Sea Salt 2 & Pineapple 9
Author: Casey
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy (NIEE) universe, Post NIEE
Challenges: Sea Salt 2 (river/stream) & Pineapple 9 (you wouldn’t believe me if I told you)
Toppings & Extras: Hot Fudge, Malt (Christmas from Bookblather: "You can't go around building a better world for people. Only people can build a better world for people. Otherwise it's just a cage." - Witches Abroad, Summer Challenge: Ice Cream 44, Trick or Treat: She will lead you to your grave. - from the film Jeon Woo Chi (Whoochi))
Word Count: 846
Rating: PG-13 (adult insinuations)
Summary: Ani has something very important to admit to Sorin.
Notes: Malts 4, 5 & 6 out of 10. I only recently figured out that this is what happened. I’m still a little surprised by it and not entirely sure I’m happy with this. Takes place within the first year following the end of NIEE, so prior to them working for KIN or Ani being queen.
“Sorin?”
“Mm?” he said, not looking up from his work on the last bookcase for the room they were currently turning into a study. If he had not been so engrossed in his work, he would have immediately realized something was wrong. Ani was never up this early. It was only just light enough for him to manage to work anyway, even with bringing the bookcase out into the front yard.
“Can we talk?”
“Sure.”
“Can we talk with you actually paying attention to what I’m saying?”
Sorin had the grace to smile sheepishly as he looked up. “I’m sorry. We can go inside where it’s more comfortable and talk.” He brushed off his hands, setting down the hammer.
“Actually,” Ani said, shifting and he now realized how nervous she was, going so far as to wring her hands. “Can we not? I don’t want Dean to overhear. Russ already said he would keep an eye on him for us. We could go down to the stream and talk,” she added hastily, looking at him earnestly.
Sorin frowned. “Okay, yes, certainly.”
She nodded, tugging at her fingers as she led him around the back of the house and down the small embankment to the stream that ran along the edge of their property. Ani sat down, tucking her legs underneath her before glancing up at him. “You’re going to want to be sitting.”
He sat down next to her, folding his hands in his lap. “Okay…so, what’s bothering you?”
She stared at the sluggishly moving water and as he examined the side of her face, he realized just how pale she was.
“Did you have a nightmare?” he asked gently.
She sucked in her breath, nodding jerkily. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t notice.”
That brought a faint smile to her lips. “You don’t always have to sit with me when I have a nightmare, Sorin.”
“Seems I should have this time. Was it about Edward?”
“When is it not about Edward?” Ani asked, bitterness coloring her voice. “I…Sorin, I did something, while you were living with Diana.”
“You can tell me anything, Ani, you know that. Spit it out,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders.
She uncharacteristically tensed. “You might not feel that way after this,” she murmured.
“You won’t know until you get it out. We’ve been through this, Ani. I promised I would not leave you or my son again.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay. Sorin, I...I killed Edward.”
Sorin went still, staring at her, searching her face in confusion. “What?”
“I killed him. I stabbed him.”
He put his hands on her shoulders, turning Ani to face him. “Tell me exactly what happened…and how I didn’t know this before.”
“I was home alone with him,” Ani said, staring down at her hands. “He came after me, bored, I think, and he wanted…he hadn’t wanted that in a long time and I just…I couldn’t, not any more. So when he came, I stabbed him. Between him and Vlad, there were always weapons lying around.” She shrugged, scrubbing her hands on her pants violently until Sorin grabbed them and stopped her. “I grabbed a knife and,” she tugged at her hand until he let go before pantomiming a slicing motion. “Right in the stomach.”
“How did I never hear this? Vlad had to know.”
She shook her head, glancing up at him now through haunted eyes. “No. I…I told him I walked in on it after the fact. I had already gotten rid of my clothes and Vlad never thought it could possibly be me. He assumed it was Father’s old rival, Kort Paladies, calling out a hit on him.”
“But it was said he died of a heart attack.”
“Vlad didn’t want Paladies to know he’d gotten to us, so he lied.”
“But why to me?”
“You weren’t…part of the family then, according to both Father and Vlad. You know that. So you got the run around too. And I just…wanted to forget. Plus, it wasn’t like we had a lot of private time to talk, just you and me, after you came back. And you were so sad. I didn’t…want to disappoint you.”
Sorin sat forward and pulled his little sister into a tight hug. “You could never disappoint me,” he said quietly.
Ani sniffed. “I didn’t mean to kill him,” she started.
“Don’t apologize, Ani. Not only is what’s done is done, but didn’t I tell you to never apologize for him ever?”
“This is different.”
“No, it’s not, Ani. We had to live through years and years of hell because of him and you know what, you had every right. I’m just sorry you had to. I should have. Or Vlad should have stepped up.”
“I…most of the time, I’m okay with it, but the nightmares sometimes and he just…You needed to know. You deserved to know.”
He nodded slowly and then hugged her again tightly. She wrapped her arms around him in return, resting her head on his shoulder.
“I love you, Sunshine.”
“Love you too, Ani.”
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy (NIEE) universe, Post NIEE
Challenges: Sea Salt 2 (river/stream) & Pineapple 9 (you wouldn’t believe me if I told you)
Toppings & Extras: Hot Fudge, Malt (Christmas from Bookblather: "You can't go around building a better world for people. Only people can build a better world for people. Otherwise it's just a cage." - Witches Abroad, Summer Challenge: Ice Cream 44, Trick or Treat: She will lead you to your grave. - from the film Jeon Woo Chi (Whoochi))
Word Count: 846
Rating: PG-13 (adult insinuations)
Summary: Ani has something very important to admit to Sorin.
Notes: Malts 4, 5 & 6 out of 10. I only recently figured out that this is what happened. I’m still a little surprised by it and not entirely sure I’m happy with this. Takes place within the first year following the end of NIEE, so prior to them working for KIN or Ani being queen.
“Sorin?”
“Mm?” he said, not looking up from his work on the last bookcase for the room they were currently turning into a study. If he had not been so engrossed in his work, he would have immediately realized something was wrong. Ani was never up this early. It was only just light enough for him to manage to work anyway, even with bringing the bookcase out into the front yard.
“Can we talk?”
“Sure.”
“Can we talk with you actually paying attention to what I’m saying?”
Sorin had the grace to smile sheepishly as he looked up. “I’m sorry. We can go inside where it’s more comfortable and talk.” He brushed off his hands, setting down the hammer.
“Actually,” Ani said, shifting and he now realized how nervous she was, going so far as to wring her hands. “Can we not? I don’t want Dean to overhear. Russ already said he would keep an eye on him for us. We could go down to the stream and talk,” she added hastily, looking at him earnestly.
Sorin frowned. “Okay, yes, certainly.”
She nodded, tugging at her fingers as she led him around the back of the house and down the small embankment to the stream that ran along the edge of their property. Ani sat down, tucking her legs underneath her before glancing up at him. “You’re going to want to be sitting.”
He sat down next to her, folding his hands in his lap. “Okay…so, what’s bothering you?”
She stared at the sluggishly moving water and as he examined the side of her face, he realized just how pale she was.
“Did you have a nightmare?” he asked gently.
She sucked in her breath, nodding jerkily. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t notice.”
That brought a faint smile to her lips. “You don’t always have to sit with me when I have a nightmare, Sorin.”
“Seems I should have this time. Was it about Edward?”
“When is it not about Edward?” Ani asked, bitterness coloring her voice. “I…Sorin, I did something, while you were living with Diana.”
“You can tell me anything, Ani, you know that. Spit it out,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders.
She uncharacteristically tensed. “You might not feel that way after this,” she murmured.
“You won’t know until you get it out. We’ve been through this, Ani. I promised I would not leave you or my son again.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay. Sorin, I...I killed Edward.”
Sorin went still, staring at her, searching her face in confusion. “What?”
“I killed him. I stabbed him.”
He put his hands on her shoulders, turning Ani to face him. “Tell me exactly what happened…and how I didn’t know this before.”
“I was home alone with him,” Ani said, staring down at her hands. “He came after me, bored, I think, and he wanted…he hadn’t wanted that in a long time and I just…I couldn’t, not any more. So when he came, I stabbed him. Between him and Vlad, there were always weapons lying around.” She shrugged, scrubbing her hands on her pants violently until Sorin grabbed them and stopped her. “I grabbed a knife and,” she tugged at her hand until he let go before pantomiming a slicing motion. “Right in the stomach.”
“How did I never hear this? Vlad had to know.”
She shook her head, glancing up at him now through haunted eyes. “No. I…I told him I walked in on it after the fact. I had already gotten rid of my clothes and Vlad never thought it could possibly be me. He assumed it was Father’s old rival, Kort Paladies, calling out a hit on him.”
“But it was said he died of a heart attack.”
“Vlad didn’t want Paladies to know he’d gotten to us, so he lied.”
“But why to me?”
“You weren’t…part of the family then, according to both Father and Vlad. You know that. So you got the run around too. And I just…wanted to forget. Plus, it wasn’t like we had a lot of private time to talk, just you and me, after you came back. And you were so sad. I didn’t…want to disappoint you.”
Sorin sat forward and pulled his little sister into a tight hug. “You could never disappoint me,” he said quietly.
Ani sniffed. “I didn’t mean to kill him,” she started.
“Don’t apologize, Ani. Not only is what’s done is done, but didn’t I tell you to never apologize for him ever?”
“This is different.”
“No, it’s not, Ani. We had to live through years and years of hell because of him and you know what, you had every right. I’m just sorry you had to. I should have. Or Vlad should have stepped up.”
“I…most of the time, I’m okay with it, but the nightmares sometimes and he just…You needed to know. You deserved to know.”
He nodded slowly and then hugged her again tightly. She wrapped her arms around him in return, resting her head on his shoulder.
“I love you, Sunshine.”
“Love you too, Ani.”