Haha oh this sounds like fun! When I find the time to slide this lil' challenge in my schedule, I'll make sure to create this project. I can picture his confused face now.....XD
OMFG! That whole scene with the picture of Mary on the bikini model! That was priceless! And her picturing Junior in the shower, Lyla thinking she waled into him, well...you know. 'This is why I have Georgie do this!' XD
Also DAAWWWWW! Feels for the little dancing scene. Its all coming together and I LOVE this so much! Feels! Ugh! Just do him already, Mary! Stop hiding the truth! You want Junior!! You LOVE him! You have normal, HUMAN EMOTIONS!!! #BloodyPorgie
Chapter 12
'All of me'
Junior ran up the stairs the second his foot entered the house. He managed to push one of his sisters out of th… moree way, as he dashed up the stairs. Emily turned around just in time to avoid being knocked to the ground.
"Damn, Junior! What's up with you?" She laughs. "Where is the fire!"
Junior ignored her smart ass remarks, as he slammed the door shut, grabbed the mirror and called her name. At first, she didn't respond; there was a dead silence about the object, as she began shaking it.
"C'mon." He pressed his nose to the glass. "Where are you...."
"Well, someone is in a fuckin' hurry to piss themselves tonight." Startled, Junior turned and found Mary sitting on his desk. "Welcome home, Porgie."
Junior grinned. "There you are. How long were you-"
"Eh, 'bout an hour now. I know your schedule." She sniffs the air. "And by the look of those shorts, you could use a shower."
Junior looked down and n… [view original content]
Lol, Mary at the beginning though XD I love her, so much! I kinda wish she was like this with Junior in the present time, but they've got more things to worry about, I'm sure. Even better was her impression of Junior XD I died laughing. Then the magazine with Mary on the page....I couldn't contain myself!
And then it was so cute! Mary and him just laying there, talking. THEN MY FAVORITE CHRISTINA PERRI SONG COMES ON AND MARY ACTUALLY LIKES IT OMFG! So romantic ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Chapter 12
'All of me'
Junior ran up the stairs the second his foot entered the house. He managed to push one of his sisters out of th… moree way, as he dashed up the stairs. Emily turned around just in time to avoid being knocked to the ground.
"Damn, Junior! What's up with you?" She laughs. "Where is the fire!"
Junior ignored her smart ass remarks, as he slammed the door shut, grabbed the mirror and called her name. At first, she didn't respond; there was a dead silence about the object, as she began shaking it.
"C'mon." He pressed his nose to the glass. "Where are you...."
"Well, someone is in a fuckin' hurry to piss themselves tonight." Startled, Junior turned and found Mary sitting on his desk. "Welcome home, Porgie."
Junior grinned. "There you are. How long were you-"
"Eh, 'bout an hour now. I know your schedule." She sniffs the air. "And by the look of those shorts, you could use a shower."
Junior looked down and n… [view original content]
Haha oh this sounds like fun! When I find the time to slide this lil' challenge in my schedule, I'll make sure to create this project. I can picture his confused face now.....XD
Peter and Tiana took turns telling Morgan bits and pieces of the whole thing.
"At first, it was nice, just me and Wendy. Of course, we were sad. But one day she woke up, looked at me, and said,'Everything is done with. We can move on.' So we started enjoying ourselves, with what little we had. I fell in love with her, and for a while, things seemed doable. Then, she started to age past me. I grew up to be an adult, but I stayed young. She didn't. Our relationship morphed from there, somewhat. I still love her, but it's not the same. If anything, she feels like a mother to me."
"Yeah, whatever you say," Tiana teases him. The she speaks up,"Wendy started recruiting. She found a lot of broken people like me. Like Dee. She found us all as we one by one traveled through here."
"Is there more than just you guys?" Morgan asked.
"Yeah, but we're basically at the top ranks, so to speak. All of the houses you see out here that aren't destroyed hold a lot of valuable hands. And, a lot of prisoners."
"Basically whoever is a threat to Wendy, she imprisons," Peter interjects.
"So, how do I play into this?" Morgan asked.
"Well, Wendy made some deals with us. I am supposed to get my castle and my husband back when this whole thing is over. Dee wanted revenge on whatever Fabletown is supposed to be. And Peter..."
"I've always been here. I've supported Wendy through everything."
"Alright. So what is Wendy's objective in all of this?"
"She never told us. She just kept collecting people together. She's the base of operations. She runs the place. A society, of sorts." Tiana stands, looking at her watch. "I have to get out of here, before she notices I've been gone too long. I don't care what you do, Peter. And uh, what was your name again?"
"I never told you my name. It's Morgan."
"Morgan. I like that name," Peter said, smiling childishly. He may have grown up some, but there was still a child deep down.
"Well, I might just take you up on that offer for Fabletown. As long as we get out of this alive. In all honesty, I don't think Wendy is going to hold her side of our bargain up. So you're my plan B, so to speak."
"Good to know. Bye, Tiana."
Tiana exits the room, leaving Peter and Morgan together, alone. It's getting dark, so Peter lights a few candles.
"The electricity up here doesn't work. The wires are shot, so...Candles it is. I don't have to report back to Wendy for another few hours, so I'll keep ya company."
"You don't have to," Morgan stated. She looked back toward the window, out at the stars that were beginning to shine through the darkening blue sky.
"I want to though." He said, smiling again.
"Alright. Tell me another story."
His grin grew wider,"Did I mention the time that me and Wendy...."
Morgan closed her eyes, listening to the boy's tale.
More progress! The calm before the storm, if you will
I'll explain WHY she acts the way she does to Junor now. Everything will make sense, I'm sure. I wasn't going to include that part but I thought, 'Hey, why not' and I'm glad I did. His own private fantasy, as she put it. XD
I love that song; my buddies make fun of me cus its a 'chick' song but the message is beautiful and it fits them perfectl. Its their song.
Lol, Mary at the beginning though XD I love her, so much! I kinda wish she was like this with Junior in the present time, but they've got mo… morere things to worry about, I'm sure. Even better was her impression of Junior XD I died laughing. Then the magazine with Mary on the page....I couldn't contain myself!
And then it was so cute! Mary and him just laying there, talking. THEN MY FAVORITE CHRISTINA PERRI SONG COMES ON AND MARY ACTUALLY LIKES IT OMFG! So romantic ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
I'll explain WHY she acts the way she does to Junor now. Everything will make sense, I'm sure. I wasn't going to include that part but I th… moreought, 'Hey, why not' and I'm glad I did. His own private fantasy, as she put it. XD
I love that song; my buddies make fun of me cus its a 'chick' song but the message is beautiful and it fits them perfectl. Its their song.
Feeling like there hasn't been enough Heart lately? No worries. I have more than enough to provide here with chapter four!
(Laughs at my own lame pun)
If you need to refresh or catch up, chapters 1 to 3 are on pages 44 and 45.
THE HEART MADE OF CLAY CH. 4
Part 1
A couple of years ago, Clay, Mike and Taylor went on an impromptu beer run. They had gotten off a late shift at the pizzeria and all the other two wanted was to drink the night away. It took a little cajoling to get Clay to join, but he eventually gave in. The actually purchasing went pretty flawlessly once they got to the liquor store. Hell, the register guy didn't even as for identification. So they were about to leave and enjoy their night of drunken stupor…
…when some haggard looking psycho walked inside with a shotgun. He told everyone to get on the floor, shooting a hole into the wall to show he meant business. Clay nearly shat himself sprawling on the ground next to Mike, while Taylor had the misfortune of being directly in the man's path to the register. Clay cursed and prayed to whoever was listening that they wouldn't die in a liquor shop. It seemed like a particularly pathetic death.
The man slurred and spat as he ordered the employee to point out the most expensive alcohol in stock. He then ordered Taylor to get it for him, emptying his spent shell to scare him. Taylor didn't waste a second getting back to his feet and grabbing the alcohol. He kept looking back to Clay and Mike to see if they saw anyway out of the situation. They had none to give sadly.
Once the alcohol was delivered, the employee opened the register and began emptying the till.
Then the gunman knocked the register off the counter with the butt of his weapon. He said something about money being 'the excrement of evil bureaucrats bending over our proud country.' He then opened the alcohol box, chugged one of the cans and put his own wallet on the counter. Clay then heard him mutter something about 'being dead before they knew it,' though it was unclear if he meant himself or one of them.
The man then tucked the case under an arm, shot out the store's front window and left as police sirens blared in the distance. And that was it. No other demands were made. No one else was threatened. He even closed the door on his way out. Clay never found out what happened to that guy, but he definitely didn't feel like drinking after that.
That had been the bar for Clay's 'weirdest moments ever' list. Being told he was a Fable topped it.
It wasn't being a storybook character that troubled him though. Well no, it did, but the little questions personal to him worried him more. If he was really a Fable, he should be as old as Nerissa right? Then why couldn't he remember anything before the last seven years? Why hadn't he noticed anything supernatural about him before now? Why didn't anyone here recognize him? Did surviving the car crash mean he was a popular Fable? He didn't feel like he was a Robin Hood or some other big hero. Then again, those killer Fables wouldn't chase him if he weren't significant somehow.
All of these questions buzzed in his head like a swarm of hornets. Even after everything that happened tonight, it felt too surreal to be true.
The twinge of pain he then felt on his scalp proved the opposite though.
"Sorry," Bufkin said standing on a table behind him as he discarded a piece of glass.
It had been an hour since the crash. There wasn't enough time to treat Clay's wounds before the Black Aggie or someone came back, so everyone got back in the car praying it would work. After a few failed attempts, the engine revved with enough power to take them to their destination before dying. Seeing how much damage the Golem dealt the car, Clay figured magic had to be involved with their stroke of luck.
Bigby and Nerissa led Clay into an apartment complex as someone from inside rushed out to help Snow with the car. Clay spotted a sign reading 'The Woodlands' on the way in and remembered the others had mentioned it earlier. Didn't they say it was unsafe? He didn't really have a choice in the matter though, so he had to go with it.
They eventually made their way up to a place called 'the Business Office.' If someone had told Clay a room this huge existed in this building before tonight, he would have called them crazy. The front part didn't seem too abnormal, as it was just a few desks, tables and cabinets in an office like manner. Then he noticed the long rows of bookshelves behind them. And the large piles of assorted items all over the place. And who could miss the pirate ship sailing through the air? This place must be pretty important to cram this much crap into it.
Nerissa sat Clay in a chair as Bigby gave them the same instruction Snow did about not opening the door for anyone but them. After mentioning he had to do some 'clean-up,' he quickly exited the office. Fortunately Bufkin was able to squeeze through Bigby's legs before he closed the door or he would have been locked out for a while.
That was half an hour ago. The only thing Clay had been up to since then was waiting for his bandaged wounds to heal while Bufkin and Nerissa quietly picked glass out of his skin. It was as fun as it sounded…
Clay stared down to the ground and nervously twiddled his fingers. Remembering all of that stuff made the nagging questions in his head even more so, along with the additional worrying for Taylor, Cheryl and Sally's safety. If they died because of him…
"Some night," Bufkin said trying to lighten the mood. "Lunatics, car crashes and mysteries galore, am I right?"
"Nerissa's glare shut him up for a moment. Clay figured he meant well, but he agreed that now wasn't the time.
"Well…at least you're all safe," Bufkin said meekly as he pulled out one more piece of glass. "There. That should be it."
Clay continued staring at the ground as he felt his scalp. He felt the tender areas where his wounds were still closing, but he couldn't feel anything else other than skin and hair. At least that was one problem out of a dozen he could scratch off.
"Did Doctor Swineheart say he would stop by?" Nerissa asked Bufkin.
"No, but I'm sure Miss White can convince him," he replied. "Johann should be patched up by now, so he'll have the time."
Nerissa nodded as she reached for Clay's hand, but he recoiled it. They touched him enough picking the glass out. He didn't feel like doing any more for a while.
"So…" Bufkin said to Clay. "You're a Fable?"
"…yeah," Clay replied not looking up.
"That's great. Which one are you?"
"…hell if I know."
An awkward pause followed before Bufkin looked to Nerissa. "Any ideas?"
She shook her head. Clay wasn't surprised. He could be anything from a prince to a troll for all they knew.
"Hm…gimme a minute," Bufkin said flying off the table and disappearing between some of the bookshelves.
Clay and Nerissa sat in silence for another minute. He could feel her gaze on him like a pair of headlights, but he couldn't muster the energy to do the same.
"Clay?" She finally asked worried.
He didn't reply.
"Honey?"
He stood up and walked over to one of the desks. A pernicious thought festered in his head right then. Why did she care what he was thinking? She did save him from 'not-Taylor,' but that was when she still thought he was a mundie. Isn't that what she thought he was an hour ago? That he was some defenseless, insignificant mundie? Snow thought so, so who can say Nerissa hadn't thought the same? Maybe even the whole time they dated too.
"Please…" Nerissa said standing up from her own chair. "Tell me what's on your mind. Brooding in silence won't help anything.
He leaned against the desk and sighed. Well, she wanted to know.
"When you thought I was still a mundie, how…how long did you plan to string me along?" He asked.
She didn't answer.
"A few more days? Weeks? Months?"
More silence. He closed his eyes and huffed. He had vented a lot tonight, especially to her. Still, he couldn't stop himself. He couldn't understand what she was thinking this whole time.
He paced to a different part of the room trying to keep his thoughts focused.
"What if I wasn't a Fable?" He continued. "What if I died in the crash? Or maybe some time before that? Would that have been a weight off your shoulders? Like all of the sudden, your mundie boy toy is out of the equation. Now he can't ruin your secret or drag you down anymore."
He could hear her walking now, but he couldn't tell which direction.
"That's it, isn't it?" He continued unable to stop his stream of conscious as his tears welled in his eyes. "I was going to be trouble either way. If tonight never happened, you'd still have to get rid of me. The fling would be over as soon as I found out."
Her footsteps were approaching him now. He crossed his arms and inched away as she stopped behind him.
"So how would you do it?" He said as his voice wavered. "Big messy break-up? A convenient lie? …killing me? No one would miss me. What's one stupid dead mundie to the safety of the community? Then you'd be free to find some immortal dick wad who couldn't shit all over your happy little life like I did. Right?"
That's when he heard her suppress a sob. Well…what did he expect her to do? He sighed and decided to turn to face her.
The look she gave him immediately burned in the back of his skull. Tears ran down her cheek, but they didn't dull the daggers in her eyes pointed right at him. One of her fists was shaking, possibly to stop her from punching him. Her body shook as they locked eyes with each other. It was surprising and kind of terrifying.
After a few more seconds, she unclenched her fist and wiped her eyes.
"Well?" She asked, her voice cracking with emotion. "Anything else you want to add?"
For the second time tonight, Clay felt like a heel. She hadn't answered his questions, but he couldn't find the passion to ask her again. He looked away, trying to avoid her face.
"No!" She shouted. "You got something to say, say it to my face!"
He closed his eyes and shuddered hearing that. She never shouted like this before. Yelling at Snow was one thing, but this felt more personal.
"You want to call me a whore too?" She said sharply. "You want to tell me how I played with your emotions because you're a stupid little mundie who makes shitty pizza and lives with two losers? Maybe you'll tell me how I planned to dump you into a river because I knew no one would care to look for you? Or maybe you'll tell me about how happy I'd be if you died because I wouldn't have to listen to your angry, asinine drivel ever again? You seem to know everything about me, so go on! Say it!"
Tears ran down Clay's face hearing her say that. An angry pause hung between them, with nothing but Bufkin distantly rummaging through books cutting the tension.
"…it hurts, doesn't it?" Nerissa then said. "Saying stupid shit you don't mean."
She walked back and sat on the desk facing away from him. Clay wiped his eyes and sat in a nearby chair. His body shook as he put a hand to his face. What the hell just happened? Did she mean any of that stuff she said? She wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true. He was just spewing out angry nonsense. Then again, how would she have known that?
He took a deep breath to stop from breaking down and slumped forward. He wasn't supposed to be here. Tonight should have ended sitting in front of a warm fire or relaxing in a soft bed. He didn't have those things anymore. That was a mundie world he wasn't a part of anymore.
"My whole life's a lie…" He said sorrowfully.
Nerissa didn't even budge.
Clay exhaled loudly to calm down. He was tired. He was afraid. He was confused. And now he was driving away the only person who had supported him this whole time. He wanted to say something. Take back that shit he said. Anything that wouldn't make him so pathetically desperate sounding.
"Hey!"
He turned to see Bufkin land on the desk nearby with a stack of books.
"Look what I found!" He said. "If we all take one, we could…"
It was then he noticed Clay and Nerissa sitting across the room looking unhappy.
"Oh…I'll, uh, I'll just start over here then," he said sitting down, opening a book and propping it up to keep himself out of their view.
Clay groaned. Getting out of his mental funk proved harder than he thought. Nerissa didn't deserve this. Her life was being just as ruined as his, what with not being able to go home and putting up with his cranky ass.
It was then that Clay noticed the books Bufkin had picked out. They looked like the old storybooks Mike used to read. He must be trying to find what Fable Clay was. Maybe helping him out and finding some answers would help Clay calm down. He started to stand up from his chair.
"Do you know how much of that is coming out of my pocket, sheriff?" A loud voiced boomed from out in the hall.
Clay sat back down as Bigby, Snow and some other guy entered the office.
"When you told me the car was a long-term investment," the other guy continued while adjusting his hood-rimmed classes. "You failed to mention that you literally meant I would have to keep paying for it!"
"You think we enjoyed wrecking it, Bluebeard?" Snow shot back.
"Sure looked like it! Do you know how much the repairs would cost?"
They were close enough now that Clay could get a better look at this Bluebeard guy, though the shine from his baldhead didn't help. He was a tall man, maybe even a bit taller than Bigby and just as built. He had clearly been sleeping before coming to the office, wearing a dress robe over some fancy pajamas to not look too casual. What really stood out though was the man's namesake. It looked like a tightly cropped black beard from a distance, but Clay swore he could see the faintest hint of blue in it.
"You're not hurting for cash," Bigby said to Bluebeard putting a potion vial from his pocket into a desk drawer. "And what else was Snow supposed to do? Golem charged right at her."
"Turn? Swerve out of the way? Anything but run into him!" Bluebeard replied. "And why the hell is Golem attacking you? Why is the Hook Man back in town?"
"If we knew why, we wouldn't waste time talking about it here."
"Well then you should do something about that."
"We already have," Snow said. "The car's out of sight now, we memory wiped the complex and we've been increasing the Woodlands' security spells."
"Are you sure you wiped everyne there?" Bluebeard pointed out. "What if you missed someone? Are we going to risk the community's safety on a hunch?"
"Right," Bigby replied sarcastically. "Because they're going to believe one person claiming to have seen a ghost and a werewolf fighting in a hallway."
"I'm not! Aggie's aura kept everyone too afraid to leave their homes anyway, so that one person who could remember us wouldn't have proof anyway."
"We sent people to clean up the mess too," Snow added. "By morning, it'll be like we were never there."
"Typical," Bluebeard grumbled. "You have no qualms burning through my money to cover your reckless mistakes. When some bastard is stealing from my castle though, you won't even lift a finger to stop them."
"We already checked the castle twice and questioned everyone in the building."
"And yet things still go missing!"
"How do you know it isn't Hobbes doing that?" Bigby asked.
"Because he knows better than to do something so stupid!"
Clay and Nerissa did their best to stay out of the conversation. Whoever this Bluebeard was, Clay had quickly learned not to upset him. He wasn't really in a mood to talk anyway.
That was out of his hands though as Bluebeard turned and spotted him.
"Who the hell is he?" He barked gruffly.
"His name's Clay," Bigby said. "Don't worry. He's with us."
Bluebeard sized up Clay before shooting an accusing glance to Bigby. "You brought a mundy into the Woodlands?"
"He's a Fable," Snow said.
"How do you know?"
"Because I personally set those bones back into place," Bigby noted pointing to Clay's bandaged limbs.
Clay stood up in case Bigby needed to further his point. His limbs felt tender, but they definitely weren't broken anymore.
"They healed just as fast as yours or mine would," Bigby continued. "Only a Fable can do that."
"Well I've never seen him before," Bluebeard said crossing his arms and scoffing. "What Fable is he then?"
"We don't know," Bufkin joined in diverting attention from his current book. "I've been looking it up, but his face doesn't match our records."
"So a mystery Fable then?" Bluebeard said. "For all we know, he could be in cahoots with those thugs."
"Highly unlikely," Bigby retorted.
"Why's that?"
"Because he's the one they're after. They killed one of his friends and are holding the rest hostage."
"Did you see that happen? How do you know that wasn't a well-consructed lie to get your sympathy? For all we know, he set everything up to sneak into the Woodlands so his friends can attack me."
"They're not my friends," Clay replied sternly glaring at Bluebeard. All of this conclusion jumping was annoying him.
"At least you can speak for yourself," Bluebeard snidely said with a menacing smirk. "Fine. If you're a Fable, where have you been hiding the last several centuries?"
"I don't know. I didn't know I was a Fable before tonight."
"How? Haven't you ever broken a bone or had a serious injury before?"
"No."
"Liar!"
"That's enough," Snow said trying to break the argument up. "There are lives at stake here. Throwing accusations won't—"
"What?" Bluebeard interrupted. "A bunch of mundies? Let them die. It's their fault—"
"Shut your goddamn mouth!" Clay shouted refraining himself from doing something stupid. He wasn't going to let that asshole dismiss his friends like that.
"Or what?" Bluebeard taunted. "Even if you're not with those thugs, all of this is your fault in the first place. Your friends' blood and anyone else's hurt tonight is on your hands, nobody!"
"Stop it now!" Bigby growled.
Clay and Bluebeard continued to glare at each other until Bluebeard relented. It's amazing how a minute of talking could change Clay's attitude. Instead of staying out of Bluebeard's way, he just wanted to sock him now.
"What the hell makes him so special anyway?" Bluebeard asked Bigby.
"We don't know," Snow answered for him. "If Golem and Wendigo are working with them though, it must be big."
"Well then," Bluebeard said looking at something behind him. "Perhaps we should consult someone who can rub two brain cells together."
Clay noticed the area Bluebeard referred to. All he saw was some household items, dressers and a mirror grouped together. It didn't look like anyone was there.
"That was the plan before you got in the way," Bigby said walking past Bluebeard.
"Sure it was," Bluebeard mocked watching him.
As Bigby continued towards the mirror, Snow walked over to Clay.
"Who the hell is this guy?" Clay asked noting Bluebeard.
"Bluebeard," she replied.
"I got that. I mean, why do you put up with him?"
"He's a primary contributor to our community fund. We can't exactly say no," she said before looking at him curiously. "Are you ok?"
"Hm?"
"You seem…off."
Apparently Clay's poker face wasn't working right now. He tried to think of an excuse, but his eyes instinctively glanced to Nerissa regardless.
Snow looked over to see Nerissa standing near Bigby and Bluebeard around the mirror. She had been looking back to Snow and Clay, but quickly looked away as they noticed her.
"…something happen while we were out?" Snow asked him.
"Yeah…." He replied guiltily. He hoped she picked up the 'I don't want to talk about it now' hint.
"Well…if I can do anything for you, let me know," she said before walking over to Bufkin and checking his current book.
Clay sighed. He couldn't blame Nerissa if she thought he was a jackass right now. If he could take back the stupid stuff he said, he would. All he wanted was a 'why.' He could handle crazy shit like tonight happening or even what Nerissa's thinking behind their relationship was, but the lack of answers was what bothered him most.
He decided to stop the self-pitying for now and divert his attention back to Bigby at the mirror.
"Alright, let's see…" Bigby said. "Mirror mirror, blah blah blah table, we have a question about a Fable."
The mirror then shimmered with a soft green light as a ghostly face emerged from the midst of a green cloud. Clay was at his limit for amazement tonight, but he had to admit it looked cool.
"You'll have to use an actual rhyme one of these days," the mirror replied in an echoing voice.
"As long as it works, I'll keep using it."
"Very well. You have a question for me? You'll have to ask more specifically."
"How specifically?"
"You already know this game. All I ask for is a name."
Clay found the mirror's use of rhymes amusing, but he kept it to himself.
"Hey Snow," Bigby said turning to her and Bufkin. "You guys found anything useful?"
Neither of them replied.
"Well?" He repeated more concerned.
"We, uh, we might," Bufkin replied nervously. "It's just…"
"What?"
"You need to see for yourself," Snow said.
Bigby joined them at the desk, leaving the mirror unattended. Whatever was bugging Snow and Bufkin should have worried Clay too, but he had other things on his mind. The mirror just needed a name right? He could give it a few.
"Hey!" Bluebeard said as Clay walked to the mirror. "Stop that."
"I just have a couple questions," Clay replied not looking at him. "Or is that too dangerous for you?"
Bluebeard grunted crossing his arms.
Clay stood in front of the mirror, nervously trying to think of what he should say. "Um…hello mirror?"
"No need to waste time on formalities," the mirror replied. "What would you like to see?"
The idea of the mirror talking to him was unsettling, but he just pretended like it was him singing to his bathroom mirror…except it was a spooky reflection singing back to him in that fantasy too!
"I…I want to find Taylor Granger," he then asked.
"You're new to this, so I'll make things clear," the mirror replied. "You must make inquires through rhymes here."
"Why rhymes?"
"I don't make the rules. That's how it is."
Arguing with the mirror sounded obviously pointless, so he tried thinking of what rhymed with Granger.
"Uh…mirror mirror…my friend's in danger. Please show me Taylor Granger."
The mirror's face dove into the blackness around the green cloud and disappeared. It was only gone for a few seconds, but Clay already broke a nervous sweat anticipating the answer.
Just then, the mirror's face reappeared.
"I'm sorry, but Taylor cannot be shown," the mirror apologized. "Whether magic's to blame is simply unknown."
That wasn't the answer Clay wanted to hear…
"So you can't even tell me he's alive or not?" He asked slumping his shoulders in annoyance.
"Magic's no respecter to life or death. Whatever blocks your friend is beyond my power."
"Could the Wendigo be blocking you?"
"The stench of greed and lust is present, but a body housing two souls is hard to discern."
Shit…so it was just another mystery. Best-case scenario was that Taylor was under the Wendigo's possession and still alive. Worst-case was that they killed him or followed through on their cannibalism threat. Again, the lack of one answer of the other was what worried Clay most. He just had to stay optimistic.
Clay looked behind him to see Nerissa. She continued avoiding him, though she didn't seem to enjoy doing so. He felt like he should do something for her and thought of one thing that could be a start.
"Mirror mirror…uh, thanks for that…sight? Now please show me Cheryl Wright."
The face disappeared again, only this time something new appeared. It was a darkly lit room, bereft of any furniture or decoration. Cobwebs were strung along the ceiling and mold spots were growing on the floor.
What caught Clay's attention, however, were the two women huddled together in the center of the image. It was definitely Cheryl and Sally. He could recognize Cheryl's curly golden locks anywhere. They looked terrified out of their minds, but they were still alive.
"Cheryl…" Nerissa then said walking up next to Clay. "Sally…"
At least that got her talking again. To be fair, he was just as worried for them.
"Where are they?" He asked the mirror.
"I can only show what can be seen," the mirror's voice replied.
"So you can't just readjust the angle so we can figure out where it is?"
The image faded and the mirror's face reappeared.
"I'm not a movie camera," the mirror said. "I can only show what can be seen."
"Why?"
"Don't ask me to repeat myself."
Clay sighed frustrated. More dead-ends…well, at least they could remember what the room looked like. Nerissa nervously rubbed one of her arms.
"We'll find them," he said trying to reassure her.
He reached out to hold her hand, but she recoiled it away. So she was still upset at him. It was a minor gesture to be fair. Maybe he should just be more direct.
"I'm sorry…" He said. "Really…I am."
Before she could reply, they noticed Bigby and Snow hurriedly walking to the mirror. Something wasn't right. They seemed very concerned, possibly even scared.
"Bigby?" Nerissa asked.
"Move!" Bigby barked shooing them away. They quickly stepped back to not upset him more.
"What's going on?" Bluebeard asked seeing something that caught his attention.
"We don't know for sure, Bigby," Snow said continuing some previous conversation. "He could be someone else."
"You want to waste time guessing or do you want to prove what we already know?" Bigby retorted.
"How could it possibly be him anyway?" Snow asked glancing to Clay. He already had a bad feeling about this.
"This doesn't sound good," Bluebeard said curiously as he leaned against a table. Bufkin landed next to him, equally concerned about something.
"Feel free to leave then," Bigby replied.
"Well when you put it like that, then I have to stay."
Clay nervously rubbed his hands together as he watched Bigby look to the mirror.
"Now…" Bigby said. "Mirror mirror, something involving joy. Show me the Clay Boy."
The oxygen sucked out of the room as the mirror's face descended again. In those few fleeting moments of silence, the thought occurred to Clay to run. He glanced to the door, but his legs felt rooted to the floor. There wasn't a thing he could do.
Then an all too familiar image appeared in the mirror. It was their location in the Business Office, but with most of the people and other items out of focus. However, one person centered in the image was all too in focus.
It was him!
"Is there something wrong with your view?" The mirror asked. "It is in the room next to you."
Clay nervously broke his line of sight from the mirror to see everyone simultaneously turn towards him. What was that look in their eyes? Worry? Panic? Fear? All of the above? No one moved a muscle or took a breath staring at him. His nervous sweat spread to the back of his neck feeling their eyes on him.
"…wh…what?" He hesitantly decided to ask.
Then Bluebeard did something incredibly impulsive. He ran to a pile of items, pulled out a hatcher…and lunged forward to attack Clay!
In that split second between Bluebeard grabbing the hatched and turning to attack, Clay noticed Nerissa was directly in the man's path. He instinctively pushed her out of the way to safety, not even thinking about the pain he was going to feel.
"Stop!" Bigby shouted grabbing Bluebeard's arm. The hatchet's edge literally touched the tip of Clay's nose before stopping, causing him to shudder in fright.
"Let me go!" Bluebeard shouted throwing a punch at Bigby. The sheriff caught it though, proceeding to twist Bluebeard's arm and slam him against the table.
Clay stumbled back a few steps as the two continued to struggle. Bluebeard actually tried to kill him! He didn't even show a sign of hesitance! The thought to ran out the door screamed in Clay's head, but his shock continued to immobilize him.
"It's a monster!" Bluebeard shouted straining to free himself. "We need to kill it now!"
He freed his arm and shoved Bigby off. Without wasting a second, he threw the hatchet at Clay's head!
Clay wasn't immobilized anymore! He stepped out of the way, but not quickly enough as the hatchet's edge cut across his cheek before embedding into the door. He put a hand on the cut as Bigby stood between him and Bluebeard.
"What the hell are you doing?" Bluebeard barked. "Get out of the way and let me end this!"
"We're not going to do anything rash here!" Bigby growled back.
"Rash? There's nothing rash about killing that…that thing! Why the hell is it still alive?"
Still alive? Thing? Monster? So apparently Clay was a well know Fable but for all the wrong reasons.
"I don't know why," Bigby replied to Bluebeard. "But killing him won't stop those thugs."
"Then give him up! Kick him to the curb! As long as he's out of my building!"
"It's OUR building, asswipe. And I say if you want him, you have to go through me!"
Bluebeard clneched his fists and glanced around to see if anyone else would support him. Snow averted his gaze. Bufkin kept his mouth shut. Nerissa, still lying on the floor, continued to stare at Clay in shock.
Realizing the situation wasn't in his favor, Bluebeard loosened his fists.
"So that's how it'll be then?" He seethed. "Fine!"
He stormed towards the door, purposefully walking into Bigby to push him out of the way. Before he passed Clay though, he stopped and glared at him. Clay lowered his hand from his cut staring back.
"You're going to regret this, sheriff," Bluebeard said. "If you don't do something about this, then I will!"
With that threat left to linger, Bluebeard left and slammed the door behind him, causing the hatchet to clutter onto the ground.
Silence fell upon the Business Office as everyone waited for the tension to dissipate. Clay just couldn't win tonight. It wasn't enough that killer Fables wanted to hurt everyone he cared about. Now he had to deal with the fact that being the Clay Boy terrified the other Fables enough to want him dead. The dried blood on his fingers was proof enough. Some inauguration into the community that was…
He then remembered that Nerissa was still on the floor. She wasn't hurt, but he figured that might have unintentionally earned him another jackass point. Like he didn't have enough to worry about.
"…are you ok?" He asked reaching out a hand to her.
She stared at it for a moment, still not sure if she should accept it or not. Before he could retract the offer though, she grabbed it and let him help her up.
"Yeah…" She said still a bit stunned. "Thanks…"
She walked away and rubbed her shoulders nervously. Apparently this revelation shook her a lot more than it did for him. He still didn't know why.
"What are we going to do?" Snow then asked Bigby.
"…I don't know," Bigby sighed sitting in a chair to calm down.
"Why is being the Clay Boy so bad?" Clay decided to ask.
No one replied. He wasn't in the mood to accept 'hush hush' as an answer right now though.
"What did I do? Why did Bluebeard try to kill me?"
"Because you're a killer," Bufkin squeaked out.
That made Clay's heart sink. "…what?" He asked bewildered.
"Sorry," Bufkin said rubbing his paws nervously.
"Like…how many people?"
"A lot," Bigby answered as he thought something over.
Clay looked to Nerissa, who confirmed with those doe eyes of hers that it wasn't an exaggeration. He looked down to his hands shocked. Getting in fights with people was hard enough for him. How could he be a killer?
"We need to find Brandon," Bigby said to Snow.
"Who's Brandon?" Clay asked.
"Why?" Snow asked back completely ignoring Clay.
"Only one person would want to find Clay this badly," Bigby replied. "He might be able to help us find the King."
"What king?" Clay asked in futile.
"Do we still have Brandon's address and number?" Bigby continued.
"It should be in the records," Bufkin said flying off to the bookshelves.
Clay got the feeling they were about to push him off to the sidelines again to do this stuff. He had been sitting around long enough.
"I want to help," he said.
"Nuh uh," Bigby said shaking his head. "You're not coming."
"What? You want me to stay around here with Bluebeard on my ass?"
"He's all talk, Clay."
"Really?" Clay replied pointing to his cut.
"Coming with us would only make yourself and anyone around you a target for the Hook Man's gang."
"So what? You kicked their asses last time!"
"Barely."
"Whatever!"
"It's not 'whatever,'" Snow said. "Golem could have killed Bigby if he hadn't backed down. He wouldn't be able to fight them again so soon."
Clay groaned. So he was dangerous and completely useless right now.
"Guess I'm stuck here too then?" Nerissa asked.
"After how quickly they tracked Clay's place down, I'm sure they're already scouting yours too," Bigby replied.
"So…where would we stay then?"
Clay quietly stifled a yawn as Bigby loudly knocked on an apartment door. All of tonight's stress and revelations were taking their toll. A quick glance at Nerissa's glazed over look proved she was feeling the same.
"Gah! Coming!" A man called out from inside.
They could hear some commotion from what was likely the man getting dressed. They could have called ahead to let these people know they were coming, but they were still playing by Bigby's rules at the moment.
After fiddling with the locks, the man opened the door. He was a broadly built guy, with muscles stretching against his wrinkled shirt. He ran a hand through his long brown hair, trying to keep down the gnarly bed head he was experiencing. He probably would be pretty intimidating if he were more awake.
"What the hell do you-?" The man started to say before seeing who it was. "Oh…Bigby. What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing," Bigby said slyly. "Hey Beast, remember when you said you'd do anything to help pay your debt?"
"Uh…yeah, but—"
"Good. You can start right now."
"Huh?"
"These two need a place to rest up and stay hidden for a few hours," Bigby said nodding to Clay and Nerissa.
"But—"
"No catch."
"Ok, but who—?"
"He's nobody and that's what you'll tell anyone who asks. Nobody's in your apartment and I didn't bring anyone. I'll be back later to pick them up and then you can talk to Snow about settling some of your debt."
Beast still seemed incredibly confused, but not enough to pass up Bigby's offer. After some hesitance, he moved out of the way and let Clay and Nerissa inside.
"Ok…" Beast said. "Don't take too long."
"No promises," Bigby replied before looking to Clay and Nerissa. "Get some sleep. If anything happens, call Snow immediately."
"Be careful," Nerissa said.
"Thanks..."
Beast closed the door as Bigby left, leaving the three of them alone in the living room. He turned to them, unsure what to do.
"Um…hey, Nerissa," Beast said awkwardly trying to small talk.
"Sweetie?" A woman's voice called from the bedroom. "Who was that?"
She entered the living as she tied off the sash on a robe. Clay sort of deduced that this was Beauty if the other guy was Beast, but she definitely lived up to the name. Her long blonde hair, soft blue eyes and finely toned body was the envy of supermodels everywhere.
She clearly wasn't expecting company though, as she yelped seeing them. "What are they doing here?"
"It's ok, honey," Beast reassured. "They just need a place to hide for—"
Hide? What are they hiding from?"
Clay groaned. He got the feeling they weren't going to sleep for a while…
And that's it for chapter four. Let me know what you thought.
Phew, finally read all of the chapter parts. Really good like always! Is the Clay Boy supposed to be a real story/myth or is he made up entirely by you?
THE HEART MADE OF CLAY CH. 4
Part 3
"Stop!" Bigby shouted grabbing Bluebeard's arm. The hatchet's edge literally touched the tip of Cl… moreay's nose before stopping, causing him to shudder in fright.
"Let me go!" Bluebeard shouted throwing a punch at Bigby. The sheriff caught it though, proceeding to twist Bluebeard's arm and slam him against the table.
Clay stumbled back a few steps as the two continued to struggle. Bluebeard actually tried to kill him! He didn't even show a sign of hesitance! The thought to ran out the door screamed in Clay's head, but his shock continued to immobilize him.
"It's a monster!" Bluebeard shouted straining to free himself. "We need to kill it now!"
He freed his arm and shoved Bigby off. Without wasting a second, he threw the hatchet at Clay's head!
Clay wasn't immobilized anymore! He stepped out of the way, but not quickly enough as the hatchet's edge cut across his cheek before embedding into t… [view original content]
The Clay Boy is an actual Russian folktale. My version is kind of a merging of the original folk tale "Lutoschenka" adapted by Mary W. Cronan and the Clay Boy book by Mirra Ginsburg, but with the sweet parts re-purposed or given a sinister twist. Just like Fables Hehe!
All of my characters are based on actual folktales or stories that haven't been used in the Fables verse yet, which requires a little reaching. Originally the Babjaga was supposed to be involved too since she plays into one of the original Clay Boy stories, but Fables' version of her was completely different than what I had planned so I axed her.
Phew, finally read all of the chapter parts. Really good like always! Is the Clay Boy supposed to be a real story/myth or is he made up entirely by you?
I love these stories. So full of detail and they keep you guessing what will happen next. I'm curious too about his background. I'm not sure if you mentioned but who is Clay supposed to be, like, which Fable is he?
THE HEART MADE OF CLAY CH. 4
Part 3
"Stop!" Bigby shouted grabbing Bluebeard's arm. The hatchet's edge literally touched the tip of Cl… moreay's nose before stopping, causing him to shudder in fright.
"Let me go!" Bluebeard shouted throwing a punch at Bigby. The sheriff caught it though, proceeding to twist Bluebeard's arm and slam him against the table.
Clay stumbled back a few steps as the two continued to struggle. Bluebeard actually tried to kill him! He didn't even show a sign of hesitance! The thought to ran out the door screamed in Clay's head, but his shock continued to immobilize him.
"It's a monster!" Bluebeard shouted straining to free himself. "We need to kill it now!"
He freed his arm and shoved Bigby off. Without wasting a second, he threw the hatchet at Clay's head!
Clay wasn't immobilized anymore! He stepped out of the way, but not quickly enough as the hatchet's edge cut across his cheek before embedding into t… [view original content]
The Clay Boy is an actual Russian folktale. My version is kind of a merging of the original folk tale "Lutoschenka" adapted by Mary W. Crona… moren and the Clay Boy book by Mirra Ginsburg, but with the sweet parts re-purposed or given a sinister twist. Just like Fables Hehe!
All of my characters are based on actual folktales or stories that haven't been used in the Fables verse yet, which requires a little reaching. Originally the Babjaga was supposed to be involved too since she plays into one of the original Clay Boy stories, but Fables' version of her was completely different than what I had planned so I axed her.
It's a cute little story that could be interrupted horribly wrong by a guy like me! Hehe. If you've seen the Powerpuff Girls episode with BEBO, it's essentially the base Clay Boy story crossed with Gremlins.
I remember seeing the show, but since it was so long ago I can't recall anything major about it. I'll go search for it on Youtube later and hope I find it.
It's a cute little story that could be interrupted horribly wrong by a guy like me! Hehe. If you've seen the Powerpuff Girls episode with BEBO, it's essentially the base Clay Boy story crossed with Gremlins.
In the second part of the chapter, he's identified as the Clay Boy. It's a Russian folk tale that hasn't been uses in the Fables verse yet. See my above posts to DragonButter.
I love these stories. So full of detail and they keep you guessing what will happen next. I'm curious too about his background. I'm not sure if you mentioned but who is Clay supposed to be, like, which Fable is he?
Good work!
I love these stories. So full of detail and they keep you guessing what will happen next. I'm curious too about his background. I'm not sure if you mentioned but who is Clay supposed to be, like, which Fable is he?
Good work!
Just had my first day of school guys It actually wasn't bad. We're starting a new Block Scheduling thing this year, instead of the normal "You see every class every day" thing. So today, I had 4 classes for 90 minutes each, and tomorrow I have 4 different classes for 90 minutes each, and it alternates back and forth. So basically tomorrow is also my first day of school XD But it was nice. I especially like my French 3 class, the teacher was like ,"Wassup guys, you missed me, didn't you!" lol. And apparently Amazon had been lying to me on the shipping date for my copy of the sims 4 (Limited edition, I might add) And so I get it tomorrow by 8 PM. WOo! Guess who's not going to do her homework? Jk, I'll just make sure to get it all done in our 90 minute periods :L But I'm totally excited for that.
Anyway, after that mini "Life-update/rant" Thing....I think I'll type out another chapter! Or something
They sat there, sharing stories for a good while. The rumblings of a thunderstorm were brushing in, the wind picking up speed and blowing in through the open window. One good gush blew every single candle around the two out.
Peter laughed,"Guess it's lights out then. I have to get going, before Wendy notices I've been gone for too long. She likes me at least in my room at a certain time."
"Sounds like you're more her child than her, well..."
"Best friend? Yeah. I've noticed it, a long, long time ago. We were never able to have children on our own, and as she got older and less interested in a romantic relationship, the more it grew.....in that direction, I suppose. I dunno. It's whatever, though." Peter hopped up to the window, reaching his arms out.
"Raining yet?"
"A light drizzle. I can still fly in it." He smiled.
Morgan stood, heading toward him,"Well, see ya later, then. We need to figure out escape plans next time we meet."
"Yeah. And we should include Tiana. She may not always be nice to me, but she still deserves a way out of this....mess." Peter felt slightly uncomfortable calling all that Wendy had created a mess, even if it were true. He almost felt bad for going behind her back like this. Almost.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Morgan said. Peter stepped out the Window, hovering close enough for a last farewell.
Then, before Morgan could catch her bearings, he kissed her on the lips. One sweet kiss, only lasting a few seconds. Morgan stood there, dumbfounded as the boy smiled brightly.
"I, uh. I just wanted to, well. I don't know. I wanted to see...to see if there was like a- a Zing, or something. Like, ah, when me and Wendy, we used to kiss and we felt a zing, and uh-....."
Morgan stood there, wordless, her hand touching her lips softly.
"I uh- Yes. I mean, there was....a sorta....Zing. Well....Sorry. Just, I can see that you, um-..." Peter began backing up out of the window frame, the rain beginning to poor harder. Morgan reached out for him and she planted a kiss back on his lips. She began to drift out as they floated together in the twilight, getting soaked and listening to the rumble of the storm.
"NOOOO!" They heard from back in the house. It was Wendy's screams, as she'd discovered the two together, sharing their passionate moment.
"Wendy!" Peter let go of Morgan's embrace, looking back and forth between the two of them.
Morgan could have run away, once more.
But she didn't.
She followed Peter who'd returned indoors. Wendy started to cry, and a little pull deep down made Morgan feel bad for the old woman.
"How could you do this to me?" She sobbed into her hands. Peter, unable to utter a word of defense, took it all. He let her berate him and just stood there.
"You- You unfaithful, wretched man!" She screamed at him. Just then, Dee burst up the stairs, his fat rolls jiggling from the extra exertion of energy.
"Execute her," She said, pointing to Morgan.
"No! Wendy, please! Just- Let her go!" Peter pulled her arm back.
"NO! I will die before I let her live another day." She yelled back at him. Dee immediately grab Morgan, holding her arms aggressively behind her back. He led her down the stairs, although Morgan kicked and screamed for help.
"Peter!" She yelled as they descended the stairs,"Peter! Don't let Wendy control you! You've got your own mind- Do what's right!" She yelled. Dee took her outside to the backyard. There was a stone set in place, and this was the first time she noticed the red stains covering it. A chopping block. Dee mashed her head into the rock, scraping the skin on her cheek.
"Don't....do this," She managed to utter.
Dee was wordless. He locked her head down in place, lifting an axe that sat nearby.
His arms rose in the sky and then.....
KABOOM!!!!
A gun went off. Morgan opened her eyes, thinking she was dead and this was the hell that she'd been sent to. But then she felt herself being released, small hands lifting her out of her place. Tiana.
When Morgan could stand, she looked behind her. Dee's body lay in the muddy grass, a collection of crimson colored liquid forming behind his head.
"You-...You killed him," Morgan stuttered.
"What choice did I have? He was going to kill you!" Tiana said. The rain was beginning to poor even harder.
"What about Wendy and Peter?" Morgan looked up toward the house. She was afraid that Wendy was going to do something to Peter.
Tiana grimaced,"That was taken care of already. We need to get out of here! Wendy's guards will be over in point 5 seconds if we don't scurry our asses away."
"We need to find Peter! And we need to rescue the prisoners, and-"
"It will all happen, in due time. We need to go!"
Peter stumbled through the back door. His face was bruised and he looked like he'd been crying.
"Thank god you're alive!" Morgan yelled. Peter walked past them, toward the bunker. After a minute, he emerged with those who were trapped in there.
"Run!" He told them. "Run now, or you'll get caught! Go!" The three inmates hurried out, running in separate directions. The lightning was getting closer and closer.
"I can hear the dogs," Tiana muttered.
"We need to get out of here. Me and Morgan can fly, you just have to hold onto our hands!"
"Are you fucking nuts? I've never flown before, what if I fall?"
"We need to leave, before you become dog food!" Morgan yelled. The rain was making it hard to hear anything. Each of them grabbed Tiana's hand and they began to fly away. It was dangerous to be out like this in a storm.
"Which way, Peter?"
"Anywhere that's away from here," He replied. They flew past the big clock tower. Now that Morgan was able to observe it further, it reminded her a lot of Big Ben in London, back in the mundy world.
They didn't stop until the rain stopped pooring down on them.
They landed near a motionless lake. It was still night time, though the rain had stopped and Morgan suspected they had flown for 3 hours at least. The shore was made of brown sand, soft between their toes as they took off their shoes and waded in the water, cleaning themselves wherever the rain didn't reach.
Peter sat in the sand, a haunted look on his face. Morgan left Tiana in the water and joined the boy, who hadn't said a peep since they left.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Morgan uttered. She almost stopped mid question, thinking it was stupid to ask.
"She slapped me. She slapped me so hard, it gave me a black eye. She kept blaming me. 'It was all your fault!' she said."
"For what? What did you do?"
"She said that I was the reason they died. I was the reason she has nobody left," Peter began to sob, covering his face with his hands.
Morgan wrapped her arm around his, letting him cry it out. She was going to open a portal as soon as they were ready to move on.
"So what now?" Tiana asked, walking up to them. She carried her shoes in her hand and plopped them on the ground in front of them.
"We go home. To Fabletown." Morgan replied.
Peter spoke up,"I killed her. I fucking...I killed her, Morgan." His sobs resumed.
She patted his shoulder, nothing else to say.
"But I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to kill her. But she needed to die. She needed to let herself die, for Christ's sake."
Peter was leaning on Morgan's chest. Morgan threw her fingers in his tangled mess of soaked hair, letting him cry it all out. Tiana stood there, awkwardly watching as the two embraced in front of them.
"So....? We gonna....go?"
"Yes, we're leaving," Morgan replied. Without moving, she opened a portal behind her. It shone bright in the darkness, illuminating everything around them.
Peter and Morgan stood, hands clasped within each other. They stepped through.
Together.
I did it! I finished it! I hope you liked it, I just felt really inspired to write it ALL. I'll start writing about Harmony soon enough, when I figure out what I'm doing with her next. I've already started looking for names, and I've got a few down on paper. I think you'll like them
'Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head.'
Yeah. I SHOULD be doing homework but my brain needs a break. Been at it for two hours now. Some of these were requested by other users on the forum.
I'm in a 'drawing pregnant women' kind of mood and noticed I have not done a SINGLE picture of Lyla pregnant. Its because of her and Georgie, we are here today.
Enjoy.
My eyes rapidly opened, as I frantically arose from the cold floor of my kitchen. I peered around the dark room; the fuck was I doing back here? Was all of that a dream? It felt so real, as the shadows grew around me, the hidden truth behind the mirror; Ariana standing before me, as I viciously demanded answers. Then, those flashbacks. Of me and Mary. What was this?
"Hello-" I called out to the dark. "Mary? You here?" Nothing, as I rubbed my neck. "Mary..."
I carefully headed to the living room. The honking and busy city streets could be heard from the sliding glass door. The moon was shinning directly into the room, as it glowed and invaded the darkness. Step by step, I paced my movements down the hall and into George's room. His night light was shinning intensly, as I peeked in and foud him fast asleep. Next, I looked into the girl's room; Sheila had her face covered with the blanket, as the twin girls cuddled closly to their stuffed animals.
With a sigh of relief, I gently shut the door and retired back to the bedroom. This must have been an odd dream; my lack of sleep was sending me to the brink of insanity. Perhaps my family WAS onto something. As I flipped the bedroom light on, there she was; Mary was sound asleep on the bed, holding one of my shirts. I stood befuddled by the dresser; no, this couldn't be real, as I steadily walked over to her side of the bed.
"Mary-" I cautiously moved her. "Sweetie, wake up."
Her eyes opened. She seemed surprised to see me. "Junior? When did you get home-"
"What the fuck are you talking about?" I was perplexed by her question. "I've BEEN home."
Mary stood up. "No. When I got here, neither you OR the kids were home, so I took the liberty of waiting for you until-"
She could see the comlex look upon my face. There was no way. I came home to an empty apartment; the last time I'd seen Mary was in the alley behind the Trip Trap. While I stood and poundered this, the rain began once more outside. The gentle tapping against the window seemed to help calm my nerves.
"That whole thing. With the Trip Trap-"
"Junior, what is wrong with you?"
I was beginning to question that myself. "Nothing. I'm...its good to have you home..."
Mary didn't approve of this answer. I could instantly notice that. "Junior. Are you okay?"
I smiled. "Yeah. Been a, a long day. Looking forward to relaxing. Got paid, so in the morning we can get some groceries and-"
Mary grabbed the check, placed it on the night stand and as she stood upon her knees on the bed, she knocked my hat off and kissed my nose.
"That's wonderful, Porgie. Really, that sounds like a blast. But let's spend the rest of the night together, hm?" Fuck, this girl was always seducing me. Did it bother me? No. Fuck you.
I'd question my recent 'dreams' and sanity later. Right now, Mary was disrobing and I quickly found myself unbuttoning my pants.
"DADDY! Wake up! Mommy is making Waffles!"
I looked over and found Sheila, still in her pajamas, bouncing up and down on the bed. George was cuddled beside me, as the twin girls babbled and climbed over me, as if I became a play thing.
"Sheila-" I mummbled, as I sat up and rub my eyes. "What are you doing? You know you're not supposed to bounce on the bed."
George glared up. "Told ya'."
"I KNOW but mommy is making Waffles, daddy! WAFFLES, with lots of butter and syrup and-"
I snatched the ansty toddler, as George lept from the bed and I carefully picked up the twins. Aubrey snuggled against my neck, as Sophia leaned over and gave me a tiny kiss on the cheek.
"I love you too, girls. Oh, my babies! I love you all!"
Mary must have heard me, for there was a moment of laughter. I found her wearing nothing but a robe and slippers. The kitchen smelled heavenly, as I detected the aroma of Waffles, Bacon, Toast and Hashbrowns. As I placed the three girls in their seats, Mary flashed me a smile and continued pouring the batter into the pan.
"Well, good morning, sweetie. What's all this?" I wrapped my arms around her waist and gently kissed her neck.
"What, can I not make my hard working man something to eat?" She chuckled. "You always WANTED me doing normal mother things, so here I am."
"That's not what I meant, Mary. I just-"
She playfully kicked my leg. "Oh hush. I'd say something, but your daughter is staring right at me."
Sheila peered over her sippy cup and grinned. Sometimes, that was not always a positive thing. She WAS Mary's daughter. Who the fuck knows half the time.
"Oh, now she's MY daughter?"
Mary handed me a plate full of food. "Yeah cause when she gets into that 'I hate you' stages in life, she may not be around much longer. Enjoy her while you can."
Rolling my eyes, I sat at the table and assisted the kids with their meal. Mary would join us, as the six of us sat down to breakfast. To tell you the truth, it was a wonderful feeling. I watched as Mary began cutting up George's Waffle. He looked so relaxed and content to have her home. Perhaps what I said last night finally sunk in. He was all giggles the entire time we ate.
"I missed you last night, mommy." She wiped his sticky mouth as he spoke. "But it was fun."
"Oh yeah. What did papa Georgie and nana Lyla do with you kids?"
"Well, we helped nana make cookies and dinner. She made Pot Roast with potatoes! It was good, mommy! Then, we played games; Nana was painting the girl's nails, while papa and I were playing some games and watching the news."
"Wow, that sounds like fun, baby." Mary looked in my direction. "I DID notice the polish, Sheila."
She flashed us her finger nails. "Nana painted MINE black AND red!" She was so proud.
"Surprised your mom did that."
I sighed. "She, uh, knows better than to TRY painting anything but."
Finished with their meal, the kids all joined on the floor and played with one another. That was one thing that I enjoyed. No matter how different they were, didn't matter what kind of game, they always tried getting along. I felt bad for George sometimes; nothing but sisters to play with. Then, it made me think of the baby Mary desperatly wanted to have. I helped her clean up the kitchen.
"Glad you came back, Mary. I'm...I'm sorry."
She lathered the sponge with soap and began scrubbing the pan. She seemed to be ignoring my remarks, as the bubbles formed and the warm water rinsed away the leftover bits. She was so focused on the task before her.
"Mary-"
"I'm...I'm..." She seemd to be having trouble finding the words. "I'm sorry too, Porgie. You...what you said back there..."
"I was just telling-"
"And I'm glad you did. Did you see how he was acting at the table just now?" Even though she was turned towards the dishes, I could still see her despondent face. "He was attatched to me, like this was the first time seeing me..."
"He misses you, Mary. They all do but George is VERY close to you. He's too much like me. You've seen it before. All he wanted was you last night."
Mary glanced in my direction. "Well, he has me today. I'll watch the kids tonight while you're at work."
I took a dish and wipped it down. "You sure?"
Mary snorts. "You JUST told me the kids-"
"Okay, you're right." For some reason, the images from last night came bumrushing into my mind. To avoid any further confusion, I tried avoiding the thoughts and proceeded to focus on Mary. It was wonderful seeing her. But, there it was again. The mere thought and trouble of her recent behavior rushed back and knocked me to the ground. What happened last night and why did she suddenly want another kid? Mary did this right after George was born; then, again with Sheila, followed by the twins. It couldn't be a coincidence.
"Porgie-" Her voice instantly brought me back. "You alright?"
"Yeah. Just, enjoying this."
My neck began to burn. Fuck, this thing was going to give away my actual feelings but Mary didn't seem to give any indication she was feeling it as well. Or, perhaps she was ignoring it...for now. I continued drying the dishes, the mark still burning.
While the kids napped with Mary, the legend of Bloody Mary crossed my mind. In school, I had some knowledge to her history and why she was given the name. But that was all too easy; the mundies only knew HALF of our stories and that was probably the tip of the iceberg. Ariana mentioned something about her past; they knew eachother and this was part of the reason for their mysterious behavior.
While I searched the internet for more clues or answers, my phone rang. I quickly answered it, as to not wake up the others.
"Hello-" I whispered into the speaker.
"Hello, Junior?" Uncle Gren. "You there? Can barely hear ya, bud."
I quickly ran to the bedroom. "Sorry, kids were sleeping. Hear me now?"
"Heh, yeah, I can. Feel like that stupid commercial. 'Can you hear me now?'"
I chuckled. "What's up?"
"You in the mood to grab a burger with your ol' Uncle Gren or are you too 'mature' now to do things like that?"
I looked at the clock. "No, that sounds fine. I have time. Where did you-"
"How does In N Out sound to you? There is one not too far from your place and I've been craving Animal Fries for DAYS now."
"Yeah, that does sound great. Just..you and me?"
"Yeah, bud." He paused. "Just you and me..."
I didn't like that. "Okay...see you in twenty minutes?"
"Great. See you then."
I scribbled a quick note for Mary, kissed her cheek and left the apartment. While I waited for the elevator, I figured this would be a great opportunity to have lunch with my uncle and find out what I needed. Something was going on. I KNOW what I saw, what I heard. What I knew.
As I stepped out into the cold world, my eyes met up with hers, as she walked right past me and down into the Subway.
Ariana.
Chapter 14 soon
If you have any questions or concerns, leave them in the comments below. Something is up and we are about to find out. What's going on? You can fool a Porgie for so long...
Junior's face in the 1st one! TTG...HIRE THIS GUY! Thank you for the 3rd image. 'Fuck off-he's mine!' Typical Mary! XD They are all wonderful, Porgie. Great work.
Also, I'm curious now. Junior brought up Mary's past in regards to the name she was given. 'Mundies didn't know HALF our story.' I'm curious now how you'll contribute that with her past. Also, how cute was the breakfast scene. And damn, Mary-waffles, toast, hasbrowns! Slap a ring on that finger, Porgie! Also, I'm beggining to NOT trust Ariana. I'm with Em when she said 'she is up to no good.' That girl is ALWAYS creeping around! And Gren. I'm starting to think HE knows something, too.
Ugh! This is killing me, Pie! Can't wait to read more! #BloodyPorgie
Chapter 13
"Miss you"
'Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head.'
Yeah. I SHOULD be doing homework but … moremy brain needs a break. Been at it for two hours now. Some of these were requested by other users on the forum.
I'm in a 'drawing pregnant women' kind of mood and noticed I have not done a SINGLE picture of Lyla pregnant. Its because of her and Georgie, we are here today.
Enjoy.
My eyes rapidly opened, as I frantically arose from the cold floor of my kitchen. I peered around the dark room; the fuck was I doing back here? Was all of that a dream? It felt so real, as the shadows grew around me, the hidden truth behind the mirror; Ariana standing before me, as I viciously demanded answers. Then, those flashbacks. Of me and Mary. What was this?
"Hello-" I called out to the dark. "Mary? You here?" Nothing, as I rubbed my neck. "Mary..."
I carefully headed to the living room.… [view original content]
Awe! Those pictures are awesome! My favorite is Mary being all possessive "Fuck off, he's MINE!" Lol. And Lyla pregnant, so cute
Holy crap, just imagining Mary in a robe and slippers cooking breakfast was enough to send me over the deep end.
I'd like to state one thing: There are no In N Out Burger's on the east coast :L It's strictly a west coast Franchise I wish though, I'd eat them out of business if they were ANYWHERE near me.
And like I said. There's something Fishy going on with Ariana. I need to know!!! And about Mary ;w;
Chapter 13
"Miss you"
'Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head.'
Yeah. I SHOULD be doing homework but … moremy brain needs a break. Been at it for two hours now. Some of these were requested by other users on the forum.
I'm in a 'drawing pregnant women' kind of mood and noticed I have not done a SINGLE picture of Lyla pregnant. Its because of her and Georgie, we are here today.
Enjoy.
My eyes rapidly opened, as I frantically arose from the cold floor of my kitchen. I peered around the dark room; the fuck was I doing back here? Was all of that a dream? It felt so real, as the shadows grew around me, the hidden truth behind the mirror; Ariana standing before me, as I viciously demanded answers. Then, those flashbacks. Of me and Mary. What was this?
"Hello-" I called out to the dark. "Mary? You here?" Nothing, as I rubbed my neck. "Mary..."
I carefully headed to the living room.… [view original content]
Haha, nice little story with school there! Had me smiling. :P Perhaps you can teach us a little French when you get an A++ in there, right? Anyways, absolutely adored this. The whole event leading up to Morgan and Peter's relationship really had me hooked, plus, Dee had what was coming to him, obviously.
Just had my first day of school guys It actually wasn't bad. We're starting a new Block Scheduling thing this year, instead of the normal "… moreYou see every class every day" thing. So today, I had 4 classes for 90 minutes each, and tomorrow I have 4 different classes for 90 minutes each, and it alternates back and forth. So basically tomorrow is also my first day of school XD But it was nice. I especially like my French 3 class, the teacher was like ,"Wassup guys, you missed me, didn't you!" lol. And apparently Amazon had been lying to me on the shipping date for my copy of the sims 4 (Limited edition, I might add) And so I get it tomorrow by 8 PM. WOo! Guess who's not going to do her homework? Jk, I'll just make sure to get it all done in our 90 minute periods :L But I'm totally excited for that.
Anyway, after that mini "Life-update/rant" Thing....I think I'll type out another chapter! Or something
They sat there, sharing stories for a… [view original content]
Thanks again for accepting to do my request! I love Holly's expression, such a suave troll. :P I also haven't even heard of this 'In N Out' place before with its supposedly famous Animal Fries. I guess I'm missing out since it's not part of the Midwest around here.
Chapter 13
"Miss you"
'Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head.'
Yeah. I SHOULD be doing homework but … moremy brain needs a break. Been at it for two hours now. Some of these were requested by other users on the forum.
I'm in a 'drawing pregnant women' kind of mood and noticed I have not done a SINGLE picture of Lyla pregnant. Its because of her and Georgie, we are here today.
Enjoy.
My eyes rapidly opened, as I frantically arose from the cold floor of my kitchen. I peered around the dark room; the fuck was I doing back here? Was all of that a dream? It felt so real, as the shadows grew around me, the hidden truth behind the mirror; Ariana standing before me, as I viciously demanded answers. Then, those flashbacks. Of me and Mary. What was this?
"Hello-" I called out to the dark. "Mary? You here?" Nothing, as I rubbed my neck. "Mary..."
I carefully headed to the living room.… [view original content]
Just had my first day of school guys It actually wasn't bad. We're starting a new Block Scheduling thing this year, instead of the normal "… moreYou see every class every day" thing. So today, I had 4 classes for 90 minutes each, and tomorrow I have 4 different classes for 90 minutes each, and it alternates back and forth. So basically tomorrow is also my first day of school XD But it was nice. I especially like my French 3 class, the teacher was like ,"Wassup guys, you missed me, didn't you!" lol. And apparently Amazon had been lying to me on the shipping date for my copy of the sims 4 (Limited edition, I might add) And so I get it tomorrow by 8 PM. WOo! Guess who's not going to do her homework? Jk, I'll just make sure to get it all done in our 90 minute periods :L But I'm totally excited for that.
Anyway, after that mini "Life-update/rant" Thing....I think I'll type out another chapter! Or something
They sat there, sharing stories for a… [view original content]
Awe! Those pictures are awesome! My favorite is Mary being all possessive "Fuck off, he's MINE!" Lol. And Lyla pregnant, so cute
Holy cr… moreap, just imagining Mary in a robe and slippers cooking breakfast was enough to send me over the deep end.
I'd like to state one thing: There are no In N Out Burger's on the east coast :L It's strictly a west coast Franchise I wish though, I'd eat them out of business if they were ANYWHERE near me.
And like I said. There's something Fishy going on with Ariana. I need to know!!! And about Mary ;w;
Thanks again for accepting to do my request! I love Holly's expression, such a suave troll. :P I also haven't even heard of this 'In N Out' … moreplace before with its supposedly famous Animal Fries. I guess I'm missing out since it's not part of the Midwest around here.
Yeah, maybe you should've! >:P Sorry, felt like being a smartass there. Smashburger would be a good joint to replace it with if you do consider changing it. Although, it's entirely up to you. :P
Don't worry about the quality, as long as it doesn't burn out my sockets, we're fine.
-feels like an idiot again- Maybe I should have picked a different place for these two to get burgers. XD
Also, glad you like it. I love getting' little challenges like that every so often. Sorry for the terrible quality. -Throws phone-
Well, by the way you are able to type, guess you still have the sockets. Whew! For a second there...
But I'm going to HAVE to change it. I'll just throw something in there. IDK. Gren did something or I'll figure it out as I go! Damn. Knew I should have just stuck to McDonalds or something. XD
Yeah, maybe you should've! >:P Sorry, felt like being a smartass there. Smashburger would be a good joint to replace it with if you do co… morensider changing it. Although, it's entirely up to you. :P
Don't worry about the quality, as long as it doesn't burn out my sockets, we're fine.
'I'm not sure if you've been receiving my last few letters. I hope all is well back home. I miss you terribly but had to do this. I promise in time, I'll come back for you. In the meantime, try to avoid father and his abnormal behavior. Hear he's been rather ill and I'd hate to spew this out into the open but...I hope he kills over one night and mother is forced to deal with it all alone. She and the others may rot in the pits of darkness for all I care. They never tried...none of them. I fear we are at war, brother; there is a powerful force known only as the 'Adversary' that is forcing us away from this place. I'll find you and together, we shall venture to the new world and start a new. I love you, brother and wish to hear from you again. Love your brother, Ben.'
"Ben. Benjamin Porgie."
He gazed up into the swirling mess of chairs, bottles and various other objects. Ben, now standing a few feet from The Great Fairy Witch, stares at all the faces glaring back at him. The Fairy Witch carefully extends her fingers out and one by one, aims for his hand. They are glowing black and shaking violently. Ben's brow breaks out in a sweat, his eyes darting back and forth.
"Relax, Ben. Steady...easy does it, my boy. Do not force the objects to be released. Allow them to-"
Maddie, the witch disguised as a black cat, jumps from a nearby bookshelf, circles a coffee table and leaps upon a table not too far from Ben. She carefully grooms her paws, while The Fairy Witch still tries to attempt the revival of Ben's psyche.
"You'll never reach him THAT way, my dear; for you are too mad and unable to see the reason behind the boy's inability to concentrate for too long." The black cat jumps down and circles Ben's pant leg. "His mind is like a cluttered closet-too much is placed inside a tiny space and after so long, those things become one and is unable to be controlled."
Ben looked down and found Maddie. His lips moved, as he mouthed some words to the black cat. She purred, walked away and snatched a vile of clear, bubbling goo. Frau Totenkinder, Prospero and Morgan carefully watched as Maddie released the goo onto Ben's head. The chairs came down one by one, like loose rocks along the cliff's edge. He leaned into the walls, clutched his chest and began breathing heavily. Morgan reached for the boy but was quickly stopped by Maddie.
"He must learn to control these emotions." Her yellow eyes watched, as the black magic within Ben's body slowly hid away and disappeared. "Ben can not let his emotions or thoughts of his brother interfere with his magic. This could seriously cause injury to us, himself or someone around him."
Ben closed his eyes and continued holding his chest. "It....hurts...Maddie....I'm-"
"Hush, child. This will indeed cause you dire pain and misery but we can not take a chance like that. You MUST learn to control it, Benjamin."
"That...man...he mentioned my brother...."
"Ah yes. The Sheriff and his Folker Werewolf friend. They do have information on your brother but your time has not drawn closely yet; your brother still must regain back the trust and love from this city, as do you as his brother."
Ben swore he'd come back for Georgie. This wasn't the original plan, however, things changed and took a turn for the worse back at the Homelands. Last he had heard of Georgie, he and some girl met up and decided to take the world on for themselves. Ben was lost in the new world and no one knew where Georgie was. They were supposed to be together. Just the two of them.
"When...when will I see-"
The clinking sounds of knitting needles came from the corner. Frau rocked back and forth in her chair, as the ball of yarn slowly shrunk to mere nothing.
"Maddie is teaching you well, dear boy; your mind is ready and willing to be a productive Wizard but its in here that is barley learning to understand forgiveness and understanding. Your brother is learning to do the same; when the day comes and you too have learned, then you may see Georgie Porgie. Until then, the portal will be your only window into his world."
Ben closed his eyes, as Maddie took a seat beside him. He gently stroked the cat's fur, as her purring grew louder and stronger.
"I promise you, Benjamin, the time will come. But you have a gift, my dear lad-a gift that will be used in the future for the greater good of this family."
He inhaled deeply. "What is that, Maddie?"
She points to a rather large mirror. "Inside of there is will you shall show not only yourself the loyalty within but to your brother's eyes as well; for one day, you will be called upon to stop something evil from happening once again to your family."
Ben clentched his fists, as he stood up. His plams remained a dark blue. Scattered on the floor, were various chairs and broken bottles.
"I should...probably clean that up."
A broom flew in his direction. Ben caught it just in time. Maddie jumped back upon the book shelf, curled up and continued grooming her paw.
"You do that, my student and later, we will begin your lesson in Teleporting into other demisions and worlds. But for now, clean this and take a few hours to yourself."
Ben returned to his tiny apartment later that evening. The lesson did not go as planned; he and Maddie landed in a world inhabited entirely by Goblins and Canibals. Luckily, Maddie knew how to return home. All Ben could see was his brother; would he really understand all this nonsense or was he doomed to view his only remaining family member through portals? He knocked the trash bin down, knowing the trouble he was in, the dangers he faced. His neard death...the Sheriff...the man who's daughter would save him.
"Sweetie, is that you?"
A woman, wearing only her panties and tank top, peered from the corner. Her ebony hair with blue tint fell to her shoulders, as she carefully watched him.
"Yes. Its me, Drusilla."
"You do not look well, my dear? Something troubling you?"
"Georgie...How, how is he-"
"Ssh. My brother is not pleased with this man but he assures me he'll keep a close eye out for him. Now with this new fate told and the Sheriff willing to work this out, perhaps soon, you two will meet again."
Ben traced the scar across her right eye, as he pushed back her hair and kissed her forehead.
"You always know how to relax me, Drusilla."
"Yes, my dear husband. Now come. Take your clothes off, forget about this magic and bathe in some warm water. Relax. Perhaps I may join you in the warmth and glow and your company."
Ben smiles. "You Grendels and your damn water."
That night, as he soaked in the warm waters and Drusilla lathered his back with various oils and herbs, all he could think about was him. Georgie Porgie.
I'm just doing this for fun and it will answer some questions that still remained unanswered. If you have anything you'd like to ask or are confused about something, please let me know.
I'm glad you are still continung this because since you brought Ben into the mix, I'm curious. Especially after you mention the mirror, he helps his family...hmmm...I think...I HAVE an idea on what is taking place. I'll PM you or see you tonight and see if I'm right. Hmmm.
Anyways, loving this Drusilla chick. Gren's sister? Since YOU are SUDDENLY doing random drawings for people, could you do a sketch of this Drusilla girl and more of Ben...maybe? He's hot...XD
Anyway, great work, Pie! More!!! NOW!!!
BTW, love how you are using the witches from the comic. Maddy! Yay!
Prologue IDK what number. Think 5. Yeah...5
'Wish you were here'
To my dearest brother Georgie:
'I'm not sure if you've been rece… moreiving my last few letters. I hope all is well back home. I miss you terribly but had to do this. I promise in time, I'll come back for you. In the meantime, try to avoid father and his abnormal behavior. Hear he's been rather ill and I'd hate to spew this out into the open but...I hope he kills over one night and mother is forced to deal with it all alone. She and the others may rot in the pits of darkness for all I care. They never tried...none of them. I fear we are at war, brother; there is a powerful force known only as the 'Adversary' that is forcing us away from this place. I'll find you and together, we shall venture to the new world and start a new. I love you, brother and wish to hear from you again. Love your brother, Ben.'
"Ben. Benjamin Porgie."
He gazed up into the swirling mess of ch… [view original content]
Haha yeah, well I know enough to order some food at a cafe and general stuff like that! Maybe I should incorporate as much as I can into the writing a do. Which won't be a lot, but enough X3
I'd been trying to create a budding romance between the two. As far as I know, Morgan isn't married (Even though she's referred to as Mrs. Green very often.) SO I figured since I actually like her character a lot, I'd give her someone she'd come to love
Haha, nice little story with school there! Had me smiling. :P Perhaps you can teach us a little French when you get an A++ in there, right? … more Anyways, absolutely adored this. The whole event leading up to Morgan and Peter's relationship really had me hooked, plus, Dee had what was coming to him, obviously.
Yeah, like I said above; Dee had it coming, eventually. Also what I said above, I've been wanting to create a romantic relationship between Morgan and a non-canon character just because she's one of my favorite witches from the comics (Aside from Ozma and Frau Totenkinder, of course.). Peter was my choice from the beginning, although I had no clue how I'd introduce it until it came to me. I didn't get ALL of the names, but I'll be giving them middle names associated with family and friends. I'm literally dying for the sims 4 over here right now, like, I'm getting it tomorrow sometime after school, this isn't fair. I've been waiting since my birthday and June for this! Lol, I'm so impatient. In the mean time, I've been playing the Sims 2 xD Unfortunately, my sims 3 (Yes, I'm a privileged SOB) has not been working. It's most likely to do with a corrupt file somewhere in there, and I have to probably take a class and read 4 tutorials on how to decode it or whatever and delete the bug. To much work though :V Oh well.
Freakin' Dee. Glad he got it in the end. Intresting take on Peter and Morgan. Can't wait to see the names of the babies.
Glad to hear sc… morehool is great. Also, yay for the Sims 4. Can't wait; bet you can either, especially with that remark about hw. Trust me. XD
Lol, don't feel bad! I feel stupid whenever I forget things in the comics and then I have to either look it up or flip back in the pages of my own comics to see what I'm forgetting. I actually want to reread them all, but that takes up a lot of time >.< It'll happen, eventually.
Can't wait to see what you do with Ariana and such. It's really, really intriguing me.
0.o Oh....man! I messed up!
Well....looks like something NEW came to Fabletown! -feels like an idiot-
I have an idea with Ariana and the whole thing with Mary. I've been toying with it and hopefully, will put it on paper. Er uh, screen. XD
There's no smash burgers on the east coast either :L We have Burger Kings, McDonalds, Five Guys Burgers and Fries (AMAZING FOOD), lots of home-owned businesses in NYC, I'm sure. We have a hotdog place called Dewey's Dogs down the street. They have burgers, too.
IDK, the east coast is more of a "pizza and bagels and subs" type a deal. And down south, its ALL fried chicken. ALL.
Yeah, maybe you should've! >:P Sorry, felt like being a smartass there. Smashburger would be a good joint to replace it with if you do co… morensider changing it. Although, it's entirely up to you. :P
Don't worry about the quality, as long as it doesn't burn out my sockets, we're fine.
Aw man. You're bringing the Great Fairy Witch into the deal. That's big. I love how she's completely senile and never makes sense (At least, most of the time she doesn't make sense.) XD
Oooh, so Drusilla is a Grendel? That's awesome! Seems like Ben's got a lot to deal with. I hope his predicament turns out a little better than Harmony's, considering the trouble she'd caused trying to be better than she was. It's kinda sad, how lost Ben is and how much he wants his brother. I'm sure we'll see further on what's to come, another day.
Prologue IDK what number. Think 5. Yeah...5
'Wish you were here'
To my dearest brother Georgie:
'I'm not sure if you've been rece… moreiving my last few letters. I hope all is well back home. I miss you terribly but had to do this. I promise in time, I'll come back for you. In the meantime, try to avoid father and his abnormal behavior. Hear he's been rather ill and I'd hate to spew this out into the open but...I hope he kills over one night and mother is forced to deal with it all alone. She and the others may rot in the pits of darkness for all I care. They never tried...none of them. I fear we are at war, brother; there is a powerful force known only as the 'Adversary' that is forcing us away from this place. I'll find you and together, we shall venture to the new world and start a new. I love you, brother and wish to hear from you again. Love your brother, Ben.'
"Ben. Benjamin Porgie."
He gazed up into the swirling mess of ch… [view original content]
There's no smash burgers on the east coast either :L We have Burger Kings, McDonalds, Five Guys Burgers and Fries (AMAZING FOOD), lots of ho… moreme-owned businesses in NYC, I'm sure. We have a hotdog place called Dewey's Dogs down the street. They have burgers, too.
IDK, the east coast is more of a "pizza and bagels and subs" type a deal. And down south, its ALL fried chicken. ALL.
I'm just kinda eh with this one. May finish it later. More focused on Mary and Junior's tale at the moment. When that one is done, MIGHT come back to this one. I need to brush up on the comics and read more, go back and refresh my mind.
Aw man. You're bringing the Great Fairy Witch into the deal. That's big. I love how she's completely senile and never makes sense (At least,… more most of the time she doesn't make sense.) XD
Oooh, so Drusilla is a Grendel? That's awesome! Seems like Ben's got a lot to deal with. I hope his predicament turns out a little better than Harmony's, considering the trouble she'd caused trying to be better than she was. It's kinda sad, how lost Ben is and how much he wants his brother. I'm sure we'll see further on what's to come, another day.
Shit, you guys are missing out! :O Smashburgers should totally expand their business over there someday. I've been at Five Guys before, it was alright. I still remember how I had a salty Mountain Dew over there before.
There's no smash burgers on the east coast either :L We have Burger Kings, McDonalds, Five Guys Burgers and Fries (AMAZING FOOD), lots of ho… moreme-owned businesses in NYC, I'm sure. We have a hotdog place called Dewey's Dogs down the street. They have burgers, too.
IDK, the east coast is more of a "pizza and bagels and subs" type a deal. And down south, its ALL fried chicken. ALL.
Comments
You are a jerk, Pie! I'm mad at you! >:(
OMFG! That whole scene with the picture of Mary on the bikini model! That was priceless! And her picturing Junior in the shower, Lyla thinking she waled into him, well...you know. 'This is why I have Georgie do this!' XD
Also DAAWWWWW! Feels for the little dancing scene. Its all coming together and I LOVE this so much! Feels! Ugh! Just do him already, Mary! Stop hiding the truth! You want Junior!! You LOVE him! You have normal, HUMAN EMOTIONS!!! #BloodyPorgie
Lol, Mary at the beginning though XD I love her, so much! I kinda wish she was like this with Junior in the present time, but they've got more things to worry about, I'm sure. Even better was her impression of Junior XD I died laughing. Then the magazine with Mary on the page....I couldn't contain myself!
And then it was so cute! Mary and him just laying there, talking. THEN MY FAVORITE CHRISTINA PERRI SONG COMES ON AND MARY ACTUALLY LIKES IT OMFG! So romantic
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Brilliant! Thank ya kindly.
It has been going well thus far! I recently got back about 30-ish minutes ago, after singing along with multiple songs on the car radio. XD
All I can say for you is good luck with school and have fun with it while you can! :P
Peter and Tiana took turns telling Morgan bits and pieces of the whole thing.
"At first, it was nice, just me and Wendy. Of course, we were sad. But one day she woke up, looked at me, and said,'Everything is done with. We can move on.' So we started enjoying ourselves, with what little we had. I fell in love with her, and for a while, things seemed doable. Then, she started to age past me. I grew up to be an adult, but I stayed young. She didn't. Our relationship morphed from there, somewhat. I still love her, but it's not the same. If anything, she feels like a mother to me."
"Yeah, whatever you say," Tiana teases him. The she speaks up,"Wendy started recruiting. She found a lot of broken people like me. Like Dee. She found us all as we one by one traveled through here."
"Is there more than just you guys?" Morgan asked.
"Yeah, but we're basically at the top ranks, so to speak. All of the houses you see out here that aren't destroyed hold a lot of valuable hands. And, a lot of prisoners."
"Basically whoever is a threat to Wendy, she imprisons," Peter interjects.
"So, how do I play into this?" Morgan asked.
"Well, Wendy made some deals with us. I am supposed to get my castle and my husband back when this whole thing is over. Dee wanted revenge on whatever Fabletown is supposed to be. And Peter..."
"I've always been here. I've supported Wendy through everything."
"Alright. So what is Wendy's objective in all of this?"
"She never told us. She just kept collecting people together. She's the base of operations. She runs the place. A society, of sorts." Tiana stands, looking at her watch. "I have to get out of here, before she notices I've been gone too long. I don't care what you do, Peter. And uh, what was your name again?"
"I never told you my name. It's Morgan."
"Morgan. I like that name," Peter said, smiling childishly. He may have grown up some, but there was still a child deep down.
"Well, I might just take you up on that offer for Fabletown. As long as we get out of this alive. In all honesty, I don't think Wendy is going to hold her side of our bargain up. So you're my plan B, so to speak."
"Good to know. Bye, Tiana."
Tiana exits the room, leaving Peter and Morgan together, alone. It's getting dark, so Peter lights a few candles.
"The electricity up here doesn't work. The wires are shot, so...Candles it is. I don't have to report back to Wendy for another few hours, so I'll keep ya company."
"You don't have to," Morgan stated. She looked back toward the window, out at the stars that were beginning to shine through the darkening blue sky.
"I want to though." He said, smiling again.
"Alright. Tell me another story."
His grin grew wider,"Did I mention the time that me and Wendy...."
Morgan closed her eyes, listening to the boy's tale.
More progress! The calm before the storm, if you will
I'll explain WHY she acts the way she does to Junor now. Everything will make sense, I'm sure.
I wasn't going to include that part but I thought, 'Hey, why not' and I'm glad I did. His own private fantasy, as she put it. XD
I love that song; my buddies make fun of me cus its a 'chick' song but the message is beautiful and it fits them perfectl. Its their song.
I figured so. I can't wait to see what happens!
Christina Perri is one of my favorite artists. I've got a really, really diverse music taste XD
Feeling like there hasn't been enough Heart lately? No worries. I have more than enough to provide here with chapter four!
(Laughs at my own lame pun)
If you need to refresh or catch up, chapters 1 to 3 are on pages 44 and 45.
THE HEART MADE OF CLAY CH. 4
Part 1
A couple of years ago, Clay, Mike and Taylor went on an impromptu beer run. They had gotten off a late shift at the pizzeria and all the other two wanted was to drink the night away. It took a little cajoling to get Clay to join, but he eventually gave in. The actually purchasing went pretty flawlessly once they got to the liquor store. Hell, the register guy didn't even as for identification. So they were about to leave and enjoy their night of drunken stupor…
…when some haggard looking psycho walked inside with a shotgun. He told everyone to get on the floor, shooting a hole into the wall to show he meant business. Clay nearly shat himself sprawling on the ground next to Mike, while Taylor had the misfortune of being directly in the man's path to the register. Clay cursed and prayed to whoever was listening that they wouldn't die in a liquor shop. It seemed like a particularly pathetic death.
The man slurred and spat as he ordered the employee to point out the most expensive alcohol in stock. He then ordered Taylor to get it for him, emptying his spent shell to scare him. Taylor didn't waste a second getting back to his feet and grabbing the alcohol. He kept looking back to Clay and Mike to see if they saw anyway out of the situation. They had none to give sadly.
Once the alcohol was delivered, the employee opened the register and began emptying the till.
Then the gunman knocked the register off the counter with the butt of his weapon. He said something about money being 'the excrement of evil bureaucrats bending over our proud country.' He then opened the alcohol box, chugged one of the cans and put his own wallet on the counter. Clay then heard him mutter something about 'being dead before they knew it,' though it was unclear if he meant himself or one of them.
The man then tucked the case under an arm, shot out the store's front window and left as police sirens blared in the distance. And that was it. No other demands were made. No one else was threatened. He even closed the door on his way out. Clay never found out what happened to that guy, but he definitely didn't feel like drinking after that.
That had been the bar for Clay's 'weirdest moments ever' list. Being told he was a Fable topped it.
It wasn't being a storybook character that troubled him though. Well no, it did, but the little questions personal to him worried him more. If he was really a Fable, he should be as old as Nerissa right? Then why couldn't he remember anything before the last seven years? Why hadn't he noticed anything supernatural about him before now? Why didn't anyone here recognize him? Did surviving the car crash mean he was a popular Fable? He didn't feel like he was a Robin Hood or some other big hero. Then again, those killer Fables wouldn't chase him if he weren't significant somehow.
All of these questions buzzed in his head like a swarm of hornets. Even after everything that happened tonight, it felt too surreal to be true.
The twinge of pain he then felt on his scalp proved the opposite though.
"Sorry," Bufkin said standing on a table behind him as he discarded a piece of glass.
It had been an hour since the crash. There wasn't enough time to treat Clay's wounds before the Black Aggie or someone came back, so everyone got back in the car praying it would work. After a few failed attempts, the engine revved with enough power to take them to their destination before dying. Seeing how much damage the Golem dealt the car, Clay figured magic had to be involved with their stroke of luck.
Bigby and Nerissa led Clay into an apartment complex as someone from inside rushed out to help Snow with the car. Clay spotted a sign reading 'The Woodlands' on the way in and remembered the others had mentioned it earlier. Didn't they say it was unsafe? He didn't really have a choice in the matter though, so he had to go with it.
They eventually made their way up to a place called 'the Business Office.' If someone had told Clay a room this huge existed in this building before tonight, he would have called them crazy. The front part didn't seem too abnormal, as it was just a few desks, tables and cabinets in an office like manner. Then he noticed the long rows of bookshelves behind them. And the large piles of assorted items all over the place. And who could miss the pirate ship sailing through the air? This place must be pretty important to cram this much crap into it.
Nerissa sat Clay in a chair as Bigby gave them the same instruction Snow did about not opening the door for anyone but them. After mentioning he had to do some 'clean-up,' he quickly exited the office. Fortunately Bufkin was able to squeeze through Bigby's legs before he closed the door or he would have been locked out for a while.
That was half an hour ago. The only thing Clay had been up to since then was waiting for his bandaged wounds to heal while Bufkin and Nerissa quietly picked glass out of his skin. It was as fun as it sounded…
Clay stared down to the ground and nervously twiddled his fingers. Remembering all of that stuff made the nagging questions in his head even more so, along with the additional worrying for Taylor, Cheryl and Sally's safety. If they died because of him…
"Some night," Bufkin said trying to lighten the mood. "Lunatics, car crashes and mysteries galore, am I right?"
"Nerissa's glare shut him up for a moment. Clay figured he meant well, but he agreed that now wasn't the time.
"Well…at least you're all safe," Bufkin said meekly as he pulled out one more piece of glass. "There. That should be it."
Clay continued staring at the ground as he felt his scalp. He felt the tender areas where his wounds were still closing, but he couldn't feel anything else other than skin and hair. At least that was one problem out of a dozen he could scratch off.
"Did Doctor Swineheart say he would stop by?" Nerissa asked Bufkin.
"No, but I'm sure Miss White can convince him," he replied. "Johann should be patched up by now, so he'll have the time."
Nerissa nodded as she reached for Clay's hand, but he recoiled it. They touched him enough picking the glass out. He didn't feel like doing any more for a while.
"So…" Bufkin said to Clay. "You're a Fable?"
"…yeah," Clay replied not looking up.
"That's great. Which one are you?"
"…hell if I know."
An awkward pause followed before Bufkin looked to Nerissa. "Any ideas?"
She shook her head. Clay wasn't surprised. He could be anything from a prince to a troll for all they knew.
"Hm…gimme a minute," Bufkin said flying off the table and disappearing between some of the bookshelves.
Clay and Nerissa sat in silence for another minute. He could feel her gaze on him like a pair of headlights, but he couldn't muster the energy to do the same.
"Clay?" She finally asked worried.
He didn't reply.
"Honey?"
He stood up and walked over to one of the desks. A pernicious thought festered in his head right then. Why did she care what he was thinking? She did save him from 'not-Taylor,' but that was when she still thought he was a mundie. Isn't that what she thought he was an hour ago? That he was some defenseless, insignificant mundie? Snow thought so, so who can say Nerissa hadn't thought the same? Maybe even the whole time they dated too.
"Please…" Nerissa said standing up from her own chair. "Tell me what's on your mind. Brooding in silence won't help anything.
He leaned against the desk and sighed. Well, she wanted to know.
"When you thought I was still a mundie, how…how long did you plan to string me along?" He asked.
She didn't answer.
"A few more days? Weeks? Months?"
More silence. He closed his eyes and huffed. He had vented a lot tonight, especially to her. Still, he couldn't stop himself. He couldn't understand what she was thinking this whole time.
He paced to a different part of the room trying to keep his thoughts focused.
"What if I wasn't a Fable?" He continued. "What if I died in the crash? Or maybe some time before that? Would that have been a weight off your shoulders? Like all of the sudden, your mundie boy toy is out of the equation. Now he can't ruin your secret or drag you down anymore."
He could hear her walking now, but he couldn't tell which direction.
"That's it, isn't it?" He continued unable to stop his stream of conscious as his tears welled in his eyes. "I was going to be trouble either way. If tonight never happened, you'd still have to get rid of me. The fling would be over as soon as I found out."
Her footsteps were approaching him now. He crossed his arms and inched away as she stopped behind him.
"So how would you do it?" He said as his voice wavered. "Big messy break-up? A convenient lie? …killing me? No one would miss me. What's one stupid dead mundie to the safety of the community? Then you'd be free to find some immortal dick wad who couldn't shit all over your happy little life like I did. Right?"
That's when he heard her suppress a sob. Well…what did he expect her to do? He sighed and decided to turn to face her.
The look she gave him immediately burned in the back of his skull. Tears ran down her cheek, but they didn't dull the daggers in her eyes pointed right at him. One of her fists was shaking, possibly to stop her from punching him. Her body shook as they locked eyes with each other. It was surprising and kind of terrifying.
After a few more seconds, she unclenched her fist and wiped her eyes.
"Well?" She asked, her voice cracking with emotion. "Anything else you want to add?"
For the second time tonight, Clay felt like a heel. She hadn't answered his questions, but he couldn't find the passion to ask her again. He looked away, trying to avoid her face.
"No!" She shouted. "You got something to say, say it to my face!"
He closed his eyes and shuddered hearing that. She never shouted like this before. Yelling at Snow was one thing, but this felt more personal.
"You want to call me a whore too?" She said sharply. "You want to tell me how I played with your emotions because you're a stupid little mundie who makes shitty pizza and lives with two losers? Maybe you'll tell me how I planned to dump you into a river because I knew no one would care to look for you? Or maybe you'll tell me about how happy I'd be if you died because I wouldn't have to listen to your angry, asinine drivel ever again? You seem to know everything about me, so go on! Say it!"
Tears ran down Clay's face hearing her say that. An angry pause hung between them, with nothing but Bufkin distantly rummaging through books cutting the tension.
"…it hurts, doesn't it?" Nerissa then said. "Saying stupid shit you don't mean."
She walked back and sat on the desk facing away from him. Clay wiped his eyes and sat in a nearby chair. His body shook as he put a hand to his face. What the hell just happened? Did she mean any of that stuff she said? She wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true. He was just spewing out angry nonsense. Then again, how would she have known that?
He took a deep breath to stop from breaking down and slumped forward. He wasn't supposed to be here. Tonight should have ended sitting in front of a warm fire or relaxing in a soft bed. He didn't have those things anymore. That was a mundie world he wasn't a part of anymore.
"My whole life's a lie…" He said sorrowfully.
Nerissa didn't even budge.
Clay exhaled loudly to calm down. He was tired. He was afraid. He was confused. And now he was driving away the only person who had supported him this whole time. He wanted to say something. Take back that shit he said. Anything that wouldn't make him so pathetically desperate sounding.
"Hey!"
He turned to see Bufkin land on the desk nearby with a stack of books.
"Look what I found!" He said. "If we all take one, we could…"
It was then he noticed Clay and Nerissa sitting across the room looking unhappy.
"Oh…I'll, uh, I'll just start over here then," he said sitting down, opening a book and propping it up to keep himself out of their view.
Clay groaned. Getting out of his mental funk proved harder than he thought. Nerissa didn't deserve this. Her life was being just as ruined as his, what with not being able to go home and putting up with his cranky ass.
It was then that Clay noticed the books Bufkin had picked out. They looked like the old storybooks Mike used to read. He must be trying to find what Fable Clay was. Maybe helping him out and finding some answers would help Clay calm down. He started to stand up from his chair.
"Do you know how much of that is coming out of my pocket, sheriff?" A loud voiced boomed from out in the hall.
Clay sat back down as Bigby, Snow and some other guy entered the office.
"When you told me the car was a long-term investment," the other guy continued while adjusting his hood-rimmed classes. "You failed to mention that you literally meant I would have to keep paying for it!"
"You think we enjoyed wrecking it, Bluebeard?" Snow shot back.
"Sure looked like it! Do you know how much the repairs would cost?"
They were close enough now that Clay could get a better look at this Bluebeard guy, though the shine from his baldhead didn't help. He was a tall man, maybe even a bit taller than Bigby and just as built. He had clearly been sleeping before coming to the office, wearing a dress robe over some fancy pajamas to not look too casual. What really stood out though was the man's namesake. It looked like a tightly cropped black beard from a distance, but Clay swore he could see the faintest hint of blue in it.
"You're not hurting for cash," Bigby said to Bluebeard putting a potion vial from his pocket into a desk drawer. "And what else was Snow supposed to do? Golem charged right at her."
"Turn? Swerve out of the way? Anything but run into him!" Bluebeard replied. "And why the hell is Golem attacking you? Why is the Hook Man back in town?"
"If we knew why, we wouldn't waste time talking about it here."
"Well then you should do something about that."
"We already have," Snow said. "The car's out of sight now, we memory wiped the complex and we've been increasing the Woodlands' security spells."
"Are you sure you wiped everyne there?" Bluebeard pointed out. "What if you missed someone? Are we going to risk the community's safety on a hunch?"
"Right," Bigby replied sarcastically. "Because they're going to believe one person claiming to have seen a ghost and a werewolf fighting in a hallway."
"Don't mock me, sheriff!"
THE HEART MADE OF CLAY CH. 4
Part 2
"I'm not! Aggie's aura kept everyone too afraid to leave their homes anyway, so that one person who could remember us wouldn't have proof anyway."
"We sent people to clean up the mess too," Snow added. "By morning, it'll be like we were never there."
"Typical," Bluebeard grumbled. "You have no qualms burning through my money to cover your reckless mistakes. When some bastard is stealing from my castle though, you won't even lift a finger to stop them."
"We already checked the castle twice and questioned everyone in the building."
"And yet things still go missing!"
"How do you know it isn't Hobbes doing that?" Bigby asked.
"Because he knows better than to do something so stupid!"
Clay and Nerissa did their best to stay out of the conversation. Whoever this Bluebeard was, Clay had quickly learned not to upset him. He wasn't really in a mood to talk anyway.
That was out of his hands though as Bluebeard turned and spotted him.
"Who the hell is he?" He barked gruffly.
"His name's Clay," Bigby said. "Don't worry. He's with us."
Bluebeard sized up Clay before shooting an accusing glance to Bigby. "You brought a mundy into the Woodlands?"
"He's a Fable," Snow said.
"How do you know?"
"Because I personally set those bones back into place," Bigby noted pointing to Clay's bandaged limbs.
Clay stood up in case Bigby needed to further his point. His limbs felt tender, but they definitely weren't broken anymore.
"They healed just as fast as yours or mine would," Bigby continued. "Only a Fable can do that."
"Well I've never seen him before," Bluebeard said crossing his arms and scoffing. "What Fable is he then?"
"We don't know," Bufkin joined in diverting attention from his current book. "I've been looking it up, but his face doesn't match our records."
"So a mystery Fable then?" Bluebeard said. "For all we know, he could be in cahoots with those thugs."
"Highly unlikely," Bigby retorted.
"Why's that?"
"Because he's the one they're after. They killed one of his friends and are holding the rest hostage."
"Did you see that happen? How do you know that wasn't a well-consructed lie to get your sympathy? For all we know, he set everything up to sneak into the Woodlands so his friends can attack me."
"They're not my friends," Clay replied sternly glaring at Bluebeard. All of this conclusion jumping was annoying him.
"At least you can speak for yourself," Bluebeard snidely said with a menacing smirk. "Fine. If you're a Fable, where have you been hiding the last several centuries?"
"I don't know. I didn't know I was a Fable before tonight."
"How? Haven't you ever broken a bone or had a serious injury before?"
"No."
"Liar!"
"That's enough," Snow said trying to break the argument up. "There are lives at stake here. Throwing accusations won't—"
"What?" Bluebeard interrupted. "A bunch of mundies? Let them die. It's their fault—"
"Shut your goddamn mouth!" Clay shouted refraining himself from doing something stupid. He wasn't going to let that asshole dismiss his friends like that.
"Or what?" Bluebeard taunted. "Even if you're not with those thugs, all of this is your fault in the first place. Your friends' blood and anyone else's hurt tonight is on your hands, nobody!"
"Stop it now!" Bigby growled.
Clay and Bluebeard continued to glare at each other until Bluebeard relented. It's amazing how a minute of talking could change Clay's attitude. Instead of staying out of Bluebeard's way, he just wanted to sock him now.
"What the hell makes him so special anyway?" Bluebeard asked Bigby.
"We don't know," Snow answered for him. "If Golem and Wendigo are working with them though, it must be big."
"Well then," Bluebeard said looking at something behind him. "Perhaps we should consult someone who can rub two brain cells together."
Clay noticed the area Bluebeard referred to. All he saw was some household items, dressers and a mirror grouped together. It didn't look like anyone was there.
"That was the plan before you got in the way," Bigby said walking past Bluebeard.
"Sure it was," Bluebeard mocked watching him.
As Bigby continued towards the mirror, Snow walked over to Clay.
"Who the hell is this guy?" Clay asked noting Bluebeard.
"Bluebeard," she replied.
"I got that. I mean, why do you put up with him?"
"He's a primary contributor to our community fund. We can't exactly say no," she said before looking at him curiously. "Are you ok?"
"Hm?"
"You seem…off."
Apparently Clay's poker face wasn't working right now. He tried to think of an excuse, but his eyes instinctively glanced to Nerissa regardless.
Snow looked over to see Nerissa standing near Bigby and Bluebeard around the mirror. She had been looking back to Snow and Clay, but quickly looked away as they noticed her.
"…something happen while we were out?" Snow asked him.
"Yeah…." He replied guiltily. He hoped she picked up the 'I don't want to talk about it now' hint.
"Well…if I can do anything for you, let me know," she said before walking over to Bufkin and checking his current book.
Clay sighed. He couldn't blame Nerissa if she thought he was a jackass right now. If he could take back the stupid stuff he said, he would. All he wanted was a 'why.' He could handle crazy shit like tonight happening or even what Nerissa's thinking behind their relationship was, but the lack of answers was what bothered him most.
He decided to stop the self-pitying for now and divert his attention back to Bigby at the mirror.
"Alright, let's see…" Bigby said. "Mirror mirror, blah blah blah table, we have a question about a Fable."
The mirror then shimmered with a soft green light as a ghostly face emerged from the midst of a green cloud. Clay was at his limit for amazement tonight, but he had to admit it looked cool.
"You'll have to use an actual rhyme one of these days," the mirror replied in an echoing voice.
"As long as it works, I'll keep using it."
"Very well. You have a question for me? You'll have to ask more specifically."
"How specifically?"
"You already know this game. All I ask for is a name."
Clay found the mirror's use of rhymes amusing, but he kept it to himself.
"Hey Snow," Bigby said turning to her and Bufkin. "You guys found anything useful?"
Neither of them replied.
"Well?" He repeated more concerned.
"We, uh, we might," Bufkin replied nervously. "It's just…"
"What?"
"You need to see for yourself," Snow said.
Bigby joined them at the desk, leaving the mirror unattended. Whatever was bugging Snow and Bufkin should have worried Clay too, but he had other things on his mind. The mirror just needed a name right? He could give it a few.
"Hey!" Bluebeard said as Clay walked to the mirror. "Stop that."
"I just have a couple questions," Clay replied not looking at him. "Or is that too dangerous for you?"
Bluebeard grunted crossing his arms.
Clay stood in front of the mirror, nervously trying to think of what he should say. "Um…hello mirror?"
"No need to waste time on formalities," the mirror replied. "What would you like to see?"
The idea of the mirror talking to him was unsettling, but he just pretended like it was him singing to his bathroom mirror…except it was a spooky reflection singing back to him in that fantasy too!
"I…I want to find Taylor Granger," he then asked.
"You're new to this, so I'll make things clear," the mirror replied. "You must make inquires through rhymes here."
"Why rhymes?"
"I don't make the rules. That's how it is."
Arguing with the mirror sounded obviously pointless, so he tried thinking of what rhymed with Granger.
"Uh…mirror mirror…my friend's in danger. Please show me Taylor Granger."
The mirror's face dove into the blackness around the green cloud and disappeared. It was only gone for a few seconds, but Clay already broke a nervous sweat anticipating the answer.
Just then, the mirror's face reappeared.
"I'm sorry, but Taylor cannot be shown," the mirror apologized. "Whether magic's to blame is simply unknown."
That wasn't the answer Clay wanted to hear…
"So you can't even tell me he's alive or not?" He asked slumping his shoulders in annoyance.
"Magic's no respecter to life or death. Whatever blocks your friend is beyond my power."
"Could the Wendigo be blocking you?"
"The stench of greed and lust is present, but a body housing two souls is hard to discern."
Shit…so it was just another mystery. Best-case scenario was that Taylor was under the Wendigo's possession and still alive. Worst-case was that they killed him or followed through on their cannibalism threat. Again, the lack of one answer of the other was what worried Clay most. He just had to stay optimistic.
Clay looked behind him to see Nerissa. She continued avoiding him, though she didn't seem to enjoy doing so. He felt like he should do something for her and thought of one thing that could be a start.
"Mirror mirror…uh, thanks for that…sight? Now please show me Cheryl Wright."
The face disappeared again, only this time something new appeared. It was a darkly lit room, bereft of any furniture or decoration. Cobwebs were strung along the ceiling and mold spots were growing on the floor.
What caught Clay's attention, however, were the two women huddled together in the center of the image. It was definitely Cheryl and Sally. He could recognize Cheryl's curly golden locks anywhere. They looked terrified out of their minds, but they were still alive.
"Cheryl…" Nerissa then said walking up next to Clay. "Sally…"
At least that got her talking again. To be fair, he was just as worried for them.
"Where are they?" He asked the mirror.
"I can only show what can be seen," the mirror's voice replied.
"So you can't just readjust the angle so we can figure out where it is?"
The image faded and the mirror's face reappeared.
"I'm not a movie camera," the mirror said. "I can only show what can be seen."
"Why?"
"Don't ask me to repeat myself."
Clay sighed frustrated. More dead-ends…well, at least they could remember what the room looked like. Nerissa nervously rubbed one of her arms.
"We'll find them," he said trying to reassure her.
He reached out to hold her hand, but she recoiled it away. So she was still upset at him. It was a minor gesture to be fair. Maybe he should just be more direct.
"I'm sorry…" He said. "Really…I am."
Before she could reply, they noticed Bigby and Snow hurriedly walking to the mirror. Something wasn't right. They seemed very concerned, possibly even scared.
"Bigby?" Nerissa asked.
"Move!" Bigby barked shooing them away. They quickly stepped back to not upset him more.
"What's going on?" Bluebeard asked seeing something that caught his attention.
"We don't know for sure, Bigby," Snow said continuing some previous conversation. "He could be someone else."
"You want to waste time guessing or do you want to prove what we already know?" Bigby retorted.
"How could it possibly be him anyway?" Snow asked glancing to Clay. He already had a bad feeling about this.
"This doesn't sound good," Bluebeard said curiously as he leaned against a table. Bufkin landed next to him, equally concerned about something.
"Feel free to leave then," Bigby replied.
"Well when you put it like that, then I have to stay."
Clay nervously rubbed his hands together as he watched Bigby look to the mirror.
"Now…" Bigby said. "Mirror mirror, something involving joy. Show me the Clay Boy."
The oxygen sucked out of the room as the mirror's face descended again. In those few fleeting moments of silence, the thought occurred to Clay to run. He glanced to the door, but his legs felt rooted to the floor. There wasn't a thing he could do.
Then an all too familiar image appeared in the mirror. It was their location in the Business Office, but with most of the people and other items out of focus. However, one person centered in the image was all too in focus.
It was him!
"Is there something wrong with your view?" The mirror asked. "It is in the room next to you."
Clay nervously broke his line of sight from the mirror to see everyone simultaneously turn towards him. What was that look in their eyes? Worry? Panic? Fear? All of the above? No one moved a muscle or took a breath staring at him. His nervous sweat spread to the back of his neck feeling their eyes on him.
"…wh…what?" He hesitantly decided to ask.
Then Bluebeard did something incredibly impulsive. He ran to a pile of items, pulled out a hatcher…and lunged forward to attack Clay!
In that split second between Bluebeard grabbing the hatched and turning to attack, Clay noticed Nerissa was directly in the man's path. He instinctively pushed her out of the way to safety, not even thinking about the pain he was going to feel.
THE HEART MADE OF CLAY CH. 4
Part 3
"Stop!" Bigby shouted grabbing Bluebeard's arm. The hatchet's edge literally touched the tip of Clay's nose before stopping, causing him to shudder in fright.
"Let me go!" Bluebeard shouted throwing a punch at Bigby. The sheriff caught it though, proceeding to twist Bluebeard's arm and slam him against the table.
Clay stumbled back a few steps as the two continued to struggle. Bluebeard actually tried to kill him! He didn't even show a sign of hesitance! The thought to ran out the door screamed in Clay's head, but his shock continued to immobilize him.
"It's a monster!" Bluebeard shouted straining to free himself. "We need to kill it now!"
He freed his arm and shoved Bigby off. Without wasting a second, he threw the hatchet at Clay's head!
Clay wasn't immobilized anymore! He stepped out of the way, but not quickly enough as the hatchet's edge cut across his cheek before embedding into the door. He put a hand on the cut as Bigby stood between him and Bluebeard.
"What the hell are you doing?" Bluebeard barked. "Get out of the way and let me end this!"
"We're not going to do anything rash here!" Bigby growled back.
"Rash? There's nothing rash about killing that…that thing! Why the hell is it still alive?"
Still alive? Thing? Monster? So apparently Clay was a well know Fable but for all the wrong reasons.
"I don't know why," Bigby replied to Bluebeard. "But killing him won't stop those thugs."
"Then give him up! Kick him to the curb! As long as he's out of my building!"
"It's OUR building, asswipe. And I say if you want him, you have to go through me!"
Bluebeard clneched his fists and glanced around to see if anyone else would support him. Snow averted his gaze. Bufkin kept his mouth shut. Nerissa, still lying on the floor, continued to stare at Clay in shock.
Realizing the situation wasn't in his favor, Bluebeard loosened his fists.
"So that's how it'll be then?" He seethed. "Fine!"
He stormed towards the door, purposefully walking into Bigby to push him out of the way. Before he passed Clay though, he stopped and glared at him. Clay lowered his hand from his cut staring back.
"You're going to regret this, sheriff," Bluebeard said. "If you don't do something about this, then I will!"
With that threat left to linger, Bluebeard left and slammed the door behind him, causing the hatchet to clutter onto the ground.
Silence fell upon the Business Office as everyone waited for the tension to dissipate. Clay just couldn't win tonight. It wasn't enough that killer Fables wanted to hurt everyone he cared about. Now he had to deal with the fact that being the Clay Boy terrified the other Fables enough to want him dead. The dried blood on his fingers was proof enough. Some inauguration into the community that was…
He then remembered that Nerissa was still on the floor. She wasn't hurt, but he figured that might have unintentionally earned him another jackass point. Like he didn't have enough to worry about.
"…are you ok?" He asked reaching out a hand to her.
She stared at it for a moment, still not sure if she should accept it or not. Before he could retract the offer though, she grabbed it and let him help her up.
"Yeah…" She said still a bit stunned. "Thanks…"
She walked away and rubbed her shoulders nervously. Apparently this revelation shook her a lot more than it did for him. He still didn't know why.
"What are we going to do?" Snow then asked Bigby.
"…I don't know," Bigby sighed sitting in a chair to calm down.
"Why is being the Clay Boy so bad?" Clay decided to ask.
No one replied. He wasn't in the mood to accept 'hush hush' as an answer right now though.
"What did I do? Why did Bluebeard try to kill me?"
"Because you're a killer," Bufkin squeaked out.
That made Clay's heart sink. "…what?" He asked bewildered.
"Sorry," Bufkin said rubbing his paws nervously.
"Like…how many people?"
"A lot," Bigby answered as he thought something over.
Clay looked to Nerissa, who confirmed with those doe eyes of hers that it wasn't an exaggeration. He looked down to his hands shocked. Getting in fights with people was hard enough for him. How could he be a killer?
"We need to find Brandon," Bigby said to Snow.
"Who's Brandon?" Clay asked.
"Why?" Snow asked back completely ignoring Clay.
"Only one person would want to find Clay this badly," Bigby replied. "He might be able to help us find the King."
"What king?" Clay asked in futile.
"Do we still have Brandon's address and number?" Bigby continued.
"It should be in the records," Bufkin said flying off to the bookshelves.
Clay got the feeling they were about to push him off to the sidelines again to do this stuff. He had been sitting around long enough.
"I want to help," he said.
"Nuh uh," Bigby said shaking his head. "You're not coming."
"What? You want me to stay around here with Bluebeard on my ass?"
"He's all talk, Clay."
"Really?" Clay replied pointing to his cut.
"Coming with us would only make yourself and anyone around you a target for the Hook Man's gang."
"So what? You kicked their asses last time!"
"Barely."
"Whatever!"
"It's not 'whatever,'" Snow said. "Golem could have killed Bigby if he hadn't backed down. He wouldn't be able to fight them again so soon."
Clay groaned. So he was dangerous and completely useless right now.
"Guess I'm stuck here too then?" Nerissa asked.
"After how quickly they tracked Clay's place down, I'm sure they're already scouting yours too," Bigby replied.
"So…where would we stay then?"
Clay quietly stifled a yawn as Bigby loudly knocked on an apartment door. All of tonight's stress and revelations were taking their toll. A quick glance at Nerissa's glazed over look proved she was feeling the same.
"Gah! Coming!" A man called out from inside.
They could hear some commotion from what was likely the man getting dressed. They could have called ahead to let these people know they were coming, but they were still playing by Bigby's rules at the moment.
After fiddling with the locks, the man opened the door. He was a broadly built guy, with muscles stretching against his wrinkled shirt. He ran a hand through his long brown hair, trying to keep down the gnarly bed head he was experiencing. He probably would be pretty intimidating if he were more awake.
"What the hell do you-?" The man started to say before seeing who it was. "Oh…Bigby. What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing," Bigby said slyly. "Hey Beast, remember when you said you'd do anything to help pay your debt?"
"Uh…yeah, but—"
"Good. You can start right now."
"Huh?"
"These two need a place to rest up and stay hidden for a few hours," Bigby said nodding to Clay and Nerissa.
"But—"
"No catch."
"Ok, but who—?"
"He's nobody and that's what you'll tell anyone who asks. Nobody's in your apartment and I didn't bring anyone. I'll be back later to pick them up and then you can talk to Snow about settling some of your debt."
Beast still seemed incredibly confused, but not enough to pass up Bigby's offer. After some hesitance, he moved out of the way and let Clay and Nerissa inside.
"Ok…" Beast said. "Don't take too long."
"No promises," Bigby replied before looking to Clay and Nerissa. "Get some sleep. If anything happens, call Snow immediately."
"Be careful," Nerissa said.
"Thanks..."
Beast closed the door as Bigby left, leaving the three of them alone in the living room. He turned to them, unsure what to do.
"Um…hey, Nerissa," Beast said awkwardly trying to small talk.
"Sweetie?" A woman's voice called from the bedroom. "Who was that?"
She entered the living as she tied off the sash on a robe. Clay sort of deduced that this was Beauty if the other guy was Beast, but she definitely lived up to the name. Her long blonde hair, soft blue eyes and finely toned body was the envy of supermodels everywhere.
She clearly wasn't expecting company though, as she yelped seeing them. "What are they doing here?"
"It's ok, honey," Beast reassured. "They just need a place to hide for—"
Hide? What are they hiding from?"
Clay groaned. He got the feeling they weren't going to sleep for a while…
And that's it for chapter four. Let me know what you thought.
Phew, finally read all of the chapter parts. Really good like always! Is the Clay Boy supposed to be a real story/myth or is he made up entirely by you?
The Clay Boy is an actual Russian folktale. My version is kind of a merging of the original folk tale "Lutoschenka" adapted by Mary W. Cronan and the Clay Boy book by Mirra Ginsburg, but with the sweet parts re-purposed or given a sinister twist. Just like Fables
Hehe!
All of my characters are based on actual folktales or stories that haven't been used in the Fables verse yet, which requires a little reaching. Originally the Babjaga was supposed to be involved too since she plays into one of the original Clay Boy stories, but Fables' version of her was completely different than what I had planned so I axed her.
I love these stories. So full of detail and they keep you guessing what will happen next. I'm curious too about his background. I'm not sure if you mentioned but who is Clay supposed to be, like, which Fable is he?
Good work!
Interesting, I gotta look into it sometime!
It's a cute little story that could be interrupted horribly wrong by a guy like me! Hehe. If you've seen the Powerpuff Girls episode with BEBO, it's essentially the base Clay Boy story crossed with Gremlins.
I remember seeing the show, but since it was so long ago I can't recall anything major about it. I'll go search for it on Youtube later and hope I find it.
In the second part of the chapter, he's identified as the Clay Boy. It's a Russian folk tale that hasn't been uses in the Fables verse yet. See my above posts to DragonButter.
And thank you for the praise. Knowing that my work is entertaining people is a reward in itself for me
Just had my first day of school guys
It actually wasn't bad. We're starting a new Block Scheduling thing this year, instead of the normal "You see every class every day" thing. So today, I had 4 classes for 90 minutes each, and tomorrow I have 4 different classes for 90 minutes each, and it alternates back and forth. So basically tomorrow is also my first day of school XD But it was nice. I especially like my French 3 class, the teacher was like ,"Wassup guys, you missed me, didn't you!" lol. And apparently Amazon had been lying to me on the shipping date for my copy of the sims 4 (Limited edition, I might add) And so I get it tomorrow by 8 PM. WOo! Guess who's not going to do her homework? Jk, I'll just make sure to get it all done in our 90 minute periods :L But I'm totally excited for that.
Anyway, after that mini "Life-update/rant" Thing....I think I'll type out another chapter! Or something
They sat there, sharing stories for a good while. The rumblings of a thunderstorm were brushing in, the wind picking up speed and blowing in through the open window. One good gush blew every single candle around the two out.
Peter laughed,"Guess it's lights out then. I have to get going, before Wendy notices I've been gone for too long. She likes me at least in my room at a certain time."
"Sounds like you're more her child than her, well..."
"Best friend? Yeah. I've noticed it, a long, long time ago. We were never able to have children on our own, and as she got older and less interested in a romantic relationship, the more it grew.....in that direction, I suppose. I dunno. It's whatever, though." Peter hopped up to the window, reaching his arms out.
"Raining yet?"
"A light drizzle. I can still fly in it." He smiled.
Morgan stood, heading toward him,"Well, see ya later, then. We need to figure out escape plans next time we meet."
"Yeah. And we should include Tiana. She may not always be nice to me, but she still deserves a way out of this....mess." Peter felt slightly uncomfortable calling all that Wendy had created a mess, even if it were true. He almost felt bad for going behind her back like this. Almost.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Morgan said. Peter stepped out the Window, hovering close enough for a last farewell.
Then, before Morgan could catch her bearings, he kissed her on the lips. One sweet kiss, only lasting a few seconds. Morgan stood there, dumbfounded as the boy smiled brightly.
"I, uh. I just wanted to, well. I don't know. I wanted to see...to see if there was like a- a Zing, or something. Like, ah, when me and Wendy, we used to kiss and we felt a zing, and uh-....."
Morgan stood there, wordless, her hand touching her lips softly.
"I uh- Yes. I mean, there was....a sorta....Zing. Well....Sorry. Just, I can see that you, um-..." Peter began backing up out of the window frame, the rain beginning to poor harder. Morgan reached out for him and she planted a kiss back on his lips. She began to drift out as they floated together in the twilight, getting soaked and listening to the rumble of the storm.
"NOOOO!" They heard from back in the house. It was Wendy's screams, as she'd discovered the two together, sharing their passionate moment.
"Wendy!" Peter let go of Morgan's embrace, looking back and forth between the two of them.
Morgan could have run away, once more.
But she didn't.
She followed Peter who'd returned indoors. Wendy started to cry, and a little pull deep down made Morgan feel bad for the old woman.
"How could you do this to me?" She sobbed into her hands. Peter, unable to utter a word of defense, took it all. He let her berate him and just stood there.
"You- You unfaithful, wretched man!" She screamed at him. Just then, Dee burst up the stairs, his fat rolls jiggling from the extra exertion of energy.
"Execute her," She said, pointing to Morgan.
"No! Wendy, please! Just- Let her go!" Peter pulled her arm back.
"NO! I will die before I let her live another day." She yelled back at him. Dee immediately grab Morgan, holding her arms aggressively behind her back. He led her down the stairs, although Morgan kicked and screamed for help.
"Peter!" She yelled as they descended the stairs,"Peter! Don't let Wendy control you! You've got your own mind- Do what's right!" She yelled. Dee took her outside to the backyard. There was a stone set in place, and this was the first time she noticed the red stains covering it. A chopping block. Dee mashed her head into the rock, scraping the skin on her cheek.
"Don't....do this," She managed to utter.
Dee was wordless. He locked her head down in place, lifting an axe that sat nearby.
His arms rose in the sky and then.....
KABOOM!!!!
A gun went off. Morgan opened her eyes, thinking she was dead and this was the hell that she'd been sent to. But then she felt herself being released, small hands lifting her out of her place. Tiana.
When Morgan could stand, she looked behind her. Dee's body lay in the muddy grass, a collection of crimson colored liquid forming behind his head.
"You-...You killed him," Morgan stuttered.
"What choice did I have? He was going to kill you!" Tiana said. The rain was beginning to poor even harder.
"What about Wendy and Peter?" Morgan looked up toward the house. She was afraid that Wendy was going to do something to Peter.
Tiana grimaced,"That was taken care of already. We need to get out of here! Wendy's guards will be over in point 5 seconds if we don't scurry our asses away."
"We need to find Peter! And we need to rescue the prisoners, and-"
"It will all happen, in due time. We need to go!"
Peter stumbled through the back door. His face was bruised and he looked like he'd been crying.
"Thank god you're alive!" Morgan yelled. Peter walked past them, toward the bunker. After a minute, he emerged with those who were trapped in there.
"Run!" He told them. "Run now, or you'll get caught! Go!" The three inmates hurried out, running in separate directions. The lightning was getting closer and closer.
"I can hear the dogs," Tiana muttered.
"We need to get out of here. Me and Morgan can fly, you just have to hold onto our hands!"
"Are you fucking nuts? I've never flown before, what if I fall?"
"We need to leave, before you become dog food!" Morgan yelled. The rain was making it hard to hear anything. Each of them grabbed Tiana's hand and they began to fly away. It was dangerous to be out like this in a storm.
"Which way, Peter?"
"Anywhere that's away from here," He replied. They flew past the big clock tower. Now that Morgan was able to observe it further, it reminded her a lot of Big Ben in London, back in the mundy world.
They didn't stop until the rain stopped pooring down on them.
They landed near a motionless lake. It was still night time, though the rain had stopped and Morgan suspected they had flown for 3 hours at least. The shore was made of brown sand, soft between their toes as they took off their shoes and waded in the water, cleaning themselves wherever the rain didn't reach.
Peter sat in the sand, a haunted look on his face. Morgan left Tiana in the water and joined the boy, who hadn't said a peep since they left.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Morgan uttered. She almost stopped mid question, thinking it was stupid to ask.
"She slapped me. She slapped me so hard, it gave me a black eye. She kept blaming me. 'It was all your fault!' she said."
"For what? What did you do?"
"She said that I was the reason they died. I was the reason she has nobody left," Peter began to sob, covering his face with his hands.
Morgan wrapped her arm around his, letting him cry it out. She was going to open a portal as soon as they were ready to move on.
"So what now?" Tiana asked, walking up to them. She carried her shoes in her hand and plopped them on the ground in front of them.
"We go home. To Fabletown." Morgan replied.
Peter spoke up,"I killed her. I fucking...I killed her, Morgan." His sobs resumed.
She patted his shoulder, nothing else to say.
"But I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to kill her. But she needed to die. She needed to let herself die, for Christ's sake."
Peter was leaning on Morgan's chest. Morgan threw her fingers in his tangled mess of soaked hair, letting him cry it all out. Tiana stood there, awkwardly watching as the two embraced in front of them.
"So....? We gonna....go?"
"Yes, we're leaving," Morgan replied. Without moving, she opened a portal behind her. It shone bright in the darkness, illuminating everything around them.
Peter and Morgan stood, hands clasped within each other. They stepped through.
Together.
I did it! I finished it! I hope you liked it, I just felt really inspired to write it ALL. I'll start writing about Harmony soon enough, when I figure out what I'm doing with her next. I've already started looking for names, and I've got a few down on paper. I think you'll like them
Chapter 13
"Miss you"
'Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head.'
Yeah. I SHOULD be doing homework but my brain needs a break. Been at it for two hours now. Some of these were requested by other users on the forum.
I'm in a 'drawing pregnant women' kind of mood and noticed I have not done a SINGLE picture of Lyla pregnant. Its because of her and Georgie, we are here today.
Enjoy.
My eyes rapidly opened, as I frantically arose from the cold floor of my kitchen. I peered around the dark room; the fuck was I doing back here? Was all of that a dream? It felt so real, as the shadows grew around me, the hidden truth behind the mirror; Ariana standing before me, as I viciously demanded answers. Then, those flashbacks. Of me and Mary. What was this?
"Hello-" I called out to the dark. "Mary? You here?" Nothing, as I rubbed my neck. "Mary..."
I carefully headed to the living room. The honking and busy city streets could be heard from the sliding glass door. The moon was shinning directly into the room, as it glowed and invaded the darkness. Step by step, I paced my movements down the hall and into George's room. His night light was shinning intensly, as I peeked in and foud him fast asleep. Next, I looked into the girl's room; Sheila had her face covered with the blanket, as the twin girls cuddled closly to their stuffed animals.
With a sigh of relief, I gently shut the door and retired back to the bedroom. This must have been an odd dream; my lack of sleep was sending me to the brink of insanity. Perhaps my family WAS onto something. As I flipped the bedroom light on, there she was; Mary was sound asleep on the bed, holding one of my shirts. I stood befuddled by the dresser; no, this couldn't be real, as I steadily walked over to her side of the bed.
"Mary-" I cautiously moved her. "Sweetie, wake up."
Her eyes opened. She seemed surprised to see me. "Junior? When did you get home-"
"What the fuck are you talking about?" I was perplexed by her question. "I've BEEN home."
Mary stood up. "No. When I got here, neither you OR the kids were home, so I took the liberty of waiting for you until-"
She could see the comlex look upon my face. There was no way. I came home to an empty apartment; the last time I'd seen Mary was in the alley behind the Trip Trap. While I stood and poundered this, the rain began once more outside. The gentle tapping against the window seemed to help calm my nerves.
"That whole thing. With the Trip Trap-"
"Junior, what is wrong with you?"
I was beginning to question that myself. "Nothing. I'm...its good to have you home..."
Mary didn't approve of this answer. I could instantly notice that. "Junior. Are you okay?"
I smiled. "Yeah. Been a, a long day. Looking forward to relaxing. Got paid, so in the morning we can get some groceries and-"
Mary grabbed the check, placed it on the night stand and as she stood upon her knees on the bed, she knocked my hat off and kissed my nose.
"That's wonderful, Porgie. Really, that sounds like a blast. But let's spend the rest of the night together, hm?" Fuck, this girl was always seducing me. Did it bother me? No. Fuck you.
I'd question my recent 'dreams' and sanity later. Right now, Mary was disrobing and I quickly found myself unbuttoning my pants.
"DADDY! Wake up! Mommy is making Waffles!"
I looked over and found Sheila, still in her pajamas, bouncing up and down on the bed. George was cuddled beside me, as the twin girls babbled and climbed over me, as if I became a play thing.
"Sheila-" I mummbled, as I sat up and rub my eyes. "What are you doing? You know you're not supposed to bounce on the bed."
George glared up. "Told ya'."
"I KNOW but mommy is making Waffles, daddy! WAFFLES, with lots of butter and syrup and-"
I snatched the ansty toddler, as George lept from the bed and I carefully picked up the twins. Aubrey snuggled against my neck, as Sophia leaned over and gave me a tiny kiss on the cheek.
"I love you too, girls. Oh, my babies! I love you all!"
Mary must have heard me, for there was a moment of laughter. I found her wearing nothing but a robe and slippers. The kitchen smelled heavenly, as I detected the aroma of Waffles, Bacon, Toast and Hashbrowns. As I placed the three girls in their seats, Mary flashed me a smile and continued pouring the batter into the pan.
"Well, good morning, sweetie. What's all this?" I wrapped my arms around her waist and gently kissed her neck.
"What, can I not make my hard working man something to eat?" She chuckled. "You always WANTED me doing normal mother things, so here I am."
"That's not what I meant, Mary. I just-"
She playfully kicked my leg. "Oh hush. I'd say something, but your daughter is staring right at me."
Sheila peered over her sippy cup and grinned. Sometimes, that was not always a positive thing. She WAS Mary's daughter. Who the fuck knows half the time.
"Oh, now she's MY daughter?"
Mary handed me a plate full of food. "Yeah cause when she gets into that 'I hate you' stages in life, she may not be around much longer. Enjoy her while you can."
Rolling my eyes, I sat at the table and assisted the kids with their meal. Mary would join us, as the six of us sat down to breakfast. To tell you the truth, it was a wonderful feeling. I watched as Mary began cutting up George's Waffle. He looked so relaxed and content to have her home. Perhaps what I said last night finally sunk in. He was all giggles the entire time we ate.
"I missed you last night, mommy." She wiped his sticky mouth as he spoke. "But it was fun."
"Oh yeah. What did papa Georgie and nana Lyla do with you kids?"
"Well, we helped nana make cookies and dinner. She made Pot Roast with potatoes! It was good, mommy! Then, we played games; Nana was painting the girl's nails, while papa and I were playing some games and watching the news."
"Wow, that sounds like fun, baby." Mary looked in my direction. "I DID notice the polish, Sheila."
She flashed us her finger nails. "Nana painted MINE black AND red!" She was so proud.
"Surprised your mom did that."
I sighed. "She, uh, knows better than to TRY painting anything but."
Finished with their meal, the kids all joined on the floor and played with one another. That was one thing that I enjoyed. No matter how different they were, didn't matter what kind of game, they always tried getting along. I felt bad for George sometimes; nothing but sisters to play with. Then, it made me think of the baby Mary desperatly wanted to have. I helped her clean up the kitchen.
"Glad you came back, Mary. I'm...I'm sorry."
She lathered the sponge with soap and began scrubbing the pan. She seemed to be ignoring my remarks, as the bubbles formed and the warm water rinsed away the leftover bits. She was so focused on the task before her.
"Mary-"
"I'm...I'm..." She seemd to be having trouble finding the words. "I'm sorry too, Porgie. You...what you said back there..."
"I was just telling-"
"And I'm glad you did. Did you see how he was acting at the table just now?" Even though she was turned towards the dishes, I could still see her despondent face. "He was attatched to me, like this was the first time seeing me..."
"He misses you, Mary. They all do but George is VERY close to you. He's too much like me. You've seen it before. All he wanted was you last night."
Mary glanced in my direction. "Well, he has me today. I'll watch the kids tonight while you're at work."
I took a dish and wipped it down. "You sure?"
Mary snorts. "You JUST told me the kids-"
"Okay, you're right." For some reason, the images from last night came bumrushing into my mind. To avoid any further confusion, I tried avoiding the thoughts and proceeded to focus on Mary. It was wonderful seeing her. But, there it was again. The mere thought and trouble of her recent behavior rushed back and knocked me to the ground. What happened last night and why did she suddenly want another kid? Mary did this right after George was born; then, again with Sheila, followed by the twins. It couldn't be a coincidence.
"Porgie-" Her voice instantly brought me back. "You alright?"
"Yeah. Just, enjoying this."
My neck began to burn. Fuck, this thing was going to give away my actual feelings but Mary didn't seem to give any indication she was feeling it as well. Or, perhaps she was ignoring it...for now. I continued drying the dishes, the mark still burning.
While the kids napped with Mary, the legend of Bloody Mary crossed my mind. In school, I had some knowledge to her history and why she was given the name. But that was all too easy; the mundies only knew HALF of our stories and that was probably the tip of the iceberg. Ariana mentioned something about her past; they knew eachother and this was part of the reason for their mysterious behavior.
While I searched the internet for more clues or answers, my phone rang. I quickly answered it, as to not wake up the others.
"Hello-" I whispered into the speaker.
"Hello, Junior?" Uncle Gren. "You there? Can barely hear ya, bud."
I quickly ran to the bedroom. "Sorry, kids were sleeping. Hear me now?"
"Heh, yeah, I can. Feel like that stupid commercial. 'Can you hear me now?'"
I chuckled. "What's up?"
"You in the mood to grab a burger with your ol' Uncle Gren or are you too 'mature' now to do things like that?"
I looked at the clock. "No, that sounds fine. I have time. Where did you-"
"How does In N Out sound to you? There is one not too far from your place and I've been craving Animal Fries for DAYS now."
"Yeah, that does sound great. Just..you and me?"
"Yeah, bud." He paused. "Just you and me..."
I didn't like that. "Okay...see you in twenty minutes?"
"Great. See you then."
I scribbled a quick note for Mary, kissed her cheek and left the apartment. While I waited for the elevator, I figured this would be a great opportunity to have lunch with my uncle and find out what I needed. Something was going on. I KNOW what I saw, what I heard. What I knew.
As I stepped out into the cold world, my eyes met up with hers, as she walked right past me and down into the Subway.
Ariana.
Chapter 14 soon
If you have any questions or concerns, leave them in the comments below.
Something is up and we are about to find out. What's going on? You can fool a Porgie for so long...
Junior's face in the 1st one! TTG...HIRE THIS GUY! Thank you for the 3rd image. 'Fuck off-he's mine!' Typical Mary! XD They are all wonderful, Porgie. Great work.
Also, I'm curious now. Junior brought up Mary's past in regards to the name she was given. 'Mundies didn't know HALF our story.' I'm curious now how you'll contribute that with her past. Also, how cute was the breakfast scene. And damn, Mary-waffles, toast, hasbrowns! Slap a ring on that finger, Porgie! Also, I'm beggining to NOT trust Ariana. I'm with Em when she said 'she is up to no good.' That girl is ALWAYS creeping around! And Gren. I'm starting to think HE knows something, too.
Ugh! This is killing me, Pie! Can't wait to read more! #BloodyPorgie
Awe! Those pictures are awesome! My favorite is Mary being all possessive "Fuck off, he's MINE!" Lol. And Lyla pregnant, so cute
Holy crap, just imagining Mary in a robe and slippers cooking breakfast was enough to send me over the deep end.
I'd like to state one thing: There are no In N Out Burger's on the east coast :L It's strictly a west coast Franchise
I wish though, I'd eat them out of business if they were ANYWHERE near me.
And like I said. There's something Fishy going on with Ariana. I need to know!!! And about Mary ;w;
Haha, nice little story with school there! Had me smiling. :P Perhaps you can teach us a little French when you get an A++ in there, right?
Anyways, absolutely adored this. The whole event leading up to Morgan and Peter's relationship really had me hooked, plus, Dee had what was coming to him, obviously.
Thanks again for accepting to do my request! I love Holly's expression, such a suave troll. :P I also haven't even heard of this 'In N Out' place before with its supposedly famous Animal Fries. I guess I'm missing out since it's not part of the Midwest around here.
Freakin' Dee. Glad he got it in the end. Intresting take on Peter and Morgan. Can't wait to see the names of the babies.
Glad to hear school is great. Also, yay for the Sims 4. Can't wait; bet you can either, especially with that remark about hw. Trust me. XD
0.o Oh....man! I messed up!
Well....looks like something NEW came to Fabletown! -feels like an idiot-
I have an idea with Ariana and the whole thing with Mary. I've been toying with it and hopefully, will put it on paper. Er uh, screen. XD
-feels like an idiot again- Maybe I should have picked a different place for these two to get burgers. XD
Also, glad you like it.
I love getting' little challenges like that every so often. Sorry for the terrible quality. -Throws phone-
Yeah, maybe you should've! >:P Sorry, felt like being a smartass there. Smashburger would be a good joint to replace it with if you do consider changing it. Although, it's entirely up to you. :P
Don't worry about the quality, as long as it doesn't burn out my sockets, we're fine.
Well, by the way you are able to type, guess you still have the sockets. Whew! For a second there...
But I'm going to HAVE to change it. I'll just throw something in there. IDK. Gren did something or I'll figure it out as I go!
Damn. Knew I should have just stuck to McDonalds or something. XD
Prologue IDK what number. Think 5. Yeah...5
'Wish you were here'
To my dearest brother Georgie:
'I'm not sure if you've been receiving my last few letters. I hope all is well back home. I miss you terribly but had to do this. I promise in time, I'll come back for you. In the meantime, try to avoid father and his abnormal behavior. Hear he's been rather ill and I'd hate to spew this out into the open but...I hope he kills over one night and mother is forced to deal with it all alone. She and the others may rot in the pits of darkness for all I care. They never tried...none of them. I fear we are at war, brother; there is a powerful force known only as the 'Adversary' that is forcing us away from this place. I'll find you and together, we shall venture to the new world and start a new. I love you, brother and wish to hear from you again. Love your brother, Ben.'
"Ben. Benjamin Porgie."
He gazed up into the swirling mess of chairs, bottles and various other objects. Ben, now standing a few feet from The Great Fairy Witch, stares at all the faces glaring back at him. The Fairy Witch carefully extends her fingers out and one by one, aims for his hand. They are glowing black and shaking violently. Ben's brow breaks out in a sweat, his eyes darting back and forth.
"Relax, Ben. Steady...easy does it, my boy. Do not force the objects to be released. Allow them to-"
Maddie, the witch disguised as a black cat, jumps from a nearby bookshelf, circles a coffee table and leaps upon a table not too far from Ben. She carefully grooms her paws, while The Fairy Witch still tries to attempt the revival of Ben's psyche.
"You'll never reach him THAT way, my dear; for you are too mad and unable to see the reason behind the boy's inability to concentrate for too long." The black cat jumps down and circles Ben's pant leg. "His mind is like a cluttered closet-too much is placed inside a tiny space and after so long, those things become one and is unable to be controlled."
Ben looked down and found Maddie. His lips moved, as he mouthed some words to the black cat. She purred, walked away and snatched a vile of clear, bubbling goo. Frau Totenkinder, Prospero and Morgan carefully watched as Maddie released the goo onto Ben's head. The chairs came down one by one, like loose rocks along the cliff's edge. He leaned into the walls, clutched his chest and began breathing heavily. Morgan reached for the boy but was quickly stopped by Maddie.
"He must learn to control these emotions." Her yellow eyes watched, as the black magic within Ben's body slowly hid away and disappeared. "Ben can not let his emotions or thoughts of his brother interfere with his magic. This could seriously cause injury to us, himself or someone around him."
Ben closed his eyes and continued holding his chest. "It....hurts...Maddie....I'm-"
"Hush, child. This will indeed cause you dire pain and misery but we can not take a chance like that. You MUST learn to control it, Benjamin."
"That...man...he mentioned my brother...."
"Ah yes. The Sheriff and his Folker Werewolf friend. They do have information on your brother but your time has not drawn closely yet; your brother still must regain back the trust and love from this city, as do you as his brother."
Ben swore he'd come back for Georgie. This wasn't the original plan, however, things changed and took a turn for the worse back at the Homelands. Last he had heard of Georgie, he and some girl met up and decided to take the world on for themselves. Ben was lost in the new world and no one knew where Georgie was. They were supposed to be together. Just the two of them.
"When...when will I see-"
The clinking sounds of knitting needles came from the corner. Frau rocked back and forth in her chair, as the ball of yarn slowly shrunk to mere nothing.
"Maddie is teaching you well, dear boy; your mind is ready and willing to be a productive Wizard but its in here that is barley learning to understand forgiveness and understanding. Your brother is learning to do the same; when the day comes and you too have learned, then you may see Georgie Porgie. Until then, the portal will be your only window into his world."
Ben closed his eyes, as Maddie took a seat beside him. He gently stroked the cat's fur, as her purring grew louder and stronger.
"I promise you, Benjamin, the time will come. But you have a gift, my dear lad-a gift that will be used in the future for the greater good of this family."
He inhaled deeply. "What is that, Maddie?"
She points to a rather large mirror. "Inside of there is will you shall show not only yourself the loyalty within but to your brother's eyes as well; for one day, you will be called upon to stop something evil from happening once again to your family."
Ben clentched his fists, as he stood up. His plams remained a dark blue. Scattered on the floor, were various chairs and broken bottles.
"I should...probably clean that up."
A broom flew in his direction. Ben caught it just in time. Maddie jumped back upon the book shelf, curled up and continued grooming her paw.
"You do that, my student and later, we will begin your lesson in Teleporting into other demisions and worlds. But for now, clean this and take a few hours to yourself."
Ben returned to his tiny apartment later that evening. The lesson did not go as planned; he and Maddie landed in a world inhabited entirely by Goblins and Canibals. Luckily, Maddie knew how to return home. All Ben could see was his brother; would he really understand all this nonsense or was he doomed to view his only remaining family member through portals? He knocked the trash bin down, knowing the trouble he was in, the dangers he faced. His neard death...the Sheriff...the man who's daughter would save him.
"Sweetie, is that you?"
A woman, wearing only her panties and tank top, peered from the corner. Her ebony hair with blue tint fell to her shoulders, as she carefully watched him.
"Yes. Its me, Drusilla."
"You do not look well, my dear? Something troubling you?"
"Georgie...How, how is he-"
"Ssh. My brother is not pleased with this man but he assures me he'll keep a close eye out for him. Now with this new fate told and the Sheriff willing to work this out, perhaps soon, you two will meet again."
Ben traced the scar across her right eye, as he pushed back her hair and kissed her forehead.
"You always know how to relax me, Drusilla."
"Yes, my dear husband. Now come. Take your clothes off, forget about this magic and bathe in some warm water. Relax. Perhaps I may join you in the warmth and glow and your company."
Ben smiles. "You Grendels and your damn water."
That night, as he soaked in the warm waters and Drusilla lathered his back with various oils and herbs, all he could think about was him. Georgie Porgie.
I'm just doing this for fun and it will answer some questions that still remained unanswered. If you have anything you'd like to ask or are confused about something, please let me know.
I'm glad you are still continung this because since you brought Ben into the mix, I'm curious. Especially after you mention the mirror, he helps his family...hmmm...I think...I HAVE an idea on what is taking place. I'll PM you or see you tonight and see if I'm right. Hmmm.
Anyways, loving this Drusilla chick. Gren's sister? Since YOU are SUDDENLY doing random drawings for people, could you do a sketch of this Drusilla girl and more of Ben...maybe? He's hot...XD
Anyway, great work, Pie! More!!! NOW!!!
BTW, love how you are using the witches from the comic.
Maddy! Yay!
Haha yeah, well I know enough to order some food at a cafe and general stuff like that! Maybe I should incorporate as much as I can into the writing a do. Which won't be a lot, but enough X3
I'd been trying to create a budding romance between the two. As far as I know, Morgan isn't married (Even though she's referred to as Mrs. Green very often.) SO I figured since I actually like her character a lot, I'd give her someone she'd come to love
And yes, Dee had that one coming.
Yeah, like I said above; Dee had it coming, eventually. Also what I said above, I've been wanting to create a romantic relationship between Morgan and a non-canon character just because she's one of my favorite witches from the comics (Aside from Ozma and Frau Totenkinder, of course.). Peter was my choice from the beginning, although I had no clue how I'd introduce it until it came to me. I didn't get ALL of the names, but I'll be giving them middle names associated with family and friends. I'm literally dying for the sims 4 over here right now, like, I'm getting it tomorrow sometime after school, this isn't fair. I've been waiting since my birthday and June for this! Lol, I'm so impatient. In the mean time, I've been playing the Sims 2 xD Unfortunately, my sims 3 (Yes, I'm a privileged SOB) has not been working. It's most likely to do with a corrupt file somewhere in there, and I have to probably take a class and read 4 tutorials on how to decode it or whatever and delete the bug. To much work though :V Oh well.
Lol, don't feel bad! I feel stupid whenever I forget things in the comics and then I have to either look it up or flip back in the pages of my own comics to see what I'm forgetting. I actually want to reread them all, but that takes up a lot of time >.< It'll happen, eventually.
Can't wait to see what you do with Ariana and such. It's really, really intriguing me.
There's no smash burgers on the east coast either :L We have Burger Kings, McDonalds, Five Guys Burgers and Fries (AMAZING FOOD), lots of home-owned businesses in NYC, I'm sure. We have a hotdog place called Dewey's Dogs down the street. They have burgers, too.
IDK, the east coast is more of a "pizza and bagels and subs" type a deal. And down south, its ALL fried chicken. ALL.
Aw man. You're bringing the Great Fairy Witch into the deal. That's big. I love how she's completely senile and never makes sense (At least, most of the time she doesn't make sense.) XD
Oooh, so Drusilla is a Grendel? That's awesome! Seems like Ben's got a lot to deal with. I hope his predicament turns out a little better than Harmony's, considering the trouble she'd caused trying to be better than she was. It's kinda sad, how lost Ben is and how much he wants his brother. I'm sure we'll see further on what's to come, another day.
Fuck this, they are going to get pizza instead. Gren seems like a pie kind of guy. (No pun intended) XD
I'll figure out how to incorporate the change. lol
I'm just kinda eh with this one. May finish it later. More focused on Mary and Junior's tale at the moment. When that one is done, MIGHT come back to this one. I need to brush up on the comics and read more, go back and refresh my mind.
That's a LOT of reading, tho. -.-
Shit, you guys are missing out! :O Smashburgers should totally expand their business over there someday. I've been at Five Guys before, it was alright. I still remember how I had a salty Mountain Dew over there before.