{ Wherever you are is my home }

Derek hated any event. He wasn’t one that was social. Talking about himself was hard when he couldn’t remember anything though things were different in this place. He felt pain, a lot of underlying pain that flooded his mind and chest. His mother was dead, his father too. A horrible fire came to mind, voices he knew were burning alive and it made his head feel like it was spinning. He dropped the glass in his hand, hearing it shatter as he stumbled his way to a balcony outside for some air. Breathing felt difficult, voices he thought he had never heard before were in his ears, saying things he didn’t want to believe but they were true and he knew that they were part of his past. He might throw up, maybe cry, anything was possible as all his memories seeped back into his brain, turning his eyes bright shades of red.

Paige? She’s dead and it was because of him. Because Derek was a werewolf, an Alpha to be exact. He was the leader of his pack and suddenly the abilities he had in his current job made so much more sense. Laura? Also dead but it was because of his uncle, not him. Kate used him to burn up his family. Cora ran away instead of finding him. In a sense he really was alone except for some pack of teenagers that got on his last nerves at times. He placed his hands on the railing, reaching up to pull the mask from his face. He didn’t like the idea of hiding, either, and he wasn’t one that trusted many to begin with. Add a few masks and he would automatically be on edge. It was chilly, the wind running through his dark hair and scruffy cheeks. He heard a footstep behind him and he turned, meeting their gaze with his green hues that he had forced back into place. He had his control again. “I’m fine. You don’t have to come check up on me. Just needed some air.” All a lie, but the wolf never liked showing weakness.

As she was entering her twentieth week, there were good things and bad things -- there was no sickness, but she felt heavier than before with her fairly obvious bump. However, she only received good wishes, instead of the judgement she would face in South Korea. It was upgrade, a very nice change, one that felt like fresh air. And Ki Young felt with a lot of energy, enough to decide this ball would be fun, even though she couldn't drink. Sadly, it wasn't how she had imagined. There were a lot of people, the mixed scents were making her feel dizzy and she barely could enjoy herself as she didn't want to dance at all. Truth to be told, she didn't have that many friends, and those that she did have were with their partners tonight, no time to sit with her a chat at all.

Her hand rubbed gently on her belly, walking slowly into the balcony. The city lights greeted her, and she couldn't help but think of Seoul and how much she missed home every now and then, especially her mother. But there wasn't much she could do about it. It had been for the best and she did not regret it. At the voice, she looked around until she found the man, and for a moment she wondered if he was speaking to someone else. It was the very first time she saw him in her life, yet it was quite obvious that there was no one else there with them. "I didn't come to check up on you. Not to sound repetitive, but I too needed some air." And a glass of champagne would have been awesome, but she supposed sparkling water had to do for now. "However, now that we're here, I must tell you that you certainly do not look fine." Ki Young shrugged, as it was none of her business. "Aigoo!" she exclaimed as she raised her arms to stretch her back, feeling relief washing through her. "You know, sometimes talking to a complete stranger you will never see again is better than bottling it all up."

It was the first night out after the break up -- any other nights had been spent with Doe, eating ice cream because alcohol wasn't allowed anymore. Mary reached to smooth the fabric over her stomach, there were no signs yet, as she had just reached her third month. It hadn't been easy, going through all of this all alone, but she was making it work. It would be difficult once she started showing, telling her father about it would be quite interesting as she would have to tell him that a divorce was probably happening as well. But she wouldn't worry about it tonight. No. Tonight she would enjoy herself, have a great time, and then she would go back to reality.

She hadn't told Severus. He had walked away with little to no explanation, and she didn't feel like dealing with him for now. OF course she missed him. Severus was the man she loved, the man she had wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Now everything was a mess and she didn't know where it all had gone wrong. As much as she thought about it, Mary couldn't understand why he had left. Everything had been so perfect, and now he was gone.

When a waitress offered her a glass of champagne, she shook her head. "No, thank you. Do you have water or juice, or maybe a coke? That would be awesome, thanks!" In a moment like that she definitely wanted to drink, but it couldn't be helped. As she watched the girl walking away, she smiled a little and returned her attention to the dance floor, hoping to find Doe somewhere.

It was quite funny, and a man like him couldn't help but enjoy all the chaos that place had brought upon everyone, his family included. He had seen people believing to be someone else, others forgetting everything and others enjoying what seemed to be a second chance. He was the latter -- It wasn't Westeros, there was no war, no white walkers, and no terrible world about to end. He could enjoy life as he wanted, drinking and fucking and living.

He took a sip of his wine -- he wasn't one to drink champagne, it tasted terrible and it looked like piss. Some things shouldn't change just because they had been brought to some other world. He reached into his pocket for his phone, checking the hour as the couples danced and had their fun. He hadn't seen his siblings yet, and he failed to decide if that was either a blessing or a curse, maybe both somehow.

It could be the alcohol in his system, he told himself when he saw a flash of red hair so familiar his stomach tightened and his heart jumped. Without much care, he left the glass on the table and jumped off the chair, following the woman that had been once his wife. "My Lady," he called, hand reached out to touch her wrist, very gently as not making her uncomfortable, hoping to stop her.

Truth to be told, it had been easier than she had imagined, moving from being just friends to being in a relationship. It turned out that everyone already thought they were together and were keeping a secret for professional reasons, and nothing much had changed. They were honest about how they felt, they didn't tiptoe around the other anymore, Mara felt as though she could breathe now.

Certainly, they hadn't gone to any event as a couple just yet, as the occasion had never presented. She was still his assistant, and there weren't many opportunities to stop being so and start acting like his girlfriend instead. A smile played on her lips at the word, as if Mara herself couldn't believe it. Sadly, as much as they had dressed up for this, Adam still had a photoshoot early in the morning so that night there would be no drinking for any of them.

Her hand reached up to fix her mask as she walked across the ballroom, eyes on her date once she had found him. "Excuse me, I'm afraid I've lost my boyfriend. See, he has a mask just like yours. Have you seen him?"

What would she give for a nice glass of wine in her bathtub? Elizabeth hated social events, as she had been paraded in so many as a child. People would think her father was trying to get her a good husband that could take over the family business, so she had proven him that she could do it all herself. But she had promised that she would be there for a couple of hours and then go home, and it was a good thing that they had champagne.

She brought the glass to her lips, finishing it off in just one go, hoping the clock moved faster. She could barely hear her own thoughts with all the voices in the room. When a waiter passed by, she gave him her empty glass and took a new one, taking a sip. It was perhaps the most delicious one she had ever had, and she vaguely wondered if she could ask for the name.

As she looked around for the bar, she didn't notice the man in front of her until it was too late. They were a few inches away from each other when she stopped. And she recognized him, of course, because that hair and those eyes were hard to forget, especially when they haunted her dreams as of late. "Glad to see you here, Mr. Norrington."

Casey had never worn something as fancy. Her hand slid down the smooth skirt as if it were made of butter, leaving a gentle tingling sensation in the palm of her hand. A deep breath brought the sweet scent of her perfume to her nostrils and she barely could recognize herself as she walked into the large lobby filled of stranger faces and lights so bright that blinded her every step.

She eyed the bubbling glass passing by, not even daring to touch one. As a nineteen year old girl, she wasn't legally allowed to drink, and she didn't any wish to do it anyway. Instead, she asked for a coke and keep her glass safe in her hand, always wary of some invisible force that could harm her. It was no way to live, yet it was the only one she knew. Even though her life had been fairly normal, with her foster parents ever since she was a child, for some reason she had always felt like people could not be trusted.

As socially awkward as she was, not really having that many friends and not knowing how to interact with people she didn't know, Casey looked around for a corner where to be, away from everyone. In all honesty, she wasn't sure why she had come, but call it curiosity, she was there.

It all had been a nice excuse to see Rey in a beautiful dress, and a shopping trip and a beauty day had done wonders to her mood. Jaina was slowly coming to terms that this new life, whatever it was, didn't include their parents and... Well, Poe. Ever since their last encounter, where he had been very clear to let her know that he hated her, Jaina had avoided him. He didn't remember, he had a life and she wasn't part of it. It wasn't easy to accept, but it wasn't like she had any other choice.

So she had a plan -- she would drink, she would dance with Jacen and Rey, and then she would go home. There was practice in the morning and she sure shouldn't be drinking, but at this point she was beyond care. A sigh escaped her lips when she noticed the empty glass and looked around for a waiter. Instead, she found the man she couldn't stop thinking about.

"I know what you're going to say, but don't flatter yourself. I'm not stalking you, I'm not here to see you. Half of the city, if not everyone, is here." With that, she turned around and left her glass on the nearest surface she could find, trying to find the fastest way away from him. It hurt seeing him, and she didn't want him to tell her how awful she was.

I want to kiss you in a way that makes you not want to kiss anyone else ever again, he had said out of the blue, like if saying goodbye if only for a night was unthinkable. They had avoided the feelings talk ever since this all had started, simply because it was easier to ignore it than face the inevitable end. Mara knew that, in the moment any of them brought it up, this would all be over. She had accepted the consequences – he was her boss, and if one of them had to walk away, it would have to be her. And she had seen it before, for the past two years she had worked for him. Every time a woman walked into his life, she lasted a few weeks, a month if they were lucky. Adam wasn’t one for commitment, and it was just a matter of time before he got tired of this, of her. It was a crude truth difficult to accept, but Mara had never been some fool who believed in happy endings.

She had spent more nights at his place than her own, going every now and then just for an item that she would need for the next day, if ever. Because a drawer and a corner of his closet had slowly become half of it, both her dresses and his jackets hanging together, and she decided it was something she liked seeing whenever she went in. That night, however, it had been decided (or more like Mara had told him, ignoring the hurt in his expression) that she had to spend the night at her place before the landlord began thinking she had died. It was a great apartment, she didn’t want to lose it. There was only one reason why she would let go of it, but it was out of the question.

Her hand reached for her sweater when his voice broke the uncomfortable silence that had fallen upon them from the moment she had announced it was time to go. Of all the things she had expected him to say, Mara had never dared to even consider anything like this. Red hair fell to the side as she turned to see him, unable to hide her shock. This, whatever it was, it was more than just fun. It was nights spent in each other’s arms, shared showers and quick kisses, drinking from the same mug as they rushed to get ready for work every morning. It was gentle caresses as they watched something on TV, holding hands as soon they went back to the safety of his building, and flirty texts even if they were in the same place but different rooms. It was that and so much more.

Mara looked at him, heart beating fast against her ribcage, and a very annoying fluttering sensation in her stomach. For the first time in her life, she couldn’t find anything witty to say, a way to make it less important than it actually was. And she stood there, torn between what she wanted and what she should do. This was a recipe for disaster. He would walk away, sooner or later. And all those words whispered in the dark would be that, only words that got lost in the moment. But right there and then, she couldn’t fight it anymore.

“You already had.”