soon you'll see the sky fall

[bibrid]

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[havethings]

( Hope waits for Danny's father to leave them alone, not knowing what to start with, starting simply with a half-hearted shrug she can't turn into a shake of her head because in the mirror she doesn't look like herself. )

You tell me, Danny. A second ago we were on that roof together and now I'm - ( She sighs, not wanting to ask, but has to. ) Am I in your sister?

[undermyfeet]

[There's a moment where a flicker of disappointment indicates that he really hoped it actually was Bridget, and that the time of not seeing her face every day had distorted her some, like fading memories in comparison to a photograph. But the tone and cadence isn't Bridget, it's Hope, and that grounds him back down into reality.]

I ... I don't know. It's more like if I look at you from the right angle, you become her.

[Then he swallows hard.]

I must have fucked up worse than I thought.

[havethings]

We all took part.

( She crosses her arms, looking at herself properly in the mirror, sighing, before her eyes find Danny again. )

You can't take 100% of the blame. Spells like that are unpredictable. Didn't Sierra botch it on her first attempt?

[undermyfeet]

Yeah, but she also got a lot of people killed.

[And as soon as those words fall from his lips, he glances over at Hope, eyes wide.]

You don't think we're dead, do you?

[havethings]

No, I don't think if we were both dead we'd both be here. Peace is different for everyone, but I know where I'd end up.

( If she deserved peace. )

I think this is more spiritual.

[undermyfeet]

Okay. Well. Good. Because I don't actually want to be dead.

[As much as he misses his family, he likes being alive. He likes being with Lizzie. And he knows that he can't just abandon the living for the dead.]

So ... do you have any idea what my dad was talking about?

[havethings]

Isn't he your dad?

( But fine, they're all new to this. )

Context clues imply you're celebrating your 21st birthday and your sister passed something down to you. I think Bridget passed on leading the coven.

[undermyfeet]

I was closer with my mom.

[Spares stick together. But he makes a face at that because she would never. He knows that's an easy thing to say when she's the oldest and it was always going to be hers, but he knows how excited Bridget was. How much it meant to her. She wouldn't just give it away.]

She would never do that.

[havethings]

Or, you believe she would never do that. Or, something happened. We won't know until we find out. Something tells me if we stay in here together we won't make it back.

( Or, they won't be any closer to making it back. )

I'll be right here. You've insured that. So, I'm not going anywhere. We'll figure this out together and we'll get back to Josie and Lizzie and we'll get you what's rightfully yours.

[undermyfeet]

[Danny closes his eyes, trying to steel himself for whatever is going to be happening beyond that door. He takes a deep breath, before setting his jaw and making his way towards the door, letting his hand settle on the door knob and turning it open.]

[havethings]

( Hope finds her way to Bridget's room with Danny's help.

His own room is how he left it, a graduation cap now hanging from one of his bedposts. His wardrobe is updated, matured as he has 'grown up,' and likely gone to college, Oxford, as the diploma identifies.

Once he emerges, dressed in whatever he chooses, Hope meets him, Bridget having already had a dress hung up, that she pairs with a leather jacket to make it more her style, that, and the temperature even coming from her window indicates she needs to bring one.

But, she's all about Danny as they come back together. )

Apparently, there's a car waiting for us.

[undermyfeet]

Great.

[He pauses as he goes to head down the stairs to where the car is waiting.]

I have no idea where we're going.

[havethings]

I don't think you need to, but I'm still somewhere in between this being about a lesson you need to learn or if we were actually sent somewhere else, me in your sister's body.

( She pauses. )

I'm really hoping for the former because I have a girlfriend, and while your sister was a babe, I've always been comfortable in my own skin.

[undermyfeet]

You're not that different. You and Bridget, I mean.

[That's why it's so hard to tell which one she is, unless he's looking at the right angle. He tips his head back against the seat as they drive.]

Not just look-wise. But she always knew exactly what to do next - or at least how to fake it. Take charge, and all that.

[havethings]

You think that's what I'm doing? I'm in the passenger seat, ( She opens the door to the town car, holding it open for him. ) and, mind you, I am not a passenger princess. But, I know when something isn't meant for me.

( She waves a hand. This is for him, not her, but she does close the door behind him.

And then, a minute later, she does open the opposite door, sliding in. ) )

Let's see where the pumpkin takes you, Cinderella.

[undermyfeet]

[Danny settles into the seat and leans over to look out the window, watching as the place that's always been home starts to run past the windows. He does miss it, for better or worse.]

I'm going to have to go back to London when this is done. If this gets done.

[havethings]

You're getting through this, even if have to drag you.

( But, she also adds )

What does Lizzie say about your returning there? Don't tell me. She's already applied to transfer to Oxford.

[undermyfeet]

[He laughs.]

Not yet.

[She might, depending on how things go, but they haven't known each other that long.]

But she says she's okay with it. Putting on a brave face at least.

[havethings]

She's good at those. When all is said and done, ask her point blank. Make her be honest because she will tell you what you want to hear before telling you what's actually going on inside her brain.

( Which is Lizzie's way, isn't it?

The car winds through the posh neighborhoods to a familiar gated roundabout. It's coven holdings, where ceremonies throughout Danny's lifetime have taken place. A small and modest manse. )

[undermyfeet]

[Danny nods, because he will do that. He doesn't want to just be told what he wants to hear. But for now, he'll watch as they arrive, fingers drumming anxiously against the arm of the door as they pull in to a stop.

This hadn't looked like this when he left. But when he left, things had been still recovering from the effects of Monroe's hunters.]

[havethings]

Do you know where we are, now?

( She gives the place a once-over through the window. )

We can skip this part, find a bar and another way out of here if that's what you want.

[undermyfeet]

[He shakes his head.]

Whatever this is, it's trying to tell me something. I said I would see this through.

[And even if he screwed it up the first time, he's not going to let the Colony get it. And he's not going to let Hope stay here stranded with him if the only way out is through.]

[havethings]

( That's what she wanted to hear, what this place needs to hear. If she's riding shotgun, mistake or not, she's going to help in any way she can.

She accepts the door being opened for her as Danny's is opened.

She joins Danny on the other side of the car as it drives away. )

Happy birthday.

( The lobby inside is filled with relatives, family friends, and strangers dressed in their best. Some take food from passed trays, while others make their way into the main room, and yet some others - Danny will recognize distant cousins - are coming from upstairs, having booked themselves for the night. This is a large event, and by and large what Danny expected his sister's ceremony to be like. )

[undermyfeet]

[He lets his eyes scan over the faces, and his family aren't the only ones who they lost that night who are there now. It almost feels too much, but he squares his shoulders and reaches for Hope's hand as he continues to move forward.

He doesn't think he can fake a smile, or pretend that he's in the moment, but he can push through. And Hope can keep him grounded to the reality he needs to return to.]

Thanks.

[And with that, he steps forward into the room full of people.]

[havethings]

( Hope stays close. His mother, Frida, of Irish and Spanish decent spots them from the corner, politely excuses herself, and approaches her son (and who she thinks is her daughter). Frida takes in the sight, her two grown children looking fabulous.

"What did I tell you about the dress, but why on Earth did you pair it with that jacket," Frida says to her daughter, proud she was right in her choice. Hope just smiles, looking down at herself, as Frida faces Danny proper. She doesn't really know what to say to not her mother, so she doesn't.

"Mijo," she says to him. "Your father and I are so proud of you." His choice of outfit is fine, but today is not about fashion (if you're Danny) - even though life is always about fashion and zest. "We always, always knew you'd both do great things."

She comes around them, putting arms around their shoulders warmly, bringing them further into the party. "Now. Mingle, mingle. All your distant relatives are here, a few girls also coming of age, Danny," she said, squeezing him close. "And they're all here for you. For both of you." )

But, it's still -- Danny's birthday, right?

( "Bridget, both things can be true. It is your brother's birthday and it is also the day you both take your birthright for yourselves. We talked about this. We do not steal thunder in this family, we shine together. And if we strike someone down in the process, well, we never strike twice, now do we?" she jokes.

Her warmth shines through, reminding her kids that they are a formidable family, and maybe there is more than meets the eye to this day. )