“and show us storm”

I’m outside, Audrey Rose sent a quick text to her boyfriend as she stood outside his London flat, juggling bags of his favourite foods, cold medicine, and her cane.

They were meant to be on a relaxing coffee date at one of their favourite cafés, tucked away in a corner of Shoreditch, but Thomas had called her that morning, sounding absolutely full of a cold - and remorse for having to call off their date.

It hadn’t taken long before she’d set off on her mission to make him comfortable, which, of course, included a trip to Tesco’s. Her boyfriend had nothing if not a sweet tooth. Goods secured, she’d driven to Thomas’ place, the journey as familiar as the back of her hand.

She heard footsteps from behind the door, though she could less like a Thomas-like figure through the glass and more of a blanket-monster.

“I love you,” Thomas said as soon as he caught sight of her as the door swung open. Her early suspicions had been correct - he was dragging a blanket around with him like a child. His poor nose and eyes were red, and his voice sounded hoarse from coughing.

“I love you, too, Cresswell. Now let’s get inside before we both catch a cold.” She pressed a quick kiss to his upper jaw as she squeezed past him, unable to stop herself from the small act of affection, even if it made her sick in the process.

Thomas’ living room had been converted into a blanket cave, with pillows pilled onto the settee, what she assumed was the cat lying underneath a mound of blankets. He’d dragged the side table to the edge of the settee, with an empty cup of tea resting on top, next to a packet of digestives. Underneath the small table was a bucket, no doubt in case he felt ill again.

“Oh, my love.” She said, taking him in again. He really did look shattered - his hair was out of place, an occasion like the blue moon with how often it occurred.

He pouted, holding out his hands, which she took gratefully. She rubbed the back of his hands absentmindedly with her thumbs. Even with the layers of clothing separating them, she could feel him running a temperature.

“Come on, blanket boy.” Audrey Rose teased, dragging him to the settee where he seemed to sink into the plush trappings. She perched on the edge next to him, feeling his forehead with the back of her palm, mentally running through what he’d need and what he’d refuse out of pure stubbornness. As much as he loved her attention, she knew he much preferred to sleep off a cold than do anything about it.

Luckily, she had bribes.

“As your favourite person in the whole world,” she said, rifling through the bags she’d brought with her, “I took it upon myself to bring you gifts. Mainly sweets.”

“Love of my life,” He murmured through a tired smile.

“Get some rest, love. I’ll be here when you wake.” She said as she pressed a loving kiss to his forehead, smiling to herself when he curled up like a cat.

When she was sure he’d fallen asleep, she cleared up the pile of tissues next to him, making sure to avoid tripping over the bags, lest the noise wake him. As quietly as she could, she made herself a cup of tea - shutting the kitchen door to block the sound - and came back to the living room.

She managed to squeeze next to him on couch and stifled a laugh as he rolled over to cuddle her properly, all while still asleep. She stroked his hair gently, wondering what he was dreaming about, if anything.

When Thomas woke up later, they watched reruns of their favourite old shows, ate far too many digestives and crisps, and cuddled with the very pampered cat. It wasn’t exactly a coffee date at a bespoke café, but she adored spending any time she could with him, and if that meant cuddling him while he napped for the fourth time that day, she would.

---

Let me know if you want to be added to my SJTR tag list!!

I’ve got two words for you all: Time Travel. Main concept: Two love struck idiots get sent back to a pretty UGH time period in their lives (that required me to reread all the books again) and have to hide the fact that they know everything. Stupidity ensues. Enjoy everyone. @redqueenetwork (this is what I mentioned to ya’ll in the chat, it’s finally here!!!) If you want a tag let me know. I don’t even know who is in the fandom anymore. 

“Don’t back her into the corner, whatever you do. We still don’t know what she’s capable of.” I hiss into my receiver as I sprint down another tight alleyway with Ella close on my tail. My hair sticks to my face as raindrops roll down my nose, and thunder rolls overhead. I swipe my hand across my forehead to push the annoying strands out of my face as we go. Behind me, Ella puffs out an annoyed sigh.

“She helped blow up a building Mare, I think we have a pretty decent idea of what she can do.” She admonishes as we round the corner, following Kilorn’s quickly relayed instructions from a moment ago. Ella and I had originally gone after the accomplice but after he hoped a fence and vanished into thin air, we had realized our mistake. He was a fucking teleporter, and therefore the perfect goose for our wild goose chase. We should have guessed something like this would happen. We needed the girl more than anything now. Sometimes I really hated being called into things like this. 

“Ella has a point.” 

“Agree with her one more time, Cal. I dare you.” I grumble into the receiver, pissed he is even chiming in. “Shouldn’t you be more focused on following our suspect and getting her to a place where we can make an arrest?”


“Trying.” Is his reply, followed by a burst of static from Kilorn probably messing with his receiver again. I reach up and bat at the piece in my ear, grinding my jaw against the sound. I could always just short the thing, but that wouldn’t really help with my frustration. It was my fault we lost the teleporter. I’d let him get too far ahead of me instead of just trying to incapacitate him. The last thing I wanted to do was cook him by mistake though. We wouldn’t get any information from a dead body. We needed that information if we wanted these bombings, and other things like them to stop though. 

We rounded the corner and I almost slammed into Kilorn’s back. He manages to dance out of my way. HIs expression is drawn tight, as he puts his arm out to stop Ella. With a quick gesture to the alley beyond the corner he says, “Cal is trying to talk her down.”

I push his arm out of my way and say, “No one engages Ardents alone, it’s a rule.” 

“She’s a kid Mare, they tend to respond to him better.” He says with a shrug, making me shake my head. If there is one thing Cal is still incredibly good at, it’s being a royal pain in my ass. He shouldn’t face anyone alone. Tyton had learned that the hard way when a young Ardent had put him in intensive care for three days. The last thing I need is Cal getting his leg broken because a kid hears what he has to say and doesn’t like it. My mother will never forgive him if he so much as has a bruise going into our wedding planning. Not that that was happening anytime soon, not now with the information I have tucked away to share tonight. I step around my best friend, who only passively tries to stop me. He knows that’s futile and steps back to stand with Ella as I slide around the corner.

My skin barks in protest as a wave of heat rolls over my skin. I hold my hand up to cover my eyes from the flames that circle Cal and the girl who has her back pressed up against the wall. She glares at him, her palms pressed to the brick and stone. I reach a hand out for the flames, knowing Cal will sense the shift in the flames distribution. Sure enough, the flames die in a small me-sized hole, giving me a chance to slip through them. They kiss the edges of my jacket and burn away the rain there.  

As soon as I enter the makeshift ring, the girl’s eyes fly to me over Cal’s shoulder. I know a cornered animal when I see one. She reminds me of myself too, which screams trouble. She’ll do anything to get out of that corner. Talking her down might not be an option, but we have a duty to her to at least try. Forcing my hands to remain at my sides I say, “We want to help.” 

“The last thing I need is your help.” She spit with a sneer and a raised chin. Definitely red, I realize in the light of the fire. She’s either an Ardent or a Red. I’m praying for a Red, they are far easier to apprehend and deal with during interrogation. 

The girl takes a step off the wall and holds a hand up in threat. Immediately my own hands light up with sparks, and Cal takes a step back to give me a clearer shot. The flames around us die as he channels that fire to a more useful source. Hopefully Ella senses the shift in the air and joins us to apprehend this kid. She can’t be older than sixteen, but that just makes her that much more dangerous. Younger Ardents were untapped fonts of power. 

The shadows from the early morning cut into the alley, and my lightning bathes us all in a deep purples glow. The dark shadows under the girl’s eyes are like bruises in this light. Her ragged breathing turns her into a woman possessed though. I try to dim my electricity, to prevent her from acting too brashly. She doesn’t take the hint, and instead takes another step closer to us. The air around us condenses until my ears pop painfully. 

I cry out at the sensation, almost dropping to a knee, and press my hands to my ears. Next to me, Cal pushes himself in front of me, using his own body to shield mine. I wish he would stop doing that, but no amount of arguing is going to change instinct, I’ve figured that out. Four years is a long time to spend with someone. You knew the intricacies of everything. In fact, if this still goes to plan, I can name exactly what he will want for breakfast after, down to how many cups of coffee he will need to stay awake for the rest of the day. 

A wicked wind snaps at me, ripping strands of hair out of my braid and extinguishing Cal’s flames completely. His hand on my shoulder is both a question and an order. If I’m incapable of standing, I need to get out of his way. If I’m capable, then I need to stand and help him. His voice carries even with the hurricane building around us, and he speaks to her like she hasn’t already made herself a danger to us. “Giselle, at least listen.” 

I have no idea how he got her name, but I file it away for later as I look up. She laughs at his attempt to negotiate, and brings her other hand away from her body, palm side up. The wind whips her auburn hair into a frenzy, but she does nothing to tame it. She should do what’s best for herself and listen. If she blatantly attacks us, her punishment will be more severe than blowing up an abandoned building. 

I grab onto Cal’s sleeve, as the wind tears at me as well. If I could just get a well-placed shot off, then I could disable her. Bringing my hand up, fingers spread, I take careful aim for the space right below her heart. Her eyes fly in my direction, and her lips fall into a tight line. “Don’t make me do it.” 

“Whatever you plan, you won’t be as fast as me,” I assure her, trying to rise to my feet completely. She shakes her head, her eyes growing just a hint wider as she states, “I can’t stop it now.” 

My stomach plummets, and my blood runs cold. What has she done? Is there another bomb? Is she about to set another one off somewhere else in the city? Somewhere that might actually be populated? 

“Whatever it is, we can stop it, if you just stand down.” Cal argues, keeping a tight hand on my arm, while his other arm tries to shield his eyes from the debris in the alley that the wind kicks up. Giselle shakes her head one more time, before looking down at her hands. Her entire body begins shaking, and with a smirk she says, “I’d tell you I’m sorry, but I’m not even sure where you’ll land.” 

My brows fly up into my hairline, and I grab Cal to pull him out of the way as she holds her hands out again. A body blow sends us flying backwards though, and through a wall. 

Immediately, my body goes into free-fall, and instinct kicks in as I try to flip myself over. There’s nothing but a wash of color around me though, and I end up tumbling in circles, simply trying to keep myself in one position. 

My hands seek purchase, and I manage to grasp Cal’s jacket again. His hand latches onto mine and I try to pull myself closer to him. I’m gasping for air though, unable to breathe. It feels like I’m being squished through a pipe the size of my pinkie, like how it used to feel when Shade teleported me. I wish I had opened my eyes during those times, maybe I would have seen the same wash of colors. Those trips always took a heartbeat though; this is taking seconds. I had never seen an Ardent that could teleport people and not themselves. Were Ardents evolving again? Julian said it was a possibility, but it should have taken hundreds of years, just like it had taken that long for us to appear in the first place. 

“Don’t let go,” I managed to gasp to Cal, as he tries to wrap an arm around my hips. I grip the front of his jacket with two hands, terrified of what will happen if I lose him in this tunnel. His answer is to squeeze me tightly to him. 

I press my face into his shoulder trying to inhale the scent he always carries with him. He smells more like the lake in Monfort now, probably because he keeps wearing this jacket when he walks around the lake with Kilorn. He should know better. It reeks of moist lake water. 

I glance over his shoulder only for something to catch my shoulder. I try to scream an alarm as my fingers release Cal, and I go spinning off to the side. My vision is limited but I still see him go limp from whatever hit he took. I scramble to grab at him, my fingers managing to catch his sleeve before we both collide with the side of the tunnel. 

Mare and Cal FanArt | RED QUEEN |

Cal: "I'm still waiting."

Me: "Sobbing"

pride month meme: [5/5] lgbtq+ female characters → Evangeline Samos

I keep grinning, walking backward to keep my eyes on her. I don’t trust anyone to fight fair, especially her. “Maybe Elane can lick your wounds?”

A few resources to help, learn, and promote:

TO HELP AND DONATE:

Black Lives Matter carrd with info, petitions, donation sites they recommend, and readings they suggest

President Obama’s List of orgs to help, things to read, and ways to get engaged

Black-led LGBTQ+ Organizations posted by Alexis Michelle

TO LEARN AND UNLEARN:

5 Ways to Take Action for all non-black people by The Conscious Kid

10-Steps to Non-Optical Allyship by Mireille Cassandra Harper 

How to Be Actively Anti-Racist by Good Good Good Co

Victoria Alexander’s recommendations on Anti-Racist Literature

TO SUPPORT AND PROMOTE:

Abelle Hayford’s #drawingwhileblack Directory of Black Creatives to hire

Author Oge Mora’s List of Children’s Books by Black Authors - also check out Oge Mora’s beautiful books!

A Twitter Thread from Melissa See on Black YA novels

Karina Yan Glasser’s 100 Must-Read Children’s Books by African-American Authors

10 Black-Owned Online Bookstores to buy all these lovely books from!

I love him because, like he said, he knew shit was messed up for him and his path led to destruction but he still chose to walk with his head held high, fighting against everyone and refusing to disappear like he was nothing. He mattered and he knew that.

Shade Barrow Calore: {incomprehensible}

Mare: what?

Shade Barrow Calore: {more incomprehensible}

Cal: you gotta speak up, bud.

pride month meme: [2/5] wlw ships → Evangeline Samos & Elane Haven