#almost lost

“Not what I would have expected,”  Carlist mumbled,  lips pressed into a thin line. Mon beckoned for the flimsi, when Carlist caught her eye, “ This-, this accusation against Leia– if it can be called that – is a new low.”

Mon was halfway through the third page, buried deep in a section on Midi-chlorian-influenced quantum chromosomal variations, when a seething Carlist spoke up.  His voice quavered with outrage, “They’re calling her-“  He swallowed several times, unable to finish the sentence.  It hit close, too close to home.

“ ‘A sentient, biologically-engineered Weapon of Mass Destruction.’”  Mon spat the words.  

“You end up together in different times, different realities, so many times, so many different ways.”  She glanced over at him sadly.  He arched an eyebrow at her in response.  

“W..what’s d..different now?”

She stared back into the fire, sighing.  “he’s young.  Too young... or you’re too old.” she shrugged. “ I mean... there’s often a great age difference when you meet.... but this time. ....”  she trailed off.

“H..how old.”   he was still trying to process all of it,  but he trusted Rivet. They’d known each other since childhood. If she said she knew something, he’d learned to listen, no matter how fantastical the claim.

“I’d guess 16 or 17. It’s hard to tell.  He doesn’t exactly age like us.”  She glanced at him, gauging his emotions.  She’d learned to read his facial expressions almost like sign language. 

His eyebrow arched again, asking for an explanation.

“well...”  she took a deep breath.  “He’s not...quite.... human.”

Wynter’s brows drew together, concern, irritation, other non discernible emotions warring on his face.   “W...what  is he?”  The tone of his voice came out more bitter than he’d intended. He had his reasons.

“Halfling. Half faerie half human.”   Rivet glanced at him, almost apologetically. 

They sat in silence. 

 Rivet going over the words in her head, trying to figure out how to bring up the topic she’d come to discuss.

Wynter, his normal silent self, wondering why she drove all the way up the mountain. It was rarely good news that brought her rumbling up here in her ancient pickup truck. 

Finally Rivet spoke.  “I have a boy at my place. He belongs to you.”   That probably wasn’t the best way to say it. She frowned, and tried again.  “belongs with you.  But he’s out of time.”

Rivet gave a little shrug at his question.  “I.... don’t fucking know.”  she sighed.  “that’s the reason I came up here. I don’t know what to do with him. Keep him safe, keep him warm.  Keep him fucking fed?  I guess.  He’s had it rough.”  she glanced at Wynter.  “some human scum kept him as a fucking prostitute up until recently,  since he was about 14.”  she spit the words out like poison but then sighed. “He’s not really sure which way is up right now.  Before that his life wasn’t fucking stellar either.”

Wynter’s face softened a little. “Th...that’s horrible.”

Rivet gave him a small nod of agreement. 

“Wh...why is he here?”

She shrugged. “the powers that be got bored. And decided to fucking screw with things. Just because.”

A deeper frown creased Wynter’s face. So many questions swirled through his mind but he wasn’t sure how to express most of them.  “..... and we’re supposed to b...be t...together?” 

Rivet gave another shrug.  “Normally.  But the earliest you’ve ever met is when he was 19 and you were 25....... maybe not ideal, but not a huge problem.... but this.... “  she gave him a sorrowful look.

He nodded looking pained. “huge problem.  I’m 32.  ..... I can’t.... I won’t....“  he gave a visible shudder.

“I know you’re not scum Wyn.”  she laughed but it wasn’t cheerful.  “We have to figure out what to do with him though.  He’s not just fae-  he’s ... different.”  she frowned, unskilled at putting things delicately.  “He needs.... things.”

“things?”  the look of innocent confusion on his face was priceless  and almost made her laugh.

“He doesn’t know it yet- he’s never been without it for long enough to know,  but he gets sick if he doesn’t have physical... contact “

Wynter frowned thoughtfully.....knowing he was probably wrong, but hoping anyway.  “Hugs?”

She shook her head.