#40, playing catch up (2)
Generic Author Note: I joined up at challenge #34, so I've gone back and written for all the ones I missed. There's a mix of She Spies, CSI, Charmed, Hex and Harry Potter in these posts & I have one more post to do with drabbles for challenges #33 & #39. These posts have #1-#32, excluding #30, which I couldn't find! All 250 words. Watch out for the mild incest in the Charmed drabbles, and spoilers for the current season in anything Hex. Sorry for the multi-post spam!
Title: What She Regrets.
Fandom: CSI.
Pairing: Catherine/Sara (Catherine/Warrick, Grissom/Sara).
W/Count: 250.
Challenge: #8, regret.
*
Sara regrets a lot of things.
She regrets the years she's wasted waiting for Grissom to realise how much she loves him, how much she wants him, and she regrets letting herself get caught up the game he plays, even though he'll never acknowledge that he's playing it. She should have realised, years ago, that he's never going to change for her, or anyone, and she should have moved on. Instead she stayed, caught in stasis, his untouchable butterfly, suffering.
She doesn't regret finding comfort in Catherine, though she does regret that she doesn't love her, can't love her, the way she still foolishly loves Grissom. They go out for drinks, kiss at the door at the end of the night, and make love with the intense need of two people who've been deprived of what they want for too long. It's strange to think that, when she first arrived, they didn't like each other.
She eats breakfast in Catherine's kitchen, comfortable where once she felt out of place, and helps Lindsey with her science homework when she gets home from school. Their relationship is acknowledged in an unacknowledged kind of way; their friends know but never mention it. She regrets the pain in Warrick's eyes when he looks at Catherine, and the hurt in Grissom's when he looks at her.
Sara regrets a lot of things and what she regrets most, she thinks, isn't coming to Las Vegas in the first place, but staying when she should have left.
Title: Keeping Gabrielle.
Fandom: Harry Potter.
Pairing: Fleur/Gabrielle.
W/Count: 250.
Challenge: #10, selfish.
*
Fleur admits that when it comes to Gabrielle, she's a selfish person. Over the years she overprotects Gabrielle worse than her parents; visits her at Beauxbatons as often as possible and keeps her away from the boys that salivate at the mere sight of her. She isn't prepared to let her sister be dirtied by them, not when she's there to prevent it. Gabrielle will have only the best, only what she deems suitable.
A little later on she figures out that the only person she wants to have Gabrielle is herself, and selfishly keeps her as close as she can, despite her own marriage to Charlie Weasley. She isn't allowed to love Gabrielle the way she wants to, but the thought of her beloved sister with anyone else makes her feel ill.
She's the most precious thing in Fleur's life, even more so than her husband, and Fleur can't face the thought of losing her. She had to deal with that thought early on in life, during her school years while competing in the Triwizard Tournament, and she never wants to feel like that again.
When Gabrielle comes to her, the night of her sixteenth birthday, and kisses her in the darkness of night, Fleur kisses her back, pulling her closer. It's selfish of her to want Gabrielle and Charlie, selfish to expect Gabrielle to accept it that way, even though she seems willing to.
She only lets herself be selfish because keeping Gabrielle near is what matters most.
Title: Lonely & Forgotten.
Fandom: Hex.
Pairing: Cassie-centric, Cassie/Thelma, Thelma/Ella.
W/Count: 250.
Challenge: #11, forgotten.
*
You feel forgotten, in this place you ended up in after sacrificing yourself for your son. You can watch over those you left behind and you see him, your son, Malachi, growing stronger every day, watched over and protected by Azazeal. It's a bitter-sweet feeling to see him and you know that, when Ella's done with him, you'll have seen him die, but he still leaves you feeling somehow proud.
He's your son, your child, and that means something.
You watch Ella as she begins to try and undo the mess you created in a moment of weakness, and you watch Thelma helping her, wishing more than anything for another moment with her. You loved her more than you realised, and free from Azazeal's influence over your earthly self, you finally understood how much.
You wish she was here with you, even though you told her to stay there, that Ella would need her. You miss her and you'd give anything to have her back, to hear her murmur snarky comments in your ear, or see her smile and feel her hand on yours. Watching her with Ella, you wonder if she still misses you, or if she's finally moved on.
You know Thelma's had a thing for Ella from the moment she met her and it seems as though Ella isn't exactly against the idea. You watch them in Ella's dreams, watch them tumble together in crisp, clean sheets, focused only on each other, and feel lonely and forgotten.
Title: Placing The Blame.
Fandom: Hex.
Pairing: Thelma-centric, Thelma/Cassie, Thelma/Ella.
W/Count: 250.
Challenge: #12, boys.
*
Boys, Thelma has long since decided, are nothing but trouble.
There are one or two -- like Leon, for example, because he's been a tremendous help to Ella recently -- that she's prepared to make an exception for, but most of the time: nothing but trouble.
Or maybe it's just the girls she likes because, if she's honest with herself, it was as much Cassie's fault as Azazeal's, what happened between them, and Ella likes Leon, even Thelma can see that.
So maybe it isn't the boys; maybe it is the girls. Which kind of hurts, when she thinks about it, because what's so much better about the boys? And what's so wrong with her, that they always pick someone else?
She'd thought that Ella might be different, but so far it's just the way it was with Cassie; always the teasing promise of something special left unrealised, and usually because a boy called. She's had enough of that to last her ghostly lifetime.
What she really needs, as she semi-seriously pointed out to Ella once, is a nice lesbian ghost to come and sweep her off her feet. Or a hot lesbian witch with the power to touch her; she'd settle for either, really, she isn't that picky.
As much as she loved Cassie, the pull with Ella seems stronger and she thinks that's probably because she actually believed she had a chance. But now Leon's in the picture and she knows she doesn't.
She decides she's blaming boys.
Title: What It Breaks Down To.
Fandom: CSI.
Pairing: Catherine/Sara (Catherine/Warrick, Grissom/Sara).
W/Count: 250.
Challenge: #13, the end.
*
This is it, the end, what it all breaks down to. Eleven years of knowing each other and six years of being more than friends, less than lovers, breaks down into this and you're surprisingly unsurprised. You expected the end to announce itself with a bang and instead all you get is you and her, staring at each other across your bedroom, waiting to say good bye.
It isn't a sad moment, not really. You both have what you've always wanted and it was only being unable to have that, that drove you into each others arms in the first place. So this is more a victory than anything.
But somewhere along the way it began to mean more, and leaving that unacknowledged seems wrong to you. You loved her, not the way you love Grissom and not the way she loves Warrick, but you did and you hope she knows that; you never said the words.
You'd begun to think that maybe you would end up together, that what started as something would become enough, then Lady Heather crashed back into your lives and, simultaneously, Warrick's marriage fell apart. You don't know what Heather said to Grissom but it brought him to your door, hurting and hopeful.
You still loved him, turning him away wasn't an option, and a few weeks later, you saw Catherine with Warrick, kissing in the locker room. All that remains is for you both to say good bye. You're surprised how difficult that is.
Title: The Greatest Gift.
Fandom: She Spies.
Pairing: mild Cassie/DD.
W/Count: 250.
Challenge: #15, christmas.
*
Cross had given them Christmas off, telling them to spend it with their family, and so they'd all called home to make plans. Shane left first, heading out on a plane to try and build bridges, her confidence boosted by a long talk with DD, who promised to be on the other end of a phone line if it got to be too much and she needed to talk.
DD was due to leave next, three days after Shane and two days before Cassie, who'd planned to spend the minimum of time with her father. She was trying to get to know him again, but their relationship still felt stilted and awkward most of the time. DD was excited to see her entire family again, bouncing around the house until Cassie though she'd go crazy.
DD eventually cornered her for a talk and, when Cassie confessed that she was dreading this holiday, invited Cassie to join her, and to bring her father if she wanted to, assuring her that her family wouldn't mind.
She'd talked her father and accepted the invitation, boarding the plane for DD's with more enthusiasm than she'd felt since Cross ordered them on vacation.
Spending time with DD's family had been eye-opening, seeing them all so close, and by the time Christmas day arrived she and her father had finally connected, aided by the warm, helpful presence of DD. It's the greatest gift anyone could ever have given her, and she'll always be grateful for it.
Title: What She Regrets.
Fandom: CSI.
Pairing: Catherine/Sara (Catherine/Warrick, Grissom/Sara).
W/Count: 250.
Challenge: #8, regret.
*
Sara regrets a lot of things.
She regrets the years she's wasted waiting for Grissom to realise how much she loves him, how much she wants him, and she regrets letting herself get caught up the game he plays, even though he'll never acknowledge that he's playing it. She should have realised, years ago, that he's never going to change for her, or anyone, and she should have moved on. Instead she stayed, caught in stasis, his untouchable butterfly, suffering.
She doesn't regret finding comfort in Catherine, though she does regret that she doesn't love her, can't love her, the way she still foolishly loves Grissom. They go out for drinks, kiss at the door at the end of the night, and make love with the intense need of two people who've been deprived of what they want for too long. It's strange to think that, when she first arrived, they didn't like each other.
She eats breakfast in Catherine's kitchen, comfortable where once she felt out of place, and helps Lindsey with her science homework when she gets home from school. Their relationship is acknowledged in an unacknowledged kind of way; their friends know but never mention it. She regrets the pain in Warrick's eyes when he looks at Catherine, and the hurt in Grissom's when he looks at her.
Sara regrets a lot of things and what she regrets most, she thinks, isn't coming to Las Vegas in the first place, but staying when she should have left.
Title: Keeping Gabrielle.
Fandom: Harry Potter.
Pairing: Fleur/Gabrielle.
W/Count: 250.
Challenge: #10, selfish.
*
Fleur admits that when it comes to Gabrielle, she's a selfish person. Over the years she overprotects Gabrielle worse than her parents; visits her at Beauxbatons as often as possible and keeps her away from the boys that salivate at the mere sight of her. She isn't prepared to let her sister be dirtied by them, not when she's there to prevent it. Gabrielle will have only the best, only what she deems suitable.
A little later on she figures out that the only person she wants to have Gabrielle is herself, and selfishly keeps her as close as she can, despite her own marriage to Charlie Weasley. She isn't allowed to love Gabrielle the way she wants to, but the thought of her beloved sister with anyone else makes her feel ill.
She's the most precious thing in Fleur's life, even more so than her husband, and Fleur can't face the thought of losing her. She had to deal with that thought early on in life, during her school years while competing in the Triwizard Tournament, and she never wants to feel like that again.
When Gabrielle comes to her, the night of her sixteenth birthday, and kisses her in the darkness of night, Fleur kisses her back, pulling her closer. It's selfish of her to want Gabrielle and Charlie, selfish to expect Gabrielle to accept it that way, even though she seems willing to.
She only lets herself be selfish because keeping Gabrielle near is what matters most.
Title: Lonely & Forgotten.
Fandom: Hex.
Pairing: Cassie-centric, Cassie/Thelma, Thelma/Ella.
W/Count: 250.
Challenge: #11, forgotten.
*
You feel forgotten, in this place you ended up in after sacrificing yourself for your son. You can watch over those you left behind and you see him, your son, Malachi, growing stronger every day, watched over and protected by Azazeal. It's a bitter-sweet feeling to see him and you know that, when Ella's done with him, you'll have seen him die, but he still leaves you feeling somehow proud.
He's your son, your child, and that means something.
You watch Ella as she begins to try and undo the mess you created in a moment of weakness, and you watch Thelma helping her, wishing more than anything for another moment with her. You loved her more than you realised, and free from Azazeal's influence over your earthly self, you finally understood how much.
You wish she was here with you, even though you told her to stay there, that Ella would need her. You miss her and you'd give anything to have her back, to hear her murmur snarky comments in your ear, or see her smile and feel her hand on yours. Watching her with Ella, you wonder if she still misses you, or if she's finally moved on.
You know Thelma's had a thing for Ella from the moment she met her and it seems as though Ella isn't exactly against the idea. You watch them in Ella's dreams, watch them tumble together in crisp, clean sheets, focused only on each other, and feel lonely and forgotten.
Title: Placing The Blame.
Fandom: Hex.
Pairing: Thelma-centric, Thelma/Cassie, Thelma/Ella.
W/Count: 250.
Challenge: #12, boys.
*
Boys, Thelma has long since decided, are nothing but trouble.
There are one or two -- like Leon, for example, because he's been a tremendous help to Ella recently -- that she's prepared to make an exception for, but most of the time: nothing but trouble.
Or maybe it's just the girls she likes because, if she's honest with herself, it was as much Cassie's fault as Azazeal's, what happened between them, and Ella likes Leon, even Thelma can see that.
So maybe it isn't the boys; maybe it is the girls. Which kind of hurts, when she thinks about it, because what's so much better about the boys? And what's so wrong with her, that they always pick someone else?
She'd thought that Ella might be different, but so far it's just the way it was with Cassie; always the teasing promise of something special left unrealised, and usually because a boy called. She's had enough of that to last her ghostly lifetime.
What she really needs, as she semi-seriously pointed out to Ella once, is a nice lesbian ghost to come and sweep her off her feet. Or a hot lesbian witch with the power to touch her; she'd settle for either, really, she isn't that picky.
As much as she loved Cassie, the pull with Ella seems stronger and she thinks that's probably because she actually believed she had a chance. But now Leon's in the picture and she knows she doesn't.
She decides she's blaming boys.
Title: What It Breaks Down To.
Fandom: CSI.
Pairing: Catherine/Sara (Catherine/Warrick, Grissom/Sara).
W/Count: 250.
Challenge: #13, the end.
*
This is it, the end, what it all breaks down to. Eleven years of knowing each other and six years of being more than friends, less than lovers, breaks down into this and you're surprisingly unsurprised. You expected the end to announce itself with a bang and instead all you get is you and her, staring at each other across your bedroom, waiting to say good bye.
It isn't a sad moment, not really. You both have what you've always wanted and it was only being unable to have that, that drove you into each others arms in the first place. So this is more a victory than anything.
But somewhere along the way it began to mean more, and leaving that unacknowledged seems wrong to you. You loved her, not the way you love Grissom and not the way she loves Warrick, but you did and you hope she knows that; you never said the words.
You'd begun to think that maybe you would end up together, that what started as something would become enough, then Lady Heather crashed back into your lives and, simultaneously, Warrick's marriage fell apart. You don't know what Heather said to Grissom but it brought him to your door, hurting and hopeful.
You still loved him, turning him away wasn't an option, and a few weeks later, you saw Catherine with Warrick, kissing in the locker room. All that remains is for you both to say good bye. You're surprised how difficult that is.
Title: The Greatest Gift.
Fandom: She Spies.
Pairing: mild Cassie/DD.
W/Count: 250.
Challenge: #15, christmas.
*
Cross had given them Christmas off, telling them to spend it with their family, and so they'd all called home to make plans. Shane left first, heading out on a plane to try and build bridges, her confidence boosted by a long talk with DD, who promised to be on the other end of a phone line if it got to be too much and she needed to talk.
DD was due to leave next, three days after Shane and two days before Cassie, who'd planned to spend the minimum of time with her father. She was trying to get to know him again, but their relationship still felt stilted and awkward most of the time. DD was excited to see her entire family again, bouncing around the house until Cassie though she'd go crazy.
DD eventually cornered her for a talk and, when Cassie confessed that she was dreading this holiday, invited Cassie to join her, and to bring her father if she wanted to, assuring her that her family wouldn't mind.
She'd talked her father and accepted the invitation, boarding the plane for DD's with more enthusiasm than she'd felt since Cross ordered them on vacation.
Spending time with DD's family had been eye-opening, seeing them all so close, and by the time Christmas day arrived she and her father had finally connected, aided by the warm, helpful presence of DD. It's the greatest gift anyone could ever have given her, and she'll always be grateful for it.