Goodnight, Sweet Prince

Two knocks- the second just a bit lighter than the first. Something in her told her to knock her knuckles against the counter before she leaned against it. It was like a strange instinct, as embedded in her as brushing her hand through her hair. She had to do it.  Eva gazed at Joanne for a few moments. She could sense that what had been fear moments ago had transitioned to something else. Something that she couldn’t quite place. So much about Joanne she couldn’t quite place. Joanne somehow managed to both be familiar and a mystery to Eva, and Eva couldn’t get enough of her. She’d spend her lifetime trying to figure her out. Just as she’d spend a lifetime trying to figure out the strange sensations that happened whenever she was around Joanne. 

“I… have something important to confess to you.” Eva said without thinking. The words sounded much more emotional than she had meant. Her phrasing sounded as if she was going to tell her she was pregnant- which was impossible- or in love with her- which was possible, but Eva wasn’t about to scare her away by saying stuff life that. She felt it, but it was too soon to say it aloud. Eva cringed slightly and pressed on, wishing she would think for a damn second before she spoke. “I mean I- sorry. I think I know what you mean. There’s all this deja vu whenever I’m with you. It feels almost like I’ve met you before, but that’s impossible.” 

The feeling of immediate danger had passed. But she still didn’t feel right. Something had shifted in the air between them, and it wasn’t the usual breathless longing — except, no, they didn’t really have that, either. She ... She liked Eva, yes, but it wasn’t like they were characters in some melodramatic soap opera where they couldn’t be together, and had to be content with longing glances. This was the 21st century, Eva was definitely, openly into girls, if they wanted to pursue something, nothing was stopping them. Well, nothing but Joanne’s complete lack of self-esteem and social grace. So why did it feel like something awful was hanging over their heads, like a waiting noose.

It feels almost like I’ve met you before, but that’s impossible. “It’s not, though!” Joanne felt her cheeks flush warm, and she shook her head. “I mean—it is, but I feel the same way. Like I’ve seen you ... in places we’ve never even been together. I’ve been driving myself just about crazy trying to understand it. What I’m trying to say is ...” Impulsively, she reached out and brought Eva’s hand about halfway up to her face, before realizing what a ridiculously intimate gesture it would be to brush her lips across the other woman’s knuckles like she was imagining. Sheepishly, she dropped Eva’s hand. “I’m listening,” she said, and even that echoed strangely in her mind. I’ll hear it.

Two knocks. The second just a bit lighter than the first. It was something of her call sign. A wordless way for him to know that it was her without having to ask. There were far more important things for him to save his breath for. Elizabeth could see her breath in the air as she waited. She hoped that he would come to the door quickly. It was too dark and too cold for a woman to be out alone. She would gather attention, and attention was the last thing she wanted. She had managed to hide her growing baby bump for this long. She just needed to hide it for a few moments longer- nothing much mattered after Joseph found out. Her fate was set. He just ought to know he was a father, or at least, going to be one, assuming Elizabeth lived long enough for Joseph’s child to be born.

The door opened and Elizabeth wordlessly stepped in. His home was more familiar to her than it should be. Was the warmth she felt with the familiarity, or did it lie with him? Regardless, it comforted her and shielded her from the prying eyes that laid outside. When she met his eyes Elizabeth lost all sense of what she had come there to say. The urgency of it, the rehearsals, all of it was gone with the stolen glance. “Good evening.” She started, coaching herself through the process. Step one, greet him. “I’m sorry to bother you tonight.” She loathed how formal she felt she had to be with him, even behind closed doors, where no one could see them. “I… have something important to confess to you.”

Something was wrong.

It should have been impossible for Joseph to know that with a glance, but he did. The air between them felt charged, and not in the way it usually did — with longing, with heat, with something that, in his worst moments, filled him with far more reverence and awe than he ever felt on the pulpit. Now, what between them felt low and mournful, like the damp air above the freshly turned earth in a cemetery. Quite out of nowhere, a voice sounded in the back of his mind. Not again. Not again. He couldn’t understand it, anymore than he could understand the attraction to Elizabeth that bid him to break his vows.

“You are never a bother, Elizabeth.” He spoke gently. “Whatever you have to confess ... I’ll hear it.” Still, the word confess tasted bitter on his tongue. It did, just lately, whenever any of his congregation came to him looking for absolution. Because if anyone needed to confess to their sins, it was him. But Elizabeth knew that all too well, so he would not speak on such matters. Besides, something more weighty was clearly on her mind. Something to do with them, surely. Impulsively, he took her hand and brought it to his lips, gently brushing them against her knuckles. He held it softly, so softly, so she could pull away if she so chose.

The world outside of their hideout was cold. That was the first thing Everett noticed. The freezing air hit him like knives. He groaned at it, but didn’t let it stop him. Once he thought about it for a moment he realized that it shouldn’t be cold. It hadn’t been cold earlier. The warmth of being near John had simply left him. Along with his shirt. Most of the battle seemed to have moved north, from what he could gather from horse’s tracks. He’d need to be careful of stray and wounded soldiers lagging behind with a few bullets or a sword and a taste for his blood. Luckily, he was able to find an abandoned horse only a ten minutes’ run from where he had left John. Hopefully nothing bad had happened to him while he was gone. Hopefully no one had found him there, basically helpless. Hopefully the wound hadn’t reopened and John wasn’t sitting there, bleeding to death. Hopefully John would make it back to Everett’s home in time. If anything bad happened to him Everett knew it was all his fault. He didn’t know how he’d be able to live with himself if John died. 

The horse ride back was quick, but it made Everett more nervous than the run to find the horse. He was an easy target on top of the horse. What would John do if he never returned? How would John manage to not be spotted on top of it? His thoughts were racing as he jumped off the horse and back into John’s hiding place. “It’s me!” Everett called out, hoping John wouldn’t just shoot anyone who entered. It’d be very unfortunate for the both of them if John accidentally shot him in the chest. “I found a horse. Most of the battle’s moved up north, which is fortunate for us. The only thing we’ll have to worry about are stray soldiers.” Everett told him as he walked back over to the hideout. “Are you ready to go?” Everett asked, looking down at him. He looked scared, wounded, and exhausted, and Everett couldn’t help but feel responsible for that. But maybe it was the light, but Everett had to admit that John did look handsome down there. 

Everett wasn’t coming back. He wasn’t coming back and John would die here, and the cycle would be complete. Someone was cackling in the back of his mind, telling him so. Any moment, the guards would rush in, and he’d dive in front of the swords — any moment, they’d be taken to the gallows — any moment, his father would condemn them to die — any moment, he’d bleed out. He could bleed out at any moment. All at once, he was himself again, really himself. He felt strangely seasick, possibly from the force of his mind teetering back and forth. He wasn’t sure where these thoughts were coming from. He wasn’t sure why he kept slipping in and out of his own mind, kept imagining lives that he had never lived. He didn’t have the strength to question it. He just knew that he had to hold on. For Everett. Everett was his, the thing that tethered him here. But Everett wasn’t coming back ...

He could feel his mind lurching, threatening to go again. He grit his teeth and shuddered against it. And, after a moment, he heard Everett’s voice calling out to him, and then he was there, in front of him. John heaved a shaking breath. “You’re back. I worried it was over again, but I guess it isn’t yet.” The words slipped from his mouth before he had even known that he planned to say them. He shook his head, as if that could clear the cloudiness of blood-loss and faded adrenaline. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m saying. Did you ... Did you say something?” It occurred to him belatedly that Everett had been talking — about a horse, about stray soldiers. “I ... I think I’ll be okay. For now. But we should probably hurry.” He worried that he was going into shock, but as he stood, carefully leaning on Everett, he felt more solid. More present. Making it back to safety was easier than he had anticipated, and the gut-deep feeling, that sureness that they were both going to die, receded. By the time they had travelled away from the battle, he forgot that it had ever happened, and he only felt weak and wounded, like he’d probably pass out at any given opportunity — but not like he’d die.

It wasn’t time for that yet.

Joanne had the same dream. The same exact dream. The more Joanne described it the more similar to her own dream it sounded. And the more she heard about Joanne’s dream the more holes she was able to fill in in her own dream. The person she had been searching for, it had been Joanne. She wasn’t sure how she knew it was her, but she was confident that she needed to find Joanne because she was injured. Only the Joanne in Eva’s dream didn’t look like Joanne at all. She had been a guy. Someone who worked for her. It was all too insane for Eva to wrap her head around. How had they had the same dream? It didn’t make any sense. 

“I… think I know what you mean.” Eva replied suddenly, after a long pause. “That we’ve… had a conversation before. Only I know that we haven’t. It’s odd. I felt like I knew you when I met you, you know?” Eva shrugged. “Are you sure you’re okay?” She glanced down at her. There was some familiarity that she had always felt with Joanne. Even when she first met her it had felt like she had known her for her entire life. Eva hadn’t thought anything of it before, but after hearing that Joanne had the same dream as her… But having conversations that felt like an echo wasn’t all. Sometimes Eva got a random sense of deja vu from just being with Joanne. Eva sighed and stood. “Alright, Joanne. Here’s the plan.” She kept her voice calm and low as she walked towards the door. There wasn’t any need for her to talk any louder. Besides, she was tired and so was Joanne and she didn’t want to spook her further.  “I’m going to go out and find you some water. It shouldn’t take long. Then, I’ll come back and give it to you and we’ll both get over this…” She didn’t even know how to describe it. Mutual nightmare? Weird experience? “We’ll get over this.” Eva gave her a last glance. Even as tired and as scared as she was she looked beautiful in the moonlight. She glanced at her before heading out and into the kitchen.

Panic, or something like it, rose up in her throat as Eva walked towards the door. She lifted her hand, wanting to say wait. She opened her mouth, wanting to say don’t go. But she was being stupid. There was nothing keeping her here, forcing her to stay in her own bed while Eva went forward. She stood, even though she felt dizzy and weak and — she didn’t actually feel any of those things. “I’m coming, too,” she said, and it was like she had spoken the words to a spell she didn’t know. All at once, her bedroom was just her bedroom. The snow at her window was just snow. She followed Eva to the kitchen, taking her by the arm lightly before she could actually do any work. “You can sit down. I’m fine, really. I can ... make us tea? Do you like tea? I also have some decaf somewhere, I think ...”

Her hand was still on Eva’s arm. She knew it was probably weird, but ... she liked having it there, liked knowing that Eva was actually here, next to her. Lena wound around her legs, purring. All at once, Joanne felt very safe. There wasn’t any danger. No one was after them. Even if someone was, how would they get through all of the snow? It was just her and Eva here. “Let me do the work. After all, this is my kitchen.” She smiled. “After that ... I guess we can talk about all of this? I don’t know what it is, exactly, but ... I’d like to compare notes, I guess? Now that I know that you’ve been feeling the same way. I thought that I was ... I don’t know. Going crazy.”

Oddly enough, when John spoke, Everett had been thinking the same thing. Sometimes when they spoke Everett could have sworn they’ve had the exact conversation before. He knew in fact they haven’t, but he found himself predicting John’s responses almost exactly. From the moment he met him John felt familiar. Everett found a comfort in him that he didn’t find in anyone else. Certainly not in his fiancee. She was… a stranger. That was the simplest way to put it. Everett knew little more about her than her family name. She came from a prestigious line upstate, and Everett would make the perfect husband for her. Everett sighed. He was feeling none of the things he was supposed to feel towards her. If anything, he was dreading meeting her in a few months. He was dreading telling John that he was engaged. He would have to, eventually, but now certainly wasn’t the time. He trusted John enough to tell him how he actually felt about all of it, and he hoped that John would understand. 

“I… think I know what you mean.” Everett replied suddenly, after a long pause. “That we’ve… had a conversation before. Only I know that we haven’t. It’s odd. I felt like I knew you when I met you, you know?” Everett shrugged. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked as he took off the last scrap of his shirt and made it into a make shift bandage around John’s leg. The other scraps were soaking with blood. Everett grabbed his gun before pulling John to his chest and helping him stand. He paused for a few moments and listened to the battle around them. There was canon fire, but it seemed to be in the distance. Maybe twenty miles away? Which meant the generals were probably moving out. The gunfire wasn’t as loud anymore. The worst of it had passed. If Everett was lucky he’d hopefully be able to steal a horse for John, and have him ride it home. Everett would need to catch up with the battle. He was still a soldier, after all. “Alright, John. Here’s the plan,” Everett kept his voice calm and low as he walked towards the door, “I’m going to go out and find you a horse. It shouldn’t take long. I’ll help you get on to it, and you’ll ride it back to my home. Use my medical supplies and anything else you need when you get there. I need to catch up with my battalion.” Everett gave him a last glance before helping him sit down, loading his gun, and running out and into what remained of the battle. 

Hearing Everett admit that he had thought the same thing was oddly comforting. “I’ll ... be fine.” Everett’s chest was warm. Of course it was warm, they were in the heat of battle, but John couldn’t help noticing anyways. His attention seemed oddly focused on it, come to think of it. He wondered if Everett would notice. He could probably blame it on blood loss, if he did. But he didn’t say anything. And he didn’t say anything more on the subject of them feeling like they knew each other before, either. That felt wrong. It suddenly felt very important that they talk about it, that they unravel the mystery before something (swords nooses cannon fire bleeding out breaking necks sinking ships) happened. He opened his mouth to tell Everett this, but he couldn’t find his voice.

He was fading, he realized. He forced himself to move, forced himself to block the swords from going into her — no, moved to hide from her father — no. Moved to the makeshift hideout Everett had created for him. He was able to move his feet, but just barely. It took all of his concentration to do so, and he leaned on Eva—Eli—Everett quite heavily to do so. He sat down heavily, trying to catch onto his swirling thoughts. By the time he felt like he was himself again, and looked up, Everett was mostly out the door. “Wait —” Finding his voice at last, he raised a hand to stop Everett. But he was already out the door. He was already too late. “Don’t go ...” His voice sounded pitiful, even to his own ears, as his hand landed heavily in his lap.

Swearing, Everett stood and carefully pulled John back down so he was sitting beside him. He kept an arm wrapped around him to steady him. With every passing minute getting out there safely seemed more and more impossible. He sat there, holding him, for a moment and let the surroundings consume them. There was the unending sound of bullets in the warm air and the nauseating smell of smoke and blood. He felt John shake beside him and parted just enough to look at him as he spoke. “I’ll get you out of this alive. I promise, okay?” He sighed. It was his fault that John was in this mess to begin with. He had to be the one to get him out of it.  “We’ll… wait out the storm here. When the worst of it has gone by we’ll make a run for it.” It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was all he could think of doing. John couldn’t walk, and even though Everett was perfectly willing and able to carry him across the battlefield, that would only get the two of them shot. 

They weren’t exactly hiding in the most covert of places. John had apparently crashed the second he got into the place. Everett walked around for a few minutes, moving destroyed furniture and rubble in order to build a non-suspicious make-shift fort for the two of them. He’d keep the gun at the ready, but hopefully anyone that walked in wouldn’t see them. “Okay. Time for us to get you over there.” Everett told John as he approached him. “Let me do the work. I just need you to stand.” He took the gun back from John and set it on his back. John still looked so horrified and shaken. Everett shook his head. “John, I’m so sorry. This shouldn’t have happened.”

John looked up at Everett, smiling when the other said that he would get them out of this alive. “You --” He paused as a wave of lightheaded nausea washed over him, and he had to clutch at Everett just to keep from collapsing right there. When his head felt like it was on straight again, he finished. “You mean that?” He had meant for it to come out like a joke when he had started the sentence. He leaned against the wall and watched Everett work. He liked watching Everett work. He liked looking out the window of the servant’s quarters as he chopped firewood and hauled it back, as he hauled treasure back on the ship, he could see the dock from the window of the tavern, and how he always admired the way she carried how own goods home from the market, and ...

John’s stomach lurched, and for a moment he felt oddly seasick. Where had his mind gone? He never watched Everett do work, not that kind of work. He had servants to do that for him. And where had the idea of the woman come from? He was only pulled out of his thoughts when Everett apologized. He looked around, noticing that the makeshift fort was finished. “No, I’m sorry. We’re trapped.” Even that echoed oddly in his head, making him feel oddly guilty. Everett didn’t have to be trapped in here with him. Everett could be free. The feeling didn’t quite match with the situation, even if it was true. John frowned thoughtfully. “Everett ... Sometimes, when we’re talking … I feel like we’ve said it all before, in another place. That we knew each other before, except … Not.” He shook his head, coming back to himself. “Forgive me. The blood loss ... I think it is going to my head.” He gave a wan smile. “I’ll be alright. Help me to stand.” Most of Everett’s chest was now bare. He’d have to lean against it.

Pulling Joanne closer to her, Eva somehow knew what was wrong before she even told her. It was a nightmare. Of course it was. What else would make her scream like that in the middle of the night? Eva nodded and held her quietly for a few moments, letting the night consume the pair of them. The wind was hitting against the windows. The air was chilled. The moonlight just barely sneaked in through the shades. And Eva was sure she was in love. How could she not? Joanne was beautiful and delicate and smart and cute and everything Eva wanted and more. She gently kissed the top of her head before parting from her slightly, to face her as she spoke. “I had a nightmare too.” She doubted that her nightmare was anything like Joanne’s. Joanne seemed like someone that would have awful nightmares. Which was awful. Eva thought she deserved the world. The least Eva could do was comfort her after a nightmare. 

“Mine was weird. I’m not really sure where I was, or who I was, but there was a battlefield and a ton of smoke and gunshots. I think I was looking for someone. I never found him.” She shrugged. It didn’t seem like explaining her nightmare was all that helpful to Joanne. Eva shook her head and gently took Joanne’s hand in hers. What had been truly haunting about her own nightmare was how vivid it had felt. It was more like a memory than a dream, really. “What was yours?”

Joanne barely had time to register Eva’s breath, warm on the top of her head, before her lips were pressed against her hair. Joanne felt her heart flutter. Was that -- was that flirting? Eva flirted pretty regularly, but this was different. Flirting was lighthearted and fun and wasn’t supposed to mean anything. A kiss on the top of your head when you were scared ... that meant something. It meant that you cared. It was enough to distract Joanne, however momentarily, from the fear that still lingered, the phantom ache of the bullet in her leg.

Said fear came racing back, of course, when Eva described her dream. “You --” She cut off suddenly, squeezing Eva’s hand as a wave of -- nothing. Nothing hit her. But it felt like something was about to. She shook her head, as if trying to clear it. “You mean that?” She took a deep breath. “Mine -- it was the same. A battlefield; looking for someone. And then I got shot. It’s why I shouted. What a weird ...” Coincidence was how she intended on finishing that sentence, but the word stuck like glue in her throat. Because, the truth was, there were always weird coincidences happening around Eva. Coincidences and odd snippets of deja vu and memories that didn’t quite feel real. And while they were easy to shrug off in the daytime, it was harder now, with the sound of the wind and the blue glow of the ice coating her window in odd, mystical patterns. “Eva ... Sometimes, when we’re talking ... I feel like we’ve said it all before, in another place. That we knew each other before, except ... Not.” She glanced at Eva out of the corner of her eye, trying to gauge how the other woman was taking it. “Do I ... Do I sound crazy?”

John was right. It could have been worse. He could have a bullet stuck in his leg, or Everett could have not found him, or he could have been shot in the chest, or… Everett needed to stop imagining terrible scenarios and focus on keeping John safe. Letting him be there was a mistake, and now he had to deal with it. He sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll make sure you’ll be alright. I’m so sorry I let this happen.” He carefully handed John his bayonet. “Aim at the door. Anyone comes in, you shoot them.” His voice was low and serious. Everett knew that John wasn’t trained. He doubted that he’d ever held a gun in his life. But they weren’t more than twenty feet from the door, and no one could mess up that shot. He just had to hope John would get them before they got John and shot Everett in the back.

Free of the bayonet, Everett set to making a tourniquet and bandage on his leg. It wouldn’t be perfect, and he doubted he’d be able to make something that would hold for long, but hopefully it’d be able to get them home. If they didn’t get killed by and redcoats on the way there. If they both died, it was Everett’s fault. “How about you write that essay?” Everett suggested before tearing off a piece of his shirt. He wrapped it around his leg as a bandage. It was quickly soaked in blood. He tore off another piece and tied a tourniquet. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do. He tore off one last piece to make the bandage thicker. His shirt was in shreds, but he had patched up John’s leg. “Now onto the hard part. We have to figure out how we’ll get you out of here and home.”

John took the gun, his mouth pressed into a hard line. He knew that he wasn’t a soldier. But he also knew that if a red coat came through, they’d aim for Everett first. And that close, they’d surely hit. The idea of his own death (which seemed closer now than it usually did) didn’t frighten him. The idea of Everett’s death? That sent a jolt of panic down his spine. He could not allow Everett to be hurt. He gripped the gun tightly, careful to keep his finger outside the trigger guard as he had seen Everett doing. The last thing either of them needed was him accidentally shooting a wall and alerting people to their location.

“I’ll take that order, sir,” he said, half joking, when the other told him to write the essay. He knew he should be keeping an eye on the door, but, well ... Everett’s shirt was slowly getting torn into shreds. It was hard not to look at that, instead. He knew he shouldn’t have been looking, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. His impulse control had flooded out of him along with what felt like 80% of the blood in his system, it appeared. He was so engrossed in this, it took him a minute to digest what Everett was telling him. “Oh ... Yes. Right.” Gritting his teeth, he did his best to get to his feet. It made his stomach churn and his head spin uncomfortably, beads of sweat breaking out on his brow.

The smell of gunfire was making her sick, but Eva had to keep going. She had to find him and make sure he was safe. She heard a scream and whipped her head around, and she woke up in Joanne’s flat with her heart pounding loudly in her chest. She blinked in the darkness. This wasn’t at all where she thought she was. The dream had felt so vivid, so real, and she could have sworn that scream was too. Petunia’s growling caused her to sit up fully. She raised an eyebrow at her dog and looked in the direction that she was growling. It wasn’t at the front door, but at the door to Joanne’s room. Feeling a sudden need to check up on her and make sure she was okay, Eva carefully walked over and cracked open the door to Joanne’s room. 

The scream had been real and it had been Joanne’s. That much was obvious. The woman was wide-awake in her bed, and she looked horrified. “Joanne? Are you okay?” Eva asked, walking in to her room without invitation. She had to make sure she was okay. If she felt terrible while Eva was there, it would have been all Eva’s fault. She took a seat on her bed, and after a moment’s hesitation wrapped an arm around her. “You’re hurt. I’m so sorry.” Eva paused and let the silence of the night over take the pair of them before she spoke again, her tone calm. “What happened?”

Joanne heard Eva stand and walk across the hallway. She let out a miserable little squeak and buried her face in her hands. This was so embarrassing! She didn’t want Eva to see her like this, trembling and terrified from something that didn’t even exist. And yet ... The moment she heard Eva’s voice, the anxiety crawling along the walls of her stomach was washed away in a flood of relief. Eva was here. Eva would keep her safe. The rational part of her mind continued to insist that she was being stupid, that there was nothing to be kept safe from, that she was already safe in her bed. But there was something in the way Eva crossed to her that made her half-think she was still dreaming. “You’re hurt. I’m sorry.” Even with Eva’s arm around her, she felt distinctly not there.

“It could have been worse,” she said softly, unfocused. “It’s really -- It’s messy, but ... but ...” She looked down at her legs, and of course both of them were whole. The clouds cleared from her mind, leaving her feeling disoriented and a little dizzy, but present. “I-I’m sorry. That was ... That was weird.” She shook her head briskly, a little shiver working its way up her spine. Eva’s arm was still around her -- surely she could feel it. Joanne hunched her shoulders, curling in on herself a bit awkwardly. “I just ... I had a nightmare. It was, um, I don’t even know, it ...” She took a deep breath, glancing at Eva cautiously. “I’m sorry I woke you,” she said quietly. “That d-doesn’t usually happen.”

They had thought that they would be the ones surprising them. No one would expect them to be bold enough to march straight into the camp and destroy their supplies. Apparently, they had thought wrong. It didn’t take long for the streets to fall to chaos, with men from both sides shooting at each other and scattering. Everett ran for cover on higher ground. It would be safer there, and he’d still be able to take some shots. But when he reached the top of a hill and turned he realized that John was no longer at his side. He turned around again, quickly scanning faces for his servant. John could get hurt out there. And it’d be all his fault. He should have told him to stay safe and stay home. 

“John?” Everett yelled, ducking for cover as he ran. He had to find him. If he got hurt- or worse- it’d be all his fault. The sound of gunfire was nearly deafening, but he somehow managed to ignore it. Everett hid behind a pile of logs while he searched the area. He kept his bayonet at the ready. He’d be no use to helping John if he got himself hurt or killed. There were plenty of soldiers from both sides running around, but none were John. He had to be hiding somewhere. If he was out in the open he’d be killed or Everett would have found him by now. The abandoned building several feet to the left of him looked promising. But that was also several feet where he could get hit. He’d need to get over there quickly. Everett waiting for a pause in the bullets and ran into the building, bayonet on his back, praying that John was in there and that he wouldn’t get hit. “John? Are you in here?” His prayers seemed to be answered. He sighed with relief when he heard his servant call out for him. “Where are you? Are you okay?” He carefully wandered through the building, keeping his bayonet ready. Someone else could be there too. It didn’t take him long to find him. Or to see that he was indeed injured. And very badly. “You’re hurt. I’m so sorry.” He helped him ease on to the ground and took a look at the wound. Getting John to safety would be a lot harder than he thought. 

Despite the dire situation, John felt a wave of relief wash over him when he saw Everett. It didn’t matter that they were surrounded by enemy combatants, that he didn’t know how long he’d be able to keep moving or even keep conscious. Everett was here. Everett would keep him safe. He allowed himself to be eased to the ground, gripping Everett’s arms as he did so. Even focused on the pain, he couldn’t help noticing how strong and firm the other’s arms were. No wonder he always felt so safe around him. (There were a lot of things that John felt around Everett, but that was neither here nor there.) A small grunt of pain escaped him as Everett took a closer look at the wound, but that was all.

“It could have been worse,” he said, trying to lighten up the situation. He hated seeing that worried crease between Everett’s brows, even though part of him delighted on the attention that brought him. “It’s really -- It’s messy, but the bullet isn’t in there, it just grazed me. I’ll be alright, Everett.” The shakiness in his own voice betrayed him, but he did his best to stay strong. Everett already had so much to worry about. He tried on a sick-feeling smile. “It will make a great essay later, won’t it?” It was hard to find the humor in the situation, but he did his best.

Eva didn’t often dream, but when she did they were always memorable. She had a series of dreams where she would climb a tower and meet a familiar person at the top. There was one dream where she was a pirate on the high seas, and people looked at her in fear and awe. She had a few dreams where she was the lead singer of a famous band that was on tour. All the settings of the dreams gave her deja vu. She had never been on a pirate’s ship or a tour bus, but she went through the dream as if it was the most natural thing in the world. 

The scent of smoke and sounds of gunfire didn’t phase her at all. What did concern her was the feeling that someone was missing, but she had no idea who. She just knew that she had to find him. He could get hurt in a place like this. He wasn’t trained as a soldier like she was. Eva kept her head low to avoid the bullets as she ran. She ducked for cover behind a pile of logs. He could be hurt, and it’d be all her fault. She should have told him to stay home and stay safe. She kept her bayonet at the ready. It didn’t once occur to her that she had never fired one before. She somehow felt that she knew how to use it. Where the hell was he?

Joanne never got used to it, how violent and vivid her dreams could be. She was lost, the smell of gun-smoke was choking her, and all she knew was that she needed to find someone. She ran, searching, but it wasn’t whoever he was looking for that he found. It was a man in a red coat that seemed to exude evil, like an aura. He raised a gun and pointed it at her with dead eyes. She spun quick on her heel, breath catching in her throat as she tried to run away. The gun went off, and a fiery pain travelled up her leg. She had been hit. She cried out, frightened and in pain -- and then she was sitting bolt upright in bed, her shout still echoing through the room.

There was an answering, drowzy woof from the living room. Joanne clapped her hands over her mouth. Had she really shouted? If the judgmental look Lena was giving her from the foot of the bed was any indication, the answer was yes. Which meant that she might have woken up Eva. She sat still and silent for a moment, trying to listen for any signs of shifting on the couch. Really, she didn’t think she could move anyways. She was trembling, and her leg ached more than she cared to admit. It was embarrassing, how long these things stuck with her. Even when she was safe in bed, she still half expected gunfire from a bayonet to shatter the ice-coated window.

Eva had known Petunia since she was a puppy. The dog was reliably lazy, hilarious, and had never once tried to attack a cat. Of course, Petunia hadn’t been around very many cats, but that was beside the point. There wasn’t a doubt in Eva’s mind about Petunia and Lena getting along fine while in the same room. The pug glanced in her direction when the cat meowed, but immediately went back to her nap after acknowledging her, which seemed about right to Eva. Petunia was never one to give much of an introduction to other animals. Humans were the ones she tried to impress. (Though, she couldn’t do much. Eva had once tried to teach her to sit on command, and Petunia failed miserably.) Eva left out a small laugh of surprise when the cat hopped up and joined her dog on the couch. A second later and she realized that Joanne was holding her arm. And, as Eva turned to her, she realized she was blushing about it too. She was as cute as their pets. 

“Do you think they’d protest if we joined them?” Eva whispered. She wasn’t entirely sure why she felt the need to whisper. It just seemed right to keep her voice down. Probably to not disturb their naps. Eva took Joanne’s hand and led her to the couch, being careful to not bother the sleeping dog and cat beside them. “We should do this more often.” Eva said without thinking. She wanted everyday to be like this. She liked spending time with Joanne. But that comment may have come across a bit too bold. “I mean, if you’d want to. Petunia and Lena get along fine, so I could come up here. Sometimes. If you’d like me to. Not just because I’m stuck here because of a damn blizzard.” At that thought, Eva pulled out her phone to quickly check the weather. It was still freezing out and snowing, but she didn’t need an app to tell her that. The app did tell her that the storm wouldn’t likely let up until the morning. 

Joanne felt a bit silly, being led around her own house. But it was so perfectly Eva to do so -- it just felt right. Plus, Eva was holding her hand, so she wasn’t about to complain. She sat carefully, close enough to Lena to give her a companionable scratch between her ears. The cat purred a bit, but other than that, she didn’t stir. It was amazing, to see her so comfortable with a strange animal. Everything about this seemed so perfect. Eva’s words only echoed Joanne’s thoughts. “We really should,” she agreed, smiling a bit. “I definitely want to.” Eva seemed uncharacteristically unsure of herself. Joanne tried not to read too much into that. She didn’t want to get her hopes up.

When the other woman opened her weather app, Joanne looked over her shoulder. It looked like the storm wasn’t going to let up. “I’m sorry. You’re trapped.” The words echoed strangely in her own ears, and she felt the sudden urge to push Eva’s hair out of her face. It really was beautiful hair. But instead, she pressed her hands firmly in her lap. “Um. It looks that way, anyways. Do you want to spend the night? I don’t have a guest bedroom or anything, but ... the couch is very comfortable.” Joanne looked outside. Snow was gusting against the window fiercely. “You really shouldn’t go out in that,” she said. Truthfully, the way the wind was blowing the snow against the building, Eva might not have been able to get the door open.

Very rarely. He had very rarely been in the castle’s garden, or, even outside the walls of his bedroom. It was terribly sad and lonely. Someone as kind as Joe deserved to get to explore the entire world. Isn’t that what princes did? Explore the world, conquer lands, meet wonderful girls. Hopefully exploring the castle with her would be enough. Evangeline took his arm with a grin. Sure, they couldn’t explore the entire world, but they could pretend, and he was still a prince. Gently holding onto his arm, she followed him through the castle, and to the garden.

Simply put, the garden took her breath away. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. The bright and vibrant colors were in sharp contrast to the now seemingly dull interior of the castle. There were more flowers than she could possibly name. The sunlight was warm on her face, but it was pleasant. The sweet scent of all the flowers filled her lungs within a few moments. If anywhere, Joe should be forced to live out his life in the garden. Somewhere warm and bright. Of course, Evangeline would then have to figure out how to climb a very high castle wall everyday to visit him, but that wouldn’t matter. “Of course I like it.” She answered, her voice hardly more than a gasp. She began walking down a path bordered by lilies. This time, she was the one leading him. Evangeline wasn’t particularly sure where they were going, but it would be somewhere pleasant, and hopefully with a bench. Within a few moments of wandering a grey bench made itself known. “I wish everyday could be like this.” She confessed quietly as they took a seat on it.

Watching the pleasure fill Evangeline’s face was just as pleasant as being outside. It was so rare for him to have something nice to show her. Surely, she must have been bored of the same old walls. It really was a wonder that she continued to come visit him -- he certainly wouldn’t blame her if she one day decided that she no longer wanted to, although he hoped that she’d at least tell him so that he wouldn’t worry. He often wondered just how he’d be able to keep her entertained. Soon he will have read her his entire library, and then what? Days like this didn’t come around often enough.

Her admission only seemed to confirm his train of thought. “I know,” he said. “I’m sorry. We’re trapped.” Except that wasn’t quite right. “I am, at any rate. I’ve made peace with it by now ... But I wouldn’t blame you for wishing for more.” He couldn’t quite bring himself to say what he was thinking earlier -- that he wouldn’t blame her for stopping these visits, either. The truth was, as noble as he wanted to be, it hurt to think of her not coming around anymore. He didn’t want to tell her how desperately he wanted to keep her around, because she might end up just feeling obligated. He reached out instead, pushing some of her hair away from her face. “Your hair looks quite beautiful in the sunlight,” he mused quietly. It was the closest he could get to expressing his adoration.

For just a moment, when they reached the top of the stairs, Eva could have sworn they were somewhere else entirely. She couldn’t place where, exactly. It felt like a sort of castle, with grand windows and large wooden doors. The feeling wore off as quickly as it came. They weren’t at a castle, after all. Eva had never been to one. But Joanne’s quaint little flat above the bookshop was as beautiful as a castle. Eva loved it the moment she saw it. It perfectly suited Joanne, down to the small collection of mugs on the counter, and the collection of vintage records lying on a shelf. Petunia shoved past the pair of them and into the flat, making herself at home within a few seconds. Eva shook her head, both in answer to Joanne’s question and at her obnoxious little pug. “Petunia’s too lazy to bother her. Where is she, by the way? And I still expect a grand tour. Even if I can sort of see everything already.” 

She locked fingers with Joanne and tugged her off to where she saw a small group of potted plants. Eva always liked gardens, though she could never grow one herself. It took too much time and effort. She always made an effort to include a few plants in all her room designs. It brightened the room up, and no one ever complained about having a few plants to take care of. “I see you’ve got a lovely garden.” Eva joked, though she thought the group of plants really was lovely. She’d have to get her one sometime. Eva always wanted to get Joanne something, but she never knew what. Books were her instinct, but Joanne owned a bookstore. She had all the books she could ever want. Besides that, Eva still had the facade of a book lover to keep up. Getting her the wrong book would reveal her as a fraud. She was sure that Joanne would eventually learn that Eva wasn’t exactly a literature expert, especially when they dated, but Eva preferred if she didn’t discover that quite so quickly. “Now, what’s next on the tour?”

Well, it wasn’t much, but it was home. Eva was right, she could basically see the whole thing. You could see both the living room and the kitchen from the initial sitting area, with only the change from wood floors to tile to differentiate the two. Th only thing down the hall was her bathroom and her bedroom. Was it weird to show off her bedroom? She’d figure that out later. For now, she smiled, laughing along with Eva’s joke. She always laughed at Eva’s jokes. When she asked what was next, she opened her mouth to respond. “Next up is ...” The garden. The phrase was on the tip of her tongue, but she caught it just in time. She shook her head to clear it -- the phrase must have just been on her mind because of Eva’s joke. Right?

As if on cue, an inquisitive meow broke through the awkward silence. “Next up is Lena, I guess!” Joanne laughed as the siamese padded out of her bedroom. She gave Eva an appraising look as she padded down the hallway -- which quickly turned to a startled one as she got a look at the pug on the couch. She gave another meow, as if to get Petunia’s attention. Joanne watched a bit anxiously as Lena approached, reaching up and squeezing Eva’s arm softly. “Are you sure ...” But before she could finish, Lena hopped up on the couch and promptly curled up right next to Petunia for a nap, as if they were old friends. “Oh, my God!” The soft squeal went past her lips before she could help it. Flushing, she turned to Eva ... and realized she was still holding the other woman’s arm. Her blush deepened. “Sorry, sorry, that was just ... really cute.”

She didn’t know if it was because of the castle, which was beautiful, or her tour guide, who was equally as beautiful, but Evangeline was enchanted. She wanted to stay there with him gently holding her hand and showing her the castle forever. They would have to make the most of what little time they had been given outside of Joe’s room. It seemed to get smaller every time she saw it. The castle, by contrast, was unimaginably huge. Evangeline let out a soft laugh at his comment about bedrooms. She had certainly seen enough of them. What she hadn’t seen enough of was the main entrance to the castle. She had actually never seen it- she never had reason to walk past it. And with her… alternative entrance, she doubted she’d ever actually use the large wooden doors for their intended use. 

At his question, Evangeline looked about at each place he had indicated. Clearly, they didn’t have enough time to see everything. “How about the garden?” The castle had to have a wonderful garden, but, more than that, Joe would get a little taste of the outside. It would still be enclosed within the castle’s walls, she was sure, but a garden was far better than his bedroom. Excited, she was the one who began walking in the direction that he had said the garden was first. “Have you been to the garden before? Or all of the castle?” She asked after a moment. Evangeline couldn’t possibly imagine someone who’s lived in a castle for their entire life, never left it in fact, but hasn’t seen the entire castle. But she also couldn’t imagine that she would ever be getting a tour of the castle from the prince himself. Or holding hands with him. Or climbing a tower everyday to visit him.

He was secretly glad about her choice. Leaning his head out of the window when he was sure that no one was looking was one thing. Walking through the gardens was entirely another thing. At her question, he shook his head -- but it wasn’t quite a denial. “Very rarely,” he explained. “And only during events like this, with no one around. It’s not often that the castle is empty enough.” He laughed, although it wasn’t exactly funny. Mother and Father agreed -- being around people was bad for his ill health. But the more time he spent with Evangeline, the more that he wondered ... well, if it was worth it. Life locked up in his tower had hardly been a life at all, before her. He hadn’t even realized.

But that was too gloomy of a conversation to have today. Instead, he offered his arm to her, the perfect princely gesture. “Let’s go.” He led her down one of the wide hallways, through a corridor, and to the sweeping exit to the gardens. The walls were still very high, too high for anyone to see in or out. But the usual high ceiling was replaced by blue sky. Joe took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of the flowers. Then, he turned to Evangeline. “Do you like it?” he asked.

Petunia had actually traveled in Eva’s coat before. It wasn’t the best of experiences for either of them, but Eva knew she would have been able to make it home if Joanne’s offer hadn’t been so enticing. She hoped that the other was excited as she was about showing her her home. It would be a little pathetic if Eva was excited and Joanne was dreading it. But Joanne had offered to let her wait out the storm at her home, hadn’t she? And she sure was quickly closing up the stop… These were good signs. Eva couldn’t think of anyone else quite like Joanne. She was hard to read, but that only made Eva want to know her more. The quiet girl excited her more than anyone. And, finally, with the invitation into her flat, Eva was confident that her feelings were mutual. 

Eva wanted to ask her out on a date right then and there. She could see that adorable blush of hers and her cute smile. They’d go to dinner somewhere and see a movie- a classic date. She got the sense that Joanne would like that. However, she didn’t want to scare her away. That might be moving too fast for Joanne. Eva would ask her out, but later. She’d cherish the home tour for what it is. Eva grinned as she watched Joanne unlock the door to reveal the staircase. She took Joanne’s hand. “Lead the way.” She couldn’t wait to see more of it. “And you don’t have to do the whole tour guide thing. It’s cute, but it’s a house tour, not a tour of an ancient castle or something.”

Joanne could have melted into a puddle when Eva took her hand. It was silly to get so worked up, of course. It wasn’t like they were in high school or anything. She was a grown woman, so it should have taken way more to make her blush. Yet, here she was. She turned her head, meaning to hurry up the stairs so that Eva would have something else to look at ... but for some reason, the other woman’s words gave her pause. She hadn’t even been thinking of a house tour, or castles. But for a moment, the narrow staircase they were walking up felt like a castle. For a moment she could feel the chill of the stone walls, smell the soft mildew that came from rain getting caught in the cracks ...

Then it was gone. She smiled, trying to shake off the strange feeling. “Of course.” She hurried up the rest of the stairs, opening the door cautiously in case Lena decided she wanted to dart out. But she wasn’t there -- probably taking her afternoon nap on Joanne’s bed. She held the door open, gesturing Eva inside. “Well, here it is,” she said. “Not much to tour, even if you wanted to.” It was small by necessity, and most of the flat was visible the moment you entered the door. There was the kitchen, to the left. And to the right was the table where she ate and drank her morning coffee, by the big windows. Behind the table was the couch and television where her sitting area transitioned into her living room. Only her bedroom and bathroom were cut off from the main section down a hallway. Joanne stepped inside, putting her bag on the table and peeing down the hallway. “Do you think I should lock Lena in my room?”