((Follows the events of Sublimation: An Opportunity.))
It was an ordinary night at 2415 Green Lane in Rhy'Din's Temple District. According to the clock, it was just past midnight - the witching hour, some called it. The occupants of the house - those that were human anyway - were all in their beds, but they were not all asleep. Two of them were snuggled together in bed, fast asleep, as yet oblivious of the goings on in the rest of the house. Just like any ordinary night, Desmond laid close to Piper, one arm wrapped protectively and lovingly around her, peaceful and quiet, unaware as yet that their ordinary night was about to become not so ordinary.
In the gloom, the door opened just a little, barely enough to let even a crack of light through from the hallway, but just enough to let one of the many wee folk who shared the house with their humans and faerie-child to squeeze through. In a buzz of movement, the little figure ran to the bed in silence, clambering up the bedclothes hand over hand to navigate the pitfalls of walking across the sleeping pair without waking one of them. Oisin was the only one of the fairy folk in the house who would dare to do this, and thankfully, Des had already been warned in advance that it was likely to happen. The ugly brownie tugged on Desmond's earlobe, hissing directly into the human male's ear. "Oy, longshanks! Wakey, wakey!"
Desmond reacted as most people reacted when unexpectedly awoken in the middle of the night. Well, not exactly the middle of the night. He'd gone to bed a short while ago and wasn't in a deep sleep yet, stirring a little at the brownie's voice hissing in his ear. Advance warning or not, it still came as a surprise to be unexpectedly awoken the way he was. "Hmm?" he mumbled sleepily, prying one eye open to peer into the darkness.
Oisin backed up a couple of steps to the highest point of Des' shoulder so the man could see him, and waved in the gloom. "The big wee girl is here," he told Des, still speaking in a gentle hiss. He winced as Piper stirred briefly, pressing her face tighter to the pillow beneath her cheek with a mild sound of protest. Looking back to Des, the brownie poked at his shoulder with the toe of his surprisingly heavy boots. "Says it's her last visit. The faerie-child says yer to come now."
"Big wee girl?" Des muttered back, his mind a little murky and muddled from sleep. It took a moment before the gears in his head started turning and he realized what the little brownie was talking about. "Oh," Des replied, muffling his voice to match the brownie's in a hushed whisper. "All right. I'll be right there," he whispered back.
Nodding, Oisin scrambled back down to the floor, disappearing for a moment only to reappear and beckon hurriedly at the door. Whatever was happening in Lyneth's room, it would seem that the brownie was worried Des was going to miss it if he took his time getting out of bed.
Des noted Oisin's haste, but before he could go, he needed to make sure Piper wasn't going to follow. He leaned over and brushed a kiss against her cheek, before tucking the blanket around her and slipping quietly from the bed to follow the brownie to Lyneth's room. He glanced back once at the bed to make sure she was still asleep before slipping from the room.
Bereft of the warmth of his body at her back, Piper protested softly, but easily slipped back into sleep as he tucked her in, reassured enough by that little bit of contact not to rise from her slumber and disrupt what was happening tonight. Perhaps it was duplicitous not to tell her that a full-grown Fae was in her daughter's bedroom at that moment, but there were reasons behind it. This particular full-grown Fae posed no threat to their little family unit at all.
The door to Lyneth's bedroom was partially open as always, but unusually, a soft golden light emanated from within, punctuated by soft voices. One was easily identifiable as the little imp who made every day in that house one to remember; the other was older, softer, gentle, and somehow sad. That older voice came from a beautiful Fae woman, clad in crimson, cloaked in velvet, surrounded by the smell of autumn leaves, the sound of gentle wind through grass. She knelt by little Lyneth's bed, stroking the tiny girl's hair gently back from her face as she spoke. "....won't be able to come back again, bach cariad. Don't forget what I taught you."
Desmond padded on bare feet toward Lyneth's room, drawn as much by the golden light and smells of autumn as by the soft voices he just barely heard coming from that room. He hesitated just outside the door, long enough to hear a voice that was both familiar and unfamiliar. He'd met an older Lyneth briefly once before, but that had just been another aspect of Lyneth herself. This other - this full-grown Fae - was different. Though she looked and sounded nearly like the other, Desmond sensed that this was not the same Lyneth who'd saved his life one night in a dark alley in Manhattan.
The smaller Lyneth answered, her tiny voice sleepy but attentive. "An' you promise nothin' bad will happen to Mummy an' Daddy?"
There was a pause, thick with unspoken words and regrets, before the older voice replied. "No, bach cariad. If you keep practicing your lessons and you love Mummy and Daddy just as hard as you can, nothing bad will happen to any of you."
Des pushed the door open a little more, so he could get a better look at the Fae woman who had come to see Lyneth and better hear what was being said between them, as quietly as he could, but not quiet enough to stop the door from creaking just enough to give him away. He froze in the doorway, hoping he wouldn't frighten her away or startle the sleepy little girl. He didn't think it should be up to Lyneth to protect him and Piper, but up to them to protect her.
That little creak was all it took to disturb the scene within the room. The golden light flared a little brighter, its source a coiling spiral of pure energy floating above little Lyneth's hand, the only sign that the tiny girl was surprised by Des' inadvertent intrusion.
The elder raised her head, dark hair falling back from her face, and there, in the golden light, were revealed the turquoise eyes that could only belong to Lyneth. She was older, yes, a beautiful woman come fully into the immortal, eternal Fae-blood that ran through her veins. Her face was sombre as she rose to her feet in a rustle of rich fabric, surprised by the unexpected interruption. Yet the moment her gaze fell on Des' face, her expression twisted, the shock of heartache and sadness stark on her exquisite features. "Daddy?"
It was an ordinary night at 2415 Green Lane in Rhy'Din's Temple District. According to the clock, it was just past midnight - the witching hour, some called it. The occupants of the house - those that were human anyway - were all in their beds, but they were not all asleep. Two of them were snuggled together in bed, fast asleep, as yet oblivious of the goings on in the rest of the house. Just like any ordinary night, Desmond laid close to Piper, one arm wrapped protectively and lovingly around her, peaceful and quiet, unaware as yet that their ordinary night was about to become not so ordinary.
In the gloom, the door opened just a little, barely enough to let even a crack of light through from the hallway, but just enough to let one of the many wee folk who shared the house with their humans and faerie-child to squeeze through. In a buzz of movement, the little figure ran to the bed in silence, clambering up the bedclothes hand over hand to navigate the pitfalls of walking across the sleeping pair without waking one of them. Oisin was the only one of the fairy folk in the house who would dare to do this, and thankfully, Des had already been warned in advance that it was likely to happen. The ugly brownie tugged on Desmond's earlobe, hissing directly into the human male's ear. "Oy, longshanks! Wakey, wakey!"
Desmond reacted as most people reacted when unexpectedly awoken in the middle of the night. Well, not exactly the middle of the night. He'd gone to bed a short while ago and wasn't in a deep sleep yet, stirring a little at the brownie's voice hissing in his ear. Advance warning or not, it still came as a surprise to be unexpectedly awoken the way he was. "Hmm?" he mumbled sleepily, prying one eye open to peer into the darkness.
Oisin backed up a couple of steps to the highest point of Des' shoulder so the man could see him, and waved in the gloom. "The big wee girl is here," he told Des, still speaking in a gentle hiss. He winced as Piper stirred briefly, pressing her face tighter to the pillow beneath her cheek with a mild sound of protest. Looking back to Des, the brownie poked at his shoulder with the toe of his surprisingly heavy boots. "Says it's her last visit. The faerie-child says yer to come now."
"Big wee girl?" Des muttered back, his mind a little murky and muddled from sleep. It took a moment before the gears in his head started turning and he realized what the little brownie was talking about. "Oh," Des replied, muffling his voice to match the brownie's in a hushed whisper. "All right. I'll be right there," he whispered back.
Nodding, Oisin scrambled back down to the floor, disappearing for a moment only to reappear and beckon hurriedly at the door. Whatever was happening in Lyneth's room, it would seem that the brownie was worried Des was going to miss it if he took his time getting out of bed.
Des noted Oisin's haste, but before he could go, he needed to make sure Piper wasn't going to follow. He leaned over and brushed a kiss against her cheek, before tucking the blanket around her and slipping quietly from the bed to follow the brownie to Lyneth's room. He glanced back once at the bed to make sure she was still asleep before slipping from the room.
Bereft of the warmth of his body at her back, Piper protested softly, but easily slipped back into sleep as he tucked her in, reassured enough by that little bit of contact not to rise from her slumber and disrupt what was happening tonight. Perhaps it was duplicitous not to tell her that a full-grown Fae was in her daughter's bedroom at that moment, but there were reasons behind it. This particular full-grown Fae posed no threat to their little family unit at all.
The door to Lyneth's bedroom was partially open as always, but unusually, a soft golden light emanated from within, punctuated by soft voices. One was easily identifiable as the little imp who made every day in that house one to remember; the other was older, softer, gentle, and somehow sad. That older voice came from a beautiful Fae woman, clad in crimson, cloaked in velvet, surrounded by the smell of autumn leaves, the sound of gentle wind through grass. She knelt by little Lyneth's bed, stroking the tiny girl's hair gently back from her face as she spoke. "....won't be able to come back again, bach cariad. Don't forget what I taught you."
Desmond padded on bare feet toward Lyneth's room, drawn as much by the golden light and smells of autumn as by the soft voices he just barely heard coming from that room. He hesitated just outside the door, long enough to hear a voice that was both familiar and unfamiliar. He'd met an older Lyneth briefly once before, but that had just been another aspect of Lyneth herself. This other - this full-grown Fae - was different. Though she looked and sounded nearly like the other, Desmond sensed that this was not the same Lyneth who'd saved his life one night in a dark alley in Manhattan.
The smaller Lyneth answered, her tiny voice sleepy but attentive. "An' you promise nothin' bad will happen to Mummy an' Daddy?"
There was a pause, thick with unspoken words and regrets, before the older voice replied. "No, bach cariad. If you keep practicing your lessons and you love Mummy and Daddy just as hard as you can, nothing bad will happen to any of you."
Des pushed the door open a little more, so he could get a better look at the Fae woman who had come to see Lyneth and better hear what was being said between them, as quietly as he could, but not quiet enough to stop the door from creaking just enough to give him away. He froze in the doorway, hoping he wouldn't frighten her away or startle the sleepy little girl. He didn't think it should be up to Lyneth to protect him and Piper, but up to them to protect her.
That little creak was all it took to disturb the scene within the room. The golden light flared a little brighter, its source a coiling spiral of pure energy floating above little Lyneth's hand, the only sign that the tiny girl was surprised by Des' inadvertent intrusion.
The elder raised her head, dark hair falling back from her face, and there, in the golden light, were revealed the turquoise eyes that could only belong to Lyneth. She was older, yes, a beautiful woman come fully into the immortal, eternal Fae-blood that ran through her veins. Her face was sombre as she rose to her feet in a rustle of rich fabric, surprised by the unexpected interruption. Yet the moment her gaze fell on Des' face, her expression twisted, the shock of heartache and sadness stark on her exquisite features. "Daddy?"