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Title: Safe - A Cousins Fic
Characters: Svea, Cara/Quinn
Word Count: 557
Author's Note: For all intents and purposes, this is an original story. I've needed something to fill my time and to give Aster a smile while she goes through training so I concocted this idea to write Cousins fics, a sort of companion to the When Night Falls Again 'verse. You don't need to have read any of WNFA (although you can at my AO3 although it is not yet complete) to read this. Because this is written at lunch, it is short.
The scream echoed through the tiny house, ricocheting off walls until it became something greater than it had started out as. In the dark of night, it took on gargantean proportions. Wrapped in her quilt, handmade from Aunt Adi, Svea gave a start as her body caught up with the fear her mind had just witnessed. She hated being woken in the middle of the night by bad dreams. Hated it even more when it was her mother who was doing the screaming.
She started counting, just like she had been told. Even though she wasn't a baby anymore, was, in fact, a big girl of five, Svea still counted under her breath. As she got to one hundred, the familiar footsteps sounded out in the hall. Right on schedule. As the door to her little room opened, she scuttled out from beneath the covers and held out her arms to be comforted.
"It's alright, baby girl. Everything's fine." Her da always said the same thing, all part of the charm of safety that wrapped around her during these midnight fears. "Twasn't bad this time. No, it wasn't bad at all."
"Papa," she whispered, needing information almost more than comfort tonight. When he loosened his hold, she pushed away and held his face between her hands. It was impossible to see him but she knew him by heart. Strong chin with a scar over near his left ear that he wouldn't explain. Full lips that gave the best kisses in the world, something both she and Mumma agreed upon. Kind eyes that narrowed when he was angry and sparkled when he laughed. Hair the exact shade of brown as her own. Freckles that dotted the tops of his cheeks from where the angels had kissed him.
"Papa, did I make Mumma scream like this?"
"Hush. This isn't your fault. We've told you, it's just something that happens to her-"
"No, not tonight. When she was pregnant with me. I heard her telling Aunty Suze that she had trouble with her hormones and it's made her episodes worse. Did I make her like this?" He didn't answer right away and she read the truth in his silence. "And this is why I'll never have a brother or sister, isn't it?"
He smoothed the hair back from her forehead, the calluses on his fingers tugging at her fringe. "You have all your cousins. With all of them, you have more playmates than you'll ever need. Isn't that enough?"
A single tear dripped down her nose but she didn't sniffle so Papa never knew it was there. When she spoke, her voice was strong. Only little girls cried and she'd been big for quite awhile. "Yes. I suppose I have too many, don't I? I guess I don't really need a brother or a sister."
He hugged her close again, nearly squeezing the breath out of her. Making sure to turn her face away from his neck where he was sure to feel the tear, Svea linked her arms around his neck and pillowed her cheek on his shoulder.
"Is Mumma alright?" When he nodded, she lifted her head. It was all part of the ritual that kept them all safe and, she suspected now that she was piecing things together, sane. "All the same, we should go check on her."
Characters: Svea, Cara/Quinn
Word Count: 557
Author's Note: For all intents and purposes, this is an original story. I've needed something to fill my time and to give Aster a smile while she goes through training so I concocted this idea to write Cousins fics, a sort of companion to the When Night Falls Again 'verse. You don't need to have read any of WNFA (although you can at my AO3 although it is not yet complete) to read this. Because this is written at lunch, it is short.
The scream echoed through the tiny house, ricocheting off walls until it became something greater than it had started out as. In the dark of night, it took on gargantean proportions. Wrapped in her quilt, handmade from Aunt Adi, Svea gave a start as her body caught up with the fear her mind had just witnessed. She hated being woken in the middle of the night by bad dreams. Hated it even more when it was her mother who was doing the screaming.
She started counting, just like she had been told. Even though she wasn't a baby anymore, was, in fact, a big girl of five, Svea still counted under her breath. As she got to one hundred, the familiar footsteps sounded out in the hall. Right on schedule. As the door to her little room opened, she scuttled out from beneath the covers and held out her arms to be comforted.
"It's alright, baby girl. Everything's fine." Her da always said the same thing, all part of the charm of safety that wrapped around her during these midnight fears. "Twasn't bad this time. No, it wasn't bad at all."
"Papa," she whispered, needing information almost more than comfort tonight. When he loosened his hold, she pushed away and held his face between her hands. It was impossible to see him but she knew him by heart. Strong chin with a scar over near his left ear that he wouldn't explain. Full lips that gave the best kisses in the world, something both she and Mumma agreed upon. Kind eyes that narrowed when he was angry and sparkled when he laughed. Hair the exact shade of brown as her own. Freckles that dotted the tops of his cheeks from where the angels had kissed him.
"Papa, did I make Mumma scream like this?"
"Hush. This isn't your fault. We've told you, it's just something that happens to her-"
"No, not tonight. When she was pregnant with me. I heard her telling Aunty Suze that she had trouble with her hormones and it's made her episodes worse. Did I make her like this?" He didn't answer right away and she read the truth in his silence. "And this is why I'll never have a brother or sister, isn't it?"
He smoothed the hair back from her forehead, the calluses on his fingers tugging at her fringe. "You have all your cousins. With all of them, you have more playmates than you'll ever need. Isn't that enough?"
A single tear dripped down her nose but she didn't sniffle so Papa never knew it was there. When she spoke, her voice was strong. Only little girls cried and she'd been big for quite awhile. "Yes. I suppose I have too many, don't I? I guess I don't really need a brother or a sister."
He hugged her close again, nearly squeezing the breath out of her. Making sure to turn her face away from his neck where he was sure to feel the tear, Svea linked her arms around his neck and pillowed her cheek on his shoulder.
"Is Mumma alright?" When he nodded, she lifted her head. It was all part of the ritual that kept them all safe and, she suspected now that she was piecing things together, sane. "All the same, we should go check on her."
no subject
Date: 2011-07-07 07:16 pm (UTC)From:This is lovely in a bittersweet way. I really feel for Svea, the way she's so young but has the idea she has to be 'a big girl' and not cry nor be afraid. The rituals that give familiarity and thus safety seem very true to life.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-08 12:35 am (UTC)From:I'm glad you liked the story. I've had this idea for Cousins stories for about a month now but haven't known where to start. Thought I'd give it a go in smaller chunks. Gives me something to think about at work... instead of, you know, actually working.