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silveringofrose · 7 months

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A Twist of Fate

Hey @blu3birdprince,

We don't know each other but SURPRISE!! I'm your Secret Valentine for @writeblrcafe's secret gift exchange. I really had no idea what I was gonna write for you, but with some serious scrolling - I found this prompt from @writing-prompt-s.

"At 6 years old, you donned a makeshift veil and exchanged candy ring pops when you had a fake wedding with your first crush. Years passed, you received a marriage certificate in the mail claiming that now that you’re of legal age, the church and government now recognize your wedding as valid."

Considering what this piece of writing was for, it seemed like fate....and speaking of fate...

I'm not gonna lie - this kind of got away from me a little. But I was having so much fun writing it that I didn't want to stop. Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading this (semi) short story as much as I enjoyed writing it (sorry I couldn't write anything from any of your fandoms though)

P.S. The story is 5724 words long, or around 25 minutes reading time.

Best,

Silver

Scene 1

It was just another day when the letter arrived. Just another ordinary, kind of terrible, perfectly average day. If not for the letter, it probably would have faded into memory along with the thousands of others almost exactly like it. Instead the letter came. And now Quinn couldn't forget a minute of that pretty shitty day if they tried. And they did try. Oh boy did they try.

Because the very last thing Quinn Bennet needed (needs) in their life was (is) all the complications that letter brought with it. But it came, Quinn couldn't forget it, and ignoring it was apparently not an option either. They'd been sure it was a prank at first. What else were they supposed to think about a marriage certificate sent via snail mail and a letter that said “Remember that pretend wedding you had when you were a kid? CONGRATS!! You're married now!” But they'd called Home Affairs and apparently it was legit. They were married. And they had no idea if their wife knew about the happy occasion.

So here they were, standing on a sidewalk they only vaguely remembered, staring at a door that once upon a time they thought they'd never see again, that damned letter in its creased and battered envelope burning a hole in their pocket, memories they'd kept in a tightly sealed box threatening to overwhelm them with a mix of nostalgia and apprehension.

Quinn's heart races as they contemplate knocking on the door, their mind waging a war between curiosity and self-preservation. Something moves, startling them out of their reverie. A twitch of a curtain in one of the windows, staring blankly at the street?

A sway of a branch as the breeze brushes a kiss across its budding leaves? They don't know. But suddenly, it's all too much, and Quinn steps back off the sidewalk, into the early morning shadows that drape themselves gracefully along the tree-lined street.

"I shouldn't be here. This is a dumb idea and I definitely shouldn't be here," Quinn mutters to themselves, the words barely audible over the drumbeat pounding of their heart. "No," they repeat, hoping they don't look as stalkery as they feel. "This is a terrible idea and I need to get out of here. Right now."

This is a mistake, they think, their gaze fixed on the familiar facade of the house. I should never have come here.

Their thoughts race, a whirlwind of uncertainty and regret swirling inside them. With a frustrated sigh and a shake of their head, Quinn turns and heads back toward their car, conflicting emotions tugging at their heart. Relief mingled with disappointment leaves them feeling strangely hollow as they slip behind the wheel and drive away, resisting the urge to take one last look at the house as they pass it.

Yes, Quinn is relieved. Relieved that they didn't go through with it. Relieved that they didn't open a door they had no idea how to close.

Scene 2

Tabitha Hazelfern sits at her cluttered desk in the dimly lit office of Luminaegis, an imaginative string of curses colouring the air as she stares at the screen in front of her. Another failed attempt. Another missed opportunity. Quinn has dodged the meeting with their childhood crush for the umpteenth time, and Tabitha can't help but feel a sense of frustration boiling beneath the surface. It's like they're some sort of fugitive from fate, determined to evade their destiny at every turn.

"What the hell, Quinn?" she mutters, running a hand through her tousled hair. "Why do you have to make this so damn difficult?" She’d spent so much time with Quinn’s files that she’d taken to talking to them as though they were right there at the end of her desk. Ankles crossed, one shoulder propped against the wall as they flashed the smile that made looking away from their intense green eyes very, very hard.

Tabitha feels like she's chasing shadows, trying to pin down something elusive and ever-changing. She's tried everything, examined every probability, exhausted every avenue, and yet somehow nothing has gone the way she expected.

If she didn't know any better, she’d think that someone else was meddling in her plans — purposely blocking her every attempt to engineer this meeting she'd been told had to happen. Only it had been something of a day when she got that memo all those years ago, and she had maybe misplaced it. Just a little bit really.

How was she supposed to know that her genius plan to use it as a bookmark because no way would she ever leave such a riveting book unfinished would fail? It really wasn't her fault that she'd completely forgotten the book even existed by the time the mess of that day, and the days that followed, was over.

Books were meant to stay where you put them. Not go wandering off into the back of a drawer you only opened occasionally, and then only to take out that one thing that you knew for absolute sure was in the back left hand corner.

But Tabitha knows better than anyone that there are forces beyond her comprehension at play, and she can't help but wonder how much damage misplacing the memo in the first place has done to Quinn's destiny. It had told her the meeting with the crush they'd pretend married when they were a kid had to happen, but it didn't say how, when, or where. So as long as the meeting happens, it would be all good, right?

Everything would get back on track and the balance would be restored and it would be like Quinn's little deviation from their life path had never happened. Well...hopefully it was just a little deviation. Tabitha has no way of knowing for sure, and not for the first time, she wishes that she was actually clairvoyant and not just a whiz at understanding human behaviour and predicting outcomes.

Tabitha sighs, rubbing at the headache that has taken up permanent residence in her skull. She knows that Quinn's destiny hangs in the balance, and she won't let them suffer the consequences of her mistake. Determination courses through her veins as she leans forward, her gaze flicking over the files spread out on the desk before her.

Quinn may be elusive, but Tabitha is relentless. And she won't rest until she's done everything in her power to ensure their future unfolds as it should.

Scene 3

Tabitha sits at her cluttered desk once more, surrounded by stacks of files and half-empty coffee cups. The soft glow of her computer screen casts a faint light across her face as she pores over Quinn's files, her brow furrowed in concentration. She sifts through the information, piecing together fragments of their life in a desperate attempt to find a solution.

She stares at the copy of the marriage certificate lying innocently on Quinn's file, a bitter reminder of her failed attempts to orchestrate their meeting with their childhood crush. It had seemed like a foolproof plan at the time.

A quiet word in a certain ear, a few clicks of a button and voops — Quinn was married. It was a little scary how easy it had been to do really. With the right information, Quinn could have ended up with any partner. Her even! But she wasn’t Quinn’s destiny and so the former crush's name had gone onto the certificate instead.

Type up the letter explaining that their pretend wedding at 6 years old was officially real according to state and church, then make sure they couldn’t just call or email their former crush to sort out the mess she’d created. As she looks back on it now though, Tabitha can't help but curse her own naivety.

She had been so sure that the plan was going to work. So sure that Quinn would be forced to confront their past and seek out their childhood crush. Instead, it had only made them run as fast as they possibly could in the other direction, leaving Tabitha feeling more frustrated and helpless than ever before.

Tabitha could understand the feeling to be honest. As supportive as her parents had tried to be, her childhood had been no bed of roses and she had no desire to go back there any time soon.

After days of meticulous analysis, scanning facts, plotting and replotting, a new plan finally begins to take shape in Tabitha's mind. She sits straighter in her chair, a glimmer of hope flickering in her eyes as she maps out the details.

Bugger this one shot at a chance encounter thing she'd been doing so far. This time she was gonna fill an entire day with opportunities. If she had any say in the matter (and she did), Quinn and their childhood crush would be absolutely sick of each other by the end of the day.

It starts with a visit to the former crushes favourite coffee shop and a casually dropped comment about this amazing breakfast she had one time while she was in Hong Kong. This is followed by a VERY targeted email and social media marketing campaign about people being bored with the same old boring breakfast foods day in and day out.

She’s never been to Hong Kong and she’s not really a breakfast person. But Quinn was a breakfast person. Especially if it wasn't the standard bacon, egg and hashbrown variety. And probabilities said the campaign would take off, while the server who suggested the idea would finally get the spot in the kitchen she’d always dreamed about. AND this particular trend would be the first of many she sparked. So a win-win all round in Tabitha’s opinion.

She felt kind of bad about souring the milk in Quinn’s fridge, but some cash slipped into the pocket of a coat hanging in the hallway put that one to rest. Then a little junkmail from the local bookshop that included one winning scratchcard for “Any book of your choice!” dropped through the letterbox of that damn door. And finally, one jostled elbow combined with a silk blouse and a spilt glass of wine — and the final stages of the plan were ready to be put into action.

Scene 4

The next day finds Tabitha in the dimly lit Observation Center, her eyes fixed on the bank of monitors displaying feeds from surveillance cameras scattered throughout the city. With Luminaegis technology at her fingertips, she can keep a close watch on how her plan plays out.

Beside her is Tatum Wolfe, cyber expert extraordinaire and the only person she trusted enough to ask for help with keeping an eye on Quinn and their former crush as they move about their carefully orchestrated day. Tatum had been recruited to the inner sanctum of Luminaegis at around the same time as Tabitha and the two had gotten close during those first few months of training.

She hasn't dared report the situation with Quinn to her higher-ups yet, but she knows that he wouldn't breathe a word about this extra secret operation to anyone. And that he would do anything to help her after everything that had happened not too long ago.

Tabitha follows Quinn and their childhood crush's every move with bated breath, her heart pounding in anticipation and tension mounting with each passing moment. That doesn't stop her from noticing that Quinn is wearing a classic leather jacket paired with a bold graphic t-shirt, the combination of vintage find and casual contemporary showcasing their artistic flair in a way that made several people take an appreciative look — including her.

The first near-miss of the day occurs when Quinn turns a corner just as their former crush disappears into her favourite coffee shop. The crush being there is not surprising. If she was in the area, she always stopped to grab an oversized iced coffee.

Tabitha can barely breathe as she watches Quinn stop to read the sign announcing the "International Breakfast Special '' before ultimately deciding to keep walking. She grits her teeth in frustration, her nails digging into the armrests of her chair as the scene unfolds. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion, and there's nothing she can do to stop it.

"Of all the days Quinn, of all the days for you to not be your usual ravenous self — you choose today. Because of course you do," she growls at the figure on the screen, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"Aww cheer up Tia, it'll happen - there's no way it can't with all the strings you've pulled and pieces you've shifted," Tatum reassures her. Tabitha flicks a glance at him and just shakes her head, not bothering to respond.

Tatum's eyes narrow as he takes in her expression. "That bad huh," he says, and his tone makes it clear that he's wondering how this harmless, if eclectic looking person with their blue dyed hair had gotten the most unflappable person he knew into such a state.

"Worse," Tabitha replies shortly, turning back to the screens.

The second near-miss occurs as Quinn approaches the collection counter of the local bookstore. The same bookstore that their former crush had gotten that very pleasantly surprising junkmail from. And so the crush is browsing the shelves while Quinn waits for the bookstore's clerk to locate their special order.

Tabitha shifts forward in her seat as the crush moves down the aisle, closer to where Quinn is standing. She is so focused on Quinn and the crush that she doesn't notice when a third person enters the store. Not until they move to the bottom of the aisle where Quinn's crush is browsing and what appears to be a very exuberant reunion occurs.

Tabitha lets out a frustrated sigh, her shoulders slumping in defeat as she watches Quinn sign for their special order and walk out the store. And not once do they look back to see what all the commotion behind them is about. It's like fate itself is conspiring against her, mocking her efforts at every turn.

The third near-miss happens just around the corner from the busy dry-cleaners where the former crush had dropped off her wine-stained silk blouse before heading for the supermarket. The same supermarket that Quinn had just exited with a small packet of groceries - including one bottle of milk. Tabitha's fingers are clamped around the arms of her chair, her knuckles turning white as she watches them get closer to each other.

There. The giant brick shithouse of a man suddenly stopping to take a call, causing the crush to veer slightly. Aaaaand there! The old woman with the cane turning suddenly, almost tripping Quinn as she rushes back toward the store she'd just exited (her wallet was perfectly safe, Tabitha had made sure of that) and then—wait. Why was Quinn stopping? Why were they looking down? THEY WERE MEANT TO BE LOOKING AT THE OLD WOMAN AND VEERING!!!

"Are you fucqing kidding me?" Tabitha can only watch, disbelieving, as Quinn bends down to re-tie a shoelace, their former crush passing by literally inches away with neither of them noticing the other. "A shoelace?? A fucqing shoelace? That entire beautifully orchestrated sequence ruined. By a shoelace! I can't," Tabitha shakes her head as she meets Tatum's equally disbelieving gaze.

"See what I mean?" she asks, waving a hand at the screen. "It's like the universe is playing a cruel joke on me, dangling success right there only to snatch it away at the last moment."

Tatum shakes his head. "Tia...that was. The odds of that happening right when it did. Are you sure there are no other hands in play here?"

"No, there's nothing,” Tabitha shakes her head firmly. “And trust me I've checked and double checked and triple checked. There is no one who cares about what is going on in Quinn Bennett's life at this very moment except me."

Tatum's expression says he isn't so sure but he stays silent. Tabitha is close to breaking point and he's already learnt not to poke that particular bear.

Scene 5

Tabitha leaves Tatum to clear up any trace of their off-books operation and makes her way oh so calmly back to her office, closing the door oh so carefully behind her and leaning back against it as though that will stop the walls that are caving in around her from falling.

A whole day of near misses. A whole fucqing day. She slams her fist against the door as the anger and disappointment finally boils over. Her mind replays every missed opportunity in 4K slow motion detail as she paces back and forth in the tiny space in front of her desk.

"How many times? How many times Quinn?" She dodges a teetering stack of files that she's been meaning to do something about for a few months now.

"How many times do I have to set up the most perfect circumstances for a casual little encounter before you get it right? How many times must I pull out all the stops, every trick in the book and all for what? For you to waltz straight past your destiny like a ship in the night!!" her chest is heaving as the careening emotions make breathing difficult.

"Do you have any idea what's at stake here? Do you even care?" she asks the imaginary Quinn grinning at her in that infuriatingly attractive way from across the room. "No. No you don't care. Because you don't believe in destiny or fate do you? Ohh noooo. That's just a bunch of whoo whoo bullshit. Never mind how many times you've thought 'gosh, so many things had to line up just right for this thing to happen at this very moment in this very place'! Still not even a little itty bitty teeny bit of a doubt that maybe, just maybe—"

A knock at the door interrupts Tabitha's tirade and thinking it's Tatum come to check on her, she rips it open. "Look I told you Wolfe, I'm fi—" Her eyes widen in shock as she realises it's not, in fact, Tatum Wolfe standing outside her door but her boss. And not just her department manager. No, it's Morrígan Winterbourne. Board member and legendary former Luminaegis operative.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't realise it was you, I-I mean, please come in..." Tabitha's cheeks flame as she stammers out an apology. "If you want to come in, that is. Do you want to come in?" Tabitha clamps her mouth shut, wishing more than anything that the floor would open and swallow her whole right there.

Morrígan chuckles softly, waving off Tabitha's apologies with a dismissive gesture. "No need to apologise, Tabitha. I've heard much worse in my time."

Tabitha doesn't doubt it but the reassurance doesn't help her relax at all. Mixed with the feeling of awe and admiration is more than a little trepidation. What is Morrígan doing here, in her office? Morrígan, who along with her sisters and a few others, literally ran the whole operation - legitmate and clandestine.

Tabitha ping pongs wildly between thrilled and terrified as she waits for the shoe to drop. Or the hammer. Morrígan wouldn't bother with a shoe. She'd head directly for the hammer and do not pass go.

Morrígan's smile fades slightly as she takes in Tabitha's tense demeanour, her expression turning more serious. "I heard you're having some trouble with a particularly tricky case," she says. Her voice is casual but that doesn't fool Tabitha for one second. Tabitha feels a little bit faint, wondering how on earth Morrígan could possibly know about her issues with Quinn.

Tatum wouldn't have tattled would he? He was the current golden boy of Luminaegis, and she imagined that he could have a line directly to the top. But he wouldn't do that to her would he? Surely not. But before she can question it, Morrígan continues, brushing off her concerns with a casual wave of her hand.

"I always know what's going on in Luminaegis, Tabitha. It's my job to know," Morrígan says cryptically, correctly identifying why Tabitha has not said a word and is just standing frozen in the doorway, like a deer in the headlights. "So why don't we sit down, and you fill me in on the details?"

She ushers Tabitha gently toward the chair behind her desk, casually relocating a pile of papers from one of the chairs in front of it to the floor before taking a seat. Tabitha is still a little shellshocked, but that doesn't stop her from wanting to die with embarrassment as Morrígan makes herself comfortable.

"Let's start with the memo," Morrígan prompts as Tabitha hesitates, unsure where to start and just how much detail to share. "I believe you got it some time ago and identified the best time to act on it was now?" Morrígan's eyes twinkle and Tabitha is not fooled for an instant. Somehow Morrígan knows exactly what happened with that memo, but is also not mad about it?

Scene 6

Tabitha takes her first easy breath since she opened her door to find Morrígan standing outside of it. Morrígan's gaze is steady as Tabitha hesitates, but the sincerity in her eyes encourages Tabitha to continue.

She starts telling Morrígan about every failed attempt to engineer the meeting between Quinn and their former crush. Frustration rising anew as she recounts it all, she only stumbles when she gets to the bit about the marriage certificate.

"You sent them...a marriage certificate?"

"I was desperate!! And it was easy really. Too easy if I'm honest. It shouldn't be that easy to just marry people off," Tabitha says defensively. She can hear the amusement in Morrígan's voice, and she realises now what an insane plan it had been. But she really had run out of ideas at that point.

"That's certainly...out of the box," Morrígan laughs, shaking her head. "But then, that's one of the reasons why I hired you. The way you handled that Nornslayers situation, when you didn't even know about this side of Luminaegis yet..." Morrígan trails off. "Hermes would have been impressed. I certainly was."

Tabitha flushes again. Morrígan thought she was impressive. If she didn't still have the Quinn situation to deal with she would explode into a thousand pieces of pure happiness right there.

"So what happened next?" Morrígan prompts again. And all the joy Tabitha had just felt disappears into the wind like it had never been there.

"They didn't knock on the door. It was right there in front of them...and they chose not to knock," Tabitha admits, her voice breaking. "I thought I had it all figured out, that it was a surefire plan, that there was no way anything could go wrong. They'd knock, the meeting would happen and everyone's paths would be back on the track they were meant to be on," she swallows against the tears threatening to fall.

She would not cry. Not now. Not in front of her literal hero, the person who had had a fateful hand in so many world changing events. "Maybe I'm just not cut out for this.."

Morrígan listens intently, her expression thoughtful as she takes in Tabitha's words. When Tabitha finishes, Morrígan reaches out and places a comforting hand on Tabitha's.

"Tabitha, do you remember the day I hired you?" Morrígan asks softly. Tabitha nods, not lifting her head to meet the sympathetic gaze she knows is directed at her. It would just be too much right now, to see Morrígan feeling sorry for her.

"I'll never forget it," Morrígan continues, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. "You sat in my office, so angry at what the Nornslayers had tried to do and so determined to make sure they never did anything like that again. That fire, that passion to make a difference. To do anything you could to change even a single life for the better. That's when I knew you belonged at Luminaegis," Morrígan squeezes Tabitha's hand and Tabitha looks up.

Morrígan's expression is sincere, her eyes intent. "Anyone can think outside the box Tabitha, but not everyone can give a shit in a way that matters." Morrígan's swearing startles a laugh out of Tabitha and she flushes with embarrassment. And pride.

She did give a shit. And she was good at her job. She just needed to stop overthinking everything and just do it. And then cross every limb while she hoped it worked.

"And you've made a difference, Tabitha," Morrígan says, her voice warm with reassurance. "In ways you can't even imagine. Don't ever doubt that." With a final squeeze of Tabitha's hand, Morrígan rises to leave, but not before giving Tabitha one last piece of advice.

"Remember, Tabitha," she says, her voice soft but firm. "Your out-of-the-box thinking and ability to see beyond the surface are gifts. Don't ever ignore them."

Tabitha stares at the door that Morrígan just exited, still reeling from the rollercoaster of emotions their conversation had prompted. But beneath that is a renewed sense of determination and purpose. She can't give up now. She just can't. She might not know what Quinn's future holds but she knows it hangs in the balance. And she'll be damned if it’s anything but the best possible future they could ever imagine.

Scene 7

Tabitha's mind swirls with thoughts and ideas over the next few days, her sleep restless and fragmented by dreams of shifting shapes and familiar faces. In the latest she's a cat - just as she often was, and Quinn, a fellow shapeshifter, prowled alongside her in the moonlit night. It's not the first time they've appeared in her dreams, and Tabitha hasn't let herself think too deeply about how Quinn starring in these midnight fantasies makes her feel.

With a sigh, Tabitha swings her legs over the edge of the bed and pads over to the window, gazing out at the quiet streets below. The moon casts a soft glow, illuminating her room in silvery light. As she stands there, lost in thought, a revelation strikes her like a bolt of lightning.

"Voice from the past," she says out loud, an idea slowly taking shape in her mind. "Nostalgia. That's the key," she murmurs. "Gotta make them feel nostalgic so poking at the past doesn't seem so scary."

In the days that follow, Tabitha throws herself into Operation Nostalgia with dogged determination. Leveraging all of the Luminaegis resources available to her, seeding posts and videos designed to evoke memories of their youth.

A viral reel about a high school reunion, a TikTok trend featuring montages of childhood photos, a call for designers to create a marketing campaign centred around lost loved ones—every detail meticulously planned to tug at Quinn's heartstrings.

She watches like a hawk as Quinn's online presence shifts, subtle hints of curiosity and longing seeping into their posts and comments. And then, one fateful day, she sees it: a tweet from Quinn, a single sentence that sends a surge of triumph through Tabitha's veins.

"Think it's time for me to see what's behind that door."

Finally. But Tabitha can't bear to watch everything unfold from the confines of Luminaegis headquarters this time. She needs to be there, on the ground, to witness this pivotal moment firsthand. So, she does the entirely not creepy thing and stakes out the former crush's house, keeping out of sight and waiting anxiously for Quinn to appear.

Scene 8

Hours pass like eternity as Tabitha sits in her car, eyes fixed on the nondescript house down the street. Finally, unable to resist the need for caffeine any longer, she slips out of the car and heads for a tiny café she'd found down the street.

As she hurries back to her car, coffee in hand and her thoughts consumed by the events that would soon be unfolding just a stone's throw away, Tabitha collides with someone. The coffee goes flying, and the sound as it hits the pavement is like a gunshot in the quiet, snapping her out of her reverie.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she apologises. She looks up and is shocked to see Quinn standing in front of her, a mixture of surprise and amusement playing across their features. This close up, Tabitha can't help but notice the determination in their eyes and she feels a surge of pride, hope and apprehension welling up inside her.

"No, no. I'm sorry," Quinn apologises. "I'm the one who was standing like an oaf in the middle of the sidewalk. And now you're all covered in coffee instead of enjoying it like a normal person." Quinn gestures awkwardly in her direction and Tabitha looks down, noticing for the first time that she is indeed, covered in coffee.

"I hope you weren't doing anything important?" they ask worriedly.

"Oh, I just had some business in the neighbourhood. Just a quick in and out and then on with my day," she answers, neatly dodging the question. She's there to make sure Quinn knocks on that damn door. But of course she can't tell them that. "And what about you? Why are you standing out here looking like you're about to defuse a bomb with seconds left on the clock?"

Quinn huffs out a laugh, rubbing at the back of their neck with an embarrassed smile. "Well...nothing that serious. But definitely..." their gaze flicks toward the innocuous and apparently still terrifying door. "...potentially explosive."

Tabitha clocks the flicking gaze, and the slight tremor in Quinn's hands. "It's just a door you know," she blurts. "Just a simple door,just like the ones you knock on every day. And behind that door is probably just a person. Just a normal, every day, average person going about their lives."

Quinn raises an eyebrow. “You some kind of fortune telling soothsayer?”

It's Tabitha's turn to flush with embarrassment. "Sorry, it's none of my business. But you look just like the terrified kid I remember being years ago right now and...well...it's just a door," she shrugs. "Whatever happens after you knock on that door is gonna happen either way. It could be good, it could be bad. But it's gonna happen and whatever it is, you'll figure out how to get through it right?"

Quinn huffs out another massive breath, looking toward the door properly this time. "Yeah," they say. "Yeah." An awkward silence falls, Quinn looking at the door and Tabitha looking at Quinn.

God. She had been looking at them through every photo and video she could lay her hands on for weeks now and she knew every tattoo, every scar, every line on their face like it was her own. But somehow that hadn't prepared her for what they would look like up close and personal. In real life.

So close she could just...reach out and touch them. She catches herself about to do just that and quickly curls her hand into a fist, tucking it into the pocket of her jacket for safekeeping.

"Anyways," she says. "I'd better get going. Things to do and all that. And I need a change of clothes apparently," she flashes a quick smile.

"What? Oh yes," Quinn's answer is distracted - clearly still focused on the door that hasn't stopped staring at them the entire time they've been standing on this pavement. Tabitha makes to move past them, as though on her way to her undisclosed destination and those things that needed doing.

"Yeah I s’pose I better get on with it too," they say.

Tabitha resists the urge to turn around and watch Quinn walking up the path, taking a deep breath while they psych themselves up. Resists the urge to yell at them to just do it already. Resists the urge to run after them and just knock on the damn door herself.

"Hey, Coffee Sage?" Quinn calls. Tabitha turns to see that they've paused with one foot on the bottom step of the patio.

"Yeah Coffee Killer?" her heart is in her throat as she answers with a forced smile, sure that they're going to back out again.

"Maybe we could meet up for coffee?" they ask. "When I'm done here," they add in a rush. "And you're done with your things. Sometime. Soon. So I can pay you back for that one you're currently wearing." They stumble into an embarrassed silence. "If you'd like."

Tabitha hesitates. Considering the fact that she had been literally stalking Quinn for the last few weeks that would be more than a little bit complicated. But she'd be able to fish for details about the meeting, and find out what happened straight from the horse's mouth for once. No piecing it together from various sources after the fact.

"Only if you'd like. No pressure or anything," Quinn adds in a rush.

"Sure, I'd like that." Tabitha's smile is genuine as she answers. "I'm on Instagram. TaBCat," she spells it for them. "Look me up there and we'll pick a place to meet. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," Quinn’s smile when they look up from their phone lights up their whole face and Tabitha almost frowns at the small flurry of butterfly's that dance across her stomach when her pocket vibrates.

"Ciao Killer," she says instead. "And good luck...with everything." Shoulders tense and breath held, she knows that there's no way she'd hear the knock from here - but it doesn't stop her from listening intently as she turns and walks away.

*******************

Morrígan smiles as she watches Tabitha walk toward the car she parked conveniently around the corner. “Silly stubborn girl,” she says, shaking her head. "I told you to look beyond the surface."

“All sorted?” says a voice from behind Morrígan.

“All sorted,” Morrígan answers, turning from the computer in front of her to grin at her sister. On the screen is an archive of a long discontinued chat forum.

FateWeaver: I now declare you, QTPies 4EVA! NB_QB: Does this mean I get to kiss you now? CatTia: Don't be silly! We’re not rly married! And wut R u gonna do, kiss ur screen? NB_QB: Gess I’ll just hav 2 w8 til we’re big & marry you 4 real then. CatTia: If u rmbr this in 10 years, I’ll eat my dads stinky shoe! NB_QB: I’ll bring ketchup ;) FateWeaver: I suggest coffee…

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