#fun fact one of the first things we know about Leto is that she convinced Zeus not to send her brother to Tartarus after the titan war

[literallyjusttoa]

I’m in my feels about Leto rn.

She a mom!!!! You don’t understand she’s a MOM!!!! And she was left all alone after the titan war (most titans were banished to Tartarus) and then she fell in love with this guy with all these red flags but they were genuinely in love!!! They sang songs and talked about deep things and Leto and Zeus LOVED EACH OTHER!!!!! And then she was made to suffer so much for it but she never took any of it out on her kids, and then they were basically taken away from her by Olympus!!!! And she was alone again!!!! But she loves her kids so so much so she built a safe place for them on Delos to come home to!!!! And she knows she can’t protect her kids from the monster the man she loves has become but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t try!!!! Leto tries so hard!!!!! And both of her kids fucking love her with all they have!!!!!!! Family is so important to all of them despite the fact that one member has become a horrible dickwad!!!!! They love each other!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

[andthest0ryg0es]

This Isn’t Happening - Chapter 14

My sincere apologies for the LONG wait between chapters. Real Life and writing with @ohh-la-la-leto sidetrack me a lot. :) There’s only a few chapters left of this story and I’m hoping to post them all over the next couple months. THANK YOU, dear readers, for sticking with me and continuing to like and share my writing. It means more than you know. <3

   Two weeks ago Jared had gone hiking with a few female friends and snap chatted the whole day. Twitter had delighted in trying to figure out which of them may have been the one dressed as Robin at the party. Jen was both relieved that the identity of Robin was still a secret and annoyed that people assumed he must be fucking every female friend he has. Jared was posting pretty regularly on social media while they were apart, and it was nice to sort of relax into talking with her friends about the upcoming album and tour. She avoided the girlfriend subject entirely and no one minded or seemed to take particular notice.

She knew Jared was trolling her twitter account and she briefly thought about making it private and telling him to fuck off but she figured he’d probably already seen the worst of it and she may as well own her enthusiastic echelon status. If there was one thing Jared and Mars had taught her, it was to be herself. She knew he was viewing her account because he would sometimes text her with answers to questions or comments about the band that she was RTing like any echelon would. When will the new album be out? “Soon. :)” Where’s Shannon, we miss him. “I tried to talk Shannon into getting snapchat, he said it was stupid. :( Maybe I can convince him to start posting coffee facts again at least...” I wonder what tattoo Jared is going to get for the new era. “I have that planned already, actually. You want to be there when I get it done? Take some pics for me?” She’d nearly fallen out of her chair for that one. Watching Jared Leto get a tattoo might just be the limit of what her fangirl heart could take.

No one had posted or discussed the Halloween pics in awhile and Jared and friend’s snaps and Instagram stories from Thanksgiving, with no Robin in sight, seemed to convince the echelon it was a one night sort of thing. That narrative pissed her off more than the “which fabulous female friend is he fucking” one because it was quickly becoming tiring that everyone online thought they “knew him” and had an opinion on his life. And yes, Jen was well aware of how hypocritical that sounded given her twitter history but circumstances change and she’d definitely learned a thing or two about Jared, and even Shannon and Tomo, that the internet had gotten just so wrong.

Between secret projects and many late nights working to finish up the album by their deadline, Jared was just as busy as she was during their month apart. Inconveniently, his schedule was usually very opposite to hers as well. This resulted in a lot of sleepy late night or early morning phone calls where one or both of them were too tired to do much more than small talk. Jared made up for it in other ways though. Teacher appreciation week at her school was a bigger hit than ever when an “anonymous donor” sent a different food truck each day to feed all the staff. She came home each Friday night to a beautiful bouquet of flowers at her doorstep. And two weeks in when she’d complained that the t-shirt she stole from him didn’t smell like him anymore she received a package that night containing a t-shirt in a sealed ziplock bag with a sticky note attached that just said “xo.”

Throughout the month apart it seemed her nervousness for their planned time together evolved a different reasoning every week. The first week she obsessed over whether or not planning to spend a month for all intents and purposes living with a famous, rich boyfriend she’d only been with for three months was an entirely sensible idea or really just made her a slut and a gold-digger. Jared assured her on multiple occasions that she was clearly neither of those things. Week two and three she worried about being outed as Jared’s girlfriend and what that meant for her privacy and online social life. Jared suggested making her twitter and other accounts private before December was probably not the worst idea. She tried not to go CSI: Echelon on him when she pointed out he wouldn’t be able to see her tweets anymore then and he said that it wouldn’t be a problem.

Now she was down to simply being terrified about meeting Constance. She couldn’t recall having met a boyfriend’s parents anytime since high school. And Constance was an absolute icon, someone the echelon really looked up to. She didn’t talk to Jared about this particular fear much because the one time she brought it up all he did was gush about how awesome his mom was for half an hour and yes, Jared, she already knows that. That’s what all the nerves are about! So instead she circled back to asking him if he was sure about her invading his space for a full month and complaining that the sticky note path Shannon had helped her make so she wouldn't get lost had been removed in her absence. Jared was more than reassuring that it would be fun, he would make sure she didn’t get lost and yes, a month long “date” is maybe not traditional but what about him was? By the end of their time apart she was truly excited for their next month together.

Jen managed to pack fairly lightly thanks to a few reminders and packing tips from Jared and his tour experience. A couple of Xanax before her flight balanced out by a Starbucks, and omg was she looking forward to an unlimited supply of Black Fuel for the next month, and she was on her way.

“Sweetheart!” Jared called out to her as she ran to him from the car in his driveway. Jen threw herself into his arms, wrapped her arms around his neck and refused to let go, even as he walked out to pick up her bags and tip the driver for delivering her safely to him.

“I missed you,” she mumbled into his neck as he maneuvered them inside the house.

“I can tell,” he smirked, prying her arms off of him and kissing her. “You sure you’re ready for a whole month of the craziness around here?”

“I’m very much looking forward to it. Besides, I can just hide in your room whenever I want, right?” she asked.

“Okay, so don’t take this the wrong way...” Jared said as he guided her down the hallway with his hand on her back and Jen tensed. He ran his hand up and down her back soothingly as he opened the door to one of the first rooms off the end of the hall, before it splits into the labyrinth of passageways that leads to the back of the house. “You have a tendency to get lost in the back of the house and I thought since you’re going to be here for awhile you might want your own space where you can actually find it.”

The room was beautiful, definitely bigger than his, with a king size bed and lots of pretty blue accents all around the room, her favorite color. She could see what she guessed were Shayla’s touches in the room, from the makeup vanity to the cute flower curtains. Jen was pretty sure she remembered it being an office last time she was here, so she knew he put a lot of thought into this, even if it was one of the assistants who put it together for her. She spun on her heels and attacked him with a big kiss. “I love it, thank you.”

Jared let out a breath neither of them realized he was holding. “You are welcome to come hide in my room anytime you want, sweetheart. I don’t want you to think I’m banishing you to the other side of the house,” he insisted, wrapping his arms around her and dropping kisses along her neck.

“Hey, I’d have been happy with a little closet space and a drawer for the month but you gave me a whole room. I know you were sick of tripping over my suitcase and all my stuff in your room when I was here for just a week so this is much more practical. Thank you, really,” she said, kissing him again. The look of relief on his face intrigued her. “Were you nervous about this? That’s adorable,” she commented, patting his cheek.

Jared blushed. “Stevie and Shannon were taking bets on how fast you’d run out the door. They said I was going too ‘Christian Grey’ on you, whatever that means.”

Jen laughed but blushed and hid her face in his chest. “Really, Jared? Does everyone know I submit to you in the bedroom?” she asked shyly.

“Um... They know my proclivities and they know you’re dating me. I think most people just put 2 and 2 together, sweetheart,” he explained, hugging her reassuringly. “You want some time to unpack or would you like to come join us in the studio? We’ve got a couple more hours probably.”

“Oh, I’m definitely coming to the studio. Come on,” Jen answered excitedly, dropping her things at the foot of the bed and grabbing Jared’s hand to pull him out of the room. Of course, she barely made it down the hall before she quietly let Jared take the lead because she was lost again. Jared smiled knowingly and pulled her along behind him into the lab.

“Guys, Jen, Jen, guys,” Jared said by way of introductions, pointing to a couch off to the side where she could sit. “Who changed this configuration? I was gone five minutes!” Jared asked, instantly absorbed in his work again. Jen pulled her legs up on the couch and rested her chin on her knee, settling in to watch him work.

She wasn’t sure how long passed before she was startled by the couch jumping as a body crashed down onto it next to her and she suddenly found herself wrapped in Shannon’s bear hug. “If you keep staring at him like that I swear I’m gonna puke,” he teased.

“Shut up.” Jen covered her now red face with her hands. “I can’t help it. He’s mesmerizing when he’s in work mode. And honestly, what echelon wouldn't watch him given the chance?”

“I’ve seen echelon watch him work, they don’t make the same heart eyes you do. I can practically see the little hearts floating around your head,” Shannon said quietly, making sure his brother couldn’t overhear.

“Shannon, stop, please. I can’t even... I’m in so far over my head with him. Its been four months and we’ve seen each other like six times in that time. No one is using the ‘L’ word anytime soon so you can keep all that heart talk to yourself, thank you,” she admonished him.

“That’s fine. I just want to make sure you know that you’re different,” Shannon said.

“I know. He makes sure I know it, too,” she replied sweetly.

“Shannon, stop harassing my girlfriend and get back to work,” Jared warned, grabbing Shannon by the collar and playfully pulling him away from her. “You need anything?” Jared asked, checking the time on his phone. “We should be ready to break for dinner soon.”

The word soon made her smile involuntarily as she shook her head. “I’m good.” Jared leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on her lips before returning to work. Jared pushed maybe a little longer than he should have at getting whatever sound it is he’s trying to capture. Everyone was increasingly frustrated and tired by the time Shannon finally approached Jared and whispered something in his ear that made him look over at Jen. She was still in the same spot on the couch, head propped up on her arms which are wrapped around her knees, but her gaze had gone glassy and she wasn’t paying as much attention as she was before.

“Okay guys, lets call it a night,” Jared announced and everyone rushed to shut down the studio and get out of there. Jen was so zoned out that she didn’t even register what was happening until Jamie and Stevie went rushing past her on their way out the door. Only Jared and Shannon remained in the room with her now. “You still with us, sweetheart?” Jared teased as he finished turning off the last of his equipment.

Jen blinked her daze away and sat up, stretching. “Shannon, are you staying for dinner?” she asked, ignoring Jared’s smart remark. Shannon put out his hands for hers and pulled her to standing and then wrapped his arms around her middle, picking her up in a big bear hug that cracked her back satisfyingly. When he set her down she gave him a smaller hug in return.

“You two haven’t had a night together in what, a month? I think if I stayed for dinner tonight Jared might just kill me and carry on with the band without me,” he said with a wink. “Have fun you two,” he called over his shoulder as he exited the studio, flicking the light switch off on his way out, leaving Jared and Jen alone in the dark.

Jen didn’t move, letting her eyes adjust to what little light was streaming into the studio windows from the moon. Jared easily made his way over to her due to his familiarity with the space and wrapped his arms around her. “You hungry?”

“Starving, but I didn’t want to interrupt and I’m not certain I’d have found my way back to my room alone,” she admitted sheepishly.

Jared pulled away for a moment and she heard him rummaging through a drawer before he was suddenly by her side again. He took her hand and as he led her through the halls he stopped at each corner and drew a small arrow with a black sharpie, indicating which way she should go to find her way back. “This is slightly more permanent than sticky notes,” he commented.

“You’re ruining your walls. For me?” she asked while she beamed at him.

“For you. You should be able to find your way to food at least. It’s only three turns. I’ve never met someone with such a bad sense of direction before,” he teased her.

“This place is insane. I’m sure I’ll figure it out given time,” she said as they entered the kitchen. Jared led her to a stool at the counter and pulled it out for her, guiding her to sit and placing a kiss on her temple before he turned to the fridge. He started pulling out ingredients and setting them out on the counter while she leaned over, trying to see what he was doing. “Whatcha got there?”

“Tonight’s menu is homemade guacamole and tortillas with grilled peppers,” he informed her as he set to work cooking. Jen sat back in awe. Jared looked up at her and chuckled. “Yes, there are a few things I can cook,” he said mockingly.

“I didn’t say anything,” she defended angelically. They kept up small talk long enough to get through most of their meal before the tension finally got to her.

“You know, I’m very impressed with the restraint we’ve shown today. I think we proved that we can be adult about our relationship and not just hump each other like bunnies every time we see each other.”

“Well, I have a work deadline and I told you I’d have to be in the studio a lot, that’s why you’re staying for so long,” Jared began defensively but she cut him off by placing her fingers on his lips.

“Jared... fuck me,” she said bluntly.

“Oh, right, yeah,” Jared laughed, scooping her up off the stool and spinning them towards her bedroom. “Another convenient thing about this room; its so much closer to the kitchen,” he said as he opened the door and set her down in front of the bed, kissing her fiercely.

They ripped at each other’s clothing, not bothering to be gentle about stripping down as quickly as possible and molding their naked bodies against each other once more as they fell back onto the bed. Jared pushed the mound of pillows at the head of the bed aside, and reached up. Suddenly Jen found her right wrist encased in a padded leather cuff. She looked up at him in surprise.

“Yet another convenient feature of this room,” he cited with a grin. When she made no further protest he quickly secured her other wrist as well, leaving her spread bare beneath him.

Now that he had her where he wanted her, his pace slowed and she groaned. “Jared, it’s been a month since you’ve touched me. Please don’t tease,” she begged despite her suspicion it would be useless. The evil laugh she got in response confirmed her suspicion, even as he drew his hand down her body to her slick center.

“What do you want?” he asked in that voice that made her clench her thighs together despite his hand between her legs.

“Oh, god, I want to cum for you,” she pleaded, already lost to her desire.

Jared pushed two fingers into her and pumped them in and out slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. The intensity of his gaze held her in place beneath him as he worked her into a frenzy. He swiped his thumb against her clit and she keened, arching her back and closing her eyes uncontrollably, finally breaking his gaze.

“Beg,” he ordered, redoubling his efforts now with his fingers inside her and his thumb against her clit. She devolved into a gasping mess of pleases and curses before he brought his other hand up to her face, holding her chin so she was forced to look him in the eye. He slid his hand down to her neck, applying pressure lightly as he growled the order, “Cum.”

Jen screamed as her body shook with the climax she’d been denied for weeks. Jared kept working her with his fingers, letting up only a little bit in consideration of her post orgasmic sensitivity. As she tried to buck her hips away he applied more pressure to her neck, a feral grin on his face. He controlled her breathing and her body, pinning her legs open with the way he positioned himself between them, holding her at the crest of her pleasure. Seconds later he brought his mouth down to her breast and issued the command again, “Cum!” as he bit down on her left nipple, pulling it taut between his teeth.

Her body bowed beneath him and her mouth opened to scream but no sound came out for several long seconds. Just as she reached the peak and was starting to come down from her second earth shattering orgasm, Jared pulled his hands from her body and lined himself up, pushing into her to the hilt in one strong thrust. She cursed his name and pulled at the restraints, but wrapped her legs around him in invitation. He was impressed she still had the use of her limbs. Jared fucked her into the mattress unrelentingly, seeking the pleasure he knew he’d quickly find with her gorgeous body wrapped around him. He soon pulled out of her and stroked himself rapidly as he painted her body with his cum.

Jared managed to reach up and release her wrists before slumping to the bed beside her, panting. It was several minutes before either of them really moved or spoke, but Jared was gently caressing his hand along her arm the entire time, maintaining their intimacy. Eventually Jen broke the silence.

“One inconvenient feature of this room: the bathroom is across the hall,” she said, still slightly out of breath. “I can’t go running out there covered in your cum even if you tell me no-one is here. I’m too paranoid for that,” she tells him, smiling.

Jared leans up and kisses her, then points at the door in the corner of the room. “En suite bathroom,” he says. “This used to be a private office.”

“I thought that was a closet,” she said as she got out of bed and went to open the door. The bathroom wasn’t huge, but the shower was a beautiful grey tile and had a small bench and a rainfall spout. “You really thought of everything, huh?” she mused as she started the water.

“Not everything,” he admitted, rolling off the bed to join her. “If I’d remembered how much of a screamer you were I’d have soundproofed before you got here, sweetheart” he teased, pulling her in for another kiss.

The pair showered quickly, light touches and kisses enough after satisfying their craving for each other so completely minutes ago. They dried off and Jen scooped a couple pillows up off the floor and climbed back into bed, exhausted. Jared laid beside her, draping one arm across her torso. Within minutes he was squirming and adjusting in the bed, unable to find a comfortable position. He’d bought the bed for her, knowing she loved the soft mattress at the hotel in Vegas, but his sleeping preference was vastly different.

“Jared, why don’t you go sleep in your room? You really don’t have to stay,” Jen told him, kissing his jaw.

“I didn’t want to run out on you,” he said quietly, dropping kisses along her shoulder. “Are you sure?”

“I’ll be asleep in seconds. Honestly, I’m used to sleeping alone and I know you’d rather be sleeping on the floor. I don’t mind,” she assured him.

Jared stood from the bed and tucked her in, setting his hands on either side of her head and leaning in for a kiss before righting himself. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

“Goodnight, Jared,” she sighed and closed her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly with a smile on her face.

[caroline18mars]

Into the night - Chapter 117

He watched her sleep, he was so tempted to wake her and ask her again, scared that the moment would be gone in the morning..no he couldn't do that,  looking at her in the semi-darkness he could still see the dark circles under her eyes, she needed her rest, this was probably her first good night sleep in a long time and he needed to do this properly with a ring.. So he just put his arm around her and lay his head on her long, brown hair. The next morning her eyes fluttered open, the soft yawn in her ear startling her, what? Where was she? oh..last night..the sweet memories of their lazy lovemaking started drifting back..”good morning” his voice whispered in her ear before he dotted a few butterfly kisses on there and his hand that had held her through the night squeezed her stomach. “Hey..” she turned to face him with a more than satisfied grin dancing on her lips, kissing his “I think I..fell asleep, didn't I?” she groaned as she pushed her hips against his groin, “Yep..” his hand slipped over her butt, giving it a good squeeze before he gave it a playful smack. “I'm so, so sorry..can I make it up to you?” she purred seductively while her hands slowly roamed that athletic body of his, “you could..but..” he started, he so wanted her to because he was already hard and his arousal was beginning to ache “I don't want to be late..” he groaned and reluctantly let go of her. But then she kept kissing him “the hospital can wait..besides..” she pushed him back in the cushions and crawled on top of him, rotating her hips over his twitching hard cock “I have the impression this won't take long” she whispered as she put her hands on his chest and impaled herself on it, letting him slip inside of her ever so slowly until she was completely filled and moaned blissfully under the sweet pain of that thick and hard intrusion of him. His hands caressed their way to her hips over to her butt, smacking it again and her eyes had a newfound lust in them as she looked at him “you really like that, don't you?” he grinned, feeling her muscles squeeze tighter around him as he smacked it once more. “God yes..” she throatily sighed while her hips finally started moving on him, up until last night she had often been too tired for sex, it had always been more than satisfying but now that she found a new hope, she felt more than ready to start tapping into new, more daring physical possibilities, one thing was for sure though, she would do her very best to step more into his world so he would never have to go looking for sex with somebody else ever again. She looked absolutely breathtaking, her body moving back and forth on him while her eyes closed each time she released and then pushed herself back over him, so he met her halfway and sat up with her, putting his hands on her breasts and sucked her nipples. She was right, he wasn't gone take long, her weight pushing down on him, her walls clenching and unclenching so rapidly, pushed him further and further towards another release.

”So? How did it go?” Shannon, who just came walking in as Jared came down the stairs, asked but Jared just gave him a mysterious smile as he headed into the kitchen, “well?” Shannon followed him like a puppy, anxious to hear some good news. Jared switched on the waterkettle and then went straight to the cupboard to get a few cups, playfully ignoring his brother, “don't play with me, man, is she still here?”. Jared grinned as he poured some hot water over the tea “yep, she's definitely here..” but that answer didn't do anything to satisfy his brother's curiosity, “And..??? how did it go?? did you two..??” he suggested, “Not that it's any of your business but yeah we had sex, and yes we're back together again, is that what you wanted to know?” Jared just couldn't stop that stupid grin on his face, just yesterday he had been so depressed and now..now there was a light..the future was slowly starting to build itself again. “That's fantastic news! Way to go bro!” Shannon bumped his fist against his brother's arm, “Thanks..listen, Shannon, about that..there's something I need to talk to you about” Jared bit his lip, he was still deadset on going through with this, even after a good night's sleep, he was sure he wanted to go through with it, more sure than ever in fact. Shannon looked at him with a raised eyebrow when he turned all serious “I'll need a ring..because I'm gonna to ask her to marry me..wanna help me look for one?”, Shannon's expression was priceless, going from amused to shocked in just a second “what? You're what?..” he stammered “I mean, that's great..but..are you really sure about this?”. Jared nodded “I'm absolutely sure..she's the one..so how about it? Wanna help me with that ring?”, Shannon nodded, he was going to be happy for his brother even though he was still in shock, he just didn't want him to make such life changing decisions when there was still so much uncertainty about Jordan's health issues “absolutely! Sure! When do you want to go?”. Jared heard her come down the stairs “I'll let you know, but please..not a word, ok?” he quickly said before the door opened and Jordan walked in, stopping in her tracks when she noticed that Shannon was there as well “Morning se..xy..! Oh, hi Shannon” she stammered. “Jordan hey..I..uhm..need to make a phone call, excuse me” Shannon mumbled, shuffling out of the kitchen as quickly as he could, “is he ok? Did I say something wrong?” Jordan walked up to Jared who pulled her against him “He's just fine, don't worry about him, so..how are you feeling?” he kissed her. “I'm feeling good..more than good in fact and I owe it all to you, thank you, you were amazing” she whispered against his lips, “no, we're amazing and the fun part is that we get to repeat what we did last night, every night from now on for the rest of our looooong life together” he stole another kiss. Groaning she pulled away from him, “hey hey hey” he stopped her “I know, ok, I know you're scared..but we'll take it one step at a time, ok?, I'm gonna be there with you..” he softly said, cupping her face. All she did was nod, she was trying to put on a brave face, he could feel and see it, “Yeah, I'm glad I don't have to do this alone..not now anyway..I just wish Noah was here..I miss him” she breathed. “I miss him too, but we'll get him back, I promise, we'll win this and then we'll finally get our happily ever after” he pulled her in for another hug, her hands lifted and balled into the fabric of his shirt “I hope so..I don't know what I would do without him”.

The drive to the hospital was almost uncomfortably quiet, Jordan didn't say much, her mind was clearly elsewhere, no mattter how hard he tried to lift her spirits or ask her something trivial, everything was met by an absent 'Huh?', 'yeah sure' or 'I don't know' and she had zoned out completely by the time he parked in front of the hospital. “Come on, let's go get you tested” Jared pulled the keys out of the ignition and just when he wanted to open his door, she shook her head “No..I'm scared..I can't do this..”, Jared looked over his shoulder at Shannon who had come along and whispered “we'll be right out, you go inside and tell them we're here so we don't miss our appointment, ok? We'll be right there”, Shannon understood their need for a moment of privacy, nodded and got out of the car. “Honey, listen to me” he turned his attention back to Jordan who sat there shivering and biting her lip, “it's just some tests, ok? Just remember that this could mean you could have a new heart in a few days and the sooner you get that heart, the sooner you'll feel like new..we could go do fun stuff together, as a couple and as a family..”. Anything he was saying was barely convincing her so he put the truth card on the table “listen honey, the only reason that judge won't let you have custody over Noah is that silly, old heart of yours, so the sooner you get that transplant the sooner he will see that you do have a future and that you, we, can take care of Noah better than anyone else, ok? So please, let's just go do these tests?”. Slowly she turned her head and stared at him for a few seconds before she turned her head again and looked at the tall building in front of her, he knew she was mentally preparing for the difficult climb of the mountain ahead but then she nodded and her hand reached for the doorhandle “ok”. Her hand folded into his as they walked to the cardiology unit and he gave it a firm squeeze so she wouldn't just turn around and make a run for it as they saw Shannon accompanied by a couple of doctors waiting for them. “Miss McLeod, Mr. Leto” the cardiologist greeted them both with a firm handshake “I think it's best if we discuss the details in my office first before we start the tests..shall we?” the doctor gave her a reassuring smile and then gestured for them to follow him. 

The office was airy and bright, nothing that predicted matters of life and death were being decided upon here, Jordan sat down, her hands trembling as she put down her handbag, it was the only thing that betrayed how much she was beginning to panic, her heart was going to be lifted out of her chest and replaced by another, this was crazy and scary and totally unreal..OK, calm down McLeod, just breathe and calm down. The cardiologist picked up on her nervousness and sat down behind his desk, leaning towards her “First of all, Miss McLeod, I know how daunting this probably is for you, you know being on that transplant list for quite some time now and then all of a sudden you get our call..today is gonna be about doing all sorts of tests, because we might have a new heart for you in a short matter of time and we need to check the results of those tests for compatibility”. Jordan took a deep breath and nodded “when you say that you might have a new heart, does that mean that there's someone who's..uhm..” she didn't want to sound stupid but it was her way of dealing with the reality that there was someone dying out there whose heart she'd be receiving. “The donor is being kept on ventilation right now as hopes are really small for that person after a heavy car accident..we did get full consent of the family for transplant of multiple organs including the heart..when the moment comes.., so you'll understand that we'll need to act quickly..” the doctor sat up again, putting on his reading glasses to look at the results of her last test. “I need to be honest with you, Miss McLeod” every inch of reassuring smile dissapeared from his face again as he looked at her “of all the names on the list, yours' immediately stood out, you need a transplant..time is very much of the essence in your case”. Jared's hand landed on top of hers', wanting to comfort her but she could feel how the doctor's words upset him as well, through his touch “I know..I know..” was all she managed to say as a tear trickled down her cheek. “We're doing our very best to find a solution for you, Miss McLeod, I can promise you that and with a bit of luck we just might have found it..” the doctor tried to comfort her as well and stood up “so why don't you follow me and we'll get you tested”. Jordan quickly wiped the tear away and nodded “Mr. Leto, if you want to stay here, we can discuss the practical side of the procedure while we wait”.

'Stand stil', 'look up', 'take a deep breath', 'exhale', 'turn', 'as hard as you can', 'sit up' she was being bombarded with commands from a number of nameless doctors and nurses hiding behind surgical masks and all that did nothing to calm her hammering heart even though she was told several times to calm down and try to relax. Another needle pierced the skin of her arm, did she have any blood left in her body? “Ok, that'll be all” the nurse said as she put all the tubes of blood in a holder with her name on it, “you can get dressed now and I'll take you back to the waiting room”. Shannon watched Jared walk out of the doctor's office, “what did he say? Jordan's not back yet” he got up but his brother just sat down with a loud sigh, “ok Jay, talk to me here, is it that bad?” he urged Jared to speak. “I..don't know..it's just..goddamn, I told myself that this was the heaviest thing we would ever do but hearing everything that could happen, all the risks, I don't know what I was thinking being so fucking positive about the outcome..what if all this goes belly-up?” he rambled, burying his face in his hands. Shannon stared at him “It won't..this is going to work, you gotta believe that” he tried to reason with his brother, Jared's head suddenly shot up as he heard the commotion in the hall and saw Jordan being escorted back to them “Ok, not a word about this to Jordan ok?” he hissed at Shannon. “But..you hardly told me anything..” Shannon frowned, “I'm serious, Jordan cannot know what I just said, ok? I don't want to worry her any more than she already is? I'm probably just running scared..” Jared stared at Shannon who quickly nodded. “How did it go? You ok?” Jared got up again and walked up to her as soon as she came into the waiting room, “yeah..I'm ok..” she quickly nodded, no she wasn't ok, in fact she was growing more and more scared by the minute, all this was really getting too close for comfort. “We'll let you know about the results as soon as they are in..I would go home if I were you, rest up, it's really important because you're on constant stand-by now, you'll need to be here within the hour when you get the call, ok?” the nurse repeated what they had heard so many times before. Jared put his arm around her shoulder as they walked down the long corridor to the exit “Let's get you home and in bed, doctor's orders” he pushed a kiss in her hair. “We can't..we've got the trial this afternoon” she shook her head, “what? No! You heard what they said, you need to rest, I don't want you stressing out over that stupid lawyer again” what he really wanted to say was that he wanted to spend as much time with her alone as possible, maybe their time together was limited, maybe it wasn't but he just didn't want to run the risk. Jordan stopped in her tracks and looked up at him as she put her hands on his chest “Please, Jay! I just need to see Noah, I know I probably won't get to talk to him but I just need to see him, ok? He needs to know that I'm still here and hopefully for much longer than he probably thinks..please?” those eyes, they made it impossible for him to refuse her anything. “Ok..fine, I'm probably gonna regret this..but ok” he mumbled as he put his forehead against hers, “but the minute you get stressed, I'm shutting it down, is that clear?”, his words made her smile “I think I like that forceful side of yours”. Jared pushed his lips against hers “good girl, now come on, let's get out of here before I spontaneously combust” he winked playfully as he put his arm around her and guided her to the exit.

[lolainblue]

Thunderbirds   Chapter: 34

t/w  Medical references

   I was lying on a bed in a cool, dimly lit room and a television was flickering softly in the corner. My vision was somewhat fuzzy but I could just make out someone sitting on a chair next to me, their attention on the nearly muted screen. This, combined with the acerbic odor of disinfectant and the soft beeps of monitoring equipment told me I was in a hospital, but I couldn't remember why. I tested my limbs, things seemed to still be in place and responding to my instructions, but my vision hadn't quite resolved and my head was pounding. I couldn't see who was in the room with me so I took my best guess.

   “Roger?” I asked, my voice surprisingly weak and hoarse. The figure in the chair moved, and I realized it was too big to be Roger.

   “Butch?” came the response. That was my brother Mitch's nickname for me, earned when, at the age of six, I beat up the neighbor boy who had two years and about twenty pounds on me. Why was Mitch here?

   “Mitch? What are you doing here?” I asked. He got up from his seat and reached for something behind me.

   “Well, fun fact, it's generally two and half hours from Terre Haute to St. Louis, but it's only about 90 minutes when your kid sister is being rushed to the hospital with a head injury.”

   “I have a  head injury?” was all I could say. Everything was very foggy. I didn't remember getting hurt.

   “Grade Three concussion kiddo. Well done.”

   Someone else came into the room just then and I realized Mitch must have been reaching back to hit the nurse call button. The woman in scrubs that materialized at my bedside was slightly plump with curly dark hair and a reassuring smile. “Hello sweetie,” she said, squeezing my arm.  “Good to have you back with us again. Can you tell me your name?”

   “Jane. Jane Sewell.”

   The nurse gave me that reassuring smile again. “Good job. And who's this well-built gentleman at your side?”

   I considered giving her a smart ass answer but thought maybe this wasn't the best time. “This is my brother Mitchell.”

   “Good.” She shone a flashlight into my eyes and nodded. “Do you remember who I am?”

   “I... no.” I didn't think I'd seen her before. Was this a trick question? She patted my hand.

    “I'm Susan,” she supplied. “Do you know where you are?”

   “The hospital, I guess.”

   “Do you know why?”

   “Mitch says I have a head injury.”

   “Yes, but do you remember that?” I shook my head in response and my stomach lurched. “Try not to move your head too much dear. Do you know what the date is?”

   I thought for a minute. “September. No.” Not September. I knew it was summer and I was with Shannon on his tour, why did I say September? “July. Seventh maybe?”

   “It's the ninth,” Mitch supplied.

   “How long was I out?” I asked with alarm.

   “Just about 5 minutes initially,” Mitch explained. “But you keep going in and out and you're not remembering things. It's still the same day though.” He was frowning and looking very concerned. Susan turned her reassuring smile on him.

   “That's perfectly normal this soon after a concussion of this severity. It's nothing to worry about. The doctor will do some more tests in the morning.”

   She fussed with the monitors by my bed for a minute and then excused herself. I could feel panic rising up. Everything was so fuzzy. What if this was permanent? My vision swam even further as my eyes started to fill with tears.

   Mitch sat back down in his chair and took my hand. “It's okay kiddo. We're going to get you through this. Please don't cry. It will all look better tomorrow. You'll see."

   We sat quietly for a while, while I tried to remember more about what had happened. I think Mitch was waiting to see if I would pass out again. “Can I try asking you a question again, Jane? Roger didn't exactly explain things very well.”

   “Where is Roger?” I asked. It seemed strange that Mitch was the only one there with me.

   “That's part of the question. The last time I spoke to you, you were going to take a few days off from your nice quiet book tour to rest up since the girls were sick and your visit was canceled. How did we get from there to Roger helping Jared Leto bail your boyfriend the drummer out of jail for beating up your fiance?”

    I think I would have had a hard time sorting that sentence out even if I hadn't had a head injury. “Uhm... what? Shannon is in jail?”

   Mitch nodded. “And so is Angus, although from what I can gather no one is unhappy about that. I know I'm not.”

   Mitch had never liked Angus. I wrote it off as protective older brother syndrome. God, how many warning signs had I ignored? I couldn't remember why Angus was here though or why Shannon would have been in a fight with him and I still didn't know what had happened to me. “I don't know exactly. How many times have we had this discussion, Mitch?”

   “About three. And you'll probably forget this conversation too, so I'm going to tell you good riddance to that guy. I always thought he was shifty. And I love you, Butch. Don't you ever scare me like this again.”

   When I woke up again the room was still dark and the TV was off but there was light coming in from the hallway. I could feel something heavy pressing down on my stomach and my still rebellious eyes could just make out the head of someone who had fallen asleep there.

   “Mitch?” I asked, my voice a little stronger than before. I reached for their hair and realized it was too dark to be Mitch or Roger. “Shannon?”

   He quickly sat up and turned his head to me. His face looked distorted even after he leaned forward and it took me a minute to realize it wasn't my vision this time. He had a large bruise on one side of his face and his lip was split.

   “Janey, hey, you're awake,” he said, a big smile filling his face. “Do you need anything?”

   I started to shake my head but remembered Susan's earlier admonishment. “No. Well, maybe some water.”

   He poured me a cup from the little bedside pitcher and inserted one of those bendy straws in it, the ones I remembered being so excited to get in my milk in kindergarten. He held the cup for me while I took a drink, and the cool liquid felt good on my parched throat. With a sigh I let my head fall back to the pillow. “What happened?” I asked.

   “Well, in true Jane fashion, you managed to trip over your own feet and hit your head on the only rock in giant cleared field.” The voice was Roger's this time, and as he spoke he emerged from the shadows of the room. His face was unblemished but his arm was in a sling.

   “Well, that explains me, what the hell happened to you two?”

   They exchanged significant looks before Roger finally answered. “When the paramedics got there Angus tried to convince them that you two were actually married and that we were your junkie buddies come to seduce you back into a life of crime and depravity.”

   “He had something, Jane, some paperwork...” Shannon interjected but Roger made a hushing motion.

   “I called Mitch right away but by the time the cops got on scene and they were getting ready to take you away in the ambulance, well you were really out of it and Angus got you confused and you told them it was true.”

   “I did what?” I asked. "I told them what?"

   “I figured we needed a distraction. So I decked him,” Shannon said, unable to hide his satisfaction at finally getting a swing in at Angus.

   “It pretty much turned into an all-out brawl from there,” Roger continued.

   “I had to get eight stitches,” Shannon informed me with a proud grin, showing me a spot on his scalp. I gingerly threaded my fingers through his hair to touch the bandage.

   “And I sprained my wrist,” Roger explained, raising his arm. “But the cool thing is, Angus punched a cop.”

   “That's cool?” I asked, confused.

   “It means he's still sitting in jail right now and we're probably going to be getting off with a warning. Jared already called the lawyers.” Shannon explained.

   Well, it wasn't nearly the amount of trouble Angus deserved but at least I didn't have the worry of dealing with him hanging over my head anymore. “Wait, what paperwork? You said he showed them paperwork?”

   “I don't know exactly, Jane,” Roger told me while shooting Shannon another look. I figured that was pretty much bullshit but I didn't have the energy right now to argue. “I remember,” I said.

   Roger looked hopeful. “You remember what happened?”

   “No. But I remember waking up before when you guys weren't here yet. That's the first time I've remembered something since they brought me in here I think. So that's an improvement right?”

   “Sure it is,” Roger said, leaning over to kiss my forehead. “What's the last thing you remember before that?”

   I reached back through the fog. “Soundcheck. You and I were watching the guys do their soundcheck and you kept checking your phone.”

   Roger nodded. “Noemi called me that morning. She said Angus was acting funny and she thought he might have figured out something was up. She was supposed to call me back when she knew more. Of course, I never dreamed he'd show up in St. Louis...”

   “Oh, Shit!” I exclaimed and was immediately sorry as the throbbing in my head exploded into a red haze. I gritted my teeth before continuing. “What about the show?”

   Shannon sighed. “We didn't play. We were too busy trying to convince the police that we weren't some mastermind criminals out to do you harm.”

   I winced. “I'm so sorry Shannon. I hope you guys aren't in too much trouble.”

   “No, it's going to be okay. But I do have to be in Milwaukee for the next show day after tomorrow.” He looked at the clock. “Or tomorrow I guess.”

   “And your shoot Roger?” I asked, knowing full well that Roger would never leave me like this.

   “Forget about it. It's just one job. I need a little time off anyway.”

   “Well, I guess we can drive to Milwaukee once they cut me loose tomorrow. We should have plenty of time to get there before they need him. Or maybe we could catch a flight in the morning?” I wanted to catch up with the band as soon as possible and put this sorry state of affairs behind me.

   “No, no, no, Miss-50-First-Dates. You're not going anywhere for a couple of days and then it's straight to Mitch's until you're cleared to fly.”

    I started crying, even though I couldn't quite articulate why. “My tour?” I asked between sniffles.

   “Last two weeks are canceled.”

    I considered the mess I had made: Mitch's mad dash across state lines, Angus in jail for assaulting a police officer, Shannon on bail, the guy's injuries, the missed performance, Roger's canceled gig and two weeks worth of canceled appearances for me. “Am I in trouble?”

   “No, no one is in trouble. Accidents happen, promoters have insurance to cover these things, everything is going to be just fine. Stop worrying and just get better.” Roger fiddled with his phone for a minute, contemplating something, before continuing. “Mitch fell asleep in the lounge. I'm going to update him. Be right back.”

    Once Roger was gone I scooted as far over in the bed as I could. “Lay down with me for a few minutes?” I asked Shannon.  Carefully he climbed into the small space next to me, tangling me up in his arms and legs and with great care, pulling my head against his warm chest. “I'm sorry for getting you mixed up in all this,” I told him. I was beginning to feel like I had blown into his life like an F5 tornado, leaving chaos and destruction in my wake. “I've really managed to turn your life upside down. Maybe Jared was right about me after all.”

   “No he wasn't and he doesn't think so either. Don't worry about all this. It will be fine. At least you're back in my life. I'll take whatever happens from there.” He pushed an errant curl back from my forehead. “Go back to sleep. They said you're going to be tired for a while and the doctor will be here early.”

   I wanted to argue but I could already feel my limbs growing heavier and my breath deepening. At least my nostrils were now filled with Shannon's familiar notes instead of the hospital.

   “Good morning, Jane, I'm Dr. Britton. How are you today?” Once again someone was shining one of those annoying lights in my eyes and I was finding my patience was nil this morning.

   “Tired.” I snapped. “Ready to get out of here.”

   “Well let's see what we can do to make that happen.” The tall woman in front of me seemed completely unconcerned with my foul mood, her smile never wavered. “Can you tell me where you are?”

   “Some hospital in St. Louis.”

  “Barnes-Jewish Hospital, as a matter of fact. Can you tell me the date?”

    I sighed. It wasn't even breakfast time yet and this was already the second questioning I had endured since waking. “September 9th. Well, I guess it would be the tenth now.”

   “And the year?”

   “2003.”

   “Good girl.” Great. I felt like a Pomeranian. She paused to check my reflexes before moving on and then seemingly satisfied, gestured to the guys who gathered expectantly around my bed. “And you know all these people and their relation to you?”

   “Yes, that's my big brother Mitch. That's my best friend Roger, and my boyfriend, Shannon.”

   “Very good. Okay, I'm going to give you a list of things and I want you to repeat it back to me. Tomato, Star, Girl, Red, Box.”

   “Tomato. Star. Er...” I hesitated for a moment. “Girl. Red. Uh... box.”

   “Good.” She made a few notes on my chart. “How's the headache today? Any better?”

   “Not really, no.”

   “Dizziness? Nausea?”

   “Only every time I move my head,” I answered, not bothering to hide my irritation.

   “Can you repeat that list again?”

   “Uhm. Red...” No matter how hard I tried I couldn't conjure the rest of the items from my memory. “No, sorry.”

   Dr. Britton patted my leg reassuringly. “It's okay. You're improving. Do you remember meeting me when they brought you in yesterday?”

   “No.” I'd have testified in court that I had never seen this woman before, that was how sure I was. I was apparently completely mistaken.

   “That's not unusual. You may never get the memory back of the moments immediately surrounding your accident. I don't want you to worry about that. You seem to be bouncing back very well today. We'll run some more tests this afternoon. You should expect to feel tired for a while, repairing a brain is hard work, but the dizziness and nausea should pass. We'll keep an eye out for any other symptoms. I'm going to have a word with your brother now, okay?” She stepped into the hallway with Mitch, closing the door behind them. I looked to Roger and Shannon, who were still in their clothes from yesterday, looking exhausted. I felt so bad. I hated being the source of all this drama.

   Shannon sat down on the edge of the bed and took my hand in his. “They're not going to let me out of here. I'm not going to be able to go to Milwaukee with you.” I complained.

    Shannon's voice was stern when he responded. “You have no business living out of a tour bus right now anyway, Jane. You gave us the scare of our lives yesterday. You can't think you're just going to hop back up today and go on like nothing happened.”

   “I don't want you to go. I know you can't stay but I'm not ready to lose you yet.” I could feel an ache growing in my chest that had nothing to do with any injuries.

   “You're not losing me. I'm going to be on tour until the end of August and as soon as you're able to you can come catch up with me. And I've got a couple of days off next week, I can come see you. It'll be okay Janey, I promise.” He gripped my hand tightly and I could see that he wasn't any happier about leaving me behind than I was having him go, no matter how brave a face he was putting on it.

   “It doesn't feel like it.” I burst into tears, which just made my head hurt that much more. “I'm sorry.”

   Shannon leaned in as far as he could before pulling my head against his chest. “Don't worry about it. Doc said you might have some trouble regulating your emotions. I just need you to take care of yourself and get better okay?”

   “Okay.” I sniffled.

   I got poked, prodded and questioned so much the rest of the day I was ready to slap anyone that came near me with one of those little flashlights or a cart. They ended up deciding to release me to Mitch's care with instructions to follow up locally with a doctor in Terre Haute. I was not to get on a plane to fly back to New York until that doctor cleared me. Roger had had the presence of mind to get my luggage off the tour bus before they left town, and Mitch loaded it and me into his minivan for the drive back to his place. Roger and Shannon headed for Milwaukee. When I watched them drive off I sobbed like a little girl who'd lost her teddy. It seemed once again Shannon and I were parting in tears.

@msroxyblog @nikkitasevoli @maliciousalishious@meghan12151977 @mustlove6277 @fyeahproudglambert @little-poptart @lady-grinning-soul-k @pheenixpeterson

[laventadorn]

Asteria pov of Harriet saving her that first time she got bullied.

funny enough, i had actually written this several years ago, but forgot about it! i was going through an old folder of cut scenes or scrapped ideas and found it.

Starshine

“Daphne?” Asteria had whispered months ago, at the start-of-term feast. “Which—which one’s Harriet Potter?”

“The Gryffindor table sits against the opposite wall,” Daphne murmured, cutting neatly into her potatoes. “Harriet Potter is usually sitting with a crop of redheads. She has the most terrible hair … all wild and every which-way… and the most appalling glasses… oh, her back’s to our table. She’s sitting next to the girl with the horridly bushy hair…”

Asteria saw her, then. From the back, she could not make out much more than wild black hair. Harriet Potter was quite tiny. She was sitting in a knot of students who were all laughing and talking and throwing food at each other, but did not seem bothered by any of it. Asteria both envied her and shuddered with relief to be at the much more decorous Slytherin table, where no food was thrown and individual groups kept to themselves. It was quite frightening enough, honestly.

So many new faces—so many unfamiliar sights—the chaos of King’s Cross; the roar and thunder of the train; the crashing sea of all those voices, the whirl of strange faces; the darkness of the Hogsmeade station; the crowds pouring toward the carriages; the terrible, drowning cold of the Dementors, burying her in icy surf, battering, churning; more crowds on the front steps, and Daphne hustling her through them, whispering, “I’ll explain to Professor McGonagall why you didn’t take the boats, why I brought you with me, you needn’t speak to her, Aster, don’t worry”; the long walk down the aisle, beneath the brightness of the candles, past the blurred faces all watching; the walk alone to the Hat, like a march to the gallows, and placing it on; hearing No, no, Slytherin won’t do for you at all, almost as bad as Gryffindor; you’ll want Hufflepuff, where they’re compassionate and accepting, like yourself; or possibly Ravenclaw, you’re certainly clever enough, although you’ll find them rather aloof … No? Well, you’ll regret it in your own time…

But she had to be with Daphne, she thought as she removed the Hat and made her way on trembling legs to the Slytherin table, where Daphne stood to embrace her while the table clapped. She wouldn’t survive such a new, frightening, strange, unfamiliar place without Daphne.

Asteria knew that everyone thought she was dreadfully silly. She cried whenever people had to go away, even if it was only for the day. She could barely breathe when thinking of going away herself. The sight of strangers, even at a distance, tied her heart in knots; and if they should come closer she could barely hold still at the thought of them talking to her; and if they did speak to her, sometimes she couldn’t talk past the thickness in her throat.

“As soon as the Sorting is over,” Daphne whispered to her as Professor Flitwick (for Professor McGonagall was in conference with a student) called Morton, Morbius! to the Hat, “we shall have the feast. You’ll adore the feast, Aster. It has such treats and dishes as you’ve never seen.”

It was a tremendous feast, magnificent and wonderful. The food grew on the plates like spring flowers sped towards summer, and the candles overhead glimmered on the bodies of the ghosts that floated through the walls. At home, the food had been much scanter, and the only light had come from the fireplace and the old lamps Mama lit with her wand. Asteria missed home so terribly. What was Callie doing without them all?

Soon her head was aching and heavy. She knew no one in the Hall, knew no one’s names, except those she’d been told by Daphne … and Harriet Potter. Asteria knew Harriet Potter by reputation, as everyone did. She had loved to read the story of Harriet Potter all her life. It made her so terribly sad, but it was all so incredibly, wonderfully brave. Harriet Potter had defeated Voldemort not only once, but twice, and last year had slain a Basilisk that was Petrifying students who might otherwise have died. Now Sirius Black had escaped from prison to kill her. Asteria had not been able to sleep for a week after hearing. But now she was at school with Harriet Potter … and even though Harriet Potter would surely never, ever have any reason to speak to her, lowly Asteria Greengrass, Asteria would be able to see her and to know that there went someone who was so much infinitely braver than herself, who made her wish, with all her heart, that she too could be brave.

That hope lasted until later that night, when she had to leave Daphne and go to her own dorm. She had never slept alone in her life; one and often two of her sisters had always been there. Now Daphne would not even be in the same room. And her roommates were all strangers, and they noticed that her robes were handmade, and they giggled at her old-fashioned nightgown that had once belonged to her grandmother. And she got lost going to the bathroom to brush her teeth, and once she had got there she realized she’d forgotten her toothpaste, and she was much too frightened to ask to borrow anyone’s. The dungeon was cold; she lay in bed shivering, trying to get warm and sleep, while her dorm-mates whispered excitedly, and whenever she turned over in bed, she struggled awake from formless nightmares that left her heart racing.

By the next morning, Asteria hated Hogwarts. It was too big—it was overwhelming—it was terrifying. The size, the number of people—she had never been around so many people in her life. She was lost—in the the strangeness and the amount of things she didn’t know. Her books were filled with so much knowledge, and just on that first day, the teachers told them so much. She was sure she hadn’t understood any of it, but she had also been paralyzed with fright at the thought of being called on—which would have been a terrifying prospect even if she had known the answer, but she knew she wouldn’t. And all those voices, all the faces, all the people, all the noise—it had all been too much, so that when Professor Lupin had looked at her and spoke, she’d completely lost her head.

Then everyone had made fun of her. They stared at her, and they sniggered, and strange people would come up and say to her, “Not going to faint again, are you?”

She hated Hogwarts. She hated it more than she had when it had first took Leto away, and then Daphne, her most beloved sister.

But she couldn’t tell anyone, because then they’d send her away. It would make Daphne terribly upset to know how unhappy she was. Daphne knew she was unhappy but she didn’t know how very much, because Asteria always made sure she went to bed first so that she could cry in the privacy of the four-poster, without Daphne seeing. Mama wouldn’t like it either—she’d be so disappointed that Asteria couldn’t meet her expectations. Asteria couldn’t disappoint everyone so terribly.

She also hated being in Slytherin.

The Sorting Hat had been right. It was bad enough being teased for being a fainter, laughed at because she was afraid of everything, and poor; but it was even worse to hear the boos and hisses from Nons, as Slytherin called them, called snake and liar by the other first-year girls. There were particular bathrooms the Slytherins used, so they wouldn’t have to put up with the Nons cutting them in line, or barring them from the cubicles, or stealing the toilet paper.

“It’s just the way it is,” Daphne said, with a calmness that Asteria couldn’t understand. “It’s our burden. It is why we must stay strong together, even if sometimes we don’t like each other”—Asteria knew she was thinking of Pansy—“because if we are not strong together, then they can drive us too easily apart. We need allies to survive.”

Asteria had no allies except for Daphne. Leto at school was different. Asteria was frightened of her—not because Leto was cruel to her—in fact, at first Leto had invited Asteria into her circle of friends, happy to show her off, until Asteria had panicked and Leto had to hustle her away.

“Honestly, Aster,” she’d said. “Oh, I am sorry, my love, but you really must learn to get over this, or how will you survive?”

Daphne took care of her, but Daphne was in third year and had her own classes and friends. Pansy was the worst of them, for she seemed to really hate Asteria; Tracey was cool and indifferent, quite frightening. Asteria was nearly comfortable with Millicent because she never spoke to her or looked at her and was just as good as Asteria at fading into the furniture, unnoticed. Only at Hogwarts, people did notice Asteria, and she hated it.

She simply wanted to learn in absolute peace and quiet, unnoticed by everyone, unspoken to by all, except for Daphne. She didn’t even want Harriet Potter to speak to her; she only wanted to admire her from afar.   

It had taken a great deal of work to convince Daphne to go to Hogsmeade and leave her by herself. But Daphne had so been looking forward to it, especially getting to spend the day with Tracey. Daphne had never said so, but Asteria knew. Daphne might not even know her own self, not fully, but Asteria saw and understood, though no one else seemed to.

It made her wretched to be left alone, but she would have been unhappier had Daphne stayed behind, disappointed. She spent the morning writing a falsely cheerful letter to Callie and then climbed to the Owlery to post it. It was the first time she had been there alone, and she trembled to make her own way there. But she had gone with Daphne several times, and there had been nothing to fear…

This time, there was.

“Little snakes aren’t supposed be up this high,” said the boy.

Asteria was having trouble breathing. They’d taken her bag away, turned it inside out, blown it up, and popped it, laughing when the BANG made her jump. Her throat felt blocked; her heart was beating so hard her head was swimming.

“Too bad, little snake,” said another of them—there were three, and they were in her Double Herbology class with the Gryffindors. Daphne had warned her that the Gryffindors could be cruel to Slytherins, so she’d tried to stay away from them.

“Not a very good weapon, all this paper,” said the third, waving her letter at her, the one she’d been going to send to Callie when she’d met them coming out of the Owlery. “It sort of”—he ripped her letter down the middle—“just comes to pieces.”

They laughed some more. Asteria had nowhere to go. She was backed up against the wall. She couldn’t move, like her body wouldn’t work.  

“What the fuck?”

Asteria was facing the doorway, so she saw who it was first, though the boys had to turn.

It was Harriet Potter. Her shoulder-length hair was wilder than ever, and she was staring at them, at first astonished and then growing angry. Her green eyes were fierce and furious and if she had looked at Asteria that way, so angry and crackling, Asteria was sure she would have fainted dead away.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Harriet Potter demanded of the boys.

“Oh, come on, Potter,” said one of them. “It’s only a snake.”

“I don’t care,” Harriet Potter said, stalking toward them with such a ferocious glare that two of them backed away. “You get off her.”

“Or what?” said the bravest boy, though his friends looked like they’d have happily complied. “You’ll really show me when you get bigger?” He held his hand out, measuring how tall she was. She only came up to his chin. “When’s that gonna be?”

“I’ll show you what I did to that Basilisk right now,” she growled, pulling out her wand. But he just grinned.

“Ooh,” he said. “I’m really scared.”

“Good,” she said.

Then Harriet Potter punched him in the nose.

What happened next was quite confused in Asteria’s mind. When she came to a sense of herself, she was in the Hospital Wing and Professor McGonagall, looking absolutely terrifying, like a wrathful eagle, was marching the boys away, and kind Madam Pomfrey was telling Asteria that she would be quite all right and things would calm down very soon.

But then Professor Snape swept into the ward and put her into a new terror. Although Daphne insisted he was very kind, he was so fierce that Asteria was quite as frightened of him as she was of Professor McGonagall. She could barely concentrate in Potions or Transfigurations for fear of doing something wrong and either of them speaking to her. She much preferred Herbology or Charms or Defense Against the Dark Arts because those professors smiled.  Asteria stared at her feet while Madam Pomfrey drew a curtain round her bed for privacy. She risk a look upward as the matron pulled the curtains closed, and her heart turned over when she saw Harriet Potter looking at her. Her piercing green eyes were curious – at least, Asteria thought they were, as she drew the image to the front of her mind later, over and over again; at the time, she had pulled her own eyes away after only a flash of a second.

“Miss Potter asked after you,” Madam Pomfrey said to her later, once Professor Snape and Harriet Potter had gone. “She’d like to know you’re feeling better soon, so you had best get quite well before long.”

Asteria could not believe that someone so famous and important as Harriet Potter would care so much about what happened to her. She was nobody at all, even among pure-bloods. She felt weak and shaky still, but there was a small spark inside, like a warmth generated by something other than the sun. The warmth stayed inside her, as steady as starshine.

[pistachioguardiansau]

Day with Uncle Vinnie: Ch 1

Right, so this fic is longer than I expected so I decided to split it up. Fun fact: Pistachio kernels contain little water and large amounts of fat. This makes them especially prone to overheating to the point of spontaneous combustion when shipped in bulk.

Ch 1: The Fun Uncle

“Vinnie, I want you to start harvesting the pistachios in the Royal Garden,” Balthazar announced. “It is imperative they’re ready for Katalina’s wedding tomorrow.”

“Sure, harvest pistachios from the garden. I got it,” Vinnie murmured distractedly, more focused on making silly faces for the baby strapped to Balthazar’s front.

“Are you even paying attention? Anacardia to Vinnie!” Balthazar frantically waved his hand in front of Vinnie’s face. “I know it’s hard, but you cannot fall prey to Milo’s charm!”

Milo clapped his chubby hands together, giggling. His tiny legs kicked out.

“You should let him loose for a day,” Vinnie suggested. “You always have him in that baby carrier. Give the kid some freedom. Some air. Room to breathe, you know.” Vinnie tickled one of Milo’s bare feet.

“He’s staying where I can keep an eye on him,” Balthazar huffed. “You do remember what happened last time I let him out of my sight, I presume?”

“A bunch of sheep got loose and ruined Henry’s crops. I know,” Vinnie replied. “Why don’t you let me handle him for a day? Carrying him around all the time has to do a number on your back.”

“My back is as good as an Anacardian ten times younger than me, thank you,” Balthazar retorted.

“Never thought I’d see the day where you called yourself old,” Vinnie laughed. “Barely out of the shell and Milo’s already giving you gray hairs!”

“Your antics give me gray hairs,” Balthazar muttered.

“Aw, don’t be such a sourpuss! We can’t have Milo growing up all grumpy and grouchy, can we?” Vinnie grinned. “Why don’t I look after him while you harvest the pistachios? You can do it a lot faster than me.”

Balthazar raised an eyebrow. “I know I could. But are you sure you can look after him, especially during his-ah-mishaps?”

“No problemo!” Vinnie exclaimed. “It’s in the bag! Piece of cake!”

Milo babbled, his arms reaching out towards Vinnie. Balthazar sighed. “Very well. Make sure he doesn’t become too filthy though. His clothes are brand new.”

“And if he does get dirty?” Vinnie asked.

“Then it’s your responsibility to bathe him,” Balthazar replied. He removed Milo from the baby carrier and handed him off to Vinnie. “Dinner is seven-thirty tonight at the Lucky Clover. We’ll meet the others there.”

“Is it karaoke night already?” Vinnie asked. “I wanna do some karaoke! There was that new song by the Almondine Sisters, maybe I can get Savannah to duet with me.”

“Yes, my poor eardrums,” Balthazar groaned. “Now off with you both. Behave for your Uncle Vinnie now.” After bumping foreheads with Milo, Balthazar vanished in a puff of green smoke.

Vinnie coughed, shielding Milo from the haze. “I hate it when he decides he wants a dramatic exit,” he commented. “So Milo, what’s first on the list? Stables? Jade Cavern? Minty Woods?”

“Bah!” Milo gurgled, tapping his hand repeatedly on Vinnie’s glasses.

“Bah?” Vinnie repeated. “Remember what happened last time you were next to sheep? Well, you won’t remember cause you’re too young but there’s always that one embarrassing thing babies do that their parents constantly remind them of when-” He stopped rambling when a bored expression briefly crossed Milo’s face. “Uh-okay, sheep it is! We’ll just fly there. Much more interesting!”

Vinnie, like the other Guardians, had learned very quickly that Milo tended to accidentally set objects on fire when he was bored. Balthazar’s mustache and Savannah’s jewelry were the best items to alleviate boredom if they were unable to conjure any toys on rare occasions.

After briefly considering making another baby carrier, Vinnie decided to place Milo in a bubble instead. The bubble would respond to his will, and give Milo some freedom of movement. As long as they didn’t wander near any sharp objects in the sky, of course. Concentrating, Vinnie held both palms out towards Milo, a scarlet substance appearing between his hands. He slowly pushed the still-forming bubble towards Milo, who leaned towards it curiously. Then the bubble enveloped him, Milo squeaking in surprise.

“Been a while since I used these bubbles casually,” Vinnie commented, pushing his face against the surface of the bubble. Milo giggled, attempting to climb the gently shaped curve and frowning slightly when he slid back down. “Off to the stables now! Enjoy your flight on Air Vinnie!” Vinnie took to the skies, heading towards the stables, Milo following close behind him.

Vinnie knew he was breaking the “No carrier, no fly” rule for Milo that Balthazar had set, but what the killjoy didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. Milo was absolutely transfixed by the rolling green hills, the orchards, and the Anacardians below them. Vinnie saw no reason to spoil his fun.

He flipped onto his back casually, placing his arms behind his head as if he was about to take a mid-flight siesta. He watched Milo crawl around in his bubble, losing balance several times due to the slippery surface.

Bet Balthazar never allowed this, huh. He’s way too concerned with safety and doesn’t let the poor baby have fun, Vinnie thought, yelping when he felt something suddenly collide with his head. Quickly moving to an upright position, Vinnie saw a disoriented falcon fly lopsidedly into the bubble with outstretched talons.

“Great Vera!” Vinnie cursed, diving down to catch Milo just as the bubble popped. Milo was completely oblivious to nearly plummeting to his doom, reaching for Vinnie’s golden chain while smiling. He allowed himself a sigh of relief, then remembered the falcon.

Seized with panic, he remembered that Melissa had been lost because of the Shadow Falcons. At least, that’s what Orton said happened. But he was not going to allow a repeat of that awful day. Not on his watch!

Clutching Milo tightly with one arm, he began charging a beam of scarlet energy at the falcon, who screamed, “Wait!”

“What?” Vinnie stared in shock. In his surprise, the beam misfired and struck an empty barn. “Oops,” he chuckled nervously, watching several beams of wood crumble into dust.

The falcon glared at him. “Guess who’ll have to clean that up?”

Vinnie noticed the falcon’s brown feathers. Not black. Stormy gray eyes, not red orbs that promised death. A normal wingspan that didn’t blow enough wind to knock a herd of Redwood Stallion off their hooves.

He sighed, relieved that it was just Orton in his falcon form, and not a Shadow. “Sorry about that,” Vinnie grinned sheepishly. “You can just fix it with time magic, right?”

“I could,” Orton replied testily. “But more importantly, I thought Balthazar had the ‘no carrier, no fly’ rule. And he usually won’t let Milo out of his sight. How did you convince him?”

“You won’t tell him, will you?” Vinnie begged. “He called himself old so I offered to look after Milo today.” Orton nearly choked. “Okay, okay, he didn’t really call himself old. Something about his back I think.”

Vinnie was certain that Orton wanted to smile, though it was much tougher with a beak. “Well, regardless of the reason Balthazar entrusted you with Milo for the day, it would be good to give the child some exposure to the outside world,” Orton mused. “I suppose I’d better go fix that barn now. Have fun and take care, Milo!” He brushed Milo’s forehead with his wingtips before descending to the barn.

Vinnie carried Milo in his arms for the duration of the flight, getting close to the fluffy white clouds so Milo could touch them. “And we’re descending from Air Dakota! Please don’t forget to take all your bags and babies with you! Have a good day!” Vinnie narrated as he landed. Milo clapped. “And that’s just the beginning of our tour!”

He opened the door of the stables, taking in the musty smell of Anacardian sheep and Luminescent Llamas. Milo squirmed in his arms, curious at seeing new sights. “You won’t be able to see anything if you’re just on the ground. Besides, Balthazar would bury me alive if you accidentally crawled into some manure.”

Milo pointed to an ewe nursing twin lambs, so Vinnie paused and let Milo watch them. “They’re really adorable,” Vinnie murmured, bending down to read the names carved into the wood. “So the mother’s name is Leto, and the twins are Artemis and Apollo.” Milo batted at the door, giving Vinnie a pleading look. He shook his head. “We shouldn’t disturb Leto right now. It would be rude to interrupt their feeding time. But I can always show you a Luminescent Llama. I don’t think you’ve ever seen one of those. You’ll love ‘em. Oh, here’s one!”

A llama with a glittering red collar labelled “Sunny” stretched her neck out, nudging Milo with her long muzzle. “Please don’t spit on him,” Vinnie whispered. Sunny snorted, as if offended that she would do such a thing. Her thick orange wool glowed brightly, casting a slight tint on the wall behind her.

Milo gasped in surprise. Vinnie grinned and undid the latch to the pen. “It’s all in the name. Luminescent Llamas are, well, luminescent. Nobody knows why they glow. They just do,” he shrugged, placing Milo on Sunny’s back. He buried his face into the soft wool. Vinnie held him for just a moment longer to make sure he was steady, and slowly removed his hands.

“You wanna go for a llamaback ride? It’s like a horseback ride, but with llamas!” Sunny eagerly slipped her head into a bridle, allowing Vinnie to lead her into the nearby meadow. She grazed on the vegetation for a while, Milo kicking his legs against her sides to make her run.

“Gah!” he babbled.

“Wait until she’s done eating, Milo,” Vinnie said. Finally, Sunny rose to her full height and set off at a light trot. Milo held on to her long neck, his limbs catching in thick wool so he wouldn’t fall off. A ray of sunshine struck them so that Milo looked as though he was riding a flaming wave.  

“Okay, Milo. We have other sights to visit before seven-thirty,” Vinnie led Sunny back to her pen, removing the bridle. Milo leaned over too far and wound up dangling by one foot from Sunny’s side, saved from a nasty bump to the head by her wool. Vinnie quickly put the bridle on the hook and flipped Milo upright, disentangling her wool from his ankle.

“Thanks for letting him ride,” Vinnie fed Sunny a carrot, stroking her long nose. “Say goodbye, Milo!”

Milo reached out and stroked Sunny’s long nose. “Ba!” he said. His stomach growled.

Vinnie grinned. “Someone’s hungry! You wanna go pick berries in Minty Woods? Who am I kidding, of course you do!”