Candy Bar Crunch #20 - Chocolate #10, #21 - Soy #2, #13 - Starfruit #1, #14
Author: askingxalice
Title: Welcome to the Family
Summary: Chloe convinces Andy to take on one last apprentice.
Story: Second Genesis
Timeline: September 2032 - Chloe is 16, Andy is 48.
Challenge: Soy #13 (the arrival of help when in need), Starfruit #14 (show them who’s boss)
Word Count: 289
Rating: G
“Daddy, just look at his portfolio. Please? I promise you won’t regret it!”
“Chloe...” Andy sighed, running a hand through his hair as he avoided looking at his daughter. Just from the tone of her voice, he knew she’d be looking at him with those big puppy dogs eyes that Oz had taught her so well. “I’ve had enough apprentices in my career, and the shop is running fine. I don’t need another worker to worry about.”
“Well, what are you going to do when it comes time to retire? I mean, I know that won’t be soon, but it’ll happen one day! Who are you going to leave the parlor to? Aunt Sarah told me herself that she’d rather be another artist and not the owner, and it’s not like anyone else here has to right mind for business. And don’t you deny that because I heard you tell Daddy the same thing last month!” Chloe argued, her well-honed pleading look falling into a scowl as she crossed her arms. She barely resisted the urge to stomp her foot, but knew that action would just make Andy take her less seriously.
“You weren’t supposed to hear that conversation.” He met Chloe’s eyes now, staring back at her with the same resolve to win. Her resolve only strengthened with that, and her chin jerked up as she stared at Andy with the most determined expression he had ever seen her wear. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he was the first to cave.
Again, he sighed and leaned back against the front counter. Andy resisted rubbing a hand against his eyes, because he knew it would do nothing to help stave off the headache he felt coming on. “Alright. Tell me about him.”
Author: askingxalice
Title: The Way You Make Me Feel
Summary: Kurt notices seven things about Chloe before he realizes that he’s in love with her.
Story: Second Genesis
Timeline: July 2035 - Chloe and Kurt are 19.
Challenge: Chocolate #10 (awe), Starfruit #1 (somebody pinch me)
Word Count: 894
Rating: PG
At first, Kurt thought she was just a really tall girl. Most girls came to his chest, but Chloe nearly reached his chin. The fact that she still had to look up at him seemed to amuse her to no end, but it just distracted him. Most girls, he could barely smell their perfume; with Chloe, it was like this constant scent that seemed to torment him because he couldn’t really place what it was. He just couldn’t remember the name. Some purple flower.
Eventually, he noticed that she wasn’t tall. Not really, at least. She just wore these really insane heels all the time. After that, he moved on to wondering how she didn’t break something and why she never seemed to lose her balance.
~~~
He didn’t like how he found out that she was prideful. He didn’t even remember how she spilled boiling water on her hand, or what she was using boiling water for anyway. But he does remember that her first three fingers and half of her palm are bright red and swollen before he can get it under cold water, and Kurt was amazed that Chloe hadn’t made a sound other than the initial scream of pain.
He left her with her hand under the faucet while he dug around for an ice pack and something to bind it to her hand with. Once he found it all, he had to force her to sit and let him take care of it. It wasn’t until the ice pack was nearly tied on that she started trembling so violently that he worried that something was really wrong.
It wasn’t until Kurt looked up that he realized that Chloe was trying her damnedest not to cry or show how much it hurt. She might have been able to hold the tears back, but her body still shook with suppressed sobs, and her bright blue eyes were glassy with pain. She absolutely refused to go to the hospital, though he tried his hardest to get her to agree. Kurt had to settle with watching her take some extra strength aspirin and making her promise that she would ask her aunt to look at her hand as soon as she could.
~~~
She listened to old music. And not just ‘a few years ago’ old; so old that he had never even heard of the bands at all. Eventually, Chloe had just started shoving CDs in his hands and ordering him to listen to them before the week was out. As this progressed, he eventually noticed that she always had a ‘music theme of the day’ - one band to listen to, dance to, sing under her breath, and even dress to reflect until that day was over.
One time, he asked her why she was only wearing one sequin covered glove, and the look she gave him immediately made him wish he could take the words back. The next day, she met him with no less than five CDs by this Michael person.
~~~
A lot of the stuff Chloe had involved strawberries. And it’s not like he paid attention to jewelry or anything like that, but you notice it after a while. Strawberry rings, earrings, necklaces. Strawberries on her clothes, or just doodling strawberries on her notes or song lyrics or sheet music. Occasionally, she would even draw music notes as strawberries.
He asked her what was up with all the strawberries one day, and she replied that it was all Faith’s fault. Kurt was too scared to ask her to explain further.
~~~
The first time she told him she was a vegetarian, he was extremely confused. One of the first times they had gone out in a group, Chloe had gotten extremely drunk and begged him to get a cheesesteak with her. Not only did she completely devour hers, but she ended up eating half of his as well. (It’s not like he minded. He didn’t like cheesesteaks much in the first place.)
Erin ended up telling him that Chloe only ate meat when she was completely trashed, because the chances were that she’d just throw it up the next morning once the hangover sunk in. Apparently, that completely cut out the guilt factor.
~~~
Unsurprisingly, Kurt quickly discovered that her drink of choice was vodka and strawberry lemonade. The vodka and strawberry part didn’t surprise him much, but the lemonade did. He guessed that she could pretty much love anything she usually hated if strawberries were added to the mix.
~~~
Chloe had a temper. That didn’t surprise him in the least, considering how high her other emotions ran. If she could be so happy that she made a rainbow look depressed, then why wouldn’t she have a temper than scared the hell out of him? The first time he got a glimpse of it was when she had literally chased another girl away from him, screaming threats and curses the entire time.
She had told him that it was because that girl wasn’t anything but trouble, and she usually tended to drag the guys in her life down with her. It wasn’t until Faith mentioned the word possessive a few weeks later that Kurt started to think it might have been something else.
Author: askingxalice
Title: Blame Me
Summary: Adrianna loses her first patient.
Story: Phase
Timeline: May 2015 - Adrianna is 26, Andy is 31.
Challenge: Soy #2 (trying to please everyone), Candy Bar Crunch #20 (belly up), Chocolate #21 (luck)
Word Count: 444
Rating: PG
Andy hurried through the hospital hallways, avoiding contact with as many people as he could. He knew where he was going, and with what he gathered from the call he had received... This wasn’t the time to stop and chat with the few nurses and doctors he was acquainted with. It was only another hallway or two before he found the sleep room, and he didn’t bother with knocking. As soon as he entered the room, he knew that had been the right decision.
Adrianna’s scrubs had blood on them. Considering that she had stepped in to help a short staffed ER on a weekend in New York City, it wasn’t completely uncommon. It was the amount of blood and the rather deadened look in her eyes that worried him. Andy didn’t have to ask what had happened.
“It was a little boy.” She said, once she noticed his presence. “There was a drive-by. He was caught in it. It was... a through and through, in the upper chest. When they found him, they thought he might have a chance, but... When he got here...”
Andy sat on the bed beside her, but didn’t try to give her a hug or offer words of sympathy. He knew Adrianna better than he knew himself, most days. That wasn’t what she needed right now, and it would probably make the situation worse. “Walk me through it. What happened?”
“He was in shock when they found him, but still responding. By the time he got here, he had fallen unconscious from blood loss. The bullet had caused too much damage... Even if we had been lucky, and been able to stop the bleeding, there were bone fragments in his lungs that we wouldn’t have been able to get to in time. There was nothing we could do.”
“Then you know it wasn’t your fault.”
“No. I wasn’t the one with the gun.” Adrianna slumped over her lap after she answered. “But that doesn’t make me feel any better, Andy.”
“What are you going to do? Am I bringing you home?”
There was a long silence as she considered her answer. Eventually, she shook her head. “No. There are other patients... They need me here. Things might just get worse if one of the only doctors on staff leaves in the middle of her shift. I couldn’t do that to them. Besides, I don’t have anything else to do.”
Andy was able to read between the lines well enough. If she stayed, it would keep the guilt at bay. If she stayed, she might be able to save a life to make up for the one she lost.
Title: Welcome to the Family
Summary: Chloe convinces Andy to take on one last apprentice.
Story: Second Genesis
Timeline: September 2032 - Chloe is 16, Andy is 48.
Challenge: Soy #13 (the arrival of help when in need), Starfruit #14 (show them who’s boss)
Word Count: 289
Rating: G
“Daddy, just look at his portfolio. Please? I promise you won’t regret it!”
“Chloe...” Andy sighed, running a hand through his hair as he avoided looking at his daughter. Just from the tone of her voice, he knew she’d be looking at him with those big puppy dogs eyes that Oz had taught her so well. “I’ve had enough apprentices in my career, and the shop is running fine. I don’t need another worker to worry about.”
“Well, what are you going to do when it comes time to retire? I mean, I know that won’t be soon, but it’ll happen one day! Who are you going to leave the parlor to? Aunt Sarah told me herself that she’d rather be another artist and not the owner, and it’s not like anyone else here has to right mind for business. And don’t you deny that because I heard you tell Daddy the same thing last month!” Chloe argued, her well-honed pleading look falling into a scowl as she crossed her arms. She barely resisted the urge to stomp her foot, but knew that action would just make Andy take her less seriously.
“You weren’t supposed to hear that conversation.” He met Chloe’s eyes now, staring back at her with the same resolve to win. Her resolve only strengthened with that, and her chin jerked up as she stared at Andy with the most determined expression he had ever seen her wear. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he was the first to cave.
Again, he sighed and leaned back against the front counter. Andy resisted rubbing a hand against his eyes, because he knew it would do nothing to help stave off the headache he felt coming on. “Alright. Tell me about him.”
Author: askingxalice
Title: The Way You Make Me Feel
Summary: Kurt notices seven things about Chloe before he realizes that he’s in love with her.
Story: Second Genesis
Timeline: July 2035 - Chloe and Kurt are 19.
Challenge: Chocolate #10 (awe), Starfruit #1 (somebody pinch me)
Word Count: 894
Rating: PG
At first, Kurt thought she was just a really tall girl. Most girls came to his chest, but Chloe nearly reached his chin. The fact that she still had to look up at him seemed to amuse her to no end, but it just distracted him. Most girls, he could barely smell their perfume; with Chloe, it was like this constant scent that seemed to torment him because he couldn’t really place what it was. He just couldn’t remember the name. Some purple flower.
Eventually, he noticed that she wasn’t tall. Not really, at least. She just wore these really insane heels all the time. After that, he moved on to wondering how she didn’t break something and why she never seemed to lose her balance.
~~~
He didn’t like how he found out that she was prideful. He didn’t even remember how she spilled boiling water on her hand, or what she was using boiling water for anyway. But he does remember that her first three fingers and half of her palm are bright red and swollen before he can get it under cold water, and Kurt was amazed that Chloe hadn’t made a sound other than the initial scream of pain.
He left her with her hand under the faucet while he dug around for an ice pack and something to bind it to her hand with. Once he found it all, he had to force her to sit and let him take care of it. It wasn’t until the ice pack was nearly tied on that she started trembling so violently that he worried that something was really wrong.
It wasn’t until Kurt looked up that he realized that Chloe was trying her damnedest not to cry or show how much it hurt. She might have been able to hold the tears back, but her body still shook with suppressed sobs, and her bright blue eyes were glassy with pain. She absolutely refused to go to the hospital, though he tried his hardest to get her to agree. Kurt had to settle with watching her take some extra strength aspirin and making her promise that she would ask her aunt to look at her hand as soon as she could.
~~~
She listened to old music. And not just ‘a few years ago’ old; so old that he had never even heard of the bands at all. Eventually, Chloe had just started shoving CDs in his hands and ordering him to listen to them before the week was out. As this progressed, he eventually noticed that she always had a ‘music theme of the day’ - one band to listen to, dance to, sing under her breath, and even dress to reflect until that day was over.
One time, he asked her why she was only wearing one sequin covered glove, and the look she gave him immediately made him wish he could take the words back. The next day, she met him with no less than five CDs by this Michael person.
~~~
A lot of the stuff Chloe had involved strawberries. And it’s not like he paid attention to jewelry or anything like that, but you notice it after a while. Strawberry rings, earrings, necklaces. Strawberries on her clothes, or just doodling strawberries on her notes or song lyrics or sheet music. Occasionally, she would even draw music notes as strawberries.
He asked her what was up with all the strawberries one day, and she replied that it was all Faith’s fault. Kurt was too scared to ask her to explain further.
~~~
The first time she told him she was a vegetarian, he was extremely confused. One of the first times they had gone out in a group, Chloe had gotten extremely drunk and begged him to get a cheesesteak with her. Not only did she completely devour hers, but she ended up eating half of his as well. (It’s not like he minded. He didn’t like cheesesteaks much in the first place.)
Erin ended up telling him that Chloe only ate meat when she was completely trashed, because the chances were that she’d just throw it up the next morning once the hangover sunk in. Apparently, that completely cut out the guilt factor.
~~~
Unsurprisingly, Kurt quickly discovered that her drink of choice was vodka and strawberry lemonade. The vodka and strawberry part didn’t surprise him much, but the lemonade did. He guessed that she could pretty much love anything she usually hated if strawberries were added to the mix.
~~~
Chloe had a temper. That didn’t surprise him in the least, considering how high her other emotions ran. If she could be so happy that she made a rainbow look depressed, then why wouldn’t she have a temper than scared the hell out of him? The first time he got a glimpse of it was when she had literally chased another girl away from him, screaming threats and curses the entire time.
She had told him that it was because that girl wasn’t anything but trouble, and she usually tended to drag the guys in her life down with her. It wasn’t until Faith mentioned the word possessive a few weeks later that Kurt started to think it might have been something else.
Author: askingxalice
Title: Blame Me
Summary: Adrianna loses her first patient.
Story: Phase
Timeline: May 2015 - Adrianna is 26, Andy is 31.
Challenge: Soy #2 (trying to please everyone), Candy Bar Crunch #20 (belly up), Chocolate #21 (luck)
Word Count: 444
Rating: PG
Andy hurried through the hospital hallways, avoiding contact with as many people as he could. He knew where he was going, and with what he gathered from the call he had received... This wasn’t the time to stop and chat with the few nurses and doctors he was acquainted with. It was only another hallway or two before he found the sleep room, and he didn’t bother with knocking. As soon as he entered the room, he knew that had been the right decision.
Adrianna’s scrubs had blood on them. Considering that she had stepped in to help a short staffed ER on a weekend in New York City, it wasn’t completely uncommon. It was the amount of blood and the rather deadened look in her eyes that worried him. Andy didn’t have to ask what had happened.
“It was a little boy.” She said, once she noticed his presence. “There was a drive-by. He was caught in it. It was... a through and through, in the upper chest. When they found him, they thought he might have a chance, but... When he got here...”
Andy sat on the bed beside her, but didn’t try to give her a hug or offer words of sympathy. He knew Adrianna better than he knew himself, most days. That wasn’t what she needed right now, and it would probably make the situation worse. “Walk me through it. What happened?”
“He was in shock when they found him, but still responding. By the time he got here, he had fallen unconscious from blood loss. The bullet had caused too much damage... Even if we had been lucky, and been able to stop the bleeding, there were bone fragments in his lungs that we wouldn’t have been able to get to in time. There was nothing we could do.”
“Then you know it wasn’t your fault.”
“No. I wasn’t the one with the gun.” Adrianna slumped over her lap after she answered. “But that doesn’t make me feel any better, Andy.”
“What are you going to do? Am I bringing you home?”
There was a long silence as she considered her answer. Eventually, she shook her head. “No. There are other patients... They need me here. Things might just get worse if one of the only doctors on staff leaves in the middle of her shift. I couldn’t do that to them. Besides, I don’t have anything else to do.”
Andy was able to read between the lines well enough. If she stayed, it would keep the guilt at bay. If she stayed, she might be able to save a life to make up for the one she lost.