Since the other one is full...
The other card is HERE. And, if it's already filled, I'm not filling it again. Because I'm the damn Queen and I don't want to. :p
chilly
wish
pie
hospitality
Gift of the Magi
shepherd
lights
merry gentlemen
silver bells
religion
spirit
hot cocoa
( Read more... )
chilly
wish
pie
hospitality
Gift of the Magi
shepherd
lights
merry gentlemen
silver bells
religion
spirit
hot cocoa
( Read more... )
"HEY!" Wyatt leaned down and picked up the object that had just hit him in the forehead. Giving it a shake, he held it up and glared at Dree. "You threw a pine cone at my face." Dree was trying not to laugh as he dropped the pine cone and charged her.
"I thought it was snow!" she screeched as his arm went around her waist and her feet left the ground. Wyatt hauled her up against his shoulder and gave her a pop on the backside. "Maybe it was part of my master plan," Dree said with a grumble.
Wyatt glanced over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. Setting her down, he held her close and narrowed his eyes. "Oh really?" Dree gave him a shrug and smiled.
"Worked, didn't it?" She squeaked as he pulled her into a bear hug and threatened to drop her into the nearest snowbank. All of a sudden, memories flooded Dree's mind and she stiffened, enough that Wyatt noticed and he set her back down.
"You okay?" he asked quietly, as Dree's arms went around him, if all else to keep her from falling down. One of his hands went to her neck and the other to her waist. "'dor?" Dree sucked in a breath and pulled away to wipe at her sudden tears.
"I'm okay," she stuttered and took a slow breath. Dree knew she needed to move as far away from Wyatt as possible, but she couldn't make herself let go of him.
"Hey," she heard and glanced over her shoulder to see Garrett looking at her with concern. "You all right?" He'd looked up when she yelled, then saw the look on Wyatt's face and moved over to them.
"Yeah," Dree said, forcing a smile. As her hand moved to her forehead, she shook her head. "Just, um.. a little.. memory rush," she told them, waving a hand. Garrett put a comforting hand on her back and tilted his head as Dree's head rested on Wyatt's neck.
"Been happening a lot, lately," he said, glancing up to Wyatt for a second. 'Don't let her go,' Garrett told Wyatt with a glance. "Why don't we get you some tea," Garrett's smile quirked, "or something stronger?" Dree turned her head slightly and looked at Garrett.
Wyatt and Garrett looked at each other when she laughed. "I had this dream once..." She watched Max and the twins playing in the snow for a second and sighed. "There were no kids around, though."
Wyatt and Garrett looked at each other again. As the confusion moved to realization - she was practically wedged between the Cain boys - their eyes widened and they both looked back to Dree is shock and surprise.
Reply
Breckin opened his eyes at the feeling on a cool hand on his forehead. "There are those beautiful eyes," Dree said quietly. She smiled as the boy's mother set down a bowl and rag next to her. "Mommy's here," she told Breckin, and reached up to lightly tap his nose. His eyes closed slowly, and the corner of his mouth turned up, which made Dree smile again. Pushing up, she offered the seat to Breckin's mother and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder.
It was becoming more difficult for him to respond, and Dree knew his time was getting short, but she couldn't bear to tell his mother. As she stepped away from the corner, Dree looked up and scanned the room. She'd had the children moved to the assembly hall, once the numbers became too great for the hospital.
At least, here, the children weren't alone.
Reply
Trey stood along the back wall with Massey and watched the crowd. It wasn't much of a celebration, by Laethriel or Celcian standards, but the people seemed to be having a good time. They'd been asked there under false pretenses - the Council knew an assassination attempt was going to take place, and they knew the target. What they didn't know was who was going to 'pull the trigger' and how they were going to pull it off.
Gaufri and El'Ari were chatting with two of the top generals, while Dree had been asked to dance by a third - the target. Trey smiled as he watched her moving through the crowd, enjoying the moment. A moment later, a group of servants came through with glasses on trays and began passing them out.
Trey and Massey each took an offered glass and Trey looked across the room to El. Glancing toward Dree, he noticed that a woman was walking her way, two glasses in her hands. Trey pushed off the wall and waved to El. He didn't know that it was going to be the drink, but seeing that those two glasses were being delivered separately, he wasn't about to take the chance.
Trey moved through the crowd, trying not to push, but wanting to get close enough to warn Dree. El managed to meet him somewhere in the middle; Gaufri was heading for the suspected assassin. The crowd was beginning to prepare for the toast and closed in all the space, blocking Trey and El.
"Still think we shouldn't have told her?" El muttered, as soon as she was next to Trey. Trey looked at her and shook his head slightly, knowing that they'd argued about reading her in half a dozen times. Trey grunted and whistled over the crowd, hoping that Dree would hear him. When she turned, he threw a hand in the air and signed 'poison do not drink' to her. Dree's brow furrowed and she looked between her glass and the General's.
"Would you hold this for a moment?" she asked him, and offered her glass. She held his arm and moved as if she was adjusting her shoe, then straightened and reached for the his glass. She could see the look in Trey's eyes when he signaled her. If he believed the drink was poisoned, she wasn't going to risk it. She turned to see Gaufri cornering the woman who'd delivered the drinks half a second before everyone raised their glasses and cheered.
The General clinked his new glass with hers and nodded. "You will enjoy the cider. It is our most prized." Dree offered a smile and stared at the glass. Taking a deep breath, she lifted the glass to her lips.
"Down the hatch," she said quietly and, as the cider touched her lips, Dree hoped that Trey and El could get to her before she made a scene.
Reply
The cheers from the Great Room had the girls in the kitchen smiling as they finished preparing the holiday meal. Kids were running in and out, sneaking what bites of food they could and promptly being shooed back out by their mothers.
"I think we're about ready for everyone to gather," Isabelle said. Rebecca pulled a tray from the oven while Adora and DG were putting spoons in the various dishes on the table. Andy was putting bread into a basket, Kenna was helping Kasey and Lulu set the table and Brenna was trying to corral the kids.
Dree moved over to the doorway and looked at El, Mason and the Cain men, laughing about something. "Hey, Lord Cain of Misrule," she said, grinning at a paper-crowned Travis - who was holding the newest member of Clan Cain - and waved to the unruly masses.
"You wanna do your duty and command the troops?" When everyone under ten annuals stopped what they were doing and looked at Travis, she smiled and nodded.
The right man had definitely been appointed to the job.
Reply
Dree smiled as the balding king beamed, his eyes dancing as he leaned to kiss her hand. "It is my great honor to welcome you, Empress." Dree let out a small laugh and nodded to him, bowing slightly. "I am Grednickendos, and I am your servant, while you are here."
For a moment, Dree considered asking someone to find the most boring book in the universe, just so that he could read it to her. "It is also my honor, Emperor..." She winced slightly, realizing that she didn't entirely catch the pronunciation. "G-" she stuttered and cleared her throat. "May I call you Nick?" she asked, wincing slightly as she was probably committing some gross error in protocol.
Grednickendos glanced down and repeated the shortened name a few times, testing it out, then looked back to Dree and grinned. "Nick," he said, with a proud nod. Dree closed her eyes and smiled, letting out the breath she'd been holding, and covered his hands with hers.
"You're a saint."
Reply
El and Trey stood in the doorway, watching Dree and Max. "Go," Trey said, looking at El and nodding to the door. "I'll stay."
El frowned and shook her head. "I'd rather not." Trey pushed off the door frame and ran a hand along El's arm.
"Somebody's gotta go, Elly-Belle," he told her, "and we both know she won't go." El pulled him out of the doorway and poked him in the stomach.
"Why don't you go?" she asked with a smile. Trey chuckled and pulled her close.
"Because you look better in a party dress," he said in a low tone, pressing a kiss to her neck. "You go to the Ozma's party," he started, running a hand up her side, "and I'll make it worth your while, tonight." El groaned and Trey smiled as his hands moved back down her sides and rested on her backside.
Pulling her against him, Trey traced her jawline with his nose and smiled. "And you can make all the noise you want, because she won't hear you." El made a face and tried not to smile.
Reply
Dree looked down as Max stepped up next to her chair and waited. She set down her pen and turned to reach for him. "Hey, Monkey. What's up?"
Max looked up and took her hand. "Mommy, I have to go see Mister CJ, please. It is very important."
Dree raised an eyebrow and watched Max for a second. "Mister CJ, huh?" Max nodded and pulled on her hand.
"Please, Mommy?" he asked, giving her the pout he'd learned from El. "I will be very fast to talk to him."
Dree let out a breath and nodded. "Okay." She pushed back from the table and stood up as Max ran for the door. Max spun around as she came up behind him and he pushed on her legs. Dree looked down and smiled.
"Mommy, I have to talk to Mister CJ of big boy-talk. Like when I talk to Daddy Gare and Mister Wyatt and Grampa." Dree laughed and glanced sideways as Tinny ran up to them and pushed up on his hind legs.
"Tinny, you're staying here." Dree gave Tinny a look and he promptly returned all four paws to the floor. She looked at Max and nodded. "Okay, Maxie, I'll stay right here." She leaned into the doorway and hollered, "Mister CJ!"
When CJ appeared from around the corner, she nodded to him and lifted Max over the baby gate. "Someone to see you, CJ." He stepped toward them and Max closed the distance, grabbing CJ's hand as soon as he was within reach.
"I have to talk to you, please," Max said to CJ.
"Okay," CJ nodded and picked Max up then set him on the bar. "What can I do for you?"
"Do you 'member that lady from before? With the yellow hair? When Mommy and Mel and An'dora got in trouble with Grampa?" CJ nodded, realizing that Max was referring to Ozma. Max pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and held it out for CJ. "Can you please give this to her?"
CJ blinked and took the slip of paper from Max as he nodded. "I will give this to her for you."
"Do not tell Mommy," Max whispers and shook his head. CJ smiled and shook his head as well. "Thank you, Mister CJ." CJ slipped the paper into his pocket and held a hand out for Max.
"You're very welcome," CJ told him. "Y'know," he said a moment later, following a bark from Tinny, "I think Tinny needs to go out." Max nodded and smiled as CJ picked him up from the bar and set him back on the floor. Max ran back to the door and reached his arms up so that Dree could lift him over the baby gate again.
CJ nodded when Dree mouthed 'Thank you' and he moved back behind the bar. Dree set Max back down on their side of the door and watched as Max led Tinny back down the hall.
'That kid...', she thought, shaking her head and smiling as she moved back to the table.
Reply
Garrett stood on the porch and stared at Dree in confusion, entertainment and slight concern. "You are crazy!" he hollered, trying not to smile.
"Like that's not the first time I've heard that!" Dree yelled back. She continued to mind her business and ignored the chiding coming from the porch. She leaned forward and raised a leg then swung her arm out and straightened.
"You're gonna get sick and I'm not taking care of you!" Garrett yelled over the noise.
"Okay!" she yelled back. Garrett watched her for another minute and groaned before setting his coffee mug down on the railing. Moving to the steps, he huffed and headed into the rain.
Running over to where Dree was, Garrett grabbed her hand and swung her around. "What's goin' on with you?" he yelled as Dree smiled at him. Dree grabbed his other hand and started to pull him along in her dance.
"I'm following the advice of a genius," she told him as the rain started to come down harder. It was getting darker, but she could see the look on his face. "You said I should live in the moment. This is a moment and I'm living in it!"
Reply
Ozma pulled out the chair at the large table and unfolded the page she'd received. Seeing a hand that had clearly spent a great deal of time trying to get the letters just right, she smiled and sat down in the seat to read the note.
dear miss ozma
i wish to ask you for something please. it is too early but i think that what i wish is hard to get. i wish very much that daddy can come home. mommy is very sad and she thinks that nobody knows it but i do. she tells mel that she is happy and she tells daddy gare and grampa that she is happy but she does not look happy. daddy always says that she is too pretty to be sad and it makes her smile but he is not here to tell her so she does not remember. i will give you back the harmonica because i want this more and i will not get in any more fights and i will learn my words and i will be very good.
love max
Reply
My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. - Dalai Lama
They watch as she continues to move through the room, stopping at each bed and offering the brightest smiles to everyone she speaks to. They know that this is eating her, from the inside out, but she won't let it show. They've heard the pleading from every mother, every father, every brother and sister.
She has never truly screamed to the sky, begging them to do something. Perhaps it's because those times when she did, before, she got no answer. She doesn't bother to ask for their help, their guidance... they know that any answer they can give won't be enough.
There is nothing they, as Gods, can do about this.
But, what she is doing for the people... it's more than she'll ever know.
Reply
Dree sucked in a breath and cried out at the pain coursing through her body. She couldn't swallow and the smell was horrific, but Dree managed to open her eyes. Fighting a snort, she found that opening her eyes hadn't helped much. There was a glow at the end of the hall - she thinks it's a hall - but it's not bright enough to make out anything.
Blinking, to get her eyes to focus, Dree looked the other way and noticed a window, high on the wall, but it didn't look right. She couldn't place what it was, though. Dree had to close her eyes at the screeching humming and moved her hand to plug her ear. Glancing down, she realized that there was a person in her lap. No, not a person - a child.
Dree sucked in another breath and shifted as best as she could under the child's weight and tried to see if they were breathing. The reflection of light caught her attention and Dree whipped her head back in the direction of the glow.
"Hello?" she called out. Realizing that, not knowing where she was, calling out was probably not the best idea she'd ever had, Dree looked back to the child. She could feel the panic starting to rise and squeezed her eyes shut. Between the sting of the smell - something was on fire - and the strength of the pain inside her head, Dree was crying before she even realized it.
Where the hell was she?
Reply
Leave a comment