Original: "Borders" (het)
Summary: Jane's stumbled onto a path between worlds. But exams come first.
Jane had found the path to other worlds walking back to her dorm from an evening exam. It was one of those paths that people normally avoided at night; there were better lit sidewalks to follow, and although the crime rate was low, it seemed an unnecessary risk. Only one of the lamp post lights actually worked, and even it flickered with even the slightest gust of wind.
Jane had taken one look at the path she normally avoided, and thought, “Screw it.” She’d just sat three hours in a calculus exam she’s probably failed, she had three more exams this week, and any person or animal that tried to leap out and attack her at that moment was going to regret it. She had stomped down the dirt path, following it through the darkness. Long after it should have led to her dorm, it wound through the mists. She had kept walking, looking for any kind of landmark.
Instead, she had found Stave, the border-between-worlds guard. He’d blocked her path with his pike and told her he couldn’t let her cross.
“I preserve the balance between worlds. You can’t pass,” he’d explained. He hadn’t threatened her or anything, just stopped her progress. He’d given her directions back home and even taught her a shortcut (whistling a song as you walked cut world-crossing time in half- who knew?)…which she was now abusing.
“I can’t let you pass. The balance-” Stave explained the next evening when Jane showed up again at the border.
“I know, I know. I’m not trying to cross,” she shot back. “Just looking for a quiet place to study.” She held up her Intro Psych textbook as proof. “The library’s full, and the stupid freshman are partying in the dorms. I can’t concentrate with all that noise.”
Stave looked confused for a second. “You’ve come to the border between worlds, where reality fades and sanity crumbles, to study?” Jane nodded.
“I brought cookies,” she said with a smile, offering him one out of her Tupperware container. “They’re from one of those dough tubes, but I baked them this morning, so they’re fresh, at least,” she added apologetically. Stave raised an eyebrow, but took a cookie.
………..
The next evening, when Jane showed up with her Medieval Lit books and a tin full of fudge (she wasn’t usually a baker, but Stave was kind of cute in a stoic sort of way, and her mom had always told her the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach), Stave didn’t seem surprised in the least. There was a blanket spread out under the light pole where she’d sat reading the past evening.
The guard pulled something from his pocket and offered it to her. She unwrapped the handkerchief that covered it and found a slightly crumbled scone.
“For the cookies last night,” Stave explained, a little embarrassed. “I have to preserve the balance between worlds.”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” Jane apologized.
“No!” Stave blurted out. “It’s…I liked them. It’s just…if something passes into one world from another, something else has to be given in exchange. Things have to stay balanced.”
Jane held up her tin of fudge. “So, is this going to be a problem?” she asked.
Stave looked away. “Not as long as you come back tomorrow to get something in return,” he mumbled.
Jane opened up her copy of Chretien De Troyes and hid her blush behind its cover.
…………………….
The fourth evening of whistling down the path between worlds, Jane didn’t bring a snack to share. She sat down on Stave’s blanket and accepted his gift of a fruit that somewhat resembled a strawberry dipped in something that was nearly a cross between chocolate and caramel in silence.
After hours of respective studying and guarding, Jane peeked up over her notes.
“This is my last exam before I go home for winter break,” she told the guard.
Stave gestured for her to go on. “So, I’m going to be gone for almost a month.” She stuffed her notes into her Bio book. “When I get back, theatre department’s putting on Phantom of the Opera.”
She handed him the ticket that she’d tucked into her textbook. “Here. I mean, if you wanted to go. You don’t have to or anything,” she rambled as the guard hesitated over the ticket.
Stave sighed. “I have to preserve the balance between worlds…”
Jane ducked her head, pretending to put her books into her bag. She should’ve known.
“So if I agree, you have to come to my world as well,” he continued. He graced her with a rare grin. “And I’m warning you, it’s going to be something manly. Not some pansy musical.”
“Deal.” She slung her bag over her shoulder. “I guess it’s a date, then. Two dates.” Her smile felt like it was going to split her face in half. “I’ll see you later, then,” she said, and as she walked back into the real world, she was happy that she had an excuse to whistle the happiest song she knew, because she would have done it regardless.
Jane had found the path to other worlds walking back to her dorm from an evening exam. It was one of those paths that people normally avoided at night; there were better lit sidewalks to follow, and although the crime rate was low, it seemed an unnecessary risk. Only one of the lamp post lights actually worked, and even it flickered with even the slightest gust of wind.
Jane had taken one look at the path she normally avoided, and thought, “Screw it.” She’d just sat three hours in a calculus exam she’s probably failed, she had three more exams this week, and any person or animal that tried to leap out and attack her at that moment was going to regret it. She had stomped down the dirt path, following it through the darkness. Long after it should have led to her dorm, it wound through the mists. She had kept walking, looking for any kind of landmark.
Instead, she had found Stave, the border-between-worlds guard. He’d blocked her path with his pike and told her he couldn’t let her cross.
“I preserve the balance between worlds. You can’t pass,” he’d explained. He hadn’t threatened her or anything, just stopped her progress. He’d given her directions back home and even taught her a shortcut (whistling a song as you walked cut world-crossing time in half- who knew?)…which she was now abusing.
“I can’t let you pass. The balance-” Stave explained the next evening when Jane showed up again at the border.
“I know, I know. I’m not trying to cross,” she shot back. “Just looking for a quiet place to study.” She held up her Intro Psych textbook as proof. “The library’s full, and the stupid freshman are partying in the dorms. I can’t concentrate with all that noise.”
Stave looked confused for a second. “You’ve come to the border between worlds, where reality fades and sanity crumbles, to study?” Jane nodded.
“I brought cookies,” she said with a smile, offering him one out of her Tupperware container. “They’re from one of those dough tubes, but I baked them this morning, so they’re fresh, at least,” she added apologetically. Stave raised an eyebrow, but took a cookie.
………..
The next evening, when Jane showed up with her Medieval Lit books and a tin full of fudge (she wasn’t usually a baker, but Stave was kind of cute in a stoic sort of way, and her mom had always told her the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach), Stave didn’t seem surprised in the least. There was a blanket spread out under the light pole where she’d sat reading the past evening.
The guard pulled something from his pocket and offered it to her. She unwrapped the handkerchief that covered it and found a slightly crumbled scone.
“For the cookies last night,” Stave explained, a little embarrassed. “I have to preserve the balance between worlds.”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” Jane apologized.
“No!” Stave blurted out. “It’s…I liked them. It’s just…if something passes into one world from another, something else has to be given in exchange. Things have to stay balanced.”
Jane held up her tin of fudge. “So, is this going to be a problem?” she asked.
Stave looked away. “Not as long as you come back tomorrow to get something in return,” he mumbled.
Jane opened up her copy of Chretien De Troyes and hid her blush behind its cover.
…………………….
The fourth evening of whistling down the path between worlds, Jane didn’t bring a snack to share. She sat down on Stave’s blanket and accepted his gift of a fruit that somewhat resembled a strawberry dipped in something that was nearly a cross between chocolate and caramel in silence.
After hours of respective studying and guarding, Jane peeked up over her notes.
“This is my last exam before I go home for winter break,” she told the guard.
Stave gestured for her to go on. “So, I’m going to be gone for almost a month.” She stuffed her notes into her Bio book. “When I get back, theatre department’s putting on Phantom of the Opera.”
She handed him the ticket that she’d tucked into her textbook. “Here. I mean, if you wanted to go. You don’t have to or anything,” she rambled as the guard hesitated over the ticket.
Stave sighed. “I have to preserve the balance between worlds…”
Jane ducked her head, pretending to put her books into her bag. She should’ve known.
“So if I agree, you have to come to my world as well,” he continued. He graced her with a rare grin. “And I’m warning you, it’s going to be something manly. Not some pansy musical.”
“Deal.” She slung her bag over her shoulder. “I guess it’s a date, then. Two dates.” Her smile felt like it was going to split her face in half. “I’ll see you later, then,” she said, and as she walked back into the real world, she was happy that she had an excuse to whistle the happiest song she knew, because she would have done it regardless.