Alphabet Meme

[sea_thoughts]

So... this was doing the rounds a while back, but I didn't have the time to join in, even though I wanted to. And then I thought this would be a nice way to give my friends Christmas presents, because you get to choose your present.

The format:

* Choose a letter of the alphabet

* Choose a word which begins with that letter

* Choose your fandom and the characters you want me to write about

* Sit back and wait for the result.

Fandoms: Sailor Moon (including "Exiles" stories); Fruits Basket; Harry Potter (I will attempt anything for you here, in the spirit of Christmas, so bring on your alternative pairings); Chronicles of Narnia; Doctor Who; Heroes; I'll even attempt Veronica Mars & House M.D., if you want, but I warn you, it might not be good.

List
A - phoenixfyre13: 'Almost', Ron/Hermione or Molly/Arthur
B
C - gijane7702: 'Christmas', Remus/Tonks
D - dark_branwen: 'Drunk', Remus/Sirius
E - dark_branwen: 'Electric', Veronica/Lilly
F - ayadec: 'Feeling', Angela Petrelli
G - dark_branwen: 'Grasping', Minako/Takehiko
H - discord_harmony 'Hope', Harry/Ginny
J - dejana: 'Jealousy', Susan Pevensie
K
L - vifetoile: 'Legacy', Chibi Moon/Sailor Quartet
M - fireflypenance: 'Missing', Rowena Ravenclaw/Salazar Slytherin
N - heavenly_pearl: 'Nightmare', Helios/Chibi-Usa
O
P - teh_maskmaid: 'Pop Quiz', Ken/Mamoru
Q - dejana: 'Quiet', Harry/Cedric
R - demandingvoice: 'Romance', Ami/Mamoru
S - heavenly_pearl: 'Secret', Percy/Penelope
T
U - heavenly_pearl: 'United', Shigure/Ayame/Hatori
V
W - barbara_the_w: 'Wonder', Remus/Tonks
X - shield_wolf: 'Xenophobia', Remus/Tonks
Y
Z - teh_maskmaid: 'Zero', Doctor/Martha

Comments

[demandingvoice.livejournal.com]

Ami and Mamoru
R - Romance

...only 'cause I think it would be funny for someone allergic to love letters to be talking about romance

[dejana.livejournal.com]

Hmm, what the heck. I've been thinking about some things lately and it would be interesting to see your take on them. :)

J for Jealousy - Susan (Chronicles of Narnia)
Q for Quiet - Harry/Cedric (Harry Potter)

[barbara-the-w.livejournal.com]

"W" of course.

and

"Wonder"

Potter. Lupin/Tonks

[ayadec.livejournal.com]

I've been replying to a lot of people's alphabet memes, it seems. Anyway:

F is for Feeling, Angela Petrelli (Heroes).

Please and thank you. :) (Wrong fandom, I know, but I never have the chance to use that.)

[phoenixfyre13.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...so many words, so little time.

I will take A: Almost. As for fandom, let's go with HP, and either R/T or R/Hr. Or, if you can think of something fabulous, I would love to see a Molly/Arthur story out there, as there's really very little.

Thank you in advance, and a very Merry Christmas/Happy Holiday! :)

[vifetoile.livejournal.com]

First of all, thank you for the birthday message -- I'm quite excited to be a legal adult now! -- and I'm glad that you liked Peter Pan. We worked quite hard on that one, yesssss we did.

'L', for 'Legacy,' about Sailor Chibi Moon and her Sailor Asteroids. That's always been such an inviting possibility, and I'd love to see what you do with it. :)

[sea_thoughts]

Okay, just to check, Angela is Mrs. Petrelli, right? ^^;

[ayadec.livejournal.com]

Yes, Angela is Mrs. Petrelli. (I sometimes also refer to her as Grandma Petrelli - in reference to her relationship to Claire - but I'm strange like that.)

Unsung Heroine

[sea_thoughts]

Requested by teh_maskmaid
Characters: Doctor & Martha
Theme: Zero

I wish I was the one,
You lonely, lonely son,
And you looked at me that way.
I wish for long lingering glances, fairytale romances, every single day.
And you look at me and say
I’m your best friend every day,
But I wish for something, wish for something more.
Oh, I love you like a friend, but let’s not pretend
How I wish for something, wish for something more.
Amy MacDonald

You don’t think when someone offers you the universe and the whole of time and space. If you think, you’re the wrong kind of person. It doesn’t matter if you’re an intern, if you’ve got finals coming up, it doesn’t matter if your family is falling apart. When he looks at you and says, “Are you coming with me?”, you say yes. Martha Jones knew this instantly and so she said, “yes” and stepped inside the funny blue wooden box which had an inside big enough to rival the Empire State Building (she should know, she’s been there).

But of course, there was a downside. There’s always a downside. And it turned out to be a very steep one. She’s not that bothered by the fact that there have been others, it’s understandable. He’s ancient and he’s alien. It’s the comparison that hurts her, the feeling that no matter what she does, she will never be as good as her. Rose. Rose the Beautiful, Rose the Brave, Rose the Irreplaceable. She can’t even meet the girl to get a good idea of her. All she has is the look that the Doctor gets in his eyes sometimes, bleak and bereaved, or the way his face will suddenly close in upon itself like a sea anemone, or the way he stops talking all of a sudden and it’s as if Niagara Falls has dried up. A deep and total silence, full of unspoken pain, because he won’t speak to her about Rose. Anything else, but not her. Martha thinks of a hundred ways to broach the subject, but she stops short every time. She can’t defy that silence. She’s afraid. She can only take so much pain. She knows that on the Companion Scale, Rose scores a 10 and she scores a 0.

Even after the year that never happened, when she walked the world and felt her heart grow as tough as her feet, even after seeing people die and discovering the truth of the Toclafane, it was still her weak point. When the Master said, “Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the Time Vortex”, Martha felt the words pierce her like a stiletto, even though she knew that everything had gone according to plan, even though she knew she wasn’t useless.

But now she stands in the Tardis, knowing that her family is safe, knowing that she has to come back down to Earth in every sense of the world. She is not like Rose. She will not cling to him. She will leave with her head held high. The Doctor smiles at her, his brown eyes warm with affection, and Martha is pleased to note that she feels no twinge of longing for more.

“Martha Jones, you saved the world,” says the Doctor, his voice soft with pride.

And she smiles back at him. “Yes, I did!” she agrees. “I spent a lot of time with you thinking I was second best, but you know what? I am good!”

From zero to hero. Beat that, Rose Tyler.

[discord-harmony.livejournal.com]

Hope - H/G

*huggles*

[gijane7702.livejournal.com]

"C" is for "Christmas"

I'll take either Remus/Tonks (AU would be nice ;D) or Harry/Ginny

[fireflypenance.livejournal.com]

Rowena Ravenclaw/Salazar Slytherin - 'Failing'

[heavenly-pearl.livejournal.com]

I guess it's okay to request two, since others have already done it. ^_^ (But no Fruits Basket? :( )

N - Nightmare, Helios/Chibi-Usa

S - Secret, Percy/Penelope

- Yumeko -

[sea_thoughts]

Oh yes, I forgot Fruits Basket! *edits* You can add one for Fruits Basket!

[dark-branwen.livejournal.com]

D for Drunk - Sirius/Remus (non-slash is fine)
G for Grasping - Minako/Takehiko

And just because I want you to give VM a shot:

S for Sparkle - Lilly/Veronica (non-femmeslash is fine; probably preferred. ^^;)

[heavenly-pearl.livejournal.com]

Yay! (Although now I feel a little greedy for requesting three... *laughs*)

Lessee...

U - United, Shigure, Ayame, and Hatori

- Yumeko -

[sea_thoughts]

Sorry, 'S' is already taken. ^^; But there are still plenty of letters left!

The Science of Surprise

[sea_thoughts]

Requested by teh_maskmaid
Characters: Mamoru & Ken
Theme: Pop Quiz

"All right!"

Professor Hubyers turned to the class, scanning them with cool interest. The sunlight that came through the mullioned windows glinted on his glasses and played on the high ceiling of Room 105.

"We've completed the first quarter of the course. Now I always like to know how much you've absorbed by now - it does me good to know you've been listening - so I think we should have a pop quiz."

There was a chorus of protest.

"What?!"

"Are you serious?!"

"A pop quiz? That's so high school!"

Mamoru Chiba did not protest. He frowned at his desk, thinking for a moment. Then he leaned to his left and spoke out of the corner of his mouth to his roommate. "Ken, what's a pop quiz?"

"He means we're having a quiz on everything we've done."

"Oh." Mamoru shrugged. He had come from the Japanese school system, tests and exams were nothing new. In fact, Mamoru was almost relieved that they were having some sort of progress assessment; he'd begun to think that he would have to wait until midterms to find out how he was doing. "That's not so bad."

"Right now," Ken added.

Mamoru's eyes widened. "...what?"

"It's to see how good your memory is," Ken explained. Unlike everybody else, he seemed completely relaxed about the prospect of being put on the spot like this. But then, he didn't care about his results.

"No preparation at all?" Mamoru asked, panic beginning to fizz in his stomach.

Ken glanced at him. "What are you worried about? You'll walk it."

"Right," Mamoru muttered, grabbing at his notes. "Walk it. Easy for you to say."

Ken raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth, but Professor Hubyers cleared his throat. "I'll be putting the questions on the board. The test will be marked out of twenty, and yes, Cary, I will be putting the mark that each question is worth. You will have half an hour to answer the questions, then we'll spend the rest of the seminar looking at our answers, seeing where we went wrong and working on how we can improve. Remember, this isn't just about what you've learned, it's about how you've learned it." His eyes rested on Ken for a moment. Ken smiled brightly back at him. Professor Hubyers turned around and began to write the first question. The smile vanished from Ken's face and he glanced at Mamoru with evident frustration.

"If you're so worried, I'll walk it with you."

"I thought you said you were going to fail everything," Mamoru muttered, his eyes on the board, poised to answer the question as soon as it was finished.

Ken shrugged. "One pop quiz won't make much difference when I've failed every official exam. Besides, I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing it for you."

"Why?" Mamoru demanded, looking at him sideways.

Ken stared back at him for a moment, looking almost angry. Then he turned to face the board. "I don't know. But you'd better go ahead and answer that question before I change my mind."

Mamoru looked at the board and saw the first question: Show how the climate of the Amazon affected the evolution of the sloth. His heart juddered in relief: simple biology, everybody would be able to answer it. He began to write his answer down, but in the back of his mind, he was examining another question: why had Ken decided to do this with him? It wasn't as if they owed each other anything. It wasn't as if Ken had a duty to help or protect him. So why had he looked so angry? Was his anger directed at Mamoru? Or himself?

And he calls me mysterious, Mamoru thought with a smile, glancing at his roommate just as Ken finished writing. As if sensing the thought, Ken looked at him and rolled his eyes, as if to say See? What did I tell you?

Mamoru quickly looked at the board again, trying not to laugh. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

[shield-wolf.livejournal.com]

If it's not too late:

Remus/Tonks

X - Xenophobia

[sea_thoughts]

It's only too late when all the letters are taken! ;) *adds your request* Are you on metamorfic_moon? I recognise your name...

[shield-wolf.livejournal.com]

Yes, but I am a very new writer there, with only two fics to my credit (or possibly discredit in the first case :lol:). My third was uploaded just before Christmas at redandthewolf, and I'm working on two more, one for each community, that are due by the end of the year, disconcertingly enough.

Greener Grass

[sea_thoughts]

Requested by dejana
Character: Susan Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia)
Theme: Jealousy

"There were things he wanted to say to Su and me because we're not coming back to Narnia... He says we're getting too old."

"Oh Peter," said Lucy. "what awful back luck. Can you bear it?"

"Well, I think I can," said Peter. "It's all rather different from what I thought. You'll understand when it comes to your last time..."

Chapter Fifteen, Prince Caspian

Susan had hung the dresses from the wardrobe doors so that the creases would disappear and unpacked her lingerie. Now all she had to do was put away her hairbrush and make up and she'd be officially home.

"SUSAN!"

Lucy's voice carolled through the house, full of excitement. There was only one thing which could make Lucy that excited. Susan felt suddenly cold. She turned around, seeking something, anything to delay what was going to happen, but the door burst open and her little sister stood there, glittering with happiness and excitement.

"Oh Susan," she said, running forward and grabbing Susan's hands. "You'll never guess where I've been!" She began to dance around the room, making Susan follow her. "Edmund and me and Eustace all went to Narnia!"

"Eustace?!" Susan couldn't speak for the shock and the fact that she was whirling around like a dervish.

"I know!" Lucy replied. "He wasn't happy at first, he complained about everything and he was beastly to Reepicheep, but he's good now!" She stopped dancing and swung their hands from side to side as if they were about to play a game of Oranges and Lemons. "Oh Su, I wish you could have been there."

"You know that I'm too old for Narnia now, Lucy," Susan said, pulling her hands away. "We've been through this."

"I know, that's why I'm here, I wanted to tell you everything straight away, before I forget it all. Edmund's gone to tell Peter."

Susan looked at herself in the mirror: the new haircut, the new clothes. What Lucy was talking about seemed very far away now, not really relevant to her anymore. It was all very well to be excited about talking beasts and magic when you were a child, but she'd seen skyscrapers and the Empire State Building. Narnia seemed so... closed in comparison, so tame.

"Don't you want to hear about America?" she asked. "And everything I saw there?"

"But Susan..." Lucy stared at her. "I thought you'd want to hear about Narnia, about Caspian, about Aslan! Aslan healed Eustace after he turned into a dragon! That's why he's good now!"

The Miracle of the Ordinary

[sea_thoughts]

Requested by barbara_the_w
Characters: Remus Lupin & Nymphadora Tonks
Theme: Wonder

Remus Lupin knew how truly horrible life could be: it was in the way people treated him when they found out he was a werewolf, it was when Voldemort took his friends from him. He wasn’t surprised when bad things happened. It was only later in life that he was introduced to wonder, that feeling of amazement at how wonderful life can be: when he held his son in his arms and looked at the child that he had helped to create. Fantastic but true, impossible but real. His son, Teddy Remus Lupin.

“What do you think, Remus?”

“He’s wonderful.”

Greener Grass

[sea_thoughts]

"Well, I don't. I'm never going back there, so I don't want to hear about it," Susan said, turning away. "Honestly, Lucy, did you really have to come running up here and rub my nose in it?"

Lucy took a step back. "But I... that wasn't what I meant at all! And that was my last time there." Her voice faltered. "Aslan said that Edmund and me can't ever go back there. Because we're too old now, just like you and Peter. So I wanted to share... I wanted to let you know what was happening. We went sailing right to the edge of the world, Susan!"

Susan began to unpack her make up. "The world's round, Lucy, didn't you learn that at school?"

"Our world is, but not Narnia. Ask Edmund, if you don't believe me. We rowed through a sea of water lilies and Reepicheep... Reepicheep rowed up a wave and went to Aslan's country." Lucy's voice quivered with unshed tears but she looked almost happy.

Susan was finding it difficult to breathe. There was a sharp, tight feeling in her chest, as if needles were digging into her heart. "Is that it?" she asked, keeping her voice even. "Because if you don't want to hear about America, I'd really like to finish unpacking."

"Susan, don't you want to hear anything?" Lucy asked, her voice frail with disappointment.

Susan took out her hairbrush. "If you want to discuss Narnia, you can discuss it with Edmund. Or Peter, if he's got the time to listen. I have to unpack and then I have to get ready for supper."

"Right..." Lucy backed away. "I'll... I'll go and talk to Edmund."

"See you at supper," Susan said calmly, watching as Lucy almost fled the room. She sighed: Lucy hadn't even wanted to hear about the Empire State Building, and she'd looked forward to showing her some photographs.

Oh well, what can you expect? Susan thought. She's just a kid. It's not her fault that she's still more interested in an imaginary world than the real one.

But her hands were shaking and she had to put the brush down and breathe deeply for a few minutes before she could continue.

[sea_thoughts]

Sorry, but 'F' is already taken. ^^; You can still take another letter!

[fireflypenance.livejournal.com]

Same pairing. 'Missing'.

In The Ivory Tower

[sea_thoughts]

And I wonder if you know that I never understood
That although you said you'd go,
Until you did, I never thought you would.
Never thought the words you said were true,
Never thought you said just what you meant,
Never knew how much I needed you,
Never thought you'd leave... until you went.
Don MacLean

I understand that you are angry... we were all at fault, but please, Salazar, please...

The quill shuddered and the nib broke. Rowena swore out loud and threw it across the room. "Damn you!" she yelled. The knowledge that she was being ridiculous only increased her anger and she grabbed her wand and thrust it at the pen, which split into a thousand pieces, pieces which then turned to ash. Rowena's arm dropped: now she had no pen and a dirty floor.

"Damn you, Salazar," she muttered, waving her wand and watching as a broom hopped over and began to sweep the ash towards the fireplace. Her eyes were hot and her vision was blurred. She blinked rapidly. No wonder: the sun had almost set. The tower was flooded with rosy light, but that was rapidly fading. Rowena pinched the bridge of her nose and looked at her letter. Well, it wasn't really a letter: it was a plea, wild words scrawled across parchment in spidery lines, the ink almost running out sometimes as she tried to find the magic which would make him come back. Even though, deep down, she knew that there was no magic which would heal the rift in Hogwarts.

We were all at fault. We all believed we knew best.

She turned and walked towards the windows, gazing south. Salazar had come from the Fens and he had never been at ease in this mountainous country, where the horizon was framed by sharp angles and you felt enclosed by the land. He had always said it was the best place for their school but it was not his place. That was why she had given him the wing under the lake: the coolness and the constant presence of water had been the nearest thing to the marshes that she could give him. Water had suited him: silent, mysterious, strong. Whereas she... she loved the air.

Why did I ever think it could work? I knew his views from the beginning.

She could see him now, his deep-set eyes dark with conviction, mouth pursed as he leaned forward over the table. "We cannot allow these Muggle children into our school! Muggles are foolish, weak creatures, they would misuse their powers."

"They'll misuse them if we don't teach them!" Helga retorted. "It's our duty to make sure that they don't cause harm with these powers, Salazar. And that's what will happen if they're allowed to grow up without learning to channel their magic and use self-control."

"Exactly," Godric agreed, thumping the table with his fist. "And if we show them good examples, these Muggleborns may become a force for good!"

Salazar folded his arms. "You'll regret this, all of you," he hissed.

"You're outnumbered three to one, Salazar," Rowena said calmly. "We will teach all children with magical ability, no matter what family they come from.

In The Ivory Tower

[sea_thoughts]

She'd thought that was the end of the matter. She should have known: Salazar never let things go, he never gave in, he just retreated and bided his time, waiting for the moment when they were weakest. Then he struck like a snake, swift and venomous, accusing them of being traitors to their own kind, prophesying that Muggleborns would be the ruin of all wizards and witches... She hadn't recognised the man she loved in this fanatic with the hoarse voice and staring eyes. Where had he gone?

Rowena shivered and rubbed her arms. She'd been blind: the man she loved had left her a long time ago, it was only now that she'd noticed it. And she missed him, missed him with a deep, hopeless ache that could never be satisfied. She could never go to him and he would never come back.

"Mummy?"

She turned, quickly wiping the tears from her cheeks. Helena was hanging from the door latch, her eyes wide and curious. "Why haven't you lit the fire, Mummy? It's cold in here."

Rowena smiled and crossed to the doorway. "I'm sorry, Ellie," she said, hugging her daughter. "Mummy was so busy writing her letter, she forgot to light the fire."

"Who are you writing to?" Helena asked, squirming away from the embrace. "Uncle Salazar? Is Uncle Salazar coming back?"

The hope in her voice made Rowena's eyes smart. She turned away. "No. Uncle Salazar isn't coming back," she said quietly, picking up the letter and crumpling it in her hand. "Come and help me light the fire."

Helena hurried to her side and they both stood in front of the fireplace. Rowena pointed her wand and Helena pressed her hands together, frowning in concentration. The wood sparked and then began to crackle as flames licked along the logs. Helena clapped her hands, still enchanted by the spectacle.

"Toast, Mummy, toast!" she cried, turning to the table, where a loaf of bread stood ready to be sliced.

"Yes, toast," Rowena agreed, and threw the letter onto the fire. It flared and began to burn quickly. By the time Helena had returned with the loaf of bread, it was gone. Mother and daughter sat down and Rowena began to slice the bread. Helena thrust the poker through each slice, giggling and asking for cheese and honey and jam. Rowena told her that two toppings was enough and watched as Helena carefully put the poker into the fire to toast the first two slices. She stroked her daughter's dark hair, grateful that she'd only known Salazar as an 'uncle'. She would never tell Helena her father's name, she decided. It would only bring her pain. It was better for her to think that he was dead... for he was certainly never going to be a part of their lives again. But at least she had Helena. Helena would never leave her alone.


(I'm not sure if Helena was Salazar's child or not, but you have to wonder where she got all that bitterness and jealousy from... it's a possibility, at least!)

[dark-branwen.livejournal.com]

All righty.

E for Electric - Lilly/Veronica

Playing with Fire

[sea_thoughts]

Requested by phoenixfyre13
Characters: Molly Prewett/Arthur Weasley
Theme: Almost

It wasn't like her. She wasn't the kind of girl who went out at night, she wasn't the kind of girl who broke the rules. That's what she'd been telling herself ever since she'd been Sorted in Gryffindor. But now she had to accept it.

Why else would she be standing here in the middle of the Great Hall with Arthur Weasley, teaching him to waltz?

"I don't think this is going to work," he said, trying not to laugh. "The man's supposed to lead, I know that much."

"You'll get the hang of it!" she told him, almost commanding him. "Now let's try again!" She took his hand. "Now you go back... two, three... forward... two, three... and turn, two, three... back, two, three... see, you're catching on!" She smiled at him and he smiled back. The moonlight from the ceiling glinted on his glasses and Molly's heart skipped a beat. She stumbled over her feet, almost knocking him off balance.

"Hey!" He caught her shoulders. "Molly? Is something wrong?"

"No," she said breathlessly, keeping her face hidden. "Nothing."

"Molly..." He touched her cheek, making her look up at him. "What is it?"

She chewed her lip, wondering how much to tell him, whether to tell him at all. "You're a good dancer," she said finally.

He chuckled. "Flattery won't get you anywhere, Miss Prewett."

"It's true. You're improving all the time. You-"

There was a creak. She stopped talking and they both looked at the door. Arthur's grip tightened. "Molly," he whispered, barely moving his lips, "follow my lead." Then he took her hand and waltzed her over to the shadows, where they stood very still while one of the doors opened and Mr Ogg, the caretake, peered into the hall. His abnormally large nose sniffed once, then twice.

"Could have sworn I heard music," he muttered, then closed the door again.

Molly almost collapsed in relief. "If he'd caught us..."

"He wouldn't have caught you," Arthur said gallantly. "I'd save you."

She glanced up at him with a smile that he probably couldn't see. "I know." Then she stood on tiptoes and pressed her lips against his cheek. "You'd protect me from anything."

The Enduring Connection

[sea_thoughts]

Requested by dark_branwen
Characters: Veronica Mars, Lilly Kane (Veronica Mars)
Theme: Electric

Though you're miles and miles away,
I see you every day,
I don't have to try, I just close my eyes,
I close my eyes.

It had been a long time since Veronica had seen Lilly Kane. But that was okay, because she was dead, and Veronica was alive, and communication between those two states was notoriously unreliable. Even those small corner-of-the-eye flashes had become rare and if she dreamed, she dreamed of the case she was working on, or watching the news and seeing a bulletin about Logan's death in a car accident or a shooting or a fire. (Logan wasn't dead. Not yet, anyway.) Lilly wasn't there in her dreams. Lilly wasn't anywhere. And Veronica had learned to live without her, ignoring the dark shadow that lurked at the back of her mind (it only came out if she saw Aaron Echolls' face when channel-surfing, and that was when she knew it was going to be an all-nighter).

"Veronica..."

But while Aaron Echolls was dead, Jake Kane was very much alive. And very pissed off about a rookie FBI agent trying to investigate his secret society. Veronica should have played it safe but when it came to the Kane family, she could never just sit back and play it safe. So she'd gone to the warehouse on the docks without back up, without any help except her gun and a drunken promise from Logan that he'd watch her back.

"Veronica, can you hear me? For God's sake, just blink an eyelid, do something!"

"Veronica?"

So Veronica was more than a little surprised when she opened her eyes and saw Lilly sitting opposite her, legs tucked to one side, with that familiar impish smile. Surprised but happy, becuase it didn't matter how long she'd been away, Veronica thought fuzzily, when Lilly came back, it felt like she'd only been out of the room for a few minutes. Except she looked so young, so fresh, so full of confidence. Of course, she would never get old. She was forever seventeen, on the crest of life. But Veronica had grown up.

"Lilly..." she said, trying to lift her head, but it ached, and Lilly's image swung about as if she were on a fairground ride.

"I wouldn't try to move just yet," Lilly said, raising her eyebrows. "That's a nasty bump you've got."

"A bump...?" Veronica moved her arm (that didn't seem to hurt) and gingerly felt around the back of her scalp. Her hair was matted and then her fingers touched something wet and warm. Veronica felt a distant flutter in her chest, a premonition of panic which became horrible reality as she saw that her fingers and palm were stained red. "Oh my God, Lilly," she said, her voice trembling.

"Head wounds bleed a lot," Lilly agreed. "I should know." She lifted her own hand and touched her temple, then held it out. "See?"

And Veronica saw that Lilly was wearing her pep squad uniform, and that her head was bleeding from the wound that had killed her. She let out a small whimper and closed her eyes. So this was how it felt to lose your mind. The image of Lilly's bloodied corpse had been burned on her retinas for months and she hadn't ever wanted to relive it.

"Who's she talking to?"

"Nobody. She's delirious. You shouldn't have hit her so hard. The drugs would have done the trick."

"What about him?"

"We don't hurt him until she wakes up."

"Hey." Lilly snapped her fingers, which were suddenly clean again. "Can we focus here?"

"Am I dying?" Veronica asked. "Am I dying, Lilly?"

"You think I'd be sitting here if I didn't think you could pull through? When did I ever waste my time on hopeless cases, huh?"

Veronica swallowed on a sandpaper throat and tried to smile. "Never."

"Thank you. As I said, it's a nasty bump, but I've seen worse. I've had worse." Lilly leaned forward. "Listen to me, okay?" She put on a dark and serious voice. "It is not your time yet... You must return... Be strong, young grasshopper..."

"Grasshopper?" Veronica interrupted.

"Hello, trying to be wise and mysterious here!" Lilly rolled her eyes. "Honestly, people can be so ungrateful."

"I am grateful," Veronica croaked, reaching out and trying to grab her hand. "I'm so glad you're here, Lilly."

Re: The Enduring Connection

[sea_thoughts]

"Ohh..." Lilly said with a smile. "I'm glad to be here, too, sweetie. But you know, I can't stay."

"What...?" Veronica lifted her head again, a little slower this time. "What do you mean? I thought you..."

"I just said, it isn't your time. Not yet. Not for a long while. You're a secret agent, Veronica Mars, you have to catch the bad guys. No sleeping on the job."

"Wait... don't go..." Veronica pushed herself onto her knees. "Lilly..."

Lilly shimmered like light on water. "Make sure you throw the book at them, Veronica."

"I promise - Lilly -!"

She stretched out and there was a flash of light, and then she was kneeling on a cold stone floor, staring at two men. Men she'd been tracking for months; men who were rich and powerful, and therefore extremely dangerous when threatened. One of them smirked and she felt her headache pulse in response. She tasted blood in her mouth as well, and felt a cold pure anger running down her spine. She knew this anger so well. It had been with her for a long time. Ever since Lilly...

Lilly.

She looked up, and as she did so, there was a spark from the wires overhead that caused both men to flinch backwards. Then there was a creaking and a groaning, and another flash of light, and the scene was lit up in monochrome. For a moment, Veronica thought she saw Lilly standing there, smiling, before half the roof caved in and she ran towards the man who lay tied up on the floor, desperate to stop him getting crushed.

"Weird," Logan said later, when they were both in hospital with bandaged heads, His'n'Hers injuries.

"What?" Veronica asked, keeping her eyes closed. There were so many things that Logan could be referring to (their relationship, for example), that it was better to wait and see what he was thinking.

"That warehoue was abandoned, right?"

She turned her head and opened one eye, with a long-suffering expression. "Yeah... it's condemned. They're pulling it down in a couple of weeks."

"So... the electricity supply would have been cut off," he said slowly, meeting her gaze. "What happened... shouldn't have happened."

Veronica felt cold suddenly. She pulled her bathrobe tighter around her and looked at the clock. It was almost visiting time and she was looking forward to seeing her dad, not least because it meant that Logan would stop talking.

"Veronica...?"

"Don't think about it, Logan. It doesn't matter how we survived, the point is that we did survive. Which is more than can be said for those bastards who assaulted us."

"You are telling me to leave something alone?" Logan crossed his arms and rested his head on them, smiling at the ceiling. "How times change."

Veronica felt her own lips twitch and turned carefully onto her side so he couldn't see that there were tears in her eyes. It was all right, they'd pass. It was just that she'd become so used to taking care of herself, the knowledge that Lilly was still looking out for her made her feel rather weak, with that peculiar feeling in her heart of happiness and sadness blended together so well that she couldn't decide what she was feeling. Only Lilly could ever do that.

I'll catch the bad guys for you, Lilly. I promise. I haven't forgotten.

We'll always be together, however far it seems.
We'll always be together, together in electric dreams.

A Quiet Life

[sea_thoughts]

Cedric knows what they are saying about him. He's heard the rumours, he was there when the Chamber of Secrets was opened, he knows what it looks like. But Cedric is a Hufflepuff and he's not interested in what things look like, he's interested in them as they are.

Harry Potter may seem like a show off but the only time he ever draws attention to himself is on the Quidditch pitch; he may look like a skinny, small boy with glasses buthe somehow managed to defeat Voldemort and save the Philosopher's Stone. Now somebody has entered him in the Tri-Wizard Tournament and Cedric suspects that Harry is the last person who would do that, because Harry likes a quiet life. And maybe he'd have one if people didn't think keep trying to murder him, Cedric muses, thinking of last year, when Sirius Black almost stabbed Harry in his bed.

He dips his quill in the ink again and gazes at his homework for a moment. He remembers putting his name in the Goblet very well and he was amazed and proud to have been chosen. After he finishes his essay on antidotes, he'll go and have a bath in the Prefects' Bathroom and see if his suspicions about the egg are correct. And then... he should tell Harry. After all, Harry told him about the dragons and he didn't have to do that. Perhaps that's what makes him think Harry doesn't want to be a contender. If Harry had entered of his own free will, he would be eager to have every advantage. Right?

Or maybe he wants to warn Harry just to feel good. Anything for a quiet life. At least he doesn't have to worry about being murdered.

[sea_thoughts]

Under the Ice
Requested by ayadec
Character: Angela Petrelli (Heroes)
Theme: Feeling

After she is married, Angela spends most of her time hiding her true feelings, subverting them, diverting them. When Nathan is born, she feels proud but not much else. Nathan is the trophy, the figurehead, and his father puts all his energy into making Nathan a replica of himself. But when Peter is born, she is unable to deny the love that flows through her, warming her heart and softening her lips and eyes. Peter is smaller, thinner, more vulnerable. Peter feels things and Angela wants to protect him. He needs protecting, like his father. But in the end, it is Nathan who makes the mistakes: Nathan gets that trailer trash pregnant; Nathan tries to expose his father; Nathan abandons their plans and goes off to save Peter instead. And Angela, who did everything for Peter, sees the explosion in the sky and feels all the emotion drain out of her, leaving her with a heart of stone.

Death, when it comes, is a welcome relief.

Re: Greener Grass

[dejana.livejournal.com]

(extreme lateness power! make up! *transforms into Sailor Procrastination*)

I really, really like this. It's well in line with how I've come to think about Susan. She gets a raw deal, but she's not blameless either. I wonder, though, if Narnia would really seem that boring in comparison to the real world... but I suppose remembering a place isn't the same as being there, so over time Narnia would shrink away, like the childhood tree house that used to feel like a giant castle.

Thanks so much for writing this. :)

Re: A Quiet Life

[dejana.livejournal.com]

*scrolls around* Geez... you hardly got any comments back on any of these! That's not fair :( I'm sorry I took forever with mine.

This is a nice piece. I like to see how other characters view Harry. His whole experience would look very different from the outside.

Ooh, that last line really packs a punch. Brr.

Thanks :)

Re: Greener Grass

[sea_thoughts]

*lol*

I'm really happy you like it. And after reading your Caspian fic (hope to get that back to you this weekend), I can see how our mindsets coincide. I don't think Susan is totally to blame for her attitude change, it's puberty, but there is a way to get through puberty without turning into a souless party girl. I mean the point is that as a grown-up, Susan is only interested in "nylons and lipstick and invitations", she has no interest in an inner world or an inner life, she only cares about material things.

By the time Lucy and Edmund come back from VotDT, Susan hasn't been in Narnia for about two years. And the USA would seem much more impressive to a young, beautiful girl, especially if she's from the UK in the 1940s (rationing didn't end here until 1951).

Re: A Quiet Life

[sea_thoughts]

I think people kinda forgot about them. *sigh* And I always like looking at Harry from a stranger's POV: he doesn't open up much, so he probably gave off a mysterious aura while he was at school. It would have been easy to project your fears onto him.

Ooh, that last line really packs a punch. Brr.

Thanks, that's what I was aiming for. :D

Re: Greener Grass

[dejana.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that only is definitely the key word. That's what I always emphasize when I talk to people about Susan. It's not that she's interested in adult things, ohnoes... it's that she hasn't left any room for anything else.

Glad to hear you got my emails, I'm always worried they might not have gone through. :)

VERY VERY LATE Christmas/Birthday Present

[sea_thoughts]

Please accept this as a VERY late Christmas present and also a belated 2010 birthday present. I fail.

Sirius/Remus - Drunk

It would have been easier to take the hidden passage from the Hog's Head to Hogwarts but Sirius had decided that it would be better to walk back to school because that would give them a chance to sober up.

"Sirius..." Remus said, as they weaved from one side of the lane to the other, "if sober is England... then we're in Fiji. Or Papua New Guinea. Somewhere in the south Pacific."

Sirius frowned up at the sky (blank thanks to the new moon). "What's your point?"

"We're a long, long way away from sober."

"Just the way I like it!" Sirius gave him a fuzzy grin and hugged him closer with the arm he'd slung around Remus's neck. "This... is how it should be, Moony. You and me. No parents... no nothing. Prongs is probably somewhere... shagging Lily..."

Remus winced and Sirius felt the movement. "It's too bad, mate... you could have got in there first if you hadn't been so hung up on your furry little problem."

"Lily Evans would never look twice at me!" Remus said with more force than strictly necessary.

Sirius squinted up at the castle, which looked further away than ever. "'S not true. Let's... be frank. James was a twat. You were not a twat. Those were the facts. You should have taken... advantage."

Remus closed his eyes. He really did not want to be discussing Lily, especially not with Sirius, especially not after consuming so much Firewhisky. "I didn't want to."

"Well, look at it this way!" Sirius tugged his head even closer so they were cheek to cheek. "You've still got me, Moony. If you ever... stop thinking of yourself as totally unloveable, I'll be waiting. I'll break open the champagne and wear my special velvet dressing gown and we will celebrate in style."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Remus muttered.

"Dear God, you are thick sometimes," said Sirius, cheerful and tactless as only a drunk could be. "I love you, Moony. I, Sirius Orion Black, love you, Remus John Lupin. Do you want me to say it again? I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you-"

"SIRIUS!" Remus shoved him away. Now he was very, very sober and very, very glad that they were alone in the lane and the other two weren't here to witness this. "Stop pissing about! You're drunk, I'm drunk, let's just get back to the school and get to bed and forget this happened."

Sirius stared at him, his eyebrows pinched together. "What's wrong?"

"You - can't just..." Remus rubbed his eyes. "You can't just SAY stuff like that! Okay?"

"Why?" Sirius shrugged. "Look if you don't feel the same way... you don't. But you don't have to act like a prick about it. Unless..." His eyes narrowed. "Unless you do feel the same way but you're stuck on that 'I deserve to be alone forever and ever because I am a monster' groove. Because that would be stupid. And you are not stupid, Remus. You are anything but." He put his arm around Remus's neck again, gazing deep into his eyes.

"You are drunk," Remus said, despairing and unable to disguise any of his emotions because he was also drunk. "This isn't real."

"What would make it real for you?" Sirius asked, looking very sober suddenly.

Remus sighed and shook his head. Sirius dug a hand into the hair at the back of his head and kissed him. It wasn't a shy kiss or a gentle kiss, it was open mouth and teeth and a growl that shook Remus's spine. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't do anything except taste the Firewhisky on Sirius's tongue and feel as if he was being devoured from the inside out and know that he was finding this erotic in the extreme.

Afterwards, they both stared at each other, hearts pounding, eyes wide. Of course, Sirius was the first to break the silence. "You know something?"

Remus shook his head again, dizzy and elated and terrified.

"If I'd known you could kiss like that, I'd have done this a long time ago."

Re: VERY VERY LATE Christmas/Birthday Present

[dark-branwen.livejournal.com]

asdfghjkl;

So cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute! Thank you so much! :D

I do so love them together.

Re: VERY VERY LATE Christmas/Birthday Present

[sea_thoughts]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaay, you liked it! :D And yes, I did deliberately give him the initials S.O.B. ;)

Better Late Than Never? Merry Christmas!

[sea_thoughts]

Remus/Tonks - Xenophobia

He always expected people to draw back, to turn away. Disgust or fear, the only feelings he ever aroused. He was different. He was unnatural. He was used to it.

The first time he told her that he was a werewolf, she raised her eyebrows for a moment and then shrugged, a wry smile twisting her lips. For a moment, she looked very like Sirius. "Bad luck," she said. "What else have you got to tell me?"

Acceptance was not something he understood. He fought it. He fought her, he fought his feelings, he even ran away. He was scared to believe that he had finally found someone, after all these years, who saw the human being and not the monster. Holding her in his arms, feeling their child kick at his hand, he told her that he felt normal for the first time in his life.

"Remus." She smiled, half-asleep. "Nobody's normal."

Christmas - Remus/Tonks AU

[sea_thoughts]

The tree was decorated with miniature fairy lights - not electrical, of course. Tonks had let Remus do the lights and the decorating, but she had insisted on wrapping the presents herself. "If it's too neat, they'll know you did it, and I do not want Mum insinuating that you're taking over Christmas."

"Andromeda? Insinuate?" He smiled at her, both amused and puzzled.

"All she ever does is insinuate," Tonks grumbled. "She always says 'this is just a gentle suggestion, Nymphadora' and then proceeds to point out exactly where I've gone wrong and how I could have avoided that by just doing it like she said!"

Remus put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the temple. She sighed and leant against him for a moment. "I know, she's only doing it because she loves me. That's the problem with being a mother... you realise just what your own mother went through."

"Maybe Teddy will take after his dad and be a good little boy," Remus suggested with a straight face.

Tonks looked up at him, raising her eyebrows, and he burst out laughing. "Okay, so I wasn't always that 'good'..."

"Hello kettle, this is pot, just wanted to say you look very black today," Tonks responded, turning her hair black as she said it and making Remus laugh even harder.

Teddy rolled over onto his side and squealed, wanting to be part of the merriment even though he didn't know what was funny. Tonks laughed and bent down, then winced, putting a hand to her side. Well, what do you expect when you go and fight in a war mere weeks after giving birth? she asked herself.

"Dora?" Remus covered her hand with his, the laughter gone from his face.

"I'm fine," she said, as much to herself as to him. Teddy scrunched his nose and turned his hair black, then giggled. "Who's a clever boy?" she cooed, thinking that she sounded like one of those mothers she'd always despised. Well, she was at least in the privacy of her own home, so she wasn't subjecting anyone else to her adoration, just Remus.

"The Adoration of the Teddy?" he suggested, as if he'd read her mind.

"A far worthier object of adoration," she agreed, picking Teddy up, ready to ignore her body if it protested. But her body welcomed the weight of Teddy, as it had welcomed him from the beginning, and she sat him on her hip and tickled his chin.

"Am I at least allowed to write some of the dedications?" Remus asked, pretending to be humble.

She swatted at him, laughing. "If you're a good little boy."

It didn't really matter about the handwriting because they would all be signed the same: 'Happy Christmas from Remus, Tonks and Teddy'

Second Generation

[sea_thoughts]

Happiness in the present is only shattered by comparison with the past.
Douglas Horton

To be a sailor senshi in Crystal Tokyo was to feel the weight of history upon your shoulders. Once, the senshi had lived in shadow, their lives a secret, their very existence a whisper, a rumour. That was now impossible. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, they were Crystal Tokyo. They had become as recognisable as Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty, with the added advantage of being far more photogenic than any monument.

Publicity made their mission more difficult; though the goodwill of the populace did sometimes prove useful in protecting the princess and cornering certain youma and hardened criminals with magical powers, the new senshi spent a lot of their time dodging autograph hunters, fans and the occasional foreign paparazzo. There wasn't a law against following the sailor senshi, it was more that the Japanese paparazzi knew they might be used as bait by Juno or Pallas and then the rescue might be 'slightly' late.

Ceres, Juno, Pallas and Vesta were proud to serve their princess. They were happy to bear the responsibility of their position and to uphold the name of Crystal Tokyo. The only downside to the job, as Vesta put it, was the inevitable comparisons people made with Jupiter, Mars, Mercury and Venus. Although Small Lady found it hard to live up to people's expectations of her as a princess, at least the first Sailor Moon was a distant if brilliant memory, and she was the first in her family to be a princess and a senshi at the same time, whereas their predecessors were still around and still very much active. Sometimes it felt as if they could never be good enough for some people.

All they could do was carry on living in the present, live up to everybody's expectations... and wait for an opportunity to show that the legacy of the first generation had not been forgotten.

Re: Second Generation

[vifetoile.livejournal.com]

It's wonderful! Thank you!

I especially liked the bit comparing the senshi to Big Ben. Talk about celebrity...

Thank you so much! And again, Happy New Year!

Re: Second Generation

[sea_thoughts]

Yay, you liked it! I really wanted to keep writing but had to go to bed, so I had to wrap it up in an awkward place. :(

Yeah, I see the future senshi as living under a pretty big media spotlight; people gossiping about them, wondering about their relationship with the princess etc. etc. It's a totally different life from their predecessors but still hard.