what was left of our summer skin, Bee/Lena/Carmen (gen), Gspyglass_October 16 2011, 01:54:57 UTC
SPOILERS FOR SISTERHOOD EVERLASTING.
xxxxx
Pennsylvania settles between them, a vast expanse of memories both old and new that weave together and quietly remind them of who they are. For so long they had been a unit that the smallest of fractures seems irreparable. Together they are ageless and free again; it is always in the process of separation where they seem to fall apart.
That autumn is warm and dry, idyllic in the peace it inspires in each of them. They measure time by each new word Bailey learns; by the changes in Bridget’s pregnancy and the strength of Carmen’s laugh, by each time Lena and Kostos say I love you instead of hiding from each other.
It was not the vacation in Greece that they would once have dreamed of, but it is perfect in its own way.
And yet, like all fantasies, it cannot last forever.
xxx
Bee gives birth on a Sunday in the winter, nearly two days after she goes into labor. Eric does not leave her side but to check on their newborn daughter. However, no one is more fascinated by their addition than Bailey; her eyes go wide at first sight of the infant, this new person who is smaller and far more fragile than she.
For nearly six weeks after this, the magic carries on. It is Bee who decides they should return to San Francisco, although Eric would have been happy to remain for as long as she wanted.
When he tells her this, she shakes her head. “We could stay,” she says, “But I want to build something of our own. I want us to build something together.”
And because it’s the only thing he’s ever wanted, he smiles and they start to make plans. He mentions things that before he had been afraid might spook her, might make her run, but while she still has that wildness in her eyes that makes her Bridget, her feet stay firmly on the ground in the only way that matters.
xxx
Carmen follows shortly thereafter, having scored a part in an off-Broadway show that brings her back to the joy she felt the summer she played Perdita, and Lena gets an offer from a school in Chicago that she accepts without a second thought.
On their last night together, the girls gather together under the stars. A light snow dusts the ground, but as they join hands, they do not feel cold.
It is strange, they each think, that there is now one of them who will grow up having never known Tibby. Bee’s daughter will be the first of many, but more will follow.
This time, when they go their separate ways, there is no wrenching or tearing. No fractures at all. Somehow, even in her absence, Tibby is there to fill in the gaps.
And when they promise things will be different, they have the strength to follow through.
Re: what was left of our summer skin, Bee/Lena/Carmen (gen), Gkindness_saysOctober 16 2011, 02:42:32 UTC
Oh NO!!!! I WAS DOING SO WELL AT AVOIDING SPOILERS. UGH. oh, well, guess I'd better just go Google it now... This is good in a way because now it sounds like lovering happens that I may want to read about. So I guess I will get on that sometime. X_X;
Re: what was left of our summer skin, Bee/Lena/Carmen (gen), Gspyglass_October 16 2011, 17:17:26 UTC
HEE. THANKS! :D
I had to do something special for Bee, and to make sure that this time Lena and Carmen go off doing something good for them! IDKKK. I just felt like it needed to be done!
xxxxx
Pennsylvania settles between them, a vast expanse of memories both old and new that weave together and quietly remind them of who they are. For so long they had been a unit that the smallest of fractures seems irreparable. Together they are ageless and free again; it is always in the process of separation where they seem to fall apart.
That autumn is warm and dry, idyllic in the peace it inspires in each of them. They measure time by each new word Bailey learns; by the changes in Bridget’s pregnancy and the strength of Carmen’s laugh, by each time Lena and Kostos say I love you instead of hiding from each other.
It was not the vacation in Greece that they would once have dreamed of, but it is perfect in its own way.
And yet, like all fantasies, it cannot last forever.
xxx
Bee gives birth on a Sunday in the winter, nearly two days after she goes into labor. Eric does not leave her side but to check on their newborn daughter. However, no one is more fascinated by their addition than Bailey; her eyes go wide at first sight of the infant, this new person who is smaller and far more fragile than she.
For nearly six weeks after this, the magic carries on. It is Bee who decides they should return to San Francisco, although Eric would have been happy to remain for as long as she wanted.
When he tells her this, she shakes her head. “We could stay,” she says, “But I want to build something of our own. I want us to build something together.”
And because it’s the only thing he’s ever wanted, he smiles and they start to make plans. He mentions things that before he had been afraid might spook her, might make her run, but while she still has that wildness in her eyes that makes her Bridget, her feet stay firmly on the ground in the only way that matters.
xxx
Carmen follows shortly thereafter, having scored a part in an off-Broadway show that brings her back to the joy she felt the summer she played Perdita, and Lena gets an offer from a school in Chicago that she accepts without a second thought.
On their last night together, the girls gather together under the stars. A light snow dusts the ground, but as they join hands, they do not feel cold.
It is strange, they each think, that there is now one of them who will grow up having never known Tibby. Bee’s daughter will be the first of many, but more will follow.
This time, when they go their separate ways, there is no wrenching or tearing. No fractures at all. Somehow, even in her absence, Tibby is there to fill in the gaps.
And when they promise things will be different, they have the strength to follow through.
xxxxx
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Grace, this is so good! And it sounds so much like the books.
I love Bee's part, because we've talked about, Bee is my girl. And that is just so perfect.
And Cameron! And Lena and Kostos! I love everything in this, everything. That last part so so much.
THANK YOU! ♥
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I had to do something special for Bee, and to make sure that this time Lena and Carmen go off doing something good for them! IDKKK. I just felt like it needed to be done!
MY PLEASURE! ♥
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