fiancé’s shoulder softly. Squeeze it gently. “Whatever it is, we can work through it.” He said. He was worried, for a while, that maybe it was her appendix or something like that, but the way she looked now; so scared and small… he was completely fearful it was something else… had she taken something? Was that it?

Her eyes were full of tears as she looked toward him, shaking her head gently. A few horns blared this time, making him look up. The light was green, and yet no cars in front of him were moving… they were gridlocked… just his luck.

“China.” Liam prompted again, taking his attention from the stationary traffic around them to her, where tears were falling from her eyes in big blobs now. He knew they weren’t tears of pain, they were tears of upset and fear. Suddenly his own stomach was churning with worry.

Before she had another chance to answer him, the pain came back and had her cry out this time, her body turning away from Liam as she tried to suck in deep breaths in through her nose, and out through her mouth, slow and steady. His hand fell off of her shoulder with her sudden lurch. Instead of letting it hang limp, he let it drop to her back, rubbing soft circles as if it may help.

Something wasn’t sitting right in his mind. It felt familiar to him; something he had seen in shows and movies, recognised from stories Chris and Luke, his mom, Amber even, had told him. Slowly it dawned on him.

“Chi, you’re not pregnant, are you?” He asked now, in a bit of a quieter tone.

She didn’t answer him, a little too busy trying to control herself through the pain, and he gave her the time to do so. Glanced back at the lights that were red again and noted no cars had moved around them, in fact, there was just a longer queue growing behind them of vehicles suddenly finding themselves caught in this traffic jam.

When he watched her unfurl from herself somewhat, he asked again, this time louder so she couldn’t mishear him, “China… are you pregnant?” He felt his heart aching, knew they hadn’t spent much time together the past few months, but how could she have not mentioned something like that to him?

If she was… was it even his?

“I–” She started, and then stopped. “–I think so?” China barely spoke, and he almost missed it through the sound of car horns around them and angry arguing being passed between frustrated drivers.

“You think so?” Liam tried to clarify, pushing any stun he had aside.

She nodded, then swallowed hard. China’s eyes refusing to look up and meet his.

Liam’s heart hurt completely, but he knew it was nothing compared to whatever pain she was feeling right now. She sat there pale, in agony, and broken in front of him, and he decided whatever the answer was to his thoughts that it didn’t matter; if she was in this much pain it meant only one thing, and that was that she was loosing the baby.

“Okay, we need to get out of here.” He said, trying to kick himself into action, because whatever betrayal and hurt he felt, he wasn’t about to watch his fiancé bleed to death in the car. “If you’re miscarrying, there can be a lot of complications, we need to do something.”

China realised he was rambling, and didn’t blame him at all. He was panicked, and hurt, she was sure, but whatever he was feeling, it didn’t compare to the sudden feeling of her stomach tightening again and her lurching into herself once more with the exclaimed, “fuck!” she whimpered out a moment later.

“Okay, it’s okay.” Liam let his hand try and soothe against her back again, watched her in pain once more and realised it was getting closer and closer together which was in no way a good sign at all.

“Liam, I’m not-” Chi started, painfully and gritted. “I don’t think I’m loosing it.” Her voice quivered with her pain, watched as his hand found her own to try and stop her pale-knuckled hold against her knees. The pad of his thumb ran over her knuckles, and he tried not to wince himself at the feeling of her tight and pained grip.

“Shh, breathe, okay.” He said softly, gave her a few moments to do just that and even her breathing out to a steady pace. Gently her grip on his hand eased and he knew it was passing. “Good, you’ve done so good.” He said, tears in his own eyes now, suddenly feeling the loss of something he only just realised he could have had.

China’s head shook softly, “I took a test.” She admitted to him, finally letting out her burden that she’d been carrying around for months, even though he didn’t know that. “Back in April, Liam. I took a test months ago,” There was a moment where hurt flashed through his eyes, and she wanted to look away from him in shame, but right now he needed to know it all; it was too late to keep it secret any longer, “It was positive.”

“Chi, you don’t–” Liam started, wondered if maybe there was a story waiting to be told of a pregnancy she thought she had that wasn’t. The thoughts of her going through it all alone and keeping this one secret for fear of it happening again.

China’s hand found his this time. “You don’t understand, Liam.” She tried to say softly, but her words came out as anything but soft, instead they were snappy and pain induced.

It was enough to pull him from his well of thoughts, “Then make me understand,” Liam answered, a lot gentler toward her still ghosting his thumb over her knuckles, looking at her like she were a china doll on the verge of breaking.

“I took a test eight… almost nine months ago, and it was positive.” China said slowly as she looked at him with teary browns as if that would make him understand her words any clearer. Seeing the pain and worry in his blues, she felt no choice but to look back to her clutched knees. Shamefully admitting, “I think I’m in labour,” Chi whispered and he almost lost it to car horns and arguing once again.

Thankfully he didn’t. Liam gave her hand a soft squeeze, tried not to chuckle her claim away because it was ridiculous and right now all he knew how to do was laugh. Everything about tonight had been so insane. “No, Chi. You can’t be.” His eyes looked to where he normally would’ve been able to see her stomach though she was hunched into herself and hiding it at much as possible.

“I have been telling myself the same thing,” She started quiet, but the words fell into a gritted pain filled tone, “But there’s no other reason for this.” She whimpered as she hunched into herself again, her hand gripping his tightly.

“Okay,” Liam huffed, feeling an argument there again that he knew neither of them needed nor wanted at the moment in time, “Either way, we need to get to a hospital.” He said, eyes glancing around the traffic, still no cars had moved around them.

Chi restrained herself from glaring at him; could feel the doubt in his mind. She didn’t blame him for it; knew she probably sounded insane, but she didn’t have the time or patience to convince him otherwise.

“I don’t think we’re going anywhere fast!” She shouted now, midst the pain, bringing his attention back to her fully.

She was right, as she usually was, and it scared him more.

“If you start to not feel well again, Chi, I need you to tell me.” Liam pleaded gently with her, fearful still of her bleeding out or something else.

He didn’t expect her to answer, so when she didn’t it wasn’t news to him, he carried on rubbing her back softly, waiting for her grip to ease, and watched her slump somewhat in the seat.

“You’re doing great.” He tried to encourage her, but now she wasn’t in so much pain he got himself a full blown glare, before China shifted her eyes away from him.

Still curled into herself, she took a moment to rest her arm against the jut where the door met the window of the car, her eyes closing as if it would give her a few moments of relief. Liam watched her, saw her hand holding her stomach tightly and gulped with his worry; whether she was right, or he was, they definitely needed help.

He watched her for a moment longer, noticed how he could have thought she was simply asleep if it wasn’t for the scrunch of her eyes or the frown permanently etched on her features. Liam finally tore his gaze away from her to look at his phone, turning off the maps, he pulled up the keypad and did the thing he should’ve done to begin with: dialled 911.

Blue eyes looked the traffic over as he had the phone to his ear, scanning the gridlocked traffic that was definitely not moving; he knew something must have gone on, but it wasn’t his concern.

“911, what’s your emergency?” A soft female voice asked, pulling him from looking at the traffic to glance back over at China.

“Hi,” He started, but then stopped, because what could he say to explain this? “Um… my fiancé is in a lot of pain, we need an ambulance.”

“How old is your fiancé?” She asked, Liam heard typing down the phone, knew she was filling in a dispatch form.

“Twenty two. We think she’s pregnant.” He tried to explain as best he could.

He tried to concentrate on the phone call as best he could, even when China curled into herself again, burying her face against the car seat she was now lying across, arms tightly wound around her stomach.

“How far along?”

Liam scrubbed a hand over his tired features, “I don’t know… we don’t know, but it’s bad.”

As if to punctuate the point, China whimpered out, he let his free hand smooth softly over her leg.

“Where are you?” She asked now, still typing he could tell.

Liam looked around for street signs but it was dark and hard to see. He pulled his phone from his ear and reopened maps to read the street name, then put it back to his ear.

“At the crossing between Boulevard and Monroe.” He answered quickly, heard more typing on their end followed by something muffled on the end of the line. Whatever it was it didn’t sound great.

“The whole area is gridlocked.” She informed him, and Liam forced himself not to answer a, ‘No shit, Sherlock,’ as he looked at the traffic around him. “A power surge knocked out the lights.”

“How long?” Liam asked, through his own gritted teeth now.

“It’s hard to say, services are struggling to get through safely.”

He scrubbed his hand over his eyes again, stressed beyond belief, but let himself ease a little as he saw China’s body unclench once more, brown eyes full of fear locked onto his blues, “Liam…” She croaked out, tiredly.

Instead of letting her know the issue, he instead offered her a soft smile. “Help will be here soon.” He offered to China, and it seemed to calm her fears enough that he didn’t feel guilty about lying to her.

“Would I be able to talk to her?” The lady now asked.

Liam nodded, realised she couldn’t see him, and muttered a small, “Sure.”

He let his hand find China’s knee, running softly over her skin there. “Chi, they want to talk to you, okay?”

As China nodded, he moved the phone to put it on speaker, not trusting Chi to move her hands from around her stomach.

“You’re on speaker.” Liam informed her, “China can hear you.” He hoped, maybe, the woman on the end of the line would take the hint to not tell Chi about the gridlock and no help reaching them any time soon.

“China?” Came the soft voice again through the speaker of the phone, “I’m Steph, I just need to ask a few questions if that’s okay?”

There was a quiet moment. Chi licked her dry lips and nodded, before croaking out a weakened, “Sure.” She shifted softly in her seat, and was relieved when Liam reached over to collapse the seat back down further so she could find a little more comfort.

“When did the pain start?” Steph asked softly, to the chorus of more car horns and arguing around their car.

Chi took a small breath. A shaky hand reached to move some hair away from her clammy forehead. “This afternoon?” She answered, but it was in more of a questioning tone.

“You don’t seem too sure.” She was informed, which made Chi huff.

“It got bad around three in the afternoon. But there’s been some pain for a day or so now.” China admitted, listened to the sound of typing and tried to focus more so on the feel of Liam’s hand on her knee again.

“Your fiancé mentioned you thinking you’re pregnant,” Steph began, “Any idea how far along you would be?”

Chi chuckled a little bitterly, because she knew, once again, Liam wouldn’t like hearing her answer. “Pretty far, but he doesn’t-” she began to grit her words, letting out a harsher and more forceful, ��believe me.” It was whimpered as she crushed her body into itself once more.

“Breathe.” Liam reminded her, ignoring the pang of pain from China’s words.

“What d’you think I’m doing?!” She shouted now, and it ended up being followed by a small mess of sobs mixed with winces and whimpers.

“You need to stay calm.” Came the reassuring voice down the line again. “Both of you.” She said, as if it was also pointed toward Liam, who frankly was offended, because he was definitely biting his tongue for China’s sake already. “Listen to your fiancé, China. Breathe, deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth.”

Liam watched as China flipped a middle finger to the phone before she winced into herself again. “In and out.” He coached her gently, ignored the glare she shot him, taking breaths himself for her to follow.

After a begrudged moment, she did as he did, and slowly as the pain eased away, she let her body loosen again, her back pressed to the door of the car.

“Good.” He said with a soft smile in her direction, trying to encourage her and let Steph know it had passed.

“Can you tell me when you last had a period at least?” She asked now that the car had settled once more, realising the mention of how far along China may or may not be was a sensitive subject for them both.

Chi pressed her palm to her forehead, feeling exhausted and weak, but trying to wrack her brain for an answer. “Months.” She finally offered, not that it was much of an answer at all.

“How many?”

“Eight?” Her eyes avoided Liam’s; didn’t want to see his disapproving gaze once more shrugging the situation off.

There was quietness down the phone, then a small hum of a noise. “Okay.” Followed by more typing, a lot more, and quicker now. “Can you tell me what the pain is like?”

The tension slipped away from the car once more, Liam gave her a pat on the leg before he reached into the back seat to pull a bottle of water for her. He figured it was probably one she’d long discarded on her way to or from set, but it was better than nothing at the moment in time.

“Like a burning?” China offered, once again a question more than an answer. “My back feels like it’s on fire, and like it’s in knots at the same time.” There was more typing again in which Liam passed her the bottle of water to take small sips from.

“And is that it?” Steph prompted again after a moment, so Liam took the drink away so she could answer.

“No. It moves. Like the burning is there all the time, but it twists around and my stomach keeps cramping up, every so often.”

More typing. “Have you timed these?” She asked now, definitely more so to Liam, he figured, letting China have a bit more of the water.

“It hadn’t occurred to me.” He confessed, but now his phone was a little busy being used for this call, so he didn’t have the resources to time them now, either.

“Okay.” More typing, “I need you to make yourself useful. Try to massage her lower back, see if some of that pain eases away.”

Liam capped the bottle and put it on the dash for now, “Alright. We will try.” He was worried once again, even though Steph didn’t seem as panicked as he had been feeling all along. How was she managing to stay so calm right now?

He gently helped her with soft touches to get her to sit up again properly in the seat, leaving the back of the seat down, and moved over a little more so he could work his hands on her lower back as soothingly as he could muster.

Chi let out a small noise that didn’t sound pain filled at all, and he figured he was doing something right, so he carried on doing as he was told, watching the discomfort slip from her face the more he did this. He had to have been doing it for about a minute before her whole body stiffened again and she winced, hand pressed back to her stomach with the cramp taking a hold of her again.

He eased up, not sure what to do, “Breathe, remember.” He told her, watched her form sink so her head was rested against the dash now as she took deep breaths.

“Is that another one?” Steph asked, typing more.

“Yeah.” Liam answered, his hand running soothing circles on China’s back.

“Okay.” Steph typed more, quicker once again then went quiet. “Let me know once it passes, okay?”

“Yeah.” Liam answered now, watching China intently as she took deep breaths. He waited for her form to ease softly, but she didn’t sit back up, probably finding it more comfortable to sit like this for now. “Is it gone?” He asked, and Chi nodded weakly. “It passed.” He let his hands move back to her lower back to continue massaging at her skin there.

Then there was more typing. “That was around three minutes from the last one.” Steph informed him, typing again, “And lasted around sixty-six seconds.”

“What does that mean?” Liam asked, not too familiar with any of this at all.

Steph gave a soft chuckle. “She’s doing good.” She offered, “Do you have anything there to help out? Blankets? Anything like that?”

“Help out?” Liam asked now, suddenly panicked. His hands stopped their motions making China whine ever so gently, forcing him to carry on. “What do you mean ‘help out?’.” His tone was laced with panic and worry now.

“You need to stay calm, for her sake.” Steph informed him. “But it definitely seems to me like this baby is on its way… and they’ll be here soon.”

His hands stopped again. This time when she whimpered he still didn’t move his hands. No, that wasn’t what was happening… China wasn’t… She couldn’t be. Before he knew it he was panicking and trying to make sense of everything. “She’s not… we’re not…” He forced out, shaking his head as he did so.

The worry in his tone was enough to startle China, who had managed so far to keep as calm as she possibly could. “Liam.” She whispered softly, head turning to look at him, her hand finding his to give it a soft squeeze. “I’m so sorry.” She offered the apology.

“What- We’re not-” He rambled again. Tried to let the feel of her warm hand in his ground him some, but it was hard to do when something seemed so unbelievable and far fetched.

“You need to calm down.” Chi informed him, worried now he’d faint from shock, he was already so pale as he sat there in front of her.

“Calm?” He asked though it was more of an exclamation, “How can I be calm about any of this?!”

Tears sprung to her eyes, but she knew it was coming, thought about it several times over the last few months, but sometimes she thought it was just too late into the lie and her denial to tell him.

“You need to be calm because if you panic China right now we may have some complications.” Steph said now, and the tension began slipping from the car. “You can believe it or not, but I’m telling you, right now, she is going to need you calm and to do as I tell you.”

He was still having a very hard time wracking his brain around the idea at all because how in the hell could they be having a baby but China didn’t look pregnant at all, and nothing was ready, they didn’t have anything, and no one knew, and he was spinning in a tailspin of panic once more, so China tried to squeeze his hand gently except the pain welled back up in her and she cried out, caught off guard by it, and her hand tightened around his painfully.

That was enough to bring him back down to earth with a few strong blinks, he forced his hand to run back over her lower back, “Another one.” He announced for Steph’s sake more than their own, since she was helping them time things.

“Remember, deep breaths.” Steph coached, and he watched Chi do as she was instructed. His brain still couldn’t wrap around the idea of this at all, but right now it didn’t matter, he’d work it out later, right now China was his priority.

“In and out.” Liam coached her with soft breaths of his own, “Good.” He commented as Chi did as he was saying, a deep breath in, a deep breath out.

It seemed to last forever now he was beginning to realise what was happening, and Liam tried not to focus on the grand scheme of everything at all. Eventually Chi’s pained grip on his hand eased, and her body went less rigid.

“Good?” He asked, resuming the gentle massage of her lower back.

“Mhm.” Chi muttered out loosely.

“It’s passed.” Liam said, informing Steph again.

“Okay, we’re progressing.” Steph informed him. “Like I said, do you have anything there that can help you out?” She asked, and Liam had to pause and think because it wasn’t his car, but he knew Chi usually kept a bag of spare things to take to and from set with her in case she needed anything.

“Is your work bag in the trunk?” Liam asked as he lent in closely to her.

“Should be.” Chi answered, voice hoarse again.

“Okay, I’m going to grab it. Take some more sips of water, alright? I don’t need you dehydrated.” He lent in and for the first time tonight pressed a gentle kiss to her head of hair before passing her the uncapped bottle of water over. “I’ll be quick.” He swore before he opened the car door and headed around to the trunk.

Chi did as he had asked her, taking small sips of the water despite the burning pain in her back dully hanging there. She listened to the soothing sound of Steph typing more as it was a lot more comforting than blaring car horns and shouting.

“How’re you doing?” Steph asked her after a couple of seconds passed.

“Peachy.” Chi huffed out, irritated at best.

“You’re doing great.” She informed the girl, who felt like she was doing anything but.

“Help isn’t coming, is it?” China asked a moment later, taking her aback.

She listened to the woman sigh through the phone, heard a keyboard and mouse. “I promise, we have someone dispatched, but the power is out and everything is pretty tight and gridlocked.” Yet, despite the words being anything but calming, there was a soothing tone to Steph’s voice, “But they are trying their best to get to you.” She promised.

Chi huffed out something that was a laugh in spite of her whole situation. It was just her luck. She wished she could rewind the clock back to April when she took that test. Told Liam then so they weren’t stuck in this situation now… maybe everything would have been different.

“And you’ve got this. So has Liam. I’m going to stay on the line and help as much as I can until they reach you. Whether that’s before the little one arrives or after, it doesn’t matter.”

It was very odd how words that were so out of her comfort zone were being spoken so soothingly to her. So full of care and confidence that it gave her the hope that maybe she could do this, too.

The car trunk closed, and Liam returned to the drivers side with a duffel, putting it on the seat to try rummaging through the contents of the bag.

“What sort of thing do we need?” He asked now as he began sifting things out. It was mostly clothes or candy, typical China things.

“Something to wrap the little one in until help can get to you. No buttons. Something warm.” Steph informed him. He found a jumper and set it aside. “And once this next one passes it’s probably for the best to get China settled in the back seat.”

He was about to ask why but his attention was stolen back by China letting out another curse and tensing into herself once again. “Another.” He informed Steph.

“Like clockwork.” Steph confirmed.

Liam shoved the duffel to the floor, making sure the car was firmly in park before he slid into the seat, moving to let his hand find China’s again so she could carry on squeezing his bones to a pulp. “In and out.” He soothed again, doing the same himself and she followed. This time he tried counting in his own brain, remembering Steph mentioning sixty something seconds last time. At least it was something he could do to feel useful.

As he counted, China kept on her breathing, feeling his free hand as it massaged her back again right where she needed it.

It slipped away, but it was definitely lasting longer each time. Her grip lessened and her body went slack once again.

“Seventy four?” Liam said toward Steph.

“There abouts, yes.” She confirmed, more typing. “Let her catch her breath and then move her to the back, alright?”

He nodded, forgetting she couldn’t see them.

“Make sure everything you may need will be in the back, too.”

Liam moved quickly, opening his car door and clambering out. He took the duffel and the jumper he found, along with the bottle of water and set them in the foot well of the back seat. Then he raced over to China’s side of the car and opened the door, easing the back of her seat up again so it wouldn’t obstruct them when they were in the back.

“Think you can walk?” He asked, remembering having to carry her from bed to the car initially, but she seemed to have a little more life in her now than she had then. He was still surprised when she nodded, letting her hand find his and guide her from the passenger side. She was only up for a moment, but he made sure to support all of her weight as best as he could as he moved to open the car door and gently ease her inside. She settled into a laying down position on the back seat and he moved to push the seats backs as far toward the trunk as possible so she had space to feel comfortable.

“Two seconds. Rest.” He whispered to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead before he closed the door and moved back to the passenger side, sliding the car seat forward as far as it would go and grabbing his phone as he did so.

He walked to the drivers side and did the same, before he clambered into the back, too, settling down, letting her feet rest in his lap gently.

“Okay, all settled.” He soothed, to which Chi let out a gentle hum. He found his fingers working at massaging out ankles that were on the swollen side; wondered how he never noticed that before… How many other symptoms of being pregnant did she have that he had no clue about?

Liam had lost track of time whilst he had been helping move her into the back, so he was somewhat taken aback when the quiet of the moment was stolen by another pained groan from China, her body turning inward toward the seats to maybe muffle some of her pain.

“You’re doing so good.” He encouraged, attention turning to the phone on the floor. “Another one.” Liam informed Steph, listened to more typing, but he knew what to do now, so before she coaxed him, he lent further into China and let his hands work at her back. “In and out remember. You’ve got this. In… and out.”

She followed his actions, he watched her tensed motions as she tried to breathe the pain away, and felt guilty for everything the past few months. For not noticing. For not being around enough. For not making as much effort as he should have. Sure, he knew she could have met him in the middle, but if everything happening right now was right: she had been in no condition to do so at all.

He was thankful for a moment that she’d stopped flying back and forth to see him; unsure of what problems that could have caused for her… and the little one.

If there was a little one at all.

He shook the thoughts off and worked to soothe her discomfort as best he could but it sounded as if things were intensifying, and Chi’s whimpers of discomfort had elevated a little more now to muffled cries of pain into the fabric of the car seats.

“Is something wrong?” He asked, panicked by it all, but it wasn’t like China was in any state to answer him. “It’s getting worse.” Liam informed Steph, who gave a noise of approval.

“It will. That’s how it works. But she’s almost there. It shouldn’t be much longer now.” She tried to reassure him, though she was still focusing on whatever updates she was typing to the ambulance team. “Just try to keep her as comfortable as possible. The change in her position may have shifted things along a little bit further, it’s not uncommon.”

It had definitely lasted longer too, but eventually Chi’s cries of pain eased, and her body relaxed again. She rolled out of the seat, letting herself get some air that wasn’t warm and sweaty.

“You okay?” Liam asked her, moving to grab the water bottle again and uncap it, passing it to her.

She took a small sip and passed him the bottle back, “As well as I can be.” She said, but it was more dejected than her replies had been all night.

He settled a hand on her shoulder and ran a soothing thumb over the skin there. “You’re doing so well.” He informed her with the soft offer of a smile in her direction.

Tears were back in her brown eyes because she was so worried she had ruined everything. Thought she’d shattered their relationship because of her keeping stupid secrets and panicking herself for months.

Whatever thoughts were in her head, he settled with a soft kiss to her cheek. “You amaze me.” He informed her softly, and she laughed ever so slightly before her expression fell from an amused one to a pain filled one once more. “In and out.” Liam reminded her again.

“They’re getting closer now.” Steph said, as she listened to the two of them.

China sat up and found her head settling against his shoulder as she tried to remember to breathe calmly. One hand in his holding firmly to his hold, the other tightly pressing into her stomach. He kissed her dark hair while his other hand worked at her back.

“Good job.” Liam encouraged gently as they worked through it. The sounds of her pain far clearer now that she was so close to his ear. He felt his t-shirt dampening from what must have been her tears, and let out a gentle, “Shh,” As he tried to rock her softly in his hold and ease her back pain somewhat.

It felt like it was never ending, but eventually she relaxed somewhat in his hold. Liam kissed the soft nape of skin by her ear, not minding if she was clammy or not, “Good?” He asked. She nodded against him and he decided to let her stay in his hold like that for a little while longer. Whatever felt the most comfortable for her.

“I’m so sorry.” China whispered tiredly against his shoulder.

Liam kissed her forehead tenderly. “Don’t worry about it right now. We can talk about it later.” He tried to soothe her softly. “Let’s just get through this first.”

“I just-” Chi started, wanting to maybe explain to him her reasoning as to why she hadn’t told him… or anyone, really, but it was cut off by another, louder, “Shit!” And she creased into him again.

Liam let his body do whatever her’s did, so she had no resistance to her hunched up form. Worked his hand across her back, but he was worried now. “That can’t have been more than a minute.” He said toward the phone.

“You’re right. But that’s not a bad sign.” Steph informed him. Stayed quiet while Liam and China eased through the pain as best they could as a team. Waited for the sounds of pained curses and groans to cease. “You need to get her ready for delivery.”

Liam paled all over again. “I don’t-” He started but was cut off.

“You don’t have much choice.” Steph snapped back, firmer than before, knowing soft and gentle was no longer going to cut it. “Lie her down, take off her bottoms, try and find something to throw over her legs and give her some privacy, but you need to be ready to do this.”

“I can’t-” He tried again.

“No, we don’t have time for this, you need to make sure she is ready and comfortable, it isn’t about you. It’s about her and the baby.” Liam gulped, “Do you understand.”

He paused, “Y-yeah.” But his eyes still seemed nervous and unsure.

Chi pulled away from his shoulder to glance damp brown eyes up at him. There was a permanent crease at the edges of her eyes now from the pain she was always feeling. There was the faintest hint of another apology lingering in her eyes, and he felt bad for suddenly making it a matter about him, because it wasn’t at all. Whatever concerns he had paled in comparison.

Liam pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. “Okay?” He whispered out gently, and she nodded her head as an answer. He moved to grab the duffel and look through for something else. Found a plaid button up that he could throw over her knees and zipped the bag closed.

He moved and slipped the bag on the seat behind her so she had something to lean against, held her hand as she gently eased herself back against it, trying to feel as comfortable as possible, but this situation was far from comfortable for her.

A soft pad of his thumb played over her knuckles again gingerly, reassuringly, before he moved to do as he had been instructed. Gently easing China out of her pyjama bottoms and her panties - trying not to be too relieved when neither were completely blood covered like he’d imagined - before covering her spread knees over with the button up. His hand now ghosting softly against the skin of her hip.

“Okay, we’ve done that.” He informed Steph, and watched as China’s whole body changed again to tense up in immense pain. Now she was in this position though, there was no way for her to roll over and muffle her cries of pain, or that he could work his hands against her back. He moved his hands to hold onto her own, letting her squeeze them as tightly as she could while he was deeply breathing in and out, trying to coax her to do the same.

It was a tense minute and a half but she eventually eased back into the awkward pillow he’d made for her, and he breathed out a sigh of relief. “What do we do now?” He asked.

“Soon enough China’s going to feel the need to push. That’s where you come in. Make sure the baby is progressing well, check for any cord around their neck, just in case, if there is, you need her to stop pushing and ease it off. And after that? Get ready to catch, dad.” Steph laughed softly, but neither Liam nor Chi did the same.

“When do we know to push?” Liam asked, his eyes as wide as saucers at the thought of all of the things he needed to remember to do… of everything he was about to see that he honestly thought he never needed to see.

“She’ll know. Trust me. China’s body will start taking over. Just remember to help her breathe, and you-” there was a distinct beeping of Liam’s phone. His screen flashed with the ‘no battery’ symbol, and then it went black completely.

“Shit.” He cursed out, and the panic filled him once again because he very suddenly felt out of his depth on every level.

Chi must have panicked, too, because brown eyes were looking at him fear filled. “Please tell me you brought my phone.” She pleaded, but there was a look on Liam’s face that told her he hadn’t. They were definitely screwed.

“I’m going to check cars, see if someone can help, okay?” He started, his panic definitely clear as he began to move away but her hand found his in her tight grip and worry struck him.

“Please don’t leave me like this.” She pleaded, a shake to her tone telling him all he needed to know. He had to be strong, or else things could go wrong with China… with the baby.

He scrubbed a stressed hand across his beard, tried to take a deep breath, and then nodded; knowing he couldn’t leave her like this.

“I’m not going anywhere, okay. I’m right here.” He reassured her, letting his hand find her’s in a soft squeeze.

The squeeze was returned a moment later with Chi’s grip tightening again, she cried out in pain once more and he felt completely useless all of a sudden, like he didn’t know what to to to help her any more.

“Breathe, remember to breathe.” He informed her with soft words, resumed his coaxing as he had before with soft breaths in and out, that she mimicked, somewhat roughly.

“It’s-” She shook her head, tears in her eyes, “It’s getting worse.” China groaned out, teeth gritted as she tried to manage the pain.

“I know, but you’re doing great. You’ve come so far now, only a bit left to go.” Liam tried to reassure her, realising that his worries and fears were nothing compared to hers. “Keep breathing, okay?” He asked, moving a little closer to her so he could push some damp hair away from her face. “In and out.”

They stayed like that until the pain passed again, Liam sitting uncomfortably in the foot well of the car so he could be as close to her as she needed him to be. “You’re so strong.” He informed her in a soft whisper, a finger ghosting across her cheek.

She’d taken the moments breather to let her eyes fall shut, get what tiny fragments of rest she could since she was so exhausted already, and she had a feeling the worst was still to come.

Liam sat next to her awkwardly watching her, not wanting to disturb the small bit of peace she was finally getting, but he knew it wouldn’t last long, wished she could have longer to get her strength somewhat back.

“I love you.” He informed her with a gentle whisper. “Always have, always will.”

It wasn’t an unusual statement, definitely not for the pair of them, but it was something she needed to hear, because she was so fearful her secret keeping had destroyed everything about them.

Chi opened her eyes, wanting to answer, but the pain was back, catching her off guard, “Liam.” She groaned out, but his hand was instantly in her own letting her squeeze all she needed to, as he coached her breaths from her with ease now.

“You’ve got this. You’re stronger than anyone else I know.” He encouraged her softly. Brought her hand up to press a kiss to her knuckles lightly.

“I don’t-” She started in a pained groan, but he only shook his head.

“I believe in you. For now, focus on breathing, Chi.”

He coached her again and she followed his lead shakily with tears falling from her eyes that he quickly wiped away for her. It ebbed away again, and her body eased back into the seat, breathless.

“Do you want some more water?” He offered now he noticed she was at a little more ease again, but she shook her head gently toward him.

At a loss for what to do, he went back to softly moving hair out of her face, hoping it was soothing for her more than anything else. His eyes travelled to where one of her hands rested on her stomach, it was a bit more rounded than when they first were together, but definitely in no way the size he remembered Elsa, Samantha, or Amber being when they were pregnant… He still couldn’t wrap his brain around it at all.

“Liam-” Chi sighed slightly, pulling his blues to her browns. Then she avoided his gaze again, “I’m so sorry.”

“China.” Liam softly breathed out, “We can talk about it later.”

She shook her head, tears in her eyes now. “I know there’s nothing to take it back.” China swallowed hard, her mouth dry again, “But I was scared.”

He softly wiped her tears away as they fell, “I understand.”

“And… you know… I didn’t… I don’t look…” She began deeply breathing again and her hand tightened around his.

“Breathe.” Liam reminded her again, watched her face scrunch up and her whole body tense.

“I…” She tried again, “I love you.” She informed him. Felt soft lips pressing against her forehead in a comforting way so she settled and tried not to explain herself any further.

“I love you too. So much. More than you can even imagine.” Liam informed her, wiping tears away and letting her hand crush the life out of his.

“Liam.” Chi said on one of her breaths out.

“Hmm?” He looked her over, ready to reassure her everything would be okay again if he needed to. There was a different look in her eyes - shock. “What?”

China’s eyebrows pulled together, “I think… I can feel it…”

He paled again. His stomach rolled but now wasn’t the time for that. “You need to push?”

When his fiancé nodded her head, he let his lips find her hand and kiss it one more time.

“Then I guess we’re going to follow your instincts.” Liam softly spoke to her, and he began to move. Not really feeling confident, but he knew he had no choice in the matter. It was definitely not what he pictured himself doing a few hours ago when his flight landed in Atlanta to visit his fiancé, and he honestly didn’t know if he would ever forget the image he was about to see.

He stilled himself for a second before pulling up the edges of the shirt he had draped over her lap. Thankful the back windows were tinted so no one else could see what he was seeing right then and there. But she was right. He could see the beginnings of something there, and for a split moment he was gobsmacked.

“You do what feels natural.” He reassured her with a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. He felt sick, honestly, but he was pushing past that feeling.

He kept his eyes on her expression, because looking down there was definitely something he didn’t want ruined forever. A hand resting on her leg in a comforting way, was all he could muster. But, when he saw her expression change and her whole body tense, her instinct making her sit up so she could push better, he knew he had no choice.

He glanced down and tried to still himself from seeing the sight of what he assumed must have been a head beginning to emerge.

“I can see it. Keep going, you’re doing great.” He encouraged softly, hands on her knees. His gaze kept shifting between her and where he could see the beginnings of hair on a head. “You’ve got this.” He informed her, found himself smiling reassuringly at her as she grunted and bore down as much as she could.

When the minute and a half was up, she slumped back against the duffel, and he let the pads of his fingers smooth over her legs soft skin. “Good job.” He spoke softly, but they hadn’t made much progress at all. Liam knew he may not be familiar with birth, but for definite, there was a hell of a lot more baby waiting to emerge.

“Make sure to catch your breath, okay?” He informed her, watching her breathless form as she tried to take a moment of rest. Liam made sure to grab the bottle of water, uncap it, and gently press the bottle to her lips to let her take a small sip, which she did gratefully.

It was barely a minute of rest before she groaned again, and like before, sat up, holding onto her knees for some purchase to try and push once more.

Liam quickly capped the water and discarded it near his feet, letting her hands find his instead, using his strength to hold her up as her eyes tightly closed, face creased up in deep pain.

She gave a bit of a loud grunt this time and tried to sink her teeth into her lower lip to stop any cries of pain that wanted to leave.

“Good job.” Liam grinned at her, and tried to ignore the crushing grip her slender fingers had on his hands to let his thumbs softly run over her knuckles. He watched her efforts, though they fell short somewhat of last time, probably with her increasing exhaustion. He remembered something he had seen in a movie once, hoped it would work as he watched her slump back once more against the duffel.

“Next time I’m going to count, okay? Just to ten. Push for the ten, then relax, alright?” Liam asked in his thick accent, watched her look at him through eyelashes matted together with tears. He was relieved when she nodded her head.

Taking a moment to appreciate her, he brought her hand to his lips in a tender, comforting kiss. Then took a small glance down to her parted knees under the plaid shirt. There was more of a head now, but it still wasn’t as fast as he thought it may have been. Tearing his blues back up to her, he gave her a warm smile, not sure if either he just didn’t know enough, or if something was wrong. He prayed for the first time today it was the first choice.

“We’re getting there.” He chuckled, hoped the sound of his laughter may soothe her fear filled look somewhat.

She tensed up again, but with less energy than before, so his hands coaxed her to sit forward as he began a slow count for her, “One… two… three…” Liam kept his eyes on her, watching the look of agony on her face and the way her whole body was tight with force; she was giving it her all. “…Seven…” This time her eyes opened to glare at him, and he took the hint, “Eight, nine, ten.”

There was a relieved gasp that left her chest as she laid back down against the duffel. “Count faster next time.” China managed to gruff out as a tear slipped down her cheek.

Instead of huffing back at her, he laughed gently once more. “I will, I promise.” He let one of his hands release from her own to wipe the tear away. “More water?” Liam questioned, but she only shook her head.

There wasn’t much of a respite this time, and he barely had the chance to look down and see how he was progressing - something he was almost thankful for - figured that the closer and faster things were, the better, so he let her take his hand once again, and assisted her in sitting forward and bearing down.

“One… two…” He started.

Chi opened her scrunched eyes to glare at him, but he didn’t speed up the count down this time.

“Keep breathing remember.” He paused for a second to remind her, then added, “four… five.. six…”

China released her lower lip from her teeth’s grip, there was an indentation of her teeth on her skin from how hard she had been biting down.

Liam looked at China as he counted, “seven… eight…” He finally stilled his rolling stomach to look down again, and saw that things were progressing a little faster than before. There was definitely a head of hair now, and a forehead.

“Nine… ten.” He smiled to her, helped ease her back against the duffel instead of falling ungracefully backwards like she had the tenancy to be doing right now. “I can see it, Chi. Hair… a head… you’re doing great.”

She gave a weakened nod, a glimmer of a tired smile toyed at the edges of her lips, as if relieved he was finally believing her. China didn’t get much of a chance to dwell or rest before she was sitting up once more and pushing again, Liam’s counting resuming.

It was definitely the most painful thing she had ever experienced in her life, there was no doubt about it, and soon enough it got to a point where there was no real respite at all. Everything burning and feeling as if it was on fire.

Something primal kicked into her instincts. Encouraged by gentle words from Liam coaxing her with how well she was doing and how close they were getting.

She collapsed back against the duffel a few minutes later.

“Relax.” He told her, looking down now at the fully exposed face of a baby… it wasn’t moving or crying, and he didn’t know if it was meant to. Tried to shake a sinking feeling in him that something wasn’t right.

Recalling the phone call, he glanced back up, “Don’t push. I just need to check for the cord.” He let his eyes meet China’s trying to convey the severity of the moment. China understood, but her eyes still scrunched a moment later. She tried to breathe through the pain instead of following her instincts for the time being.

Liam had no clue what he was checking for, but he wasn’t letting Chi know that. “Keep breathing, you’re doing great.” He informed her as he let a finger slip around the little one’s neck. It felt normal, and he guessed they were in the clear. Smiled toward China as he looked back up. “Okay, I think we’re good. There’s nothing there.” He reassured her, wiping his hand off on the shirt over her lap, ridding it of any bloody or wet mess that was around the baby.

Softly he pushed hair out of her face. “We’re almost there. Just a little more to go.” Liam whispered, everything else completely tuned out now. He barely heard car horns, or yelling, or angry phone calls, or people complaining in their cars around them frustrated that they were still stuck here in spite of the sun now beginning to rise. Instead letting himself fall in sync with her and her needs.

“You’re doing so amazingly.” He encouraged as he took her hand again, his lips brushing gently against her knuckles.

“I’m so tired.” She muttered out weakly.

Liam shook his head, his free hand moving to cup her cheek, waited for her eyes to lock onto his before he spoke, “I know, I’ll bet you are, but we aren’t giving up now, okay? You’ve come too far to give up.” There was a soft smile toward her, but his eyes were filled with worry of something being seriously wrong. His smile fell all together when he watched her eyes squeeze shut and her teeth sink into her lip again.

“No, come on, you’ve got to push again.” Liam coaxed her, letting his hand find her other one, and pulled her back up to her sitting position, “One… two…”

She let out something mixed between a cry of pain and a guttural groan, almost drowning out the sounds of Liam’s counting, hoped it would help her focus on something other than how long ten seconds seemed to last. She was sure Liam was making it take around thirty seconds, not ten.

Liam let his thumb smooth over her knuckles as he kept his eyes down now, toward their baby, watching the form shift positions entirely, turning as if her body knew just what it had to do to make this as easy as possible.

Things moved in a fluid motion from there.

He reached ten, expected her to fall back and take another respite, but there was a small sense of determination in her resolve now. A bit more of a cry of pain left her lips, but it became mixed with the movement of his hands very quickly letting go of China’s to catch the slippery form of the baby as it slid free from her body, still attached but definitely out in the world now.

There was a quick moment where he worried because it didn’t do anything.

China slumped back her knees falling slack from their previous position, as he reached to grab the jumper he had gotten out before from the foot well of the car, and moved to wrap the baby in it as fast as he could.

Surprisingly, as he rubbed a hand over the small form, hoping to maybe force some life into it, the small face of their baby scrunched up, and the car was filled instead with the soft cries that brought joy to both of their ears.

“There you are.” He laughed gently, holding the little one securely as he tried to warm them up more. Noted that the cord was still attached, but had nothing to tie it off with and cut it. “Okay, okay. I’m right here.” He cooed softly, a finger tracing over the cheek of their baby… his baby.

In his sudden surprise, he’d almost forgotten to check. Moved the jumper back somewhat and grinned at what he saw before tightly bundling the little one up again. “A girl. We’ve got a daughter.” Liam said now, toward China with a loved up grin on his face.

All thoughts of the images he had just witnessed completely left his brain. He was relieved when he found his blues finding her browns, almost forgetting to check China over and make sure she was okay, but she was conscious, and tears were falling down her cheeks quickly now.

“She’s perfect.” Liam informed China before he shifted ever so slightly to pass the little one over to China’s shaky and tired arms, helped her support the baby as best he could. “Look what we made.” He couldn’t stop smiling as he looked down at the small baby girl in his fiancé’s arms, stealing a soft kiss of China’s lips for the first time that day.

One hand ghosted over the thick tufts of dark hair atop the baby’s head, while his other wiped away China’s falling tears.

“You did such a great job, mama.” He informed China in a slight whisper, watched her smile down toward the little one and felt his heart swell at the image of his girls… The two of them.

“She’s,” China sniffled gently, her hand softly moving across the cheek of her daughter, “beautiful.” Tears were still thick in her eyes, but they were of happiness and relief, so Liam just wiped them away as they fell again.

“She is.” Liam agreed as he let his lips find China’s forehead.

They sat in quiet bliss for a short bit of time, China watching the baby until her eyes grew heavy with exhaustion. Liam watching the two of them with his heart full of pride. When he noticed China slipping into sleep, he moved to look at the traffic with a soft sigh, then turned back to her, tucking hair behind her ear.

“You okay with her for two minutes? I’m going to see if I can borrow someone’s phone.” He let her know.

Her lazy eyes opened, Chi shifted ever so gently so as not to jostle the little one, but gave him a nod. “Yeah, we’re good.” She gave him a soft smile, and pecked his lips gently when he lent over her and stole a kiss.

She must have dozed off, because one moment she saw Liam leave the back of the car, giving her a final smile, then closed the door, and the next she knew the door was being opened again to reveal Liam standing there on the phone, lit up by the reddened morning sky, and an older white-haired lady was moving into the vehicle as she smiled at her.

“Hi, love.” The older lady said as she noticed her eyes fluttering open, “I’m Pam, your fiancé’s on the phone to the emergency services now, but I used to be a doctor, I offered to check you and the little one over. Is that okay?”

China paused, but her eyes met Liam’s who gave her a smile despite the fact he was frantically talking down a phone that wasn’t his. With his comforting gaze telling her everything would be okay, she nodded her head.

“Rest up a little, you’ve definitely had a long night.” Pam smiled to her, and then reached over and took the baby from her arms.

Instantly the little girl was startled to be away from her mother’s warmth, and began letting out shrill cries as the jumper was unwrapped from around her body.

China shifted, ready to comfort her daughter; instincts kicking in almost immediately, but Pam let out a small chuckle.

“She’s definitely got a good set of lungs on her.” Pam confirmed, as she checked the baby over, then looked to the cord which was still attached. She dug into a small bag that China hadn’t realised she had with her, took out some scissors. It looked to be a craft bag for sewing and knitting. “Okay, dumpling, you’re going to be okay.” Pam cooed, and China appreciated the softness in her tone.

Brown eyes gazed past her to look at Liam, who was now looking over at their daughter with worry too, mostly because of the cries. She gave him a soft smile, which he returned, then walked to the car, phone still pressed to his ear.

“Everything okay?” He asked, and Pam took the moment to reply to him, still with a thick hint of laughter in her tone that China guessed was ever permanent.

“She seems to be perfectly fine.” She informed him as she reached to find a bit of thick string from in her craft bag. She tied off one part of the cord and then another, before she offered him the scissors.

Liam didn’t really think much about it, he’d been there to help deliver his daughter after all, nothing could be worse and better than that right now. Letting the phone press to his ear using his shoulder, he gave a careful cut with the scissors until the little one was finally free.

“There you are.” Pam smiled toward the baby, patting her a little roughly on the back, making sure all of her airways were clear, before bundling her back in the jumper and passing her toward Liam. “I’m going to check your fiancé over now,” Pam informed him, “Keep seeing where the services are.”

Liam nodded and gave China another smile before he turned, tucking the baby close to his warmth, aware that she was wrapped up in a damp, dirty jumper and it wouldn’t protect her much from the cold. He kissed the baby’s forehead softly as he bounced her, something he’d done with all his nephews and nieces when they were fussing. Watched as Pam closed the door on the car to give Chi her privacy and decided not to interfere.

“We’re clearing a path slowly, now the sun is up it’s less dangerous closing off certain roads to get things moving again. We should be there soon.” A man said down the phone to Liam as he focused his eyes on his daughter.

“Thank you.” He answered in an absent minded way, his attention completely taken by his baby girl.

Eventually Pam opened the car door and stepped out of the vehicle with a smile. Crossing over to him with a congratulatory pat to his shoulder, “Both are doing well.” She informed him, guiding him back to the car where she’d helped China clean up and get more comfortable again, propped up against the car door now.

“I’ll keep talking to the ambulance, you should sit with them both, try and keep them warm.” She informed him, and Liam let her take the phone before he slipped onto the passenger seat beside China, letting her feet gently rest in his lap.

“You did wonderfully.” He informed China, looking to her with a grin as he closed the car door to preserve the car’s warmth inside of the vehicle’s body.

“She’s-” China asked.

Liam smiled and passed the baby over to her, “She’s wonderful, and definitely doing good.” He informed Chi with a small laugh because of all the things he thought he would be doing today; becoming a dad hadn’t been anywhere near the list.

China looked down at her daughter’s peaceful face and held her close. Slipped a tiny hand from beneath the jumper to look over tiny fingers and hands, and her heart melted there, because as much as she had been terrified and worried she wasn’t ready for this… she knew instantly that she was. This was their baby that they had made, and she was beautiful. Her dark blue eyes China swore would turn to brown over time, thick dark hair atop her head, tan skin, perfect little ears, nose, mouth, and ten beautiful fingers and toes…

Yes, everything was right where it needed to be.

“Liam-” She started, glanced up and despite the in-love smile on her face, he could see the apology dulling that sparkle in her eyes.

Liam shook his head, letting his hand rest over her own, the one that was holding the small fist of their daughter, and he knew it didn’t matter. “China, it’s done, okay? No apologising. She’s here, safe and sound, you’re doing good, I’m not dwelling on the past nine months.” He informed her, moved to tuck hair away from her eyes, “Our new life begins now. As parents.”

There was a moment where they just looked at each other. China still wanting to explain and apologise, but Liam trying to reassure her that it didn’t matter now. After a moment, a small wriggle from the bundle in China’s arms pulled both of their eyes, and made them smile completely once again.

“I guess our first job is to name her.” China started, chewing her lip. She knew there were a million other jobs still to be done: like the fact the girl had nothing at all. Nowhere to sleep, no clothes to sleep in, and nothing else that would be a necessity, but she also knew they couldn’t fix that until the traffic finally gave way,

“You’re right.” He agreed as he sat there looking his daughter over. He tried to think of some names, but nothing seemed to fit, or was perfect enough for the sweet little bundle they had, “Have you had any thought on it?” He asked, wondering if maybe at some point she had maybe taken a day to think of a name during the last nine months, but China’s head shook, and he couldn’t help but give her a small laugh. What a pair they really were.

“I didn’t really… think on it much.” China admitted, making him feel a little guilty for not noticing something was off sooner; maybe they would have been better prepared if he had noticed.

Liam gave a small squeeze to her knee comfortingly, “It’s okay. You know, Liam’s a very interesting name for a girl.” He teased, hoping to lighten the mood.

When he saw her glance up, a glare in her eyes but a smile on her lips, he knew it had worked. “We’re not naming our daughter Liam, Liam.” She let her hand nudge his shoulder playfully.

“You’re right…” He caved, but there was still a smirk of amusement toying at his lips, “China, then, that’s definitely a beautiful name.”

It earned him another weak whack to his arm, making him chuckle, “We’re not naming her after either of us, Liam.” She found her eyes rolling as she spoke softly so as to not startle the baby who was soundly resting now.

“Then you suggest some.” He pulled a slight tongue at her teasingly. Watched her eyebrow quirk a little as she looked the baby over.

“Something classic… regal… biblical?” China suggested, as she tried to think of the type of names she’d like. She looked up to see him frown at the ‘biblical’ part and laughed slightly at his face. “Okay, maybe not biblical. But something royal, maybe. Fitting for us.” She laughed gently realising their pets were all dubbed royally, so why not their daughter, too?

“Elizabeth?” Liam suggested, jumping straight for the Queen’s name, which made her laugh a little.

“It’s not bad, but I don’t know if it suits her?” She said, then added, “Alice, maybe?”

Liam now looked their daughter over, before he shook his head, “As much as Amber would love that, she doesn’t strike me as an Alice… Victoria?”

China toyed her lip between her teeth, “S’cute… But I’m not sure…” She huffed a small sigh, glancing back up toward him, “What about Charlotte?” Chi asked, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

Liam looked his daughter over, then toward China, and back again, “Charlotte, hmm?” He asked, toying it around in his mouth for a moment. At least it also gave way for a plethora of nicknames, too, which he didn’t mind either. “Charlotte Hemsworth?” He said, testing it more, but the more he said it, the more he began to fall for it.

“Charlotte Victoria Hemsworth?” China offered, with another hopeful look.

That brought out a smile in him, which caught up to her own face entirely. “It is definitely regal, and classic.” He nodded and agreed, looking to the baby girl in his fiancé’s arms. “I think it suits her.”

China’s own smile was big and wide as she sat there, looking at the baby, her fingers toying across a tan cheek, tenderly.

“Charlotte Victoria.” Liam repeated again, then lent over to capture China’s lips with his own. “Our little girl.” He whispered against her lips, pad of his thumb wiping tears off of China’s cheek.

[scrawledfables]

Deepest Oceans, Highest Skies

Chapter Two: Fate of the Gods

She welcomed the sound of the pattering rain; it sounded like home, reminded her of the weather back on The Isle instead of the always-perky sunshine she was growing tired of. It was different, Uma noted as she listened to it. Usually it was a hollow, metallic sound as the rain pattered on the tin of the shacks their parents had built to start their non-magic lives on The Isle. Here in Auradon, however, it was on perfectly polished glass panes, and the brick walls barely allowed the noise through.

Her eyes drifted a little as she focused on the sound. The library was quiet, thankfully, and she was looking over a History of Pirates book for one of her assignments, but she was tired. It had been all of a month since they’d permanently moved into the school and Uma was struggling with adjusting her sleep schedule. Working night shifts was something her mother had ingrained into her from a young age, and she’d done it for years, for as long as she could remember so sleeping through the day and being awake all night was what suited her body best.

All she knew was that her lack of sleep was catching up to her, and the weekends was when she used her time to finish her homework, and sleep as much as she could before the endless days began.

So, finding herself napping at a table in the school library on the weekend wasn’t that unusual. She welcomed it even.

It was the waking up part she hated more.

For someone who spent her whole life cautious and on edge, Uma Zale was slacking in that department. She’d grown used to the Auradonian kids and the fact they could be vicious and cruel, but her life wasn’t at risk like it was on The Isle, and she could live with that knowledge.

The sound of a hardback book slamming on the table right near her ear was enough to startle her, and her heart was instantly racing as she lurched up. It was still raining and it couldn’t have been more than ten minutes since she’d drifted off to sleep.

At least they had given her that.

She came face to face with Paulie and Peter, sons of Pain and Panic, looking at her proud of themselves for what they had done. Uma glared, but bit her tongue so hard she could taste a metallic tang; they weren’t worth it. No one was. This was her new life in Auradon, and some immature teenagers were not going to be the reason she was sent out of Auradon and back to that cursed Isle.

They sneered.

“I think the sea-bitch is going to cry.” The chubbier one of the two, Paulie, laughed, making his rounded face more rounded in the process.

“Aww, we disturbed her little nap.” Pouted and mocked the second more slender and snivelling one, Peter, who had a long, taut nose that stuck out of his face almost intimidatingly.

Uma still said nothing, just looked at them, waiting for them to leave her alone so she could retreat to her dorm and get the sleep she wanted.

But then Paulie reached to her notebook. He looked offended at the teal pen on the crisp white page (a pen Harry had found and given her because it reminded him of her and the sea) and chuckled at her messy handwriting.

“They are right, those VKs are idiots.” He commented showing the writing to his cousin who laughed, too.

It wasn’t Uma’s fault her whole life had been spent scribbling orders down in a rushed manner. She hadn’t had the time to really perfect her handwriting, but at least she was more capable than some of the others who hadn’t written before in their entire life, like Gil who was still struggling with it completely now they needed to write things daily.

“Can’t even write her own name.” Peter laughed back as he pointed to the top corner of the page where she had, as carefully as she could, written her own name.

It was odd at first, her name… it was something she had never written before, but took pride in doing now, because she learned quickly, whatever her name was on, was her’s: like her notebook, and her work, her pencil box, her textbooks even. She’d never had something that was her’s before, other than her crew, and it was nice to have some things to call her own.

But that notebook that was her own was now being carried by the two cousins, who were laughing and pointing at things on the page, mocking her spelling and writing as they walked over to the window, calling her and all the other VKs dumb along their way. Uma was almost offended for them all, except for Mal, Uma knew she was dumb, after all, and didn’t need that confirming.

Peter opened the window letting a few droplets of water slip into the library, and Paulie hung the notebook outside of the window like a fishing wire and hook, waiting for her to bite.

She wouldn’t.

Because, as much as she wanted to push the two shits out of that window herself, she needed to be in Auradon, with her crew. Knew, if she went back, Harry would follow, and Gil, and Auradon was better for them than The Isle. She bit her lip harder, rolled her eyes, crossed her arms over her chest and watched.

“Don’t want it?” Peter teased, head cocking to the dangling book.

“Scared of the rain or something, I thought you were an eight-legged water-loving freak?”

Tentacled. She wanted to correct but she bit her tongue harder.

Paulie dropped it and the notebook tumbled before her eyes, out of her sight. The only thing she knew of it next was the sound of crumpled pages landing a few floors below.

They both chuckled at the sight, closed the window up, and walked back to the table, giving each other high fives as they went. “Oops. It slipped,” Paulie said, as he passed her by. She found his elbow nudging hard into her side as he walked past, adding a whispered, “You don’t belong here.”

She thought for a moment how much they didn’t belong here. How she always thought Auradon was full of niceties and kind-hearted people. But here were two kids, only slightly spared their life on The Isle because their parents were pathetic, snivelling traitors who turned their back on Hades at the last moment.

They left, and she still waited. Didn’t lose her guard or position until they were out of the library and the laughter was heard down the hall. Even then, she didn’t rush. Uma calmly and collectedly packed up her other belongings and walked from the library, down to the courtyard below.

It was abandoned thanks to the rain, which she was grateful for. She saw the notebook, and the scattered damn pages, and had to sigh; her homework was going to be in disarray.

Uma put her bag down and made haste to collect her work.

She hadn’t noticed his presence until there was a chuckle from someone behind her.

For a moment, she worried Pain and Panic 2.0 had returned, but it didn’t sound like them at all. An eyebrow quirked, she looked to see a boy around her age, built like a God to put it in short, wearing an Auradon Prep tracksuit, kneeling to help her pick the pages up, too.

“Uh…” She started, and then stopped herself from telling him to mind his own damn business and to leave her alone, but she recalled Harry Hook’s rant from two days ago about Alistair Leventis. Finally, she realised, a face to put to the name.

She remembered Audrey’s fawning and didn’t see what the fuss was about, honestly.

“Happens to me all the time.” He said to her casually, probably seeing her, ‘Uh…’ as embarrassment.

“I doubt it.” Uma replied back, and ignored the thoughts that followed of, ‘Your arms look like they’d hold up the world and still not drop it,’ but she caught herself, and looked back to the dampened pages where the ink of her pen was bleeding now, too.

There went her homework.

“I hope it wasn’t too important.” He half commented, half asked, as he, too, noticed the leaking ink on the wet notebook pages.

It was, but it wasn’t, all the same, so she gave a careless shrug as a response.

Alistair must have caught onto her attitude. Maybe it was the glare she wore, or her snarl, or the closed off body language, so he kept himself to himself, gathered half of the pages, stacked them, and once they were all collected, passed them back to her with a smile, Uma guessed, usually made people completely weak in the knees.

“I think thank you is the word you’re looking for.” He said, and she realised she’d been staring. At the notebook pages, thankfully, and not at him.

Uma took her pages and added them to her own pile before she huffed out a laugh, “I only thank people who earn it.” She replied, as cool and as calmly as always. Her voice was as slick and as cold as the sea, he had to note, which suited her entirely.

“Alistair.” He instead said, holding his hand out for her to shake.

That was another thing she didn’t do easily.

She just kept looking at his hand like it was an offensive thing offered to her.

He took a glance at the papers in her hand, and took in the bleeding, messily writing of her name, “Uma?” He asked, but he knew that. How could he not? She’d been a wanted fugitive about Auradon for months since the Cotillion incident.

“Maybe.” She replied, and was thankful when he put his hand into his pocket.

The other ran through his golden, sunshine-kissed hair awkwardly, as if her presence made him uncomfortable, and that was the first time he saw a glimmer of a smile on her face.

‘Good,’ Uma thought, ‘He should be uncomfortable.’

She didn’t say anything more to him, even if she saw his curious look, she walked to her bag, picked it back up, and carried on walking with the ease and fluidity of the sea, away from him toward her dorm room.

[scrawledfables]

Deepest Oceans, Highest Skies

Chapter One: Child of a God

The first time she hears the name Alistair Leventis is when Harry Hook storms into her’s and Audrey’s dorm room one evening after a Swords and Sheilds game, ranting and raving in his thick accent as he went.

“He is a clear cheat.” He was pacing, and it was making her eyes tired from following his movement so she looked, disdainfully, down at the textbook in her lap.

But he’d paused, and she knew he was waiting for some response, so Uma threw in a, “Who?” She feigned her interest, though her tone said anything but.

“Alistair Leventis!” Harry added, as if she was meant to know who that was, “Surely there has to be some rule against letting the son of a God play in home tournaments!” Harry continued, still not realising Uma literally had not a care to give.

Harry found purchase on the end of her bed, an exasperated sigh as he sat.

Uma had to give a small scoff, because Harry Hook didn’t take well to defeat, and clearly that side of him was showing right now.

“If he wasn’t there we would’ve won, I know it! Gil knows it, too!”

Brown eyes rolled, still trying to stay focused on her ‘History of Magic’ textbook.

“-And all the girls keep fawning over him like he’s some rare catch!” Harry added, and as he realised she literally was paying him no mind, he caught himself, back into his loyal worshipping state. “But he’s not you, Uma, love. You’re the rarest catch one would ever be so lucky to find.”

There was a pout to his lips, and a puppy dog way to his eyes. Such devotion and honour that had Uma’s lips tugging ever so gently into a smile as she glanced to him.

“Flattery,” She started, and found her hand outstretching to his favourite place, threading through his hair, fingertips working at his scalp. Harry let out a mewl of a sound, like the tender kitten she turned him into, before it turned into a yelp, as her fingers gripped at his hair, then shoved his head away from herself, “Won’t make me forget you barged in here unannounced.”

He gave her a look of equal parts hurt, and also admiration, before he found a menacing smile of his own finding his lips. This was Uma. This was the girl from the Isle he missed sometimes.

It was clear, to those kids who had come over from the Isle, that people had changed since arriving in Auradon. Sure, it wasn’t the quick fix of ‘Lady Mal’ and her friends arriving here and turning good within all of a week or two, but they were all trying with only minor slip ups here and there from one or two of the new VKs.

The barrier had been opened for all of a week before trouble followed from villains once exiled who were stuck in their vengeful ways. The barrier was closed quickly, and The Isle soon became a living prison once more, free of the VKs who had been born and stuck there. And so, the threat returned; overhanging the newly arrived VKs and ex-villains who genuinely were trying to give their new life a go, of maybe finding themselves back there.

It was why, sometimes, Harry missed having the old Uma around; the girl who would have torn someone down with quick witted, malicious words faster than his own sword could move, and if anyone had so much as looked at her curiously or wrong, they’d have had another thing coming.

This Uma, sat on the bed before him, was different, so glimmers of her cruel or dark side sent Harry reeling and missing those old days.

Auradon was missing out, he was sure, because the old Uma was a force to be reckoned with.

“Sorry, Captain.” He said, quick and easily as he moved away from her bed, that same look of offence on his face as he did so. The term fell easily from his lips, even though the crew was long disbanded on arriving here, and she was currently ‘the captain of nothing at all’, as they had both heard countless times when the term fell from Harry’s lips outside of these dorm walls.

Still, he swore he saw a glimmer of a smile tugging at her lips from the term, and bowed to her in a sauntering and cocky manner before he turned and left her dorm room.

There was but a moment of quietness where she tried to look at her text book, but she was once again disturbed as Audrey walked in, a smile on her face as she did so.

“Harry was just-” Uma lazily started, glancing up she realised the look on Audrey’s face.

“I know.” Audrey replied, and Uma had seen it coming.

“I don’t need to know.” She held up a palm to Audrey to stop whatever she was about to say; Uma had had her quota filled this week of gushing about Harry Hook. Stories of all the places Audrey was taking him for dates, or sweet things he said, or did for the princess.

Sure, it was cute, but cute made Uma feel nauseous.

“What was he here for?” Audrey asked, the perky princess she was again settling on her overly large and comfortable bed as she did so. There was a thud of her heavy school bag meeting the floor, which she bent down to in order to free some textbooks and her notebook from.

Uma waited, because as much as she was getting used to having a roommate now, especially one so pink, she still took a small joy in ruffling the girls feathers. And she knew, entirely, Audrey was waiting for her to say, ‘Oh, he was looking for you, of course.’ but Uma wasn’t in a mood to appease the girl.

“Something about loosing the tournament.” Uma finally answered as she noticed Audrey was now fishing through her pencil case, she could see her face clearly enough to see the soft scowl that formed on it, and a deep chuckle rattled her chest as she saw it.  

It took a moment for Audrey to realise she had sat there with that scowl for too long, and that she may, heaven forbid, get wrinkles from it, before she forced a bright, princessly smile.

“Oh no,” a feigned gasp, Uma noted, “they lost?”

Uma’s smirk was firm as she let her History of Magic textbook be long discarded on the end of her bed. She sank against her pillows with her satisfaction. “Mhm. Something about letting a ‘God’s child play against them’, or something. He thinks it’s cheating.” A soft laugh, “Funny, he doesn’t see it as cheating when they’re a whole team fighting another school.”

Audrey was doodling in her notebook margins, but the words from Uma perked her ears. “Oh, Alistair?” She asked, Uma made a throaty sound of half agreeance, before Audrey let out a sigh of dreaminess. “That boy can charm his way onto any team,” She informed Uma, “But with a body like that, who’d complain?”

Uma drowned out Audrey’s talking with a roll of her eyes, letting her eyelids finally close. The princess droned on, until she heard the sea-witch’s daughter snoring softly, and realised that Uma hadn’t been listening to her for a good while now.

“How rude!” She muttered and picked up her phone to call Harry and talk to him, instead.