still a mother.

“Really? You do?” Liyah looked at the bird again. It was cute. “Merlin, we’ve been married for how long and I still don’t know how to shop for her.”

Anna laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ve been her sister for longer, and I still don’t know what to buy her either.”

“Awe shit.” Liliana said. “What about I don’t wear a necklace and i just wear dangling earrings?” she explained. 

“No you need a necklace, just like a shorter chain one, simpler, have one of those? I mean, you could totally add earrings too.”

“Not at all,” said Helios. He eyed the woman and then he recognized her. “Hey! It’s the woman who wanted me to obliviate her ex at the ball.”

“Oh yeah!” Anna replied with a smile. “Now, I’d love for you to obliviate me and him for a totally different reason. Probably a more light-hearted one.” She smiled and then held out her hand. “I’m Anna.”

“I found twenty bucks on the ground so I bought this for Claire.” Liyah held up a small, glass bird. “I don’t know if she’s gonna like it.”

@annabishcp

“If not, I’ll take it,” Anna joked, small smile on her face. “Though I’m sure she’ll love it. Claire is pretty easy to buy for.”

“Oh come on, Anna, it’s not that bad. If I can do it, I’m positive you can.”

“No, do I need to remind you of the roller rink incident of ‘09?”

“Please tell me you have a date for New Year’s Eve.”

@annabishcp

“No, I do not. Why? You want to be my date?”

“Yeah,” he practically sighed the word. “After C-after I left,” he caught himself, “lets just say things didn’t get better. Either I gave up drinking or I’d have ended up one of those angry homeless drunks you cross the road to avoid,” he chuckled, not quite sure he could truly admit just how bad things had gotten.

“I would never cross the road to avoid you,” Anna replied with a small smirk. “I’m happy that you got the help you needed.”

“Yeah, well, they’re nice… You have better taste than me, you know that,” he offered with a small smile. “Actually, I, uh, I gave up drinking, so as tempting as it is to live vicariously through you I think I better pass.”

“You, you what?” Anna questioned, surprised. “You gave up drinking?” 

“Nor do I,” he sighed in resignation. “I miss him every day, I miss both of you every day. Merlin, I wish I could have a drink about now.”

“Just live vicariously through me,” she replied. “Because I’m having my own party over here.” She took a deep breath. “With the plus of possibly throwing up on your shoe... Are those the shoes I got you two years ago?”

“Anna, I-” he stopped himself with a sigh. Could he really admit how ashamed he had been of himself? How desperately terrified he was of hurting her even more than she already was? He knew it was his fault that everything fell apart, he had been blaming himself ever since, but what would it help to say it out loud? And yet here she was, being more open with him than possibly ever before. “I didn’t want to cause you more pain,” the words slipped from his lips before he could stop them. “I know now of course that it was stupid but I just- I thought I could protect you from my own unraveling. I thought you’d be better off without me.”

Anna looked down. “I wasn’t,” she just whispered back. “I wanted you, all parts of you. I still don’t know how to put myself back together.”