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maderr(very rough, typed on the fly at work, apologies)
"If you would just get rid of it..."
Glenys paused to spare her mother a look so frosted over that she took a step back. "I will not get rid of my son. I don't care what you or anyone else says."
"It's a monstrosity. To think..."
"He is not a monster. He is not a devil. He is my son, he is beautiful and I will defy even you, mama, to keep him." Glenys fought back tears as she resumed packing. "I refuse to regret. I made my choices and I am happy with them. I just wish someone else could be happy for me." Struggling for a moment with the overstuffed suitcase, cursing softly, Glenys finally managed to zip it closed and locked it. She hefted it to the floor and set it up right on the wheels.
Her mother smoothed narrow, wrinkled hands over and over her own short hair, a gesture of supreme agitation. But a minute later, as her daughter continued to pack. "But you don't understand, Glenny--"
"No, mother." Glenys threw a duffle on the bed and began to throw miscellaneous items into as she raged at her mother, long bright blonde curls flying around her as she moved with jerky, anxious motions around her bedroom. "You don't understand." Her blue eyes were tearful but blazing with anger as she regarded her mother, pausing with a handful of toys in her hand. "You always said you'd love me no matter what. I've always tried to be good; I've always worked hard. I had thought I was a witch of whom you could be proud--"
"And you are," her mother started to say, but she was cut off almost immediately.
"Then why are you siding against me the one time I need your support?" Angrily Glenys wiped the tears from her eyes and resumed packing.
Her mother frowned, patience beginning to wear thin. "Darling, you don't understand. What you've done is against everything. Life should not come from - from -"
"Black magic?" Glenys said scathingly. "Night creatures? To hell with you and the rest of your coven. Life is not so black and white as you like to make it; I chose a shade of gray and if you cannot accept that, then I'll go somewhere else."
"To him." Her mother's voice was full of bitterness.
Glenys nodded, throwing the duffle bag on top of the suitcase and tying it down. "Yes. Because he does love me unconditionally."
"You can't know that."
"Yes, I can." Glenys spoke with equal bitterness. "He would never allow anyone to call me a desperate, heathenish slut. For that mother, I will never forgive you."
"They were harsh, but it was only to try and make you see reason."
Glenys scrubbed at her eyes again, voice hoarse from crying and shouting and worrying. "I have seen reason. That's why I'm leaving."
"You never should have strayed."
"Mother, meeting him was the best thing that ever happened to me." She smiled softly, eyes straying toward the cradle tucked into the corner of her room. "At least until we had a son."
Her mother turned pleading. "My dear, you must stop being so unreasonable. That child is more night than day; letting it live as a normal person will only cause everyone pain."
"Mother, if you say one more word against my son I will truly begin to hate you." Glenys' demeanor left no doubt she meant exactly what she said.
Her mother fell silent. "I wish you would cease this nonsense."
"I would sooner die." Glenys carried her things to the car and then returned to the house. Sniffling, she wrapped up in her long, brown trench coat and dark blue scarf. A few soft wards released the protective spells she'd placed on the cradle to keep all but her from touching the tiny baby inside. "Shhh, my precious little boy," she soothed when he began to fuss. She stood there until he had been calmed back to sleep, then wrapped him in blankets.
Her mother walked her to the car in silence, and waited while she secured the sleeping baby in the back seat. "He's too young for travel."
"He's too young to be hated, but that doesn't stop anyone does it? He'll be fine. Even if you won't protect him, I firmly believe the true Mother will." Glenys closed the door and turned toward her mother, tears once more spilling down her cheeks. "I wish it could be different mother. Perhaps one day we'll reconcile."
"I will pray for it." Her mother pulled her into an embrace. "What you've done is wrong, but it doesn't mean I don't love you. I only want what's best for you."
Glenys nodded against her shoulder, squeezing her mother tight. "I love you too." She pulled away. "Goodbye, mother."
"Goodbye, Glenny."
Before she could think longer on it, Glenys started the car and drove away.
She drove for hours, away from the small town she'd grown up in, away to the city where she'd gone to find a good job.
And had found so much more. She pulled up to a small house that had probably once been green. It was three stories and surrounded by a brick wall with an old iron gate. To get inside she had to get out of her car and push the gate open, then close it again once she was inside.
There was hole in the roof that she had patched several months ago, with nothing but plywood until she could afford to have it professionally done. But the bottom floor was in good repair, and by now there would be a fire lit, because Daniel hated when it got too dark and gloomy.
The yard needed weeding, the cobblestone path repaired, and there were a hundred more repairs that she hoped someday to get around to doing.
But for now it was enough she was there, and there to stay.
And Daniel was waiting on the porch, having come out to see who would be entering his old, abandoned house. His smile was sweet, and the happy surprise of seeing her had given him more color and solidity than usual.
"Glen, you didn't tell me you were coming up today. You--" his smile faded as he realized she'd been crying. "It didn't go well."
"No, it did not." Glenys refused to cry again, now that she was with Daniel. She cuddled her son close, then slid an arm around Daniel's narrow waist. The feel of him was always strange - cold and hot and there even though he was intangible and mostly transparent. But it was a strangeness she'd found familiar and right a long, long time ago.
Right enough to cast the spell that let them be together for three nights.
Right enough she was proud to have given birth to their son.
"He's beautiful, Glen." Daniel wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and touched his son in wonder with his free hand, the transparent fingers waking the baby up but not bothering him at all. "I--I'm sorry about your mother and your coven." He smiled at her, and pressed a ghostly kiss to her temple. "But I'm not sorry about this."
"Neither am I," Glenys said softly, leaning against her husband, cheek tingling against his phantom flesh.
Daniel smiled at his wife and son. "What name did you finally decide on?"
"Christian."
"If you would just get rid of it..."
Glenys paused to spare her mother a look so frosted over that she took a step back. "I will not get rid of my son. I don't care what you or anyone else says."
"It's a monstrosity. To think..."
"He is not a monster. He is not a devil. He is my son, he is beautiful and I will defy even you, mama, to keep him." Glenys fought back tears as she resumed packing. "I refuse to regret. I made my choices and I am happy with them. I just wish someone else could be happy for me." Struggling for a moment with the overstuffed suitcase, cursing softly, Glenys finally managed to zip it closed and locked it. She hefted it to the floor and set it up right on the wheels.
Her mother smoothed narrow, wrinkled hands over and over her own short hair, a gesture of supreme agitation. But a minute later, as her daughter continued to pack. "But you don't understand, Glenny--"
"No, mother." Glenys threw a duffle on the bed and began to throw miscellaneous items into as she raged at her mother, long bright blonde curls flying around her as she moved with jerky, anxious motions around her bedroom. "You don't understand." Her blue eyes were tearful but blazing with anger as she regarded her mother, pausing with a handful of toys in her hand. "You always said you'd love me no matter what. I've always tried to be good; I've always worked hard. I had thought I was a witch of whom you could be proud--"
"And you are," her mother started to say, but she was cut off almost immediately.
"Then why are you siding against me the one time I need your support?" Angrily Glenys wiped the tears from her eyes and resumed packing.
Her mother frowned, patience beginning to wear thin. "Darling, you don't understand. What you've done is against everything. Life should not come from - from -"
"Black magic?" Glenys said scathingly. "Night creatures? To hell with you and the rest of your coven. Life is not so black and white as you like to make it; I chose a shade of gray and if you cannot accept that, then I'll go somewhere else."
"To him." Her mother's voice was full of bitterness.
Glenys nodded, throwing the duffle bag on top of the suitcase and tying it down. "Yes. Because he does love me unconditionally."
"You can't know that."
"Yes, I can." Glenys spoke with equal bitterness. "He would never allow anyone to call me a desperate, heathenish slut. For that mother, I will never forgive you."
"They were harsh, but it was only to try and make you see reason."
Glenys scrubbed at her eyes again, voice hoarse from crying and shouting and worrying. "I have seen reason. That's why I'm leaving."
"You never should have strayed."
"Mother, meeting him was the best thing that ever happened to me." She smiled softly, eyes straying toward the cradle tucked into the corner of her room. "At least until we had a son."
Her mother turned pleading. "My dear, you must stop being so unreasonable. That child is more night than day; letting it live as a normal person will only cause everyone pain."
"Mother, if you say one more word against my son I will truly begin to hate you." Glenys' demeanor left no doubt she meant exactly what she said.
Her mother fell silent. "I wish you would cease this nonsense."
"I would sooner die." Glenys carried her things to the car and then returned to the house. Sniffling, she wrapped up in her long, brown trench coat and dark blue scarf. A few soft wards released the protective spells she'd placed on the cradle to keep all but her from touching the tiny baby inside. "Shhh, my precious little boy," she soothed when he began to fuss. She stood there until he had been calmed back to sleep, then wrapped him in blankets.
Her mother walked her to the car in silence, and waited while she secured the sleeping baby in the back seat. "He's too young for travel."
"He's too young to be hated, but that doesn't stop anyone does it? He'll be fine. Even if you won't protect him, I firmly believe the true Mother will." Glenys closed the door and turned toward her mother, tears once more spilling down her cheeks. "I wish it could be different mother. Perhaps one day we'll reconcile."
"I will pray for it." Her mother pulled her into an embrace. "What you've done is wrong, but it doesn't mean I don't love you. I only want what's best for you."
Glenys nodded against her shoulder, squeezing her mother tight. "I love you too." She pulled away. "Goodbye, mother."
"Goodbye, Glenny."
Before she could think longer on it, Glenys started the car and drove away.
She drove for hours, away from the small town she'd grown up in, away to the city where she'd gone to find a good job.
And had found so much more. She pulled up to a small house that had probably once been green. It was three stories and surrounded by a brick wall with an old iron gate. To get inside she had to get out of her car and push the gate open, then close it again once she was inside.
There was hole in the roof that she had patched several months ago, with nothing but plywood until she could afford to have it professionally done. But the bottom floor was in good repair, and by now there would be a fire lit, because Daniel hated when it got too dark and gloomy.
The yard needed weeding, the cobblestone path repaired, and there were a hundred more repairs that she hoped someday to get around to doing.
But for now it was enough she was there, and there to stay.
And Daniel was waiting on the porch, having come out to see who would be entering his old, abandoned house. His smile was sweet, and the happy surprise of seeing her had given him more color and solidity than usual.
"Glen, you didn't tell me you were coming up today. You--" his smile faded as he realized she'd been crying. "It didn't go well."
"No, it did not." Glenys refused to cry again, now that she was with Daniel. She cuddled her son close, then slid an arm around Daniel's narrow waist. The feel of him was always strange - cold and hot and there even though he was intangible and mostly transparent. But it was a strangeness she'd found familiar and right a long, long time ago.
Right enough to cast the spell that let them be together for three nights.
Right enough she was proud to have given birth to their son.
"He's beautiful, Glen." Daniel wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and touched his son in wonder with his free hand, the transparent fingers waking the baby up but not bothering him at all. "I--I'm sorry about your mother and your coven." He smiled at her, and pressed a ghostly kiss to her temple. "But I'm not sorry about this."
"Neither am I," Glenys said softly, leaning against her husband, cheek tingling against his phantom flesh.
Daniel smiled at his wife and son. "What name did you finally decide on?"
"Christian."
no subject
Date: 2005-07-02 06:25 pm (UTC)