Chapter Text

Chapter 1 — Temper

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: YOLO Shovel Atlas Tour

Lee-lee,

YOU’RE GOING TO BE IN GRAMPLETON?!

That’s fantastic!!! I’ve already gotten permission from Mom to go see you and your brother perform, provided I can talk Bub into giving me a ride. He keeps teasing me that he might need to go on a campus visit that weekend instead, but I know he’s already got his heart set on ZU. I threatened to ask Triss or Clint to take me if he backed out on me.

I’m sorry that they’ve saddled you with more childcare. It’s so weird to me that your parents want basically nothing to do with your baby sister. Like, why did they have a third kid if they didn’t want one? Sorry, that probably comes across as real insensitive. Still, it’s cool that you take such good care of her.

Did you hear that they’re planning on turning Fall of Hope into a series of graphic novels?! Triss is pretty skeptical that they’ll be good, but I’m going to hope, dammit! (Please don’t make the obvious pun when you write back.)

Anyways, I love you lots and look forward to seeing you on the thirteenth!

—Mo

Callie

“I hear congratulations are in order!” Pierre greeted Callie as she walked up to the counter. Summer had barely started, and already the heat felt oppressive. Then again, it’s not like Pierre’s shop had air conditioning, and fans could only do so much. “You and Philip make a handsome couple,” he added with a wide smile.

Blushing bright red, Callie replied, “Thank you, Pierre,” before quickly placing her order form on the counter. “Is this doable?” she asked, not wanting to linger on the news of her love life. She’d opted to come into town the first day of Summer in order to collect her seeds and other accoutrement for planting, that way she could plow and plant before moving onto the next plot. Just in the small distance she’d walked from the back of Pierre’s store to the front, no fewer than three different people had stopped her to give the same congratulations. She realized that the valley was a small community, but she couldn’t help but find it all a little ridiculous.

“Very doable,” Pierre assured her as he looked over the form. Callie swore she saw his eyes transform into gold coins when he figured the total charge. “I’ll have Sterling start collecting your order and then meet you out back. Will this be all today, or do you also need to do some grocery shopping?”

“I’m good on groceries, but thank you for checking,” Callie said politely as she pulled out her wallet. It didn’t take long for them to complete the transaction. Collecting her receipt, she turned towards the exit, only to find a veritable gauntlet of well-wishers.

“Took him long enough to work up the nerve,” Gus joked, his mustache curling high from his smile. “But I’m glad he did. You look happy, Callie,” he added more seriously.

“I am,” she replied, unable to help her own bright smile.

Passing the next aisle, she found herself accosted by Caroline and Leah, both giddy on her behalf. “Perhaps you’ll manage to persuade him to stay once he’s finished his work with Shiro,” Caroline said hopefully. The matron had fretted more than once that he would move on once his current contract was up.

Callie tried not to think about that possibility.

“He’s certainly handsome,” said Leah. Flecks of green paint in the artist’s ginger hair caught the sunlight as she flashed a teasing grin and added, “You have a knack for finding pretty men.”

Laughing even as she blushed, Callie did a quick glance to see who else may have heard that comment. “The valley has an excellent selection to pick from,” she demurred.

Even Abigail caught her as she opened the door. “I want you to know that I have to cover Sam’s and Seb’s beer next Friday because of you,” she said, trying to sound cranky but grinning too widely to pull it off.

“Oh? How so?” Callie asked, confused.

“I had my bet on you and Sterling,” she confessed, running a hand through her purple hair. “But I have to admit, Philip’s probably the wiser choice.”

It took a great deal of effort for Callie not to let her discomfort show at Abigail’s comment. “They’re both good guys with their pros and cons,” she shrugged, before grinning. “But I’m happy with Philip.”

“You look it,” Abigail told her. “Alright, I’ll let you get back to work, farmer. Gonna let us beat you at pool Friday?”

“We’ll see. Depends on how wiped out I am.”

By the time she finally made it back to the alleyway to open up her tailgate, Callie felt frazzled. Even though everyone seemed pleased on her behalf, she was ill-prepared for the sheer amount of attention everyone paid her.

“You alright there, firecracker?” Sterling asked as he pushed out the flatbed cart with all of her purchases.

“Yeah, just… I didn’t expect everyone to know,” Callie said as she climbed up into the bed of her truck.

“Pretty hard to keep a secret in the valley,” said Sterling. Glancing up at her with mischief in his blue eyes, he added, “especially when it concerns one of the local celebrities.”

“I didn’t realize that many people knew Philip,” Callie replied, enjoying the fact that he had to look up at her for once.

“I’m talking about you, Lee-lee,” Sterling pointed out dryly as he handed over the first bag. At Callie’s startled expression, he started laughing. “You’re the most exciting thing the valley’s seen in some time. You really are something of a celebrity around here,” he said, before tacking on with a sardonic smile. “It’s kind of surreal that you’re my friend.”

Shaking her head, Callie took each bag as it came and placed them where they needed to go. “Not just my friend; my first friend in the valley,” she said. His far-too-pretty face softened at that reminder. “I just don’t know how everyone knows. It’s not like he gave me the bouquet in the middle of the plaza.”

“Ah, but he purchased it at Pierre’s. Didn’t take long for people to connect the dots,” Sterling said, grunting as he crouched and lifted a bag of fertilizer onto the tailgate.

Callie grabbed the bag and hefted it onto the stack. As she did, a realization struck. “You’re the reason he got me lilies, aren’t you?”

Sterling didn’t respond at first as he tossed up another bag. “I may have mentioned something,” he finally said. Glancing up through his auburn fringe, he gave a small smile. “Wanted to make sure he did it right.”

Swallowing hard, she gave him an equally small smile. “Thank you, Sterling. That was very… kind.”

Callie really wished she had that tractor repaired.

After her brief visit to town to buy seeds, she didn’t leave Solanen’s Farm. She flipped between her various fields and gardens, planting seeds and seedlings depending on how long it took them to mature. She spent days and days tilling and planting her cash crops—cantaloupes, watermelons, wheat, and corn—plus her kitchen garden, and also her flowerbeds. Knowing that Sterling’s birthday happened later in midsummer, she made sure she planted a number of sunflowers first thing in hopes that they’d bloom in time.

The effects of the Change from Spring to Summer, while not nearly as dramatic as from Winter to Spring, still astonished her. All of her Spring crops withered and died overnight, which meant she had to either clear them out or plow them under. Callie had spent an evening talking with Mia once, trying to find out why some plants died during the Change, but others seemed mostly unaffected. Even after three hours and several diagrams, she had no clearer understanding than when she’d begun.

In the end, she chalked it up to magic and moved on.

Each day had her out in the fields as soon as curfew lifted, and she didn’t call it quits until midnight or later. The heat was not quite as bad as she expected thanks to the elevation and the nearness of the sea, but it still got plenty miserable. She constantly drank water, and yet by the end of each day, she still felt utterly dehydrated. Her one bright spot was her brief break for supper each evening, allowing her the chance to text her friends as she wolfed down a premade dinner. Well, mostly she texted with Philip, because she barely had the energy to interact with even one person. Then it was back into the fields to work by the light from her glow ring (found in the mines during her last trip) and crank out as much as she could. Once she physically couldn't keep going, she would stumble back to the cottage, grab a shower, and collapse into bed.

And then she'd do it all again.

When Friday rolled around, Callie’s phone blew up in a major way as everyone and their nearest two relatives reminded her to come to the saloon. All of them got some variation on the same response: sorry, I can't—too tired and too behind on her work.

But she wasn’t left completely to her own devices.

Shane

“Can I get two orders of the baked fish to go?” Philip asked as he set down his gym bag and hopped up on his usual stool. Shane glanced up in surprise at that. Callie’s new boyfriend was not the kind of guy who came to the saloon alone. Though, the fact that he ordered two meals to go gave the game away.

“Certainly. Taking dinner out to Callie?” asked Emily, flashing her friendly smile at the physical therapist. The bartender and server had only grown prettier as the years went by. Not that Shane would ever try to make a move on her—not after the last fiasco.

At least he was drunk enough at the time they could both pretend it never happened.

“Yeah… she’s been working so hard. I thought I’d surprise her,” said Philip. “Make sure she hasn’t wrecked herself overdoing it, you know?”

“Glad to hear it,” Gus said from where he stood at the register ringing up Philip’s order. “Solanens in general are often workaholics; it’s good you’re looking out for her,” he added, sounding pleased. Then again, the saloon owner frequently fussed over the half-pint.

“Gotta be rough starting up a relationship with a farmer at the beginning of a season,” Sterling said as if Callie were just any other farmer.

Shane subtly looked his friend over. Sterling appeared miserable to his discerning eye, despite the too-wide smile plastered on his face. His friend had gone back to drinking far more of late, closer to what he would imbibe when he first moved back. His intake had risen after the Flower Dance, and then again with Callie and Philip officially becoming a couple. But the longer Callie stayed holed up on her farm, the worse it became. Not that Shane had any room to judge, mind you, but… even though Shane enjoyed seeing more of his best friend, it hurt to see him backsliding.

Philip rubbed the back of his neck at Sterling’s observation. “A little bit, but truth be told, I’ve been just as busy,” he admitted with a wry smile. “Tonight’s the first chance I’ve had to see her.”

Sterling looked simultaneously glad and irritated at this tidbit of information.

“Shiro doing alright?” asked Emily in concern as she began collecting some beer and cider for Philip to take with him.

“Yeah, he’s doing fine,” he reassured her. “But with the start of a new season, people are overdoing things and injuring themselves, so I’ve had quite a few one-off sessions to help people out.”

Shane tuned out of the conversation as they kept discussing his work. Sterling finished his drink and signaled for another in record time, which Gus provided on his way back to get Philip’s order.

Neither Shane nor Sterling said anything else until Philip had taken his leave. Once he was out the door, however, Shane quietly asked Sterling. “Have ya been out to see ‘er?” 

Sterling shook his head. “Nah… we uh… we haven’t spent any time just the two of us since… well, since we stopped sleepin' together,” he replied just as quietly, avoiding Shane’s gaze. “Well, I mean, we talk on the phone, and we sit together here at the bar, but… we don’t spend time together in person without supervision,” he amended.

That had Callie written all over it. Considering his friend’s difficulties with impulse control when drunk, Shane couldn’t really blame her even if it clearly made Sterling miserable. “But you’ve at least talked with her?” Shane prodded. Technically he could also reach out, but he doubted she’d want to hear from him. Not when he kept acting like such a dickweasel towards her.

“Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah…” Sterling said with a quick nod of his head. “But not too much. Even over text she sounds utterly exhausted. Prolly workin’ herself half to death,” he added, unable to hide his frustration. “Plus… well, I didn’t want to interrupt her downtime with her new boyfriend.”

“Sounds like there wasn’t anything to interrupt.”

Sterling hid a worried frown behind his beer.

Callie

Callie growled as she placed a cage around another pepper seedling. The current work wasn’t all that difficult; she simply felt exhausted and achy. Part of her knew that from a purely health perspective, she should spread out her work more, allow herself more time for the tilling and planting of her various crops. Unfortunately, she found herself on a tight deadline. If she waited too long, nothing would bear fruit before Fall arrived, and then she’d be up Shit Creek without a paddle, as Granddad would say.

Wearily climbing to her feet, she plodded over to grab another handful of cages and finish putting them around her different pepper and tomato plants. Of course, the last three cages had managed to wedge themselves together. She cursed profusely as she fought to separate them in the twilight. All she had left to do was stake these, and she could finally stop for supper.

If she could ever… get… the damn things... separated.

Finally yanking them apart, Callie shouted even more expletives as she pinched her fingers unexpectedly, hopping around and shaking her hand. Furious and frustrated and fucking done with this shit, she grabbed one of the cages and launched it to the far side of the garden with a full-throated scream of rage.

“You okay there, babe?”

Spinning around, Callie found Philip standing at the gate to her kitchen garden.

Fucking Yoba’s saggy tits!

“Yeah, I’m… I’m good,” she panted, even as internally she cringed at the fact that he’d shown up when she was such a Yoba-cursed wreck. Callie knew she looked a mess, streaked in mud created from the combination of sweat and dirt, and that she probably smelled like she’d rolled around in fertilizer for a week. She was so damn close to her break. She would already be on her break if the bloody trellises and cages hadn’t fought her tooth and toenail.

And there stood her handsome boyfriend, still dressed in scrubs from his own work that day and holding bags from the Stardrop Saloon in his hands. “I brought you dinner,” Philip said meekly. His ice-blue eyes warily watched her as though she might start raging or crying at any moment. Or maybe Callie projected that because, Yoba on a yardstick, she wanted to rage and cry right then.

Forcing herself to take a deep breath and then another, she summoned a tired smile for him. “You are an utter sweetheart,” she declared, trying to ignore just how raw she felt. “I need to take care of these cages, and then I can stop for a bit.”

Philip nodded slowly at that. “Can I help?”

Shaking her head, Callie said, “It won’t take me but a minute now that I have them separated.” Giving him a chagrined look, she added, “Sorry you caught me in the midst of a tantrum.”

“What tantrum?”

She gave him a rueful smile as she trudged over to grab the cage that she’d chucked like a shot put. “It’s good to see you.”

“Oh, so ditto and likewise,” he replied, though his adorable face reflected concern as he watched her go about the last of her work. “Do you want me to take these in and get the table ready?”

Her laughter flirted with hysteria. Shaking her head yet again, Callie jammed a cage into the ground. “I’m utterly filthy,” she said bluntly. “Maybe we could sit on the porch?”

“I think I can swing that.” He hesitated, then asked, “Are you sure you’re good?”

“I’m fine,” she replied shortly. Seeing how his broad shoulders hunched, she sighed. “I’m sorry, Philip. I’m tired, but I’m okay.” She put her weight on the next cage, making sure the stakes went deep into the soil.

“Alright. I’ll go set things up on the porch.”

Callie grimaced as she watched him disappear around the corner of the cottage. Her boyfriend(!) had brought her dinner and was acting so sweet, and she’d bitten his bloody head off. She muttered curses at herself as she finished staking the last cage into the ground. She hadn’t seen him since their date at the end of Spring, and when she finally did, she acted like a complete and utter bitch towards him.

She straightened herself up and groaned, every muscle crying out in a medley of pain and fatigue. Wiping the sweat from her eyes, she stumbled out the gate to her outdoor faucet and grabbed the nearby jug of soap. Realizing she still had her work gloves on, she gripped the soap between her legs, peeled the gloves off, and tucked them into the back pocket of her overalls. As she scrubbed herself clean under the lukewarm water, she tried to get herself back into some sort of equilibrium. Tired and achy she may be, but she wouldn’t take it out on Philip.

He deserved better.

Philip

Watching Callie make her slow way towards the porch, Philip tried—and failed—to suppress a worried frown. Her dark curls, once pulled back into a bun, had become a frizzy and half-loose mess. Dozens of scrapes and bruises marred her skin wherever it showed. Everything about the way her body moved screamed just how hurt and stressed she felt. As she drew near to the porch, he could see both the fatigue and the self-recriminations in her big, brown eyes.

She gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry I’m so cranky, Philip. Thank you for bringing out dinner. I really do appreciate it,” she said, leaning down to press a swift kiss to his forehead.

“You’re just fine,” Philip reassured her, patting a spot on the porch for her to sit down. “I’m sorry I didn’t get out here sooner to say hi,” he added as he started removing the foil tops from their food.

“I’m just glad you’re here now,” she said, her smile a little warmer, a little more real.

“Still, I won’t let us go so long without seeing each other again,” he resolved.

“This smells divine,” Callie said as she took the container he handed her as well as a fork. “And it takes two to tango, big guy. I could just as easily have tried to come see you.”

Philip gave her a look at that. “You’re about to faint where you sit. Don’t you dare start blaming yourself that you haven’t come up to Ridgeside. As amazing as you are, you aren’t Speedilina.”

She gave him a half-smile at that. “Alright, alright.”

They ate in companionable silence, enjoying the simple fact that the other person was there. Philip looked out over the farm. With the last sliver of sun finally slipping out of sight, fireflies emerged. A Summer symphony of crickets, cicadas, and frogs filled the air. Across the road, he could see field after field tilled and planted—with melons, if he recalled correctly. The Cindersap Forest was nothing but a dark smudge of green on the horizon, and it struck him just how much land Callie took care of. “What do you do when you need help on the farm?” he wondered aloud.

“I either rig something to help me out or go begging one of my neighbors,” she chuckled. “But I’ve only had to do that once or twice. Honestly, the other farmers in the area have shown me a great deal of kindness. They often extend help to me before I even know I need it. It’s just right now, everybody else is also hip-deep in work.”

Unable to keep his worry out of his voice, Philip asked, “But what if you get hurt? I’ve seen the minor injuries you get just from general work. What if—”

“That’s why I keep my phone on me,” she said in a soothing voice. “If something happens, I’ll call for help.”

“But what if you can’t?”

“Then I guess I’ll have to hope someone worries when I don’t respond to any messages,” she shrugged, as though it weren’t a big deal. That did not sit well with Philip in the slightest, but he didn’t have a good solution either. Seeing his displeasure, Callie gave him a sweet smile and reached over to squeeze his knee. “Don’t worry so much, hon. People text and check up on me all the time,” she tried to reassure him.

“I suppose.”

“But how’ve you been?” Callie asked, slumping back against the railing.

As they wrapped up their meal, Philip relayed little anecdotes from his sessions that week. Nothing that would betray anyone’s confidences, but little things to make her giggle. In return he asked what she still had left to plant. With a weary smile, she relayed that she still had most of her flowers and all of her wheat to sow. “Then I can finally turn my attention to pruning my peach trees. With any luck, I’ll have most things done in a couple more weeks,” Callie said. Despite her fatigue, she looked satisfied with how things were going.

“No one can accuse you of laziness.”

“Not with any accuracy, anyways,” she chuckled. Her soft laughter faded to a sigh as she began to pile up trash inside of her empty container. “Thank you so much for bringing me dinner tonight,” she said yet again.

“You are very welcome,” he replied as he too started gathering up trash. “I’ll clean this up. Why don't you go grab a shower or bath? Whatever will help you feel clean and relaxed."

Callie blinked. "While that sounds wonderful, I need to keep working—"

Philip cut her off by laying a finger against her sweet lips. "You need to rest," he said. He knew intimately just how easily someone could wreck themselves by constantly working. "You're exhausted and filthy and haven't taken a day off since Summer started." When the stubborn glint in her eyes didn't subside in the slightest, he added more quietly, "I've missed you." While not a fan of using guilt trips, he'd use whatever tool he had at hand that would make her slow down. 

It proved super effective.

Face softening into a lovely smile, she said, "I've missed you too, hon." Callie paused, her face reflecting her internal conflict between her desire to keep working and her desire to spend time with him. Eventually, her affections for him won out. "Alright, sweetheart. I'll spend the evening with you."

Relief coursed through his whole body at her capitulation. "Go grab your shower while I clean up, and when you're done, I'll give you a massage," he smiled. While he specialized in orthopedic physical therapy, he was still trained in how to relieve aches and pains through mechanical manipulation of the musculature.

Getting to put his hands on her was a nice added bonus.

“That's very sweet, but you don’t have to—”

“I know I don’t have to, babe. I want to. I like taking care of people, especially my girlfriend,” he said, unable to stop the grin that spread across his face. He liked calling her his girlfriend.

Judging by her pleased blush, Callie liked hearing it. “Okay,” she said softly, smiling at him. Grabbing the railing, she leveraged herself to her feet with a wince and a grunt, then held on for a moment as she regained her balance.

Brow furrowing with worry, he asked, “You okay there? Need help getting inside?”

“I’m okay, just stiff from sitting.”

Humming thoughtfully, Philip quickly finished getting the trash in the bag and tied it off before setting the bag on the porch. She hadn’t moved at all in that time, still leaning against the railing. He opened the door, then scooped her up into his arms. Callie loosed a startled yelp. “What are you doing?”

“Looking after you,” he smiled, carrying her inside. It was easy to forget, considering her physical strength and the size of her personality, just how tiny she actually was. Holding her like this, however, made him viscerally aware.

“I’m getting you filthy,” Callie bemoaned as he took her back towards the bathroom.

“Most men like when their girlfriend gets them dirty,” he smirked.

“Hardee har har,” she said. She still smiled, though.

Once he’d gotten her started on her shower, Philip bustled around her home. He threw out the trash from dinner and brought in his gym bag. Remembering his promise of a massage, he pulled out a bottle of oil from his bag and placed it on the end table within easy reach, then tucked the bag at the end of the bed. He located her spare towels and spread a couple on the bed, that way her hair wouldn’t soak the blanket nor the oil stain it. All of that took a grand total of maybe ten minutes, and he figured Callie would be awhile yet until she emerged.

He took the time to explore her bedroom, carefully examining everything. A large, king-size bed dominated the room, sitting in the corner opposite the entrance and buried under a plethora of pillows and a light-weight quilt. Her oak dresser and vanity near the bathroom held surprisingly little clutter—mostly hair accessories—and a picture of four young children, clearly relatives of some sort. A sizable crafting table took up the last corner, bare of any project and flanked by drawers filled with paper and sewing materials. Up on the walls hung a collection of embroidered hoops and a shadow box with papercrafts inside.

The sudden silence of the water turning off rattled Philip's nerves. Despite the fact that they’d officially started dating, he still felt unsure of himself around Callie. Not because of anything she’d said or done, but just because he hadn’t dated anyone since he and Addy broke up. He desperately didn’t want to screw things up.

Again.

Finally emerging from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, Callie made a startled noise when she saw Philip. He hurried to say, “I’m sorry, I just… if you’d like a massage, I figured it’d be easier without clothes—I mean, if you want—”

Philip kept getting tongue tied, but thankfully, his girl was nothing if not a sweet and generous soul. “That sounds wonderful,” she said, giving him a warm if tired smile. “Where would you like me?”

A multitude of mental images flashed through his head at that question, and he felt himself flush. Callie was clearly hurting and exhausted; now was not the time for such things. Besides, he’d promised himself he’d take things slow with her. He would do things right. “Why don’t you lay down on your stomach? If it makes you more comfortable, you can drape your towel over your waist,” he said, averting his eyes as she began moving towards the bed.

“You’re allowed to look, you know,” she said, a smile in her voice. “If there’s anyone I want getting an eyeful, it’s you.”

Looking up, he found that she had removed the towel and laid down on the bed without putting it back on, allowing him to take in the sight of her enticing curves and bare posterior. “Yoba, you really are gorgeous,” he sighed, trying very hard not to let on just how much of an effect she was having on him. Philip walked over to the side of the bed to oil up his hands and then breathe warmth into them. Climbing onto the bed, he placed his knees on either side of her lovely hips. He massaged along her neck and shoulders, then down along her back, alternating between long strokes and gentle kneading, paying careful attention to the various marks and scars crisscrossing her body. Far, far too many scars for his liking. Not that they detracted from her beauty! Just the fact that they existed, that something or someone had injured her so badly on so many occasions.

Careful not to undo his hard work by startling her, he made a point of telling her what he was doing and why, warning her ahead of time before he changed techniques or the placement of his hands. She slowly melted beneath his ministrations, letting out a deep, contented sigh. As he successfully worked loose one of the knots along her right shoulder blade, Callie let out a moan before clearly tensing with embarrassment; even her back blushed. Focus, he told himself despite the intense desire to elicit more sounds like that. “It’s okay,” he reassured her. “Your body is just reacting to the sudden pain relief.”

“You also have wonderful hands,” she replied muzzily, giving him a nice little ego boost.

Methodically, he continued to work down her back and along the top of her pelvis, eliciting similar moans and whimpers on a number of occasions. It made it very, very difficult to remain focused, but he managed. Though, he certainly lingered more than he would for a patient. Applying more oil to his hands, he went down to her left foot and began to work his way up her leg to the curve of her bare bottom, continuing to tell her the whys and the wherefores of his actions. He then repeated the process with her right side. As he finished, he caressed her skin and asked gently. “Are you still awake?”

Callie murmured something in reply, but he couldn’t understand. She sounded mostly asleep.

He carefully climbed off of the bed to avoid disturbing her, smiling all the while. Philip took a certain satisfaction in knowing that his efforts had managed to soothe and relax her to the point of slumber. Standing beside the bed, he took a moment to admire her before looking around for some sort of throw or blanket to cover her with. He began to walk off in search when her hand grabbed his. He met her dark, tired gaze. “Please, stay,” she whispered.

That made him swallow. “You’re exhausted, babe.”

“I am,” she acknowledged with a smile reflecting equal parts wry amusement and fatigue. “But I want to wake up to your face. Nothing more needs to happen, nor is it expected.”

Interlacing his fingers with hers, he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. “I would love that. Let’s get under the covers.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2 — Trust

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: YOLO Shovel Atlas Tour

Lee-lee,

Yoba, girl, you’re doing waaaaaay too much. Like, I get why you’re upset that your Mom won’t let you keep dancing, but you have so much on your plate. You’re already taking classes through ZU before graduating, you’re working at the bookstore, you have what, three, four extracurriculars as well? And Bria?

Take a damn break.

Anyhow, Bub’s first game of the season is next month, and Mom and I are coming out to see it! I know you probably can’t swing tickets, but maybe we could meet up at some point before the game? Still wouldn’t get to meet my brother—he’s tied up before the game—but we could catch up a bit.

Let me know either way!

Miss you,

—Mo

Callie

“Sorry I woke you up so early on your day off,” Callie apologized as she set their breakfast on the table.

“I realize that even though it’s my day off, your work is still ongoing,” Philip reassured her with a smile. “To be fair, it’s only a day off in the sense of no sessions. I’ll still spend most of today at the clinic working on all the paperwork from the past week,” he sighed. His smile swiftly returned as he met her eyes. “Besides, I like getting to see you first thing.”

Smiling back, Callie kissed his cheek before sitting in her own chair. “I like seeing you first thing in the morning too,” she said. She hated waking up alone. Even though Philip did not like to cuddle in his sleep, it still brought her joy to see him beside her when she woke. It was one of the things she’d regretted about the setup between her and Sterling—that she didn’t get to wake up with him beside her. Well, except for the one time.

Annnnnd that was not something she should be thinking about on her first morning with her boyfriend, even if the two of them hadn’t actually done much of anything.

“What’s on your agenda today?” Philip asked her as he dug into his eggs.

“The flower garden,” she said. “Then all I'll have left is sowing my wheat and pruning my peach trees. After that, my workload should ease for a long while.”

“Good. You’re working yourself too hard,” he said seriously.

“I know,” Callie admitted before taking a bite of bacon. Last night was the first time she'd gotten more than four or five hours of sleep all Summer. Aloud, she said, “Unfortunately, there’s really not another option at the moment. Down the line I might be able to hire a farmhand or two, but I don’t have the resources yet. If I’m really lucky, I’ll get my tractor up and running in time for the Fall planting.”

Philip frowned, but let it go.

“Anyway, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” Callie said, her fingertips tapping nervously against the side of her coffee mug.

“Oh?” he asked, face alight with curiosity.

“It’s about Sterling.”

“What about him?”

“Well… you know that last Spring—before you and I started dating—he and I had a friends with benefits arrangement…” she began. At his cautious nod, she continued, “When we stopped, we put certain boundaries in place while we adjusted to the new shape of our friendship, with the caveat that we’d revisit said boundaries in Summer, and, well….”

“It’s Summer now,” Philip finished for her, his eyebrows furrowing. “So why are you bringing it up with me?” he slowly asked.

“I don’t know what you’re comfortable with,” said Callie. “I don’t want to upset you or accidentally make you jealous because he and I spent time together without someone else around, or because I gave him a hug or whatever it happens to be. I won’t give up my friendship with him, but I also—”

“Do you love him?”

“What?” she choked, staring.

“Do you wish you were dating him instead of me?”

“No,” Callie said firmly, setting her fork down to reach over and grab his hand with hers. “I love him as a friend, but… no, I don’t wish he and I were dating,” she insisted. She’d learned a long time ago not to waste opportunities because she wished for the impossible. “In a different time in our lives, under different circumstance… if he’d put in the work to mentally be able to handle a relationship, if you didn’t exist, maybe I could see it happening, but… but not now.”

Philip’s shoulders relaxed at her words, and only then did she realize how tense he’d grown. Rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand, he said, “Then use your best judgment, baby. I trust you. Obviously, I don’t want you doing anything sexual with him—I’m only interested in fictional polycules in case I hadn’t made that clear—but beyond that, I really don’t care. I know he’s dear to you and that he’s your best friend. I also know you’d never do anything to intentionally hurt me. Or him for that matter….” To Callie’s horror, she started to cry at his words. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he said, reaching up to wipe a tear away from her cheek.

“I’m sorry,” she said, closing her eyes as she tried to get herself back under control. Yoba-forsaken exhaustion making her emotionally ragged. “I’m… I guess I really didn’t expect you to… be okay with any of it. Most of my partners have been rather… possessive.” To put it very, very mildly.

Cradling her face in his hands, Philip waited until she opened her eyes to say softly, “You have a huge heart, Callie. You love freely, and you try so hard to not hurt those around you. Asking you to not care about someone is like asking the Dark Detective not to brood—utterly impossible,” he said, giving her a small, teasing smile. Sobering, he said, “You’ve already showed me that you care about me by even having this conversation. Like I said, I trust you.”

She studied his light blue eyes, searching for any sign that he had hesitations or doubts. When she couldn’t find any, she had to kiss him for that, to show him just how much his trust meant to her—how much he meant to her. Philip welcomed her affection gladly, pulling her into his lap and holding her close. When she finally pulled back, she said softly, “Thank you.”

Smiling, he gently cupped her cheek. “You’re welcome.”

Sterling

Sterling: Hey hotstuff

Sterling: Got something to give you 😁

Sterling: Can I drop by?

Callie: Sure

Callie: I’m out in the orchard

Sterling: 👍🏼

“Alright, I’ll run it over to her,” Sterling told Mia, scrubbing a hand through his hair.

“Thanks, Sterling,” she said as she twisted the cap onto the gallon jug. “I’d mail it to her, but…”

“It would definitely spoil,” Sterling acknowledged as he took the pink lemonade. “I’ll ask her about this weekend too,” he added.

Mia gave him a pleased smile.

Ten minutes later, he secured the small cooler containing the jug and some ice and put on his helmet. He opted to not put on the jacket—it was way too fucking hot to wear it no further than he was going. Revving the engine, he backed out of the garage, closed the door, and headed west. Despite his hangover, Sterling was glad to get out of the house. He’d helped Henry out at High Valley Grange on all of his days off thus far, so he’d reveled in the chance to sleep in today. Unfortunately, he hadn’t even fallen asleep until close to four (honestly it was more like he passed out, but it got the job done).

Sterling missed Callie. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d come to rely on her to help him calm his mind until she practically fell off the face of the planet. She responded to his messages, but even over text he could tell just how exhausted she felt. When he’d had a couple of rough nights, he couldn’t bring himself to hit her up for a distraction. Sterling figured Philip spent most nights with her, and he really didn’t want to be that guy. He’d paid for it with interest.

Then he’d learned that Philip hadn’t even seen her. That had pissed Sterling off, not gonna lie.

He’d half-expected her to tell him to drop the lemonade off somewhere rather than meet her. They hadn’t been truly alone together since… well, since they’d had breakfast together. They’d talked on the phone or over video chat, sat together at the saloon, worked together when she came by Pierre’s, but they hadn’t hung out without someone else at least within earshot. Then again, Summer had finally arrived, and Callie had said they’d revisit their boundaries then. Of course, she’d suggested that before she and Philip started dating….

Sterling’s brain continued looping through the same thoughts again and again as he carefully navigated through the streets of Pelican Town. The simple truth was, he missed his friend. He missed her unshakable faith in him, her sharp wit, and her gentle heart. Texting just didn’t do her justice.

Arriving at Solanen’s Farm, he realized that he didn’t know the orchard’s location. Whenever he’d visited in the past, he’d gone to the cottage but not much further. He couldn’t help giving a low whistle as he looked around at the fields and gardens for some sign of where to go. Damn, she’d accomplished as much as he and Henry out on the family farm. He wondered who she’d brought on since Susan always hired the Odd Jobs guys for planting.

As he continued west past her house, he soon spotted the entrance to her orchard and parked by the gate. Taking his helmet off, he delighted in the wind blowing through his sweaty hair. Sterling grabbed the cooler and the cups that Mia had suggested and then walked into the orchard. The shade brought welcome relief from the searing sun. He could see signs of where she’d removed trees, odd gaps in the rows, but overall, it seemed in remarkable condition considering how long it had sat untended. Callie either had a true knack for agriculture or incredible luck.

Maybe both.

He located her truck before he spotted her straddling the top of a ladder, cutting away at the shoots and some of the middle branches on a peach tree. Dressed in overalls and a wide straw hat, she looked adorable, especially with her braids and the way she had her tongue pushing out her cheek as she concentrated on the task at hand. Her shoulders slumped, though, and she kept stopping to rub at her eyes. Sweat dripped off her elbows, and she had dirt smeared here and there.

Sterling waited and watched for a bit, not wanting to startle her with her so precariously perched. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long before she swung a leg around to have both feet on the same side. She missed the rung. Sterling’s breath froze in his lungs, but she caught herself before he could move. Callie paused for several long breaths and rested her forehead against the ladder before finally descending, and his heart finally slowed. As she neared the bottom, he pulled himself together and called out, “Hot damn, farmer. How does a good girl like you get so dirty?”

Callie’s head snapped up and around until she spotted Sterling. Upon finding him, she smirked and shook her head, “Hard work toiling in the dirt, shop boy, that’s how,” she said, voice incredibly dry. She hopped down off the ladder and walked towards him. “You should give it a try sometime.”

“Getting a good girl dirty?” he asked with false innocence even as he grinned.

That finally got the blush he was looking for. Despite her pink cheeks, she replied tartly, “I’m well aware you know how to do that. I meant toiling in the dirt. Though, to be honest,” she added in a more normal tone of voice, “I figured you were out at your uncle’s farm today.”

“Henry finally relented and let me have a day off, so I got the chance to sleep in today.”

“Lucky devil,” she sighed before noticing what he held. “What’s that?”

“A gift from Mia. Thought maybe you could do with some pink lemonade with all of this heat and your hard work,” he said, holding the cooler up enticingly as condensation ran down its side.

“Yes, please. Many blessings upon Mia for making it and you for bringing it,” she said fervently.

“Pick a shade tree, hotstuff. I even brought cups,” he told her, savoring her genuine joy at the offer. It didn’t take long before the two of them sat beneath one of the shadier trees she hadn’t yet pruned. Sterling poured them each a glass of Mia’s pink lemonade, asking, “Where’s your hired hand?”

“Hired hand?”

“Yeah, whoever it is you’ve had helping you get the fields going. They’re looking fantastic, by the way,” he said as he handed a cup to her.

“I haven’t hired anybody,” Callie said before taking the cup with a quiet, “Thanks.”

Sterling stared. “You’re saying you did all that by yourself? Did you get the tractor working?” he wondered. He knew she had started doing repairs on it, but last time she’d talked about it she’d made it sound like it would be late Summer or Fall before she had it up and running.

She shook her head. “Nope, did it all with the rototiller, just like in Spring.”

“Yoba, firecracker, no wonder you look exhausted,” Sterling blurted out.

“Gee, thanks,” she laughed.

Thumbing his earrings, he said, “I don’t mean that in a bad way, just… damn, farmer. It’s a miracle you haven’t injured yourself.” The image of her nearly falling of the ladder earlier flashed through his mind. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“What could anyone do?” she asked. “Everyone else is just as busy.”

“Yeah, for a little while, but not this long. I even got a day off today. You’re still out here in the heat busting your ass.”

“Well, currently I’m taking a break,” Callie retorted with a teasing smile. After taking a sip of her lemonade, her smile turned delighted. “Oh, this really is marvelous.”

“Only because someone dropped by,” Sterling said, not letting her distract him from his point. “This isn’t healthy or sustainable.”

Sighing, she rolled her neck and gave him a weary smile. “I know that, but it’s not long term. Just a few more days, and then I’ll have the peach trees taken care of, and then I can slow down. I’m truly through the worst of it now,” she said, obviously trying to reassure him.

She failed.

“Lee-Lee,” Sterling said, trying to keep his frustration in check. “Please tell me that Philip at least is checking in on you regularly, making sure you eat and sleep and so forth.”

Callie took another drink of her lemonade, then continued staring into it as she said, “I’ve texted with him every day, and he came by the other night.” Looking back up, she insisted, “But it's okay. I'm okay."

“Are you actually sleeping? Eating outside of breakfast and supper?”

Her eyes dropped again to her lemonade.

Sterling frowned and literally bit his tongue to keep from scolding her. She looked plenty miserable without him adding onto it. Well, if no one else would keep Callie from overworking herself, then he’d just have to take care of her. “Alright, so here’s what’s going to happen,” he said briskly, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on her. “We’re going to have our lemonade, and then I’m going to help you the rest of the day with your orchard,” her head snapped up, but he held up his hand to forestall her protests. “Then, we’re going to stop at a reasonable hour, and I’m going to take you to the Stardrop so you can eat real food, talk to real people, and fucking unwind a bit, and then you’re going home so you can shower and actually sleep. Capiche?”

She stared at him wide-eyed, clearly unprepared for him to come in and steamroll her day. He knew her type—he’d grown up with Henry, after all—and left to her own devices, she’d drive herself into an early grave by working too much and not taking care of herself. He and Philip were having words later about the proper care and maintenance for a workaholic. “Do you understand?” Sterling repeated, arching an eyebrow at her.

Blinking several times as if her brain was coming back online, Callie finally said, “I’m not going to dissuade you, am I?”

“Nope,” he replied, popping the ‘p’ sound.

She smiled at that even as she shook her head. “Okay, fine. I won’t fight you on this.”

“Excellent, because it’s not one you’d win, and if you did, I’d call in reinforcements,” he said with a satisfied smile.

“Mia and Emily?”

“Gus.”

Callie actually shuddered at that. “Alright, alright, you win. Just… don’t sic him on me, okay?”

That made Sterling laugh.

Callie

Sterling made sure they finished their lemonade before going back to work. “We’ll stop in an hour or so to do it again. I expect that entire jug of lemonade to be gone by the end of the day,” he warned her.

Callie just went with it. Truth be told, she felt too damned tired to argue and too damned grateful for the help.

In Spring, she’d done the fields and gardens and orchard over the course of months; she wasn’t prepared for how much was involved with doing everything at once… not really. Not that she truly had to, but if she wanted to have enough harvests, the earlier she accomplished things the better. But Sterling was right, it was so bloody much to do. Honestly, it felt rather good to have him come in and take over for the day. Callie’s brain felt like fried mush, and she knew she’d made more than a few mistakes over the last week—she’d nearly fallen off the damn ladder multiple times. Between her sheer physical exhaustion and the shitty sleep (she felt confident that her night terrors had returned in full force the past few nights), having someone else take charge felt a little like paradise.

To her astonishment, Sterling knew a remarkable amount about pruning the peach trees. “Uncle Jess has an orchard of nothing but peach trees, and in our teens, Henry and I were the ones consistently tasked with pinching them off in Spring and pruning them in Summer and Winter,” he explained. “I can tell that these are old trees that haven’t had much love in a long time,” he added, eyeing just how tall some of them had grown.

“Yeah. I’m doing what I can now, but they need a lot of work this Winter before I can hope for much in the way of a harvest,” she said as she moved her ladder to the next tree.

“Oh, you’ll get a fine harvest this year. Picking them will be a real bitch for you though, considering how tall they’ve gotten,” he replied.

One of the things Callie appreciated was just how well she and Sterling worked together. It didn’t seem to matter what they did—unloading things at the shop, cooking together, dancing—they had an intuitive understanding of where the other person was and what they were doing, and how their own actions could help or hinder. The time also passed faster and with far more laughter with Sterling to talk to and joke with.

True to his word, a little over an hour later he declared it time for a lemonade break. “Come on, hotstuff. Let’s cool off a bit,” he insisted when she resisted. Sighing, she climbed off the ladder and followed him over to another shady tree. As they sat and drank their lemonade, Sterling said, “I’ll admit I’m surprised you even let me drop by today. Half expected you to tell me to bring an escort.”

“Well, it is Summer,” Callie answered, glancing at him over her cup. He hadn’t come in work clothes; his poor trainers had certainly seen better days, and his orange T-shirt would need a lot of attention during its next wash, but he looked good regardless. This sort of work suited him in a way she couldn’t articulate. At her words, however, he arched an eyebrow in obvious question. “We did say we’d talk about our boundaries again when Summer came,” she reminded him.

Sterling’s eyes widened at that. He quickly tossed her a bright smile, “And you think we no longer need a chaperone?”

“I trust you,” she told him, much in the same way Philip had told her. “And we’ve established different norms for us. I also made sure that our spending time together wouldn’t upset Philip.” Smiling wryly, she said, “Mostly he seemed confused I even felt the need to ask.”

She took note of the way Sterling’s entire body stilled when she mentioned her partner, plus the look of surprise when she told him Philip’s opinion on the matter. “You talked to him about it?” he asked.

“Of course,” Callie answered. “I warned him up front that I wouldn’t give up my friendship with you, but I still wanted his opinion. The goal is to not accidentally hurt anyone, yeah?”

For a brief moment, Sterling’s eyes grew pained before quickly fading with his rueful smile. “I don’t know why that surprised me. I know how much you prize communication.”

Shrugging, she said, “It has its benefits.”

“So, what did the boy scout have to say?”

“That he’s monogamous and thus didn’t want anything sexual going on between you and I, but that beyond that he didn’t really care, that he knew you were dear to me, and he wouldn’t interfere with that,” Callie recited.

He gaped.

“Close your mouth, you’ll catch flies.”

Shaking his head, Sterling said, “I swear, Lee-lee, that one of these days you’re going to give me a heart attack.”

“Pretty sure I’d have accomplished that by now if that were the case,” she laughed.

“Alright, so what are the new boundaries here, farmer?”

It turned out the new boundaries were pretty straightforward: no physical intimacy and no flirting beyond what they did now.

“Policy on late night texts and phone calls? ‘Cause, I really don’t want to disturb you when you’re with Philip,” he said, his voice forcibly casual.

Callie immediately gave him a concerned look. “Have you purposely avoided texting me at night?”

Sterling looked away from her. “Didn’t want to interrupt anything between you and your new partner.”

That, to no one’s surprise, made her face grow hot. “We haven’t… spent much time together, to be honest. And… well, based off the one night, he’s a pretty sound sleeper. Go ahead and send a text if you need to. If we’re… occupied, or I’m asleep, I won’t answer, but otherwise…” she trailed off with a shrug. “No need for you suffer in silence, hon.”

“I don’t want to—”

“We’re friends, Red, and we look out for each other. Just like you’re looking out for me today, yeah?”

Sterling shook his head with a soft laugh of disbelief. “Every time, you somehow manage to surprise me.”

“Sooner or later, I’ll convince you to raise your expectations,” she teased him.

“If I raise them much higher, I’ll put you on a pedestal,” he smirked before drinking the last of his lemonade.

“Hot damn!” she exclaimed after following his lead in finishing her lemonade. “Then I could reach the top shelf!”

Sterling burst into surprised snickers at that. “But then what use would you have for me?” he asked plaintively.

“I’m sure I could come up with a good use for you.”

“Could you, now. What uses are those?” he asked as he returned her grin, falling back into familiar banter.

“Uses? You think I’ll come up with more than one?”

“You said to raise my expectations.”

Callie’s laughter rang through the orchard.

Shane

“You look like shit, short stack,” Shane greeted Callie as Sterling steered her onto Sterling’s usual stool, putting her between the two of them. Exhaustion rolled off of her in waves. Her eyes had deep bruises beneath them; her movements were stilted; and she’d clearly lost weight since he’d last seen her.

“Gee, I love you too,” Callie retorted, her voice more weary than teasing as she climbed up on the stool and leaned heavily on the bar.

Shane’s eyes met Sterling’s over the top of Callie’s head. He could see the fury hiding behind Sterling’s worry. Before either man could respond to Callie, however, Gus and Emily arrived at their end of the bar and immediately began fussing over her. “You haven’t been eating,” Gus accused her.

“My goodness, Cal. Can I get you some food? Something to drink?” Emily asked, already filling a glass with water.

“Mind grabbing her the special?” Sterling asked them.

Callie stared blankly.

“And all of the trimmings too,” Gus said with an approving nod. “It’ll be just a moment,” he added as he turned and walked away.

“Here,” Emily said as she slid the water in front of her.

“Thanks, Em,” said Callie, giving herself a shake.

Shane stayed quiet as he watched everyone mother her. The fact that she didn’t tell them all to fuck off (in as polite a way as possible, of course, because this was Callie) laid bare just how tired she felt. He listened as Gus prodded her, trying to get her to talk about what she’d done to get herself in that state, but she refused to cooperate with the interrogation. Sterling, however, had no qualms about throwing her under the bus. “Well, from what I saw, she tilled, planted, and fertilized around thirty plots of her cash crops, plus her kitchen garden and her flower garden. Today she was pruning her peach trees.”

Callie mustered enough energy to toss Sterling a dirty look as Gus and Emily started haranguing her all over again about pacing herself and working too hard. Finally, she got her gut full. “Guys, I appreciate your concern, I really do, but it’s not like I have much in the way of alternatives. I lack the funds for either the equipment or people to help, and if I want to save enough to make life easier in the long run, life has to suck for right now. After Sterling’s help today, I have about a day or two’s worth of pruning to get done, and then I can recuperate.”

No one looked happy at her declaration—including Callie—but none of them wanted to continue arguing with her. “We’ll revisit this discussion when you’re not exhausted,” Gus warned her.

“Fine,” she said, clearly done with the topic.

Gus walked off muttering unhappily to himself, his mustache drooping. Emily went to take Willy and Clint’s orders, leaving just Sterling and Shane on either side of Callie. “You’re a big damn snitch,” she grumbled at Sterling as she speared a buttered carrot.

“No one needed to snitch, Lee-lee,” Sterling replied. “One look at you and anyone can tell you’ve failed spectacularly at self-care lately.”

“He’s not wrong,” Shane concurred, earning him his own dirty look from Callie.

She sighed and kept eating. “Okay, okay, enough about me. How have you been?”

Sterling drank from his beer, looking out over the rest of the saloon and letting Shane take the lead in the conversation. “We’re fine. We work, we drink, we sleep,” Shane said dismissively.

He wasn’t a conversationalist.

Rolling her eyes, Callie said, “Alright, fine. How’re Marnie and Jas then?”

“Marnie’s going nuts trying to put together an application for a grant for the rescue,” Shane said. “I swear she’s spent as much time holed up with the damn mayor trying to get the paperwork in order as she has at the fucking ranch. As to Jas… well… actually, I could use your advice,” he admitted. He’d almost asked Emily earlier, but he was afraid she’d just offer to give him money.

“Oh? What’s up?” she asked, sitting up a little straighter and clearly focusing her attention on him. Even burned out, Callie’s care for her friends came through.

“Jas’s birthday is tomorrow,” he said, pausing when he saw the surprise cross her face, closely followed by her counting days under her breath and then grimacing. “Anyway, I… well, can’t really afford to get her a present this year,” he said, looking down into his pint.

“So? Spend the evening with her.”

“Because that’s clearly such a prize,” he muttered.

“Shane, Jas loves you and loves spending time with you,” said Callie. “I promise you, if she gets to play with her Uncle Shane, she’ll think it’s the best birthday ever.”

He hesitated, looking up from his beer. “You really think so?”

“She’s right,” Sterling said as he turned his attention back towards the two of them. “Jas adores you.”

“Speaking as a former little girl who never got much time with her dad due to work, a day of your undivided attention will send her over the moon,” Callie told him with complete seriousness.

“Yeah, okay,” he said with a small smile.

Sterling

The sun hadn’t even set by the time Callie left.

“Gonna make it?” Shane asked her, frowning.

She’d only had one cider after she’d finished eating, but she looked so damn exhausted, it honestly wouldn’t surprise Sterling to find out she’d curled up in a ditch somewhere to sleep. “I promise I can walk the fifteen minutes home and make it in one piece,” Callie said, her irritation piercing through her attempts to moderate her tone.

“Text when you get there, honey bun. If I haven’t heard from you in thirty, I’ll come looking,” Sterling said in a tone that brooked no argument. When Callie started to argue anyways, he said, “I’ll do it. You know I will.”

Heaving a dramatic sigh, she said, “Alright, fine, I’ll text you when I get back. Sheesh.”

“Make sure you do. Shower and sleep, firecracker,” Sterling tacked on.

Callie just muttered under her breath and took her leave, waving a hand to those who called out goodbyes.

He watched her leave, jaw tight.

“You look pissed,” said Shane.

Blinking, Sterling looked back at him in surprise before offering a wry smile. “I am,” he acknowledged. “Man, you didn’t see her when I got to the farm today. It’s a Yoba-cursed miracle she hasn’t fallen off a ladder and broken her neck or keeled over at some point from heat stroke. She did all those fields with a fucking rototiller, Shane. And from what I could gather, the only time someone’s physically checked in on her before today was the night Philip picked up dinner for her.”

“You’re mad at Philip?”

“I’m mad at me,” Sterling glowered as he set his glass down with a loud thunk. “I could have gone out and checked on her any evening after work. Instead, I slunk in here every fucking night, pissing and moaning about how shitty my life is. Meanwhile, she was out there practically killing herself because she didn’t have anyone to tell her to take a bloody break.”

He was outright furious at himself. He knew Callie. He knew her—obviously better than her fucking boyfriend did. She was a workaholic who had a series of tasks in front of her, an end goal to meet, and absolutely no self-preservation instinct. If Sterling had actually engaged his admittedly fried brain at some point, he’d have realized that if she sounded tired over fucking text, then she clearly wasn’t taking care of herself. But he was too busy feeling sorry for himself to take care of someone he— someone important to him.

“You realize she’s a grown-ass woman who makes her own decisions, right?” Shane pointed out.

“I know that. I also know that if the situation was reversed, she would have checked on me,” Sterling replied before draining the rest of his beer.

“That’s because Callie’s meddlesome.”

“That’s because she cares.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 3 — Gifts

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: YOLO Shovel Atlas Tour

Congrats on making it into ZU! You’ll have to be my eyes and ears on campus to keep the boys out of trouble. At the very least, you and Bub should finally cross paths. Have you decided on a degree yet?

I’m still trying to figure out what I’m doing after graduation. I don’t have the grades or athletic ability or extracurriculars to pull the sort of scholarships the rest of you did. Dad’s already making noises about charging me rent as soon as I graduate. Have to get that beer money somehow, am I right? Some of my friends here have talked about maybe pooling money and renting a place together, but I don’t know. Grampleton’s never really felt like home.

Did you know that they’ve released a new Timedancer game? It’s supposed to pick up directly from the last one, but it’s only on the next gen console. Guess that means I’ll finally get to play it in about five years when the new Z-box is finally affordable. Unless, that is, I have a friend willing to let me play on theirs when I come out next month… hint-hint… j/k.

—Mo

Callie

Much as Callie predicted after Sterling helped her out on Wednesday, she managed to finish up the orchard Friday morning. She would have finished it up Thursday, but she made a point to take a break in the morning to deliver a small gift for Jas’s birthday.

“What is it, Farmer Callie?” Jas asked, bouncing on her toes as she studied the package in her hands.

“Well, open it up and find out.”

Jas gleefully tore into the paper, pulling off strips of cartoon birds. “It’s a book,” she said, puzzled. Even though Jas loved books, they weren’t exactly exciting presents, and this one looked worn and well-read. “Signs and Portents?”

“Look inside the front cover,” Callie encouraged her. They stood just inside the feed store under Marnie’s watchful eye, less for the supervision and more for the delicious air conditioning.

Curious, Jas opened up the book to see what it said. Callie knew very well what was written in the upper corner:

Lee-Lee,

I promised to send you a copy of my favorite book, and I finally got my hands on another copy! I can’t wait to talk to you about it! Happy Birthday!

Love,

Mo

Jas’s eyes grew huge as she put the dots together. Looking back up at Callie, she squeaked, “This was my mom’s?”

“No,” Callie said, shaking her head. “It’s a copy of her favorite book, but she gave that to me when I turned seventeen. It’s probably a little above your reading level just yet, but I thought you’d like to have it anyways.”

Judging by the hug Callie received, Jas very much liked getting it.

Afterwards, both Marnie and Jas insisted that Callie stay and have some of Jas’s very pink birthday cake. Before Callie took her leave, Marnie took her aside for a moment. “I have a favor to ask of you.”

“What’s up?”

“Do you think you could babysit Jas and Eloise next Thursday from four to six?” Marnie asked, before hurrying to explain. “I usually watch the girls on Thursday afternoons and evenings as that’s when Jacob does his rounds, but I’ve had a conflict pop up…”

Smiling, Callie said, “Yeah, I should be able to swing that. When would you need me here?”

“Say around three-thirty?”

“Not a problem.”

Marnie was about the only adult Callie had run into since Summer began that hadn’t made a comment about how Callie had overworked herself. She suspected she could thank how frazzled and distracted Marnie was with her grant application process. The rancher hardly talked about anything else with Callie before she managed to escape back to her farm work.

Sterling certainly didn’t trust her to take it easy, dropping by both Thursday and Friday evening after work to make sure she hadn’t managed to kill herself. “I don’t need a babysitter,” she complained when he dropped by on Friday.

“Pretty sure you do, farmer,” he replied with a teasing grin, leaning against the porch railing while still standing in the yard. “Or, at least, did. You’re actually at the cottage,” he said, sounding almost impressed.

“The orchard is done. For the next few weeks, I just need to make sure the sprinklers are working and tend to any weeds or issues that pop up,” Callie admitted with relief, standing in the doorframe.

“Excellent. Does that mean you’ll come back to the saloon with me?” he asked, his blue eyes wide with hope.

Shaking her head, Callie said, “Not tonight. I desperately need to sit and not move for a while, preferably in my tub.”

Shaking his head, Sterling said. “I’ll only allow it if you agree to finally make it to game night tomorrow. Mia would really like it if you could come.” Letting his smile turn wry, he added, “She even said you could bring the boy scout.”

“Did she say ‘could,’ or did she say ‘should,’ shop boy?” Callie asked shrewdly.

Sterling remained quiet for a few moments before giving in and admitting, “Should.”

“I figured as much,” she laughed. “I’ll ask him if he wants to come with, but I’ll be there regardless.”

Grinning widely, Sterling said, “Excellent news, hotstuff. Well, if that’s the case, I’ll leave you to your bubble bath.”

“Who said anything about bubbles?”

Sterling just looked at her as he straightened away from the railing.

“Yeah, okay, I’m going to use a bath bomb.”

Philip

“Hey, big guy,” came Callie’s warm—if exhausted—voice.

“Yoba, it’s so good to hear you,” Philip sighed, cradling the phone to his ear. He’d intended to drop by her cottage every evening that week, but he hadn’t managed it once. In addition to his normal patients, every single day something else had popped up—Robin’s shoulder, Willy’s prosthetics, Freddie’s leg, and a couple of other things he couldn’t even recall at this point—and stopping by the cottage had fallen by the wayside. At least they talked regularly.

“Yeah, sorry I never made it up this week—”

“Don’t you fret about that,” Philip said, leaning back against the headboard of his bed; the whole bed creaked. “Everything’s done now, right?”

Even Callie’s laughter sounded tired. “Yeah. Pretty sure I’d still be pruning trees if Sterling hadn’t insisted on helping me out Wednesday. But it’s all done now.”

“He came out?”

“Yeah, didn’t I tell you that? I could have sworn I had…” Callie replied, sounding perplexed. “Mia sent him over with pink lemonade, and he decided I could use a hand with the orchard. Even bullied me into taking breaks.”

Philip could hear her smile over the phone. “I remember, now,” he said. Everything that week had gone so topsy turvy, he barely knew what day it was. Finally remembering it was Friday, he said, “I’m kind of surprised you’re not at the saloon.”

“Still too tired for that much socializing,” she confessed. “But the price for getting out of that is attending game night tomorrow. That’s part of the reason I called; Mia wanted you to know you’re invited too.”

“Game night?”

“Yeah. A bunch of us get together each weekend to either play games or watch movies,” she explained. “This week is Mia’s turn to host, and we’re playing a card game that the others are all excited about. I haven’t made it to a get-together in nearly a month.”

Honestly, he’d kind of hoped to just spend the evening with Callie, but he recognized that she had a social life outside of him—and he also felt warm at the realization that she wanted him involved in that part of her life too. Not all of his girlfriends had held that philosophy. “Sounds like fun. What time?”

“We usually start somewhere between seven and eight—it depends on how late everyone works. Could meet up here and then head over to East Scarp together…?” Callie offered, sounding excited rather than tired.

That made it all worth it.

“Sounds like a plan, babe.”

Sterling

Their largest group yet attended game night. Everyone had to crowd into the living room and use the coffee table in order to have enough places to sit. But it worked out well—it was the type of game that worked best with lots of people and lots of drinking. It also meant that Callie’s friends learned her boyfriend was not quite as straight-laced as he came across.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go with ‘I never truly understood [doin’ it in the butt] until I encountered [five-dollar footlongs],’” Victor cackled.

“That’s me,” Philip admitted, causing everyone to start laughing uproariously.

“Do we need to get you a strap-on, Cal?” Leah joked, making both Callie and Philip turn red as another round of laughter greeted that question.

“What makes you so sure I don’t already have one?” Callie asked, arching an imperious eyebrow despite her blush.

Then you were holding out on me, baby cakes, Sterling thought to himself. He didn’t actually say it, however, due to only having a single beer in his system. Idiot though he may be, he had enough foresight to realize drunk Sterling combined with Lee-lee sitting in the Incredifan’s lap was a recipe for disaster. The idea was to keep Callie in his life, after all.

“Alright, my turn to be the czar,” Elliott declared.

“I’m out this round,” Philip said, lifting Callie off his lap and setting her down on the couch between Sophia and Emily as if she weighed nothing.

“Shake it more than twice, you’re playin’ with it,” Jeric snickered as Philip made his way back towards the bathroom.

“Anybody else want something from the kitchen?” Sterling asked as he too got to his feet.

A half-dozen people tossed out requests which he took note of before moving over to the kitchen to grab things, listening as everyone laughed over the latest round of cards. Sterling started the microwave popping popcorn and had just opened up the fridge to pull out the requested beers when Philip came out from the hallway. “Need a hand?” he asked Sterling.

“Sure. Can you grab the big bowl from out of that cabinet?” Sterling replied, gesturing towards the one in question before fishing out the drinks and transferring them to the counter.

“Of course,” Philip said, getting the bowl down. Clearing his throat, he added, “I wanted to thank you, by the way.”

“For what?”

“Checking in on Callie this week.”

Sterling glanced over at him in surprise, only to find the other man watching him. Remembering his earlier irritation at Philip’s ignorance in caring for a workaholic, he said, “I didn’t mind. I would have done so earlier if I’d realized no one was looking out for her.”

That came out a little aggressive, didn’t it?

“We talked every night,” Philip defended himself as he pulled out the bag of popcorn from the microwave. “And I had every intention of dropping by each evening….”

“But?” Sterling prodded when he trailed off. He grabbed another bag of popcorn to toss into the microwave.

Philip sighed as he poured the first bag into the bowl. “I kept having last-minute appointments tacked on all week. Think the earliest I got off work was eight.”

Once he had the microwave going, Sterling looked over at Philip, giving him a closer once over. While not nearly as obvious as it was on Callie, he saw signs of fatigue and stress in him too. Frowning, Sterling asked, “Couldn’t schedule them in later in the week?” He had the sudden suspicion that Philip was just as much of a workaholic as Callie.

“Not for most of them. A lot of times people call me instead of Dr. Harvey or Dr. Paula for the more ‘minor’ aches and pains,” said Philip. “And usually, I can help them relieve the issue with just an hour or so of intervention. Callie was the one who told me to go ahead and accept them instead of coming to visit her.”

Sterling groaned. “Yeah… let me give you a friendly word of advice,” he said. “Lee-lee? She’s always going to tell you to take care of anyone or anything else before her, and she’ll always tell you she’s just fine whether she is or not.”

Philip looked uneasy. “I’m gathering that,” he said, pulling out the second bag of popcorn after the microwave beeped.

“Hurry it up, you two!” Henry called from the living room.

“Yeah, yeah, keep your panties on,” Sterling called back. Looking to Philip, he said, “Just… keep that in mind in the future.”

“I will.”

Callie

The following week, every day grew hot and muggy until finally bursting into wild, electric storms in the late afternoon. Callie’s only saving grace came from the fact that she spent most of that week down in the mines, working on gathering the metals needed to repair the Ridgeside minecarts. Unfortunately, some of what they’d requested were only down in the deepest levels, meaning she needed to delve at least another twenty floors before she’d find what she needed. On the bright side, snow and ice caked everything in the current biome, so she didn’t have to worry about frying to a crisp. While she still fell short on the metals needed, she had enough wood collected and milled into lumber for both the minecarts and her side project of the staircase.

Knowing she’d need to babysit later in the afternoon on Thursday, Callie loaded up her truck with wood and stone and headed up to Ridgeside that morning instead of the mines. “I’m sorry I haven’t managed to get the last of the ores needed,” Callie apologized to Lenny after dropping everything off.

“What are you apologizing for?” Lenny asked. “You nearly have everything already. You don’t see me down there risking life and limb to collect what’s needed; take the time you need to. We’re not at risk of the war turning this way just yet.”

“I know, I just….”

“Callie,” Lenny said seriously, catching her gaze and holding it. “You’re doing great. Stop being so hard on yourself.”

Giving Lenny a half-smile, Callie said, “I’ll try.”

But it didn’t feel like Callie was doing great. Everywhere she looked, it felt like she found something else she hadn’t accomplished—the minecarts, the gifts for the Junimos, her tractor, the recent requests from Robin and Haley (she still didn’t know what Haley used those crystals for), spending time with her friends or getting any fishing done… the list just kept growing.

One thing at a time, she kept reminding herself. Do what she could today, then start again tomorrow.

Spending time with Ellie and Jas that afternoon soothed a bit of the internal pressure she had building. She’d always loved spending time with children, and the two girls were particularly cute and precocious, encouraging Callie to be silly and have fun. As they got closer to the time Marnie would return, Callie decided to move to quieter play.

“Have either of you ever done origami?” she asked.

Ellie perked in obvious curiosity. “What’s that?”

“Isn’t that where you fold stuff to make shapes?” Jas added.

“That’s right, Jas,” Callie said, smiling. “Would you like to learn how to make some animals?”

“Yes!” the girls chorused.

Retrieving her backpack, Callie pulled out a stack of thick paper squares in a wide variety of colors. They spent the rest of the time until Marnie got home making different little creatures. Well, the girls made a couple of simple things, but it quickly devolved into them asking for animals and Callie figuring out how to make them. The girls would then play with the animals as Callie worked on their next requests. Ellie kept asking for different kinds of birds, while Jas kept trying to come up with something fantastical, like dragons or unicorns.

Regardless, everyone had fun.

“I’m so sorry I took a little longer than expected,” Marnie said, arriving closer to seven than six-thirty and looking quite disheveled.

“No worries, Marnie,” Callie said as she cleaned up the mess they’d made all over the kitchen table. Both girls were off washing their hands in preparation for dinner; Marnie had grabbed a pizza on the way home. “Did everything go okay?”

“Everything went fantastically!” Marnie replied with a giddy smile. “We managed to finish up the last of the application and get it submitted. Now comes the hard part: waiting.”

“But at least the paperwork’s done!”

“Indeed,” Marnie said as she put the pizza on the counter and started to put slices on plates. “Would you like to join us for dinner?”

“That’s a kind offer, Marnie, but I have different plans this evening,” said Callie.

“Meeting with your paramour?”

“Oh, hush,” Callie said, blushing. She was, but she had no desire to listen to Marnie gush about 'young love' as if Callie and Philip were a pair of teenagers. “Where should I put the animals for the girls?”

“Put them over on that end table for now,” Marnie said. “Thank you again for babysitting today.”

“You’re very welcome—I always enjoy spending time with Jas and her friends.”

Much to Callie’s relief, Friday brought a return to routine.

She spent the morning tending to the farm, then after lunch she headed into town to run her errands. She stopped first by the community center, depositing an assortment of forage and items from the mines. Not enough to complete any particular list, but at least it was some sort of progress. From there, she headed down to Pierre’s to grab another bag of cat food—even though Cuthbert hunted for his meals, Callie kept some on hand for rainy days.

They’d had a lot of rainy days.

Having obtained said cat food (and escaped Sterling’s horrible pick-up lines that for some reason he felt the need to practice on her today), Callie continued with the routine, making her way over to Clint’s smithy for another round of ‘Crack the Geode’ before making her return to the library.

“Greetings, Ms. Solanen,” Mr. Davidson said as she walked in. “I was hoping you’d come by today.”

“Oh?” she wondered as she approached the circulation desk.

“I have something for you,” he said, bending down beneath the desk to grab something.

“Funnily enough, I have something for you too,” she said, setting her pack on the desk and beginning to unload minerals and artifacts.

“You spoil me, Ms. Solanen,” he grinned as he looked over her latest contribution.

“Please, call me Callie,” she replied. “And it only feels that way because I have a backlog.”

“And call me Gunther,” he said, looking pleased as he set a lovely painting of a landscape on the desk.

“What’s this?”

"I remembered you mentioning how much you enjoy paintings and photos of landscapes. With all of the donations you've brought in, I had this commissioned for you," he smiled.

Her eyes grew wide. "Gunther, you didn't have to—"

"I am aware, Callie," he said, his smile never once fading. "But I wanted you to know just how much your efforts around the valley are appreciated. Please, take it in the spirit it's intended."

Callie swallowed, letting her eyes drift back to the truly lovely painting. She immediately recognized the view as that from the cable car when descending from Ridgeside, and she could tell it truly was a recent commission for she could see her farm down in the corner. Choking up a little, she said softly, “Thank you very much, Gunther."

“You’re very welcome. Now, let me record what you’ve brought in,” he said, looking through the newest artifacts. As he made his notations, Callie continued standing there, dumbstruck as she stared at the painting. She knew just where she would hang it in her room. “Thank you again for the work you’re doing. I know it still looks like a small collection compared to the space available, but it gives me joy to see it growing again,” Gunther said, drawing her from her thoughts.

Smiling, she finally looked up and met his gaze, “I’m glad to help.”

With school out for the season, Callie found herself with time to kill before she needed to head to the saloon. So, after taking her new painting home and hanging it carefully above her bed, she opted to head down to the ocean and get some fishing in. Despite the money she had set aside after her harvest at the end of Spring, she felt nervous the longer she went without some sort of income. Admittedly, she still made money from the mushrooms and random requests she’d completed, but every little bit was just a little more security for when things inevitably went sideways.

Walking down the beach, however, she discovered a friend she did not expect. “Shiro!” she called happily as she neared the docks, surprised to find him sitting on one of the barrels near the edge. Carmen sat further down the docks trying not to be obvious about how closely she watched the young man. Seeing Callie’s approach, Carmen gave her a quick smile before turning her attention to her own fishing.

“Hey there, Callie,” he said with a cheerful smile, tilting his head to look at her. “Didn’t realize you fished,” he added as he spotted the equipment she carried.

“Didn’t used to, but Willy’s an excellent teacher,” she admitted as she set up shop beside him, using the cooler she’d brought as a stool while she baited her hook. “Have to admit, I didn’t expect to find you out and about on your own.”

Shiro’s smile widened. “I had an appointment with Dr. Harvey this morning, and Yuuma wanted to run some errands while we were in town anyways. I decided to hang out down here while I waited,” he explained.

“I’m also glad to see you down at the beach. It’s good for you.”

“Oh? What makes you say that?”

“Your smile is real,” she replied before casting her line.

Eyes widening in surprise, Shiro said, “Heh, I suppose it is. I have to admit, I’ve really, really missed spending time here. When I was younger, I came down here practically every day, you know? Gave serious thought to becoming a professional surfer after I graduated.”

That caught her interest. In her games of questions, she’d quickly determined that anything touching on his life before his injuries was sure to make him shut down. “Why’d you decide not to?” she asked.

“Oh, I had the skills, for sure,” he said with a smug grin. “Loved the rush of it, ya know? But…” he trailed off with a sigh, his face falling.

He didn’t say anything else.

After several minutes of quiet where Shiro’s face continued to darken, Callie said gently, “You never have to talk to me about anything you don’t want to, but… if you do want to, I’m always willing to listen.”

Shiro gave her a startled look, as if he’d forgotten she even existed. Offering her a rueful smile, he said, “You’re a good friend, Callie. Sorry, sometimes I get caught up in my own head.”

“Don’t we all?”

A soft huff of laughter escaped him. “I suppose," he acknowledged with a wry smile. Another pause, then, "As much as I loved surfing though, I wanted to do more, be more than just some surfer dude. Wanted to be a hero, I guess,” he grimaced. “So, I joined up with the Ferngill military. I was a good soldier, and then a good instructor eventually.”

“Instructor?” she asked, unable to contain her curiosity. Shiro was fairly young—early twenties—and so hearing he'd become an instructor in that time surprised her. Not that she knew much about the military, to be honest....

“Paratrooping," he said. "Skydiving, basically.”

Nodding to show she listened, Callie began bringing in the fish pulling on her line. Shiro grew quiet, however, watching her as she fought to reel in her catch. It took several minutes, but eventually she had a pufferfish in her cooler.

“Thought for a moment it might pull you in,” Shiro teased her.

“Ha, ha, ha,” she smirked. “I may be small, but I do have some weight to me.”

Shiro laughed.

"Are there any similarities between skydiving and surfing?" she asked.

"Adrenaline."

This time, Callie laughed. "No, but seriously."

Smiling at her reaction, he said, "I am being serious. Both give an incredible rush whenever you do them, especially when comparing catching a big wave or falling from immense heights. They're all about... hmm... defying gravity and the elements, whether water or wind. Minute errors can cause major wipeouts. Injury or even death is always a possibility. To be honest, I always wanted to try my hand at sky surfing, but... well, never really had the opportunity. Yoba, but I miss both, sometimes. The rush...." he shook his head. Eventually, he said, “You know, it’s funny. With surfing, if someone talks about it being 'dangerous,' it's almost always in reference to drowning, when honestly getting your bones broken by a big wave, getting hypothermia, or having heatstroke are far more likely to take you down. Whereas with skydiving...."

When he trailed off, she looked over at him in concern. Shiro stared down into the water, frowning. Just as she began to ask if he was okay, he said, "When you talk about skydiving, people tend to worry about the chutes not opening. Which is logical, I suppose but… there are so many other ways for things to go wrong." Shiro glanced over at her, and she gave him an encouraging smile. “I learned the hard way,” he said abruptly. “We were doing a drill, and my chute opened wrong—hard open. Slider malfunctioned. They called it a freak accident. The resulting whiplash broke my neck, and the landing broke… other things.”

Callie stared at him in horror.

Shiro smiled bitterly. “But I survived.”

“Yoba, Shiro, that’s…”

“I should’ve ended up completely paralyzed. Doctors said it was a miracle,” he continued as if Callie hadn’t said anything, as though if he stopped now, he’d never get it out, and he needed to get it out. “And I try to remember that—I really do—but…” he looked down at his body with obvious disgust. “This— this thing doesn’t feel like my body anymore. It doesn’t move the way I expect it to, it hurts in ways I don’t expect it to, it looks—” he broke off with a grimace.

Callie gently laid a hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention to her attempt at a comforting smile. He gave a bitter smile in return, patting her hand as he picked up the thread again. “I had to come back here, come back home. My parents had to take jobs on the other side of the Republic to afford Philip’s help,” he continued, grabbing her hand. “And Yuuma… my little brother saw every single awful bit of it. He’s taking care of me instead of being a kid, and—” he broke off again, his grip bruisingly tight on her hand. At her wince, he immediately let go and let his own hand fall. “I’m sorry, Callie. I didn’t mean to— I’m sorry to unload all of that on you.”

“No need to apologize,” she said. “I told you I was willing to listen after all,” she reminded him, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze before returning her hand to her fishing rod.

Shiro’s fingers twisted in his lap. He continued to stare at them as he said, “I don’t really talk about any of this very much. Don’t want to let it get to me, you know?” Glancing at her, he gave a half-hearted smile. “I gotta keep a positive attitude,” he said, as if trying to remind himself. “I really am lucky to be alive. I have to remember that it could be so much worse.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m glad that you’re here,” Callie said, giving him a smile at his surprised look. “Not many people let me ply them with my silly questions, after all,” she added, letting her smile turn teasing.

“Ha, I suppose not,” he replied, his own smile growing a little more real. “I’m glad you moved here, Callie,” he said more seriously. “You’re a good friend to both me and Yuuma, and Philip is so much happier since you two started dating.”

Blushing a little at that, Callie said, “I try to be good to those around me. I’m glad I’ve managed that for you and Yuuma—and Philip too, of course.”

Shiro’s smile turned mischievous. “Based off the way he grins whenever you visit, I’d say you’re very good to Philip.”

“Shiro!” she scolded as she blushed harder, making him cackle. “For that, you have to answer more questions until Yuuma gets here,” she declared.

“Oh no. Whatever shall I do,” he deadpanned, making her laugh as well.

Shane

“Here,” Callie said, holding her hand out to Shane. He gave her a puzzled look before looking down at her hand. A little blue chicken made with exquisite detail from folded paper perched on her palm. He blinked, then looked back up at her. She gave him an encouraging smile and said, “Go on. I made it for you.”

He briefly wondered if he’d become more inebriated than he realized, but nope, Callie really had made him a paper chicken. Shane reached out and took it from her, holding it up to look at it better. “So, you’re the reason we have a menagerie of paper critters all over the house,” he grumped, though he couldn’t hide his smile.

Sliding into the booth across from him, Callie said, “I needed a way to distract Jas and Ellie. I got the idea for a chicken after Ellie asked for an ostrich.”

Tearing his gaze from the chicken, Shane quickly looked over the saloon to see if anyone was paying them any mind, only to find that several other patrons also sported small paper animals of some sort—Sebastian held a frog, Willy a fish, Andy a bird, Gus a cat. Emily even had a paper butterfly pinned into her hair. He felt a brief pang of disappointment that he wasn’t the only one to get something, but that quickly became buried under the warmth that she’d specifically made him a chicken because of their friendship.

He wondered why she picked blue.

“It’s pretty cute. Thanks, Callie,” he said, enjoying the way her smile grew at his thanks. Shane still didn’t know why she went out of her way to be kind to him, but he appreciated it all the same.

“What’s this about you making everyone cute animals?” Sterling asked as he slid in next to Shane and gave her ridiculous puppy dog eyes.

“Jealous much?” Shane smirked at him because he knew Sterling well.

“No,” Sterling lied.

Callie also knew Sterling well. Laughing, she reached into her bag to pull out her gift for him. “As if I’d make something for my friends and yet neglect you,” she teased, hands carefully cupped around whatever she’d made for Sterling. “Hold out your hand, trouble.”

Grinning like a kid on their birthday, Sterling held his hands out. Shane watched as his face softened into an honest smile after Callie deposited an equally detailed red paper fox in his hands. His friend ran a long finger gently along the edges of the fox as he said, “This is absolutely adorable. Did you make this because of my Kitsune?”

“Well, that, and foxes are clever tricksters,” Callie said, looking very pleased by their reactions to her gifts. It occurred to Shane that this was her way of subtly apologizing for not coming to the saloon all season. He nearly frowned.

Emily picked that moment to drop by with food and drink for both Callie and Sterling. “Ah, I see you made one for them too,” she said.

“What did she make you?” asked Sterling.

Grinning, Emily turned her head so they could see the gold butterfly pinned into her hair.

“Oh! You put it in your hair!” Callie grinned, her dark eyes sparkling with delight.

“I was afraid I’d either lose it, or it would get squished, otherwise,” said Emily. “Are you still up for hosting tomorrow night?”

“Yep! I’m recovered enough to harbor the lot of you,” she replied with a laugh. “I’m assuming the three of you can make it?”

“I have Saturday and Monday off this week,” Emily confirmed with a nod.

Sterling smirked. “As if I’d ever skip out on one of your movie nights.”

Shane sighed and shook his head. “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it tomorrow,” he said.

All three gave him startled looks. Shane typically missed game nights if he missed at all. “Why not?” Callie asked him.

“Marnie is taking over dinner to the mayor tomorrow evening as a thank you for his help with the grant she’s spent the last month working on,” he explained, “so I’m on pipsqueak duty tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry you’re missing out,” said Emily.

“Eh, it’s alright. You,” here he nodded at Callie, “were right about how happy my spending the evening with Jas made her, so I figured doing our own kid-friendly movie night wouldn’t be so bad…” he admitted.

Emily smiled at him. “I’m glad to hear that. Alright, I need to keep hopping. Have fun, you three,” she said before darting off to her next customer.

“If you want, I can drop by for a bit after movie night tomorrow,” Sterling offered.

That almost surprised Shane—Sterling tended to linger whenever Callie attended get-togethers—until he realized that Philip would probably also be there. “If you want. Not gonna make you, though,” said Shane.

Shaking her head with a wry smile, Callie said, “As long as you two don’t get too carried away.”

“Us? Never,” Sterling insisted with a grin.

All three knew it for the bald-faced lie it was.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4 — Plotting

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Call me

Mom and Dad were in a car accident. Please call.

—Mo

Philip

“When did you get an orange cat?” Henry wondered.

“Osiris!” exclaimed Emily right on his heels. “What are you doing here?”

Philip looked up from where he and Callie were in the midst of preparing bowls of popcorn and snack mixes for everyone. The crowd was far smaller than the first get-together she’d taken him to, but it was still a tight fit in and around Callie’s television. Henry, Sterling, and Mia had taken the couch while Emily sat in the rocking chair, leaving the recliner for Philip and Callie to share. (As much as he greatly enjoyed holding her in his lap, Yoba, it tested his self-control.) But in addition to that, two cats laid across the back of the couch: Callie’s gray cat, Cuthbert, and an orange tabby apparently named Osiris.

“Mr. Ginger! What have I told you about sneaking in here!” Callie scolded from the kitchen.

Okay, Mr. Ginger then.

“Mr. Ginger? I thought his name was Copernicus,” Mia said even as she scratched the tabby under the chin.

What?

“That cat collects names like Philip collects comics,” Callie laughed as they started carrying bowls over to the others. After handing off the two bowls she held, she bent down so that she was eye level with the orange tabby. “You can stay for the movie, but when they leave, you leave. And if you upset Cuthbert, you’ll leave even sooner, understand?”

The tabby blinked slowly at her.

“Does Osiris visit you often?” Emily asked. “I thought he lived on the ranch.”

“Oh, he definitely lives with Jas, but he’s taken to bugging me a few times a week. Or bugging Cuthbert, as the case may be,” Callie replied.

“Come on, babe,” Philip said once he’d settled in the recliner, waving for her to join him. Her brilliant smile sent a jolt of heat through him. He noticed the way Sterling’s jaw tightened at his invitation, how his eyes followed Callie’s path even as he messed with the remote. But the man never offered an actual protest or made his discontent known. He just continued getting the movie started.

Philip tightened his arms around Callie’s middle to pull her against him, making her giggle and squirm and Yoba, give him strength. Despite knowing that she and Sterling were “only” friends, despite knowing that he was in many ways their number one cheerleader, Philip couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy sometimes about Sterling's affection for her. The little hints of jealousy in his demeanor, the soft, longing way he'd look at Callie when she was distracted, the way he had made it clear in his own way that if he thought Philip was failing to take care of Callie, then Sterling would take care of her instead... all of it served to plant a small seed of doubt. Philip couldn't shake the idea that if Sterling ever decided he'd healed enough to date someone, he would try to steal her away.

Callie would never do that to him.

Philip knew that. He trusted her.

However, he didn’t trust Sterling.

Callie

No matter the day, Callie woke like clockwork between five and six in the morning, and as such typically did not set any kind of an alarm. She especially loved that quirk this particular morning, as it let her wake up before Philip. Turning to face him, she enjoyed the chance to watch him peacefully sleep, to bask in the fact of his presence.

She loved waking up to him beside her. She did.

She just wished….

They’d stayed up late the night before, talking long after everyone else had left for home. They’d talked about a lot of different things; she’d told him more about Paul and Reece, nothing too intense, just the bare outlines. In return, he’d given her a rough sketch of the three long-term girlfriends he’d had over the years. He'd also bemoaned his difficulties with balancing his job with his home life, and how that struggle had ruined each relationship in turn. How his failures had culminated in the way his last girlfriend, Addy, had waited until he’d quit his job and broken his lease to follow her to where her new job was to break it off with him.

“She— You— Damn, Philip. That’s awful,” she told him, horrified.

Philip hugged her close. “Yeah, it really was. I’d broken up with my previous two girlfriends because they were unwilling to follow me where the job took me, so when she had her opportunity come along, I promised myself I’d do better by her. Apparently, she’d hoped to use the new job as an excuse to break things off,” he said quietly. “But… I’m glad for it now.”

“Why’s that?”

Giving her a fond smile, he said, “Because that’s how I ended up here. Harv heard through the grapevine what had happened and reached out to me about Shiro. So… yeah, it really, really sucked, but… it led me here to the valley. It brought me to you.”

Callie had made sure to show her appreciation for that sentiment.

Despite how late they’d stayed up, however, Philip had insisted that she wake him up when she woke in the morning. He knew she still had work. She knew he did as well, though he had control over when he started in on paperwork on Sundays. But he’d never specified how she should wake him up. Smiling to herself, she scooted closer to him in the bed. Philip enjoyed snuggles, but not when trying to sleep, which, fair. But it wasn’t time for sleep any more.

Carefully, she placed herself above him, knees spread wide to straddle his waist, hands on the bed above his broad, bare shoulders. Slowly, sensuously, she began to kiss up the side of his neck. Murmuring his name into his ear, she gently traced her nose along its rim. When he didn’t react, she laid a trail of wet kisses back down and then across his collarbone, nibbling her way back up the other side of his neck. “Time to rise and shine, big guy,” she breathed into his other ear, grinning as at least one part of his anatomy obeyed. As she kissed along his stubbled jaw to his goatee, she felt him smile too.

“Don’t wanna. Having a good dream,” he said, his baritone gloriously rough with a combination of sleep and desire.

“Is that so?” she asked with amusement, using her arms to lift herself up so that she could see his handsome face. He cracked his eyes into the barest slits, looking up at her. “I suppose—if you want—" she said with a teasing drawl, "you could go back to sleep, and I’ll leave you to your dreams.”

Despite his grogginess, Philip reacted with surprising alacrity. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her flush to his body and then rolled her beneath him. Callie broke into giddy giggles as he pinned her. “Think I’d rather keep the reality,” he said before capturing her lips with his own.

Yoba, yes, please.

Though Philip hadn’t given her a bouquet until the end of Spring, they’d gone on several dates beforehand. By her reckoning, they’d dated for a month by this point, and in that time, they’d never progressed past second base despite the fact that he occasionally stayed the night. Admittedly, that was mostly because of their respective workloads and resulting exhaustion, but Callie was more than ready to finally take things further. With the way his hands wandered all over her body, the way he wasted no time in slipping them beneath the hem of her nightgown, it appeared he was as well. Pleased, she grabbed his arse and rhythmically rolled her hips into his erection. His entire body shuddered as he broke the kiss.

“If you keep doing that," he panted, "I— ahh— I won’t be able— fuck— stop—”

Mortified, Callie immediately let go and relaxed back into the bed. “I’m sorry! I don’t mean to rush you, hon. I’m so sorry—”

He interrupted her with a far more intense kiss, pressing himself down against her and eliciting a whimpering moan from her. Breaking the kiss again, his light-blue eyes gazed hungrily, desperately into her own. “I didn’t want to rush you. Are you sure? Can we—?”

“Please, Philip. I want this,” she said plainly despite how her cheeks burned with embarrassment. She'd always found it difficult to explicitly state her wants, though she'd grown better with practice. Running her hands up the tense muscles of his back to grip onto his shoulders, she stared back, saying, "I want you."

Gripping her hips, he replied huskily, “As I want you.”

It really was a fantastic way to wake up.

While Callie meditated each evening before bed, she did not let herself follow the link to the Junimos. Evening meditation had the singular goal of sleep. Instead, before she began her day, she’d spend a half hour or so meditating and letting her arcane senses follow their connection. She'd spread throughout her farmland, making a circuit around its edges and then methodically exploring her home for any sign of injury or illness. Through trial and error, she’d learned how to strengthen or lessen what flowed into each plant to encourage healthy development... though she'd managed to kill off a not-insignificant portion of her crops with her experiments.

Even once she figured something out, she constantly had to readjust how much arcane energy to pour into her workings. Beyond the way her magic grew due to her use of it, the amount of power she had at her fingertips expanded each time she completed one of the bundles the Junimos requested. Her link to the forest spirits now consisted of a braid with six distinct threads—representing each of the scrolls in the community center. Each time she completed a bundle, the corresponding thread grew thicker, and the braid's complexity grew. Outside of having access to a larger well of arcane energy, she found that her ability to spread her awareness out through the forest also grew further, more acute. A few times, she’d meditated within the Cindersap proper, exploring the forest through her arcane senses, and afterwards often had a lingering sense of all the different life that surrounded her even with her senses pulled close.

If only she knew why.

While access to Rasmodius’s tomes helped, Callie felt blind, deaf, and dumb as she tried to get a handle on her ever-expanding arcane abilities. The Guild had given her some guidance in her youth, but her native arcane abilities laid in a far different wheelhouse than what she could do with the Junimos. Additionally, the Guild had emphasized teaching how to get end results rather than the whys and the wherefores (that lay under the purview of the Wizards' Council). She sorely wished she had those fundamentals now. Without guidance, she simply tried things and hoped they worked how she thought they would.

She bitterly regretted never finding the writings of her forebears. Though the compact had disappeared, her grandfather still had an extensive collection of them before moving to Zuzu City. Callie assumed she’d find them in the family library, but she had yet to locate her ancestral home. While she had spent an entire Summer here in her youth, twenty years had passed since then. She thought she’d find it on the other side of the river, as that matched her vague memories, but she’d yet to find the time to clear a path to that side.

It felt like she constantly fought the clock.

(The cottage she currently resided in's original purpose was as a guest house or for a farmhand. When she'd initially contacted Lewis about her intent to claim ownership, he'd told her how the original home had become lost. How do you lose a whole bloody house? she'd wondered at the time. Upon seeing the state of the farm on her arrival, she'd finally understood.)

Drawing back into herself, she became aware once more of how the trees surrounding the watering hole rustled with the wind, how the morning sun already heated the earth below her, and how Philip sat beside her in a lotus position too. Callie had cast her senses so far afield, she’d completely missed him joining her. That… was an unsettling warning, actually, as to her vulnerability when performing this bit of magic. Sighing, she slowly unfurled her limbs and began reacquainting herself with her body, stretching to get the blood flowing again. Almost immediately, Philip opened his eyes and smiled at her. “I didn’t realize you meditated regularly,” he said.

“It’s not something I advertise,” she said a little bashfully, cheeks heating. After their... activities upon waking, she'd taken an immediate shower, while he’d opted to wait until after breakfast. She hadn’t expected him to finish up quickly enough to stumble upon her.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he reassured her. “I wanted to tell you goodbye before heading to the clinic. I didn’t want to disturb you, though, so I waited. Thought I’d follow your lead a bit.”

Callie smiled. “Sometimes, you are almost too sweet,” she said, bending down to place a tender kiss against his forehead.

Philip tilted his head to catch her lips with his own in a quick kiss. “You’re the sweet one,” he said with a teasing grin, climbing to his feet.

“You sure about that? Pretty sure I’m the salty one,” she smirked.

“No, after this morning, I can say with authority that you’re pretty sweet.”

Blushing bright red, Callie shrieked, “Phil!” through her laughter.

Philip laughed as well, pulling her into a hug and nuzzling their noses, his cheeks once more clean-shaven. “I really should get to work, baby. Do you still want to try and do dinner tonight?”

She grinned. “Of course!”

Monday morning, Callie pulled out a hand truck and stacked a couple crates filled with mushrooms upon it. She didn’t feel the need to drive the truck just for a couple boxes of mushrooms, but she also didn’t want to strain her back walking and balancing them… hence the two-wheeler. She headed into town earlier than normal as well. During movie night, Emily and Mia had elicited a promise from Callie to go shopping that afternoon. Both insisted she needed 'proper apparel' for the Luau.

Callie hummed a merry tune to herself, content with life at the moment. Summer had well and truly settled in, but either she’d adapted to the heat, or the temperature had moderated. Even better, she no longer felt nearly as strung out, though her fatigue continued to plague her. She’d probably feel less tired if she hadn’t visited the mines so often, but that was neither here nor there. Arriving in the town plaza, she spotted the Kobayashi brothers and her partner ahead of her. Happy to stumble upon them, she called out, “Good morning!”

All three stopped and looked behind them. As soon as Philip saw her, he startled her by rushing at her with a wide grin, sweeping her off her feet in a hug as he spun her around. The hand truck fell to the ground, spilling mushrooms. “I knew you were plotting something!” he shouted through his laughter. “Too much like your hero.”

Laughing in bewilderment, she asked, “What in the Void are you talking about?”

“Ms. Lenny said you’re the reason we have a new railing on the cliffside staircase,” said Yuuma. He and Shiro worked together to stand her hand truck back up and get the mushrooms back in their crates.

“I’ve tried to convince her to do that for over a year, and you did it in what, a month?” asked Philip, beaming at her as he set her back on the ground, his hands circling her waist. “I’m so happy, Cal. I— I—” he broke off and kissed her deeply in the middle of the town square. While he’d acted more openly affectionate the past couple of days, she hadn’t expected this.

Only the fact that they were so very out in public kept her from pursuing his lips when he finally broke the kiss. She blushed brightly from her neck to her hairline, overwhelmed by both Philip’s reaction and her embarrassment at the fuss they were making. “She just needed help getting the supplies, and I happened to have what she needed,” said Callie. “Lenny and Robin did the heavy lifting.”

Once Shiro was sure the hand truck would stay upright as Yuuma continued gathering the mushrooms, he limped over to where Philip still held Callie. “Lenny made sure we knew your contribution was what made it possible. I am so incredibly grateful, Callie, you have no idea,” he said, giving her a hug from the side as well. “It only took me about five minutes to get down those stairs today, instead of the half-hour it used to take.”

Realizing his hands were still on her, Philip let go of Callie’s waist and started helping Yuuma grab the last of the mushrooms. “I’m sorry for spilling your mushrooms,” he said with his own brilliant blush.

Callie gave Shiro a quick hug in return before slipping from his grasp and digging into the palm of her hand with her opposite thumb, avoiding everyone’s eyes. “You’re welcome, of course. I’m glad it helped,” she said. She moved to hold the hand truck steady as Philip and Yuuma finished cleaning up.

Philip kissed the top of her head before insisting, “You’re amazing, sweetheart. You really are."

Blushing yet again (had she ever stopped?), Callie said, “Oh, hush. Just being neighborly is all.” She turned her attention to Yuuma. “Thank you for your help, Yuuma.” Glancing back at the two men, she added, “I really should get these to Pierre’s and sell. I promised Emily that I’d meet her at eleven.” She stopped herself before she started to truly babble.

“Please make sure to drop by on Wednesday, okay?” Shiro said, watching the whole tableau with amusement. “I don’t have a session this time.”

Grinning widely, Philip added, “Don’t want to overwork him before the Luau, after all.”

Once Callie had promised that yes, she would drop by on Wednesday, she made a hasty retreat towards the store. Internally, she cursed Lenny.

Sterling

Sterling felt like shit.

Head pounding and stomach churning, it was all he could do to stock shelves and clean the store. He and Shane had spent all of Sunday drinking, and Sterling felt fairly sure they hadn’t eaten a single thing all day. He couldn’t be completely sure; so much of the day was a blur. Yoba, but he paid for it now.

Window cleaner and squeegee in hand, Sterling squinted his eyes against the bright sun pouring in through the glass door as he cleaned it. Fuck, he wished he was still in bed or could redo the day prior somehow. Mia had made it clear just how pissed off she was at him, and honestly, he didn’t blame her. Even when Callie was doing her planting, he hadn’t drunk like that, though he’d felt sorely tempted. He hadn’t even intended to drink when he dropped by the ranch after movie night, much less do so through late last night.

(The memory of Callie in Philip's lap during the movie, of her contented smile as Philip pressed a kiss to her temple, flashed once more through Sterling's head.)

Ugh. He should have just gone home with Hen and Mia in the first place.

Wiping the squeegee over the door, he caught sight of Philip spinning Callie around in a hug. Their laughter drifted past the closed door, assaulting Sterling's ears and worsening the pulsing in his head. Kneeling down to clean the bottom half of the door, he tried to ignore the spectacle, tried to focus on the job at hand.

He failed.

Sterling gritted his teeth as Philip thoroughly kissed her in the middle of the square, demonstrating his affections in a public manner she'd never afforded Sterling, demonstrating the difference between being her partner and her fuckbuddy. There was a possessiveness to the way Philip held onto her waist, a tenderness to how she rested her hands against his collarbone, that tore at something inside of him. Fucking hangover making his head throb and his stomach burn with acid. That could have been him.

She looked so fucking happy.

Reminding himself that he should be glad because she was his friend, Sterling swallowed down his pique as she approached the shop. He opened the door for her as she neared, hiding a wince at the shrill chiming of the door. “They seemed pretty happy to see you, hotstuff,” he said as he stepped out into the blazing heat, holding the door open for her. He would not take out his regrets hangover on her. He refused to.

Callie’s blush, which had started to recede, came back in full force. “They’re just excited is all,” she said, voice squeaking a little as she made it inside.

“Excited?” he echoed. Philip had appeared far more than excited. Then again... well, if Sterling had the chance to kiss Callie whenever and wherever he wanted.... “About what?” he asked, keeping his voice quiet and flinching when the bell above the door chimed yet again.

She waved a hand and said, “Lenny finally got a railing installed on some tricky stairs up in Ridgeside. She gave me far too much credit for it when she informed Shiro. But enough about that. How are you doing, Red?” Callie asked as she looked up at him, dark eyes concerned.

Puffing out his cheeks as he let out a deep sigh, Sterling groaned, “Oh, Yoba… the hangover….” He still took the hand truck from her to push to the counter, though.

“Yeah, I heard that you and Shane went at it pretty hard yesterday,” said Callie, swinging her pack around to in front of her and opening it.

Sterling winced. “I’m guessing you saw Mia…?”

“She and I texted this morning.” As they reached the counter, she rested her bag against it and pulled out a familiar bottle of ibuprofen, pouring a couple into her hand.

“Do you have that on you at all times?” he wondered aloud.

“How do you think I survive on the farm?” she replied, looking amused as she held them out to him. He gladly took the pills and dry-swallowed them. Yoba, even as a friend, she was so good to him. Callie cared so much about people. “Where’s your boss?” she asked, looking around behind the empty counter.

“That’s… a really good question, actually,” he said, also looking around in surprise. Returning his gaze to her, he added apologetically, “If you were just buying, I’d ring you up, but…”

“No, it’s fine,” she said, giving him a small smile.

Sterling gave her a pained one in return. “Will you be in tonight?” he asked. He missed her made far better decisions with her around.

“Maybe…? After I leave here, I’m meeting up with Mia and Emily. Mia’s driving us to Grampleton to do some shopping for the Luau,” Callie explained. “I doubt we’ll be out too terribly late, but they could surprise me.”

“What are you getting for the Luau?” he asked, confused. He had vague memories of the three women talking about shopping at the end of the movie night, but honestly, he had avoided paying too much attention. Sterling knew from prior experience the pain of shopping with Mia and feared getting roped into carrying bags. No, thank you.

“A swimsuit and maybe a dress,” she said, shrugging.

Maybe acting as their beast of burden wouldn't have been such a horrible proposition after all. But holy shit, he did not need to think about her in a swimsuit right then. He needed to think about it later when he could actually do something about his impulses and not ruin his friendship with her.

Callie rolled her eyes. “Get your mind out of the gutter, trouble.”

“Sorry, hotstuff. I’m afraid that my mind has taken up permanent residence there," came his light reply, allowing their familiar banter to pull him out of his bad attitude. "I do appreciate the new fodder for my imagination, though,” he said, his grin widening when she started to blush again. He still had it.

Pierre walked up behind the counter making apologies. “Sorry, Callie, for making you wait,” he said quickly, flashing his oily smile before narrowing his eyes at Sterling.

Before he could say anything, Sterling raised his hands. “I’m going back to it,” he said, already turning towards the glass door.

At least he now had something new to daydream about instead of thinking of how Callie looked with her new partner. Too bad he still had over half of his shift left.

Callie

Callie thought she knew what she was getting into when she agreed to go shopping with Mia and Emily.

She didn’t.

Mia, Yoba bless her, had no true concept of a price tag. Callie knew she’d grown up well off from conversations they’d had about attending dance classes as children, but she hadn’t realized just how well off until they hit the department stores. It was like shopping with her Fane cousins all over again.

“But Cal, this would look perfect on you!” Mia said, holding up a bikini that cost half as much as the kitchen remodel Robin offered.

Before Callie could respond, Emily shook her head. “The cut is all wrong for her body type, Mia,” she said. Emily knew her fashion and also knew Callie’s measurements at a glance. She tended towards bright and bold colors or exotic prints. Which, to be fair, worked for a beach outfit.

It took three hours and a dozen stores before they finally found a place that met Mia’s standards for quality, Emily’s standards for fashion, and Callie’s standards for price. In that time, she learned a good deal more about Gallus where Mia had grown up. She also learned about Mia's job taking soil and crop samples from some of the big factory farms in the area and determining what nutrients needed to go back into the ground.

Emily, meanwhile, explained how her parents had spent the year since Haley graduated traveling the world, leaving the house and her sister in her care. “Sometimes I feel like I need to parent Haley. Honestly, I hate that because I’m not her mom, she doesn’t listen to me because of it, and she shouldn’t have to,” Emily complained as they drove between stores. Some top forty hit played in the background as Mia weaved through traffic.

“I promise you, it’ll get better,” Callie said from the backseat.

“What makes you say that?” Emily asked, looking over her shoulder at her.

“Haley is what, nineteen?” she asked.

Emily nodded. “Just turned nineteen in Spring.”

“In a couple more years, she’ll go from incredibly frustrating to someone you can truly get along with,” said Callie. “That transition from late teens to early twenties is difficult to navigate at the best of times, more so when a sibling fills the parental role. It’ll take a while for the two of you to reestablish your relationship as peers.”

Mia glanced at Callie in her rear-view mirror. “What makes you so certain?”

“That’s what happened with Bria, my sister, and I,” she shrugged. “There’s a ten-year age gap between us, and she lived with me from the time she was fourteen until she graduated from high school.”

Emily looked comforted by her words.

Once they finally agreed on a store, another two hours followed of picking out swimsuits and dresses and then trying them on. While Callie was not overly picky—she was honestly just fine with swimsuit number three and dress number two—Mia and Emily vetoed both options. “If I’m going to draw eyes for a five-mile radius, then so should you,” Mia said, grinning widely.

“Why?” Callie asked, bemused. She knew quite well that there was no competing with the green-eyed redhead.

“Because none of them have seen you in a bathing suit before,” Emily said plainly. “And I, personally, want to see you make half the valley speechless.”

Callie shook her head. “I’d rather you two have that honor,” she said as she headed back into the changing room.

“Oh, we will, don’t worry!” Mia called. Callie could hear her Cheshire grin. “But it’ll be better with all three of us.”

Five dresses, eight skirts, and thirteen swimsuits later, they finally all agreed on her purchases. Emily and Mia had also managed to fill a couple of bags apiece. “I promise you: Henry’s and Sterling’s tongues will roll out of their mouths when they see you in that,” Mia told Callie as they crawled back into her car.

“Jeric’s as well; possibly even Shane’s,” Emily added with a wicked smile.

“I sincerely doubt I’m Shane’s type. Besides, the only man I care about impressing is Philip,” she reminded them both firmly, though she felt pleased by their compliments.

“I’m glad Philip makes you happy, but I’ll admit that, for purely selfish reasons, I wish you and Sterling had made it work,” Mia admitted as she backed out of the parking space. Callie and Emily both stared at her in shock. “Oh, don’t give me that. I’m not saying I want you to break up with Philip—you two are a good fit,” Mia hurried to explain. “But….”

“What?” asked Emily.

“Sterling tries when he’s around Callie,” Mia said as she pulled out into traffic. “He makes a solid effort to do better after spending time with you,” she added as she glanced at Callie in the rear-view mirror. “And while the two of you still talk and hang out, since you got together with Philip, he… well, he’s started lapsing more.”

Sighing, Callie let her head thud against the headrest. “I can’t make his choices for him, Mia, and neither can anyone else.”

“I know that, just…” Mia sighed as well. “I hate it when he gets together with Shane.”

Callie’s eyes darted towards Emily in concern, half expecting her to come to Shane’s defense. Instead, her friend nodded in agreement. “They bring out the worst in each other,” said Emily. “They enable all of the other’s worst instincts. No offense intended, Mia, but sometimes I think Sterling’s the worst thing to happen to Shane in years.”

That made Callie wince. While a part of her agreed that they enabled each other in horrible ways, she also knew they had a genuine connection and friendship underneath that. “Actively trying to dissuade them from spending time together will only backfire,” she warned them gently.

Frowning, Mia said, “Encouraging them to spend time together is going to result in one of them dying from alcohol poisoning.”

Callie had no rebuttal for that.

Walking up to Blooming Hill Farm, Callie adjusted her bag on her shoulder, getting her pigtail out from underneath the strap. She probably should have followed her first instinct to wrap them into buns instead of leaving them loose, but it was too late to fix it now. Crossing the threshold onto the farm, she felt some of the tension in her back loosen. Even if it wasn’t her farm, there was something soothing about walking past fields of crops waving in the wind and hearing the distant clucking of chickens. She started humming happily to herself as she neared the shop that also served as Jeric’s home.

Opening the door, Callie could hear several male voices inside. She stepped inside to discover Jeric standing behind his counter talking to another man who looked roughly his age or even a little older. He had close trimmed hair and an equally close-trimmed beard, and he had an air about him that made her suspect he was either current or former military. Standing beside him was a younger teenage boy with blond hair and blue eyes, his pale face still round with baby fat.

At the sound of the door closing, all three turned to look at her.

“Callie!” Jeric called, grinning broadly. “Come on in, cutie. I have some people I’d like you to meet.”

“Oh, so you’re the Callie I’ve heard so much about,” the man said as he watched her approach the group. “My name’s Bryle. Jeric and I go way back—grew up together in Zuzu,” he said by way of introduction, waving a hand at her as he kept his distance.

Understanding dawned immediately. She smiled up at him, “It’s nice to meet you, Bryle. Please take anything Jeric has said with a huge grain of salt,” she joked. “And if you are Bryle, then you—” here she turned her attention to the boy, giving him an equally friendly smile, “—must be Oliver.”

His eyes widened at her attention. “Um, yeah, that’s me,” he said, sounding startled. “How—?”

“Jeric may have mentioned the two of you a time or two.”

“And did you take what I said about them with a huge grain of salt?” Jeric joked.

“Maybe,” she said with her most innocent expression.

Bryle shook his head, saying, “I assure you, Callie, that Jeric has only had good things to say about you.”

“That’s why I told you to take anything he said about me with a grain of salt,” she retorted.

“Eh, eh, eh,” Jeric said, making a noise as though he was scolding a misbehaving pet, “What have I told you about self-deprecation, baby girl?”

“And what have I told you about calling me ‘baby girl?’” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

“That if I kept it up, you’d make me carry you around like one,” Jeric recited with a grin. “Why do you think I’ve kept it up?”

“Because you’re secretly in a contest with Sterling to come up with the worst pet names for me?”

“Pretty sure we’ve all agreed that Shane has the worst name for you,” Jeric said.

Oliver’s eyes bounced between the two of them as if watching a riveting tennis match. “What name is that?” he asked.

“Short stack,” they both chorused at the same time before breaking into laughter.

Bryle laughed as well, shaking his head. “You’re a lively one, at least.”

“Are you after seeds today?” Jeric asked.

“Nope,” she said. “I just didn’t want to listen to you complain tomorrow that I came to Ridgeside and didn’t drop by to say ‘hi,’” she explained with a wry smile. Also, while Shiro didn’t have his session today, Philip had gotten called out to do an emergency session with someone, leaving Callie at loose ends for a bit. “I didn’t realize you had company.”

“We’ll be leaving soon,” said Bryle.

Oliver pouted in a manner that only teenage boys can achieve. “Do we have to? I’d really rather not have dinner with the Jenkins. It’s just going to be Dad trying to persuade them to donate to his re-election campaign.”

“I don’t make the schedule. I just make sure all of you stay safe,” Bryle answered.

Jeric gave Oliver a reassuring smile. “It can’t be all that bad—”

“You don’t have to go, so how would you know?” Oliver asked, glaring up at Jeric.

Smirking, he said, “One of the perks of being all grown up, Olly. I don’t have to sit with snobs all night.”

“Ugh, it’s just not fair,” Oliver grumbled. “Just because you don’t have the name, you don’t have to go.”

Callie watched as Jeric tried to cover a flinch at Oliver’s comment. “In every life, a little rain must fall,” he said, masking with a grin.

“Speaking of which,” Bryle said as he checked the time. “We really should get going. It was a pleasure to meet you, Callie. If you spend much time with this troublemaker,” here he gave Jeric a sidelong look, “I’m sure we’ll cross paths again. The governor often finds reasons to send me on errands to the valley and check up on his boy.”

Jeric shook his head. “I’m still alive and kicking,” he said.

“Let’s keep it that way,” Bryle replied. “Now, come on, Oliver.”

“Alright, fine. Bye Jeri,” said Oliver, giving Jeric a quick hug. Bryle clapped Jeric on the shoulder before leading Oliver towards the door.

“I’ll see you around,” Callie said in farewell.

After the door closed behind them, Jeric and Callie both let out deep sighs before looking at each other and breaking into laughter. “You know,” she said, “I was not expecting to walk in on you with your brothers.”

Grinning widely, Jeric said, “But you handled them like a champ. I’m glad you got to meet them. The governor brought the family with him to attend the Luau tomorrow. You’ll probably see them again.”

“Probably,” she said, before giving him a sly smile. “So… you’ve been talking about me, huh?”

“Wouldn’t be much of a rivalry if they didn’t know about you.”

“Mm-hmm,” she said, tone rich with disbelief.

“Also, you’re the most exciting thing to happen in the valley since Sterling came back,” he added with a grin.

“Somehow, I doubt you’ve talked to them that much about Sterling,” she replied dryly. Reaching across the counter, she patted his forearm. “Are you doing okay?” Callie asked more gently.

“Yeah, of course,” he said, eyebrows furrowed. “Why do you ask?

She gave him a half shrug. “Sometimes, people are thoughtless with their comments is all.”

“Heh,” Jeric huffed softly. “Not much gets by you, does it?”

“I pay attention to those important to me.”

He beamed at that. “I’m important to ya? I’m moving up in the world!” he winked.

“As if you didn’t know that already,” she replied. “’Cause you are, yeah?” Callie added, letting sincerity seep through as she took his hand and gave it a small squeeze. “You’re my friend, and I look out for my friends.”

Jeric’s face softened at that comment. “I know you do. And I promise I’m okay. Olly is young and doesn’t always remember to look at things from other people’s viewpoints,” he said, squeezing her hand back. Letting go, he gave Callie a teasing smile, “So don’t go slapping him on my account, aight?”

She rolled her eyes. “One time I lose my temper—one time—and none of you will let me live it down.”

“What are friends for?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 5 — Luau

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: New Digs

Hey Lee-lee,

I wanted to let you know that I’ve decided to move in with Aunt Marnie. She’s in need of another pair of hands on the ranch, and to be honest, I’m more than ready to get out of this damn town. It’s hard to believe we both graduate in just a couple of weeks, huh?

The other reason I’m sending this is that I wanted to let you know that if you need a place to get away from your parents’ insanity this Summer, Aunt Marnie says you’re welcome to come visit. I know you don’t like leaving your sister, but I promised to pass along the message.

Besides, how cool would it be to have Bub and Triss and you all here this Summer? 😁

Love you,

—Mona

Oliver

“So, did you have a good time calling your girlfriend after the dinner last night?” Jeri asked as they walked towards cable car.

Oliver glared up at his brother and his smug grin. “Kennedy is not my girlfriend,” he hissed, eyes darting forward to make sure their parents were distracted and paying them no mind. Thankfully, they remained focused on Ms. Lenny, the lady who ran Ridgeside. Technically she wasn’t the mayor—that was her brother—but from what Oliver could tell, she was in charge here.

“You’re blushing!” Jeri said in a sing-song voice, laughing when Oliver blushed harder as a result. “You have to admit, she’s pretty cute for a kid.”

“She’s my friend,” he insisted.

He hated that he had to attend this stupid Luau. He’d managed to get out of prior ones, but Mum really wanted to come visit Jeri ‘in his natural habitat’ instead of waiting for him to come visit them in Zuzu. Unfortunately, this meant that Oliver got dragged along as well to the ass-end of nowhere. Mum and Jeri and even Dad might be enamored with ‘the country,’ but he’d rather stay at the hotel and chill with his friends online.

“Aight, I’ll take your word for it,” Jeri replied, grinning all the while. He’d changed out of his ‘farm duds’ for once, instead wearing swim trunks and an open floral-print shirt. The only upside to this whole mess was that they headed to a beach. “Just means you get to check out all the honeys at the Luau with a clear conscience,” he added with a wink.

Oliver rolled his eyes and wished he’d stop blushing at Jeri’s teasing. He hated it when people teased him about girls. He just didn’t get it. “Not everything is about girls, you know.”

“Okay, so you can check out all the studs,” Jeri shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat.”

“Jeric!” Oliver hissed again, finally drawing his mother’s eye back to them.

“Are you two boys doing alright?” Mum asked.

“We’re fine, Ms. Jo. I’m just giving Olly a bit of a hard time is all,” said Jeri.

Oliver didn’t know why he insisted on calling Mum ‘Ms. Jo’ and Dad ‘Gov,’ but even they had given up the argument at this point.

“Please don’t rile him up too much, Jeri,” Mum fussed. “You know how delicate he is.”

“I am not delicate,” Oliver muttered.

“Oh! This is a nice addition. I meant to ask earlier when you had this installed,” Dad said as he gripped the railing going down the steps to the cable car.

“Just this past weekend, actually,” Ms. Lenny grinned. “A new farmer moved into the valley this year and donated some of the wood she’d cleared from her land in order to get this built.”

“Donated?” Dad said, looking surprised. “What was she after?”

Ms. Lenny shook her head. “Nothing that she’s brought up. She’d helped one of the residents here get home one night when he was intoxicated and, according to her, had ‘one helluva time’ getting him up the stairs,” she said with obvious amusement. “Not long afterwards, she approached me about getting a railing installed.”

Oliver tuned out the rest of the conversation, instead watching Bryle and the other bodyguards scouting the way ahead and making sure the cable car was safe for transport. Not that Oliver really expected anything to happen here of all places. What did these people have to be upset about? That a cow got loose?

Soon enough they were all ensconced within the cable car, watching the valley grow larger beneath them.

“Oh my, I don’t remember that farm,” said Mum, pointing at one of the patches of land.

“Which farm?” Dad asked, leaning forward before widening his eyes.

“Ah! Yes, that’s Solanen’s Farm,” Ms. Lenny beamed. “Old Finn’s granddaughter moved in at the beginning of the year and took it over.”

“Finn Solanen’s granddaughter?” repeated Dad, continuing to peer down with a startled expression. “That old farm sat empty for nearly two decades. To get it where it is now, she certainly takes after him.” Oliver didn’t see what was so spectacular about the farm. Sure, it looked big even from up here, but it was just a farm.

“Is this the same farmer who donated the materials for the railing?” asked Mum.

“The very same,” said Ms. Lenny.

“Definitely takes after her grandfather,” Dad said, looking rather pleased.

“Callie’s a miracle-worker,” Jeri said from where he sat next to Oliver. “She asked me how long it took me to get Blooming Hill to where it is now, and when I told her four years, she said she’d catch up to me in one,” he laughed.

“The same Callie we met yesterday?” Oliver asked him, a bunch of dominoes falling into place.

“You met her?” Mum asked, turning her curious gaze from the land below back to him and his brother.

Oliver grinned at Jeri; his brother paled. “Yeah, she dropped by the shop while we were there. Said she didn’t want to listen to him complain if he found out she was in town and didn’t stop to visit him.”

“Olly…” Jeri groaned under his breath, making Oliver’s grin widen. Oh, he was totally making him pay for the comments about Kennedy and the honeys at the beach… since his brother was so focused on girls anyways.

“Is that so?” Mum murmured, her eyes twinkling. “Is there something you’ve forgotten to tell me, Jeri?”

“Callie’s a good friend of mine,” he said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat at Mum’s grin. “She’s also dat—"

“A very pretty friend,” Oliver said over him. “Even Bryle would agree with that.”

“It’s true,” Bryle said from where he sat in the corner, eyes trained outside of the cable car. He still smirked, however.

“A very pretty and good friend, hmmm?” Dad said, trying not to laugh at Jeri’s predicament and almost succeeding. “Is this the ‘rival’ I’ve heard about?”

“I swear, Olly, you are going to pay for this,” Jeri muttered to him. “Callie—"

“For what? She seemed like a nice lady,” Olly interrupted, giving Jeri a shit-eating grin he’d learned from his brother.

“And one who didn’t put up with your nonsense,” Bryle added.

Mum laughed. “Oh, she sounds delightful, Jeric. You simply must introduce us today.”

“I think you’ll like her, ma’am,” said Ms. Lenny, her lips twitching. “She’s a hard worker and focused on improving the valley. The railing is just one of several things she’s done.”

“Oh?” Dad said. “How so?”

As Lenny began extolling Callie’s virtues—something about a museum and repairing a bridge—Jeri turned his attention to Oliver. “When Callie asks me why she found herself the center of everyone’s attention, I’m telling her it’s your fault.”

It sounded a lot like a threat.

Callie

Emerging from the trees and onto the shore, Callie found it completely packed not just with people, but also table after table laden with food. She spotted two separate dance areas, one for children off by the tidepools and another for adults on the main beach. Music pulsed from either end of Pelican Beach. The babble of people and thrumming music converged with the brilliantly saturated colors—not to mention the myriad smells of food, sweat, and ocean spray—to make her secretly long to curl up in a hole and hide. Even after the previous two festivals, the Luau overwhelmed Callie.

Thankfully, she had thought ahead; a pair of sunglasses hid her wide eyes and muted the colors at least a touch. Pierre waved at her from his booth, no doubt trying to entice her to come peruse his wares. She waved in acknowledgment but did not approach. Instead, she turned her attention towards the enormous cauldron serving as a soup pot and the half-dozen buffet tables that surrounded it. Reminded of the plastic container in her mesh bag, Callie began to head in that direction when she heard Lenny calling her name.

Swinging her head from side to side, she soon spotted Lenny standing with Mayor Lewis and an older couple. Callie would bet good money that was the governor and his wife. Lenny waved her hand in a very clear ‘come here!’ motion. All four people had their eyes on Callie now, so there was nothing for it but to make her way over. A part of her wished she had gone a little more conservative in her clothing choices today, but that ink wasn’t going back in the bottle. “Afternoon, Lenny, Lewis,” Callie said as she came within talking distance, giving all four of them a warm smile. Gaze settling on the governor, she extended her hand. “Hello, I am Callie Solanen.”

The wide governor reminded her of every stereotype of an old politician she’d ever come across, despite wearing a purple hat with a feather in it. He took her hand with a jovial smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Solanen. I’m Michael Sinclair, the governor for this area. I knew your grandparents, Finn and Diana, once upon a time.”

“By now, I’m half-convinced everyone knew them at one point or another,” Callie laughed.

“You’re not wrong,” said Governor Sinclair, a twinkle in his eye. “And this lovely lady is my wife, Josephine,” he added, gesturing to the older maven next to him. She had the same kind, round face and blue eyes that Oliver did, and when she spoke, her voice had a lovely, musical lilt to it.

“I’m glad to get to meet you,” she said with a warm smile as she shook her hand. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you since we arrived yesterday, particularly your efforts around the valley.”

“We’re quite proud of our newest farmer,” Lewis butted in.

Callie could feel herself blushing at the praise and attention and started desperately praying for someone to come rescue her. “I’m just trying my best to help those I can, that’s all,” she demurred. “Nothing more than any of the other valley folk.”

“No need to be so modest, Callie,” Lenny scolded her. “You’ve had a huge impact on the valley already: repairing infrastructure and donating artifacts to the museum—not to mention the sheer number of help wanted requests you’ve fulfilled for people around the valley. Credit where credit is due.”

Governor Sinclair shot Lewis a sly, teasing smile as he said, “Better be careful, old chap, or she might put you out of a job. Ms. Callie sounds like a true Solanen.”

Lewis’s eyes briefly bulged, though he swiftly disguised his reaction with a weak chuckle at the joke. “Your sense of humor hasn’t changed in twenty years,” he said, mouth tight.

“I don’t do things so that people make a fuss about me, Lenny,” said Callie, trying her level best to keep all irritation out of her voice. Looking towards the mayor and governor, she added, “And trust me, Mayor Lewis is more than welcome to the paperwork.”

“There you are, cutie," drawled Jeric, pressing a warm hand against the bare skin of Callie’s back. "The others are about to send out a search party for you.”

Looking up, Callie shot him a grateful smile. “Sorry, I got a little sidetracked on the way in. I still need to make my donation to the soup pot.”

“We won’t keep you, Ms. Callie,” said the governor before looking at Jeric with an amused gleam in his eye. “Do see that she has a good time today, eh Jeri?”

“I’m sure we’ll cross paths again,” Josephine smiled. “Especially since you and Jeri are close.”

“Gov, Ms. Jo…” Jeric groaned good-naturedly. Giving another wide smile, he nodded to each of the politicians. “Lenny, Lewis, we’ll see you around,” he added, guiding Callie away from them as quickly as decorum would allow.

Once they’d made it a good distance away, they both sighed deeply. “Thank you, Jeric,” she told him fervently.

“Sorry they were giving you the third degree.”

“It’s okay. I blame Lenny."

Shaking his head, Jeric said, “It’s Olly you should blame.”

She paused, arching an eyebrow. “Oliver? Why?”

“He was doing his damnedest to convince Ms. Jo and Gov that I want to date you,” he replied, looking more than a little annoyed. “So of course, they had to find out more about you and meet you. Ms. Jo’s been bugging me for years now that I need to find a ‘nice someone’ to settle down with.”

Callie burst into giggles.

Jeric frowned. “Why are you laughing?”

“Just how much had you teased Oliver beforehand?”

The farmer had the good grace to look a little abashed at that. “Only a little bit of teasing, baby girl,” insisted Jeric.

“Uh-huh. He’s what, sixteen?”

“Fifteen.”

“Yeah. I suspect you dug your own grave there, cowboy,” she snickered. “Let me go add my fish to the pot, okay?”

“Of course,” he said even as he shook his head. Giving her a once over before they resumed walking, he added, “Also, allow me to say that you look absolutely gorgeous today, Callie.” The smile he gave had a surprising sincerity to it.

“And you wonder why Oliver could so successfully convince them you have an interest in me,” she teased.

To her unending delight, Jeric actually blushed at that. Until that moment, she hadn’t even realized he could blush. Quickly rallying, however, Jeric smirked and said, “I can see why you refused to send Sterling pictures.”

“Don’t tell me he complained to you too…?” she groaned. When she didn’t make it back from Grampleton in time to meet him at the saloon, he insisted he needed to see her outfit as recompense. Callie had refused, not wanting to spoil the surprise.

“You know how he gets,” Jeric grinned.

“Lee-lee!” Marnie exclaimed as they approached, smiling brightly as she wielded a gigantic wooden spoon—more of an oar, really—to stir the pot. “You look fantastic today, dear, and you as well, Jeric. What have you brought for the soup?”

“Thank you, Marnie,” Callie said, smiling happily if a bit self-consciously. “I bring a sturgeon, caught fresh yesterday.”

“Oh, that will go marvelously,” she said. “There’s a set of steps on the other side you can climb to add in your offering. After that, feel free to grab food off the buffet for lunch or join in one of the numerous activities already going on. The soup tasting will happen at six.”

“I will. Thank you.”

Callie’s understanding was that the Luau would go until late, one of the longest festivals of the lot. Nothing said she had to stay for the entire time, of course. Oh, who was she kidding? What time she left would almost certainly depend on Philip and thus Shiro and Yuuma.

“Went with fish instead of something from your farm?” Jeric asked in amusement as they walked towards the steps.

She shrugged. “I wanted something fresh to add to the pot. It was that or toss in some peppers.”

“Shane would have loved that.”

“Probably.”

Climbing up the steps, Callie looked out over the cauldron of bubbling soup. It certainly looked… intriguing, with bits and bobs of different vegetables, fruits, meat, and herbs. The odd mixture of ingredients had turned the broth (maybe ‘base’ was a better term as it looked far too thick for broth) to a putrid shade of yellow-green-brown. While the aroma it put off… she felt unsure just how it managed to smell both revolting and yet enticing at the same time, but it certainly accomplished it. Thank Yoba, Gus and Pika had also provided a buffet. Still, she had to give Governor Sinclair some credit for his willingness to continue the tradition of taking the first taste of the communal soup each year. He had to have a cast iron stomach.

Giving herself a shake, Callie opened up her large container and tossed the filleted fish in. She heard a few random cheers from different onlookers at each of the buffets and laughed. Getting down from the steps, she closed it back up and returned it to the mesh bag. “What did you add?” she asked Jeric.

“Some cauliflower I saved from the Spring,” he replied as he led her towards one of the buffet tables.

“Ah, extra body for the soup.”

“Another fine addition to the pot,” said Gus from where he stood surveying the buffet tables for anything that needed taken away or refilled.

“I certainly hope so,” Callie said with a bright smile. “Did you add anything?” she asked him, much as she had Jeric just moments before.

“Ah… no,” he answered, looking at the soup cauldron askance. “I focus my attention on the buffet. I can’t afford to let the soup affect my reputation as a chef,” he said quietly, making her giggle. She didn’t blame him in the slightest.

“Are you saying the soup has a… questionable success rate?” Jeric smirked.

“To put it politely? Yes.”

“I have no doubt your buffet will more than make up for it,” she said.

“Kind as ever, dear girl,” Gus smiled. “Now, go fill a plate.”

“Yes, sir!”

Jeric guided Callie around the various tables and made suggestions on what to eat. At least he didn’t just take Callie’s plate from her and fill it this time. In fact, she’d have filled it more, except Jeric spotted an admirer heading his direction.

“Think maybe we could go before her ladyship arrives?” he muttered to her in an undertone, trying to indicate someone over his shoulder without actually looking at them.

Glancing back, Callie noticed Aideen—who had refused to dress in beach attire and instead carried a parasol—making her way in their direction. “You don’t want to listen to her titter on about your keen dress sense and other excellent qualities?” she asked with a soft chuckle. Despite her teasing, she quickly grabbed herself a roll and turned towards where their friends had gathered.

“Not only no….” he chuckled, even as he took her free arm to lead her over. “Thanks, baby girl.”

“You’re welcome, cowboy.”

Sterling

“Would you sit your ass down already and eat? She’ll get here when she gets here,” said Shane, snapping the waistband of Sterling’s trunks to get his attention.

Sterling cursed at the sting on his skin, glaring down at where Shane sat on the blanket. “That was rude, crude, and discourteous, sir.”

“Sit the fuck down before I have to get mean then,” Shane snickered, only to have Emily lightly smack the back of his head.

“Little ears, Shane,” she reminded him.

Shane grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head, “Not like there’s any kids nearby.”

“They’re right across the stream,” Emily reminded him, pointing to the cadre of children dancing by the tide pools.

Seated together under the giant beach umbrella, Mia and Henry both chorused, “Sit down.”

“Fine, fine, fine,” Sterling sighed, finally sitting down. “She said she was on her way, though,” he added as he put his plate in his lap.

“Then she’ll be here,” said Henry, completely nonplussed.

“Tell you what, I’ll go wander up by the front and see if someone’s got her tied up in conversation, aight?” Jeric said as he crawled to his feet, brushing sand off his legs.

“I could come with—”

“Eat, Sterling,” Mia said, fixing him with a glare. “Jeric’s already had his fill.”

“I’ll go find the honey and bring her over,” Jeric promised. “Be back in a minute,” he said before setting off.

Sterling knew he had no good reason to act so antsy. Callie had talked several times about attending the Luau—what she would bring for the soup, the outfit she’d bought (and utterly refused to let him see ahead of time), how much she looked forward to dancing. Even still, he disliked how late she arrived at festivals due to her work.

The others chattered about the various things they’d seen added to the soup pot thus far before segueing to the different outfits people wore. Sterling continued to eat, though he spent more time scanning the crowd trying to catch sight of Callie than actually paying attention to his food.

“What are everyone’s plans once we’ve eaten?” Mia asked.

“I’m hitting the dance floor and only stopping for food and drink,” Emily declared.

“I’m going to continue eating,” Shane said. “I have to properly pace myself, but I’ll manage.”

“I’m hoping to actually swim, if I get the chance,” said Sterling.

Henry shrugged, saying, “No clue.”

“So, we’ll all go our separate ways, huh?” Mia sighed, looking disappointed.

“I’m sure we’ll come back together from time to time,” Henry said, trying to reassure her.

Mia’s lips plumped in a pout.

“You could always come swimming with me,” Sterling offered.

She eyed him warily. “Not without additional supervision.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” he asked, offended. He missed Mia’s reply, however, as another cheer went up. Looking to see who had added something to the cookpot, Sterling gaped upon spotting Callie. She had dressed to kill, and he was dead. But fuck, what a way to go.

From here, he could see she wore a scarlet, high-waisted, halter-top bikini which left a strip of bare skin visible across her midriff—none of which revealed her more obvious scars. She’d tied a white lace sarong at her right hip, leaving most of that leg exposed. Her toned muscles reflected her years of dance and her hard work on her farm. Unruly curls were held up and away from her neck in a high ponytail, though several smaller curls framed her face and ears. Large, white sunglasses hid her eyes while a pair of matching scarlet sandals completed the outfit.

“Breathe, boys,” Emily teased even as Mia cackled.

“Holy shit,” Henry swore before looking immediately embarrassed.

“Hot damn," echoed Shane. "No wonder she refused to send you any pictures,” he teased Sterling.

“I’ll just have to make sure to get plenty today,” he replied once he’d finally resurrected his higher brain functions. He couldn’t tear his eyes away, though, as Jeric guided Callie around the buffet tables, the lucky sonuvabitch.

“Well, Mia was right about you two, and I was right about you,” Emily said, gesturing first to Sterling and Henry and then to Shane. “We’ll have to see if we’re also right about Philip,” she added, sounding both amused and smug.

Shane cocked his head to one side. “What do you mean you were right about me?”

“When we suggested that you boys would appreciate her chosen outfit, she seemed pretty sure that she was ‘the opposite of Shane’s type,’ whatever that means,” Emily explained.

The man in question rubbed a hand down the front of his face. “She’s going to be the death of me yet; I just know it,” Shane groaned.

“Amen,” Henry said before roughly elbowing Sterling in the side. “Roll up your tongue.”

“Ouch! You have a sharp elbow, Hen,” Sterling exclaimed, finally turning his attention back to his food. He was allowed to appreciate Callie’s efforts, dammit.

“Just remember she’s a taken woman, alright?”

As if Sterling could forget.

“Hey, everybody,” Callie said brightly as Jeric brought her over to join the rest of them. “You’re all looking absolutely festive and fabulous,” she beamed.

“Is there an airport nearby, or was that just my heart taking off?” asked Sterling, grinning as she sat down between him and Jeric. “You’re really sporting the summer look, firecracker.”

Callie laughed even as her cheeks pinked up. “Laying it on a bit thick, aren’t you, shop boy?”

“Well, you did wear scarlet, which you know is my favorite color,” he said, unable to keep his smugness out of his voice. Take that, Philip. Not that, you know, they were in a competition or anything. She just truly did look amazing in scarlet.

“They didn’t have it in blue,” Emily said, coming to Callie’s rescue.

Meanwhile, Mia dug into her bag, pulled out money, and handed it to Callie. She promptly added it to her own bag.

“What was that for?” asked Hen.

“Callie bet me when we persuaded her to get it that Sterling would make a comment about the color,” Mia complained, though she also smirked.

“You’re getting predictable, man,” said Jeric.

Sterling arched an eyebrow as he watched all the byplay. “I am, huh? Guess I’ll need to fix that,” he smirked.

“Yoba, you’re in trouble now, Lee-lee,” Henry warned her.

“What else is new?”

“Alright, I’m going to go dance,” said Em, gathering her trash onto her plate. “Are you going to join me when you’re done?” she asked Callie.

She promptly shook her head. “Not until it starts to cool off this evening. If you want me to keel over from dehydration, dancing outside in the middle of a summer afternoon’s the way to do it.”

Emily laughed. “That’s fair. Most people wait until after the soup anyway.” Looking to Shane, she asked, “Are you planning to babysit everyone’s things here?”

“Yeah, as long as someone spells me sometimes so I can reload my plate,” Shane said, giving Emily one of his rare real smiles.

“You’re a doll,” smiled Emily, kissing the top of his head before scampering off with her trash and a giggle. Shane blushed a brighter red than Callie or Henry typically managed.

Sterling considered teasing him about it, but Callie caught his eye and gave her head the smallest shake. He sighed but obeyed. “Kill-joy,” he muttered to her.

“Often,” she agreed.

More loudly, he asked, “Well, if you’re not going to dance, will you join Hen and I out in the water?”

“When did I agree to that?” Henry asked.

“Do you trust me out in the ocean alone?” Sterling countered.

Henry’s reply came instantly: “No!”

Sterling gestured with his hand to say, ‘There you go.’

“Maybe in a bit,” said Callie. “I want to see if I can find Philip and the Kobayashi brothers first, however.”

While not the answer he’d hoped for, it was the one he expected. “But then you’ll come swim with us?” he persisted.

She laughed. “Probably. I’ve never actually swam in the ocean before. I didn’t have a swimsuit at my last Luau.”

“That seals the deal, then, Cal. You’ll simply have to join the three of us in the water,” Mia said. “If not today, then at least before Summer ends.” Sterling was all on board with the idea of getting to see Callie in her swimsuit again.

“Okay, okay,” Callie grinned.

“What about you, cowboy?” he asked Jeric.

“Eh, I think I’ll keep little miss here company until she finds her man,” he said.

Callie shook her head at him. “You don’t need to escort me, Jeric,” she said. “I’ll be fine. I already survived the opening gauntlet.”

Jeric looked reluctant to acquiesce to that. Knowing the cowboy couldn’t resist a challenge, Sterling taunted him, “He just knows that in a race between us, he’d lose.”

“No way in the Void I’d lose!” Jeric said, eyes narrowing.

Sterling grinned. “Then prove it, cowboy.”

Callie

Once Callie finished eating, the others left for the ocean. She placed her mesh bag on the blanket along with everything else Shane sat guarding, then made her way east to the tidepools. Working her way along the shoreline, she saw several people she knew and waved to them. To her surprise, Haley sat with Leah and Elliott, animatedly talking about something. Neither woman noticed Callie, but Elliott returned her wave. She also spotted Dr. Harvey and Dr. Paula arguing together, but no sign of Philip with them. That didn’t surprise her; she knew she’d find him with Shiro and Yuuma.

Passing by one of the many drink tables, Callie picked up a glass of punch, eager for anything to quench her thirst with the blazing sun. After her first sip, she strongly suspected that someone had spiked it, but at least it tasted alright. From there she continued her way across the repaired bridge, smiling to herself. She’d already overheard Ian and Sean talking about how this was the first time they’d ever been able to set anything up on the east end of the beach. Callie found a smaller dance area set up at this end, though hardly anyone used it except a couple of the kids. A much larger platform, filled with tables where people ate and gossiped, was set up above the tidepools. It looked like mostly Ridgeside folk.

“Callie!” Shiro shouted above the hubbub.

Looking around, she spotted him sitting with Philip and Yuuma at one of the tables. Callie grinned and waved at them before making her way around the dancing kiddos—Trinnie looked rather impressed by Keahi’s rhythmic flailing—and then climbed up onto the platform. It took her a bit to get back to where her friends sat; she’d visited Ridgeside often enough at this point that quite a few people recognized her and at least wanted to say a quick “Hi!”

When she finally made her way over to them, all three gave Callie wide smiles—even little Yuuma. “Must be hard to be so popular,” Shiro joked as she sat down.

“The price of acting friendly, I suppose,” she smiled. “I’m glad to find the lot of you. You’re all looking top notch in your beachwear,” she added. Both Shiro and Philip had opted to go shirtless and just in trunks, much like Sterling had. While Sterling had the lean build of a runner, Philip's far bulkier musculature reminded her more of a weightlifter. Shiro, however, made her think of swimmers despite his scars and obvious loss of mass from his injuries. It didn’t detract from his looks at all, though, whatever he may believe.

Yuuma looked simply adorable, befitting a young boy.

For a moment, no one else responded. Shiro overtly nudged the gawking Philip with his elbow. “This is when you tell her how pretty she is,” he said in a mock whisper.

Rising to the challenge, Yuuma looked at her and said, “You’re very pretty, Ms. Callie,” before bursting into giggles.

“And you are very handsome, Mr. Yuuma,” she replied with a wide grin and a wink at Shiro.

“Your delivery could use some work, otouto. Laughing afterwards makes it feel mocking,” Shiro advised his brother.

Finally recovering his powers of speech, Philip said, “Sorry, babe. You are literally breath-taking in this moment.” His smile spread across his whole face. “Took mine completely away.”

To absolutely no one’s surprise, Callie blushed at that. “Thank you, Phil.”

“See how much more effective that was?” Shiro asked Yuuma, who nodded vigorously. “It’s the sincerity.”

That made Callie laugh. “Corrupting your little brother already?”

“Fulfilling my duties as his onii-san,” Shiro said with a solemn nod and mischievous eyes.

“Have you enjoyed yourself so far?” Philip asked her. “And did you bring anything for the soup?”

The four of them sat and gossiped for close to an hour about the various things people had added to the soup and other things that people had tried to add but failed. Apparently, Corine's father had tried to add some vegetable that smelled like rotting hamburger, while someone had caught Keahi trying to add a shell to the pot. This turned to speculation on whether or not the soup would even end up edible. Callie tried to encourage Yuuma to go play with the other kiddos for a bit since both she and Philip were sitting with Shiro, but he wouldn’t budge. He did seem to enjoy himself, however.

Eventually, her drink ran dry, and the growing afternoon heat combined with the alcohol made her feel utterly parched. “Alright, I think I’m going to have to go find more to drink, plus I promised the others I’d eventually join them in the water,” she said, truly regretful.

Shiro sighed wistfully. “I’d love to get back in the ocean, even if only for a little while.”

“I’m sure you’ll get there one day,” Callie encouraged him. “Then I’ll truly get to see you in your natural habitat.”

“Maybe,” Shiro replied doubtfully, before draining the last of his own drink. Looking at Philip, he asked with a far-too-innocent smile, “Would you mind going with Callie to find me a refill?”

Philip’s eyes briefly widened in surprise before he grinned. “Of course. Would you like more to drink?” he asked Yuuma, who nodded decisively.

In a matter of moments, Philip and Callie wended their way past the tables and the dance area. “Shiro’s doing his best to wingman for you,” she teased him.

He laughed, cheeks pink from either the sun or embarrassment. “He’s a good friend,” he said, gently squeezing her hand as they passed the dance floor.

She smiled. “That he is,” she agreed, squeezing his hand back.

He led her across the plank bridge and then behind Elliott’s shack into the shade. Surprised, she looked up to find him doing a quick glance around. She, too, looked from side to side and realized no one could see them. Philip wasted no time leaning down and kissing her, one hand flat against her back and the other wrapping around the nape of her neck.

Callie gripped onto his bare shoulders as he leaned into her. He dipped her back, deepening the kiss, her shoulders resting against the rough wood of the cabin, his fingers tracing random patterns along her exposed skin. When they had to break the kiss to come up for air, Philip immediately began raining kisses along her neck, murmuring all the while, “Do you have any idea how often you invade my thoughts, all day, every day? I should call you Speedilina, the way you keep running through my mind.”

With the way he pressed against Callie, pinning her against Elliot’s shack, she knew precisely what sort of thoughts he kept having. Then again, he’d left very little doubt as to his desires that past week. Tilting her head back as he placed more open mouth kisses along her throat, she couldn’t help giggling. “It’s a good thing I like your cheesy lines.”

He kissed her again, just as hard and deep as the first one. One hand slid up into her hair while the other slipped teasingly beneath the waistband of her swimsuit bottoms. She wrapped both arms around his neck, hooking one leg over his hip. When he finally broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers and panted. “Okay, I really should get those drinks for Shiro and Yuuma. Save some dances for me later, okay? Harv and Paula promised to spell me from time to time.”

Staring into his smiling, light-blue eyes, Callie gave him a wide grin. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“You better.”

Shane

Shane sat on the blanket that Mia had brought as he babysat everyone’s shit, sipping from another cup of punch. He hoped to refill both it and his plate soon—if anyone would actually come by and give him a break. Gus and Pika’s cooking was fucking fantastic, and by Yoba, he intended to eat all the free food he could until the Luau ended or his stomach burst.

He could think of far worse deaths.

For now, though, he watched as Jas, Vinny, and Ellie played in the tide and giggled wildly whenever a wave came up far enough to wet their calves. Further out in the water, he could see Jeric, Sterling, and his housemates swimming and splashing and playing with a blond-haired boy Shane had never seen before. A dozen more people also swam in the ocean, taking advantage of the beach day. Sebastian and Abigail sat side by side on the docks, his arm around her as they talked. Sam grinned up at them from where he treaded water below.

Looking closer by, he noticed Callie walking towards this end of the beach, her hand in Philip’s as they talked. With any luck, he could catch her attention and persuade her to spell him for a bit. Instead of heading in Shane’s direction, though, Philip pulled her behind Elliott’s home. They did not reappear at the other end of the shack. Shane knocked back his punch as he kept an eye on the cabin, trying to ignore the images his brain tried to conjure; he had little doubt as to why the pair had slipped out of sight. They weren’t back there long before reemerging, laughing like a pair of idiots as they grabbed drinks. From there, Philip parted ways from her, with him headed back towards the tidepools and Callie heading towards Shane.

“Hey, buttercup! Doing okay? Need someone to spell you for awhile?” she asked with a giddy smile.

“Yoba, please,” he said as he slowly climbed to his feet, his back aching from sitting on the ground for so long. More quietly, he added, “Also, you might want to fix your hair. Think Philip about undid your ponytail.”

The half-pint turned a brilliant shade of red even as she reached up to finish loosening her ponytail and pull out the elastic. “Thanks,” she said, avoiding his eye.

“I’m happy for you,” he said, and he was. But…. “Be gentle with Sterling though, okay?”

Still avoiding his gaze, Callie began regathering her hair in her hands. “I doubt he’ll care outside of a reason to tease me,” she said as she redid the ponytail.

“Sterling cares more about you than either of you admits.”

Finally looking him in the eye, she softly said, “I can only go by the things he tells me, Shane.”

“I know,” he sighed. He had said it before, and he’d say it again, but Sterling was a fucking moron sometimes. More loudly, he added, “I’m gonna grab another plate, and then I’ll be back.”

“I’ll hold down the fort,” she promised.

Callie

Stretching out under the shade of the umbrella on her stomach, ankles crossed behind her, chin in her hands, Callie stared out at the ocean as she waited on Shane. She could see nearly two dozen people of all ages frolicking in the water and several more walking along the wet sand and tried to soak up their obvious joy. Taking a sip from another cup of spiked punch—and reminding herself not to drink more until much, much later in the night—she also tried to ignore the niggling doubts that Shane’s words had brought back to life. He was not the first person to suggest that her relationship with Philip had affected Sterling poorly, and he wasn’t even the bluntest about it. Even her sister had suggested Sterling had strong feelings for Callie and had pushed her away because of it.

Crossing her arms in front of her, she laid her chin on them as she blindly stared ahead. But what was she supposed to do about it? She couldn’t fix it, not when Sterling refused to acknowledge what everyone else told her. And what if they were wrong, and Sterling was simply reacting to issues elsewhere that he hadn’t told anyone about?

Maybe she should just go back to daydreaming about Philip instead of angsting. She was allowed to be happy, damn it. Not everything she did resulted in drama.

Callie wished that didn’t sound like she was trying to convince herself.

Minutes passed with no sign of Shane returning, and her eyes started to drift shut. Even with her sunglasses, the sand blinded Callie. Plus, her sleep kept up its shitty track record, though thankfully she hadn’t seemed to have disturbed Philip’s sleep yet. Though she laid in shade, the heat continued to seep into her, easing aches she’d long grown accustomed to. The joyful noises of people playing blended with the distant strains of music and the rush of the ocean to create a soothing wall of white noise. She could relax for… just a… just a few….

The blanket Callie laid on shifted around, and she could hear people close by talking to each other.

“How long has she been out for?” she heard Mia ask.

“A couple of hours,” Shane said from nearby. “Figured if she could sleep through all this, she needed it.”

“At least she’s in the shade,” said Henry.

Someone sat down beside Callie. Opening her eyes the slightest amount to see, she held in a groan as she shut them back tight. Someone had taken her sunglasses off at some point, and it was very, very bright out. “Come on, baby girl,” she heard Jeric say. He gently rubbed the back of her neck. “Need you to wake up. It’s about time for the gov to try the soup.”

“Don’t wanna,” she mumbled. “Comfy and sleepy and warm.”

The blanket shifted on her other side. A moment later, something large and wet covered her back.

“What the fu-hell, dude?!” Jeric yelped, even as Oliver cackled.

Callie’s eyes popped open as she looked over her shoulder to find a dripping wet and snickering Sterling draped over her torso.

“Thought she could use the encouragement to wake up,” he grinned.

Mia threw a towel at him. “Get off her, Sterling. You’re getting the whole blanket wet,” she complained.

Wincing against the bright sunlight, Callie sat up once Sterling had moved off her. “That was unkind,” she grumbled, pressing the heels of her palms against her eyes. “Anyone know where my sunglasses are?”

“Right here, short stack,” said Shane, holding them out to her.

Once Callie had them on and could look around her without immediate pain, she determined that everyone—with the addition of Oliver—was back save for Emily, and she could see her approaching. “What time is it?” she wondered aloud, noticing the change in the sun’s position.

“Close to six,” Jeric said as he helped her regain her equilibrium. “Shane said you slept for a couple of hours.”

“Ugh, so my head says,” she agreed. “Do we have any water?”

Shane held out a bottle of water to her. She gave him a grateful smile.

“You decided to nap instead of coming to play with us,” Sterling said as he dried his hair with the towel. “You promised to swim with us.”

“Pretty sure the promise was to swim with you before the end of Summer,” she replied after downing the entire water bottle in one go.

“Oh drat, another beach day!” said Mia, eyes briefly flicking to the kid sitting with them. She did not sound remotely upset by this development.

“You’ll have to convince Hen to take a Sunday or Wednesday off then,” Sterling pointed out.

Henry grimaced.

“Everyone else having a good time?” Emily asked as she made it back to the blanket.

Callie leaned against Jeric where he still sat beside her, closing her eyes again. “I am not awake enough for this.”

Jostling his shoulder to try to get Callie to sit up, he said, “Falling asleep on me won’t help with that.”

“Bah. Humbug,” she replied.

Just then, the mayor announced that it was time to test the soup. Callie considered staying on the blanket out of sheer contrariness, but Jeric took one look at her and said, “Either you stand and walk under your own power, or I really will carry you like a baby.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” she retorted, her innate defiance flaring to life.

The next thing she knew, Jeric had scooped her up in a princess carry. She grabbed his neck in panic even as she laughingly scolded him. “Jeric! Put me down!”

“Sorry, baby girl, but you’re coming with us,” he replied with his wide grin.

Oliver watched the pair with thoughtful eyes.

Philip

The soup at the Luau made Philip more than a little nervous, considering the conditions of its making. People adding things willy nilly, cooking it in a giant cauldron outdoors, no control over the quality of the ingredients… it just seemed like a recipe for disaster.

Governor Sinclair, however, declared it the tastiest thing he’d ever eaten.

“How is that even possible?” he asked Shiro as they watched.

“Don’t tempt fate,” he warned.

Regardless, Philip went to grab bowls for the brothers, only to end up getting a bowl for himself as well. Or, rather, Callie got one for him when she saw his hands full. “If you don’t mind my eating with the three of you,” she added with her teasing smile.

“Of course not,” he said. He’d eat any number of dubious dishes if it meant Callie spending time with him.

As they made their way back to the table Shiro and Yuuma sat at, Philip learned that she had ended up napping the afternoon away, much to her chagrin. “Mia and Sterling have decided that means I’ll have to go to the beach with them later this Summer. Apparently, it’s a crime that I’ve never actually swam in the ocean.”

“They would be correct,” Shiro declared, having overheard their conversation as they neared the table. “Swimming in the ocean is nothing like swimming in any other body of water.”

“I’d expect the beach boy to say that,” Callie laughed as she and Philip sat down.

“Just as I’d expect a forest girl to scoff at the idea,” retorted Shiro.

To be honest, Philip rather liked the idea of a day where he could actually spend time with Callie at the beach. “Let me know when you decide to go, and I’ll see if I can free up my schedule.” He liked the way she lit up at that offer even more.

“This is pretty yummy,” Yuuma declared after taking a bite of the soup, reminding the adults why they were there to begin with.

Astonishingly, the soup was delicious.

Philip loved to watch Callie dance.

While he felt anyone would agree that she certainly had talent, his love had nothing to do with her technique, and only a little with her strength and flexibility. Mostly, he loved the way she took a visceral joy in it. When she danced, Callie came to life, her eyes sparkling in delight, and whoever she danced with couldn’t help but share in that delight.

Once people had moved to dancing rather than eating, Philip, Shiro, and Yuuma had made their way to the other side of the beach, sitting in the sand and watching people have fun. Much as he had at the Flower Dance, Philip encouraged Callie to dance with her friends. “You need to dance, baby. I’ll cut in when I can,” he told her.

She did not need too much persuading. He watched her dance with anyone willing, no matter their age or gender. Even people who normally avoided getting drawn to the dance floor found her offers irresistible—as evidenced by the fact that she got Harvey out on the dance floor after the first time he spelled Philip.

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly—”

“Well, of course you don’t have to dance with me,” Callie had told his old friend with her ever-charming smile. “But you’re certainly welcome to. Only fair since you let Philip get a dance in.”

It shouldn’t have worked, and yet, there they were.

“I’m surprised you don’t get jealous,” Shiro commented at one point as they watched her dance with her friends in a larger group. Jeric and Sterling soon managed to get her between them.

“I know who she’s going home with, and look at her,” he replied, gesturing in her direction as she slipped away from the men and began dancing with Mia, Emily, and Leah. Even Shiro had to agree that she looked stunningly happy. Not long after the song ended, she came back to where the three of them sat to drink some water. “You look like you’re having a grand time,” Philip greeted her.

“I am. I look forward to getting you out there again,” she smiled, cheeks rosy from her exertions. Looking at Yuuma, she said, “Would you like a turn, Yuuma? We’ll stay close by, just like last time.”

The boy gave a shy nod.

She managed to coax two dances back-to-back from Yuuma before Paula came over to sit with Shiro. Philip promptly cut in. Unlike their first dance that evening, this time a ballad came on, allowing for a more romantic turn on the floor. “You really are radiant this evening,” he murmured as they gently spun, nearly drowning in her dark gaze. Callie tended to downplay any direct compliments paid to her, whether about her looks or her actions. That didn’t dissuade Philip from trying anyways.

“You are kind to say so,” she replied, her smile sweet and face flushed.

“I’ll need to leave with Shiro and Yuuma before too much longer,” he sighed.

“Let me know when you’re leaving, and I’ll walk out with you.”

“You don’t have to—”

“I know I don’t,” Callie cut him off with a gentle smile. “But I want to.”

And that was why Philip didn’t grow jealous, even if he strongly suspected more than a few of the people she danced with would like nothing more than to poach her. His eyes flicked towards Sterling where he now stood on the sidelines with Shane, drinking.

“If it’s okay with you, however,” Callie said, drawing Philip’s attention back to her. “I think when the next slow song comes on, I may ask Shiro if he’d like to dance. I know he’s limited in his mobility, but surely he can stand and sway.”

Humming thoughtfully, Philip eventually nodded. “I think he could manage that without exacerbating his injuries. Might take all your charms to convince him, however.”

“Hmm, I doubt you want me to use all of my charms,” she laughed.

“True. Some are just for me,” Philip acknowledged before stealing a kiss.

As it turned out, it took very little persuasion for Callie to get Shiro out on the dance floor when the next slow song came on. “It seems unfair your little brother should get all the attention, after all,” she’d teased Shiro.

The younger man’s smile spread across the entirety of his face; he then glanced cautiously at Philip. “Go on, though stay nearby. I think you can manage this without harm,” he reassured him.

Laughing, Shiro replied, “Be careful, or I’ll steal her away from you,” as Philip helped Shiro to his feet.

“You can try.”

Even if all they did was stand and sway together, spinning in a slow circle, Philip had to admit to himself that it was the happiest he’d seen Shiro since moving here. Callie had a knack for bringing the soldier out of his shell.

“You picked a good girl,” Yuuma said as he leaned sleepily against Philip’s arm.

“I did,” he agreed with an amused smile.

By the time they finished their dance, Yuuma had zonked out against Philip. “I think that’s our cue to head home,” said Shiro, looking down at his brother.

“Come on, Yuuma,” Philip said, trying to rouse the boy, but Yuuma did not want to cooperate.

“I’ve got him,” said Callie, scooping the boy up into her arms before either man could react. To Philip’s shock, Yuuma immediately pressed his face against her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her neck. Despite the fact that the top of Yuuma’s head came to her chest when standing side by side, somehow, she managed to get her arms under his legs and hold him easily.

“Callie, you’re going to hurt yourself,” Shiro scolded her, his gaze hooded as he watched her hold his baby brother.

“Hardly. He’s far from the first child I’ve carried, and I sincerely doubt he’ll be the last,” she replied in a quiet if merry voice.

“Tell me if he gets to be too much, and we can trade off,” Philip told her, more than a little concerned she’d strain something.

“I won’t need to, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 6 – Collapse

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: New Digs

Lee-lee,

Well, at the very least, uni starting up should provide you with an excuse to skip out on more of your parents’ “dinner parties.” Though I have to admit, I’m pretty curious about the adventurers you mentioned. I always had the impression that your parents disapproved of the Guild. Any idea why they invited a whole host of Guildmembers?

It's hard to believe that the Summer is nearly done already. Bub’s already headed back to ZU for training camp, but Triss is still hanging around for a couple more weeks. He spends most of his time these days up in the mines running quests for Marlon or training with Mateo and Jasper. I’m armpit deep in work for Aunt Marnie, but a couple of times a week I manage to wrangle an afternoon to go train with them. I’m nearly to a point now where Triss thinks Marlon might be willing to let me join!

Have you given any more thought to joining the Zuzu branch? I know that it’s Triss’s primary branch, so he could put in a good word for you. It would probably give you more flexibility than retail would.

—Mona

P.S. With regards to Red, Teo says he skipped town ASAP after graduating. No clue where he headed to, but Teo seems pretty sure he won't be back. :-/

Callie

With midsummer’s fast approach, Callie could finally start harvesting her peaches. This excited her as the trees would keep producing from now until the end of the season. In turn, this meant frequent visits to Pierre’s. Not that she minded—she welcomed the chance to line her wallet and visit Sterling.

“Going to make preserves with some of your peaches?” Sterling asked her as they unloaded.

“That’s the plan. I briefly considered trying my hand at peach cider, but making my own cider or wine feels like an invitation for disaster,” Callie said with a wry laugh.

“It would make it rather easy for you to violate Rule One at some point.”

“Yeah, that was my conclusion.”

As they worked, Callie noticed how Sterling seemed off even more so than he had of late. Despite the fact that they still hung out several times a week and talked to each other daily, he’d become… not withdrawn, exactly. Tense, maybe? Irritable? Of course, considering the tightness around his eyes and mouth, it could just be a hangover wrecking him again.

“Are you okay there, firecracker? You got pretty quiet,” he said as she handed off another crate of peaches.

Tossing him a smile, Callie said, “I’m alright, trouble. Just worrying is all.”

“Worrying? What about?” he asked, looking instantly concerned. When she hesitated, he followed up with, “Everything okay with the boy scout?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, we’re fine,” she replied as she grabbed another crate.

“Then what’s eating you?”

Biting the bullet, Callie admitted, “I’m just worried about you a bit.”

Sterling’s eyes widened at that. “Why are you worried about me? I’m doing just fine,” he said with a puzzled expression.

“Are you, Red? You seem…”

“What?”

“I… I don’t know,” Callie finally replied, not sure how to articulate her thoughts. “You seem wound up, I guess. On edge?” She shook her head. “Ah, don’t mind me; I tend to worry without cause,” she told him with a lopsided smile, handing over the last crate of peaches.

Sterling returned her smile with one just as lopsided. “I’m okay, farmer,” he reassured her as he added the peaches to his current stack.

“Just remember you can call me any time, okay?”

“Of course,” he said. “Now, let’s get these inside.”

Once she finished helping Sterling get the peaches inside, Callie made her way to the front of the store. “I still need to grab groceries, but I didn’t want things to melt or thaw in the truck while we unloaded,” she explained to him.

“Pretty sure just about anything melts with you around, hotstuff,” Sterling teased her. After she’d expressed her concern, he’d taken it upon himself to flirt and joke as much as he could, no matter how bad said joke was. He didn’t fool her in the slightest, but she opted not to call him on his bullshit just then.

“And here I thought I was a frigid bi—biddy,” Callie quickly amended, catching sight of Yuuma doing some shopping between the aisles.

“Nice recovery,” Sterling snickered. “Alright, I better get back to it before Pierre starts nagging me. Coming by the saloon later?”

“Possibly. Depends on what all I can get done this afternoon,” she replied.

“Fair enough.”

It didn’t take Callie long to collect her groceries and make her way up to the counter to check out. While she and Pierre chatted and he rang her up, Yuuma came up behind her with two handbaskets filled to the brim with items. “Hey there, Yuuma,” she said with a fond smile. “Looks like you have quite the haul there.”

Ducking his head, Yuuma said, “I wanted to try doing a big trip at the beginning of the month.”

“That’s a wise way of doing things—that’s how I did it when I lived in the city,” she replied as she handed money over to Pierre and gathered her two bags.

“It would mean I don’t have to leave Shiro alone as often.”

“That makes sense.”

Callie shifted to the side so Yuuma could put the baskets up on the counter. The second one was filled with cans to the point that he had real issues trying to pick it up. “I got you, kiddo,” she said as she lifted it for him.

“Thank you, Ms. Callie.”

“Did you find everything you needed?” Pierre asked the boy as he started ringing up his purchases.

“Yes, sir.”

Callie lingered near the counter, watching as Pierre filled up the five reusable bags Yuuma had brought. Eventually, they had everything bagged and paid for. Yuuma started collecting the bags, and it became quickly apparent that he would have great difficulty carrying everything, much to his obvious frustration.

“Would you like a ride, Yuuma?” asked Callie.

He looked up at her in surprise. “A ride?”

“Yeah. My truck’s out back in the alley. If you’d like, I could give you a ride, so you wouldn’t have to try and carry all of that to the cable car. I could drive you up to Ridgeside, or if you’re willing to ride back to the farm long enough for me to toss a couple of things in the fridge, I could walk with you to the cable car,” Callie offered with a friendly smile.

He stared at her. His fringe had grown down into his wide eyes. “Are you sure that’d be okay?” he asked.

“‘Course, I’m sure. I wouldn’t have offered otherwise.”

“Okay," he agreed with a relieved smile. "Whichever way you think would be quicker.”

Yuuma

Yuuma liked Ms. Callie. She always went out of her way to be nice to both him and Shiro. She made his brother laugh a lot, and she made Mr. Philip very happy. She also gave good cuddles. He’d woken up not long after she picked him up at the Luau, but he’d pretended to still sleep anyways. Ms. Callie was warm and snuggly and had made him feel safe as she carried him. She wasn’t a mama, but she felt like a mama.

Yuuma missed his mama. He missed his papa too.

It frustrated him that he couldn’t carry all the groceries on his own. Yuuma was almost nine now and should be big enough to carry things, but he still couldn’t. He felt grateful Ms. Callie offered him a ride. It felt like Yoba had sent him an angel to help. Otherwise, he’d have had to make multiple trips. It would have worked because Dr. Harvey and Mr. Philip were with Nii-san right then, but he liked riding in Ms. Callie’s truck better.

They drove out to her farm first, so she could take her bags inside and throw them into the fridge. At least, that’s what she said. It didn’t take long at all. Ms. Callie grabbed three of his bags and left him the two lightest ones for their walk to the cable car. She asked him very silly questions as they went to Ridgeside, things like ‘if you could talk to any animal, which one would you pick?’ (tortoises) and ‘if it could rain food, which food would you like?’ (dango).

“Why do you ask questions like that?” Yuuma asked her as they rode in the cable car.

“Because it makes people laugh, and I learn cool things from their answers.”

Yuuma nodded thoughtfully. “You make Nii-san laugh a lot.”

She smiled. “I’m glad. He has a good laugh.”

“He used to laugh more when I was little.”

“He’ll laugh more again, Yuuma,” Ms. Callie promised him. “It takes time to get better after you’re hurt.”

“I know…” he frowned.

“I know you know. Sometimes, we still need to hear things even if we already know them.”

Ms. Callie was wise like that.

She kept asking him silly questions as they walked back into the village. They made Yuuma giggle. He really liked the one about what the craziest thing to take a shower in was. He'd answered ketchup. She'd answered jello.

The idea of both together made a funny picture in his head.

As they neared the front door of his house, she said, “If you need to do another big grocery trip in the future, just let me know, and I’ll happily help you carry things.”

“Thank you, Ms. Callie,” he said. He opened the door for them.

Yuuma could hear his nii-san yelling. “Give me a straight answer, doc! Give me a timeline, something! Am I getting better or not?”

“I’m afraid there are still too many unknowns—”

“Bullshit. I’ve been at this for more than a year at this point, and I still can’t do shit on my own. Yuuma’s a kid! He shouldn’t be babysitting his adult onii-san!”

Yuuma stared at his brother where he stood ranting at Dr. Harvey and Mr. Philip. His face was red, and his fists were clenched. He looked so angry.

Dr. Harvey tried to calm Nii-san. He lifted his hands and said, “You’re within the two-year window after a TBI, and we still don’t know what its long-term effects are on you. Even though your vertigo has improved, the risk of you falling and injuring yourself further is simply too high to let you live independently yet. If you were to hit your head, the consequences—”

Nii-san’s whole body shook. “Fuck tha—” he cut off as he caught sight of him. “Yuuma,” Nii-san muttered with a pained look. His eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Yuuma dropped his bags. Groceries scattered across the floor.

“Catch him,” Dr. Harvey barked as both he and Mr. Philip moved to catch Yuuma’s brother.

“Nii-san!” Yuuma yelped.

Mr. Philip wrapped his arms around his brother's chest. He caught Nii-san in time.

“It’s okay, hon. They’ve got him,” said Ms. Callie. She quickly pushed all of the groceries out of the way with her feet. Mr. Philip and Dr. Harvey helped Nii-san into his room and onto the bed.

“My head,” Nii-san groaned as they passed.

Yuuma went to follow. Ms. Callie caught him and scooped him into her arms with ease. “He’ll be okay, kiddo. They just need to get him settled,” she told him. She stood in the doorway to the bedroom. Yuuma didn’t struggle to get down because he could see better from up here.

Mr. Philip and Dr. Harvey moved around the room. They carefully put his nii-san on the bed. Mr. Philip looked up and saw Ms. Callie holding Yuuma. “Babe, do you mind keeping Yuuma company out there?” he asked as he walked towards them. “We need to give him a quick check-up.”

“Of course,” she said. She backed up to let Mr. Philip close the door.

Yuuma just stayed in her arms.

He missed his mama.

Callie

Callie and Yuuma managed to get the groceries picked up and put away while Dr. Harvey and Philip checked Shiro over. It took them some time to clean up as Yuuma clearly needed comfort and reassurance. At one point, she simply picked him back up and carried him around as they put the last of the cans into the pantry. The pair sat down on one of the dining chairs, Yuuma in Callie’s lap, and waited. “I’m scared, Ms. Callie,” he said quietly, laying his head against her shoulder as his legs dangled over the side of the chair.

“I know,” she said just as quietly, memories of far too many days spent in hospital waiting rooms vying for her attention. “It’s okay to be scared. What happened was scary.”

“I just want Nii-san to get better.”

“I know, kiddo. I really do.”

Sighing deeply, Yuuma snuggled in closer. How many times had she sat and held Bria like this? Falling back into old, old habits, she gently rubbed his back and hummed a soft lullaby. The song had never failed to soothe her sister, and to this day remained one of Bria’s favorites to sing to her own children. On Callie's fourth or fifth time repeating the song, Dr. Harvey and Philip finally emerged from the boys’ room and returned to the kitchen. Yuuma immediately leapt out of her lap and ran over to the doctor. “Is Nii-san okay?” he asked.

“He is. He’s okay,” Dr. Harvey hurried to reassure the little boy, bending down to be at eye-level with him. “He got really worked up, but he’ll be fine with a little rest. Don’t worry.”

Philip looked as if he’d aged a decade since they’d arrived. Callie stood and wrapped an arm around his waist. Resting his cheek against the top of her head, he said quietly, “I don’t blame him, though. We’ve been working at this for months, and his progress is so slow. It’s eating away at him.”

“Nii-san…”

Dr. Harvey glanced from Yuuma to Philip and Callie and then back again. “Yuuma? Since I’m here, do you mind if I give you a quick check-up? You’re about due, and Shiro mentioned you’re not sleeping well. That worries me.”

“My brother—”

“I’ll go keep him company, Yuuma,” Callie said, giving Philip’s waist a quick squeeze and then stepping away from him. “If anything happens, I’ll get help, okay?”

“O-okay…”

As Dr. Harvey led Yuuma over to a chair, Philip caught her arm. “Thank you,” he said softly.

She gave him a small smile. “Any time. Staying with Yuuma?”

Nodding, he kissed the top of her head. “Just to give added reassurance. If Shiro’s awake, see if you can get him to talk to you,” he said. “All that anger is just festering inside of him and making his recovery that much harder. We’ve tried to talk him into seeing a therapist, but—”

“I’ll see what I can manage,” she promised.

Shiro

A knock came at the door.

“Come in,” said Shiro before immediately wincing and clenching his eyes shut. Even the dim light from his lamp seared his sight. “Ugh, my head’s killing me,” he muttered, hoping Philip had returned with his pain meds. Forcing his eyes back open yet again, he found Callie instead. Because of course Philip’s sweetheart would come check on him. “Hey, Callie… I… I’m sorry you saw all of that,” he said in a near-whisper, mortified that she’d caught his meltdown.

“Don’t you worry about that,” she replied, walking over to his bedside. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, she twisted to face him; her weight made the edge of the bed dip ever so slightly. “You’re allowed to get angry from time to time.”

Shiro grimaced. “I don’t like getting angry like that. It’s not like me,” he insisted. He had many failings, but a temper wasn’t one of them. Or, at least, it didn’t used to be. “I don’t feel like me anymore,” he sighed. He hadn’t felt like himself in forever.

“Tell me how you feel, then,” she said, giving him her kind smile.

She was always so kind to him.

To his personal surprise, Shiro began immediately word-vomiting at her invitation. “I’m frustrated. I’m angry. I hate that I’m stuck like this,” he ranted, staring into her large dark eyes. “I— I— feel like a burden and a failure. I… I’m not okay, Callie,” he admitted. “And I hate that too. ‘Cause that’s not me. I’m the guy who gets shit done, who takes care of his family and makes people laugh and protects those who are weaker and…” he trailed off with a sigh, eyes closing. “But I’m not anymore.”

His words lingered in the air as his head pounded in time with his heartbeat. Dammit, he needed to calm himself down, not—

The feel of a pair of delicate yet strong hands gripping one of his own startled him out of his thoughts, causing him to open his eyes once more. Callie had the gentlest, most understanding expression on her face. Her dark eyes insisted without words that he wasn’t alone.

Shiro broke.

“I wish I had never gotten on that plane,” he confessed with a whisper, holding her gaze. “I wish my body wasn’t like this—I wasn’t like this… that Mom and Dad hadn’t had to go away, that Yuuma didn’t feel like he has to take care of me…” Horrified, Shiro felt tears seeping from the corners of his eyes. “I wish I could walk without falling over and… and… have a body and a brain that actually fucking work."

She reached out and laid her callused hand against his cheek, tenderly wiping the tears from his face even as she held his hand in her other one. Shiro breathed out raggedly, closing his eyes and leaning into her hand. “I wish I could…  I wish…” he stopped himself from saying what he wished. Of all his desires, it was the one he knew would never happen. “I want to be normal again,” he said instead. That would never happen again either, though. Shiro would only ever be a burden, a mistake, a cripple. “Why am I even alive?”

Callie squeezed his hand so tightly his eyes popped opened again. Her gaze blazed at him with a fierce fire he’d never seen before—never imagined.

“Stop that,” she commanded.

Shiro felt himself stiffen, felt the soldier he once was try to stand at attention, felt the need to obey. Callie took her hand from his face and grasped his hand between both of hers again with surprising force. “You’re here, Shiro. You’re here, you’re alive, and you’re healing. You are getting better. Do you really think it would be better for anyone if you were gone?”

Another flash of bitter anger lanced through him, loosening the hold her command had on him. “Anything would be better than this—”

“Bullshit,” she snapped. Shiro flinched. “Yuuma is out there doing his very best with all his heart because he loves you, and he wants you to live,” Callie continued, her voice hard. “Your parents? They are away from their sons, busting their asses because they love you, and they want you to live. Dr. Harvey, Philip? They’re both here because they care, and they want you to live. And deep down, despite your misery, I think you want to live too.”

Shame crawled down his spine. He wanted nothing more than to disappear, but even if he’d felt healthy and hale, her voice, her eyes would have pinned him in place.

“I know you’re frustrated,” she said, both her face and voice softening even if her eyes still glittered just as bright and fierce. “But you can’t rush this. You only get one shot at this recovery. You can’t throw away all the work you’ve put in, all the sacrifices your family has made, by pushing too far, too fast, and too hard,” she added, finally easing her death-grip on his hand.

Shiro's eyes welled with tears once more as her words sank in. Callie was right. He knew she was right. He tried to imagine if Yuuma or his parents had heard his despair and felt his shame double. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, lifting up his free hand to wipe his eyes. “That was selfish and wrong of me—”

“You’re hurting, Shiro," she said, cutting him off. "It’s okay to wish that you didn’t hurt anymore,” Callie added more gently. “But don’t let that lead you into making a permanent mistake.”

“You’re right,” he said, forcing himself to take a deep breath. “My life will never be what it was, but… it’ll still get better.” It had to. It had to. “I just need to keep working at it,” he reminded himself once again. “Take it slow, listen to my doctors, and do what’s needed.” Taking yet another deep breath, he promised her, “I won’t ruin my chance to heal out of frustration.”

Callie smiled. Shiro felt his stress bleed away and the pain in his head finally lessen. “That’s all anyone can ask of you. It’s okay to feel angry and frustrated, you know? And if you do, feel free to call me any time to vent and get it out of your system,” she said, before adding in a teasing tone, “I’m told I’m a decent listener.”

Shiro huffed a soft laugh at that and gave her a half-smile. “I’d say so,” he agreed, wiping the last of his tears from his face. “I have to say…” he started, then cleared his throat. “I’m surprised you’re still here.”

Canting her head to the side, she arched an eyebrow and asked, “Why’s that?”

“I know I’m not the best company these days, and that everything with my injuries makes things harder and more complicated. And I realize that you’re Philip’s girlfriend and thus end up spending time with Yuuma and me, but... I never really expected you to stick around like this, to come visit us and help us without Philip around,” Shiro admitted.

“You and Yuuma are both inherently worthy of love and friendship outside of your connection with Philip,” she said softly, giving his hand a quick, gentle squeeze.

Smiling at that, Shiro said, “Thank you. Thank you for your kindness and good will and unwavering faith and…” he trailed off. Changing tracks, he said, “You’re right. I have to be patient, but I can change this and get better. I’m healing, and I really am lucky to be here.”

His words made Callie finally relax; he hadn’t realized just how tense she’d grown until it drained away from her. Patting his hand, she said, “I’m glad you’re here, anyways. I should probably let you try to sleep; I’m sure your head is killing you.”

She wasn’t wrong—his head still ached even if it no longer throbbed. Shiro didn’t want her to leave though. “Could you stay?” he asked, his cheeks warming. Yoba, he felt like a little boy asking his mother to stay and scare away the monsters in the dark. “I do need to sleep, but… it’s nice to not be alone.”

Lifting one of her hands, she gently carded her fingers through his hair, soothing the pain even further. “I can stay for a little while, Shiro.”

“Thank you, Callie.”

Philip

Night had fallen by the time Philip and Callie left the Kobayashi brothers’ home. Once Callie emerged from Shiro’s room—after somehow soothing him to sleep—Dr. Harvey had taken his leave. They had remained, however, until Yuuma retired for the night.

“Helluva day, huh?” she sighed as they walked, her arm laced with his.

“That’s one way to put it,” he replied.

Philip had seen Shiro faint numerous times by this point in their work, but every single time it flooded his body with cortisol and adrenaline. He could only imagine the sort of stress it put on poor Yuuma. Callie stayed remarkably calm about the whole thing, however. She’d maintained a cool head in the chaos, taking care of first Yuuma and then Shiro. Even now as they walked, she remained steadfast and unperturbed, so very much like her hero. He idly wondered if she consciously emulated the Dark Detective, or if she liked him because she already identified with him.

“Would you like to come back to the cottage with me?” she asked. The offer surprised him. Normally he only stayed with her on the weekends, though she’d stayed with him a time or two at the hotel during the week. It tempted him terribly despite the extra wrinkles it would put in his morning. An evening spent curled up with Callie sounded like an excellent antidote for the stress of the day. Glancing down at her, Philip took in the weary slant of her shoulders, the tightness at the corners of the sweet, patient smile she gave him, the dark half-moons beneath her eyes.

He remembered Sterling’s warning about how she’d put her needs behind Philip’s at any given opportunity.

“Thank you, babe, but I’ll need to be at Shiro’s home first thing in the morning to check on him and then get him down to the clinic. There are tests we need to do whenever he has an episode like this,” he declined, voice laden with regret.

“Fair enough,” Callie said, lowering her face and leaning her head against his shoulder. He couldn’t decide if she sounded relieved or upset by his decision. Maybe he simply projected his own feelings onto her.

They took their time walking up the street, neither saying anything. The walk did Philip good, though, between getting to stretch his legs, the cool night breeze chasing away the heat of the day, and the way having Callie beside him never failed to bring a sense of peace. As they made it out to the cliff side, he finally asked “What did you end up talking with Shiro about?”

She didn’t answer him until they’d made it down the stairs that lead to the cable car. “We talked about not giving up and not wasting his chance at a recovery because of his frustrations."

Philip had the sense that that was not all they’d talked about, but he also suspected her of trying to keep Shiro’s confidences. He couldn’t fault her for that. Besides, whatever they’d talked about had done Shiro good—Philip had not expected the young man to fall asleep without some sort of pain medication. Honestly, he didn’t know how they would have managed had she not shown up when she did. “Thank you.”

“For what?” she asked, looking up at him in confusion.

“For everything you did today. I don’t think Harv and I would have done half so well without your help. You took care of both those boys,” he pointed out.

Blushing, she shook her head in denial. “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. You would have done just fine without me.”

“I sincerely doubt that,” Philip replied before kissing her forehead. “Planning to come back up on Wednesday?” he asked as they stopped in front of the cable car.

“That I am. I’ll even grab my bag,” smiled Callie.

“Best news I’ve heard all day.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 7 – Hot Nights

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: New email addy

Hey Lee-lee,

I’m glad to hear that you’re finding your tribe! I’m honestly surprised you haven’t just switched your major to dance at this point considering how much you love doing it. (I know, I know, there are familial considerations involved, but I do think you’d be happier if you just went ahead and switched.)

Are you ready to see the Incrediman movie?! I can’t wait to come out and go see it with all of you. Maybe I can finally get you and Bub in the same place at the same time. Of course, considering he’s there for film studies, that might not be the best choice… either way, Triss is working on convincing him to go.

Alright, I’m going to have to let you go. I know it’s not much of a reply, but Marnie has me busting my tail right now in prep for the upcoming Fair. I swear I’ve bathed all the pigs three times apiece at this point. I am so ready for Winter.

Love,

Mona

P.S. Did you notice my new email address? It almost makes me look like an adult. o.0

Callie

Callie couldn’t sleep.

Despite leaving the windows open, barely any air stirred in the dark cottage. The humidity clung to her skin, making her feel hot and sticky. In the course of her tossing and turning, she'd kicked all of the covers down to the foot of the bed. Even Cuthbert gave her a wide berth, curled up on the pile of fabric. As much as she'd like to blame her inability to sleep on Summer's heat, though, it would be a lie.

She would never tell Shiro in a million years, but their conversation had brought back far too many memories for her. Reece had struggled with suicidal ideation for years before she finally succumbed, and Callie had sat with her, listened to her, and comforted her for many of those years. Sitting with Shiro and hearing his frustrations and pain and despair had sounded far, far too familiar. Callie knew she needed to have a conversation with Dr. Harvey about what Shiro had told her. She privately thought it a temporary cry of pain, but she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t warn anyone and something happened.

While she understood why Philip decided to stay in Ridgeside, she wished he’d come home with her. Callie could really use the distraction comfort, and she suspected he could have as well. They’d texted for a little while after she’d made it back home, but he’d gone to bed hours ago now. Sighing, Callie swung her legs out of bed and grabbed her phone. She padded out to the dark kitchen, flipping on the light over the stove so she could see just well enough to start up her kettle and pull out a blend of tea that promoted sleep. What she really wanted was a bottle of port.

Thankfully, she knew better than to keep any in the house.

A glance at the clock showed the time at a little past three. Callie groaned. Even if she fell asleep, she’d only get a couple of hours at most. Nights like this made her consider going to Dr. Harvey and getting a prescription for sleeping pills again. She’d stopped taking them after Reece died; partly because she’d wanted to punish herself at the time and partly out of fear of what she may do to herself or others. Callie knew she had an extremely unhealthy relationship with sleep. But if she did, she also knew she’d have to explain herself more in depth to Philip. Which, to be fair, she probably should talk to him about it, but….

So far, she’d gotten lucky in that she hadn’t woken him up with any of her night terrors. She didn’t know if that was because she simply hadn’t had one while they slept in the same bed, if he just slept that soundly, or if she still kept silent at night despite how much time had passed. Shite, it could be any combination there-in, really.

The kettle clicked off. Forcing herself to focus on the present, Callie poured water over the tea bag and set it to steep. The other reason she hesitated asking for meds was knowing some of Sterling’s history with addiction. They’d never talked about what substances he’d specifically abused, but she had a pretty good idea. While their relationship had changed, he still came over often enough. She didn’t need to place temptation within easy reach.

Removing the tea bag from her mug, she threw it away before sitting at the island. She opened her phone and checked her messages and emails but had nothing new outside of a few advertisements. Well… the number of emails sitting in the folder for her parents had gone up, but she knew better than to look at those missives at this time of the night.

Experience did not teach gently.

“Hey Berty,” she said quietly as she felt velvety fur brush against her leg. She reached down to stroke the cat. “Sorry for waking you up,” she told him. Cuthbert leaned against her leg for a moment before continuing on his patrol.

Taking a sip from her tea, Callie flipped back to her messages, eyeing the list of names for a long moment before giving in to a different temptation.

Callie: You up?

She didn’t really expect Sterling to respond. On good nights, he’d drift off around one or so; on rough nights, he usually drank enough to pass out by now. But he kept insisting that she could text him on her own bad nights, wanting to return the favor for all the times she stayed up with him, so she sent the message just in case.

To her surprise, he answered—and swiftly at that.

Sterling: Hey there, hotstuff

Sterling: What are you doing up?

Callie blinked. Sterling sounded… sober?

Callie: Brain worms won’t shut up

Callie: Had a conversation with someone that brought back bad memories and now I can’t sleep

Callie: You?

Sterling: Went out on my Kitsune and barely made it home before curfew

Sterling: Want to talk about it?

Did she want to talk about it?

Stupid question. If she didn’t want to talk, she wouldn’t have bugged Sterling.

She called him.

Sterling

Sterling hadn’t fucked anyone since Callie. He decided to change that.

It had started as an offhand comment from Shane at game night about how Sterling needed to get laid, so he’d stop acting so damn pissy. He hadn’t even made the connection until Shane said something. The thought had weighed on his mind ever since, and after Callie had expressed her concern that afternoon, Sterling decided to do something about it. Unfortunately, he didn’t really have any options in the valley proper, but he did know a few places within driving distance. Maybe it would help him to shake some of his lingering desires concerning Callie, too. After work, he’d shot Shane a text saying he planned to go riding and not to expect him; Shane would understand what he meant.

Sterling pushed the speed limit a fair bit, but he made it out to the little dive bar in Belleview before sunset. He kept his drinking to a minimum; he had to work the next day. Even if he left Belleview at six in the morning, he’d be hard pushed to make it back in time to get ready for work. So, he limited himself to just two beers.

It didn’t take him long to find someone interested. This particular bar was known in the area as a hotspot for such things, and Sterling knew for a fact that he’d have no issues picking someone up. He managed to charm a blond bear into a blowjob back in one of the bathroom stalls. The bear walked away completely satisfied. Sterling… not so much.

Frustrated, Sterling looked at the clock and decided to see if he could find a second hookup. Fortune favored him; he found a pretty, black-haired woman more than willing to take him home for an hour or two (with the understanding he had a set time when he needed to leave). He took pride as always in how many times he got her off. It took a lot more effort on her part to return the favor, and she’d only managed it after he let himself imagine brown eyes and wild curls.

When he finally made it back to East Scarp, it was a quarter to two. He darted inside and quietly made his way back to his room, grateful he didn’t wake up Max and thus his housemates. He grabbed a quick shower and then tried to sleep. ‘Try’ being the operative word. Tossing and turning, he kept replaying the events of the night out in his mind. It hadn’t brought the relief or calm he’d hoped for anticipated. Sterling had just cracked another beer open in hopes of getting some sort of sleep when his phone lit up. He had the sound off for bedtime and wouldn’t have even noticed if he wasn’t wide awake already. Picking it up, he saw a message from Callie.

What the fuck was she doing up?

“Hey there, honey bun,” said Sterling as he answered the video call. Callie sat at her kitchen island in her pajamas, a novelty coffee mug in her hand. She looked exhausted.

“Hiya, hotshot,” she replied, resting her jaw in her other hand as she leaned on the table.

“When’s the last time you slept?” he asked. She almost looked as fatigued as she had after planting.

“I got a couple of hours last night.”

“Uh-huh. And when’s the last time you slept for more than four hours?”

“Um…” she paused; her eyes grew distant. “…Saturday night…?”

Sterling disliked the fact that she had to think that hard before coming up with an answer. “What’s got you up?”

“You know how I took Yuuma back to Ridgeside?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, not long after he and I made it to his home, Shiro collapsed.”

“Shit!”

“Yeah, that was pretty much my thought process,” Callie tried to joke. She looked too worn to truly pull it off. “He’s okay now, at least that’s what Dr. Harvey said, but it was a bit of a rollercoaster.” Sterling settled back against his headboard, propping his phone against his knees as he listened to her describe her afternoon and evening. Eventually, she wound her way to her conversation with Shiro afterwards.

“He uh… well, basically said he wished he’d died during his accident, that his family would’ve been better off,” she said, staring down into her mug.

Fuck. No wonder she looked in desperate need of a hug. “Is he—?” he started to ask.

But Callie quickly shook her head. “I don’t think he has any intentions in that regard. It felt more like a cry of pain and frustration than anything else, but I did my best to shut that line of thought down hard and refocus his attention on improving. I still plan on saying something to the doc tomorrow though; I didn’t want to say anything where Yuuma might overhear. I’d never forgive myself if… if….”

“You did good, darlin',” Sterling said quickly. If she started bawling over video chat, he knew he’d say fuck curfew and risk life and limb to drive over there. “I trust your instincts, and you’re not ignoring what he said.”

“I— I know,” she said in that too-tight voice that told him she was exerting all of her self-control just then. “Just… I’m…” she sighed. “I’m so damn tired, Red.”

“I know, sweetheart,” Sterling said softly before rubbing his naked earlobe between his thumb and forefinger. “I’ll admit I’m surprised you didn’t stay with Philip.”

“He’s got to be at Shiro’s first thing in the morning to help him get to the clinic for a series of tests,” Callie explained.

“Did you ask him?”

“Yeah.”

Sterling frowned.

“He was pretty frazzled,” Callie hurried to add. “He didn’t explicitly state it, but I think this particular episode scared him.” That didn’t make Sterling feel any better, but he let the matter go. “Anyways, how are you? Why are you up so late?” she asked.

“I went out riding on my bike,” he reminded her.

“Right, you said that,” she grimaced. Abandoning her mug, she rubbed her forehead with both hands. “Sorry, I’m pretty fried.”

“Think maybe you could get some sleep?” Sterling gently prodded.

“Without night terrors? I’d lay the odds at about thirty to forty percent,” she said. Her voice came out muffled as she held her face in her hands.

He sat up straight. “Night terrors?”

Callie went still.

“Lee-lee, you have night terrors?” he asked again, staring at her intently. That made a lot of fucking sense, actually, considering her history. He’d never given it much thought. It was bloody obvious in hindsight, though.

Sighing again, she didn’t even lift her head as she said, “Yeah, hon, I do. A souvenir from Paul.”

“Does— does Philip know?” Sterling wondered. He’d only stayed overnight with Callie the one time; he assumed that Philip stayed with her regularly. Sterling sure as fuck would if he was in Philip’s shoes.

“I don’t think so,” she murmured, finally tilting her head up so he could see just how utterly weary and worn she was. “If he does, he’s never said anything. I haven’t figured out if I just haven’t had any while he’s here, if he sleeps that soundly, or… I donno.”

There was more to that than she was saying, but Sterling didn’t push. Callie looked so fragile just then. “I’m sorry,” he said instead.

“I know.”

Harvey

The single southern-facing window illuminated the shelves of model planes that Harvey had on display on the opposite wall, as well as the TR-Starbird currently drying on his desk. He stared at them blankly as he mechanically scooped cereal into his mouth. His brain never did come fully online until he’d downed at least two cups of coffee. He’d learned in med school that doing so without something else in his stomach first led to horrible heartburn the rest of the day.

As he neared the end of his bowl of cereal, the shrill ring of his telephone drilled into his head. Blinking rapidly, he picked it up and answered. “Dr. Harvey speaking.”

“Hello, Dr. Harvey?”

“Yes...?”

“Sorry to call you so early in the morning. This is Callie Solanen.”

“Are you okay?” Harvey immediately asked. He glanced at the clock: seven-thirty. The clinic didn’t open until nine. People didn’t call him this early unless there was an emergency of some kind.

“Yeah, I’m okay, just tired,” Callie hurried to reassure him. “I wanted to talk to you about Shiro, if that’s okay…?”

Frowning down at the remnants of his breakfast, he wished he could have had at least one cup of coffee before this conversation. “I know you’re his friend, Callie, but I’m afraid I can’t discuss—”

“No, no, you misunderstand,” she said. “I’m not asking you to give me information about him; I’m calling to give you information.”

“Information?”

“When I sat with him yesterday, I got him to talking a bit about how he’s doing mentally and emotionally,” Callie explained, her voice settling into something more business-like as she talked. “He said… he said he felt like it would’ve been better for him and his family if he had died in the accident."

Harvey closed his eyes at that revelation. It didn't surprise him considering the extent of Shiro’s injuries, the effect on his family, and his own anger the afternoon before. It still pained him to hear it, however. “I see,” he said.

“My personal opinion is that it was an expression of his frustration with the situation, but… well, I know from experience not to make assumptions in cases like this.” Remembering her reasons for fighting him tooth and toenail at her recent checkup over why she didn’t want to go back on her previous medications…. No, Callie wouldn’t leave something like that to chance. “I know Shiro has an appointment with you this morning," she continued. "That’s why I called so early—so you’d know ahead of time."

“Thank you, Callie. I suspect you are correct, but I am glad you told me anyways. I’ll do what I can to convince him to speak with a therapist.”

“Thanks, Dr. Harvey. I hope you have a good day.”

“You as well.”

Hanging up, Harvey picked up his bowl to clean it out and then poured himself his coffee. Despite Callie's wishes, he suspected he was in for a long, long day.

Callie

Tired as she was, Callie still had work to do.

In addition to her call with Dr. Harvey, she’d spent her morning harvesting peaches and mushrooms and then taking them into town to sell. Sterling looked as exhausted as she felt, and neither one felt particularly talkative as they unloaded the truck. It wasn’t an unpleasant silence, just sleepy. Once they’d finished, she left the truck parked behind Pierre’s long enough to run up to the community center and complete two more bundles—one for Summer forage, and one for critters caught in a crab pot. It amused her that she hadn’t actually collected any of the items in a crab pot; the Junimos seemed delighted with the offerings regardless.

Once she had that completed, she spent the afternoon taking down what remained of the old chicken coop and hauling off the ruined lumber. Now that she had a consistent income again, she felt more secure in building a new coop. She’d already hired Robin to start work on it in a couple of days. By the time she finished taking care of the coop, Callie could barely keep moving. She made it back to the cottage a little after three, guzzled down some water, and promptly collapsed onto the couch, her boots still on her feet.

Callie woke several hours later, very, very confused and with one hell of a crick in her neck. The last rays of daylight painted the inside of the cottage gold. She felt sticky, dirty, gross. Her head hurt—either from the nap or dehydration—and everything felt vaguely achy, as if she’d abused her muscles and then slept on a couch.

Funny how that worked.

Water first, then shower, then food, she decided.

The thing that Callie hated about taking naps was how it screwed up her sleep schedule even more than it already was. While not exactly rested, she felt far more awake than she normally would when nine o’clock rolled around. Having completed her self-assigned task list, Callie tried to decide what to do. She’d texted Philip while she ate and knew he’d already started up his own bedtime routine. She felt too restless to read a book or watch something or start up a new embroidery project.

Maybe she’d take a walk.

Sterling

Groaning in frustration, Sterling tossed the last of the trash into the dumpster. Sweat and humidity still made his shirt cling uncomfortably to his back even though the sun had set some time ago. Thankfully, the dumpster was at the end of the alleyway, so the night wind could finally start to cool him off. Pierre had given Sterling the choice of either staying late to take care of doing inventory or coming in on his day off tomorrow. Of course, he didn’t spring that on Sterling until almost closing time.

Sterling refused to give up his day off, no matter how wiped out he felt.

Finally finished with the last task, he turned from the dumpster to leave and did a double take as he spotted Callie. Clad as she was in only a tank top and a pair of shorts, he couldn't help admiring her as she walked along the cobblestone road that eventually led to Joja-mart. She looked more awake than she had that morning, though he could still easily read how tired she felt.

“Hey, farmer!” he called as he walked towards her. Callie paused, looking around for him. “Out for a late-night stroll?”

“Yeah. Collapsed on the couch this afternoon and woke up around sunset,” she said, giving him a half-smile as he drew near. “What are you up to, shop boy?”

“I actually just finished up at Pierre's,” he said. Smiling, he added, “It's good to see a friendly face around.” He meant it, too. She always brightened his day.

“Bit late, yeah?”

Sterling rolled his eyes. “Yup,” he said, popping the 'p.' “That’s Pierre for you. Decided to spring inventory on me without warning," he grimaced, before giving a one-shoulder shrug.  “But at least I got some overtime out of it.”

“Raking in the big bucks now,” she joked.

Smirking, he said, “Something like that.” For a moment he considered inviting her to join him at the saloon. She’d obviously stay up awhile yet, and he had no work tomorrow. But… while it was late, he knew Shane would still be there, which meant that he’d encourage Sterling to take a few shots to catch up with how toasted Shane had already gotten. And he knew Callie—she’d abstain from drinking if he gave into Shane’s needling. And, well…. He didn’t often get the chance to talk with her in private and in person these days; he felt pretty sure the last time they were alone together was in her orchard. Almost all of their interactions happened at the shop, or the saloon, or when all of their friends were together. And while they did talk to each other late at night sometimes, it almost always involved one of them feeling upset.

Sterling missed having fun with Callie—and he didn’t mean sex.

“Headed to the Stardrop?” she asked.

“It’s a bit late to get started there,” he replied. “But I think that’s probably fine. Won’t hurt to skip a night, yeah?” he said, sounding far more tentative than he intended. He’d started drinking more heavily again since breaking up, the Flower Dance, Summer had started, especially since the Luau. Spending an evening away from a bar or the ranch would probably do him good.

“Only way to know is to try,” she said, finally giving him a full smile.

He smiled back. Yeah, they could manage some fun that didn’t involve drinking or sex. Besides, Callie looked like she desperately needed a diversion. “Hey…” he said.

Callie canted her head to the side and arched an eyebrow.

“How busy are you tonight?”

“Don’t have any plans at the moment. Why?” she asked, a mischievous smile curling her lips. “Have something in mind?”

He smirked before rearranging his face into a smoldering look, trying to make her either laugh or blush as he said, “I am in dire need of company.”

She did both, making him feel incredibly smug. “I’m a taken woman,” she reminded him through her giggles. Yeah, he knew. But he could look at the menu without ordering dessert. “I suppose I could keep you out of trouble for a bit,” she added, still smiling.

“Good luck with that,” he smirked. “Come on. Let me show you what’s fun to do on a hot night like this,” he added, offering her his arm. Callie hesitated, but Sterling waited. She’d said they could spend time together again weeks ago, said that she trusted him.

She proved her words by taking his arm. “A hot night like this, huh?” Callie repeated, her voice dripping with amusement. “Does it involve giant palm leaves?”

“Not in the slightest,” he said.

“A refreshing glass of lemonade?”

He shook his head.

“Ice cubes? Because, not going to lie, I’m not a huge fan of ice.”

“Nope,” he said, once again popping the 'p.'

She kept guessing the entire walk, gradually growing more and more outrageous with each no.

“Playing with penguins in an icehouse!”

“Making an igloo out of dry ice!”

“Mud wrestling!”

Sterling burst out laughing.

“Ooh! Are we going to compare comic book collections?”

“Wait, you have a comic book collection?” asked Sterling.

Callie blinked at him. “What do you think Philip and I talk about all the time?”

He didn’t want to think about her talking with Philip, or kissing Philip, or…. “You’ll find out when we get there. Have some patience, sweet pea,” he sighed with a smile.

“Fine. Be that way,” she said haughtily, making him snicker.

Yoba, he’d missed her.

Callie

Callie hadn’t laughed like this in quite some time. Then again, Sterling had always had a knack for cracking her up.

It didn't take much longer before they arrived at the river. Once they had, she let go of his arm and waved a finger at him, joking, “If you're about to suggest skinny dipping—"

“Are you offering?” he asked, eyes wide with false innocence.

She gaped for a moment, turning scarlet all the way to her hairline.

His blue eyes sparkled with laughter in the moonlight.

“Red!” she scolded through her giggles.

“Lee-lee!” he replied in the same tone, the picture of mischief. For a moment, they were twelve again, teasing one another. Turning and running for the river, he called over his shoulder, “Last one in is a rotten egg!” just before doing a cannonball.

“Are you nuts?!” she whisper-shouted even as she laughed.

It took a moment for him to right himself. Reaching up to push wet strands of hair out of his face, Sterling called back. “The water's amazing, Callie!”

She hesitated, looking at the edge of the riverbank and then out over the water towards him. The water did look incredibly inviting. Memories of Mr. Mullner berating Sterling for playing in the river flitted through her mind. Well, they weren’t kids anymore.

“Come on!” he encouraged, swimming towards the side so she'd have plenty of space. “Come on in! I'm gonna get sad without someone to join me!”

Shaking her head, Callie gave him a melodramatic sigh. “Oh, no, we can't have that. Whatever shall I do,” she monotoned.

He gave her puppy-dog eyes. They were super effective.

Laughing softly at herself, Callie reached down and shucked off her shoes. Sterling whistled in response. She paused partway through the second shoe, “Do you want me to join you or not?”

“I'll be good. Scout's honor!”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“That I'll be good, or that I was a scout?”

“Yes,” she smirked, before backing up and doing a running dive into the water.

Sterling let out a quiet whoop as she emerged above the surface. “That was positively a ten out of ten dive,” he told her. “Absolutely spectacular entrance.”

“Just a second,” she said before diving back under and coming up face first to pull her hair from her eyes. “I must admit,” she said, swimming closer towards him, “The water feels fantastic right now.”

“I love the water this time of year,” he agreed softly, giving her a happy smile. Callie smiled back before closing her eyes, leaning back, and floating in the water. As she drifted, she listened to the garbled sounds of the crickets chirping and the water lapping against the bank, felt the night breeze caress her face.

“It feels like the world is often bleak,” he said after a moment, drawing her attention to him and making her stand so she could better hear. “But there's nothing like a good splash of water to bring me back into focus,” he chuckled.

“Keep my watering can on me. Noted,” she teased him.

Smirking, he splashed a little water into her face.

Callie spluttered, wiping the water away. Her eyes narrowed as her chin rose; she swept her arm along the surface to splash at him.

Sterling laughed. “Is that the best you can do?” he challenged.

The two splashed and played in the river like a pair of teenagers. They quickly established that he could splash better—his reach was nearly twice hers, after all—while she had cunning. As he sent one wave of water towards her, she ducked under the surface. She could see him turning about, trying to spot where she’d disappeared to.

Grinning in triumph, Callie came up behind him and started tickling. Sterling twisted and squirmed even as he laughed. “That's cheating,” he playfully whined.

“Got to play to my strengths,” she said sweetly, still running her fingertips along his ribs.

He managed to catch each of her wrists, twisting her up so that her back pressed against his chest and her arms wrapped in front of her. “And what strengths are those?” he asked, voice husky and low in her ear.

“You really want to know?” asked Callie as she tried to catch her breath.

“Of course.”

Smiling slyly, she replied, “Old age and conniving.”

His brow furrowed in confusion just before she hooked her foot around his leg and pulled him off-balance. She barely had time to gasp in air before they both went under. In his surprise, Sterling let go of her wrists, allowing her to swim a little distance away before coming up for air. He followed right behind.

“Tricky little vixen!” he exclaimed once he regained his footing, spluttering and laughing.

Callie laughed as well, leading him further along the river.

Nearly an hour they played like that before dragging themselves back up onto the bank. They flopped onto their backs, staring up at the brilliant stars, not quite touching one another. “Thank you,” she said once they’d both had a chance to recover.

“For what?” asked Sterling.

“For this... for having fun with me tonight,” Callie explained, hands folded and laying on her stomach. She had felt like a kid again for a little while, with nothing to worry about except winning a game of tag.

“I feel like I should be the one saying that to you,” he said, surprising her. At her questioning look, he sat up, saying, “It feels good to actually do something with someone. I haven’t thought about having a beer the entire time we were in the water, and…” Sterling looked away from her and out over the river. “I can’t really remember the last time I did anything for fun that didn’t involve drinking somehow.”

Callie sat up as well. “I’m sorry if I’ve ever made you think that you have to drink to have fun with me."

“Never,” he insisted as he looked back at her, his blue eyes so very sincere. “You’ve never once made me feel like that, nor have you ever guilted me for deciding to drink when we’re together,” he said, just barely loud enough to hear over the cicadas.

“You’re a grown man and can make your own decisions,” she replied. “I just want you safe and happy at the end of the day.”

Sterling took her hand in his own, squeezing it gently. “I know, and it means the world to me,” he said. Giving her a small smile, he added, “Maybe we could hang out like this a little more often…?”

Callie smiled and squeezed his hand back. “I’d like that.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 8 – The Company We Keep

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: Adventurers’ Guild

Thank you for your congratulations! It’s still hard to wrap my head around the idea that both of us became official Adventurers in the past month! My joining brings the local branch back up to five-and-a-half active adventurers—more than enough to keep the local monster population under control. (The half refers to Tristan since he splits his time between here and Zuzu.)

It sounds like you made quite the impression on Paul during your initiation from what Triss mentioned to me on the phone. To be fair, even Triss sounded impressed, though he wouldn’t tell me just what you did that took them by surprise. Good thing I’ll be up for the New Year and you can tell me about it.

I also can’t wait to meet Reece! Anybody who can help you keep your temper on a leash has to have nerves of steel. Quinn and Ursula also sound like they’re a riot. Will any of them be around while I’m there?

Oh! Remind me to update you about Marnie’s latest suitor—it’s truly been a comedy of errors.

Alright, love you lots. Get some sleep!

—Mo

Shiro

“You tattled on me,” Shiro said. He and Callie sat in his kitchen, each sipping from a glass of iced tea. The light from the western window cut a yellow rectangle across the table, illuminating all of the dust motes floating in the air.

“I did.”

Shiro frowned. He hadn’t really expected her to admit to it, at least not so easily. “You know I didn’t mean—”

“I didn’t,” Callie interrupted him, her dark eyes serious. “I hoped, but I didn’t know, Shiro, and I wasn’t about to take the chance I was wrong.”

As much as part of Shiro wanted to be angry at Callie, the pain in her voice forestalled him. “Dr. Harvey is trying to get me to talk with a therapist again,” he sighed instead.

“Are you going to take him up on it?”

“I’ve thought about it. Talking with you helped,” he said. It had helped far more than he’d expected, actually. And while part of him would rather just keep talking with her instead of a therapist, Shiro realized how selfish that was.

“There’s no shame in talking with a therapist,” said Callie, her face and voice gentle. “I’ve been in and out of therapy for a decade now.”

That surprised Shiro. “Really?”

“Really. Most of the reason I’m not regularly meeting with a therapist now is that mine left Zuzu not long before I did,” she said.

“And it helped you?”

“It did. I am in a far better place now than when I started.”

Shiro looked down at the ice cubes floating in his tea. Part of him wanted to ask her why she of all people needed therapy—Callie had always struck him as incredibly unshakable—but then again, whatever had rocked her enough to need therapy had to have massive trauma involved.

“It’s up to you to decide, Shiro, whether or not you want to go to therapy,” Callie added. “It’s not for everyone. Going when you don’t want to can do just as much harm as not going at all. But don’t let fear of what others might say or think stop you. It is a tool; that is all.”

He slowly nodded at that. “I’m still thinking on it.”

“Well, if you have any questions, you’re welcome to ask me. Or if you just want to talk in general,” she said. “My phone’s always in reach.”

“I’ll keep that—”

“I’m back!” Yuuma called as he hurried into the house, the door closing loudly behind him. Shiro had hoped it would take him a bit longer to borrow the card game from Lenny, but oh well.

Shiro gave Callie a wry smile. “Ready to play a round then?” he asked his brother as Yuuma came into his line of sight.

Placing the box of colorful cards on the table, Yuuma gave them both a bright smile. “Of course!”

They played several rounds of cards over the next hour. Yuuma won most of them. His otouto had a knack for getting draw-two’s and saving a wild card for his last discard. Callie also won a few. Shiro, however, didn’t win a single one.

“I’ve always preferred games of skill to games of luck,” Shiro said amiably as they packed the game away. It was nearly dinnertime, and Callie had plans to meet with Philip.

“I’ve often joked I’d rather be lucky than good,” Callie said with a small smile as she closed up the box.

“Why?” Yuuma asked, clearly puzzled.

“Doesn’t matter how good you are if the other person gets lucky,” she said with a shrug. “Don’t think on it too hard though, kiddo. Are you both good?” she asked as she prepared to leave.

“We’re just fine, Callie,” Shiro reassured her.

“Okay, remember either of you can call me any time, alright?”

“Yes, ma’am!” replied Yuuma.

Philip

Philip worried about Callie. Even with harvesting her peaches, Callie didn’t have near the workload she’d had at the beginning of Summer. And yet, she still looked utterly exhausted, and he felt certain she’d barely regained any of the weight she’d lost back then.

They were currently curled up on his couch together, the comic issue they’d finished left on the ottoman. She had tucked herself under his arm, and he suspected she’d fallen asleep as they sat in silence, soaking in one another’s company. Nuzzling the top of her head, he breathed in the scent of her shampoo—vanilla and cinnamon. It had quickly become one of his favorite scents. “You still awake, babe?” he asked quietly, not wanting to wake her if she truly had fallen asleep.

“Yeah, I’m awake,” she replied. She sounded bleary, however.

“Come here,” he said, scooping her up and pulling her sideways onto his lap.

“I think you just like manhandling me,” Callie said with a sleepy smile.

“Well, it is a bonus,” he grinned, before sobering. “Think we could talk for a bit?”

“Of course,” she replied, clearly forcing herself to wake up further. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to talk to you about a potential change in my schedule.”

“Okay…?”

“Paula is asking me to take on a pair of patients on a consistent basis, instead of waiting for one of them to injure themselves and then trying to schedule them in,” Philip began, watching Callie for any signs of her thoughts on what he had to say. “If I agree to it, it will mean an extra pair of sessions on Tuesdays and Fridays, meaning I would work from nine until seven on those days barring any emergencies.”

“Long hours,” she said, looking at him with clear concern.

“They are,” Philip agreed. “But it’d only be twice a week, and I agree with her that doing more consistent sessions now will prevent major injuries in the future.”

Callie nodded at that with a thoughtful expression. “That makes sense. So why the hesitation?”

Philip hummed quietly, trying to think of how to explain it to her. “When I first came to Ridgeside, I only had Shiro for a patient. Those first couple of months, I didn’t have time for any other patients. By late Summer, however, his needs grew smaller, and I found myself with probably the most spare time I’d had in my life since getting out of school. I started picking up other patients as time allowed, working them in and around Shiro’s schedule, but very much on an ad hoc basis—no one consistent. Last Winter, Harvey persuaded me to take on the Mullners a couple of times a week, though we’re now down to just one day since that’s all Mr. Mullner can feasibly handle. It keeps me busy, but still leaves me with enough downtime that I can read comics and cuddle my girl,” he said with a teasing smile, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Despite dating for well over a month, Callie still blushed even as she smiled. “And you’re worried this will be too much?” she asked.

He nodded. “Potentially. Because it’s not just the time spent in session with them, but also prep time and discussions with Dr. Paula about what the patients’ current prognosis and needs are, plus the associated paperwork… the list goes on and on. If I agreed to it, we wouldn’t start until late next week, but…” he trailed off with a frown.

“What is it?” she asked.

Philip hesitated. He’d talked with Callie about his previous girlfriends, but even he had to admit that he had a biased view of the matter. Still… “I’ve lost relationships before because I couldn’t balance my time—I’d get too caught up in my work and not give my partner the attention they needed or deserved,” he admitted. “And I’m afraid that’s what would happen with you.”

She gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m a big girl, Philip. I recognize that you have responsibilities outside of spending time with me.” He looked into her tired eyes and doubted. Sterling’s words of warning rang in his head. Whatever his worries about Sterling’s feelings, he knew for certain the other man wanted only the best for her. “Hey,” Callie said softly, cradling his face in her hands. “If you don’t think you should do this, then don’t. But don’t let me be the reason holding you back. You’ve given the reasons why you’re hesitating. What are the reasons why you think you should do it anyways?”

Blinking, he gave it some thought. “As a little guy,” he said slowly, “I wanted to be just like Incrediman when I grew up. Of course, superpowers aren’t real,” no matter what the so-called Wizards’ Council claimed, “so I had to find another way to make a difference. Along the way, I discovered physical therapy and decided to pursue it. I found a job where, just like my hero, I can give hope to those who need it,” he said. “And I know it sounds cheesy, but… as tired as the work makes me, nothing in the world can top the feeling of helping people recover from terrible injuries. The ability to move freely is something most people take for granted, but when they realize they’ve lost that capability… it brings a lot of despair. And when I can help them recover that, I bring them hope again, just like Incrediman. It feels terribly selfish to deny these two patients a chance at that hope.”

Callie nodded as she listened. “Well, think on this. Assuming worst case scenarios, which do you think you would regret more: these patients becoming seriously injured and potentially despairing when you could have done something to prevent it, or potentially losing our relationship because you simply don’t have time to spend with me? Not—” she very quickly added, “—that I think that would happen, but as a thought experiment.”

Philip frowned.

“You don’t have to make a decision right away,” she added gently. “But it is something to consider. You and I haven’t dated all that long. Being with you, spending time with you, makes me incredibly happy, and I have every intention of doing this for the long haul. But still, it’s a young relationship. It could be that we end up spending the rest of our lives together; it could be that in six months we decide we’re better off as friends. Either option is possible regardless of what you decide about these patients. I can’t make this choice for you. But I will still want you and support you either way.”

Philip gently kissed her forehead. “Thank you, sweetheart. You’ve given me a lot think about.”

Smiling at him, she said, “I just want you to be happy.”

Callie

“That is a long list of parts,” Callie noted as she looked over the paper Andy handed her.

“Your tractor is older than you are, farmer,” Andy replied with a slight smile even if his voice stayed gruff.

She’d spent the last two months trying to ascertain what repairs the tractor needed. Looking over the list, she determined she’d already figured out over half of the ones he mentioned, but the rest she didn’t have the first clue about. Callie knew she’d spend the next week researching part prices to determine if it was cheaper to fix the damn thing or scrap it and buy new. As if reading her thoughts, the old farmer said, “It’s old, but it’ll last a long damn time once those repairs are taken care of.”

It still surprised Callie that Andy had offered to look over the tractor with her. He’d overheard her picking Sebastian’s brain at the saloon and couldn’t resist adding his two cents. She was not the sort to look a gift horse in the mouth. “You’re right, of course. Just a little overwhelming at first glance,” she said with a wry smile. “Still, I’m really grateful you came over today to look at it with me. Machinery was always more my brother’s forte.”

“You’re welcome,” Andy said, looking pleased at her gratitude. “You’ve been puttin’ in the work; I don’t mind sharin’ my knowledge with someone who’ll listen.”

Callie smiled brightly at him. “Any time you want to share pearls of wisdom, I’m willing to learn.”

That made the old farmer laugh.

Sometimes, Callie felt bad that she didn’t spend much time with Philip’s friends considering how much time he spent with hers. Admittedly, he and Emily were friends beforehand, but everyone else was practically unknown to him. But when she brought it up to him, he just laughed it off. “Paula and Harvey mostly talk shop; I understand what they’re talking about and half the time I’m bored to tears. I don’t know how Anton manages. And Alex and I… well, we haven’t seen eye-to-eye of late.”

She hadn’t even realized that Philip and Alex were friends until that point. When she’d asked about it, he’d shaken his head, explaining, “I’m pretty sure he only set out to befriend me so he could use me as a personal trainer. I didn’t mind too much because I liked having someone to work out with. But after the way he treated you, and the way he refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing… we don’t talk much these days.”

Callie felt guilty over that.

She tried instigating some sort of hangout with the doctors at least, but they’d both declined her invitations, citing their own workloads. Eventually, she let the idea go even though it still bothered her.

But Philip didn’t seem to mind; he happily joined in on movie nights and game nights with the rest of her friends. Shane remained the most stand-offish with him—unsurprisingly—and Philip and Sterling often got incredibly competitive with one another during games. Everyone else seemed to mesh rather well with him. Jeric and, surprisingly, Henry of all people seemed to get along with Philip the best. Both Jeric and Henry had a love of geeky things, and the three of them often argued over esoteric lore.

Tonight, Emily had invited everyone over for a pizza and movie night. While people were still putting slices on plates and figuring out the seating arrangement, Jeric asked, “Anybody free during the day tomorrow? I found out the Royale in Grampleton is doing a Revengers marathon from ten-to-ten tomorrow, and I am totally going.”

Philip’s eyes grew huge at that, making Callie smile to herself as the pair settled in on the loveseat. “Wait, really?” he exclaimed. “And there’s still tickets available?”

“According to the website,” said Jeric.

Henry looked thoughtful. “My workload is light tomorrow. Can people buy tickets but not attend every movie? I could probably push and get the bare minimums done by noon. Dad’s farm is right outside Grampleton, and I could make it in for the second movie.”

“Shouldn’t be an issue,” Jeric said, grinning at his fellow farmer.

“What if I came in with you tomorrow?” Sterling asked Henry. “With another pair of hands, do you think we could make it in time to catch the first one?”

Henry’s eyes grew wider than Philip’s had at the offer. Callie felt so damn proud of Sterling in that moment. She gave him a bright smile, and Sterling blushed at the attention his suggestion garnered. Turning her attention to her boyfriend, Callie could see the struggle on Philip’s face as he wrestled between his fanaticism and his work ethic. Nudging his arm with her shoulder, she said, “You should go.”

His face already painted with regret, Philip sighed, “You know I have a ton of paperwork tomorrow, and—”

“Sundays are supposed to be your day off,” she reminded him, not letting the matter go. “I know it’ll make for a couple of late nights as you play catchup, but I think you could do with the downtime. All work and no play….”

He laughed a little at that before kissing the top of her head. “That goes for you as well, my dear,” he told her.

Callie offered a wry smile. “I wish I could—”

“Nope, firecracker, your boyfriend’s right,” Sterling butted in, leaning against the arm of the loveseat from where he sat on the trunk. “You should come along too. Your crops can survive a day with only the sprinkler system.”

Twisting her lips at the pair of them, Callie gave the matter some thought. She wasn’t currently in the middle of a harvest, nor did she have any animals just yet as Robin worked on rebuilding the coop. She probably could leave it to the sprinkler system for a single day. More importantly, she knew just how badly Philip wanted to go even if he would pass in order to finish his work.

Well then.

Callie arched an eyebrow at her boyfriend and offered, “I’ll take the day off and go if you take the day off and go.”

Sterling turned his attention to Philip as well. The two men exchanged a long look. Finally, Philip sighed and gave Callie a small smile, “Alright. We’ll both go.”

“Fantastic!” Jeric grinned before twisting in his chair to look at Shane and the other girls. “The three farmers, the pretty boy, and the workaholic are all going, what about you three?”

“I am not a workaholic,” Philip grumbled.

Callie chuckled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “You kind of are, sweetheart.”

“Pot, meet kettle,” Sterling snarked.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

“I can’t,” Shane grimaced. “I promised to take Jas and Vincent to the beach tomorrow. Sam normally does, but his band’s got a gig….”

“I can’t either. I’m working at the saloon tomorrow night,” Emily said apologetically.

Everyone turned their attention to Mia who clearly waffled over the idea. Callie gave her a pleading look. “Please don’t let me be the only girl going.”

“And why not?” asked Mia.

Callie began counting off on her fingers, saying, “Sterling, Jeric, Philip, and Hank. I don’t want to be the only supervisor.”

That made Mia laugh, even as the men in question began grumbling. “Alright, Cal," she said, "I’ll help you out."

Callie beamed.

Sterling

The marathon ended up a lot more fun than Sterling expected. While he enjoyed superhero movies, he wasn’t a huge fanatic like Henry and Philip. Still, the movies were usually a lot of fun. Going to a marathon of them with his friends, however, turned out far more enjoyable than he ever would have guessed…

…even if he had to sit on his hands to stay out of trouble.

Sterling had one goal for the day: to not sit next to Callie. Despite his trip to Belleview, he continued to indulge in fantasies about her—especially after that night in the river. The sight of her with all of her clothes clinging to her body and her hair floating in the water… holding her, tickling her as they played… he hadn’t realized how much it had affected him until he woke later that night very sticky. Sitting next to her in a dark movie theatre with her boyfriend on her other side struck him as a Bad Idea™.

When he and Hen arrived at the movie theater, they found that the rest of the group had already claimed a row smack dab in the middle of the theater for them. The plush, red seats (the kind you had to fold down) were packed tight to one another, ensuring people got friendly with their neighbors. Even as early as the marathon started, their shoes already stuck to the painted concrete floor. Up on the screen, advertisements ran through a slideshow, too old-fashioned to have actual commercials play. At least they had arrived before the movie actually started.

Jeric sat at the end of the row with Mia, Philip, and then Callie all in a line beside him. Sterling had every intention of letting Henry sit next to Callie, but his cousin had other plans, skipping the seat next to her and sitting down. Before Sterling could protest or think of an excuse, Callie gave them both a radiant smile. “You made it!” she grinned. “I was afraid you’d miss the beginning of the movie.”

“All thanks to Sterling’s help,” Henry praised him as they sat down.

It made Sterling feel both embarrassed and terribly happy at the same time. He felt good about helping Henry out, letting his cousin have a chance to relax for once. That didn’t mean he wanted people making a fuss about it. “Don’t get used to it,” he joked.

Despite the seating arrangements, however, he had a fantastic time. If he occasionally had to tuck his hands under his arms or thighs to keep out of trouble, if his knees started to ache from how tight the rows were, listening to Callie laugh and quote along with her favorite lines more than made up for it. As did talking with all their friends in between each movie, listening to them discuss their favorite heroes and tropes and where they were in their lives when each movie came out. It was a level of bonding that felt incredible. Only as they finally left the theatre twelve hours later did it occur to him that, once again, he’d spent time hanging out with people without alcohol involved.

“I’m glad we all did this,” said Callie as they walked back to their vehicles. “Great idea, Jeric.”

“Thank you, thank you,” he beamed, giving a little bow.

“Guess you’re good for something after all, cowboy,” Sterling teased him, smiling to take out any sting from the comment.

Maybe moving to the valley wasn’t a mistake after all.

Callie

“I know it’s going to make your week a little harder, but thank you for going to the marathon with me,” Callie said to Philip. “That was a lot of fun.” Mia had dropped the two of them and Jeric off at the bus stop. Jeric had continued on to Ridgeside, while Philip walked with Callie back to the cottage to grab his things. As they walked, she swung their interlaced hands back and forth.

“Are you kidding? Thank you for going with me!” Philip grinned. “Probably the best day I’ve had since you agreed to date me.”

“Ha! Glad to know that still ranks higher,” she teased him.

“Always,” he replied, pulling her to him and stealing a kiss.

Philip stole several kisses from her on the way back to the cottage. Each time, Callie burst into giggles. Today really had gone fantastically. She’d gone out with her friends, watched some of her favorite movies, sat between her best friend and boyfriend, and now said boyfriend kept raining affection on her. If that didn’t amount to a good day, she didn’t know what would.

Even with Philip’s periodic kisses, it didn’t take long for them to make their way to Solanen’s Farm. She quickly scanned the fields but saw no immediate sign of catastrophe in the darkness. Satisfied, she soon found herself unlocking the front door. “You know you’re always welcome to stay again,” she said, glancing up at him with a sly smile.

Philip’s grin grew crooked, and she could see how sorely tempted he was by the offer. Before she could try to entice him further, however, his face darkened as he sighed, “I wish I could, babe. But I really do need to focus on getting what paperwork done that I can, especially since….”

“Since what?” she asked, growing concerned as they stepped inside.

“I told Paula that I’d take on those two patients,” he admitted.

Callie expected it; she knew that Philip would never forgive himself if something happened to those new patients because he’d turned them away. “Then I’m especially grateful you took today to go with me,” she said, going up on tiptoe to put another kiss on his cheek.

Philip pulled her into a hug and rested his cheek against the top of her head. “You are still more important to me, you know?” he asked quietly.

“I know.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 9 – Worries and Reassurances

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Guess who started dating….

Lee-lee,

Ha! I knew you were going to hook up with Paul!

Took you long enough. j/k

Thanks for asking after Bub. Best I can tell his recovery is going fairly well, all things considered, but he’s never going to play again. I’m trying to convince him not to drop out, but he insists that he can’t afford his last year at ZU without his scholarship. I think Triss has managed to convince him to at least keep rooming with him.

Something weird’s going on with Marlon. I know, I know, something weird is always going on with Marlon, but this seems even weirder than usual. He’s been incredibly evasive lately, especially when I started asking why they’d put locks on the sewer entrances. While not exactly pleasant, it made a great shortcut out to East Scarp. Mateo’s made noises about breaking in to see just what’s going on—they’re just as curious as I am. Jasper’s less enthused but willing to tag along. Unfortunately, lockpicking is not in any of our skillsets just yet.

I’ll let you know if we discover anything!

—Mo

Callie

“Decided to take advantage of the rain today, eh?” Marlon asked Callie as she trudged mud into the Guildhall. Thunder rumbled outside, punctuating his words.

“Finally made it down to the magma levels today,” she replied, swinging her pack around to pull out the tidbits she thought might interest him. As she placed them on the counter, she explained, “I’m needing ore from down there to finish out the materials for the Ridgeside minecarts.”

“I’d heard that Lenny had put out a request. I didn’t realize you’d taken it on.”

“She requested it of me personally,” Callie replied, adding a thick club and a few artifacts that she’d already donated copies of to the museum. “I saw no reason to refuse her.”

“I suppose not,” he said, shifting through the items Callie had brought in. Spying a glow ring amongst the collection, he asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to keep this?”

“I already have two of my own.”

“Ah.”

They settled into a comfortable silence as Marlon kept looking. Callie usually made it to the Guildhall about once a week, much like she did with the library or the smithy. Sometimes they hardly spoke at all while she visited; other times they got to spinning yarns and supping together. It was a much different experience from her time with the Zuzu branch.

He made her an offer which she quickly accepted. He did not care to haggle, so she went with whatever he offered. As he began collecting her pay, Marlon said in a deceptively mild voice, “I heard from Gabe recently.”

Callie looked at him in surprise. “Really? How is he? How’s Zin?”

That made the old man smile. “Doing well, from what I can read between the lines. Zin’s trying to decide what to do after she graduates. Gabe’s still trying to convince his Guildhall to fund his research.”

Shaking her head, she said, “Good luck to him. They’ll never fund it unless he agrees to turn over all of his information for weapons-making purposes—and I don’t mean for fighting monsters.”

“So he indicated,” Marlon replied. Glancing up from counting out the money, he added, “He also asked after you.”

Her eyebrows climbed up her forehead. “I haven’t seen Gabe since he was a kid starting out with the Guild. Why in the world—?”

“Word of your presence here is spreading.”

She grimaced.

“You knew that would happen,” Marlon reminded her as he handed over the money.

“How many people are calling for my head?” she joked.

“Only a couple,” he smirked. “More than a few have questioned if I’ve finally gone senile for letting you rejoin.”

“They may have a point,” Callie grinned. “Is it causing you problems?” she asked more seriously.

He shook his head, his shaggy white hair fluttering madly. “Nothing I haven’t dealt with before. But I thought you’d like to know.”

“I do. I appreciate your and Gil’s willingness to put up with me.”

“You’re a good kid.”

Shane

“Why are we going out there again?” Shane complained as he and Sterling sweated their way towards Solanen’s Farm. While late in the day, the Summer sun still made his head pound. Or maybe that had more to do with dehydration.

“Because Callie said she wanted to show us something,” Sterling wearily reminded him, as though Shane had made the same complaint several times in a row. (He had, but that’s beside the point.)

“But why me?”

“Fuck if I know, dude, but she seemed really excited about it.”

Part of him wanted nothing more than to blow her off and just head on into the saloon like normal; several tasty beers called out his name, as did Gus's equally delicious air conditioning. Sterling had stood outside Pierre’s shop waiting for him, however, and had kidnapped him on sight. He insisted Callie wanted both of them to visit for some reason. As much as Shane complained, he had to admit she’d piqued his curiosity.

Plus… well, he couldn't remember the last time someone wanted to see him.

Every time Shane walked through Solanen’s Farm, it surprised him just how much it had changed since Callie moved in. It looked like a farm and a prospering one at that, nothing like how it had the past Winter. He swore that she had even more fields going now.

“Shane! Sterling!” Callie called in greeting as she walked towards them from her orchard, a wide grin stretching across her tan face. “Thank you both for coming out!”

“What’s got you so chipper, half-pint?” he asked.

Her eyes sparkled. “You’ll see! Come on. This way.”

He exchanged looks with Sterling before shrugging and following her. It did not take them long to arrive at the southern pasture. A brand-new coop immediately drew Shane’s eye. “You got a coop built,” he said. Way to state the obvious, dumbass. Almost immediately he heard the familiar sounds of hens clucking.

Still grinning, Callie let both men into the chicken pen and then closed the gate. Three hens came waddling towards them, clearly curious. “I’d like you to meet Samba, Chacha, and Jive,” she said proudly.

“You named them after dance styles? Really?” Sterling teased her.

“Jas and Marnie both approved of my choices, so there,” she replied, sticking her tongue out at him. “When I told Marnie that Robin had finished the coop, she insisted I follow her back to the ranch after class.”

“These are the three that came from Grampleton,” Shane realized. “The rescue that Aunt Marnie and Jacob did at the end of Spring.”

“Yep,” she said, popping the ‘p’ in the same manner Sterling often did. “When Jas realized I wanted chickens, she insisted I should take these three.” Shane softened at that. He was rather fond of these three hens in particular, and he had secretly hoped that Marnie would keep them instead of selling them off. Knowing they were within walking distance made him… almost happy.

Judging by her smile, Callie was well aware of all these facts.

“You’re in for it now, Lee-lee. Shane won’t rest until he knows you’re taking good care of them,” Sterling smirked.

“Damn straight,” said Shane.

“I’m counting on it,” she grinned.

Callie

Humming happily to herself, Callie climbed the hotel stairs with her pack over her shoulder. Shane and Sterling had invited her to join them at the saloon, but Philip had texted her earlier in the day and asked if she’d like to drop by that evening. These days, she instigated most of their dates and hangouts, so to have him reach out cheered her immensely. If she ended up staying overnight, she’d just have to make sure to leave as close to six as possible; after all, she had chickens to think of now.

Reaching Philip's door, Callie knocked thrice in quick succession. The sound had barely begun to fade before he opened his door and yanked her inside. His broad, bare chest—still wet from the shower—dampened her shirt as he pressed flush against her. The moment the latch locked, Philip hungrily devoured her lips. Caught completely by surprise, she dropped her bag as she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. He pinned her to a wall—Yoba alone knew which one—and spread her thighs with his own bare leg, causing his towel to drop to the floor. His thick fingers tangled in her curls while his other hand massaged one of her breasts, flicking his thumb roughly over her hardened nipple through the thin fabric of her shirt. The combination of sensations and suddenness of the encounter made her gasp and squirm in his grip. His lips ravaged hers, an unexpected desperation thrumming through every action.

The need for air made him relent. Somehow, he pressed even closer, his forehead resting against hers as they both tried to catch their breath. Cradling his cheeks in her hands, she stared into his gorgeous eyes and whispered, “Are you okay, hon?” Despite how incredibly turned on she felt in that moment, she worried. He had never treated her in such a manner before, instead letting her take the lead and set the pace.

“No, I'm— I'm not,” he replied before sloppily, needily kissing her again. Her hands wandered of their own accord, dancing over his heated skin and eliciting a surprising whimper. “I’ll explain, but first… please, if— if you don’t mind— please, baby…” he begged between kisses, already unbuttoning her shirt.

Callie couldn’t stop her shivers even if she wanted to, and she did not want to. “Whatever you need, sweetheart,” she promised.

He did not need told twice.

Sometime later, Philip murmured a quiet, "Thank you,” as he ran gentle fingers through her loose tresses.

Callie laid on top of him in the afterglow, her cheek against his heaving chest. “Oh damn, my partner wanted to fuck me as soon as I walked in the door,” she said lightly, turning her head so she could look into his eyes.

He laughed at that before giving her a crooked smile. “You jest, but not all of my significant others would have welcomed such a reception,” he said as he continued to play with her hair.  

Face softening at that admission, she scooted up just enough to place a kiss at the corner of his mouth. “You’re welcome.”

He gave her a contented smile. “You really do make everything better, you know,” he said with complete sincerity. His smile turned mischievous. “And not just because you let me fuck you as soon as you walk in the door.”

Callie giggled, rubbing her nose against his. “But I’m sure it helps.”

That made him laugh. “Perhaps a bit,” he admitted.

“So," she said, growing serious. "What's wrong, hon? What happened?"

Philip sighed, letting his head thud back against the pillow.

When he didn’t say anything, she slid to his side so she rested on the bed. She supported her head with her fist, holding it up so she could see his face. Running her thumb along his furrowed brow and up to his temples, she gently, methodically rubbed in hopes of easing his obvious tension. Sighing again, he turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand. “I’m worried,” he finally admitted.

“About?”

“The next few months,” he said. Looking at her, he twisted onto his side so that they lay face to face. He wrapped a heavy arm around her; she dropped her head so that they shared the pillow, breathing the same air. “Shiro will need another surgery this month. That means extra sessions both before and after. I also agreed to take on Mr. and Mrs. Bladebane as regular patients, much in the same way I work with Mr. and Mrs. Mullner. I did that before I knew about Shiro’s surgery, and…” he trailed off with another sigh.

Callie kissed him, slow and gentle. “It’s okay, hon. Take your time.”

He smiled just barely, his light blue eyes studying her face. “It means my free time is about to disappear, babe. I'll have no days off for... well, a long damn time, and between Shiro and my regular patients, I’m looking at ten-hour days. If emergencies arise, it could be twelve- or even fourteen-hour days.”

Her heart dropped. Callie knew all too well what those kinds of hours did to a person. Pushing down her own worry, she gave him another reassuring smile, running her fingers through his blond hair. “Yeah, that’s going to suck,” she agreed. “But we’ll make it work somehow. Do you have any clue how long this will last?”

“At least through the end of Summer. After that, it depends entirely on how Shiro’s recovering," he said. "If things are going well, we should revert back to the same sort of schedule I have now—my Tuesdays and Fridays would still be long, but doable. If this surgery doesn’t work like Dr. Harvey hopes it will, however, we may be looking at the end of the year before things slow down."

She couldn’t help sucking in air through her teeth. “I’m sorry, hon. That’s… really, really rough.”

“Yeah,” he said, still keeping her wrapped up in his arms. He placed a kiss of his own against her forehead. “I’m also worried about you.”

“Me?”

“I feel like I already don’t do enough to take care of you, and now I’ll—”

“Hush,” she said, giving another tender kiss before continuing, “You take care of me just fine. This just means that we have to spend time together whenever we can find it.”

“Callie,” said Philip, not mollified at all by her words. “I’m not taking care of you ‘just fine,’” he said firmly, cupping the side of her face and lightly caressing under her eyes with his thumb. “You’re exhausted, and you haven’t regained the weight you lost during planting. Don’t even try to argue with me about that. You forget that I just did a very thorough examination of your body,” he teased with a half-hearted smile.

It was her turn to sigh, letting her eyes close as he stroked her face. “I am tired,” she admitted quietly. “But I’m recovering,” she continued, opening her eyes back up. “And my fatigue is in no way your fault.”

“I know that, but I still want to help you. And now I’m worried that with the increase in my workload, I won’t be there when you need me,” Philip said, his eyebrows burrowing once more. “With our schedules, I feel like we barely get to spend time together as it is.”

“Well then, how do you propose we work this out?” Callie asked, exerting all of her will to keep her tone even, to not let this spiral into an argument. These weren’t accusations, she reminded herself, but expressions of frustration.

“I don’t know,” he said again. “And that’s why I’m worried.”

“Okay,” she said softly, continuing her soft caresses and gentle strokes as they talked, not wanting him to think or feel like she was pulling away. “Well, what if I came and stayed up here more often?”

“That’s a very sweet offer, but we’re looking at my having an irregular work schedule where I could get off anywhere between five and ten in the evening, and—”

“Easy, sweetheart,” said Callie, interrupting him before he could start fully panicking. “So, we text each day to see where your schedule is at. If it’s early enough in the evening, then I can come up and visit you, and if not, we can talk on the phone. Or you’re welcome to come stay with me any time you’d like. Send me a text that you’re headed down, and I could even have food ready for you.”

He stared at her, searching her face, her eyes, but for what she didn’t know. Whatever he found, he relaxed his hold on her a little and rested his forehead against hers yet again. “How did I get lucky enough to end up with someone like you?”

“Bribed the right official?”

“Ha. Maybe,” he smiled. “You’re right. We’ll just have to take each day as it comes. We’ll— we’ll figure it out.”

Callie wished he didn’t sound so doubtful.

Philip’s shift in schedule started immediately.

The next three nights, he didn’t get off until well after eight o’clock. Each time Callie offered to come up, and each time Philip declined. “It’s early days, yet, and I’ll be down tomorrow evening,” he told her on Friday evening. She’d stepped out of the saloon to talk to him on the phone, perching on top of one of the rough wooden picnic tables. While the first stars had emerged, the sky had yet to fade completely to black. “And honestly, I’m so tired I think I’d fall asleep before you got here.”

“If you’re sure…” she said uncertainly.

“I am, babe,” he insisted. “Hang out with your friends at the saloon, and I’ll see you tomorrow. We’re meeting at Henry’s, yeah?”

“That’s the plan.”

“I’ll see you there and then go back to the farm with you afterwards. If that’s okay…?”

“Of course.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up, but Callie stayed sitting on top of the picnic table, lost in thought. She couldn’t decide what to make of Philip’s continued insistence that she not visit. Was it an actual desire on his part to unwind and step away from people after spending all day helping others? Or did he feel guilty for having her travel up to visit him? Either way, she couldn’t help feeling a little rejected even though she knew that was not his intention.

“You okay, Lee-lee?”

Looking up, Callie blinked in surprise. That was not the Cooper she expected. “Hey, Hank. Yeah, I’m okay. Just got off the phone with Philip is all,” she said, giving him a half-smile. He’d actually changed out of his overalls for once, though he remained clad in denim jeans and a denim shirt. Sterling regularly joked that he suspected Henry wore denim underwear too. “Finally decided to give in and join Sterling at the saloon, huh?” she teased.

Henry gave her a sheepish smile. “Yeah. I hadn’t come out with him in a while, so I thought I’d join him tonight,” he admitted. To her surprise, he sat down at the picnic table, leaning an elbow on the table beside her. “But you look as though you could use a friend to talk to.”

Though she and Mia often met up—and she saw Sterling practically every day—she hadn’t spent much time one on one with Henry since moving back to the valley. But during that Summer she’d spent here as a kid, Hank was the Cooper boy she’d sought out. It used to drive Red nuts, too, since he lived in town and Hank did not. “I do, huh?” she said with a small smile. She remembered telling him something similar once upon a time.

He nodded solemnly, though he smiled back a little too. “You do. Problems with Philip?” he asked gently.

Callie sighed. “Not exactly…?” she said after a moment, unsure of how to explain the situation. “He, um, has had a lot of work dropped on him all at once. Well, saying it dropped on him is a bit generous…” she frowned. “More like, he volunteered for something that increased his workload, and then his original obligations also expanded their time requirements, and now he’s looking at a six-week minimum of ten-to-fourteen-hour days and essentially no days off. Depending on how things play out, it could last all the way until the end of the year.”

“Gee, that sounds familiar,” Henry smirked, making Callie laugh.

“Yeah, I know. We farmers do that on the regular,” she acknowledged. “Though even we get breaks from time to time. We have days with only four or six hours of work,” she pointed out. “But it has me worried about him. His schedule shifted in the middle of this week, and he already sounds exhausted. I’ve offered a couple of times to come up and see him, bring him food or whatever, but he just keeps putting me off. Told me tonight that he’d fall asleep before I could get up there but that he’d see me tomorrow.”

“And that upsets you?”

“Well… yeah,” she said. “He’d expressed discontent with how little we saw each other before his hours got expanded, so I’m trying to make an effort to see him more and….”

“He’s turning you away,” Henry said in sudden understanding.

Callie nodded. “And I understand better than most the need for time alone to decompress. I’m just confused as to what he actually wants from me.”

“Well,” he said as he pushed his glasses up his nose, “It sounds to me like you just need to talk to him about it.”

“I know I do. I’m hopeful that he and I can have that conversation on the way back to the farm tomorrow evening. It’s just…” she sighed. “It's just hard, I guess. I haven’t had many healthy relationships in my life, and I’m trying my damnedest to do this right. I’m terrified I’m screwing everything up.”

“Hey,” Henry said, grabbing her hand. He gently squeezed it until she looked up at him. “You’re not screwing it up. It sounds to me like you’re trying to make the best of a bad situation.”

She huffed a soft laugh. “Damn, I’ve missed you, Hank. You always know what to say.”

“Funny, I thought that was my line,” he smiled.

She gave his hand a squeeze of her own before returning her hand back to her knees. “Enough about me. Since you’re here, I have a quick question.”

“Shoot.”

“Do you and Mia have plans for Monday?” she asked. She knew that was Sterling’s birthday and figured that they probably had something lined up.

Henry winced, which made her sit up straighter. “I actually wanted to talk to you about that,” he admitted. “Originally, Mia wanted to do some sort of get-together with everyone that evening, kind of keep Sterling from going too wild. You know how he can get. But she’s actually leaving town on Monday morning now and won’t be back until late Friday—a site visit for the company she works with—and Dad wants me to stay out at the farm for the first part of the week for the wheat harvest….”

“Ouch. Are we doing something for him tomorrow, then?”

“Mia’s planning on baking a cake, but that’s about the extent of it,” Henry said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was hoping that maybe you could babysit him on his birthday. Make sure he doesn’t go crazy with celebrating…?”

Callie smiled. “Of course, I will. At the very least, I’ll make sure he gets back to the house in one piece.”

His jaw relaxed. “Thanks, Lee-lee. I’m really grateful,” he said sincerely before adding, “He actually listens to you, and I appreciate that you don’t use that power for evil.”

“He’s a good guy," she said. "I have no desire to make his life more difficult.”

“Whose life are you making difficult?” asked Sterling as he rounded the corner of the saloon. Catching sight of Henry and Callie, his wide eyes darting between them. “Hen! You came out!” he exclaimed.

“Been meaning to for a few weeks now, and I finally made it back to town in time,” said Henry.

“Sorry I distracted him,” Callie added with a lopsided smile as she got off the picnic table.

“You are very distracting,” Sterling said, breaking out a flirty smile. “But now you both need to come inside. Come on,” he said eagerly, grabbing them both by a hand pulling them towards the saloon.

“Hey!” Henry yelped as he stumbled to his feet. “Don’t pull—Sterling!”

Callie laughed.

Philip

Philip didn’t make it to game night until nearly nine o’clock. He almost called Callie and canceled. It wasn’t just the long hours—though they certainly took their toll—but also how physically worn out he felt. Between demonstrating new exercises and supporting the Bladebanes, taking care of the Mullners, and then the exercises Shiro was doing in preparation for his upcoming surgery, Philip felt wiped out. But he’d promised her he’d make it tonight, and by Yoba, he intended to keep that promise.

He knocked twice and then walked in as he heard a chorus shout, “Come in!” It was a smaller crowd, just the Cooper residents, Shane, and Callie. They sat at the kitchen table playing some form of poker. His girlfriend and Shane had the largest stacks of chips, though no one looked completely out yet. As soon as she spotted him, Callie left the table and glomped onto Philip. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent. Having her hold him made the walk out to East Scarp worth it.

“I’m so glad to see you,” Callie said into his chest.

“As I am to see you. Yoba, you’re a sight for sore eyes,” he said, tilting her head up to give her a kiss.

The group at the table immediately began catcalling. Philip was tired enough—and, honestly, had grown comfortable enough with the group—that he flipped them off even as he lengthened the kiss.

“Didn’ think ya were th’ type for ‘n orgy, but ’m game!” Sterling called back with a cackle. That got Philip to break the kiss and stare at Sterling in horror, which made everyone else start laughing uproariously.

Callie shook her head and muttered, “He’s been in rare form all night.” Slipping her hand into his, she lead him to the table. "Do you want us to deal you in?”

“Sure, though I’ll probably lose quickly. I’m completely fried,” Philip admitted.

“Would you like something to eat?” asked Mia as she stood up and headed towards the counter filled with food. “We have all sorts of snacks and cake. We also have the usual drinks if you’re interested.”

“I’ll happily take whatever you’ll give me,” he said, more than ready to sit down. He knew he should fill his own plate, but Mia was already up and offering.

“Daaaaamn, hotstuff. Ya didn’ tell me he was a sub,” Sterling snickered. “Gettin’ lotsa use outta that strap-on?” Henry promptly smacked the back of Sterling’s head, making him yelp and then whine.

Philip’s pupils turned to pinpricks, remembering the look on Sterling’s face when someone had joked about her having one. He wondered against his will whether Callie had used one on Sterling—especially considering the way she turned utterly crimson at his comment.

“I’m never getting you Gallus Mead again,” Mia told Sterling as she began filling a plate for Philip. “It makes what little filter you have completely disappear.”

As Sterling opened his mouth again, Shane reached out with his hand and covered it. “Shhhhhhh…” he drunkenly hushed.

“Whose turn is it to deal, anyways?” asked Henry, very clearly trying to rush past the entire ordeal.

“Mine,” Callie replied, her face still scarlet. She swiftly picked up the deck of cards and promptly proceeded to shuffle, complete with a waterfall.

“Fancy,” Philip teased her a little bit before thanking Mia for the plate and beer she brought over to him. “You’re an angel.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiled.

They played for another hour or so. Philip lost his chips in a hurry, and it didn’t take long for Henry and Sterling to join him. For a long while, Shane, Mia, and Callie stayed evenly matched. Eventually, Shane decided to try and bluff the girls by going all-in.

Callie called him on it.

She beat his high ace with a pair of fours.

“How th’ fuck didja know?” Shane asked her.

Giving him a beatific smile, she said, “My gift is Insight.”

He rolled his eyes at her. “Whatever,” he grumbled before going to grab another beer.

Mia and Philip didn’t think anything of her comment, but both Henry and Sterling gave her intense looks, which drew the other two’s attention. “Is it really?” Henry asked her.

“According to those with more knowledge than I, it’s Insight and Clairvoyance,” she replied.

Philip felt very confused and suspected that Mia was equally so. Shane scoffed, while both Coopers looked as though a thousand-piece jigsaw had just fallen into place. “Insight and Clairvoyance?” Philip asked her.

“Mumbo jumbo and bullshit,” Shane said before taking a drink of his beer.

“Try telling Emily that,” said Callie with a knowing smirk.

“I have,” he replied, before adding with a sigh, “It didn’ go well.”

“I didn’t realize you had an arcane nature,” Henry said, still staring at Callie.

Shrugging, she said, “I’m a Solanen. Make of that what you will.” Turning her attention toward Mia, she asked, “Do you want to fight it out to the end, or bet everything on the next round?”

Green eyes flicked from Callie to Philip and back. Offering a shark-like smile, she said, “I’m willing to bet it all blind on the next hand.”

Mia won.

Callie had brought her truck, and Philip had never felt more grateful. Before they left, however, he ducked into the bathroom. When he came back out, he heard Sterling slur, “Is that how ya found me… tha’ night… at th’ tracks? Yer gifts?”

“No. I accomplished that by remembering how you said you’d play on the tracks with Hank as a kid, and how you still went out there to clear your head some nights,” said Callie.

She sounded so gentle… sweet… tender.

“Thaz… more im— im— impressive, achually…” Sterling replied softly.

“Got a mind like a steel trap,” Callie laughed. “I’ll see you on Monday, alright?”

“Promise?”

“I promise, Red.”

Callie exited Sterling’s bedroom. Philip made a show of closing the bathroom door behind him and then gave her a smile. “Hey there, sweetheart,” he said.

“Hey, handsome,” she replied with a happy smile. Even as tired as he felt, it warmed Philip to his core. “Let’s get you to bed,” she said, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the kitchen.

Shane had left while they were elsewhere, Mia had already collapsed into bed, and Henry had almost everything cleaned up. Philip and Callie lingered long enough to give him their goodbyes, then headed out to her truck. Once they’d climbed inside the ancient beast, Callie gave him a quick kiss before starting it up. “I’m glad you came down, tonight. I’ve really missed you,” she said.

“I’ve missed you too,” Philip replied. “Main reason why I showed up. If you weren’t here, I probably would have backed out,” he admitted. “But I couldn’t miss out on seeing you again.”

That earned another brilliant smile from her.

It took hardly any time at all before they were back at her cottage, at least compared to walking out. They didn’t talk much. Callie focused on watching for random late-night pedestrians, while Philip felt too dead-headed to think of conversation. He was so tired, in fact, that he actually drifted off during the drive only to wake up when Callie opened his door.

“Sorry, babe,” he apologized.

“No worries, big guy. Come on.”

After climbing out, he grabbed his bag and followed her inside. Fifteen minutes later, they’d cuddled up together in her bed, arms and legs interlaced. “What’s going on Monday?” he asked, trying to keep his eyes open. At her confused look, he added, “Heard you promising Sterling that you’d see him then.”

“Sterling’s birthday is Monday,” she explained. “His housemates have to go out of town for different reasons, and I promised Hank I’d make sure Sterling didn’t go too far off the deep end.”

He felt a twinge of jealousy worry concern at her words. Philip had full faith and trust in Callie; he did not have the same sort of trust in Sterling. But he let the feeling go. If he brought up his thoughts with her now, he knew he’d end up picking a fight, and he had no desire to spend their limited time together arguing over Sterling Cooper. “Just don’t get into too much trouble,” he eventually said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“No worries there,” she said, kissing him back. He’d almost drifted off when she added, “For the record, I honestly don’t mind coming up to see you, you know.” Philip pulled his eyes back open, staring into her warm gaze. “If you just need time alone to decompress, I really do understand, but if you say no because you feel guilty... there’s no need to feel guilty. I like spending time with you,” she said, gently caressing his face as she talked.

“It’s a little bit of both,” he admitted, before yawning widely. “We’ll figure this out.”

Callie gave a small sigh before giving him one more kiss.

Moments later, Philip finally fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10 – Sunflowers

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Long time no see

Sorry I haven’t written lately. Things’ve gotten a little nuts around here. Something’s gone down between the wizard and his missus, and it’s led to all sorts of magical shenanigans in the area.

Also, well…

Triss and I have started dating.

I can already hear your ‘I told you so.’ And you’re right… we’ve liked each other for a long time. We haven’t told Bub about it just yet—I’m a little concerned he’ll fly off the handle that his best friend is dating his baby sister. Of course, it helps that he’s still out in Zuzu City.

How are you doing? How’s your third year going? Triss said you have quite the reputation with the local branch there, especially with how you’ve managed to smooth relations with some of the wealthier families in the area. I’m sure your parents just love that. How’s Bria doing? How’s Paul?

Catch me up!

—Mo

P.S. I caught the pilot for the new Fall of Hope series, and I have thoughts. Call me soon!

Sterling

Sitting at the bar, Sterling nursed his beer as he waited for his friends to show up. He’d had an… okay birthday so far. Mia had made him bear pancakes that morning before she left town, insisting that she needed to do something for his birthday. It had made him smile, even though stopping to eat them made him late for work. It also reminded him of mornings with Kai. As one of the few things he could actually cook, Sterling used to make the same ones for him. It was a bit nostalgic.

Pierre had chewed him out for coming in late, unsurprisingly. On the plus side, Granny Mullner had dropped by with a plate of cookies for him. “You always loved these when you were a rascal. I hope you still do,” she’d said sweetly as she gave them to him.

While cookies were no longer his go-to favorite—he was turning thirty-two not twelve, after all—the fact that she even remembered had choked him up. “Thank you, Mrs. Mullner. This… it means a lot to me,” he’d told her. Even now, remembering how she’d beamed at that made him smile into his beer.  It felt good to have someone unexpectedly care.

It almost offset how horrible it felt to have others forget.

Since the others still hadn't arrived, Sterling looked at his phone again. More people from around the valley than he expected had sent him well wishes and birthday greetings—including one from Callie with a picture of Cuthbert and Mr. Ginger with itty bitty conical hats on their heads. Sterling laughed, trying to imagine how she managed to pull that one off.

As he scrolled through, he saw a couple of messages from old coworkers in the city—not friends, precisely, but people he’d survived the trenches of food service with—yet nothing from those he’d called ‘friends’ while living there. That felt… pretty shitty, actually. Sterling recognized that he hadn’t talked to any of them in nearly a year at this point, but his fucking manager from the first bar he mixed at still sent him a ‘happy birthday’ every year, despite never talking at any other point. That none of his old crowd had contacted him… fuck.

Well, one of them had reached out.

Sterling stared at the little bubble telling him he had messages from Kai as he debated whether or not to open it.

“Happy birthday, jackass,” said Shane as he slid a beer in front of Sterling.

“Aww, you do love me,” Sterling teased him, slipping his phone back into his pocket with relief.

“Shut your trap,” he grumbled as he hopped up on the stool next to him. “You got my beer for my birthday, so I figured I’d return the favor.”

“Thanks. I really appreciate it,” Sterling added more seriously, finishing off his first beer and moving on to the one Shane had brought him. The night was now off to a good start. Hardly anyone else had come in yet—the only other people there were Gus and Pam. Mondays tended to be slow.

“Seen Callie yet?” Shane asked him.

“She dropped by the shop to make her delivery of peaches and jam, and she said she’d meet up with us here this evening.”

“Excellent,” he replied, sounding satisfied. His friend had come a long way.

The two sat and compared their days in retail hell. While Pierre was a better boss than Morris, at least Shane got to work in air conditioning. Sterling tried to focus on Shane’s complaints about what Sam had done this time to get Morris pissed at everyone, but his thoughts kept drifting back to his phone, to the messages from Kai and lack of messages from J everyone else.

Gus brought them another round. As Sterling sipped from his latest pint, the tension throughout his body finally eased as the alcohol did its job. Yoba, but it felt so damn good to get buzzed. Even though he knew it was a temporary euphoria, he still welcomed it like an old, fondly-remembered lover.

“Hey there, half-pint,” Shane greeted Callie as she walked up, drawing Sterling’s attention.

“Hotstuff!” he beamed as he turned towards her, only to find himself floored by what she held in her hands.

“Happy birthday, Sterling,” said Callie with a lovely smile. Carefully, she placed a vase filled with happy sunflowers on the bar in front of him. He stared at them, unblinking.

Gorgeous.

They were fucking gorgeous.

They had a fuzzy, dark center and rich, golden petals with no sign of any blemishes. Caressing the edge of one of the flowers with his thumb, he delighted in how velvety soft it felt. He’d never gotten something so thoughtful and beautiful in his life. “F-for… for me?” he asked. To his mortification, he felt tears welling up in his eyes.

“Hey, are you okay?” Callie asked, her voice filled with worry. “I’m sorry! I thought—”

“No, no, no, it’s okay. It’s perfect! I….” Sterling ran the side of his index finger along the bottom of his eyes to wipe away his unexpected tears. “Sorry, farmer, I guess I’m making a scene…” Sucking in a shaky breath, he turned his gaze from the flowers to Callie, trying to give her a smile. “It’s… they’re my favorite flowers… and they’re so pretty!” he said, eyes falling back to them. Unknowingly, his smile grew stronger even as a blush warmed his cheeks beyond what the alcohol had. “I knew sunflowers were pretty, but… I never expected someone to give them to me. Especially not for my birthday,” he said as he looked back at Callie.

Her joyful smile rivaled the beauty of the sunflowers in that moment. “I planted them first thing this Summer. You have no idea how much I fretted over whether they’d bloom in time. I may have danced a jig when they opened up over the weekend.”

“You grew these?” he asked, feeling more tears welling and trying desperately not to completely embarrass himself.

“You told me they were your favorites.” she said, one hand crossing in front of her to grab her opposite elbow as she ducked her head. “Sorry the arrangement isn’t spectacular. Aideen’s taught me a couple of things, but I’m far from a professional.”

Looking at her, so sweet and hopeful and cute, Sterling felt an odd fluttering in his stomach. Even the people he’d dated over the years hadn’t put so much thought and effort into their gifts for him, usually defaulting to a steak and a blowjob or maybe an expensive type of drink or— or other substance. And Callie… she had remembered his favorite flower and then grown them for him. For him. The level of care and forethought that took, the fact that she paid that sort of attention to him….

Sterling pulled her into a hug and buried his face into the hair on top of her head. “Thank you, Callie. This is such a thoughtful, beautiful birthday present,” he murmured.

Returning his hug, Callie said, “I’m glad you like them. I was afraid you’d think they were dumb or too girly.”

He gave her an extra squeeze before letting her go, reminding himself yet again that she had a boyfriend, and that boyfriend wasn’t Sterling. “Hardly,” he said, wiping his eyes one more time. “I mean, I’ve never gotten flowers in my life… in fact, I didn’t think dudes could get flowers but… I love them. I really do.”

Callie climbed up on the empty stool beside Sterling. Looking to his other side, he realized that at some point during his far-too-emotional reaction, Shane had slipped away. As though that realization was a cue, Shane returned with a water for Callie, setting it in front of her before taking his own stool back. “Are y’all done with the touchy-feely shit, or do I need to excuse myself again?” he asked. Despite his words, he smiled.

Sterling huffed as he picked his beer back up. “You’re just jealous.”

“Hardly,” Shane scoffed. “She got me a birthday pizza, remember?”

“Speaking of, I’m starving,” said Callie.

Emily arrived at about the same time the pizzas did. “Here you go, Sterling,” she said as she set his favorite beer in front of him. “Happy birthday!”

He smiled. “You know how to win a man’s heart, alright,” he teased. Smile widening into a grin, he shifted the vase to better show off the sunflowers and asked, “Did you see what Callie got me?”

“Those are beautiful!” said Em. “Did you know you can make a fantastic dye from them?” she asked Callie.

“I didn’t!” came Callie's intrigued reply.

As the four ate their pizzas, they chatted about whatever random topic popped into someone’s head. Emily rattled on for some time about different types of dye Callie could make. Callie made mention of a new superhero television show that had entered into post-production—Chaos something or other. After consuming a couple more pints, Shane quietly expressed his worry and frustration about a series of nightmares Jas had complained of. Both women expressed sympathy and suggestions. That somehow segued into all four swapping tales about ill-advised escapades in their youths.

It felt nice, relaxed. No one tried to make drama or goad Sterling into ‘entertaining’ (aka bad) decisions. Everything just felt… chill. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a birthday like it, filled with good food, bad laughs, and fantastic friends.

After all of their long, wending conversations, eating his fill of pizza, and imbibing who knows how many beers (all he knew was that he didn’t run out), Sterling slid from his stool and declared he’d be back, weaving significantly on his way to the restrooms. His bladder could only handle so much.

He found himself checking his phone again: more messages from Kai which he didn’t look at right then and a message from Henry with a plea not to go too crazy tonight. Sterling rolled his eyes. Checking in on Pinstagram, he found even more well wishes from random people. To his delight, he also found several from his Zuzu City friends. They hadn’t actually forgotten him. Even June had left him birthday wishes, despite… everything. Sterling hadn’t posted on there in forever, but at least his old friends had tried.... Thinking again of the effort Callie had put into her gift for him, Sterling uploaded a picture he’d taken of the sunflowers and tacked on a message reading: Find yourself somebody who’ll grow you your favorite flowers for your birthday. 🥰

When he finally made his way back to the bar, he discovered that both Shane and Emily had disappeared. Callie still sat there, though, sipping her water. She moved to the beat of the soft music from the jukebox, her curls bouncing in time to the bass line.

Shit, she really was so fucking beautiful.

Sterling walked over and leaned against the bar, very much in her personal space. “S’okay if I follow y’ outta here? My parents always told me t’ follow my dreams,” he said with his flirtiest grin, a few words slurring here and there.

Grinning even as she rolled her eyes, Callie said, “Yoba, that one’s older than you and me combined.”

“S’been a while since I dropped you a line,” he shrugged. “Where’d Shane ‘n’ Em go?”

“She’s escorting him back to the ranch,” she said, swiveling her stool towards him. He nearly frowned. Sterling had half-planned on going back to the ranch with Shane. Staying at Hen’s house alone felt like a recipe for poor decision-making on his part. His thoughts returned to the unread messages from Kai on his phone. Before he could work himself up too much about it, however, Callie added, “Are you ‘bout ready to head out? Thought I’d walk you home. If that’s okay...?”

Well, that was unexpected. Wait… no. This was Callie. She just wanted to make sure he didn’t wind up in the river. Sterling knew she’d never cheat on Philip, especially when sober. “I know better than t’ refuse a pretty gal like you,” he smiled. At least he’d have company for the walk.

“That’s the sort of thing that’ll get you into trouble, hotshot,” she said as she swiveled further around and hopped down off her stool.

“But I ‘ave so much fun ‘long the way!” he grinned. Taking a quick drink from Callie’s water, he then straightened back up. The world kept swaying as he tried to grab his vase.

“Would you like me to carry your flowers?”

“Might be a good idea,” he admitted.

Callie grabbed the vase and held it close to her chest to keep from dropping it. Calling a cheerful goodbye to the handful of patrons who’d come by that night, she then looked at him over her shoulder. “Come on, shop boy.”

He followed her willingly.

He’d follow her anywhere.

The walk went far too quickly.

Sterling played up his inebriation, using it as an excuse to hold onto Callie. Eventually, she figured out a way to hold the vase of sunflowers in one arm while holding his waist with the other. Yoba, but he loved her hands, how strong and kind and warm they felt against his side. As they walked, Sterling kept dropping pick-up lines on her, trying to get her to either laugh or blush. Passing the duck pond in East Scarp, he dropped a line about an iceberg that accomplished both simultaneously.

He felt weirdly proud about that one.

“Dammit, Red. This is why I can’t take you in public,” she scolded him through her giggles.

“Well, if you’re offerin’ to take me in private—”

“Shut up and open the damn door,” Callie groused as they stopped in front of Hen’s house. She smiled though.

Grinning so hard his face started to hurt, Sterling fumbled his keys out of his pocket and tried to insert them into the lock. It took several attempts. Finally, though, he got the door opened.

“I know Hank and Mia went out of town, but no Max?” Callie asked as she followed him inside, heading over to the kitchen table to set down the flowers.

“Hen took Max with him since he’s stayin’ at his dad’s farm. I honestly think the prick just didn’t want Hen to spend m’ birthday with me,” Sterling sighed as he staggered against the door to close it. Maybe he hadn’t played up his tipsiness as much as he thought.

Hearing the thud of the door closing, Callie looked back at Sterling with obvious concern. “You okay there, Red?” she asked, walking back towards him.

“Yeah, just… m’rr drunk than I thought,” he admitted as he ducked his head.

Lips quirking in an amused smile, she said, “Well, you are the birthday boy. That’s to be expected."

As she drew near, Sterling draped a heavy arm over her shoulder and pulled her to his side, leaning on her. “‘m glad you’re here,” he said with far more sincerity than he intended.

“Steady there,” she said, wrapping her arm around his waist once more. “Do you need to stumble to the bathroom or straight to bed?”

“Bathroom,” he decided.

Callie maneuvered him through the living room and down the hallway to the bathroom. “Alright, hon. I’m going to trust you can handle your business on your own. Call for me if you need help stumbling out,” she said.

“Yes‘m.”

As he took care of his needs, Sterling again checked his phone. Even more messages from Kai which he again decided not to read. His birthday was going fucking great, and he refused to ruin it. The messages would still be there tomorrow. He also had a ton of replies on his sunflower post, including one from Mia virtually squealing over ‘how precious Cal was.’ Sterling strongly suspected his housemate had wanted to troll his ex. Mia had made her poor opinion of Kai well known.

He even managed to have the wherewithal to brush his teeth, though he knocked a fair amount of shit off the counters in the process. “You okay in there?” he heard Callie call.

“Yeah! Jus'— jus' clumsy,” Sterling answered.

Exiting the bathroom, he found that the world still wavered and wobbled. Sterling kept one hand on the wall as he made his way towards the archway. He leaned against it, watching as Callie poured filtered water from a pitcher into a pair of glasses. She hummed a happy tune as she did so, bouncing along on her toes. After putting the pitcher back into the fridge, she grabbed her purse and pulled out a familiar bottle.

No one else had ever made him feel.... He shook off the thought.

Needing far more concentration than he anticipated, he carefully slipped up behind her as she poured out the painkillers and put the cap back on. He slid his arms around her middle, the top of her head at his chest. Sterling leaned down and breathed in the comforting scent of her shampoo. Fuck, he missed this, missed her. “You really are an angel,” he murmured. Only the bone-deep knowledge that it would result in him losing her forever kept him from kissing along the soft, inviting skin of her neck until she squirmed in his arms. Drunk though he was—and, Yoba, was he toasted at this point—he knew that much.

Sterling would do anything, resist everything, to keep Callie.

Laughing softly, she patted his arms. “You’re going to give me an ego if you keep that up,” she said, sounding amused and utterly unaware of his desires. “Let me go so you can take your ibuprofen, then drink down that whole glass. Two would be better.”

With a reluctant sigh, he obeyed, letting her go and grabbing the pills off the countertop. After swallowing them down with water, he turned and leaned against the cabinets for support. “’M only speaking th’ truth, ya know. Yer far too good fer me,” he said, before blinking and saying, “to me.” It wasn’t so much a correction as an addition. More importantly, it was a reminder to himself.

Drinking her own water, Callie laughed a little. “I don’t know. You’ve been good to me too since I moved to the valley,” she reminded him with a sweet smile.

“I like you,” he replied, because it was true. He liked Callie as a person. He liked spending time with her. He liked the kind of man he turned into with her.

“Well, that’s good, because I happen to like you too,” she said, her dark eyes laughing despite her mild tone. “So, you’ve had an okay birthday, despite your housemates leaving town?” she asked after a brief lull.

“I’ve had a fantastic birthday,” Sterling said emphatically. “Bes’ one in over a decade. No— no fights… or— or— or arguments… or drama,” he said, wrinkling his nose. “No blackin’ out or gettin’ s’ high I won’t sober up fer a week… Not gonna wake up halfway ‘cross the city on a dumpster with no fuckin’ clue how I got there or who fucked me ‘long th’ way. I spent m’ birthday with people I care ‘bout and who also care ‘bout me. Thank ya for that, Lee-lee.”

“Thank yourself for that,” she replied, equally serious. “You made the choice of how to spend your day and who to spend it with.”

How did she do that, time and time again? Take something he said and twist it to make him sound better than he was?

You’re a good man, Sterling Cooper. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Not even you.

He knew he wasn’t, but when he was with her… sometimes, Sterling thought he could become one.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11 – Curfew

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Long time no see

Lee-lee,

I finally earned a talisman!

Well, I say that, but it’s more that the monsters have become far more restless of late, slipping through the Void in groups of four and five instead of just one or two here and there. (Jasper suspects it has to do with the magic that Alecto keeps using to torment Ras. Mateo’s not so certain.) Regardless, I now have my own arcane anchor and went on my first patrol with Triss.

(Get your mind out of the gutter. We are both very professional when on the job.)

It’s the weirdest damn experience I’ve had yet, though. Next time you call, I’ll give you more details. Marnie’s hollering for me.

Love,

—Mo

Callie

It took effort and persuasion, but Callie managed to get Sterling tucked into bed. She made sure to leave another glass of water plus a couple more ibuprofen on his nightstand for the morning. Even with that, she suspected he’d still have one helluva hangover.

Glancing at the clock in the living room, she quietly cursed. It was already after one o’clock, and she had walked to East Scarp with Sterling, not driven. The rest of the Ferngill Republic had no curfew that Callie knew of. Stardew Valley, however, had required its residents to stay indoors between the hours of two and six in the morning for as long as anyone could recall—for damn good reason. Those were the Void hours, when the veil cracked, and monsters slipped into the world above. While Callie would rather avoid a fight tonight, she felt confident in her ability to banish any monster that might cross her path. She’d offered more than once to join Marlon and Gil on their patrols, but they always waved her off.

Sterling had tried to persuade her to sleep over, but Callie had quickly—though kindly—rejected the idea. One, she’d rather sleep in her own damn bed instead of on the couch. Two… well, with Sterling so plastered and… affectionate, staying overnight seemed like an invitation for drama down the line. Considering how happy he was with the lack of drama from his birthday thus far….

Callie slipped out the front door of the house and used the extra key hidden under the welcome mat to lock up.

Jogging, it did not take long at all for her to leave East Scarp and cross the Shearwater Bridge. As she neared Pelican Town, she opted for the southern route, past the library and towards Marnie’s Ranch. If monsters slipped through before she made it home, she’d rather be close to the forest. She didn’t know what help, if any, her link to the Junimos may provide, but the presence of the forest would still bring a measure of comfort.

The clock crept ever closer to two.

The wind did not stir. The sleepy village lay quiet and still in the stifling heat. No moon hung above, though pockets of light gleamed dimly from a handful of flickering streetlamps. At this hour, not even the saloon held any hint of life. The only sounds to break the suffocating silence came from the quiet lapping of the river against its banks and the steady slap of her trainers against the cobblestone road. Not even the crickets chirped.

Her blood thrummed with muted alarm, with the sense of someone, some hidden thing, watching…

…waiting.

Soon, though not soon enough, she went from cobblestone to dirt as she crossed into the forest. The hair on her arms and neck stood on end. Malevolent energy probed the edges of the night. Yet, a protective wall repelled it… for now. Each tick of the clock shaved the wall that much thinner.

Yoba, she’d never felt anything like this before. This… this wasn’t just intuition alerting her to monsters nearby. This was every sense screaming that the world would soon break. Callie assumed her meditations, her link to the Junimos, had made her arcane senses grow keen, more aware of the unseen forces that governed reality. Those same senses unleashed a strident klaxon in her soul.

They demanded speed.

She lengthened her stride, quickened her gait. Something was coming. Something—

A small voice floated on the wind.

Wait— That was—

“You’re right, but I had to talk to you.”

“Mirp!”

—that was Jas’s voice.

Yoba fucking on a high-rise! What in the bloody blue blazes was Mo’s daughter doing outside at this time of night?

“I was so scared!” the little girl whisper-shouted. Even at this distance, Callie could hear her tears. “I saw the Shadow Prince again.”

The protective wall— it was about to—

She had to reach Jas before—

“Murr...”

“I know I shouldn’t be outside, but….”

“Mreow!” Mr. Ginger replied, sounding insistent.

“I— I need you,” Jas cried. “I know you’ll protect me. Uncle Shane doesn’t believe in monsters. He says they’re just nightmares.”

“Monsters… are very real,” declared Callie as she finally rounded the corner of the fence and scrambled into the front yard, panting. “Get inside, Jas,” she commanded even as she gulped down air. Ice crawled down her spine.

The girl leapt to her feet. “What the—?!” she gasped, hand to her heart. Eyes landing on her, Jas let out a very audible sigh of relief. “Farmer Callie—you scared me,” she scolded. She wiped her eyes. She paused. “Wait, you believe in monsters?”

“Oh yes,” said Callie with conviction as she closed the distance between them.

Red rimmed Jas’s green eyes as she watched from where she sat on one of Marnie’s planters. “Of course you would!” she declared, sounding supremely satisfied and completely oblivious to Callie’s panic. “You’re not like most grown-ups.”

“Heh, thanks, kiddo. But you really need to get inside,” she said, grabbing Jas’s shoulder firmly and pushing guiding her towards the door of the ranch. Mr. Ginger also headbutted Jas in that direction with an insistent meow.

“Hey!” Jas whined as she squirmed in her grip. “Farmer Callie— what—why—?”

“We have a curfew… for a reason, snickerdoodle… and that reason is the Void. Danger… danger lurks nearby. Go on, get inside,” she chivvied even as her lungs struggled for sufficient air. Callie opened the door. They didn’t have time for explanations. The protections holding the malignant forces at bay thinned to a wafer. The dread hunting Callie sunk its claws deep into her. Monsters were coming—and worse. She clenched her jaw and refused to shiver.

Time ran short.

Jas frowned, resisting. Both of her parents’ stubbornness picked the worst possible moment to manifest. “I need to tell Mr. Ginger about—”

“Then tell him indoors,” Callie cut her off. “It’s not safe, Jasmine.” Come on, kiddo, fucking cooperate, she silently begged. While Callie felt confident in her combat abilities, defending another at the same time added a whole other layer of terror. If something happened to Mo’s and Triss’s daughter….

“Mirrup!”

The girl’s eyes darted to the tabby and then back to Callie. “But what about you? You’re out here—”

“Because you’re out here, Jas,” replied Callie with complete exasperation. “I was… I was running home. Why do you think… I’m out of breath?”

Jas gulped. “Oh.”

“But my home’s nearby… and my daggers are sharp…. I can still make it… if you go inside right now.” Callie continued as she all but shoved the child into the ranch. Mr. Ginger darted in on Jas’s heels, never ceasing his worried mewls.

“O-okay,” she said, dropping all resistance. Staring up at Callie with starry eyes, she added, “I hope someday I can use a blade and be brave like you.”

“I hope… that the day you need a blade… never comes,” she retorted even as she finally, finally shut the damn door with Jas and the cat inside.

As soon as the latch clicked, Callie spun on her heel and raced for the cottage, precious minutes lost to getting Jas safely inside. She released her daggers into her hands. Little hope of avoiding a fight now. Stretching her arcane senses out, she sought any sign of when, where the monsters would slip through the cracks. It wouldn’t be long now until the wall crumbled.

It wasn’t far from the ranch to the cottage. The border between forest and farm lay only a hundred meters from Marnie’s front door. And yet, it might as well be a thousand leagues.

Time ran out.

The

world 

s̵̢̞̘̮̺̤̯̪̬̜̣̖̬͓̟̩̟̎̎̄̄͝ͅḩ̶̙͔̗̣̰͕̪̞̰̐́͑͂̎̈́̇̄̇̽̿̐̊̿͐̽́̊́́͑͆̚͘̚̕͝͠a̵̧̮̼͉̪̪̣̝̤͓͔͔̬̭̺̓̈́͐͂̎̔̍͒͛̄͊̓̕͜ẗ̵̥̦̽̇̆͌̃̓͆̓͑̋͋̆̈́́̂̿͑̈́̾̂̕͠ţ̷̘̗̱̬̳̝͚̬͍̜̺̤̜̳̲͚̞͎͍̯̣͔̪̘̥̭͔͕̽͋͂͋͗ę̸̛̛̛̯̣̥̃͐̐̐̍̏̎̿̾͛̽̔͜͝r̸̠͖̿͗̅̐̒̇͌̆́̉͛͐̇̂̿͛͘͠͝͠͝ę̵̢͎͍̥̟͕̟͖̻̩͖̼͍̱̠͓̱͇̘̘͊̆̉̈́̍̈́̎̌͌̏̀͗̚͠͝͝͝ͅḓ̸̡̲̘͇̟̋͐̃̚

As her heart jackhammered, black lines spiderwebbed across her vision in every direction, at first hair-thin but rapidly widening. The absence of all things—the Void—smothered her, smothered the valley, between one microsecond and the next.

Callie's mind rebelled against the wrongness of it.

The Summer swelter vanished. No cold replaced the heat. The heat simply disappeared. All sensation disappeared. No heat, no cold, no sound remained; no taste lingered on her tongue. Her eyes perceived nothing of the night. She bit her lip hard, praying for pain.

Nothing.

….

No, not nothing.

Her arcane senses, her sense of self, those remained. She could think even if she couldn’t feel, and she could still dimly sense the cord that connected her to the Junimos, each strand pulsing within her mind. Callie opened herself to the forest’s magic, desperate for input. Her arcane sight stuttered to life, bringing profound relief. The cracks still surrounded her. The shadowy lines shimmered against the infinity of the Void, shifting shapes, growing boxy and blocky like a badly pixelated jpeg. Her arcane hearing hammered her soul with a disharmonious, mechanical, growling shriek.

Still, it was better than nothing.

Her innate magic trilled with terror as several somethings, pitch black yet bright within the Void, drew near. Empty eyes and hollow mouths leered hungrily.

Shadow Folk!

Ṫ̸̨̧̛̙̮̞̯̞̣͓͇̜̺͍̯͎̣̜͔̝̗̦̭̣̺̦͓͋̈́̔́́̅̂̌̀͌̒́̈́̌̑̀̕͜͜͝h̷̢͓͓͔̹̻͎͔̼̜͈̘̗̝̠́̔̈̈̔̏́̄̾̔͋̒̎͛̍̂͘͠ͅe̴̢̨͍͖͍̞̠̬̹̤͈̔ ̷̨̨̡̨̧̥̣͇̺͓̝̝͙̖̘̻̟͓͚͕̿̈́͌̇̊̐͠͠ͅç̶̝͇͎͕͎͈̺͉̦͔͗̆̉͛̀̍ͅr̸̨̥͓̬̱̟̮͒̌̍́ā̶̢̡̨̙̳͖̥̞͕c̵͚̀ks closed, and the world renewed.

A cock crowed. Light breached the distant horizon. Heat enveloped her, heavy and wet. Her feet still smacked the ground as she kept running, as though she’d never stopped running. Her lip bled, coating her tongue with copper. Her daggers shook in her fragile grip. Harsh inhales and exhales rattled her chest as saltwater blinded her.

(I’m not alone!)

A dozen Shadow Brutes had materialized with behind her, slipping through the cracks before they sealed shut once more.

Callie fled.

The Shadows gave chase.

They weren’t mindless animals driven only by instinct, however. They were sentient, clever, deadly, excelling at traps and ambushes. Despite the hour, despite her tears, she could clearly see the outline of their grotesque forms over her shoulder. Seeing Shadow Folk next to the ranch felt profane. Crossing paths with them in the mines had never sparked this sort of horror in her before. Then again, she’d never faced this many at once before.

(I’ve never experienced the Void before.)

She flinched. Ignoring the stitch in her side, she somehow summoned more speed. Foreign magic tried to grip her, coil around her, slow her movements. Shite! A Shadow Shaman! The Brutes were bad enough, but combine them with a Shaman—

Gritting her teeth against the slick sensation of oily snakes slithering to slow her, stop her, Callie wildly pulsed her own arcane energy out. It violently shredded the magic that dared to restrain her. The Shaman keened. The other Shadow Folk howled.

They bayed for blood.

They bayed for her blood.

Vastly outnumbered, she couldn’t face them head on. She was good with a knife. She wasn’t that good. Her only hope lay in making it home. Monsters fresh from the Void refused to cross a building’s threshold. No one knew why, but she’d take any advantage just then.

Yoba curse her for a fool! Why hadn’t she just stayed at the ranch?

The Shaman’s magic once again raced towards her, ragged and raw and writhing. She braced herself, prepared to rip and rend with no idea of how she did it. But the murderous magic did not snatch her. It did not slow her. It sank beneath the ground.

Ahead of her, the dark earth grew black and viscous. The craggy, misshapen head of a stone golem rose from its depths. Its green eyes radiated an unholy light. Its sharp teeth gleamed in the stygian night. The Shaman must have summoned the fucker.

Callie couldn’t avoid it. Blindly, frantically, she pulled arcane energy through her link and poured it into her legs, reenforcing them as she leapt over the pool of night. The golem’s hand clawed for her foot. Instead, it ripped the side of her shoe.

She landed hard. She rolled. She rebounded to her feet, daggers at the ready. She prepared to fight free even as she backpedaled.

Her thoughts flitted to blue eyes and a charming grin.

She refused to die tonight. Not like this. Not without a fight.

Magic washed over her, flooded her, strengthened her. The magic that pursued her recoiled.

Callie had landed within the bounds of her farm.

Her vision doubled, just as it had every time she confronted her other self. She could see her now, robed in white, flanked by two Junimos, and standing between her and the Shadow Folk. Arms wide, the other Callie continued chirping in the Junimos’ tongue. A towering, translucent hedgerow dominated her other’s vision, tall and thick. It delineated the entire border between Solanen’s Farm and the Cindersap Forest. Arcane thorns bristled in its branches.

Weariness weighed down their bones.

The Callie in white waited.

The Shadow Folk stopped, screeching in their inhuman language. Their hollow eye sockets glared at her—at Callie—through the arcane brambles as though neither the barrier nor her doppelganger existed. To her doubled vision, they hammered futile fists against both the hedge and also empty air. She could still feel the Shaman’s magic, feel its pulsing, sinister, arcane energy. It pushed. It probed. It pounded. But it could not cross the border.

Pain bloomed behind her eyes.

“What—?”

“Run,” hissed the other Callie. The strain in her voice tightened Callie’s own gut. “I cannot hold this for long. I’m too weak, too young. I must go home.”

“But—”

“Go.”

Swallowing her questions, Callie once again turned and fled.

Her entire existence narrowed to the ground below. Each agonizing, pounding step jarred her world, made her head feel as though an ice pick spiked into the base of her skull. Her lip stung from where she’d bitten it. But she ignored the pain. She ignored her terror. She ignored how fatigue constantly nipped her heels.

Yoba, she could sleep for a century.

No.

She couldn’t stop, couldn’t rest. Not yet.

Even as the distance grew between her and the hedge, her and her other, the stress, the anguish her doppelganger felt amplified within Callie. She stumbled, nearly fell. It felt like her own. The Junimos’ magic had never hurt like this before. Never. Not even when she strained herself hunting for Sterling.

Fuck, she had to get inside. If the Shadow Folk caught her in this condition—

Focus, she snapped at herself. Run.

Callie ran.

Reaching her porch in record time, she leapt up the stairs, ramming into the front door. She scrabbled for her key, shoved it into the lock, and cursed.

It refused to turn.

Forcing herself to take a steadying breath, to slow down, she tried again.

The lock clicked.

Callie yanked open the door and stumbled inside. She slammed it shut, then bent in half and gripped her knees, gasping and trembling as sweat dripped from the tip of her nose and splatted on the rug. While she considered herself in good shape, her strengths lay in brief bursts of speed and flexibility, not endurance running. Leaning her side against the door, she slid to the floor. Exhaustion tugged at her limbs, her heart, her head. She couldn’t submit, though. She couldn’t collapse into sleep just yet. She needed to stretch, for one, or else she’d hate the world tomorrow, and—

Her other’s pain vanished. Her own pain immediately lessened, dulled, yet her headache pounded harder. She started to panic. Black stars blossomed in her vision.

(It’s okay. I’m okay. I made it home. Breathe. I have to breathe.)

Letting her head drop between her knees, Callie tried to do just that, to breathe and thus slow her hummingbird heart. Cuthbert came over to check on her, meowing worriedly. She lay a shaking hand against his velvety fur and gently fisted her hand in it. Her friend purred. She nearly cried again.

Eventually, her body began to regain some semblance of calm. Despite her desire to pass out on the floor, Callie forced herself to first clean the blood from her face and then stretch out her abused muscles. As she did, her mind spun. Tales shared by first her Granddad and later her fellow adventurers hadn’t prepared her for that. They always described it as the world blinking and then monsters appearing. None had ever mentioned entering the fucking Void. Why had she?

Even now, her body still shuddered and trembled, though she could not say for certain if it was from the adrenaline or the magic she her other had used. More likely, it resulted from her glimpse of the Void. How, how could the monsters stand to traverse it the way they did?

Regardless, she should report the incident to Marlon. She had never heard of monsters swarming like that above ground. Shite, even in the mines, it was rare to find more than three or four gathered together. A full dozen, including a Shadow Shaman, set loose in the Cindersap… though, to be fair, Rasmodius would likely track them down with ease once curfew en—

The microwave caught her eye.

She blinked.

What the actual fuck?

Callie stared at the microwave’s clock. She rubbed her bleary eyes, but it didn’t change. Her gaze darted to the window.

Impossible.

Pulling out her phone, she turned on the screen.

The early dawn light illuminated the time:

6:10 am

Marlon

Marlon had just poured himself coffee when the door to the Guildhall opened, allowing the hot, southern breeze to invade. Patrol had gone sideways immediately that morning, and he and Gil had barely made it back to the Guildhall in time for a quick breakfast before needing to open the doors. In fact, he had not realized that Gil had already unlocked them. He swiftly exited the back bedroom with his mug in hand, ignoring the hitch in his hip where a Brute had landed a lucky kick, only to discover Callie closing the door behind her.

“Sun’s shining, kid. What in the seven planes brings you here?” he wondered. He couldn’t think of a single time she had visited the Guildhall in fair weather, much less this early in the day. If the sun shone, the valley’s Solanen tended to her farm, the forest, or the beach. She certainly didn’t arrive as soon as the Guildhall opened.

“Had a dozen Shadow Folk manifest between Marnie’s Ranch and my cottage, and I figured you and Gil would want to know,” she replied dryly as she trudged up to the counter and leaned wearily against it.

A rather obnoxious snore came from the rocking chair near the unlit fireplace. One that neither Marlon nor Callie believed for a moment. “I’m aware,” said Marlon, looking away from Gil’s performance and back to the Solanen. He gave her a closer once-over. While she typically looked tired of late, the kid looked not just exhausted but deeply rattled as well. Her bottom lip looked raw and swollen, and her eyes glittered a little too brightly. For all her flippant attitude, her hands never stilled. Instead, they absently fingered the daggers she hid in her sleeves.

“Oh?” she replied, clearly startled.

“Rasmodius contacted us not long after they slipped through,” he explained. “I’m curious how you know of it.”

Dark eyes darting to the side, Callie let out a slow breath and said, “I was there when they arrived.”

Gil’s snores stopped as suddenly as they’d begun. Sitting up straight, he tilted his hat back, eyes keen. His old friend had taken an interest in their newest member from the get-go, though he tried to hide it. He’d told Marlon more than once how Callie reminded him of Evelyn in her youth. Considering that Gil had viewed Evelyn as both friend and rival in those days, it was quite the compliment.

One of these days, Marlon should persuade Evelyn to sup with the three current Guildmembers just to watch Gil squirm. It would make lovely payback after Gil persuaded Lola to mentor Alesia. While the archer had never become quite as bloodthirsty as the former assassin, the pair had delighted in terrorizing the rest of the Guild.

Focus, old man, he thought to himself. His mind tended to wander to the past more often these days. “You were out after curfew?”

“Not by choice,” she said, shivering.

“What happened?” he asked sharply, concerned. His concern only deepened as she gave him a quick report, first about how she’d stopped to deal with Marnie’s young ward, then the Shadow Folk’s manifestations, and finally her mad dash for home. For her to still be there when the Shadow Folk arrived from the Void, instead of waking in her bed… “You saw the Void.”

It was not a question.

The kid flinched.

Yoba, no wonder she looked so haggard. The talismans the Guild used on patrol—their arcane anchors—served a dual purpose: to keep them rooted to their location and to protect their minds. “I did,” she confirmed aloud. Taking a shaky breath, she summoned a teasing smirk and added, “I have no desire to repeat the experience. Zero out of ten; would not recommend.”

“It would seem the valley's Solanen is blessed with a strong will,” declaimed Rasmodius. Both Callie and Marlon looked up to see the ball of light the wizard transformed into when teleporting. While it did not surprise Marlon that his old comrade had scried their conversation, it deeply annoyed him. Resuming his corporeal form, Rasmodius continued, “Many minds far more prepared than yours have fractured from such exposure.”

At Ras’s words, Gil rocked in his chair, soothing his agitation by stroking his beard. Three graves on the mountainside resulted from just that. Adventurers with just enough arcane ability but not enough wisdom.

“The Junimos provided,” said Callie. Gratitude laced her words.

Still, Marlon felt his old heart clench at how close they’d come to losing her. In the short time she’d lived here, Callie had already made numerous improvements, not just practically, but also in morale. To see the valley finally recovering, just to lose her to insanity—it did not bear thinking about.

After all, it had not happened.

“Indeed,” replied Ras. “I suspected as much. You wield their magic with remarkable skill.”

Callie shook her head.

“But she is well?” asked Marlon.

Rasmodius paused, staring at her intently. She neither flinched nor fidgeted; she simply waited while radiating exhaustion. “Well enough,” he said at last. “Though I recommend that when you leave, you return to bed, young Calia. You’ve sapped and strained your arcane system. Your head pounds, does it not?”

“It’s Callie,” she glared. When the wizard did nothing but stare at her, she sighed and admitted, “You’re not wrong. It’s better now than it was, however.”

He frowned as well. “You should take more care not to push yourself so. The dangers of—”

“Despite said dangers, I was rather more concerned with not dying at the time.”

Gil let loose a snort of amusement at that. The wizard shot him a dirty look. Honestly, Marlon rather enjoyed watching Rasmodius be on the receiving end of their so-called humor instead of him for once.

“Push too far, and you’ll die anyways, Callie,” Ras reiterated. His deep voice reflected both his worry and his irritation. “You are young yet in your magic. You are no good to the valley if you kill yourself or ruin your arcane system through hubris and folly. Stop trying to run when you can barely toddle.”

Callie’s mouth tightened even as her eyes flashed, but age and experience restrained her temper. Pity, that. It would serve the wizard well to receive a sharp-tongued reminder or three, in Marlon’s opinion. Since driving away Alecto, Rasmodius had grown only more pompous and conceited.

“I have no intention of either,” she sighed. “As it is,” she added before Rasmodius could continue his scolding, “I would ask a question of you, if I may.”

“Why was it morning when you returned?” the wizard guessed, lips turning in a grim smile.

Marlon exchanged a long look with Gil. This was not the first time they’d witnessed some version of this conversation. He doubted it would be the last.

“How—?”

“All who experience what you have wonder the same thing,” said Rasmodius. “Those untrained in the ways of the arcane and are caught outside in the Void hours, they do not remember anything at all. To them, they wake up in their bed at dawn and their minds supply a logical conclusion as to how they arrived there. Sometimes, others will falsely recall how they helped someone home,” he explained.

As he warmed up to the topic, he gestured expansively, making his robes billow. His sonorous voice filled every inch of Marlon’s hall as though a hundred students hung on every word instead of just one. “Only those either sufficiently attuned to their magic or bearing an arcane anchor remain rooted where they were when the Void retreats. Those armed with such artifacts are protected from what you experienced. To them, the world merely blinks and a new day dawns where they stand. But you and I, young Solanen, and all other adepts who would visit, we are not so fortunate. The whys and wherefores for that, how it is accomplished, what happens to the valley during those missing hours… I have studied them for long years, and yet even I have no good answer. It is one of the great mysteries.”

A deep frown marred Callie’s face. “You have no theories at all?”

“Quite the opposite. I have a thousand theories, each as equally valid as the next.”

“Does it relate to—?”

“If you wish to discuss the finer points of arcane theory, I would ask that you please do so elsewhere,” interrupted Marlon. Rasmodius had bent his ear about the wizard’s research into the Void for nearly four decades. Marlon had no desire to compound his headache by hearing it all yet again. “This morning was rather hectic.”

“And the old goat needs his coffee,” Gil ribbed him, earning a smirk of amusement from Callie.

While true, there was no need to speak it aloud.

“I must regretfully ask that you save your questions for another time, Solanen. There are matters I should attend to,” said Rasmodius. Giving her a sharp look, he added, “Get some rest.” Before Callie could reply, the wizard once more transformed into a ball of light and fled through the window.

“He does that to guarantee that he gets the last word in, doesn’t he?” Callie observed.

Marlon gave a weary sigh. “And has for as long as I’ve known him.”

“Well, that’s decided, then.”

He shot her a wary look. “What is?”

“Clearly, I should learn to teleport.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 12 – A Solanen’s Best

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Itinerary

Lee-lee,

I just wanted to send you an email with our itinerary next week. It’s so hard to believe that in like ten days not only will you have graduated, but you’ll also be Mrs. Harpagon! I can only imagine how much stress you’re under right now.

I’ll send you a text when we make it to the train station. I have so much to catch you up on!

—Mo

Callie

“Two months, Callie.”

Rubbing the palm of her left hand with her right thumb, Callie couldn’t help shifting her weight from foot to foot under the weight of Lenny’s stare. “I’m sorry it took me so long—”

Lenny cut off Callie’s apology. “What are you sorry for? You collected all of those materials in two months. Robin and Clint informed me that to order and have everything delivered would take six months to a year, plus we’d be paying for it all,” she explained with a disbelieving laugh. “I knew your Granddad once upon a time, and he would be so proud of you.”

Callie turned beet red at Lenny’s words. “I’m just trying my best,” she said, ducking her head a little, looking anywhere around Lenny’s office but at her.

“A Solanen’s best is something to marvel at,” the older woman replied with a very satisfied smile. “Thank you, Callie. I’ll contact Clint and Robin to let them know we have everything. You truly have done the valley a huge service.”

“You’re welcome, Lenny.”

“Now, go find some shady place to ride out the heat of the afternoon,” Lenny said, before adding with a teasing smile, “Maybe check in on your ‘rival.’”

“Jeric running his mouth again?” Callie laughed, latching onto the subject change. Her ‘rival’ loved trying to rile her up with his boasts.

“Is there a time when he isn’t?”

“Point taken.”

Callie had promised Shiro she would drop by that afternoon once he’d finished his PT for the day, but he wouldn’t finish until after four. With Lenny’s words still ringing in her ears, Callie opted to visit Blooming Hill Farm, though she felt terribly tempted to drive her truck out. (Despite heeding the wizard’s words and resting the day before, she still felt utterly spent.) Unfortunately, she knew that would just invite questions she had no desire to answer. Instead, she left the truck parked at the hotel and slowly plodded to her destination.

Arriving at the farm, she took a moment to again admire the work Jeric had put into his fields. She also paused by the chicken pen, watching as they pecked around for tasty bugs. Her own three hens provided her endless amusement, and thankfully Cuthbert appeared to have no interest in them as a meal. Callie briefly considered going up to the corral to tell Turbo ‘hi,’ but what she really wanted was to get out of the heat and sit her ass down. Maybe her head would pound less. Her ibuprofen had not eased her headache as much as she’d hoped for.

As she opened the door to the shop, Jeric said, “Welcome to—Hi, baby girl!” he interrupted himself when he saw that it was Callie. “Just can’t keep away from me, huh?”

She rolled her eyes. “Obviously. The fact that I had to make a delivery to Lenny and am meeting up with Shiro and then Philip later had no impact whatsoever,” she said dryly, though she did smile.

“Ah, using me for entertainment until you can meet up with your boytoy I see,” he teased her.

“Entertainment? How about air conditioning,” she grinned as she walked up to the counter. Her friend never failed to make her smile. “I thought I’d keep you company in the meanwhile. If you don’t mind, that is. Wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Spendin’ time with a cutie like you is never an imposition,” he said, grinning right back at her. “Would you like something cold to drink?”

“I swear it’s like you can read my mind.”

Jeric led Callie further back into the building past where he had all of his produce on display to a small kitchenette. “I have both soda and juice,” he told her as he opened the door to his fridge and gestured for her to grab what she wanted.

She selected a small bottle of apple juice. “Thank you, Jeric. I really appreciate it,” she told him as she got out of the way for him to get his own drink.

“Any time, baby girl.”

“Why baby girl? Why?” Callie playfully complained.

“You have to admit it’s better than anything Sterling calls you.”

“Both of you have horrible tastes in pet names—still better than Shane’s though,” she said, shaking her head as she leaned gratefully back against the kitchen counter.

“Yeah. Short stack leaves a lot to be desired,” Jeric admitted.

“Oh, he has a worse name for me.”

“Oh? And what else, pray tell, does the grump call you?”

“Half-pint.”

Jeric snickered. “Oh Yoba, does he really?” he asked, eyes dancing. He leaned against the counter as well, hip to hip with Callie.

“Have you really never heard him call me that?” she asked, genuinely surprised.

“He doesn’t talk much around me,” Jeric reminded her. Which, fair. Shane didn’t talk much around anyone aside from Sterling, Em, and his family.

“Huh. Well, when I asked why he picked half-pint, all he’d do is laugh and refuse to tell me.” He’d blushed as well, but she left that part of the conversation out.

Smirking, Jeric said, “I could come up with a few reasons.”

Callie gave him a look. “But you’re too much of a gentleman to say them.”

That made him laugh. “There is that, baby girl. Wouldn’t want to sully your delicate ears.”

The two settled into a contented quiet as they sipped at their drinks. Eventually, she asked, “Have you heard from Bryle or Oliver lately?”

“Yeah, I was actually talking with Olly earlier today,” said Jeric. “He was complaining ‘cause Ms. Jo’s making noises about taking him somewhere that’s a ‘healthier’ environment than Zuzu.”

“Healthier environment?” Callie echoed, brow creasing in confusion. “Like, politically or socially?”

“Physically,” he said. “Even though Olly recovered from his illness several years ago, now, Ms. Jo still worries about his exposure to anything that might compromise his ability to breathe such as smog and other pollutants. He already does most of his schooling online, so….”

Callie hummed quietly at that. “Think she might move him out here?”

Jeric did an actual, physical double-take at that. “I… hadn’t even considered that, to be honest,” he admitted before frowning.

Canting her head to the side at his frown, she asked, “Would that be an issue?”

“Heh, maybe,” he said after a moment. “Ms. Jo… her heart’s in the right place, but….”

“She’s a bit overprotective?”

Laughing, he said, “Yeah, let’s go with that.”

Callie’s visit with Shiro turned out pretty short. His PT work that day had wiped him completely out.

She could empathize.

“Sorry, Callie. I thought— I didn’t expect to be quite this tired,” Shiro said when she dropped in. To her surprise, Yuuma had led her back to their room. Shiro had stretched out on the bed and looked half asleep, his wheelchair close by.

Now that she wasn’t running high on adrenaline from Shiro’s collapse, the layout of the room made more of an impression on her. It felt tightly packed, with a towering bookcase filled to the brim directly across from the entrance. Against the far wall sat Yuuma’s bed (complete with an adorable teddy bear on the pillow). In between the bookcase and Yuuma’s bed was Shiro’s bed and a wide dresser. Just barely enough room existed between the foot of Shiro’s bed and the southern wall for someone to squeeze by.

“I’m sorry, Shiro. I can I always come back another day,” Callie said, sitting on the edge of the bed once again.

“You don’t have to do that!” he insisted before breaking into a huge yawn.

She laughed a little, then gave him a warm smile. “I think that perhaps your body has different plans. But that’s okay. You have my number—you can text me any time.”

Shiro sighed, letting his head drop back against his pillow. “At least there’s that. But I have a request of you first,” he said, clearly exerting his willpower to keep his eyes open.

“What’s that?”

“Would… would you please come with us next week?” he asked, grabbing ahold of her hand with surprising strength. In that moment, he looked so young. Even though she often thought of him as a kid, it was the first time he really looked like a kid. “We’re taking the train Tuesday evening into Zuzu and will be coming back Thursday barring some sort of catastrophe,” Shiro said, the tightness around his eyes further betraying his worry. “I think that Yuuma and Philip could both use your company during then.”

She’d bet that he could as well. For all that he tried to hide it, Callie could see just how scared Shiro was about this upcoming surgery. It would take a bit of finagling, but…. “Of course,” she said, gently patting his hand. “I’ll work out the details with Philip, so don’t you worry about that. I’ll keep an eye on Yuuma for you,” she promised him.

Shiro relaxed back into his bed, giving her hand a quick squeeze before releasing it. “Thank you, Callie. That… really means a lot to me,” he said, finally letting his eyes start to drift shut.

“You’re welcome, Shiro.”

She got a sleepy murmur in return.

Walking out of his room, she found Yuuma waiting on her. “You’re going to come with us?” he asked, his dark eyes hopeful.

Smiling, she ruffled his soft hair. “I am. Is that okay with you, kiddo?”

He gave her a sharp nod in answer. “Nii-san trusts you, and he always perks up when you visit,” he said. “Knowing you’re there will help him after the surgery.”

“I hope so,” she said. “Is there anything you need my help with this evening before I go?”

The little boy shook his head. “I already have dinner planned and taken care of. Thank you for asking.”

“If you two need help with something, just give me a call or text, okay Yuuma? Might take a hot minute for me to make it up here, but I’ll do it.”

Yuuma smiled. “Thank you, Ms. Callie. I’ll keep that in mind,” he said as he led her out of the house.

Philip

For once, Philip got off at a semi-decent hour—it was only six-thirty as he walked into the hotel. He probably should have stopped by Pika’s on the way up, but it had completely slipped his mind as he mentally reviewed the plan for their trip next week. Eh, he had a tv dinner stuffed in the tiny freezer of his mini fridge. He didn’t have the energy to go find something better.

Stopping by the front desk, he picked up his mail from the owner of the hotel, Richard, before trudging up the staircase. He had a couple of new issues this week, one for Prodigirl and one for Incrediman; he might manage to get one read before falling asleep. But first, a shower. When he made it to his door, however, there was a surprise waiting for him. “Callie?”

His girlfriend gave him a brilliant smile despite the lethargy of her movements. “Hey, handsome,” she said as she stood up from where she sat in the hallway, a bag from Pika’s on her arm.

“What—what are you doing here?”

She arched an eyebrow. “It’s Wednesday,” she reminded him.

Philip stared at her, internally cursing himself out. Of course it was Wednesday—it’s why he had the sessions he did, why he got comics in today. How in the Void could he forget that Callie always came up on Wednesdays? “Sorry, babe, I am so brain fried,” he said with a sheepish smile as he dug out his key card. “Were you waiting long?”

“Not enough to worry about,” she said with a reassuring smile. “Food’s still warm and everything!”

Yoba bless that woman, he thought to himself as he opened the door, holding it for Callie to follow him in. Dropping his gym bag onto the floor, he pulled her to him and gave her a tender kiss, savoring her sweet warmth. “You’re so good to me,” he said softly.

“I try,” she said. Her eyes crinkled adorably at the corners from her smile. “Let’s get you sat down at the table. I got you the fried fish you like.”

Despite his exhaustion, he pulled her in for another quick kiss on the way to the table. “You’re spoiling me,” he said as they took their seats on the little plastic stools.

“Well, that’s because you deserve a little spoiling,” Callie said as she pulled out their food. “If I can’t spoil you a bit, who can?”

“Well, when you put it like that…” he chuckled, opening up the packages of plastic silverware for the two of them. It didn’t take long at all before they were both digging into their dinners, talking about how their weeks had gone so far. Even though they texted and/or talked on the phone every day, it just wasn’t the same as telling each other face to face.

"Has your headache finally faded?" he asked with concern. She'd complained of it both yesterday and this morning. Philip suspected she may have become severely dehydrated working in the fields as she did.

"It's better," she insisted with a quicksilver smile. "Ibuprofen mutes it completely now, and I'm hopeful another night's sleep will resolve what's left of it."

He frowned. "But you've been drinking water, yeah?"

Nodding, she said, "Like a fish, promise."

While Philip couldn't help but worry a bit, he knew that nagging her further would do no good just then. Shifting gears, he began relaying his impression of his newest clients. “The Bladebanes are such a sweet old couple,” he told her. “I hope someday we’re at least half that adorable.”

Callie’s smile widened. “That’s a life goal I can get on board with,” she said. “And your sessions with them are going well?”

“They are. Lola requires more physical support than I initially anticipated, but I think this will work out well,” Philip said. “Honestly, it’s my sessions with Shiro that are the most exhausting right now, and I know they’ll get even more intense once we resume after his surgery.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. He was barely awake when I dropped by after your session this afternoon,” she said before breaking into a yawn. He couldn’t help smiling in amusement at how adorable she looked. Flashing an embarrassed smile, she quickly tacked on, “He asked me to go with all of you to Yoba’s Mercy next week.”

Philip stared. “Are you—?”

She nodded. “I dropped by Odd Jobs afterwards and hired Ian and Sean to feed the chickens and make sure the sprinklers are working for the duration. With any luck, my blueberries will wait until after I’m back to fully ripen,” she added with a wry smile.

He felt his heart swell at that. Philip knew how important that farm was to Callie. Yet, here she was, spending money he knew she didn’t really want to spend to have someone look after it so she could take care of Shiro and Yuuma… and him too, to be completely honest. No wonder he adored her so. Reaching out and caressing her cheek, Philip said, “You really are beautiful inside and out, Callie.” She blushed at that. Before she could argue with him, he stared deep into those dark eyes and added, “I don’t know what I did to earn the affections of someone like you, but I’m grateful every day."

“You just had to be you, hon. No other special effort required,” she said sweetly, cupping his cheek in return and brushing her small thumb over his cheekbone.

Once more, he locked his lips with hers in an effort to tell her without words just how much she meant to him. When they finally broke apart, he said quietly, “I know you’re tired, babe, but I desperately need a shower. Would… would you like to join me?”

Callie gave him a wicked grin. “That sounds like a splendid idea.”

Sterling

Sterling’s housemates couldn’t come home fast enough.

Monday hadn’t bothered him too much since he’d had the distractions of his birthday and then Callie bringing him home. He didn’t even really remember the walk back, but he knew she had escorted him by the water and ibuprofen she’d left on the end table for him. And on Tuesday, despite her obvious headache and fatigue, he’d ended up having a watch party over video chat with her of some old comedy western that she adored. They’d both fallen asleep with the video call still on. He only knew that though because of the length of said call in his history; she woke up before him and hung up. He rather regretted that, actually. Even if it was only over the phone, waking up to her sleeping beside him—

Sterling cut that line of thought off with prejudice.

Henry originally planned to come back to the house today, but apparently the combine had gone tits up yesterday morning, and he’d spent all of yesterday and today repairing it. So, like Mia, he wouldn’t be home until Friday. This meant that Sterling sat alone in his borrowed bedroom, staring at his phone in the middle of the night and debating whether to look at the messages from Kai that had sat there since his birthday. He knew if he looked, he’d want to respond, and he was drunk and lonely enough at the moment that he probably would respond. Usually when he got like this, he reached out to Callie and asked for a distraction of some kind. But today was Wednesday, and on Wednesdays she went up to Ridgeside and stayed with Philip.

He hated Wednesdays. Which was ironic, considering it was one of his two days off.

He didn’t begrudge Callie spending time with her boyfriend. He didn’t. After all, Sterling had done most of the legwork of hooking the two of them up. But it did mean that she was off-limits to him after about six in the evening. Oh, she would insist that he could still reach out to her, but Sterling refused to be that guy. He would not vie for her attention when she spent time alone with her partner.

The only way he’d reach out to her on a night like this was if he thought he was on the brink of an utterly stupid decision.

…like reaching out to his ex of nearly a year because he was drunk and lonely.

With a frustrated sigh, Sterling tossed his phone onto his bed and turned towards his laptop, flipping the power on and opening it up to the journal he kept on there. The shrink he briefly saw before moving out to the valley had encouraged him to write whenever everything got too big—too hard to handle—and also when he had a particularly good day. It hadn’t seemed to help much, but….

He glanced back at the previous entry. He’d written it after the movie marathon in Grampleton. That was a good day. Looking further back, he saw the entry from when he and Callie had played in the river. That was an even better day. Even now, he could still remember the mischief in her eyes, the joy of her laughter, the way her clothes and hair had swirled and clung to her, the delicious roughness of her calloused hands trying to catch him, tickle him, how inviting her soft curves felt trapped within his arms—

Once more yanking his mind back on track, he took a deep breath, pulled what strength he could from the good memories, and scrolled down to the bottom to start up a new entry.

Sterling could do this.

He could.

He wouldn’t fail now.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13 – Memory

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Long time no see

Lee-lee,

I am so, so, SO sorry that it’s taken me…  um… 15 months to get back to you. Between taking on more missions for the Guild and helping out with the ranch and then everything that’s gone on with the museum (which is a scandal and a half that I need to catch you up on) and then everything with Ras and Alecto plus spending time with Triss and… well, I have a ton of excuses, but none of them really feel like a good excuse.

Heard some chatter that they’re looking to promote Paul to the number two position at the Zuzu branch. Is that true? I hope so! I know he has ambitions for making it to Guildmaster one day.

What have you been up to? How are things with your family? Are you still dancing at all? Did you catch the Revengers?

I love you lots!

—Mo

Callie

On Thursday, Marnie had called up Callie and asked her to watch Jas for a little bit. The rancher and the mayor continued to have regular ‘meetings’ even after the grant had gotten its approval, much to Marnie’s delight. It had taken a bit of gentle prying on Callie’s part, but she eventually got her friend to admit that the meetings were far more than just that. “But we’re not spreading that around,” she’d insisted to Callie. “Lewis worries how the rest of valley would react to the news and that it would undermine his authority.”

Callie had frowned despite knowing that Marnie couldn't see her over the phone. “Why in the world would that undermine his authority? Does he have a wife somewhere I’m unaware of? Do you?” Marnie had simply laughed at her joke and then changed the subject.

She didn’t mind watching Jas, though. For one, it allowed her to check on her after finding her so close to curfew (the kiddo was just fine and highly apologetic). For another, it was a good chance to talk with her about her parents. Currently, they sat in Marnie’s kitchen, a closed photo album sitting on the table. “Did you know that your Aunt Marnie used to babysit me when I was just a little bit older than you are now?” asked Callie.

Jas looked at her with wide eyes from where she sat in Callie’s lap. Thankfully, she took after her mother thus far and didn’t utterly dwarf her just yet. “She did?”

“Yep,” Callie smiled. “She had her hands full trying to keep me and your mum out of trouble, especially when the rest of our friends were around too.”

“The rest of your friends?”

“There was a whole crowd of us that hung out together,” she nodded, opening up the album and pointing to various people. “See? There’s your mum and I with your Aunt Marnie. And these squirts here?” she said, pointing to a picture of two redheaded boys, one thin as a bean pole and the other already broad-shouldered. “Would you believe that’s Sterling and his cousin Henry?”

“Wait, really?! Mr. Sterling knew my mom?” Jas asked, even more shocked by this tidbit of news.

“That he did. We also knew your dad too,” Callie said as she flipped several pages forward in her photo album and pointed at a picture of an older boy with the same tan skin and green eyes that Jas had. “Triss was the oldest of the lot, but no one ever put him in charge of us,” she added with a fond laugh. “He’s the one who usually talked everyone else into some harebrained scheme.”

Mr. Ginger hopped up onto the table and sat down beside the book, sniffing at the pages curiously and then giving a meow. “Did you hear that, Mr. Ginger? Farmer Callie also knew Daddy!” Jas said excitedly.

The cat regarded Callie with a curious expression. When she returned his regard, Mr. Ginger reached out with his nose and sniffed at her hair before batting at one of the curls. “Ornery cat,” she grinned, teasing him a little with her fingers.

“Did Daddy talk you into any ‘harebrained schemes?’” asked Jas.

Mr. Ginger meowed again.

That made Callie laugh. “Not usually. Hank and I—Hank is what I’d call Sterling’s cousin, Henry—usually tried to argue against said schemes, but Triss had a knack for convincing the others. He got Re—Sterling and Matty into so much trouble.”

“What about Mom?”

“Mo loved to encourage his crazy ideas,” she said. “He’d propose something completely insane, and then she’d start working on the logistics to actually make it work.”

“And you’d try to stop them?” Jas asked as she flipped through the pages of the photo album. Each of her fingernails reflected a different glittery color, shimmering as they moved.

“Try being the operative word,” Callie giggled as she petted Mr. Ginger. “Once it became apparent that everyone else was gung-ho for whatever mischief Triss had invented, Hank and I would resign ourselves to trying to mitigate any resulting damage.”

“Miti-what?”

“That means we’d try to make sure no one got hurt and nothing got broken.”

Jas made an ‘ohhh’ sound. Stopping on a particular page, she pointed at a picture of a large group of children. “Is that you and all of your friends?”

“Yeah,” Callie said softly. “Let’s see, that’s Mo… Triss… Hank and Red and Glory… Matty and… and who are…? Oh! I’ll be. That’s Clint and Jacob. I’d completely forgotten they came to her birthday party,” she laughed. Considering neither man had said anything, she was willing to bet they’d forgotten they’d met her too.

“Ellie’s dad?!”

“Pretty cool, huh?”

“Very cool. It’s so weird to see everyone as kids,” Jas said. “But why don’t you have any pictures of Uncle Shane?”

“Well, that’s because I only lived in the valley for that one Summer, and your Uncle Shane was at a gridball camp,” she explained. “Your mum was really upset about it, actually.”

“Oh,” said Jas. Looking back down at the photo album, she turned it to the next page. She pointed at a picture of her parents absolutely coated in mud and asked, “What happened here?”

Callie snickered before sharing the tale.

Shane

As far as Shane was concerned, today could go die in a fucking fire, so he could piss on the ashes.

Maybe it was because yesterday had ended up such a good day. Callie hadn’t steered him wrong when she suggested he play with Jas for her birthday. Not long after, he’d found himself remembering her advice to him in the graveyard to make small improvements where he could, so he started making more of an effort to spend one evening a week with Jas. His goddaughter always shone brighter than the sun whenever he’d come home and tell her he’d play whatever she wanted until bedtime. Last night, they’d made up a dozen different dramas for her toys, played hide and seek for an hour, and painted each and every one of their fingernails and toenails different colors.

Waking up this morning, he still had a pretty good mood lingering from the day before. Jas had told him just before she went to bed that it was the best day ever. It felt like the first time since his sister died that he’d done something right by the kid.

As he sipped at his coffee splashed with whiskey, he waited for his sausage biscuits to finish heating up in the microwave. His eyes blearily scanned the room before latching onto a book on the kitchen table. Normally, he wouldn’t think twice about it as Marnie was forever leaving shitty erotica romance novels lying around, but the cover had a distinctly sci-fi feel to it and looked rather beaten up. Glancing at the time remaining on the microwave, he reached over and picked the book up, looking at the title.

Signs and Portents.

Why did that ring a bell?

Curiosity thoroughly piqued, he opened up the cover and nearly choked as he saw familiar handwriting on the inside.

Mona.

As the microwave let out a shrill beep, Shane slammed the book shut. Fuck. He was not ready for that this morning. Scowling, he pulled out his sausage biscuits from the microwave, only to find that one felt like lava and the other like ice. Because of course they were.

Why had Callie left that here? When had Callie left that here?

“Everything okay?” Marnie asked as she bustled in to start making breakfast for her and Jas.

“Fucking peachy,” Shane muttered. Downing the rest of his alcoholic coffee, he then took his ruined sausage biscuits and stalked towards the door. He studiously ignored Marnie's lecture about his language.

If that was the worst thing that had happened, he would have called it a normal day and moved on with life. But it wasn’t. It was never just one fucking thing. He’d barely clocked in before that pissant Morris reprimanded him for his ‘unprofessional appearance.’ As if anyone gave two flying fucks what the stockboy’s fingernails looked like. But Shane took it because he sure as shit couldn’t afford to lose his job. If there were any other jobs in the valley, he’d have applied for them.

It still rankled sometimes that Sterling had gotten that job at Pierre’s; even if it was still retail, at least it wasn’t Joja.

And then. Then. Some shitheads—he suspected Keahi and Trinnie, though Blair and Sean were also strong possibilities—went through the aisles shaking cans and bottles of soda until they fucking exploded everywhere. Gushers of soda spilled out all over the other products and shelves and floors. And, of fucking course, Shane was the unlucky bastard who had to clean it up. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he slipped in the soda, getting drenched from ass to shoulders. But no, he couldn’t leave to go get a clean uniform. “You’ll just get dirty again cleaning all of this up,” smirked Morris.

By the time he got to the end of his shift, Shane’s clothes had dried and adhered to his skin; his hips and back were furious from the fall in addition to the normal pain in his knees. His only saving grace was that it was Friday, and he didn’t have to go back to that hellhole for two whole days. He could just go get plastered and hopefully forget this day had ever happened.

After sending Sterling a text letting him know that Shane would be late to the saloon, he stalked into the ranch ready for a shower and clean clothes and to fucking drown in beer. He made it three steps inside when he heard Callie’s voice. “Now, I’m pretty sure your dad never meant for Mo to fall in—you’ve seen how big the pigs get, and your mum was even smaller than I was at the time—so as soon as he realized what had happened, he jumped in to grab her and get her back out,” Callie said to the little girl in her lap.

He’d completely forgotten that Marnie was having a ‘meeting’ with Lewis today. Shit. He’d also forgotten that Callie was babysitting this afternoon. Fucking damn it. “Yoba, I had never seen your aunt so mad before or since,” she continued, oblivious to Shane’s arrival.

“That’s because he was an idiot forever getting Mona nearly killed,” Shane grumbled before he could stop himself, drawing the attention of Callie and Jas.

“Uncle Shane!” Jas shouted, jumping up to run and give him a hug.

“Back off,” he growled at her, holding his hand out to keep her from hugging him. At Jas’s welling eyes and Callie’s sharp look, he sighed and added, “I can’t give you a hug right now, chick-a-little,” he said. “I’m saturated in soda and need a shower.”

“Oh,” Jas said quietly.

Feeling even more like a wretched fucknugget, he beat a hasty retreat to his room, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes.

“Enjoy your shower,” said Callie. Pulling Jas back into her lap, she then redirected his little girl's attention to the photo album.

He mumbled something in response as he slipped into his room to gather clean clothes, just barely stopping himself from slamming the door. Even before he grabbed clean clothes, he yanked open his minifridge and pulled out a beer, popping its top and drinking it all in one go. What a fucking piece of shit he was, taking his bad day out on a defenseless little girl. Just like Mom and Dad always did. Grimacing, Shane got a second beer to drink while he collected clean clothes for his shower. Yoba, but everything hurt… and he didn’t just mean his body.

Why the fuck did Callie have to do show and tell with Jas today of all days?

A half-hour later, washed and in clean clothes with yet another beer in his belly, Shane re-emerged intent on escaping for the saloon. The girls still sat at the table, looking through more pictures. Callie shared the story behind each photo. Jas, meanwhile, absorbed each little tidbit like a desiccated sponge, eager for any drop or hint of a tale about her parents. That should be him sharing stories with Jas. But he was too much of a shitgoblin to even do that much right.

Jas noticed him first, crawling down out of Callie’s lap and edging towards him with a nervous smile. “Feel better?” she asked, green eyes that reminded him far too much of her dad shining brightly as she held her arms out for a hug.

Grunting as she wrapped her arms around his sore middle, Shane said, “Somewhat. Cleaner, anyway.”

“That’s good at least,” Jas said, smiling. “Would you like to join us, Uncle Shane? Farmer Callie’s showing me pictures from when she was a kid! There are even pictures of Mr. Sterling in here!”

Shane grimaced. “Fu—Um, no. Go spend time with Farmer Callie,” he said, gently unhooking Jas’s arms from around him. “You’d rather be with her anyways,” he added under his breath.

“What? No, I wouldn’t, Uncle Shane! We could—”

“I said, go play with Callie,” Shane added more harshly before stomping out of the kitchen.

“I’m back!” Marnie called from the front room even as Jas started sniffling behind him.

Fucking Yoba’s sloppy wet bits, could this day get any worse?

Shane quickly shouldered past Marnie and went outside before everything could crash down on his head. He’d nearly made it to the cobblestone when the ranch’s door made a sound like a gunshot ricochet through the forest. “Shane!” Callie called, chasing after him.

“Leave me alone,” he said, trying to increase his pace. Unfortunately, his useless, aching body refused to cooperate.

“Wait, damn it!” she replied, quickly catching up to him.

Glaring at her over his shoulder, he kept walking even as he said, “Leave me the fuck alone, Cal. I’ve had an incredibly shitty day.”

A surprisingly forceful hand gripped his shoulder and spun him around, making him face Callie. Fiery brown eyes bore into his own. Her brow furrowed, and her teeth gritted as she said, “I don’t care how horrible a day you’ve had, that was uncalled for.”

Shane already felt guilty enough about the whole incident without Callie haranguing him. The shame almost immediately converted into anger, making him shrug off her hand. “What the fuck do you know? So, I got a little short-tempered. The world’s not going to treat Jas with kid gloves,” he said, hearing his mother’s words come out of his mouth.

Callie gaped at him before pure fury took over. She really was so damn pretty when angry. “What in the Void has gotten into you, Shane? You’re her godparent. You should be trying to protect her from the world, not trying to—”

“You’re right, Callie. I am her godparent, so maybe you should back the fuck off,” Shane spat at her, “Instead of trying to steal the job for yourself.”

Those dark eyes widened as though he’d just slapped her. “Are you treating her like shit because you’re jealous?!” she asked, voice climbing in pitch from her incredulity.

Shane flinched. He was jealous. He was jealous of the way Jas looked up to her, the way Marnie treated her like her favorite kid, the way Sterling would rather spend time with her as him. They would all deny it, but he saw how they each fawned over Lee-lee. And why shouldn’t they? Even Mona had wanted Callie as Jas’s godparent first. Shane was a dismal second.

The fight went out of him.

Sighing, he turned away from her again and started walking towards the saloon, saying, “Just leave me alone.”

“Oh, fuck no,” Callie said, darting around in front of him. “You listen to me, Shane Wallace,” she said, blocking his path. “If you’ve got a problem with me? Fine. I’m a grown-ass woman and can take whatever you can dish out. But Jasmine? Jas is a little girl. Mo’s little girl. Your little girl. She loves you so much; you’re the only dad she’s ever known. Feel as shitty as you want. Hate yourself as much as you want. But when you’re with her? You suck it up and treat her like the most precious person in the world. Don’t treat her the way your parents treated you and Mo. You’re better than that.”

Shane stared at Callie, the way her eyes blazed with righteous wrath, the way her small frame somehow managed to block off the entire sidewalk, the way her fists shook from clenching so tightly. Despite how fierce she looked, Callie’s voice remained remarkably quiet and even, making her words strike even harder.

All on behalf of Mona’s daughter.

The worst part was he knew she was right. Every word she spoke, he knew it in his gut. They were all things he’d told himself every time he lost his temper with Jas. Shane loathed this part of himself, the part that was exactly the same as his mom, as his dad. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. “You’ve said your piece. Now let me go,” he said quietly, pleading.

Frowning, Callie stepped to the side. As he passed, she added, “Whatever you’re looking for, you’re not going to find it at the bottom of the bottle, buttercup.”

“Yeah, yeah, you don't approve of my drinking,” he muttered as he kept walking.

“It’s the voice of experience.”

Shane paused but didn’t look back at her. “Your rules,” he said, old suspicions rearing their heads.

“I told you, there’s a story for each one,” she sighed. “Go on. Go drown your misery and hope you hate yourself less in the morning. But the next time you see Jas, you better damn well apologize to her.” When Callie didn’t say anything else, Shane started to walk on, only to hear her add in a surprisingly gentle voice, “And if you need to yell at someone after a bad time of it, call me. Don’t keep it all in until you lash out.”

Glancing back at her, he could see the seriousness of the offer, the thread of friendship woven through it. Shane gave her one sharp nod, then walked on towards the saloon.

Sterling

Callie: Shane had a shitty day, took it out on Jas, and I ripped him a new one. Look after him  💖

Emily: 👍

Sterling: I’ve got him. Will you be in?

Callie: Maybe. Lemme see if my temper settles

June: Man, this isn’t remotely cool anymore

June: Call. Him.

June: Please

June: Otherwise…

Terrance: come out to snookie’s tonight for old time’s sake 😘

Terrance: we’ve found some great new shit

Terrance: makes you forget your own fuckin mother

Terrance: feel free to bring your new piece of ass too

Angel: Hey gorgeous 😘

Angel: We’re throwing a party for Kai out at Snookie’s tonight

Angel: It’d really mean a lot to all of us if you’d show your pretty face

Angel: If you can’t make it, at least call or text someone, okay?

Angel: 💖💖💖💖💖

“Shitty day, huh?” Sterling asked as he handed Shane a pint, reaching into his pocket to flip his damned phone to vibrate. He’d deal with that bullshit later.

They were both standing by the fireplace, watching as the others indulged in their Friday rituals. Usually, Sterling would have moved on elsewhere, dancing or flirting or making bets in the arcade. Even if Callie hadn’t sent her text, however, when Shane walked in Sterling would’ve known something was wrong. He held off on asking about Shane’s day until he had a beer or two in him, just keeping him company. Doing so earlier would result in either silence or insults. Now, he might actually get his friend to talk.

“That obvious, huh?” asked Shane.

“Yep,” he answered, popping the 'p' with a bit of extra gusto.

That made Shane smirk a little, before he sighed and, with a distinct slur already coloring his voice, started talking about his day: his gross breakfast, the book he found, the fucking awful workday. When he started to talk about making it back to the ranch, though, Shane grew quiet.

“That all sounds supremely shitty, man,” Sterling said. “Bet it felt good to go home and get clean.”

Shane’s lips twisted to the side as he avoided Sterling’s gaze.

“It got worse?” Sterling asked, not wanting to let on what he’d heard from Callie.

“Yeaaaah. Forgot that short stuff was babysittin’. Took out m’ shitty day on Jas in fron’ o’ her,” he muttered, barely loud enough for Sterling to hear.

“Ended up on the receiving end of one of her tongue lashings, I take it.”

Shane snorted. “Yeah. At leas’ she didn’ swing at me.”

“Was that a possibility?”

“For a moment, I thought she might,” Shane admitted. “Woulda deserved it, too.”

“I doubt she’d actually swing at you,” Sterling said, before giving him a teasing smirk. “You’d enjoy it too much.”

“Fuck you,” Shane grumbled even as he turned a brilliant shade of red—well beyond the flush of alcohol.

“If you insist,” Sterling grinned, unable to resist the obvious comeback.

Shane paused, eyeing Sterling for a moment, before smirking. “Eh, not tonight.”

That caught Sterling by surprise. For a moment, it looked like he'd actually considered it. Despite knowing that Shane also swung both directions, despite their explicit conversations late at night and many drinks in, it had never occurred to Sterling that Shane might have an interest. Yoba, it would be fantastic not to have to drive out to Belleview. Because his last ‘friends with benefits’ situation had worked out so bloody well for Sterling. “You thought about it,” he accused with a cheeky grin.

“Hardly,” Shane denied. “‘Sides, don’t wanna wake up to yer fuckin’ alarm inna mornin’,” Shane said as he finished off his latest beer. “Yer girl’s ‘ere.”

Sterling’s eyes darted around the saloon until he caught sight of Callie at the bar, talking with Gus and handing him something that made the barkeep grin widely. “She’s not my girl,” he said belatedly, looking back at Shane to find him watching Sterling.

Shane scoffed.

“She’s dating Philip and has for a couple months now,” he said testily, trying not to think about his birthday.

“Doesn’t mean she always will be,” Shane replied. “Anyway, go say hi t’ her. I’m gonna have ‘nother ’n go home. Jas and Marnie should be in bed.”

“Considering you just had a fight with her, you’re pushing awful hard for me to spend time with Callie,” Sterling said. Though, admittedly, that was what he’d like to do.

Shane batted the comment away with a hand. “Notta fight. Just ‘er callin’ me on m’ bullshit. One o’ my favorite things ‘bout her.”

“Whatever,” Sterling sighed, before asking, “Let me know when you head out?”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Shane said, watching as Callie waved at the two of them and headed towards her booth. “Now git.”

Callie

It took longer to get away from the ranch than Callie had originally hoped, mostly because she wanted to reassure Jas that everything was okay. Marnie looked mad enough to spit nails despite Callie’s efforts to assure her that she’d ripped sufficiently into Shane. She wound up staying until Jas went to bed, showing the photo album to Marnie, playing games, and reading stories. At least she got dinner out of the deal.

Callie sent off another quick message to Philip to bid him good night. They’d texted earlier after Shane had left but before she headed back to the ranch. While he was certainly sympathetic, she also got the impression that, once again, he was barely awake.

Philip’s fears gnawed at her.

Shaking them off, she made her way to the saloon, making sure to drop off with Gus an orange that Callie had purchased from the traveling merchant, Suki. “Since I know you like them so much, I got this for you as a belated birthday present,” she told him.

“Thank you! You are a sweet girl, Callie,” he beamed. “But I’m still going to nag you to eat.”

“I promise I’ve already had dinner! Marnie insisted on cooking for me.”

“Alright, alright. Cider?”

“Of course!”

The bar was rather sparse for a Friday night—no sign of the Camdens nor Jenkins, and a glance at the arcade showed the kids were missing as well. Curious. Shrugging to herself, Callie paid and took her cider from the bar top before making her way towards her usual booth, waving at Sterling and Shane but not approaching. She wanted to give Shane time to cool off.

She needed time to cool off too.

Callie hadn’t sat in her booth long, however, before Sterling slid in across from her. “Thought maybe you’d decided to ditch us tonight, farmer,” he said by way of greeting, tossing his phone onto the table.

“I considered it, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction,” Callie said dryly. “Besides, oftentimes we don’t interact on Fridays anyways.” Resisting the urge to look over her shoulder at Shane, she asked more seriously, “How is he?”

“Thinks you let him off too easy,” Sterling said with a shrug as he proceeded to drape himself over the bench, his back to the wall and feet hanging off the end. “Pretty sure you also added to several of his fantasies,” he added with a sly grin.

Blushing in spite of herself, Callie shook her head. “I’ll never understand why you say things like that.”

“You haven’t listened to the sorts of things he talks about when he’s well and truly plastered and it’s just the two of us. All he wants in life is a shorty to step on him,” Sterling replied, his blue eyes laughing with mischief as Callie grew redder. She couldn’t help thinking of how Shane’s nicknames for her all revolved around her size. Sterling’s phone began buzzing, but he just clicked the side button to shut it up. Shaking her head, she took a drink from her cider as Sterling started snickering. “You’re still a menace,” she grumbled.

“And yet,” he smirked, “you like me anyways.”

“Yoba alone knows why,” she retorted, before smiling to take out any sting. “Mia and Henry back yet?”

“Yeah, they each texted before I got here to let me know they were home. I’m glad for it too,” Sterling admitted before silencing his phone again and taking a long pull from his beer. “I wouldn’t have made it through this week without your help,” he added more seriously. “Thank you for that, Callie.”

She smiled. “Always glad to help,” she said. She even meant it. For whatever reason, keeping Sterling company or talking with him late at night never drained her quite the same way it did when she’d done it for others in the past. “Also… I have a favor to ask,” she added.

Sterling’s eyebrows went up. “Oh?”

“Shiro’s having another surgery done next week in Zuzu City, and he asked for me to accompany him, Yuuma, and Philip,” Callie explained. “He wants me to keep Yuuma company while he’s under the knife and so forth. I agreed, but we’ll leave on Tuesday and won’t be back until sometime Thursday at the earliest. I already hired Sean and Ian to take care of the chickens and keep an eye on the fields for me, but I was wondering if you’d be willing to drop by and check on Cuthbert for me on Wednesday…?”

“Of course!” he replied without a moment’s hesitation, yet again silencing his phone. “I can do it all three days if you’d like.”

“Thank you! Really, you should only need to on Wednesday since I’ll be around for part of Tuesday and Thursday,” she said with a grateful smile. “I know he’d probably be just fine, since he mostly feeds himself, I just…”

“No, hey, I get it. He’s your furbaby,” Sterling reassured her, his smile surprisingly understanding. Glancing behind her, he added more quietly, “Shane’s headed this way.”

Callie had just enough time to take a deep breath before she heard Shane slur, “Gonna ‘ead ‘ome.”

Looking up, she frowned in concern. He wobbled from side to side as though he’d spent a month at sea and just returned to dry land. “Need someone to walk with you?” she asked, eyes flitting between Shane and Sterling. He was already ahead of her, sliding out of the booth and pocketing his phone.

Shane shook his head a little too far, nearly toppling over to the side before grabbing the back of the booth to stay upright. “Mmmmm good. C’n stumble home.”

Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, Sterling said, “How about I stumble with ya, yeah? Marnie’ll have my hide if you fall into the river on the way home.”

“No, no, no… stay here with li’l bit,” Shane said, trying to shrug off Sterling’s arm.

“Li’l bit?” Callie echoed, trying not to blush again as she remembered Sterling’s earlier observations.

“‘Cause yer li’l and cute,” Shane said a little too firmly and way too loudly. He slipped from Sterling’s arm and nearly stumbled before Callie reached out and caught him.

“How about we both walk you home, buttercup?” she suggested.

Shane blinked slowly at that. “Both?”

Sterling snickered even as he looped an arm around Shane’s shoulder yet again to keep him stable while Callie slipped out of the booth and grabbed her pack. “Yeah, two for the price of one,” she joked, settling her pack on her shoulders and slipping an arm around his waist. “It’s your lucky day. Now, let’s get your drunk ass home and in bed.”

Even though Shane was not nearly as tall as Sterling, barely coming to the shop boy's shoulder, he was broader and had a beer belly. Callie’s arm did not wrap nearly as far around him as it did Sterling, but he also didn’t completely tower over her, so he was easier to guide. Of course, having someone on his other side helped immensely as well. She could only imagine how humorous the three of them looked while stumbling out of the saloon like a set of drunken stairsteps.

Well, she wasn’t drunk, and Sterling was at most buzzed. Shane, on the other hand, tottered to such an extent that even with Callie and Sterling on either side, all three of them weaved and wobbled as they left. Gus waved as they took Shane out.

“Why ya helpin’ me?” asked Shane.

“Because I normally do?” Sterling replied, confused.

“Notchya. Lee-lee. Why ya helpin’ me? Yer mad at me.”

“I got mad at you because you’re my friend, and I know you can do better,” she told him seriously. “But, because you’re my friend, I still care about you.”

“Yoba-cursed saint,” Shane muttered. “Puttin’ up with our bullshit.”

“Eh, you put up with mine as well. It evens out in the end.”

“Purty sure it don’t.”

“Got any big plans tomorrow?” Sterling asked in a clear attempt to derail the conversation.

“Avoid Marnie’n’Jas,” Shane slurred. Callie frowned but didn’t comment. Now was not the time for that particular argument.

“What about you, hotstuff?”

Adjusting her hold on Shane as he laid a heavy arm across her shoulders, she said, “Normal farmwork, plus writing out instructions for Sean and Ian and then prepping for movie night." Flashing Sterling a mischievous smile, she added, "Mia said something about dropping by early for some girl talk."

Sterling looked terrified, making both Shane and Callie laugh.

At Shane’s laughter, Sterling’s eyes narrowed before he asked her slyly, “Have you gotten Marnie to show you Shane’s baby pictures yet?”

“Fuck you,” Shane scowled as they turned west towards the forest.

Callie burst into giggles. "I bet you were an adorable kid,” she grinned.

Sterling was right; Shane blushed brighter than her. “I hate you both,” said Shane. His face went from red to green very quickly. “I’m gonna—” was all the warning they got before he bent in the middle of the cobblestone road and emptied his stomach.

“We got you,” Sterling said, shifting his hold to help keep Shane from toppling over.

Callie rubbed his back as he continued to vomit, bracing his shoulder on her side as well. Yoba, but the smell made her eyes burn. To think there was a time in her life when holding someone while they expelled beer wasn’t a semi-regular occurrence. It went on for some time before Shane finally drew in a ragged breath. “Think ‘m done,” he groaned.

“C’mon then, this way,” Sterling said, guiding all three of them around the disturbingly sizable puddle in the middle of the street.

“I’m fuckin’ disgusting,” Shane moaned as they walked. “I’m a shit godfather an’ a worse friend; ugly an’ mean.”

“That’s not true at all,” Callie argued, unwilling to let him wallow in self-loathing. Sterling shook his head at her.

“Bullshit,” said Shane, glaring at her with bloodshot eyes. “I’m a drunk who cares more ‘bout beer than Jas,” he tacked on, tone flat and dull.

“You’re hurting,” she replied. “You just haven’t found a better way to deal with it yet.”

“Can’t do rules like you,” he muttered.

“I couldn’t for a long time either. Even now, I still slip up sometimes.”

Sterling looked between the two of them with a thousand questions on his face. He kept them to himself, though.

“You shoulda been her godparent,” Shane told her, gaze dropping to the street as it turned to dirt.

“I really should not.”

“You love 'er, pay attention to 'er, tell 'er about 'er parents—”

“Shane,” said Callie, voice hard. She stopped both men, moving in front of Shane and gripping his shoulders, staring intently into his hazel eyes. “I need you to listen to me, right now, even if you never listen to me again. Are you listening?” she asked.

Wide-eyed, he slowly nodded.

Holding his gaze, she told him, “If Jas had gone to me, Paul would have blamed our problems on her. He would have used her against me, and later me against her. You may be depressed and a drunkard, but you have never, would never hit her, or starve her, or lock her up. You would never threaten to beat her, threaten to kill her, to get Marnie to do what you wanted; you would never tell Jas that the reason you beat Aunt Marnie was her fault. You’d never attempt to murder someone. No matter how shitty you’ve been in the past, I know you love her. You make mistakes, but you love her,” Callie said, a quaver creeping into her voice at the end.

Shane’s eyes watered. “Whyddya think—”

“Because that’s what he did when my sister, Bria, was a kid and lived with us,” she said. “No matter how much you think you’re a shitty godparent, I promise you, Jas’s life with you and Marnie is a thousand times better than it would’ve ever been with me.” Taking a deep breath, Callie urged them both to start walking again, “Now, come on.”

Both men remained quiet as they walked the rest of the way to the ranch. Callie did everything she could to ignore the swirl of memories threatening to pull her under: counting their steps, focusing on the wind in the leaves, concentrating on the feeling of weight from Shane’s arm. Upon their arrival, they discovered the door was locked, but Sterling already knew which rock held the spare key. They let themselves inside. Callie saw no sign of Marnie; she assumed Shane’s aunt had retired to her bedroom for the night. She might even be asleep at this point.

Sterling opened the door up to Shane’s room, and the two of them maneuvered Shane in and towards his bed. Callie had never seen the inside of his room before. To put it bluntly, it was a pigsty. Her shoes stuck as they walked, a mixture of beer and mud and possibly other fluids she did not want to think about making a black layer atop the wood floors. Dirty clothes and old beer cans were strewn across the rug and furniture. Shane’s sheets looked like the last time he’d washed them was a season or more ago. A ratty old couch sat in one corner, while a tv and game console sat in another. A flicker of blue next to the tv caught her eye, but before she could look too closely, Shane grabbed her attention. “‘m sorry, Lee-lee,” he said as they sat him on the edge of his bed.

“For what?” she asked. Her voice felt distant, as though she heard it through a thick sheet of glass. Callie kept one hand behind his back to provide support while Sterling, sweetheart that he was, knelt on the grimy, gross floor to take off Shane’s shoes.

“Makin’ you sad.”

She huffed a bitter laugh. “Heh. I was sad long before you ever entered the picture, buttercup. You didn’t make me that way.”

Once he had Shane’s shoes off, Sterling took over manhandling Shane to get him into bed. Callie took the opportunity to slip out into the kitchen. She filled a cup with water and then fished out some painkillers from her pack. She stood in the kitchen, hands braced on the counter, and counted her breaths until she had a semblance of calm. She had no clue how long it took, but no one came looking for her.

Taking one more deep, rattling breath, Callie slipped back into Shane's room.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14 – Other People’s Choices

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: *pokes*

You still alive? I realize that I went a long time without responding, but I’m starting to worry. If I don’t hear from you by the end of the month, I’m gonna come looking for you.

—Mona

Sterling

“Want me to stay?” Sterling asked as he helped Shane out of his shorts.

Shaking his head, Shane gripped the headboard to keep from falling sideways. “Y’should go,” he said.

Sterling frowned. While normally when he stayed he was just as intoxicated as Shane, he disliked leaving his friend in this state without someone around. Seeing Sterling’s face, Shane said, “I fucked up. Lee-lee-lee’s gonna need ya t’night.”

“You also need—”

“’M gonna pass out,” Shane interrupted him as he slipped further under the covers. “Not much ya can do, dweeb. Take care of ’er.”

“I’m going to leave this here,” Callie said as she neared the bed, startling both men. Somehow, she’d managed to slip back into the room without their noticing; she placed a glass of water and some ibuprofen on the end table. Turning to Shane, she gave him a weak smile. “Get some sleep, buttercup.”

“‘M sorry,” Shane said again, even as he rolled over to face the wall.

“See you tomorrow, man,” Sterling told him before following Callie out of the room, quietly closing the door.

“You’re not staying?” she asked, eyes large and dark as she looked up at him.

Sterling shook his head. “He didn’t want me to,” he said, smiling to cover how much it bothered him. While he did want to look after Callie, it was the first time Shane had ever pushed Sterling away like that. He didn’t know how to feel about it.

Ever too perceptive, Callie slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. “He’ll be okay,” she said as she headed for the door. He kept ahold of her hand until they were back outside. Unfortunately, he had to let her go to retrieve the spare key and lock the door again behind them. Once he’d replaced the key, he turned to find her already outside of the yard, wrapped in shadow. With the crescent moon, he could just barely see how her knuckles grew white as she held onto the shoulder straps of her backpack.

Coming up behind her, Sterling gave a soft, “Hey.” Callie jerked, making a noise that sounded suspiciously like a sniffle. “Are you okay?”

Even though she faced away from him, he could clearly see her wiping her eyes with the heels of her hands. “I will be,” she said, voice cracking.

“Ah, darlin’,” he sighed. Moving to in front of her, he pulled her into a gentle hug.

Callie dropped her pack and squeaked in surprise. In other circumstances, Sterling would have teased her mercilessly for the adorable noise. Now, however, he held her, curling his shoulders to rest his cheek on top of her head as she hesitantly wrapped her arms around him in return. Her tears stayed quiet as she pressed her face into his chest, but he could feel how her shoulders shook, how her breath hitched. It relieved him that she didn’t hold it all in quite so tightly this time. “I’m so tired of feeling afraid… of feeling powerless,” she whispered.

A wave of protectiveness washed over Sterling as his arms tightened around her. Of all the ways he’d ever describe Callie, fearful and powerless would bottom the list. “When do you feel that way?” he asked.

“Always. All the time,” she said. She took deep, shuddering breaths as she tried to calm herself. “It never goes away. Never.”

“You never show it.”

“Can’t. Just have to keep going.”

“I hope one day to have a fraction of your strength.”

Callie breathed out a soft, “heh,” at that, before tilting her head back and away from his chest, forcing him to lift his own head and look down at her. “You’re strong enough for your own trials,” she said with complete conviction.

Sterling shook his head even as he delicately wiped the tears from her face with his thumb. “Maybe. But we’re not talking about me right now,” he said. “Would you rather talk or have a dis—?”

“A distraction. Please."

He smiled at that even as he racked his brain for an idea. “Alright. Some place public or private?” he asked. Tonight held too many parallels to the night they’d crossed all of the lines.

“I don’t think I could handle the saloon right now. Emily would be on me in moments,” she admitted. To his regret, she let her arms drop.

Nodding, Sterling asked, “How does a movie sound? Do one in person instead of over video chat.”

Callie looked up at him, her dark eyes glittering from her tears. “Where at?”

“Your place is closer, but if that makes you uncomfortable, we can go out to East Scarp,” he offered. Sterling could tell he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed similarities. He wouldn’t blame her if she wanted to avoid having him alone in her home considering how that had always turned out in the past.

Her eyes dropped to her hands as she thought it over, her right thumb massaging her left palm. “I think… I think East Scarp would be the better choice,” she finally said, raising her eyes back up to him.

“Done,” said Sterling, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Do you want to watch a movie with Mia and Henry or hole up somewhere?” he asked, thinking of how she didn't want to field questions from Emily.

Callie flinched. “Hole up, I think,” she said, her voice faint.

Sterling nodded as he scrolled past the messages that had blown up his phone all night to find his group chat with Mia and Henry. He’d deal with the rest of that bullshit another day; today his real friends needed him. He sent off a quick note to his housemates giving them a heads up. After pocketing his phone, he scooped up Callie’s backpack and tossed it over one shoulder. “Dear Yoba, woman, what all do you have in this thing?” he asked, pretending to stagger under it.

“I believe in being well-prepared,” she said with a half-hearted smirk. “Especially when babysitting.”

It did not take that long for the two of them to reach East Scarp. Any time Callie started to get lost in her head, he would tease her or provide some other distraction. By the time they finally made it to his cousin’s house, her tears had dried, and she could manage a semblance of a smile. Leading her into the house, he quickly ensconced her on the couch and wrapped her up in a blanket. Though Callie was more aware than that night at her cottage, she still had the same sort of delicate docility, letting Sterling position her and set things up how he wished without any sort of input. “I’m going to get us some snacks and drinks, okay?” he said to her.

Callie nodded.

At least she was responsive. “I’ll be back in just a moment," he promised.

After hanging up her bag, Sterling hurried over to the kitchen. He smiled a little when his gaze landed on the sunflowers still happily blooming on the kitchen counter. His smile widened upon spotting the packages of popcorn already sitting out along with an unopened tin of cookies. Opening the fridge, he hesitated a moment, eyes lingering on the beer and cider within before grabbing the pitcher of fresh pink lemonade. He glanced over at Callie. She stared at the coffee table as if it held all the secrets of the universe. She looked tiny… broken.

Frowning, Sterling tossed the popcorn into the microwave and then darted back to his room. While not precisely clean, it wasn’t nearly as messy as Shane’s room. It helped, somewhat, that the majority of his possessions remained in boxes. While some sat opened, most were still taped shut. What he wanted, thankfully, hid in one of the open boxes. Picking up his target, he gave it a small squeeze before heading back out into the main part of the house.

Callie hadn’t moved.

He pulled out one of the large mixing bowls to pour the popcorn into, then gathered everything up and carried them over to the coffee table. “My housemates love you, for the record,” he said lightly as he began putting things down.

“Oh?” she said, visibly trying to pull herself into the here and now as she blinked several times.

“Mia made up some pink lemonade, and Hen left out some of his stash of cookies for you,” Sterling said, giving her a warm smile.

“Where are they, anyways?” she asked, giving a tepid smile in return as she looked over the snacks and drinks that he’d brought over.

“Hiding back in their rooms. When I texted earlier, they let me know neither one of them were up for much socializing either, so they opted to retreat and leave us the living room,” he explained before placing his old stuffed dog into her lap. “Think you could hold onto Barky for me?” he asked, willing himself not to start blushing at the way Callie looked at him.

“Barky?” she repeated with a small—but genuine—smile. She promptly hugged it. While he thought of it as a small stuffed animal, in her arms it looked normal-sized. Fuck, but she looked adorable with his old toy.

Swallowing, he turned away from her and towards the entertainment center, running a finger along the shelves of movies as he tried to pick one out. “Ma gave him to me when I was around Ellie’s age. Fairly confident he’s the last stuffed animal I ever got,” he said, pulling out an old favorite of his from the shelf.

“You’re very kind to share him with me,” Callie said, sounding teary. Looking back over his shoulder at her as he opened the movie case, he could see her wiping her eyes with one hand even as she kept her other arm snugly wrapped around Barky. “Thank you,” she added a moment later, her voice slightly steadier.

Popping the movie into the player, he closed the tray. He then made his way around the room to turn off all the lights save for the floor lamp beside the couch. “You’re welcome,” said Sterling as he sat down next to her.

“What did you pick?”

The movie menu chose that moment to load. Seeing the title screen, Callie smiled widely, which in turn made Sterling feel remarkably warm and happy. “It’s my favorite movie,” he confessed to her. “Just don’t tell Shane, okay?”

“I won’t,” she promised.

As the movie began, Sterling put the popcorn bowl into his lap and moved the cookies and drinks within easy reach of Callie. She didn’t show much interest in any of the food, instead holding onto Barky and snuggling into Sterling’s side. Instinctively, he wrapped an arm around her. When she didn't protest, he left it there, happy to provide what comfort he could.

It became quickly apparent that Callie knew the film just as intimately as Sterling did, able to quote the lines as they happened. To his delight, he learned that she had a pleasant singing voice as she softly sang along with the recurring lullaby. “Didn’t know you sang,” he said, looking down at her.

Callie blushed. “I used to sing that lullaby to Bria when she was little.”

“Your sister?” he asked.

She nodded, eyes fixed on the screen.

Sterling didn’t pursue that line of questioning any further, instead absently stroking her silky hair as they kept watching. The longer they watched the movie, the more Callie relaxed against him, and the more he felt like he was doing something right for a change. He didn’t often get the chance to look after someone else outside of buying them a beer at the end of a shitty day. He certainly preferred looking after her to dealing with the shitshow going on in his phone just then. Throughout the movie, his phone continued to buzz on the couch, until he finally reached over and just turned the damn thing off. Once the credits finally started to roll, Callie let out a long, deep sigh. “Thank you for this,” she told him, still cuddling Barky as she peered up at him.

“You’re welcome,” he said, giving her a small squeeze with the arm still around her.

“I’m also sorry that I kept you from the person or people who kept blowing up your phone,” she apologized.

Sterling shook his head. “Don’t worry about that," he said. "Truth be told, I needed the distraction just as much as you did.”

“Oh?” she replied as she shifted position on the couch, turning to face him.

He pulled his arm back to himself. “I’ve been getting texts today from my old friends,” he said. Sterling could see a number of questions in her eyes at that announcement, and he gave her a bitter smile. “Don’t really think I should even call them friends these days.”

“Why’s that?”

“They watched me waste away in a haze of substances and trouble and had me chug on them harder.” His eyes dropped down to Barky still nestled in her arms. “And…” he trailed off with a sigh, unthinkingly reaching up to fiddle with his earrings.

“And?” she eventually prompted in that gentle voice he could never ignore.

Hesitating, he ran his nails across the back of his head as he wrestled with his own thoughts. He hadn’t really talked to her much about Kai, other than the fact that he was Sterling’s ex that he left back in the city. He hadn’t really talked to her about any part of his past in Zuzu City. When everything got to bothering him, he just asked her for a distraction, and she provided one.

Sterling looked into her dark, concerned eyes, her face still tear-stained even now, and made a different choice. “Have I told you why I moved here?” he asked her. To his knowledge he hadn’t, but… well, he’d gotten blackout drunk around her enough times to remain unsure as to what he may have said.

Callie’s face grew thoughtful. He could almost see her running her fingers through her mental filing system, pulling out everything about him she’d packed away somewhere. “You’ve mentioned a few things,” she said slowly. “I know you came back to the valley last Fall, and that when you did you stopped using. I know that you have an ex back in Zuzu, Kai, and that you have a lot of guilt about him. From some of the things you’ve said late at night—” which was an incredibly kind and diplomatic way for her to say, ‘utterly shitfaced,’ “—I’ve gathered that the two of you had a very unhealthy relationship by the end, and that you felt the only way for the both of you to heal from it was to cut off contact with him. But that’s about the extent of it.”

Sterling nodded at her recitation. “I’m sure it won’t surprise you to learn that Kai used just as much as I did,” he said, waiting until she nodded to continue. “He wasn’t that way when we started dating,” he stated clearly. If he was going to do this, he would be honest about the whole mess.

“I met him during one of my relatively sober stints. I, um… I tend to go completely off the deep end when I break up with someone," he admitted, flushing. "When I fall in love, I fall hard, and when the relationship inevitably falls apart…” he trailed off, shaking his head at the memories. So many fucking regrets in his life. “Well, most of my job losses are the result of a post-breakup bender of some kind. But eventually, I’ve always had a moment of clarity, and I climb my way back out enough to become a functioning member of society again.”

He paused to take a rasping breath. His pulse raced, and his palms had grown damp as his fight or flight response kicked in. Before he could back out of telling her everything, Callie placed Barky in his hands and gently patted his arm. “Take as much time as you need, hon. I’ll listen,” she said.

Sterling gulped, hugging the old dog close. He didn’t care that he probably looked incredibly foolish. She wouldn’t judge.

Callie never did.

Keeping that thought in mind like a talisman, he continued. “I had managed to get myself mostly sober, though not clean, when I met Kai. He was a grad student at ZU, studying art history, and… completely outside of my realm of experience,” he admitted with a rueful, bitter laugh. “I went to an art museum to meet—" Rhett, but that was an entirely different well of bad memories he had no desire to revisit, "—to meet a potential hookup, and they stood me up. So, there I was… wandering around this museum like a complete tool with no fucking clue what I’m looking at, and I stumbled upon this stunning painting of a field of sunflowers.”

He'd never really looked much at art. His parents were miners, though Ma at least loved the stars. The valley didn’t have what he’d call an art scene outside of occasional bits and bobs people made to sell at the Gathering or Fair. But that painting….

Looking up from Barky, he gave Callie an honest smile. “I’ve always loved sunflowers, ever since I was a kid. And it was a close up of these flowers—there were some blue flowers mixed in as well, but the sunflowers are what captured me. There was an entire exhibit with nothing but different paintings of sunflowers by the same artist. I must have spent an hour or more studying them, but it was that first one of the field I kept coming back to.”

“And that’s where you met Kai,” she said in sudden understanding.

“Yes,” he said, still smiling. “He’d watched me looking at them all, and he worked up the nerve to come talk to me about them, telling me about the artist and his struggles and why he seemed to have a fixation on the color yellow… I ended up buying him coffee and then dinner at the café in the museum. Within a week we were dating, and… I was so damn happy, Callie,” he told her, trying his damnedest to not tear up.

“I hardly used at all those first few months we were together. Kai didn’t drink, so I mostly stopped as well—doing just enough to keep the withdrawals at bay,” he continued. His face darkened. “Kai kept bugging me about wanting to meet my friends, though. He’d made a few friends at school, but ‘nothing real,’ as he’d put it. I had put off introducing him to the others, because… well, we were a rough crowd. I didn’t want to taint him, I guess….’

“I should have listened to my instincts.”

Sterling reached out to the coffee table and snatched up a fistful of cookies. What he really wanted was a strong liquor, but he was going to do this mostly sober. Callie deserved that fucking much.

“I took him to a party celebrating the new year, and everyone delighted in bringing him into the fold. There’s a certain… vicarious joy, I guess, that can happen when you’re introducing someone new to the ways different substances can make you feel, and Kai… he’d never so much as gotten drunk before,” he said softly, pausing for a moment to demolish one of the cookies he held. Despite how wild that night had gotten, Sterling could still remember it all so vividly. He’d imbibed and consumed so many things that altered his head and his memory, but he still fucking remembered that glorious, horrible night.

It haunted him.

He glanced back up at Callie again. She rested her head against her fist, elbow against the back of the couch as she listened. Whatever thoughts she had about what she’d heard, they stayed hidden. “He had to drop out of school by the end of that semester,” Sterling said abruptly. “Kai… he’d spent his whole life trying to be perfect, and when he got a taste of freedom from that restraint…” he shook his head. “We enabled each other in the worst ways. We got into a cycle similar to what I’d go through after a breakup, only—only we weren’t breaking up. One of us would hit bottom, and we’d swear off using or drinking ever again, put in the work to try and make it out, and then one of us would inevitably start using again—usually at the encouragement of one of our fucking friends—” he spat angrily, “And the other would soon follow right behind. We did that song and dance for three years.”

Sterling’s cookies were gone, though Barky stayed safely tucked in the crook of his arm. Callie laid her hand on top of his, and he gripped it like a lifeline. “Last Fall… we were doing so good, Lee-lee. Not only were we both out of the hole, but we’d even both gotten jobs again. We were supporting each other in resisting temptation instead of enabling one another. Things were good,” he insisted, before sighing. “At least… at least that’s what I thought. I’d gotten another gig mixing for a fairly upscale bar near midtown, so I wasn’t home much at night. And our friends…” he grimaced. “Well, they saw an opportunity.”

“He started using again,” she surmised.

“Yeah. He’d been back at it for maybe a week or two when— when he fucking OD’d,” Sterling said, voice just barely above a whisper. He closed his eyes, remembering his panicked call to emergency services. “I found him when I got home; the rest of our friends were too high to realize something had gone wrong. I called for help, got him to the hospital, and…” He opened his eyes again, and all he could see was the reflected pain in her own gaze. “He survived, at least. They stuck him in rehab and forbade any contact with the outside world while he did it.”

Ripping open poorly healed scar tissue, Sterling said, “I left him, Callie. I stuffed what I could into my bags and left him without saying a single, solitary word.” He started crying, because of fucking course he started crying. “I knew that as long as we were together, we’d just keep— keep— keep repeating that cycle until one of us ended up dead. I knew it could just as easily have been me that had OD’d—I’ve come close before. And I knew that Kai would never willingly let me go. So, I… I left. I wrote him a letter explaining why I was leaving, and then got the fuck out of town.”

Callie pulled him into a hug, and he gladly buried his face in the crook of her neck, letting her hold him. “I’m sorry,” he said, even as he wept, unable to stave off the way his body shook with fear and adrenaline as he admitted what he’d done. “I’m sorry,” he repeated over her quiet shushing. “I wanted to… to focus on taking care of you… and now I’m crying all over you and— and—"

“We’re taking care of each other,” she said as she carded her fingers through his hair, almost exactly the same as she would after they fucked. “Sometimes, unrelated shitty days happen to two people at the same time. That’s life. I don’t think you’re making this about you. I asked you what was going on,” she gently reminded him.

Sterling cried harder at that. There was a time when he’d run away from her instead of telling her what was wrong. He'd feared her judgment—feared losing her. He should have known better. His arms tensed around her, and it was only then that he realized that he was hugging her back as she comforted him. It took some time before his tears slowed, before he could finally lift his head, only to discover that Callie had started crying too. “Lee-lee! No, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—” he babbled, lifting a thumb to wipe away her tears.

“'No one cries alone in my presence,'” she quoted with a watery smile, wiping away his tears with her own thumb. He'd never felt more grateful than he did right then for his restraint in not grabbing them more alcohol when he’d gotten them snacks earlier. He had a hard enough time not kissing her, not showing her just how much he—

“Here,” she said as she grabbed the box of tissues from the coffee table and pulled them over where they could both pull them out as needed.

Sterling grabbed several, trying to clean himself up and get himself back under control. “Thanks,” he said once he could breathe without a hitch.

“So… these are the same friends that are blowing up your phone?” Callie eventually asked, the look on her face clearly conveying that he could shut the conversation down without offending her.

As much as he wanted to, though, he needed to get this out of his system. “Yeah,” he said, taking another shaky breath. “Um,” he paused, trying to sort his thoughts, to figure out how to tell her what was wrong. “When I moved, I didn’t just ghost Kai, I ghosted everyone. Trying to remove temptations, ya know? But I never blocked any of them. Didn’t really need to, to be honest, since outside of Kai none of them tried to reach out to me once he got out of rehab. Kai still contacts me, though… or did, anyways.”

Callie leaned down over the side of the couch and fished Barky up from where he’d fallen during their cryfest. She placed the stuffed dog carefully in his arms, and Sterling gratefully cuddled him close. “Rehab did him good,” he said. “I’ve checked in on his social media from time to time, wanting to make sure that he was recovering. And Kai has done really well, Lee-lee. He’s gotten another job, and it looks like he’s found a whole new set of friends to spend his time with. I’m proud of him. I thought more than once about responding to his messages, but… I can’t do that to him. He’s out of that place. Or, well, I thought he was.”

Staring down at Barky, Sterling said, “He sent me a bunch of messages on my birthday—we’re talking at least a couple dozen. I— I still haven’t looked at them,” he admitted, looking back at Callie’s warm eyes. Her eyes held so much understanding, it made his chest ache. “You—and Shane and Emily too, of course—really made my birthday something special, and I didn’t want to ruin it by looking at them at the time. I knew they’d just make me hurt, and— and— and I didn’t want to hurt for once. So, I just… let them set. And then, when I was tempted on Tuesday to look at them, we did the watch party, and… well, each day I’ve found something else to look at or think about or distract me from his messages, so I just keep not looking.”

“You regret that?” she asked.

“Kind of,” he agreed. “Especially because he hasn’t sent any others since then. And then today, all of my old ‘friends’ started blowing up my phone. Today’s Kai’s birthday, and the old crowd got together to celebrate it with him, and… fuck, Callie. I think… I think… I think I drove him back to those people.” Sterling realized he’d started trembling again. He had no clue if it was his normal shakes or a result from adrenaline or fear or rage or what exactly. He’d tried so damn hard to do right by Kai, to give him a chance to recover and grow and get help and get healthy, and Sterling had still managed to somehow fuck it up.

“Hey… hey,” said Callie, wrapping her hand around one of his and cupping his face with her other hand, pulling his attention back to her sweet face. “You are not Kai’s keeper,” she said, her voice low and firm and yet so devastatingly compassionate. “If—if—Kai went back to those people and decided to blow up all of the work he’s down over the past year, then that’s on him, not you. Kai made that choice, not Sterling. And I know it hurts, hon. It hurts so fucking much because you love him, and you want him happy and healthy. It’s all you’ve wanted for a long, long time, and watching him choose to throw that away feels like all of the sacrifices you made for him didn’t mean a Yoba-cursed thing. But that’s not true, okay?” she said, her dark eyes piercingly bright.

He stared at her.

“It’s not true,” she repeated. “It meant everything, Sterling, because it showed just how good a man you really are,” she said softly. “You gave up your home, your friends, the life you knew, because you loved him, even though you knew it would hurt you both. Could you have handled it better? Maybe. We’ll never know for sure. But you made the choice you made because you love him. I can’t fault you for that, and neither should you.”

“I can’t believe that,” Sterling said. “I can’t. I always fuck things up and hurt people and—”

“Do you trust me?”

“What?”

Callie gently placed her palms on both of his cheeks and searched his eyes. “Do you trust me?”

Did he trust Callie? What sort of question was that? “Of course, I trust you,” he said vehemently.

“Then trust me when I say, you did not fuck this up. If Kai’s using again, then Kai is the one who fucked up, not you. It’s one of the hardest lessons you’ll ever learn: you cannot make other people’s choices for them,” she told him. Her voice and eyes and body all exuded pure pain at those words.

Pain born of harsh experience.

He pulled her to him. He pulled her into his lap and then wrapped his arms around her, and then they both cried as they held onto one another. He couldn’t stop his tears. He couldn’t stop her tears either. They just had to weather the storm.

…

…

….

The storm passed.

Eventually, their tears ceased. They continued to hold one another long afterwards, though. Neither spoke, too worn from the day and their weeping. Sterling petted Callie’s hair, listening as her breaths slowed and evened out, feeling the way she steadily grew heavier in his lap as she fell asleep. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he saw it was past two at this point. He stretched his arm up to it's limit, just barely able to reach the switch to turn off the floor lamp without disturbing her. The darkness instantly surrounding them, providing a different sort of relief.

Oh-so-carefully, he maneuvered them around, sliding down until the arm of the couch supported his head. She lay on top of him, her face pillowed against his chest. With a bit more effort, he managed to pull the blanket up over them and tuck Barky under Callie’s arm. Sterling knew he should have just arranged her on the couch and gone to his own bed to sleep. No matter Shane’s insinuations, Callie wasn’t his and never would be. She had a boyfriend, and said boyfriend wasn’t Sterling. But… she was his friend regardless. They could indulge in a bit of comfort.

That’s what he told himself.

He kept waiting for sleep, but it eluded him. Despite his emotional and physical exhaustion, his brain kept replaying the night. It felt like the night on the tracks and the night at her cottage had combined to create the most awful offspring imaginable, leaving both of them utter wrecks. Sterling didn’t regret telling her though. Even though he didn’t—couldn’t—believe her words of how he hadn’t fucked everything up, he remained grateful anyways. He’d shown her yet again what a horrible man he was, and yet again she’d shown him nothing but grace and kindness. Yoba, if I never do anything else right, please let me do right by her, he silently begged. He suspected he would have made far worse decisions these past two seasons were it not for her and her unwavering, steadfast belief in him.

He had almost managed to drift off when he started shaking. Cursing internally at his body’s absolutely horrendous timing, it took him several moments to realize it wasn’t Sterling shaking.

It was Callie.

As she quietly—so very, very quietly—whimpered, her entire body trembled. Eyes clenched tight, she tried to free herself, unable to move much wrapped in his arms as she was. “Please… no… I— I— I’m sorry—” she whispered. Grasping that she was caught in a nightmare, Sterling loosened his grip on her, hoping it might ease her distress, but she began thrashing as soon as she gained freedom. He caught her hands, afraid she’d hurt either him or, worse, herself.

“Callie, you’re okay, sweetheart. You’re safe.” He kept murmuring similar phrases even as she jerked atop him, nearly pulling him off the couch and onto the floor. All the while she kept pleading. Most of what Callie said he couldn’t actually hear; her mouth moved but no sound emerged. And when her words became audible—

“I will— I will— I promise I will, Paul! I’ll give you a baby—just, just don’t hurt her!”

—he wished they hadn’t.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Lee-lee,” Sterling insisted. “You’re safe, hotstuff. You’re with me—with Sterling,” he said, wondering if he should wake her up somehow.

Before he could give it too much thought, though, Callie bolted upright, eyes wide as she looked wildly around.  “Paul—! I didn’t—” she broke off with a strangled cry before hiding her face in her hands, shaking like the last autumn leaf.

“Callie? Are you awake?” Sterling asked, awkwardly sitting up on the couch with her in his lap.

“Sterling?” came her muffled voice from her hands before she lifted her head. Seeing him, a different kind of horror—and worse, fear—filled her face. “Oh shite! I’m so— I’m sorry! I—”

Making gentle shushing noises, he held up his hands. “It’s okay. You’re okay. C’mere, honey bun,” he said, opening his arms in clear invitation of a hug. For a handful of heartbeats, he thought she might flee from him. Then, between one breath and the next, he found Callie clinging to him, her eyes and forehead buried in his shoulder as she babbled apologies for waking him. She gasped for breath between words, and he feared she was hyperventilating.

“Lee-lee, I need you to breathe with me, okay? I need you to follow my breathing, okay?” Sterling said. He exaggerated his breathing, trying to give her something to follow. He wrapped his arms around her even as she continued to tremble. Her heart beat so wildly he could feel it with the hand he pressed against her back. “Breathe with me,” he said again before resuming his own.

Eventually, the babbling stopped. Her breaths came slower, deeper. She still clung to him, periodically shivering, her skin clammy from cooling sweat. Finally, her breathing evened out, and he could no longer feel her heartbeat through her back, though she hadn’t stopped shaking. “I’m sorry for waking you,” she finally whispered, sounding bone weary.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” said Sterling.

He continued to cradle her against his chest. Minutes passed. The silence stretched. Craning his neck at an awkward angle to actually see, he determined that she had fallen back asleep. Slowly, he edged down until his head rested again on the arm of the couch, and Callie lay once more on top of him. He blindly reached out with one hand, grasping about until his fingers caught the blanket and pulled it up. Carefully, he tucked it around the two of them once more.

The whole time, Callie barely stirred, limp in his arms. A glance at the clock showed it barely past three in the morning; she hadn’t slept long at all. Sterling frowned. Not a nightmare then.

“Lee-lee… you have night terrors?”

“Yeah, Red, I do. A souvenir from Paul.”

To his knowledge, Callie didn’t take any sort of medication outside of her dear ibuprofen. Which, considering Sterling’s proclivities, he was usually grateful for. But it would appear that she paid a substantial price for that. His thoughts drifted to all the various times her friends had made note of just how tired she looked. Shane and Sterling had surmised long before she admitted it to Sterling that she likely suffered from nightmares. It was one thing to know it, however, and something completely different to witness it.

Adjusting the covers one last time, he held her close and pressed a feather-light kiss to her head. He whispered into her hair, “Sleep, beautiful. I’ll keep you safe.”

A soft sigh of contentment passed through her lips.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15 – Yoba’s Mercy

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: *pokes*

Lee-lee,

It really was good to see you, though I think your husband was unprepared for just how raucous the two of us can get when tequila’s involved. I’m sorry if that caused any strife between you and him. He looked pretty pissed by the time Triss and I left.

Speaking of Paul, I wasn’t going to say anything in front of him, but what’s the deal with this Empress he kept going on about? He knows we live in a Republic, right? I’m just really confused by the whole thing.

Did I tell you about the old schoolhouse up by the park? They finally had to close it down after the last big storm came through; part of the roof collapsed in. Everyone’s scrambling trying to figure out where to hold classes. Otherwise, they’re talking about having to bus all the kids from the valley out to Grampleton or Chestervale for school. Which, to be fair, the secondary school kids already do, but… anyways.

Let’s not go so long without talking again, ‘kay?

Love you!

—Mona

Philip

“I’ll see you both again next Saturday. I hope you have a good week,” Philip said to the Mullners as he prepared to leave.

“You as well, dearie,” said Mrs. Mullner. Mr. Mullner had already turned the television back on and become sucked into the latest reports out of the conflict with Gotoro. It sounded as though privateers working on behalf of the Empire had started targeting Ferngillian trade vessels. “I hope things go well with Shiro this week,” Mrs. Mullner continued. “Is little Yuuma going as well, or is he staying in the valley?”

“Yuuma will be coming with, as will Callie,” Philip said, unable to help his smile when he thought of his girl.

Mrs. Mullner gave him a gummy grin. “Ah, I’m glad she’s going as well. I’m sure that she’ll be a huge help to you,” she said with a sly twinkle in her eye.

Blushing, Philip said, “She’s a good friend to both brothers, and they wanted her to come with.”

“Of course, of course,” she said, still grinning. The sound of scoffing drew Philip’s gaze towards Alex as he left the kitchen with a protein shake in hand. He frowned at the man’s departing back. “Don’t mind him, dearie,” Mrs. Mullner sighed. “He has too much of his daddy’s pride and his momma’s stubbornness.”

“No worries, Mrs. Mullner,” Philip reassured her.

Finally making it out of the house, he let out a long sigh of relief. For the first time in nearly two weeks, he didn’t have an emergency session scheduled with anyone at the end of the day. He could actually make it to the get-together at the start of the evening and spend time with Callie and her friends. His friends too, nowadays.

Smiling, Philip adjusted the gym bag on his shoulder and walked through town towards Solanen’s Farm. To his surprise, Sterling leaned against Pierre’s storefront, one foot up and resting against the window behind him as he stared at his phone. The tall man looked towards Philip as he approached, the setting sun making his hair look redder than usual. “Evening, Sterling,” Philip said, eyeing him warily. He never knew quite how to interact with Callie’s previous lover.

Sterling flashed him a quick smile as he straightened off the building. “Hey, Philip,” he greeted him back. “Heading out to Callie’s for game night?” he asked as he fell into step next to Philip.

“I am. Were you waiting on me?” he asked.

“Yep,” Sterling said, popping the ‘p’ at the end. “You and I need to have a talk,” he added more seriously as he put his hands in his jeans pockets.

“Oh? What about?”

“Callie.”

Philip frowned at that, studying Sterling from the corner of his eye as they walked. He knew his girlfriend and Sterling were still close—had known it from the get-go. Despite that, he felt his proverbial hackles rise. “What about her?” he asked carefully.

Sterling looked around. Once he seemed satisfied, he said, “She fell asleep on the couch at our house last night. Did you know she has night terrors?” he asked conversationally.

The question came so far out of left field that Philip tripped over his own feet. “What?”

“Night terrors,” Sterling repeated. “She has them.”

“I… well, I know she took sleeping pills at one point,” Philip said carefully, not wanting to betray any of Callie’s confidences. “But I did not know she still….”

Sterling frowned at that, the tension in his shoulders belying the looseness of his gait. “I thought as much. I’d wondered how she managed to hide them, considering the two of you sleep in the same bed—or so I assume, at any rate. Anyways, I wondered how until she had one last night, that is.”

They’d made it to the fence outside the bus stop by this point. Philip paused, turning to face Sterling. “She had a sleep terror when she fell asleep on your couch?” he asked, wanting to make sure he understood Sterling correctly.

“Yeah. Damnedest thing, too,” Sterling said quietly. “She’s not the first person I’ve seen experience them, but she’s the only one that stayed quiet.”

The two men stared at one another for a long moment. “Do you know what it was about?” he finally asked.

“Paul.”

Philip cursed.

“Yeah,” Sterling agreed with a dark look. “I wanted to bring it up because I know she’s traveling with you in a few days,” he said. “I don’t know what the sleeping arrangements are, but I know that travel and sleeping in strange places can sometimes trigger terrors…” he trailed off with a sigh. “And knowing Callie, she’d just try to hide it all away.”

“I see,” Philip said, adjusting his gym bag on his shoulder again. “I’ll take care of her,” he promised.

“I know,” Sterling said with a wan smile. As they started walking again, he asked, “So what’s this hotstuff was saying about a Prodigirl and Lady Fantastic team-up?”

He gave him a startled look, half-expecting to find Sterling mocking him, but he looked genuinely curious. Smiling a little, Philip replied, “It just got announced a couple of days ago, so we don’t know too much about what it’s about, but there’s speculation that…”

Callie

It felt so damn weird staying in Zuzu City again.

Callie had lived in the city her whole life save for her times in the valley. She had expected returning to feel like coming home, as if she had never left. Instead, it felt wrong—too many buildings, too many people, too little nature. While there were trees, they were stunted, scraggly things; they certainly had no grass here in the heart of the city. It made her stomach twist.

“Your turn in the bathroom,” Philip said from behind her.

Closing the curtains over the window, Callie turned away from the view of the city and gave Philip a smile. “Shower any good?”

“Pressure’s not nearly as good as what you have, but it’s doable,” he said with a wry smile.

The hospital performing Shiro’s surgery, Yoba’s Mercy, had an arrangement with one of the nearby hotels for patients and their families. While the hotel was far from fancy—its décor was rather bland and stereotypical mid-scale fair—it had far more handicap accessibility than most hotels, plus a shuttle that regularly ran a route between it and the hospital. They were currently staying in a ‘suite’ that was actually two hotel rooms side-by-side with a door in between. Honestly, Callie preferred that setup. She felt nervous enough about sleeping some place new without worrying about potentially waking up Shiro and Yuuma. “I’ll take it,” she said, pausing to give Philip a quick peck on the lips before gathering her things for her own shower.

She didn’t linger for once; Philip had rather undersold just how poor the water pressure turned out to be. Still, it felt good to clean off the grime from the trip—helping Shiro navigate the train stations and the train itself had turned out far more stressful than she’d anticipated. Her phone dinged several times during her short shower. Once she’d managed to sufficiently dry off, she grabbed her phone from the counter to see who was texting her.

Sterling: Berty lives! [img_1954] [img_1955] [img_1959] [img_1962] [img_1963] [img_1974]

Sterling: Shane also checked on Samba, Chacha, and Jive 😊

Sterling: He apparently didn’t trust some ‘rando’ with knowing how to care for them 🙄🤣

Sterling: Hope your travels have gone well

Callie smiled as she flipped through the pictures of Cuthbert, even though she’d told him he didn’t need to check on her cat until tomorrow. Cuthbert seemed to appreciate the attention at least. The last picture made her laugh aloud. Sterling had managed to get a shot of Shane with all three chickens standing on various limbs of his. The chicken man looked rather happy with the situation.

Callie: You guys didn’t have to drop by today, but I really appreciate it! And that last picture of Shane? *chefs kiss*

Callie: We’re at the hotel in one piece and unwinding for the night. Shiro needs to be at the hospital by six am 🤮

Finally dressed in her underwear and one of the shirts she’d appropriated from Philip, Callie walked back out to the main room. Her partner sat on the bed; his pajama-clad legs stretched out before him while he read over one of the omnibuses she’d loaned to him. Philip looked up and gave her a pleased grin. “Now there’s one of my favorite sights in the world,” he said.

“Me in your clothes?” Callie teased him as she approached.

“It’s you in any clothes… or no clothes at all,” he added with a smirk, pulling her onto the bed when she got close enough. The bed creaked and groaned as he settled her between his legs with her back to him, making her giggle. One of her favorite things about her size was when the people around her manhandled her… not that she’d ever admit it aloud. “I heard you laughing,” Philip added before sleepily resting his chin on top of shoulder.

Leaning back against his bare chest, she said, “The guys apparently felt duty-bound to check on the animals for me this evening, and Sterling sent some pictures.”

Philip hummed at that, wrapping his arms around her middle and giving her a gentle squeeze. “Pictures?”

Opening up her phone, Callie handed it to him. In turn, Philip flipped through them, chuckling at the sight of Shane with the chickens perched on him as well. “I’m really grateful you came with us, and I know Shiro and Yuuma are also grateful,” he murmured in her ear.

Callie gently patted his arm. “I know,” she said. All three of them had made a point to thank her at some point without the other two around.

She sat in his arms for some time relaxing against him before Philip asked, “Would you like to read with me for a bit before we sleep?”

“That sounds like a fantastic idea.”

Callie woke up in Philip’s arms.

This surprised her, as he preferred not to snuggle when he slept, especially with the way Callie tended to radiate heat like a little oven. But here she was, her head on his shoulder and his arms wrapped around her. She lifted her head enough to peer at the clock that glowed just bright enough in the darkness for her to read. It was almost four. Philip’s alarm would go off in about thirty minutes.

Laying her head back down, Callie allowed herself to luxuriate in his holding her. Waking up in someone else’s arms really was one of her most favorite things in the world. Few things made her feel so safe. A memory lanced through her, of waking up on top of Sterling where they’d fallen asleep on the couch, his lanky arms heavy and protective on her back. She flinched. Sterling should be the last person on her mind when she woke up in her lover’s arms. She and Sterling had chosen friendship, and that was okay.

She wondered if he’d looked at Kai’s messages yet.

Callie turned her attention to Philip’s sleeping face and smiled, reaching up to gently brush his hair out of his eyes then delicately run her fingertips along his hairline and jaw. His muscular arms tightened around her, making her squeak in surprise. Philip’s eyes fluttered open. “Y’ okay?” he asked muzzily, his voice deliciously rough from sleep.

“Yeah, sorry I woke you,” she apologized.

“No better way to wake up,” he murmured, pressing his lips against her temple.

She tilted her head up to kiss him on the lips, eliciting a small whine from him as he woke up further. “Is that so?” she teased, her hand wandering slowly down his torso before massaging first his hip and then his thigh. “Can’t think of a better way?” she added, pressing her own thigh against him and provoking a hissed intake of air.

“Not really, no,” Philip replied as he rolled on top of her, fully awake at this point. His ice blue eyes crinkled as he rolled his hips down against her, giving her the most delicious shivers. “You’ll need to keep quiet though, babe. The walls are paper thin,” he teased her.

“I can stay quiet when I want to,” she replied, hooking her knees over his hips and pressing up against him. “Just not much need to out on the farm.”

He gave her a challenging grin. “Really?”

“Really. But remember, your alarm is going off soon.”

“I think we’ll manage.”

Philip

“Ninety-seven.”

“Minus ten. Eighty-seven.”

“Play two cards.”

“Ninety-seven,” Callie replied again before drawing another card. “Ninety-nine.”

“I’m out,” Philip sighed, flipping over his cards to show nothing but high numbers.

“Me too,” Yuuma pouted, showing his own cards.

She wiped her brow with a theatrical gesture. “Good, ‘cause I was also doomed,” she laughed.

A half-dozen fluorescent lights buzzed above them, casting the room into a blue-ish, sterile light. Various hard, plastic chairs were bolted to the ground and arranged around the room in small pods with anchored coffee tables. A large television dominated one wall; no sound played, but they did at least have subtitles going. The ancient carpet on the floor looked as though it had escaped from a particularly garish bowling alley.

The three of them had set up shop in the corner of the waiting room, playing various card and small board games that Callie had packed for the day. When Yuuma grew tired of that, she'd pull something new out. The boy particularly liked the dry erase board and startling array of dry-erase markers she had. Yuuma told Philip at one point that Callie’s bag was magic with all of the little diversions she kept pulling out whenever Yuuma’s boredom or anxiety began to spike. Earlier, when Yuuma went to grab a snack from the vending machines, Philip had asked her about it.

“Not my first time keeping a kiddo occupied in a hospital,” she'd shrugged. “The trick is to not blow everything in the first hour.”

“You’ve spent a lot of time in hospitals?”

“I’ve spent enough,” she'd replied, her voice just short of curt.

That was well over an hour ago. Shiro had entered surgery four hours previously; they had another hour to go before they’d complete the procedure, and as much as another hour beyond that before they’d be able to see him. Yuuma kept glancing up at the clock as Philip shuffled, the only sign of his nervousness.

“I’m thinking of grabbing some coffee,” said Callie. “Would either of you like something?”

“Yes, please,” Philip said. “Black today.”

Callie nodded to show she’d heard. “Would you like anything Yuuma? Juice? Milk?”

“No thank you, Ms. Callie,” he said quietly.

“Alrighty then. I’ll be right back. Feel free to play a round or two without me,” she said with a quick smile.

They both watched her walk off. “Want to keep playing?” Philip asked the boy.

He shook his head. “I think I’d like to draw again for a while,” said Yuuma.

Philip put the cards back into their box before stashing them in Callie’s backpack. It boggled his mind just how many different little games, books, snacks, and other sundries she’d managed to squirrel away in it, all neatly organized. It made him wonder.

As the minutes slowly ticked by, he found himself watching some show about selling and buying versus renovating a house. Yuuma, meanwhile, knelt at the coffee table, writing out numbers and then giving them arms, legs, and faces as they fell off cliffs or swam under water. Halfway through the episode, Philip sent a message to Callie to check on her. By the time the family on the television chose to keep their renovated house instead of moving, Callie still hadn’t come back.

He frowned. “I’m going to go look for Callie.”

Yuuma looked up from where he’d drawn numbers trying to crawl out of a pit full of spikes. Several numbers laid broken atop said spikes. “Is it okay if I keep drawing?”

“Of course. I’ll be back soon. You still have Shiro’s phone, yeah?

“Yes, Mr. Philip.”

“Good. Call or send me a text if you need something.”

“Okay.”

Standing up, Philip stretched his arms above his head, reveling in the feeling of his spine popping back into alignment. The chairs in the waiting room seemed designed to inflict as much pain as possible upon whomever sat on them. It felt amazing to get up and move a little bit, even just to walk out towards the hallway and down to the little break room with vending machines and a coffee station. As he neared the break room, he heard Callie say, “I have no desire to talk to either of them. I didn’t even know she had an operation scheduled today.”

“If you’d actually check your email, I know you’d have known. I watched Dad send you a message,” a male voice replied.

“You know damn well why I don’t check their messages,” she replied. Philip could hear the stress in her voice, despite the evenness of its tone. He lengthened his stride, grateful for the way his sneakers gripped the linoleum.

“Sissy, she could bloody well die under the knife today. Can’t you get over yourself enough to—”

“I’m not doing this dance again, Huds,” she interrupted him. “Mum’s been dying since Bria was born, and yet she can never manage to seal the deal. I’m not setting myself on fire to keep you and Dad warm. They both know exactly what they need to do to have me in their lives again, and neither of them are willing to do it.”

Philip stepped up to the doorway and peered inside. Callie stood in the corner by the coffee machine, a steaming cup in either hand. Her eyes narrowed as she stared up at the man in front of her. The dark-haired man bounced on his toes in agitation even as he ran a hand through his chest-length beard. “Can’t you be the bigger person for once?” the man, Huds(?), asked her.

“No,” she replied firmly as her chin rose in defiance. “I’m tired of being the bigger person, especially when I’m the smallest in the family.”

“You know that’s just how they are,” he wheedled.

“And funnily enough, this is just how I am. Now, I really do need to get going—” Callie said, trying to step around him and getting blocked off as he deftly moved in front of her.

“At least tell me where you moved to. I know you told Bria. Why won’t you tell me?”

“Because Bria understands the importance of not telling Mum and Dad,” she said, “and you’d tell them the moment you thought it’d get them off your back for a while.”

Before Huds could respond, Philip stepped into the room, asking, “Everything okay, Callie?”

The other man turned at Philip’s voice, giving him a quick once over and a dismissive frown. He had to be related to Callie—the familial resemblance was striking. “She’s just fine,” he insisted.

“Hey, Philip,” Callie said, ignoring the man and giving Philip a smile that bared far too many teeth. “Sorry I got delayed bringing coffee back. This is my brother, Hudson. Hudson, this is my partner, Philip Chavez,” she continued, using the distraction Philip provided to slip past her brother.

Philip looked between the two siblings, wondering just what the story was. Taking in her clenched jaw and Hudson’s deepening frown, however, he opted to ignore the tension. Instead, he offered his hand and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

Hudson shook his hand, his grip one of challenge. “Another one, Sis? Mum and Dad are going to have a conniption,” he groaned.

Another one?

“I divorced Paul years ago. I don’t care what their stupid cult says, Paul and I are no longer married,” she replied, her tone cold. Ah. “As it is, I need to get back. Give Roz and the kids my love,” she added, turning her back on her brother and walking out the door.

Philip waited until Callie was through the doorway to let go of Hudson’s hand. Her brother glowered at her back but made no move to chase after her. Once she’d made it out of the room, Philip gave him a polite smile and followed her. He hurried after Callie as she powerwalked down the hallway. To his surprise, she went past the door to the waiting room. Philip caught up to her as she turned the corner. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“I’m going down to the third waiting room. I’ll sit there for a few minutes and then come back this way and see if I spot him. If not, I’ll rejoin you and Yuuma. If he’s lurking around, I’ll keep repeating until he’s gone. The last thing Yuuma needs is my family making a scene,” Callie said, her voice tight.

“Baby,” Philip said softly, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Before he could continue, she looked up at him with a fierce glint in her eyes. “Trust me on this one, okay?,” she said, patting the hand on her shoulder. “I have my phone on me.”

Philip hesitated for a long moment, but she knew the situation and he didn’t, plus… well, he didn’t feel comfortable leaving Yuuma alone for much longer. “Okay. I have my phone too.”

She gave him a tentative smile and a quick squeeze of his hand before heading on towards the next waiting room. Philip watched her go. Sighing, he returned to the original waiting room. At least he saw no sign of her brother.

“Everything okay?” Yuuma asked when Philip sat back down beside him.

“Yeah, she’s just going to be a few more minutes,” he replied, flashing him a smile.

The little boy eyed Philip skeptically, then shrugged and returned to drawing.

Ten minutes later, Callie walked back into the room looking completely at ease and with both their coffees still in her hands. “Sorry that took a hot minute,” she apologized as she handed Philip his cup. Looking at Yuuma, she added, “Did you manage to keep him out of trouble, Yuuma?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he grinned. Callie had kept a running joke that Yuuma was babysitting Philip instead of the other way around. The boy seemed to enjoy it, so Philip let them have it. He studied Callie for a moment, but she appeared completely at ease, as if she hadn’t just had a stressful encounter with her brother. Honestly, it kind of unnerved him, but he didn’t bring it up just then. They’d have a chance to talk about it that evening.

They didn’t talk about it that evening.

The surgery ran long. A five-hour procedure turned into an eight-hour procedure. According to the medical team, Shiro would be no worse for wear despite the complication, but it made Philip uneasy; Yuuma had started to panic—would have panicked if not for Callie’s calming presence. Philip spent two hours in discussions afterwards, determining what changes needed to be made to Shiro’s recovery plan to accommodate the extra two vertebrae they’d ended up fusing.

From there, he spent time explaining what had happened to Shiro, Yuuma, and Callie. They stayed with Shiro until the nursing staff kicked them out so Shiro could sleep. After dinner, Callie and Philip hung out more with Yuuma, playing games and answering questions he may have about Shiro’s surgery. When it came time to prepare Yuuma for bed, the boy hesitated before asking if one of them would stay with him. “I’m not used to sleeping on my own,” he admitted, refusing to meet their eyes. It surprised Philip at first, until he remembered that during previous trips to the hospital, he usually slept in the same room as both Shiro and Yuuma.

“That’s completely fair,” Callie said with a sweet smile. “Would you rather have me or Philip stay?”

“Could you please stay, Mr. Philip?” Yuuma asked, peeking up at him through his bangs. Philip or Shiro one really did need to trim the poor kid’s hair.

A part of Philip wanted to insist that Yuuma was old enough to sleep on his own so that Philip could finally talk with Callie about what in the Void had happened in that break room. But he recognized just how selfish that desire was. Even if he declined, Callie would likely stay with Yuuma in his stead. Also, Sterling’s warning about her night terrors rang in the back of his mind. The last thing they needed was Callie accidentally traumatizing Yuuma. A quick glance at her revealed an encouraging smile. Looking back to Yuuma, Philip said amiably, “Of course I can. Let me grab a few things from the other room, and then I’ll come in and sleep in this other bed here, okay?”

Yuuma surprised him by giving him a quick hug. “Thank you, Mr. Philip. I’m sorry I’m acting like a baby.”

“You’re not a baby,” Callie reassured him, ruffling Yuuma’s hair.

Sterling

Reclining on Callie’s bed, Sterling petted Cuthbert, reveling in the cat’s soft fur and the familiar comfort of her bedroom. He and Henry didn’t make it back from Uncle Jess’s farm until late—almost nine o’clock. However, he’d promised Callie he’d check on her cat, so he’d taken his bike to the cottage instead of the saloon. He strongly suspected that Shane had dropped by to check on the chickens, though he had no proof either way.

It still shocked Sterling that Callie had given him a key to the cottage.

“Just keep it,” she’d said when she’d dropped by the shop yesterday morning on her way to the train station. “I had some spares made, one for you, one for Marnie, and one for Philip. I figure you three are the most likely to need to check up on things for me.” Sterling had tried to protest, but Callie insisted.

To be fair, he hadn’t protested too hard.

Cuthbert had greeted Sterling almost as soon as he walked in the door, obviously happy to have someone around. After he’d cleaned the litter box and refilled the water bowl, Sterling became Cuthbert’s new favorite person—at least until Callie got back. The cat had insisted that they needed to have a cuddle session, making biscuits on the bed and meowing invitingly until Sterling gave in. Again, he hadn’t protested too hard.

The bed smelled like Callie, and Sterling closed his eyes as he petted Cuthbert. Despite knowing that Callie had chosen another, sometimes he couldn’t help fantasizing about a life where he’d said yes when she offered to pursue a romantic relationship, where this wasn’t just her home but their home. He’d help her around the farm with the fields and flowers and orchards, learn how to tend to chickens and cows and whatever other animals she had in mind down the road. They’d care for all the new life that she brought to the farm, plant and animal alike, and… and maybe even bring a child or two to life as well. At night they’d cuddle, helping the other to remember how far they’d come and that they weren’t alone. And sometimes, they’d play—

Sterling’s phone rang.

Eyes snapping open in a mild panic, Sterling grabbed his phone from where he’d tossed it on the bed beside him as Cuthbert meowed in protest. “Sorry, Berty,” he apologized to the cat, scratching him under the chin even as he checked the caller ID. Callie. Surprised and more than a little worried, Sterling answered the phone. “You okay, hotstuff?”

“Hey, trouble,” she said, sounding ragged. “I’m managing. How are you?”

“I’m peachy. I’m actually at your place at the moment—came by to check on Cuthbert after getting back to the valley, and he insisted that we needed to have a snuggle before I left,” he rambled even as he frowned. Cuthbert chose that moment to meow loudly. “Hear that?”

Callie laughed softly. “I did. Sorry that you had to go out to the cottage after spending the day on your uncle’s farm.”

“No worries,” he said. “Probably better for me than hitting up the saloon this late in the evening anyways,” he added, relaxing back against her pillows. “So, what’s up? I figured Philip would keep you occupied this evening, and at best I’d get a text from you tonight.” Sterling sure wouldn’t have passed up the opportunity presented by sharing a hotel room with her.

“Just wanted to hear a friendly voice,” she sighed. “Shiro’s staying overnight for observation, and Yuuma’s not used to sleeping alone. So, Philip’s staying in the room with Yuuma tonight. Pretty sure they’re both asleep by this point.”

“Mm-hmm,” Sterling said to let her know he was listening. Then, he waited. Callie wouldn’t have called if there wasn’t something bothering her—and something obviously was.

“I, uh, ran into my brother today,” she eventually said.

“Hudson?”

“Yeah.”

“At the hospital?”

“Yeah.”

Sterling frowned again. Callie had mentioned her brother and sister a couple of times and frequently told stories about her niblings. “Is everyone okay? Gideon and Fi?”

“Yeah, the kiddos are fine, as are Hudson and Roz,” she hurried to reassure him.

“So why was he there?”

“My mum was in for surgery today as well.”

Sterling blinked. Callie rarely talked about her parents to the point that he’d kind of assumed that they were both dead, just like his parents. “And no one told you?” he asked, feeling offended on her behalf.

Callie huffed a soft laugh. “They probably did, but… well, I’m— I’m no-contact with my parents.”

Sterling sat up. He knew Callie, knew how crazy she was about her siblings and niblings, knew how much she’d loved her Granddad. Family clearly meant a great deal to her. “Do you mind if I ask why?”

He could hear Callie moving around and strongly suspected she’d started pacing. “To list out the reasons would take the rest of the night and make both of us mean and miserable. But my breaking point was when they insisted that Reece’s death was their god’s—their Empress’s punishment for my ‘betraying my husband,’” she spat, anger giving her voice a bit of life. “In their eyes Paul and I are still married despite our legal divorce—the laws of man not superseding the laws of heaven or some such bullshit. They felt the best time to inform me of this was at Reece’s funeral. We made a huge scene.”

Cuthbert let out a sound of displeasure at the rough way Sterling petted him as he listened to Callie. Sterling tucked his hand into his armpit, so he didn’t injure the poor cat. “That’s fucking nuts, Lee-lee,” he finally replied, unable to really wrap his brain around it.

Callie gave a bitter laugh. “Yeah… that’s one way of putting it.”

“So... what happened with Hudson?”

“The usual twaddle about how I should be the bigger person and forgive them and talk to Mum because she could die at any time,” she recited. He could hear springs squeaking as she flopped onto the hotel bed. “Of course, the rest of the story is that Mum’s been dying for over twenty years. Pretty sure she’s too petty and spiteful to actually bite the bullet.”

Sterling winced at the sheer pain and shame undergirding everything Callie said. Angry though she may be, he could hear how much she wished things were different. “I’m sorry, firecracker,” he said quietly.

“I know,” Callie sighed. “Sorry to call and dump on you. I’d hoped to talk with Philip tonight, but—”

“The kid comes first,” Sterling said with complete understanding. “How are Shiro and Yuuma doing?”

He listened as Callie told him about how Shiro’s surgery had ended up taking half-again as long as what they were originally told, and how badly that had terrified Yuuma. How the boy had remained remarkably stoic throughout the whole thing until they’d gotten to the final hour and Callie held him in her lap.

“That poor kid is on the brink of a breakdown,” Callie said. “His parents are on the opposite end of the Republic in order to make enough money to help his big brother heal, and Yuuma feels responsible for making sure nothing happens to Shiro while they’re gone. Sooner or later, he’s going to crack.”

“Kids are pretty resilient—”

“If that’s the case, why do so many adults need therapy?” she asked with a bitter laugh. “Kids aren’t resilient; kids survive. Right now, he’s pushing all of that down into a deep, dark hole where he doesn’t think about it because he can’t afford to think about it without turning into an utter wreck. It’s a self-defense mechanism. When he can finally start to decompress, it won’t be pretty.”

Part of Sterling wanted to argue with her about that. He knew of people who’d experienced pretty traumatic shit as kids and were perfectly fine as adults… but even he had to admit they were few and far between. Most of them became fucked up one way or another. “But he won’t be alone. I have no doubt you’ll at least be around.”

“Is that so?” she said softly, sounding a little amused.

“Yep,” he replied. “You’re not the kind of person to leave someone hanging.”

“Hope you’re right,” she said. “How are you doing, Red? For real.”

Sterling collapsed back against the pillows again, closing his eyes. He knew what she was really asking; they hadn’t had a chance to talk just the two of them since the night they fell asleep on the couch. “I’m about the same as I ever was,” he finally said. “I haven’t looked at any of the messages from the Zuzu crowd. I think when I do that… well, I…”

“Don’t want to be alone?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t have to be.”

“You’ve got your own shit going on—”

“And so do you. I like helping other people. I like helping you, Sterling.”

Why did that hurt so much to hear?

“I like helping you too, Callie,” he said. He even meant it. 

“So, if you can wait for me to get back to town, I’m more than willing to keep you company when you look. When you want to. If you want to.”

“Yeah… yeah, okay,” he said. “As it is, I should probably head home. Didn’t exactly bring a change of clothes with me,” he joked.

“You’re totally laying on my bed right now, aren’t you?”

“No,” he lied.

“Uh-huh,” she laughed. “Alright, I’ll let you go. Thanks for listening to me, shop boy.”

“Don’t worry, farmer. Just means I owe you one less,” he said, smiling.

“You know I don’t keep a balance sheet, right?”

“You should.”

“Nah,” Callie said. “Get home safe. Shiro’s supposed to get out sometime tomorrow morning, so I should be home by the time you get off work.”

Home. She thought of this place as her home. She’d given him a key to her home. “Let me know when you make it back, okay?”

“Can do. G’night, Red.”

“Sweet dreams.”

Ending the call, Sterling let out a deep sigh. Before he could convince himself to move, however, Cuthbert laid on his chest and began purring. “I should head home, cat,” he protested even as he started stroking his fur.

Cuthbert butted his head against Sterling’s chin.

Well… maybe he could wait a little longer….

Callie

“Alright, here’s another one,” Callie said, crossing her legs where she sat on the ghastly plastic chair next to Shiro’s hospital bed. The furniture hadn't improved any over the decades. “If you had to swap your legs with the legs of any other animal, which animal would you choose?” she asked. Shiro, Yuuma, and Philip all three stared at her as if she’d grown two more heads, making her laugh gleefully.

They were waiting for the doctor to come by and do a final inspection before releasing Shiro into Philip’s care. Yuuma had finally grown tired of card games, and Shiro was sufficiently out of it from his pain meds to suggest that Callie ask them questions. Poor Philip looked as though he may never recover.

“Flamingo legs,” Yuuma replied even as he giggled. He currently sat beside his brother on the hospital bed.

“Why?” asked Callie.

“Because then my knees could bend the other way!”

“Alright. What about you, Shiro?”

The young man gave an exaggerated hum as he considered his options. “A mountain goat. They can climb anything and are always sure-footed,” he decided.

“Philip?” she asked.

He’d started laughing even as he shook his head, leaning against the wall. “I don’t know… a cat? They’re pretty fast, after all.”

“That’s fair,” she said with a nod. “Okay, now, have you ever—”

Yuuma interrupted her to ask, “What’s your answer, Ms. Callie?”

“Hmmm? Oh. Well, I’d pick a kangaroo.”

“Why?”

“Because then I could jump up and reach the things I normally couldn’t,” she grinned.

The others started snickering at her answer. While none of them teased her about her height quite to the extent that Shane did, they still did from time to time. No one made fun of her height as much as she did, though.

“So, as I started to say, have you—” Callie broke off again as the doctor finally entered Shiro’s room. He was of average height and build, with coffee-colored skin and dark hair. The man looked rather harried at the moment. Made sense, considering the nurse had said he’d drop by over an hour ago.

“Hello, Dr. Biggs,” Philip greeted him.

“Mr. Chavez, Mr. Kobayashi, it’s good to see you again,” he said, before arching an eyebrow at Callie. “Who’s this?”

“Callie Solanen,” Philip replied. “She came with us at Shiro’s request.”

“I see. As it is, Ms. Solanen, would you please step outside for a few minutes while I examine Mr. Kobayashi?” the doctor asked.

“Of course,” she replied, getting to her feet.

“Can I stay?” asked Yuuma.

“If it is alright with your brother,” the doctor replied, his brown eyes growing kind.

“You can stay, otouto.”

“I have my phone on me,” she said to Philip with a quick smile before making a hasty exit.

Stepping out into the hallway, Callie walked a short distance away and leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes against the harsh light of the fluorescents and wrinkling her nose at the lingering smell of antiseptics. She felt like she hadn’t slept at all the night before, even though she knew she’d lost a few hours. Once she’d gotten off the phone with Sterling, she’d talked with her sister for a bit, mostly to let her know what had happened with Hudson.

“If I’d known you were coming to town, I would have warned you,” Bria said, more than a bit put out.

“I knew I wouldn’t have any time to visit, and if I didn’t tell you, then Mum and Dad couldn’t be mad at you about it if they found out,” Callie replied.

“I suppose. You sound exhausted, Sissy. Are you getting any sleep?”

“Ha. Yeah… from time to time.”

“I know you don’t want to, but have you reconsidered—”

“Not yet,” Callie interrupted her. “I’m not that bad off. I have hopes that once we get through the next week or two, things will calm down and I can get my sleep back on track.” It felt like a common refrain these days.

They hadn’t talked for too much longer after that.

Talking with Sterling and Bria had helped her to regain some of her equilibrium, but Callie still felt off. Then again, she’d felt that way ever since she’d left the valley, as if she’d also left half her brain behind. Running into Hudson certainly hadn’t helped—

The sound of a door opening prompted Callie to open her eyes and look down the hallway, half expecting to see Dr. Biggs. Instead, she discovered several rooms down the hallway a man she hadn’t laid eyes on in well over two years. His short, wavy hair had grown grayer than she remembered; his broad shoulders slumped as if he carried the weight of the world. Her heart stuck in her throat.

Dad.

What were the odds that her mum and Shiro would have rooms on the same bloody floor? Callie swallowed hard as she stared at his back, the way he leaned his forehead against the door for a moment. She missed him. She missed him so much. Or, at least, she missed the man her father used to be. All she wanted right then was to call out to her daddy and give him a hug and have him hug her. Once upon a time, she’d believed he could do no wrong, that he could fix anything from a broken toy to a broken heart. She’d learned better, of course, but damn if the little girl inside of her didn’t want her dad just then.

She knew, though. She knew that if she walked over there and drew his attention, that she’d find herself right back in a web of obligations and lies that she may never escape again. Even if she managed to stay on the edges of their machinations, they’d never give her peace until she remarried Paul, until she agreed to do their cult’s bidding. They would never let her live her life as she desired.

Still couldn’t help wanting her dad, though. Thirty-two years old, and she still wanted someone to pick her up and make it all better.

A lifetime passed before Dad straightened his back and marched down the hallway away from her, obviously off on some mission or another and oblivious to her presence. Callie stayed completely still until he disappeared around the corner, then took a ragged breath.

Yoba, she couldn’t wait to get out of Zuzu City.

Chapter Text

Chapter 16 – Home

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: *pokes*

So, wait… you’re saying that this Empress is how they refer to the head of their religion? Like, as in their god or the head of their institution? Though, it sounds like referring to it as an institution is a bit generous, since you insist it’s a cult. By that, I’m guessing you don’t actually believe what your parents and husband do?

Sorry, this just…. Of course, I’m aware of the spirits that inhabit our world and extend it their protections (I have seen Junimos, after all!), but I’ve never heard of anyone insisting on a different goddess from Yoba. It’s fascinating and kind of terrifying, to be honest!

Oh! Triss and I found a new series of caves beyond the train station last week. Once things slow down a bit, we’re hoping to investigate them and see if they connect in with any of the other cave systems in the area. One of these times you really should come out here and run a few missions with us; Triss keeps insisting that he’s never seen anyone else handle monsters the way that you do, but then refuses to elaborate. Maybe when Winter comes? Assuming that you’re not busy with your own duties in Zuzu.

Love you!

—Mona

Callie

Stepping off the train gave Callie a sense of instant relief, the stress of something feeling off draining immediately away. Instead, she felt whole in a way she hadn't her entire time in Zuzu City.

She didn’t make it back to the farm until late in the afternoon, wanting to make sure that the others made it safely back to Ridgeside first. Once they had Shiro settled at home, Callie took her leave, though not without eliciting a promise from Philip that he’d make it down Saturday night. “I don’t know if I’ll make it to Emily’s,” he warned her as they stood on the porch to the brothers’ house. “But even if I can’t make that, I’ll head down to the cottage. Thank you again for trusting me with a key,” he said, caressing her cheek as he gave her a fond smile.

“Well, that is partly why you have one, after all,” she said before giving him a quick yet tender kiss. “I’ll have my phone on me. Try to get some rest, big guy,” she said with a lopsided smile.

“You too, babe.”

After making it back to the farm and tossing her things haphazardly into the cottage, Callie immediately set about checking over her farm. The fields of melons, wheat, and corn appeared to have no issues, and her garden had several different plants ready for harvest. The bees appeared to have survived her absence without issue; the peach trees looked healthy; the apple trees looked as though they’d have fruit set any time now; and Samba, Chacha, and Jive all clucked happily as they wandered around the chicken pen. Walking around the farm settled her even further in a way she couldn’t explain. By the time she passed the old silo to investigate the blueberry bushes, she’d started singing to herself.

The blueberries had finally ripened.

Reaching out a hand to touch the first tall bush, Callie sunk her awareness down into it and out through the others, worried that they may have grown too ripe in her absence. Her connection with the land reassured her that she hadn’t missed her window, however. Despite how late in the day it was, she went ahead and collected her truck, gloves, and equipment and started harvesting. She managed to harvest several baskets worth by the time the sun began to set. Putting the latest basket of blueberries into the back of the truck, Callie went to close the chickens up in their coop only to discover someone else already taking care of it.

“Thanks, buttercup,” Callie said as she approached the pen.

Shane looked up from where he’d just finished closing the gate to the pen and blushed bright red. “Y-you’re welcome, short stack,” he said, stuffing his hands into his ever-present hoodie (How did he not suffocate in the Summer heat?) even as he avoided her eyes. “Heard them clucking when I left the ranch and didn’t know if you were back yet, so I thought I’d check on the little idiots,” he explained.

Smiling warmly, Callie said, “I appreciate it. I saw the girls looked rather fond of you in the pictures Sterling sent me.”

“They’re good hens,” he said stiffly as he exited the pen. “I noticed that your coop doesn’t have a heater yet. Fall is still a ways off, but you’ll want to be damn sure to get one before cool weather arrives.”

Callie nodded. “Next up on the to-do list is repairing the silo, then getting a heater for the coop and getting the barn repaired,” she said. “But thank you for telling me. I’d rather you tell me something I already know than have you hold back and then my ignorance harm the flock,” she added.

His hazel eyes finally met hers as a small smile softened his face. Any time she managed to elicit an actual smile from him felt like a momentous occasion. “Well, I remember from the Egg Festival that chickens aren’t your wheelhouse. Also, next time you need to go out of town, just let me know. No need to pay Ian or Sean for that,” he said. “They’re shit at finding eggs.”

“That’s very kind of you,” she said as he finally drew near to where she stood.

“Hardly. I just happen to like these three,” he said, making her smile in amusement.

“Of course, of course.”

Shane stood awkwardly for a moment, shifting his weight from foot to foot before asking, “Coming to the saloon tonight or tomorrow? Pretty sure everyone would love to see you.”

“Not tonight,” she said, noting the way he started frowning. “I’m elbow deep in harvesting blueberries, and honestly, I’m more than a little peopled out from the past couple of days. But I’ll do my best to drop by tomorrow. You’re more than welcome to join me at my booth, you know,” she added warmly.

Looking down at their shoes, he said, “Yeah, maybe. As it is, I should get going.”

“Okay. Thank you again, Shane. I really am grateful."

Glancing back up at her, he gave her another smile. “You’re welcome, Callie.”

Walking into the saloon Friday night, it felt like everyone and their brother wanted to talk to Callie. Well, Marnie and Lewis didn’t take much note of her, too busy flirting with one another, but plenty of others made sure to chat with her. Elliott wanted her thoughts on a scene he’d spent the entire day pouring over. Leah wanted to know if Callie liked the painting Gunther had commissioned from her. Andy asked after when she thought she’d have her tractor parts in. Susan passed along her wisdom on harvesting techniques for her various types of melons. Willy shared a tall tale about his latest fishing expedition after Clint gave her an update on how refurbishing the Ridgeside minecarts was coming along. Sam regaled her with a tale of the latest pranks he had pulled and how infuriated they’d made Morris. The entire time, Sebastian and Abigail traded amused looks with Callie.

She only managed to escape from Olivia, Victor, and Sophia’s riveting economic discussion by pointing out that Emily had dropped her food off at her booth. Her booth which both Shane and Sterling currently occupied.

Seeing them made her smile brighten, no matter how fatigued she felt. “Hey trouble, hey buttercup,” she said as she slid into the booth next to Sterling. He’d picked her side of the table to sit at.

“I swear, hotstuff, I thought for a minute you’d ordered these pizzas for us as an apology for blowing us off,” Sterling teased her, laughter in his eyes.

“Nope. They’re a thank you for checking on my animals while I was gone,” she replied. She’d ordered each of them their favorites, banking that Sterling at least would share with her.

If not, she had food at home.

“Didn’t do it for the pizza,” Shane mumbled.

Giving Callie a wink, Sterling reached out to grab the spicy pizza. “Excellent, then honey bun can have this one over here and I can take—”

Shane smacked his hand and growled.

“Dammit,” Sterling cursed as he pulled his hand back and shook it.

“At least he didn’t bite your fingers,” Callie giggled.

“Don’t give him ideas,” he replied.

Shane bared his teeth in a grin.

“So will you join us tomorrow night for games?” Sterling asked her as he put a couple slices apiece on a pair of plates. “Emily’s hosting this time,” he added as he slid one in front of her.

“Thanks,” she said before adding with a sigh. “That’ll depend on how far I get with my blueberries.”

“Pierre’s over the moon about them, for the record,” he pointed out, before adding, “And if you’re worried about your blueberries, sugar plum, why don’t I come help you out on Sunday? That should make up for whatever time you’d lose stopping at six instead of nine or ten.”

Callie shook her head at Sterling. “I’m not going to ask you to work on your day off—” She broke off with wide eyes as he placed his long fingers over her lips.

“You’re not asking. I’m offering,” he said, his blue eyes surprisingly intense. “Besides, spending my day off with a friend doesn’t sound so bad,” he continued with a genuine smile as he lowered his hand.

“Okay,” she said, unable to help her blush as she turned back to her pizza.

Shane watched them both with an unreadable expression.

Callie made it to Emily’s game night, though she showed up nearly an hour after everyone else.

“Took you long enough, baby girl,” Jeric teased her as she walked through the door.

“Trust me, all of you should thank me for showering before joining,” came the dry reply. “And I’m not a baby.” Even with the shower, her fingers remained stained from blueberry juice.

It looked as though Emily had quite the crowd this time. Elliott, Leah, Victor, and Sophia were all scrunched together on the large couch. Jeric somehow managed to get both Emily and Mia to sit on either side of him on the loveseat and looked rather smug about that arrangement. Shane had claimed the lone office chair, while Sterling and Henry were both in kitchen chairs. To Callie’s surprise, Haley sat in a kitchen chair as well, leaning against the arm of the couch as she and Leah laughed together about something.

“Phil working late?” Henry asked Callie as she kicked off her shoes.

“Yeah. Said he probably wouldn’t make it here tonight.”

“Is he staying up on the Ridge?” Emily asked with a concerned frown.

“No, he’s planning to meet me at the cottage,” Callie reassured her, looking out over the mess of colorful cards and the drinks in everyone’s hands. It looked as though they’d pooled together several decks of the same game to get enough cards for everyone. Whenever people were forced to draw, they had to take an equivalent number of sips to the cards they drew.

No wonder they’d filled the house with such a din.

“Oho! Gave your boytoy a key to the palace, eh?” Jeric grinned at her, making her blush despite her best efforts.

“With his work schedule, it seemed sensible. Food and drink in the kitchen?”

“Yeah! Have at,” Emily encouraged her.

Slipping away from the chaos, Callie went to make herself up a plate—it appeared that Emily had opted for a taco night—and to find herself a beverage. Within two minutes, Mia came in as well. Callie flashed her a quick smile. “Hey there. Current round over?”

Mia nodded. “Elliott won that one. Thought I’d come keep you company and join back in when you did,” she said with a friendly smile.

Callie went immediately on alert. That smile struck her as too friendly. “That’s awful sweet of you, Mia. Thanks,” she said as she grabbed the pear cider that Sterling regularly bought for her over her protestations.

The two stood in the kitchen for a bit, catching up with each other as Callie ate. She began to slowly relax, thinking her paranoia unwarranted, until Henry poked in his head looking for the two of them. “They’re about to start another round. You two ready to join?”

“Almost,” Callie said, hiding her half-full mouth behind her hand as she did. She had one last taco left.

Seeing her plate, he laughed. “No rush. You can hop in the next round.”

“Hey Hen!” Mia said before he could head back to the others. “You’re in a lull at the farm for the next week or two, right?” she asked, her green eyes getting that predatory glint to them that made Callie’s paranoia ratchet up to eleven.

Equally wary, Henry’s eyes flicked to Callie for a moment before replying tentatively, “Yeah… why do you ask?”

Looking at both farmers with a gleeful grin, Mia said, “Well then, why don’t we finally have that beach day on Wednesday? Callie said she should have her blueberry harvest finished by then, and she never did get a chance to swim at the Luau.”

Callie and Henry traded long-suffering looks before sighing in unison.

Philip

Unlocking his girlfriend’s house and walking in, Philip let out a long, slow sigh and flicked on the lights.

He’d known from Shiro’s previous surgeries that things would get rough for himself. Shiro’s range of movement was more limited in the initial period after the surgery, which meant that Philip needed to be far more hands on and use more of his physical strength than he normally needed to with Shiro. Add in his fatigue from sixteen days of no days off and counting, and it was kind of a minor miracle he’d even made it to Callie’s cottage. Only the knowledge of how little they'd seen each other had kept him from going back to his room and collapsing.

Cuthbert came over and sniffed at Philip’s shoes in greetings, making him smile a little. He’d never really considered himself a cat person—well, aside from Incrediman’s ally the Feline Liberator—but the gray cat had grown on him the longer he dated Callie. Bending over, he gave Cuthbert a couple of long strokes before straightening back up and heading towards the bedroom. It was almost ten, and he doubted that Callie would make it home before eleven at the earliest. He sent her a text letting her know he was there and then grabbed a shower.

Crawling out of the shower a good while later, he discovered a message from Callie sent soon after his.

Callie: Gonna wrap up this round of cards and then I’ll head back 💖

Philip smiled, happy that she wanted to come see him as soon as she could even as another part mourned he couldn't just slip into bed right away. He reminded himself how much he'd always wanted someone like Callie and the way she treated him. Addy would have tried to convince him to come join in whatever social activity she was at and then would have guilted him when he declined. Emma would have not gone in the first place, and then she would have complained that she’d stayed home waiting for him. Lisa would have told him to not even bother coming down to begin with.

He had so many reasons to feel grateful for Callie. Sometimes, his exhaustion made it hard to remember, though. And yet... Yoba, he missed her. She’d offered time and again to come up of an evening or for him to come down. He declined every time. Despite his efforts to not fall into old habits, he knew he was horrid company lately, oftentimes cranky or completely brain-fried. Even Shiro had made note of it. Philip wanted to treat Callie right, to take her out on a real date, to dance with her under the stars. He just needed to get through the next six weeks or so.

Clad only in his boxers, he walked into Callie’s bedroom and eyed her bed longingly. Before he could give into temptation, the sounds of the front door closing and Callie divesting herself of her jacket and shoes caught his ear. “Honey?” she called just before he heard a thud and cursing.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he hurried out to the living room.

Callie hopped on one bare foot as she held the other in her hand and muttered profanity, her plaited pigtails flopping about. She’d clearly stubbed her toe on something. Looking up at him, she started to reply when she leaned too far to the side and nearly tumbled before catching herself on the side of the couch with an embarrassed giggle. “Sorry,” she apologized as she turned bright red. “Some of the cards made us take drinks, and I’m a bit tipsy,” she confessed.

Eyebrows rising at that, Philip couldn’t help but smile a little at how adorably ridiculous she looked. “A bit, huh? How exactly did the cards make you take drinks?” he echoed with amusement as he walked over to her.

Gingerly putting her foot back on the ground, Callie gave a sheepish smile before she tried to explain how they’d changed the rules but kept confusing herself. Ignoring his own exhaustion, he scooped her up into his arms with a soft laugh and carried her around so they could sit on the couch together. “Sounds like it got a little rowdy.”

“Yeah... just a tad,” she admitted. “Had a large crowd tonight. Probably… ten of us total?” she said, before realizing he was carrying her. “You don’t need to carry me. I know you’re tired,” she admonished him even as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I’m never too tired to hold my beautiful girl,” he said with a wide smile, nuzzling his nose to hers and making her giggle again. No symphony could ever compare to her laughter.

“I missed you,” she said as he sat down on the couch with her in his lap.

“I missed you, too,” he said softly before proceeding to kiss her and show her just how much. Despite dating her for a couple of months, he found her lips just as intoxicating as the first time and worth the extra weariness staying up would cause later. She eagerly reciprocated, stealing the breath from his lungs with ease. “I’m glad you had fun tonight,” he panted once they came back up for air. It pleased him to note her cheeks looked just as flushed as his felt.

“Would’ve had more fun if you were there, but I understand why you couldn’t make it,” she said as she ran her fingers through his hair. Yoba, he'd give her a lifetime to keep doing that.

“Did I miss anything of importance?” he asked as he leaned back against the couch, pulling her with him. It always surprised him both how large and how comfortable her couch was, considering that Callie herself was such a physically small person.

Still catching her breath, she admitted, “Mia wants to do a beach day on Wednesday, but I haven’t decided whether or not I want to go.”

“Isn’t the whole point of the beach day to get you into the ocean?” Philip asked, ignoring the pang of resentment disappointment he felt at missing out on it. But it didn’t matter when Mia scheduled one; his schedule simply would not allow him to do such a thing before the weather turned too cold for the beach. Making Callie miss her chance because of his work would be incredibly unheroic selfish.

“I know,” Callie acknowledged with a rueful smile. Her eyes grew serious as she added, “But I also know how much you wanted to go with me, and—”

Philip interrupted her with another kiss, one hand wrapping around the back of her head, the other hand covering her back as he pulled her chest flush against his. Even though neither of them had actually said they loved each other yet, Callie showed her love for him time and again in her actions and consideration of him. He gave thanks for it every day. When the kiss finally ended, he took advantage of her breathlessness to say, “Don’t worry about me. Go on Wednesday with your friends, and I’ll just have to go with you next year.” Callie’s warm, chocolate eyes studied his, and he gave her an earnest smile. “I mean it, babe,” he insisted, ignoring how his heart dropped and his stomach churned at the idea. She deserved to have a bit of fun, even if it was with Sterling without him. “My insane work schedule shouldn’t hold you back from enjoying yourself. It’s not as though if you skipped out, you’d spend that time with me; you’d just keep working," he added, reminding himself just as much as her. "Go have fun.”

"You're sure?" she double checked one more time, still clearly unsure.

"Absolutely."

Oh, that look on her face really was lovely, so tender and sweet. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m so thankful for it every day,” she said softly, her dark eyes endless pools of gratitude and devotion. It eased something inside of Philip that he refused to recognize, to acknowledge. The sly smile that curved her lips sparked a sudden, intense desire within him that immediately declared war against his fatigue. "Let me show you just how grateful I am, how much you mean to me, my tired sweetheart," she added, shifting in his lap to straddle him as she once more pressed her lips to his.

Despite how weary he felt, he swiftly discovered that he had the energy for this, especially when she made it clear that she intended to do the work involved. Philip welcomed the reprieve, welcomed her affection, welcomed how different this was from any of his previous relationships.

As she left a trail of fire over his bare skin, hands and lips working their way down his chest and his stomach...

As she removed his boxers before wrapping those full, pouty lips around him...

As she met his gaze with complete adoration and stark desire, his hands fisted in her hair and urging her head to bob faster...

As she worked him effortlessly to his peak, drinking him in...

Again and again, he thanked Yoba he'd found a woman so loving and selfless, a woman who did not hold his work, his desire to help others, and the fatigue it brought against him. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to return the lovely gift she'd just bestowed on him, bring her the same sort of joy, but the combination of his exhaustion and satiation made it impossible to keep his eyes open. She tucked him into her bed with a knowing, kind smile. "Sleep, sweetheart. There's always tomorrow."

Perched on the edge of sleep, he intertwined his fingers with hers. None of his previous girlfriends could ever hold a candle to Callie's sultry beauty or generous heart, the way she repeatedly demonstrated just how much love she had to share with the world, to share with him. Finally tipping over into slumber, one final thought lingered in his head: Philip would gladly take all that she had to give.

Callie

The Summer afternoon sun beat down on the backs of Callie and Sterling as they worked together. A light, southern breeze that carried the scent of ripe blueberries and tilled earth provided a little relief. Sterling’s height and long arms let him pluck the blueberries out of her reach, leaving Callie the ones closer to the ground. She still kept her ladder near to hand, however.

“So, have you decided yet?” asked Sterling.

“Yeah. During breakfast, Philip pretty much threatened to kidnap and dump me on your doorstep to get me to go,” she said with a chagrined laugh. Mostly, she hadn’t wanted him to feel like she was purposefully leaving him out, but he’d gone out of his way to reassure her. His complete trust in her still floored Callie; all of her previous partners had suffered from a jealous streak.

“Your boy scout’s a trusting soul letting someone as hot as you wear a bikini to the beach without him,” Sterling said with a lecherous look, proving her point. It swiftly disappeared when she lightly swatted his shin with the back of her hand. “Dammit, firecracker. What was that for?” he whined even as he gave her a knowing, shit-eating grin.

“You know damn well what that was for,” she replied, her cheeks burning bright red. The longer she and Philip dated, the more comfortable Sterling had grown flirting with her again. Which was totally fine—she knew he didn’t actually mean anything by it. Even if he did, she knew he couldn’t wouldn’t act on it. Still made her blush, however.

“It’s not my fault you’re a gorgeous woman and picked my favorite color for your swimsuit.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have let Mia and Emily talk me into that one.”

“Awww, but you have to admit it looks so good on you.”

Callie muttered to herself under her breath, making Sterling laugh. Despite his teasing, she really did enjoy working with him. The hours always seemed to fly by when he decided to help on the farm. You know, the two times it had happened. So far.

“You have quite the haul going. Are you planning to keep some back for jams again?” Sterling asked her when they paused for a water break late in the afternoon. He’d rolled up the sleeves of his dark red work shirt to the elbow, leaving his toned forearms streaked with blue violet. For a man who drank as consistently as he did, he stayed in remarkably good shape. Then again, Mia ensured that he at least ate healthily at home, and he frequently took Max for runs when Hank couldn't.

“I am, but not just for jams,” she said as she refilled her water bottle.

“Oh? What else?”

“Some I’m freezing for my own use, but I’m also planning to make up some baked goods—muffins and waffles and tarts and the like.”

Sterling’s eyes grew large. “You make blueberry tarts?” he asked, reminding her very much of when he’d learned she made granola bars.

“I do,” she smiled. “I enjoy baking in general, actually, though I don’t necessarily like decorating things. Why? Are blueberry tarts another hidden love of yours?”

He looked away with a reluctant, “Yeah... once upon a time, anyways….”

Blinking at his reaction, Callie gave him a more encouraging smile, “That’s good to know. I’ll make sure to give you some when I make them.”

He shook his head at her, “You don’t have to—”

“Why wouldn’t I give you some? I like making them, and you apparently like eating them. Sounds like a good match to me.”

“Well, when you put it like that…” Sterling said, looking back at her with the small smile she adored—the one that said he meant it.

“Excellent,” she grinned. “Glad that’s settled.”

“Alright, hotstuff. You ready to get back to it?” he asked, hopping up to his feet and offering her his hand.

She got the sense he still felt embarrassed for some reason, but let it go. “Yes, sir,” she said, taking his hand. He effortlessly pulled her to her feet.

As they got back to work, Sterling asked, “So what are you planning on doing with your profit this time, hmm?”

“This time?”

“Well, you did the coop and chickens from your peaches thus far. I figure you have something else lined up.”

Smiling happily, Callie explained her plans for the farm for the next year—a heater for the chickens, repairing the barn, expanding the coop, refurbishing the silo and mill—as well as her research into making artisanal goods so she’d still have income in the Winter, painting a picture of where she hoped to be by next Summer.

“You really are amazing, cupcake.”

Once again sitting on her heels as she plucked blueberries, Callie tilted her head completely back to see past the brim of her hat and look at him. “Why do you say that?” she asked.

“I mean…” Sterling paused, seemingly searching for the right words. “You have this—this vision of what you want your farm to become, of all the things you want to accomplish,” he said, looking her in the eye.  “Not only that, but you have a plan and contingencies and probably pages of notes somewhere of how to get it done. I find that mind blowing.” Looking back at what his hands were doing, he added bitterly, “All I’m trying to do is make sure I don’t lose my job and don’t die of alcohol poisoning.”

Callie hummed thoughtfully at that as she worked. She hated the way he ran down his own efforts. Resisting temptation and staying clean… “I think what you’re doing is equally impressive,” she said quietly.

His eyes darted down at that, back to her face. “How do you figure?” he asked, disbelief plain in tone and face.

“You realized you were in a bad situation, and you left it, even knowing how hard it would be,” she said. “You told me you haven’t used once since moving to the valley—that you went cold turkey. You’ve lived here for nearly a year and have stayed clean; that’s far more admirable than checking items off a to-do list.”

“It’s not—” he started to deflect.

But Callie interrupted him, “It is, though. That isn’t a one-time choice and then it’s done, Red. It’s a choice you make every single day, and I’ll bet you make it multiple times a day. That soaks up a lot of mental and emotional bandwidth,” she said as she leaned to the side, gently patting the back of his calf. “Don’t compare your work to mine or anyone else’s. You’re doing good, hon.”

Sterling huffed a soft laugh as he looked down at her with a crooked smile. “You really, really do say the damnedest things.”

Sterling

As Callie put their plates on her dining table, Sterling said, “You didn’t have to make me dinner, you know.” Not that he was complaining, mind you. For all that Callie insisted she ‘wasn’t a gourmet cook like Mia,’ he’d found that she still made incredibly tasty food. She’d thrown a roast with the trimmings into her crockpot that morning and insisted she feed him when they’d finished for the day.

“You busted your ass for me today, shop boy. Making you dinner is small recompense,” she said bluntly as she took her seat.

“If you say so, hotstuff. If I busted my ass, I didn’t notice due to the lovely company,” he said, flashing her a charming smile. Sterling knew he probably shouldn’t flirt with her as much as he’d started to again, but he honestly couldn’t help himself. He enjoyed knowing he could still provoke a reaction out of her. Plus, she just looked so damn pretty when she blushed like that.

“Menace,” she sighed, shaking her head.

“And yet,” he said with a smug smile, “you still like me.”

“I’m a glutton for punishment,” came the dry reply.

“I know.”

Callie closed her eyes and clearly started counting under her breath even as she turned a brighter shade of red, a true scarlet. Sterling knew he was pushing the line with that comment, but it had popped out before he could think better of it. Both of them typically tried to steer clear of any reference to the knowledge they had of the other’s… preferences. Neither one said anything for a bit as they focused on eating. Eventually, Sterling said softly, “I’m sorry, Lee-lee. That was… crude of me.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. I made the initial comment,” Callie pointed out as she buttered a roll.

“Still, I didn’t intend to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“No worries,” she said with a reassuring smile. “I’m kind of surprised you didn’t try to duck out to meet up with Mia and Hank at the saloon since it’s Sunday,” she continued.

Glad for the subject change, he replied, “When they found out my plans to come help you, they made it clear they didn’t expect me to make it to the Stardrop.” At Callie’s look of surprise, he shrugged, saying, “Henry seemed pretty sure that you’d have us work until sundown, and Mia figured you’d make me food as a thank you.”

Callie laughed. “Glad to know I’m so easy to predict.”

Once they’d finished eating, she leaned back in her chair before settling into a more serious yet hesitant expression. “What’s up, sugar plum?” he asked when she didn’t initially say anything.

“Have you checked those messages yet?”

Sterling felt as though she’d sucker-punched him. He should have expected her to ask, though; this was an opportune moment. Dropping his gaze to the table, he shook his head.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want,” she hurried to add.

He hesitated, turning her words over inside his head. To be honest, he’d avoided giving Kai’s messages too much thought the past few days. Sterling knew himself well enough to know that whatever they said, he’d end up wallowing in self-loathing—or worse, self-pity—once he looked at them, and…. He glanced back up at Callie’s kind and patient face. It would be better to look at them with a friend around to pull him out of that, but he’d also rather not wallow in the first place. Besides, as long as he didn’t look, then whatever they said hadn’t actually come to pass yet, right?

His conflicted thoughts must have shown on his face, for Callie leaned over and laid her calloused, purple-stained hand on his. “You don’t have to look at them now—or ever, really. I truly didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I just want you to know that I’m willing to help you if and when the time comes.”

Resting his other hand atop hers, he gave her a lopsided smile. “I know, and I’m grateful, Callie. I just… I just want to enjoy this evening with you without any drama,” said Sterling.

Callie smiled at him. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 17 – A Day at the Beach

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: *pokes*

Lee-lee,

Triss has started his campaign to convince Marlon to specifically request you for aid during next Winter. Considering the reputation he has within the higher echelons, if Marlon requests you by name then I doubt anyone will deny him. Besides, you haven’t ever come back to the valley! You’re totally overdue.

Sounds like Bria’s having a really tough time of it lately. If we time things right, maybe you could even bring her out with you once Marlon puts his request in. Though, you might not want to take her out to the old farm. It’s gotten pretty overgrown in the last decade. ^_^;

Anyway, Triss and I finally have some free time this weekend, so we’re going to go explore those caves! I know, I know, finally get time off and we just go adventuring elsewhere.

Love always,

—Mo

Callie

Callie would gladly perform a few profane rituals to get some Yoba-forsaken sleep.

Three in the morning rolled around and she still couldn’t get her brain to shut up. Sighing in irritation, Callie gave up and got up for the day. Normally, she’d force herself to at least lay in bed and let her body get some rest, but she’d reached a point of tension that all she did was lay there and hurt. At least if she got up, she could be productive.

She spent time meditating to begin with. The cord that connected her to the Junimos glittered tantalizingly in her mind, begging her to let it pull her out into the world. Callie had never tried to do so during the Void hours before, and she had no clue how dangerous it may be—or if it was even possible. She still didn't understand why people could remain cognizant and awake within their homes, stare out into what appeared like a normal night, yet have the Void overtake them if they went outside. It made no damn sense to her. When she tried to question Rasmodius about it, his answer basically boiled down to, 'No one knows.'

Callie wondered what would happen if she just... peeked into the outside with her arcane senses. Her memory of the Void pricked at her, trying to dissuade her. But that had happened with her physically caught by the transition. This would be magical observation using the Junimos' arcane energy.

Eventually, her curiosity won.

As soon as her senses began to spread out, her doppelganger appeared. “Go back,” the other her commanded.

Looking at the her with the two Junimos, she frowned. She could hardly see or feel anything except for a sense of weight and darkness. “What—?”

“You’re still not ready, not fully tethered. Go back,” the other her said before giving Callie a hard push.

Groaning, she found herself back in her body, her head buzzing painfully. A rebellious part of her wanted to hop right back into meditation and try again, but the wiser part of her won that argument. Considering how much her head pounded from the way she’d forcibly returned this time, trying again would likely hurt twice as much.

Tired and frustrated, she stormed into the kitchen and started pulling out ingredients. By the time the sun rose, she’d buried her counter under muffins, pies, tarts and pancakes. She fed herself, let Cuthbert back out, and set about wrapping and storing the various things she’d made, making sure she set aside a specific container to take with her to the shop.

After tending her animals and harvesting a few things from her garden—one of her tomato plants had grown very ambitious—Callie hopped into her truck and headed to the general store. She’d made her arrangements with Pierre and unloaded nearly half of the truck on her own before Sterling made his appearance. “Morning, hotstuff,” he said.

“Morning, hotshot,” she replied, hopping off the truck and grabbing the basket from the tailgate to add to the others. “Surviving?” she asked, concerned. When he’d left the evening before, he’d seemed in high spirits after they successfully spent the evening with no drama.

“Heh. Yeah, just barely,” he said. When she made it to the tailgate this time, Sterling was there to take the basket from her. “Kinda hating my life at the moment,” he added. Considering how he squinted against the morning light, the way he kept his voice soft, and the fact he’d come in nearly an hour late, that declaration didn’t really surprise her. He must have hit the booze hard after he went home. She couldn't help wondering why.

“Need a couple painkillers?”

“Yoba, yes,” he nearly whimpered as he went to take the basket over to the others. She never understood why he didn’t just take some before coming to work. There was no virtue in suffering, after all.

“Alright, just a mo,” she said, jumping out of the truck and stumbling several steps before recovering her balance. Yoba on a yardstick, she felt so damn weary.

“You okay?” Sterling asked, sounding worried.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Just tired,” she added as she went around to the passenger door and yanked the door open. It tended to stick. She grabbed a couple of painkillers for herself as well and popped them before emerging from the cab of the truck. Callie handed Sterling his pills and her water bottle, which he gladly partook of. She then held out the container she’d packed away.

“What’s this?” he asked as his expression turned hopeful. “Field snacks?”

“Open it and find out.”

Clearly curious, Sterling set her water bottle on the tailgate and opened the tub. His blue eyes widened before flicking up to her. “You made me blueberry tarts?”

Callie gave him a crooked smile. “Got up early today; that’s but a fraction of all the things I ended up making,” she said. Turning to crawl back into the bed of the truck, she said, “I knew I’d see you this morning, so I brought some for you.”

He waited until she’d come back to the tailgate to set down another basket and then grabbed her wrist. “Sit down, Lee-lee.”

“Pierre—”

“Is gonna bitch me out regardless. Sit down, let’s have a couple of your tarts, and let’s talk,” he said firmly. His grip on her wrist, while gentle, was utterly relentless. Callie studied his face for a long moment before deciding that she couldn’t dissuade him. Sighing, she sat on the edge of the tailgate.

He gave her a half-smile before pulling out one of the tarts and handing it to her. She waited until he took a bite of his to start on her own, wanting to see his reaction. Sterling’s eyes fluttered closed. Once he’d swallowed, he opened them and gave a soft laugh. “Y’know… when I first got to the city, I had a few dollars to my name and a crap studio apartment,” he said, studying the tart in his hand. “I lived there the entire time I lived in Zuzu. The landlord also owned a combination coffee shop and bakery downstairs—gave me my first job. Even when I didn’t work there anymore, I’d still wake up and run down to the bakery to spend my few dollars on a blueberry tart. They were that damn good,” he said, taking another bite.

Callie smiled, easily able to envision it. “Why’d you stop?” she asked.

“You don’t miss much do you, hotstuff?”

She shrugged in response, her mouth full.

“My… friends,” he said after a moment, still not looking at her, “they thought they were stupid, and… well, I just stopped buying them after a while.”

“Shame on them,” she nearly growled.

That made Sterling look at her in confusion. “What?”

“For making you feel bad for enjoying something harmless,” Callie said. “Anyone that would make fun of you for finding joy in something simple isn’t much of a friend,” she added, angry on behalf of his younger self.

He smiled a real smile despite the way she could see his hangover made him miserable. “You’re not wrong,” he said, before finishing off the tart. Closing the container back up, he finally asked, “When’s the last time you slept, darlin’? Really slept, and for more than just two or three hours?”

She popped the last bite of her tart into her mouth, putting off giving him an answer for a few seconds more. His blue eyes never strayed, however, and finally she said, “I’m… not really sure,” she lied. She wasn’t about to admit it was the night Sterling Philip held her.

Sterling frowned deeply at that. “Have you talked to Dr. Harvey about it?”

Looking down at her wringing hands, Callie sighed. “He’s talked to me about it a couple of times,” she admitted.

“But you haven’t brought it up to him,” he said shrewdly.

Callie shook her head. “There’s not any point.”

“Not any—!”

“I’m not taking sleeping pills again!” she interrupted harshly, glaring up at him. “I can’t. I don’t— don’t—”

“You don’t trust me?” he asked with a pained expression.

“That’s not it at all!”

“Then explain it to me,” he insisted.

“I don’t feel safe when I take them,” she said. At his confused expression, she sighed, pulling her legs up onto the tailgate. “They’re great for knocking me out, and I sleep like the dead, but….” She wrapped her arms around her knees. “I… don’t wake up easily, even with alarms, even with someone to shake me awake. And… there were times when… when Paul…” she trailed off, shaking her head against the memories. “And then everything happened with Reece… and… and….”

“Hush,” Sterling said, pulling her head to his chest as he hugged her. “I’m sorry for pushing, Callie, for bringing up bad memories.”

“No, it’s okay…” she said quickly, though she made no move to break his embrace. “You’re worried about me; I get that. And… logically I know that no one’s going to— to hurt me here… and there are things I can do to keep people from stealing them for their own self-harm… but….”

“Logic doesn’t do much to persuade emotion.”

“Yeah,” she sighed, finally pulling away from him.

“Is there anything else that helps you sleep?”

Callie avoided meeting his gaze, instead crawling to her feet. “I have a couple of tricks I can do,” she admitted.  “Sometimes the solution is worse than the problem, though. Anyways,” she continued briskly without giving him a chance to respond. “We should hurry up before Pierre scolds both of us.”

Sterling stared up at her for a long moment, his blue eyes reflecting both his worry and his reluctance to let the matter go. She raised her chin, steadily meeting his gaze. Finally sighing, he said, “Alright. Let’s get to it then.”

At Mia’s suggestion, they went to the beach in East Scarp. To Callie’s surprise and honest delight, they had the beach to themselves the entire day. “Most people prefer to head to Pelican Beach as there’s more room and the docks and so forth, but I’ve always preferred coming down here,” she explained to Callie. “I honestly don’t know why more people don’t visit—it’s absolutely beautiful here.”

Callie had to agree. It did not have the trade or tourism that Pelican Beach brought in, which in turn left the shoreline and water in beautiful condition. The turquoise green of the ocean contrasted with the lovely white of the sands. The breeze off the sea kept everything from growing too hot, and the scent of salt stung but didn’t burn.

They spent the late morning and early afternoon playing along the beach proper. Each of them wore the same outfits they’d worn to the Luau, though Callie forewent the sarong this time. Henry and Sterling had set up a volleyball net first thing, and as soon as Callie arrived, they insisted the girls play against the guys. “That way we have the best view,” Sterling insisted with a mischievous grin, moments before getting a face full of sand from Mia. “Oh, it’s on now!” he declared.

Max barked excitedly as he bounded around where they had set up the net.

They ended up playing three games in all—with Callie and Mia winning two of them. “Perhaps you should have paid more attention to the game,” Callie teased them. Henry blushed to the roots of his hair as he tried yet again to clean his glasses, while Sterling did nothing but grumble.

From there, the boys suggested doing tug of war. “With what?” asked Callie, only to have Henry give her a grin and hold up a rope they’d brought for that express purpose. “You three have the entire day planned, don’t you?” she asked, eyeing all of them suspiciously.

“We just want to make sure you have the best beach day ever,” Mia said with a wide smile as she wrapped a gritty arm around Callie’s bare midriff.

Callie smiled at her as she wrapped her arm around Mia in return, saying, "You guys really are too sweet.” She heard the distinctly familiar sound of a camera app’s shutter click. Looking around, she spotted both Henry and Sterling snapping a picture of the two women together.

“Now we need one with all four of us,” insisted Mia. It took a bit of wrangling, but they eventually managed to do a delayed timer and snap a picture of all four of them together with Callie and Mia in the middle, the cousins flanking them on either side, and Max in front of all of them. “That one’s going on the wall,” Mia declared as she looked at it.

“Okay, okay, we got the picture. Now let’s do tug of war so we men can avenge our honor,” said Sterling.

“Boys against girls in tug-of-war seems a bit unfair,” Mia pouted.

“Let them appease their egos, then we can mix up teams and make sure everyone has a turn with everyone else,” Callie suggested.

Both guys were on board with that plan. “But make us actually work to win, ladies,” Henry teased them.

They drew a deep line in the sand to try and pull each other over, then grabbed onto either end. Much to the cousins’ surprise, the girls did make them work for it, though eventually Callie, as the one in front, fell face first in the sand anyways. Grumbling good-naturedly, Callie got to her feet and brushed the sand away. “Alright, I call dibs on Hank next round,” she said, earning a betrayed look from Sterling.

Henry, meanwhile, looked quite smug.

Surprisingly, that round went quicker than when it was boys versus girls. The farmers made both of the other players fall face first in the sand in short order. “Should have known you two together would win,” Mia sighed. “I know how impossibly strong both of you are.”

“What am I, chopped liver?” Sterling complained at her as he flipped onto his back.

“Come on, shop boy,” Callie said as she walked over and offered him her hand. “Maybe the two of us can knock Hank off his high horse.”

Grinning up at her, Sterling grabbed her hand and let her pull him to his feet. “I like the sound of that,” he said.

“Come on, Hen, don’t let me down. I’ve lost every round so far,” Mia told him as they picked up the rope. Callie felt fairly certain she saw Henry do a legitimate sweat-drop at that.

“Alright, hotstuff, let’s make Henry eat sand,” Sterling said to her as they got into position.

That round was the longest of the three, with Callie coming right up to the line several times before, somehow, the two of them moved back and then kept moving back, eventually pulling Mia and Henry over the line. Sterling let out a loud whoop before picking Callie up from behind and swinging her around. “We did it!” he cheered, making her laugh.

“That’s not very sportsmanlike, Red,” she admonished him as he set her back on her feet.

Shaking his head, Henry said, “You’re strong for your size, Lee-lee.”

“Strong as a horse,” Mia added.

Glancing over her shoulder at Sterling with a sly smile, Callie said, “Or, at least, a Shetland pony.”

To her delight, her tall friend blushed brightly at that. “Lee-lee…” he whined.

“What’s that about?” asked Henry.

Rather pleased to have scored a hit, Callie gave the other two an innocent smile. “Just an inside joke.”

Sterling groaned. “Now they’ll never let it go,” he complained.

“I know.”

After that, they settled in for a picnic. Callie felt sweaty, gritty, and gross, yet found that she didn't mind a bit, particularly since everyone was in similar condition. Mia pulled out a jug of pink lemonade along with a bottle of vodka and a bottle of rum from one of the coolers. “It’s not a beach day without a fruity cocktail,” she insisted as she handed things over to Sterling.

“Only one for me,” Callie insisted. “I drove the truck over today.”

Flashing her a cheeky grin, Henry asked, “Aww, you don’t want to crash on our couch again?” Callie blushed scarlet. He'd teased her rather mercilessly when he'd discovered her sleeping atop Sterling.

“Have to admit, I rather enjoyed the last time,” Sterling added, dodging out of the way when Callie tried to poke him in the side. “Watch it! I’ve got the alcohol, firecracker.”

“Mia, they’re picking on me,” Callie playfully complained.

“Well, that’s part and parcel with a beach day involving the two of them…” Mia replied with a serene smile. Said smile quickly turned impish as she added, "Why do you think I wanted you along?"

“I see how it is. You just wanted me to serve as a sacrifice," Callie joked. Turning her attention to Henry, she added with a dramatic sigh, "And everyone thinks you’re the sweet one.” Henry's broad shoulders shook with his snickers. Honestly, she hadn’t seen Henry this relaxed as an adult. Today, he reminded her more of the kid she used to play with.

They ate and drank and teased and laughed and had a grand time together. Once they had finished their picnic, Callie asked, “Since we need to let our food settle for a bit, can we just make sandcastles? I’ve never actually done that.”

In response, Sterling pulled a series of child-sized pails and shovels out of one of the bags they’d brought down with them. “Way ahead of you, sugar plum,” he beamed.

"More sunscreen first," insisted Henry.

Callie spent a happy hour meticulously experimenting with the sand and listening to the others as they shared their pearls of wisdom on how to best build various things. Max splayed out under the umbrella Mia had set up, napping while the humans made their mess. Eventually Sterling lost interest and flopped back into the sand to make sand angels, drawing the attention of the others. It didn’t take long for all of them to start covering the area they were in with angels, and then start drawing things around them in the wet sand.

“Ugh, I’m utterly filthy,” Callie laughed as she tried to wipe the sand off of her. She only succeeded in smearing it further.

“There’s a way to fix that,” Sterling smirked as he got to his feet. Rising as well, Henry had the same look on his face.

Callie's childhood flashed through her mind. “Oh shite,” she yelped, scrambling to her feet and bolting across the warm sand.

“Get her, boys!” cackled Mia.

While Callie led them on a merry chase, eventually Sterling managed to herd her within Henry’s reach. Henry promptly wrapped his massive arms around her middle and carried her out towards the ocean. She laughed even as she squirmed and begged the entire way. “I don’t know what you’re complaining about,” said Henry. “The whole point was for you to play in the ocean.”

“Sure, Hank! But not get tossed in!”

“O ye of little faith.”

To her relief, he steadily walked her out into the water before carefully setting her on her feet. The water came up to just over her waist and felt utterly fantastic against her cooked skin. “I’m not Sterling, you know,” Henry said softly as he helped her regain her balance. He'd left his glasses behind on the towels, letting her see the traces of gray in his dark blue eyes. They quietly reproached her.

“I know," she said just as softly. Memories of so many hot, Summer days spent in his company and daydreaming about a very different kind of life came back to her. "But I also know you have the same orneriness in you,” she smirked up at him. “I still remember—” she shrieked as something gripped her legs and pulled her underwater.

Flailing wildly, Callie felt her foot connect with something. She pushed off and back towards where she thought Henry was and managed to get her feet under her. Standing up, she pushed her hair from her face as she looked around trying to figure out what the fuck had just happened to her.

Henry doubled over from laughing so hard, and Callie could hear Mia’s belly laugh as she made her way out into the water. Looking around, Callie spotted Sterling rubbing his chest and whining. “What did you kick me for?”

“I didn’t know what in the Void had happened!” Callie replied. “You’re lucky I wasn’t trying to actually injure you,” she added, before turning on Henry. “And you! Deliberately trying to lull me into a false sense of security!”

Henry laughed harder.

“Trying? Pretty sure he succeeded, doll face,” smirked Sterling.

The lot of them spent the afternoon swimming and playing in the ocean, reminiscing about and reenacting water games they’d played as kids. Eventually, they ceased horsing around and instead took to standing or letting the waves move them about. Floating on her back in the ocean, Callie released a contented sigh. The only thing that kept the day from perfection was the fact that Philip could not join them. Otherwise, the day had gone wonderfully.

“How’s the heat treating you, farmer?” asked Sterling. “You’ve been floating for quite a while.”

Righting herself, Callie glanced around and realized that Henry and Mia were racing against each other again. Looking back at Sterling, she gave him a happy smile. “I’m doing okay. Though, now that you say something, I should probably grab something to drink soon.”

Sterling’s face softened as he gave her a smile in return. “Well, let’s go then,” he said. Mischief returning in full force, he added, “Try to keep up,” before taking off for shore.

“Red!” she yelled in exasperation. Seawater hit her full in the face as he kicked his legs.

Unsurprisingly, he beat her back to the towels and umbrella. “Getting slow in your old age, Lee-lee,” Sterling teased her as she flopped onto her towel.

“You cheated!”

Max lifted his head for a moment and thumped his tail a few times at their return, but almost immediately collapsed back into slumber.

“I thought you adventurer types were prepared for anything,” he grinned as he plopped down beside her and held a water bottle out to her.

“I don’t fight in the water,” she pointed out dryly before thanking him. She hadn’t realized just how thirsty she’d gotten until she started drinking.

“Fair enough,” he said with amusement even as he grabbed her a second water bottle. “So, have you enjoyed your beach day?” he asked as she collapsed the first bottle.

“I have,” she smiled. Looking out over the beach and the water, she added softly, “It’s so pretty out here.”

Sterling hummed in agreement before drinking water himself. “One of these days,” he said as he put the cap back on, saltwater glinting like dozens of tiny diamonds on his chest, “you should let me take you down Ocean Drive.”

“Ocean Drive?”

He nodded as he too looked out over the escarpment. “Nothing but beautiful coast for miles, the breeze, and the sound of seagulls,” he said wistfully.

“It sounds lovely,” she smiled, enjoying how at peace Sterling looked just then.

Looking back at Callie, he gave her another of the small smiles she adored. “I need a good partner to take the drive down there with. Interested?” he asked, his blue eyes bright.

“Why don’t you ask Shane?” she asked, surprised. She knew that she and Sterling were close—he was certainly her closest friend in the valley—but she thought of Shane as Sterling’s closest friend.

Sterling’s gaze dropped down, staring at the sand. She realized he was idly drawing random shapes as they talked. “He doesn’t like riding on a motorcycle,” he said after a moment.

“Oh. Well then, sure.”

“Really?” he asked, his eyes darting up to hers again.

Callie smiled a reassuring smile. “Really, Red. I was just surprised, is all,” she explained.

Grinning widely at that, Sterling exclaimed, “Excellent!” before immediately rubbing the back of his neck and clearing his throat. “I mean,” he said, voice pitching low, “they do say that the best way to get to know someone is to take a good ol’ roadtrip with them.”

That made her laugh. “Is that so?”

“It is so.”

Philip

With a guttural groan, Philip collapsed back on his bed with his shoes still on. Yoba, he felt stupidly achy and beyond tired. A week had passed since Shiro’s surgery, and Philip had felt busier than Speedilina in the Atlantica story arc. He had two sessions with Shiro most days, plus his twice-a-week sessions with the Bladebanes, plus his Saturday session with the Mullners, plus whatever random appointments popped up, though thankfully they weren’t as frequent as at the beginning of Summer.

Outside of the one night he’d gone down to Callie’s cottage, Philip had passed out by nine every night. Even with eight or more hours of sleep, he still woke up fatigued—and he had at least five more weeks of this to go before things slowed down.

Normally, Callie would come up on Wednesday evenings to spend time with him. However, he felt so enervated, he’d encouraged her to continue hanging out with the Coopers and catch her later in the week. He reasoned that if she came up, he’d fall asleep on her in minutes, so she might as well stay down in the valley proper. It had taken quite a bit of work on his part to persuade her, but eventually, he convinced her by telling her he was heading to bed.

Philip regretted it now. Exhausted though he was, he wanted nothing more than to have her run her fingers through his hair and tell him about her day at the beach.

His phone dinged several times in a row.

Picking it up from where it had flopped onto the bed, Philip held it above his face as he opened up his messages to one of the group chats. Henry and Mia had posted a couple dozen pictures from their beach day. Hen had snagged a photo of Callie looking utterly breathtaking as she built a sandcastle. Philip smiled fondly at it, saving it to his own photos before flipping through the others, saving any that Callie appeared in. Mia had grabbed even more photos—including one of both Coopers chasing Callie along the beach that made him laugh aloud. She looked like she’d had an absolutely wonderful time.

One final photo grabbed his attention. Callie and Sterling sat on a pair of towels in the sand, talking to one another and clearly unaware of the photographer. There wasn’t anything obviously untoward about it. Sterling reclined on his side, leaning back on his elbow as he listened to Callie. She, in turn, sat cross-legged, hands in motion as she described something to him.

Their expressions made him pause, however.

Sterling had a remarkably contented look on his face as he listened to Callie. A small yet genuine smile curled his lips, and his eyes locked on her as though nothing else in the universe could hope to compare to her. And Callie… she looked so happy—radiant, even. Her whole face lit with up with delight, and her eyes absolutely sparkled. Trying to make his sluggish mind cooperate, the only times Philip could remember her looking so joyous was while dancing.

An ugly well of jealousy, anger, and fear rose within him as he stared at the picture. What right did Callie have to look that happy while talking with someone else? For Sterling to look at her with such adoration, such contentment? While Philip busted his ass from dawn to dusk, his girlfriend was out—

Philip smacked his own face to stop that train of thought, shame multiplying to drown out the initial response. Callie hadn’t even wanted to go at first since he couldn’t, but Philip was the one who talked her into going. Callie had wanted to come up tonight despite spending the day at the beach, but Philip was the one who convinced her to stay. And could he really blame Sterling for admiring his girlfriend? He knew that Sterling had unacknowledged feelings for Callie; he also knew that Sterling went out of his way to support Philip and Callie’s relationship.

Laying his phone on his chest, he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. He knew better. He knew Callie, knew that she would never in a million years purposefully set out to hurt him. He knew that if he asked, she would drop everything right that moment and come up and spend the rest of the night with him, no matter what else she may have planned. By the Void, she’d offered time and again to spend more nights on the ridge or to let him stay at the cottage.

But despite that, he couldn’t help feeling hurt and angry that Sterling got to experience her first true beach day and not Philip. Just like he couldn’t help the shame that immediately followed.

He trusted Callie.

He did.

Yoba, he felt so tired.

Chapter Text

Chapter 18 – A Me Problem

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Triss

Lee-lee, please call.

Please.

It’s bad.

—Mona

Callie

Much to Callie’s relief, the next few days brought rain. This allowed her a reprieve to go back into the mines and to do some fishing. Even though she didn’t need to collect materials for any major projects at the moment, she still wanted to find artifacts for Gunther. Also… well, Callie wanted to reach the bottom of the mines. Her curiosity over just how deep it went wouldn’t let her be.

Marlon had laughed for days when he got her to admit it.

On Friday morning, Callie made her usual rounds in Pelican Town, cracking geodes and delivering artifacts. She also completed two more bundles for the Junimos. Again, after the first one a new scroll appeared—this time in front of the broken vault in the office. The second bundle did not trigger any other scrolls, however. She felt certain it was the last of the scrolls, though she had no good reason for why she thought that. Once she’d finished at the community center, she made a trip up to Ridgeside despite the rain. She hadn’t seen Philip since the previous weekend, and she hadn’t seen either of the brothers since they’d returned from Zuzu City. In fact, the boys had texted her and asked her to stay with Shiro for an hour or two.

As soon as she arrived, Yuuma surprised her with a hug. “Ms. Callie!” he said happily.

“Hey there, kiddo,” she said, returning the hug. “How are you doing?” she asked as she shut the front door behind her, not wanting to flood the hallway.

“Okay,” he said. “I’m happy you’re here. I really need to run an errand for Lenny, but Philip left before I could ask him to stay with Nii-san. Would you mind keeping him company?”

“Well, that is why I came to visit after all,” Callie said with an amused smile.

“Thank you, Ms. Callie. I’m really, really grateful,” Yuuma said. “It shouldn’t take more than an hour to get done.”

“Take as much time as you need to, Yuuma. I don’t have anywhere else I need to be until this evening,” she reassured him. “Do you need my umbrella?” she asked even as she took her rain gear off and hung it up.

“No, thank you,” he said, holding up his own little umbrella. “Go on into our room. Nii-san said you were welcome.”

“Alright. I’ll see you soon, Yuuma,” Callie replied before making her way over to their bedroom door and knocking on it. Yuuma had left the house before Shiro could tell her to come in.

Shiro laid in his bed, his blanket down at his feet. His wheelchair sat close by, though it currently had several books piled up in it. Catching sight of her, he gave her a wan smile. “Sorry, Callie,” Shiro said as she walked in and perched on the side of his bed. “Between the meds and the PT, I spend most of my time asleep these days… or, at least, that’s what it feels like,” he said, looking rather disgruntled at how exhausted he felt.

“Unfortunately, healing takes energy,” Callie said sympathetically. “But other than tired, how are you doing?”

“Better,” Shiro admitted. His smile gained a bit more strength even if it had a wry twist. “I’m still sore, don’t get me wrong, but I can already tell there’s improvement. I’m hopeful that maybe this’ll be the last major surgery.”

“That’s great news!”

“Yeah,” he said, before giving her a concerned look. “Have you seen Philip lately?”

Callie blinked before shaking her head. “Not since last weekend. I tried to come up both Wednesday and yesterday evening, but Philip insisted I stay in the valley,” she said. That had hurt more than she wanted to let on.

Shiro frowned at her admission. “Can’t say that I like hearing that.”

“Why? Is something wrong?” she asked, going on point.

The young man hesitated, clearly anxious and yet torn about saying something further. When his brown eyes met hers, however, Shiro sighed. “I’m worried about him,” he said quietly. “He looks even more exhausted than I feel, and he’s acting… I don’t know, snappish? Irritable?”

That surprised Callie more than anything. Philip was not a cranky sort of man in the slightest. “That’s unlike him,” she said aloud.

“I know. That’s why I’m concerned.”

“Hmmm. Well, I intend to drop by with food for him this evening anyway, instead of heading to the saloon. I’ll see if I can get him to talk to me a bit.”

Shiro looked relieved at that tidbit of information. “Good. Whenever I try to ask him, he just grins and blows me off, insisting he’s tired but just fine. Maybe he’ll open up to you,” he said before giving her a teasing smile. “After all, you have a knack for getting people to talk to you.”

“Heh, sometimes at least.”

The two didn’t talk for much longer as Shiro’s meds finally kicked in. Combined with the physical exertion from his PT and his body continuing to heal, they had him asleep within moments. Callie smiled to herself as she tucked him in. Shiro looked far more content than the last time she’d seen him fall asleep.

Making her way back to the kitchen, she picked up the casserole tote she’d brought with her from the end table by the door and moved it to the kitchen table. Despite having the lights on, the kitchen felt tiny and dark as the rain continued to pound against the windows, as if the walls could collapse in at any moment. Callie shook off the disquieting thought before scrounging up a pair of leftover containers. Opening up the tote revealed a dish with lasagna. She added some to the containers before putting them in the fridge; the boys would likely appreciate an easy lunch tomorrow.

Afterwards, she opted to read until Yuuma returned. She debated long and hard between the two books she’d checked out, glancing between their covers. The first discussed combustion engines (her tractor parts should arrive any day now), while the second was an introduction to mycology. Her meditations in the Cindersap had sparked an idea, a potential use for the arcane abilities her connection with the Junimos had awakened, but she didn’t understand enough about fungi to know if her idea had any merit.

She settled on mycology.

Callie had managed to finish her current chapter discussing mycorrhizal networks by the time Yuuma returned. Hearing the door open, she replaced her bookmark and tucked the book back into her backpack.

“Thank you, Ms. Callie,” Yuuma said as he hurried into the kitchen. “Is Nii-san okay?”

“Yep, just napping,” she reassured him. “Did you get everything taken care of that you needed to?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Yuuma smiled, looking relieved. “Thank you again for coming by and for staying with Shiro.”

“You’re very welcome, Yuuma. I brought lasagna up to share with Philip, and I put some into the fridge for you and your brother to have tomorrow. Can I help you with anything else?”

The boy shook his head. “No, thank you. I think I’ll also go take a nap—whenever my nii-san gets up in the night, I usually get up as well,” he admitted.

“Then I won’t keep you, kiddo.”

Philip

“Callie! Why are you here? It’s Friday,” Philip said when he discovered his girlfriend sitting in the hallway outside his door. He felt a weird blend of elation and exasperation at finding her there. She usually went to the saloon on Fridays, and he had looked forward to finally crawling into bed. So much so, he’d almost convinced himself to skip a shower considering how it rained on him walking home. Yet, he was also so glad to see her face, to know that she cared enough to give up time with her friends to come visit him. It was past eight o’clock, though, meaning she had likely sat there for a couple of hours waiting for him. Why hadn't she texted? He'd have told her not to bother. Even as annoyance blossomed, however, guilt that he'd wasted her time joined forces with his guilt about said annoyance to combat it.

Ignorant of his mixed feelings, Callie got to her feet and gave him a sweet, bashful smile. “I missed you," she said, her pretty, dark eyes drawing him in and reminding him how much he'd missed her the last time he told her not to come up. "I thought you might like some food that didn’t come out of the freezer section,” she added as she held up her casserole carrier.

Philip gave her a weak smile before covering it by kissing the top of her head. “Thank you, babe. You really are a sweetheart,” he said as he unlocked the door and led Callie inside. Come on, dude, pull it together, he told himself. Her thoughtfulness could give Lady Fantastic a run for her money.

Unfortunately, the rest of the evening went just as awkwardly. He did his best to listen as she chattered at him about her week, but his mind kept bouncing between the adjustments he needed to make to the Bladebanes’ exercises, the way she’d looked in that picture with Sterling, and how much he wished he could just collapse into bed already. They were halfway through the lasagna she had made for him before he realized that Callie had stopped talking some time ago.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, offering her a lopsided smile. “I am so utterly blitzed.”

Callie gave him an understanding smile in return. “You’re okay, hon. I realize I basically ambushed you. I don’t expect you to entertain me—I just wanted to give you a bit of company and real food.”

“You really are too good to me,” he said, reaching out and cupping her face with one hand, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone. He started to lean in for a kiss, but had to abort as he broke into a giant yawn. Giving a half-hearted chuckle and a sheepish smile, he said, “Sorry, baby. I’m afraid once we’re done eating, I’ll have just barely enough energy to get in the shower and then go to bed,” he added as he let his hand fall.

“That’s fair,” she said. “Do you want me to head out after dinner? Or would you like me to stay?”

As tempting as that offer was, he desperately needed time alone and to get some damn sleep. Once he got some rest, he’d be far better company for her. “I think I might need you to head out, but—” he hurried to add as her face fell, “—the Mullners had to cancel their session tomorrow. Perhaps we could do an actual date tomorrow night…?” He’d meant to bring it up to her all week and just flat kept forgetting. His mind felt like a sieve—anything unrelated to work flowed through and disappeared into the ether.

The way Callie smiled brightened the whole room, despite the rainy gloom. “I’d love that,” she said. “Would you like to come to the cottage, and I can make you some real food that’s hot and fresh? Or would you prefer to go out somewhere?”

“A date at the cottage sounds amazing,” he said, giving her his first real smile of the night. An evening wining and dining (and hopefully more) with his girl sounded like the perfect antidote to his case of the crankies.

Callie

Philip called her just before heading to his afternoon session with Shiro, reconfirming that the Mullners had cancelled. “I usually finish up with Shiro around four, four-thirty, so how does six sound?” he asked.

“That sounds perfect. I can’t wait to see you!” she chirped, more than a little relieved. She really had missed him, and she still felt guilty about doing the beach day without him despite his insistence that she do so. With his confirmation, she packed up her fishing equipment and hurried home through the unrelenting rain. Even though she had roughly four hours until he’d make it down, she had grooming to accomplish before working on dinner. She would make tonight perfect for him.

Singing along with the radio, Callie grabbed the casserole dish packed with enchiladas and slid it into the oven. It was a quarter ‘til six, which meant that Philip should arrive any time. The rice in the rice cooker should finish around the same time as the enchiladas; she’d made the salsa before grabbing her shower, so it had time to set and cool; the table was set and had fresh cut flowers from her garden. She’d even splurged on a bottle of wine from Sophia. She’d primped, plucked, done her hair and makeup, and pulled out the sundress she’d worn on their first date.

Bouncing eagerly on her toes, she rinsed the skillet and other dishes used to assemble the enchiladas and added them to the dishwasher. That took maybe a grand total of ten minutes. Glancing at the clock on the microwave, she saw that she’d made it past six, but still no sign of Philip. No worries. The cable car’s traveling time remained inconsistent.

She flitted around the house, eyes running over everything to make sure it looked clean and inviting. Three more songs played on the radio. The beep from the oven timer made her hurry back into the kitchen, grab an oven mitt, and pull the door down so she could eyeball the enchiladas. They smelled delicious, if she did say so herself.

Placing them on a hot pad, she then turned off the oven and opened up the rice cooker to fluff the rice. Another glance at the clock—six-twenty.

Frowning, she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text off to Philip.

Callie: On your way yet? Dinner’s pretty much ready 😅

She put the lid back on the rice cooker and put aluminum foil over the casserole dish to help everything stay warm. One of these days she really should invest in a warming tray. Two more songs and a half-dozen commercials played as she kept moving about, fussing with and adjusting things that were already impeccably arranged. Callie looked between the clock and the bottle of wine in the bucket of ice but shook her head. Checking her phone, she still had no reply from Philip.

Her heartrate crept up as her stomach lurched. Feeling thirty minutes was a reasonable amount of time to wait, she pulled out her phone and tapped Philip’s number.

Four rings then voicemail.

Callie quietly cursed.

Not an auspicious start to their date, but not time to panic yet. His phone could be set to silent or out of power. Plus, the cell service in the valley was notoriously fickle. If he’d run a touch late or timed things wrong, he could have needed to wait for the cable car to travel up to the Ridge before he could head down to the valley. Travel on the cable car could take anywhere between fifteen and thirty minutes depending on conditions. A glance out the window showed that neither the rain nor the wind had slowed any.

Callie dug out her casserole tote and moved the enchiladas into it to help them stay warm. That didn’t take long. She paced back and forth along the breadth of the house, from her corner crafting table in her bedroom to the far end of the dining table and back again. Ten minutes after her first call, she tried again and again got his voicemail. Ten minutes later she tried once more with the same results. Ten more minutes—nothing.

Philip was now an hour late.

She set her phone to keep redialing his number while she changed out of her heels and into her rain boots for the walk up to the Ridge. It kept redialing as she put the bottle of wine into the fridge, as she doublechecked she had the oven off, as she grabbed her raingear, purse, and keys.

Callie had her hand on the doorknob when Philip finally, finally picked up the phone.

“Callie?” came his groggy voice over the speaker phone.

“Philip!” she exclaimed, nearly dropping her phone as she flipped it off of speaker and then held it up to her ear. “Thank Yoba. Are you okay?” she asked, leaning back against her front door. Her heart still pounded.

“Yeah…?” he replied, sounding very, very confused.

“Where are you?” she asked. She already knew, though.

“I’m in bed. Why?”

He’d forgotten.

Callie's eyes closed. “Why?” she repeated, before taking a very, very deep breath and letting it slowly out. She would not fly off the handle. He’d clearly fallen asleep. He was okay. “Our date…?” she finally said, her voice coming out far weaker than she’d intended.

Silence.

“Fuck!” Philip shouted. She could hear the sounds of rustling. “I am so, so sorry, babe. I laid down to look at my phone after grabbing my shower and—”

“Fell asleep.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you still want to try to come down?” she asked tentatively as she looked over all the preparations she’d made. It would disappoint her if he said no, but he clearly needed—

“Of course, I do!” he exclaimed, sounding caught somewhere between anger and shame. She could still hear him moving around his room.

“I just wanted to make sure. If you’re that tired—”

“Assuming the cable car cooperates, I’ll be there within thirty minutes, babe,” he insisted. She could hear the door slam behind him.

“Sounds good, hon,” she replied, grateful he was still coming and yet deeply concerned. “I’ll see you soon.”

Philip

Philip felt horrible at how Callie had gone all out for their date. He’d overslept and nearly stood her up (when he looked at his phone on the ride down, he saw just how many times she’d called him in a row to wake him), and here she’d pulled out all the stops to cook him a delicious meal and make herself extra pretty for him. Even worse, despite wanting to spend time with his girl, he still felt groggy and could barely focus on anything she said as they ate. It didn’t help that he felt sluggish and cold from the rain as well.

She, of course, noticed. No one could say with any honesty that she didn’t pay attention to those around her. When she apologized and offered for them to go to bed early, it just irritated and frustrated him further. He was there to spend time with her, after all. “Would you stop apologizing already?” he finally groused. “It’s not your fault I overslept.”

“I know that,” she said. Her shoulders hunched as her eyes dropped down to her half-eaten enchiladas.

Regret immediately needled him. “I’m sorry, Cal,” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I feel bad that I missed out on spending extra time with you today, but that’s a me problem, not a you problem.”

Nodding, she focused on cutting her food. “Shiro mentioned that you seemed a bit… on edge lately,” she said delicately, glancing up at him. He frowned. Callie's gaze swiftly returned to her plate.

“No, I haven’t,” he said. He was doing just fine, thank you. Philip would greatly appreciate it if people stopped insinuating that he couldn’t handle his job. Because he could—he had worked through heavier loads than this before. And it always turned out so well for you, some inner part of his psyche snarked. It didn't help his mood.

She made a noncommittal sound in reply, which just made him feel worse. Neither talked as they continued eating, the silence bowing beneath the weight of his discontent and resentment remorse. “Would you like another glass of wine?” she finally offered.

“Yoba, yes, please,” he answered in a tone just short of pleading. All he needed was to unwind a little, and he could afford a small hangover if need be. He didn’t have to go to the clinic until around lunchtime. Though, it's not like he ever got to actually sleep in. He got up when Callie did on Sundays—which was fine. It was! He enjoyed spending time with her, especially the delicious ways she woke him each weekend. It truly was delightful. But... to be honest, it was just as well he’d napped before coming down, even if it had cut into his time with her.

Philip was just so damned tired.

After she finished pouring them each a glass, she asked, “Would you like to watch something? Sit and chat? Play a game?”

“Can we watch a movie?” he asked. He clearly wasn’t in any shape to talk to her. Everything he said just upset her, and every time he upset her it just made him more frustrated. And playing a game? In his current mental state, that seemed like a recipe for an even larger disaster.

“Sure,” she smiled. “Let me just toss the last few things into the dishwasher first. Do you mind picking one out and getting it going, hon?”

“Not at all.”

Callie

Unsurprisingly, Philip picked out one of her Incrediman movies. Callie didn’t begrudge him that, though. Her poor partner clearly needed a comfort film and help unwinding. She finished loading the dishwasher, then picked up her own wineglass and the wine bottle. Setting the bottle on the coffee table, she curled up beside Philip. He leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her temple. “Thanks, babe. You’ve had incredible patience with me tonight.”

Smiling, she said, “You’re welcome.” Yoba knew she had no room to judge being short-tempered when tired.

Callie had watched all of the Incrediman movies with him by this point in time—most of them multiple times—and so looked forward to the random trivia and lore he’d share with her. Oftentimes, he thought of some new tidbit he hadn't shared before, and she loved seeing how he lit up. Philip could do with a bit of joy just then.

But he didn’t talk at all.

He did let her snuggle up beside him, leaning her head against his shoulder, but he did not reciprocate in any way. He closed himself off, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he held his wineglass. When she went to move away, he looked both irritated and sad, so instead she turned it into a shift in position, pulling her legs up onto the couch and then leaning once more against him. But that seemed to frustrate him just as much. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"You're fine," he said curtly, eyes locked on the screen.

Callie just nodded, not knowing what else to do.

Philip sat there, drinking his wine and watching the story unfold. He refilled his glass twice before they even made it halfway through the film. She forced her jaw to unclench and reminded herself once again that he wasn't mad at her, just exhausted and frustrated that he'd overslept.

They came to the part in the story where he always, always pointed out the actor's scream sounded so real because he had actually injured himself, and... he said nothing. Turning her attention from the screen to Philip, she discovered that he’d fallen asleep. Carefully, she removed his wineglass from his limp hand and set it on the coffee table, then sighed and eyed what remained in the bottle. She could always pour— Shaking off that thought before she could even complete it, she added her glass to the table as well. Callie hesitated, unsure whether or not to return to snuggling him or to turn off the movie and drag him to bed or what choice, precisely, she should make. It felt like everything she'd tried all evening was the exact wrong thing to do.

Eventually, she settled on sitting beside him and hugging one of the throw pillows, letting Philip sleep as best she could. Once the end credits started rolling, she grabbed the remote and turned the movie and television off. “Come on, sweetie,” she said as she set the remote back on the coffee table.

He didn’t stir.

Grabbing his hand, she pulled insistently. “Phil, it’s time for bed, hon.”

“Wha…?”

“Bed,” she repeated.

With a groan, he let her pull him to his feet. “Did I sleep through th’ movie?” he slurred, wavering from side to side.

“Yeah, but that’s okay. Let’s go get into the actual bed.”

Philip stumbled after her to the bedroom, just barely cognizant enough to remove his pants and crawl under the covers. Suppressing her desire to sigh, she proceeded to carefully peel off her dress, wash away her makeup, and undo her hair. Callie had hoped for a more… romantic rendezvous, but what's done is done. The poor man clearly needed his rest, and there would be other dates.

She wished it didn't all feel so familiar.

Despite only managing about three or four hours of sleep, Callie still woke with the dawn. Waking up to Philip’s presence beside her, she gave a contented smile, admiring the way the dawn light brought out the gold in his hair. She reached out to touch him, then paused, remembering the night before. On the one hand, he was exhausted. On the other hand, he'd told her time and again how much he adored and looked forward to the way she woke him on Sunday mornings. His irritation last night flickered through her mind, the way he'd insisted he wanted to spend time with her and yet had barely interacted with her. Callie debated long and hard on which path to take—letting him sleep, or letting him miss out on their morning... exercise. A part of her suspected it didn't matter what she chose, it would be wrong.

I feel bad that I missed out on spending extra time with you today, but that’s a me problem, not a you problem.

Eventually, she slid across the bed until she could drape an arm and a leg over his body. She pressed herself against him, holding him, and waited. He didn't stir; his breathing never shifted. That was normal, at least. After several minutes, she worked up the courage to lay on top of him as she had so many mornings prior. A small smile curved his lips, and relief flooded through her. Encouraged, she left a trail of warm, soft kisses along his collarbone and neck.

Between one kiss and the next, Philip shoved her off of him. “Not now, babe,” he grumbled.

“Oh,” she squeaked, wide-eyed. The bed bounced where she landed.

He grimaced and squirmed away, turning his back on her. “Too fuggin’ warm. Go 'way.”

Swallowing hard, Callie left the bed.

Chapter Text

Chapter 19 – Reckless

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Triss

The search continues, but we have yet to find any sign of him. Rasmodius can find no trace of him through his scrying. Marlon has cashed in a dozen favors to get extra bodies loaned in from other Guildhalls, and he continues to direct the search. Thank you for sending us Bea—I know she’s your best scout.

We’re about to hit forty-eight hours since Triss and I got separated. I know at seventy-two they’ll call the search off.

I can’t lose him, Lee-lee.

I can’t.

Callie

“Good morning, babe,” said Philip.

“Morning, honey,” Callie replied with forced cheer as she poured the scrambled egg mixture over the bacon grease. Setting the bowl in the sink, she hurried over to where he stood next to the island and went on tip toe to give him a quick peck on the cheek before darting back to the stove. “Did you sleep well?”

“Like a log,” he said. He still sounded exhausted though.

She wondered if he just claimed that, or if he genuinely thought he’d slept that hard and just... didn’t remember. No matter. “That’s good,” she said, pulling a small pan of blueberry muffins out of her toaster oven and onto a waiting hot pad. “Do you even remember going to bed last night?” she teased.

“Uh… not really, no,” he admitted.

A strained silence stretched between them as Callie bustled around her kitchen. Unsure of what to say, she focused her attention on finishing up breakfast. She had already distributed the bacon between their two plates; grabbing a fork out of the silverware drawer, she popped the muffins one by one out of the pan, then turned back to the stove to eye the edge of the eggs. They were firming up nicely, so she grabbed her spatula and gave them a good stir.

Coffee!

Darting to a different cabinet, Callie pulled out a pair of coffee mugs: one with the Dark Detective’s emblem, the other with Incrediman’s. They were recent purchases—she’d found them in the gift shop at Yoba’s Mercy—but the Incrediman symbol had already started flaking off, and the Dark Detective mug had a chip in it. “Do you want your coffee black or with creamer this morning?” she asked as she set the mugs on the counter.

“I could do with the creamer. Black coffee’s started giving me heartburn lately,” Philip replied from the table. She hadn’t even realized he’d sat down. Damn, she’d hoped he might help, but… well, she’d get breakfast done.

Stopping by the stove again, she flipped the eggs over and turned the fire off. She then opened up the fridge to pull out the pair of creamers she had on hand—vanilla caramel and hazelnut—and set them on the counter next to the mugs. Returning to the stove, she grabbed the skillet. “How’s Shiro doing? I saw him briefly the other day, but he fell asleep pretty quickly,” she said as she scooped a portion of eggs onto each plate.

“Hmmm?” Philip replied. Glancing over at the table, she saw him with his elbow on it, his fist supporting his head. His scrubs looked disheveled; his eyes drooped.

“How’s Shiro doing, hon?” she repeated as she returned the skillet to the stove.

“He’s recovering well.”

“That’s good,” she said, leaving the plates on the counter for the moment while she grabbed silverware and napkins for the table.

The sight of her setting the table broke Philip out of his stupor. He scrubbed his face with his hand before forcing himself upright. “Can I help somehow?” he finally offered.

“Could you grab the coffee things and bring them to the table?”

“Of course,” he said, then groaned as he used the table to leverage himself out of the chair. “Apparently, I’m not stretching enough,” he tried to joke.

Callie didn’t reply, instead carrying their plates to the table. Once she’d set them down, she realized that the salt and pepper shakers were still on the counter. Sighing quietly in frustration, she turned away from the table to go get them and ran full force into Philip. “Shite!” she yelped.

Carafe of coffee in one hand, the mugs in the other, and the pair of creamers tucked under his arm, Philip cursed as well as she knocked the mugs out of his hand. Callie tried to catch them. She managed to snatch the Incrediman mug out of the air but fumbled the Dark Detective’s. It shattered on the floor.

That felt uncomfortably like an omen.

Callie and Philip worked together to quickly clean up the mess, then proceeded to eat their breakfast. Again, neither one talked much. Philip seemed to eat mechanically, his brain either still half-asleep or a million miles away. Hurt and confused as she was from the past few days, Callie couldn’t bring herself to try to start another clumsy conversation.

Philip left for the clinic before she even got the dishes started.

With the sun finally out, Callie knew she’d spend most if not all of the day on her farm; even with as muddy as everything was, she still needed to start harvesting. Not the melons (they could wait a few days yet) but the mushrooms, peaches, a few straggling blueberries, tomatoes, peppers, squashes—all could use some attention. Not to mention there were chickens to check on and eggs to collect. With any luck, she could take care of the majority of that today so that tomorrow she could focus on her produce that needed canning and jars that needed labeled. Her jalapeño jelly had proven surprisingly popular—that, or Shane just bought every jar as soon as it arrived at Pierre’s.

Having an ambitious lineup for the day helped. It kept her body moving and her mind occupied, so she didn’t sit and stew over things too much. Callie kept telling herself that things would get better when Philip’s schedule eased, that he’d go back to the kind and funny man from the beginning of their relationship. It was just five more weeks. They could do this.

As the day wore on, she kept having flashes of foreboding, the sense that something was amiss beyond her shitty start to the day. She kept checking her phone, half-expecting a panicked text or phone call at any time, but there was nothing to that effect—just silly memes and jokes in the various group chats. No sign of storms on the radar… nothing. Each time she paused, she found herself looking south towards the forest. And each time, she shook herself again and turned her thoughts and hands towards the next item on her list.

I’m tired, stressed, and worried about Philip. Nothing is wrong. My brain is just acting like an asshat.

By the time she finished everything she had on her to-do list, the sun had started to brush the treetops in the distance. She splayed out underneath one of the trees around her watering hole, letting tired muscles find some semblance of relief before she dragged herself inside to take a shower, or maybe even relax in a scalding bath. In a perfect world, she could just wriggle her nose and teleport there. Of all the things she’d seen Rasmodius do, she envied his ability to teleport the most. Theoretically, she had the same ability; while many different flavors of magic existed, they could all achieve the same results. Only the means differed. She even had a suspicion of how to accomplish it with the Junimos’ magic; she just did not know how strong the connection would need to grow before trying her idea.

Callie once again bitterly regretted the loss of her family’s library.

As she laid there, the sense of foreboding that had haunted her throughout the day blossomed into full-fledged dread. Callie sat up, eyes scanning the horizon, looking south over her fields. No sign of predators or monsters or other humans. She’d put Samba, Chacha, and Jive to bed before visiting the watering hole, but she crawled to her feet and headed towards the coop anyways. The further south she traveled, the worse the feeling grew. Stopping in the pasture, she checked in on the chicken coop, but all three hens were happily in their nests. The gate was closed, and she found no sign of damage to the pen or the fencing further out.

Even still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something had gone terribly wrong. Exiting the pasture and returning to the road that led to the Cindersap Forest, Callie frowned, staring towards the forest. She patted her pocket to check for her phone, then took a mental inventory of how many daggers she currently had on her (only five, unfortunately). Wishing she had her pack with her, she started walking.

Shane

One arm wrapped loosely around Charlie, his other hand clutching a mostly-empty bottle, Shane woke up in Marnie’s coop to the sound of all the hens making a racket. Groaning, he rubbed his face and opened a single eye, looking around for what could have disturbed them. Mr. Ginger let out a loud meow and flicked his tail under Shane’s nose, making him hack and sneeze. “Yoba curse you, Ginger, you know you shouldn’t be in here,” Shane growled as he sat up.

“Merrrowllll,” Mr. Ginger yowled.

“What the fuck is your problem?” he asked as he pulled out his phone, trying to see how long he’d passed out for. Shit—it was after seven. He pulled himself to his feet. “Where’s Jas?” he asked himself groggily, making sure to close the door behind him as he stumbled from the attached coop into the kitchen. Marnie had a ‘meeting’ with the mayor that afternoon and had left him in charge of Jas. When his goddaughter had asked to go play outside, he’d gladly given her permission, seeing an opportunity to drink a beer or two and soothe the vicious hangover he’d woken up with. He didn't know how many he'd ended up having before blacking out again.

Shane worried.

Not about the passing out, mind you (that was pretty fucking normal at this point), but the fact that Jas hadn’t come looking for him. He’d promised to take Jas into town to get ice cream; why hadn’t she gotten him? Mr. Ginger ran ahead of Shane to the front door and meowed loudly. He ignored the cat. “Jas? You in here, kiddo?” he called as he walked through the house towards her bedroom, expecting to find her playing there. “Seriously, answer me,” he added, pushing the door open.

Nothing. No sign of her.

Mr. Ginger mewled.

A spike of anxiety shot through him—the same old fear that reared its head time and again—but he clamped it down and stormed outside. When he got his hands on that girl….

As soon as the door opened, Mr. Ginger darted ahead of him. The early evening heat had Shane sweating instantly even without his trusty hoodie on. Grimacing against the brightness, he called out for her again. “Jas!” He looked down the road towards where the traveling merchant liked to set up her cart. While he could see Suki in the distance, there was no sign of Jas playing under the tree there. Mr. Ginger cried out for Shane’s attention again. As soon as his eyes landed on the cat, Mr. Ginger darted south towards the river.

Fuck.

Shane hurried after him, hoping to find Jas amongst the trees. He and Marnie had both impressed upon her not to play in the river today despite the heat. Three days of constant rain had swollen it almost out of its banks. “Jas! Jaaaaas!” he bellowed, bloodshot eyes darting every which way for any sign of her. The orange tabby mewled once more. Looking for him, Shane soon spotted him next to a set of brambly blackberry bushes at the river’s edge.

A green ribbon had snagged on it, fluttering in the breeze.

Sterling

To Sterling’s utter glee, he and Henry were back in the valley at a decent hour.

“Not much else we can do until it dries out more,” Henry had explained as they left. “Mostly, I just needed your help with the combine.” Sterling was not about to complain about this turn of events. Maybe he could coax Callie into joining him and his housemates at the saloon. She didn’t come to the saloon on Friday nor to movie night last night (instead spending time with Philip), and they could use a fourth player.

He ignored the envy that stabbed at him.

Henry parked alongside the saloon behind the trash cans. While most people walked to the saloon, neither man had felt like driving to East Scarp and parking just to turn around and trudge through the mud to meet Mia at the saloon. Hopping out of the truck, they chatted about the latest trailer for a new sci-fi series coming out. “I just don’t know why we need yet another dystopia in a post-apocalyptic setting,” Henry complained as they walked into the saloon. “Whatever happened to the days when people envisioned us working towards a utopia?”

“Two wars with the Gotoro Empire,” Sterling reminded him as he held the door open.

“Welcome, boys!” Gus greeted them before Henry could respond. “Mia’s already back at the pool table. Would you like your usuals?”

“Of course!” Sterling grinned.

A half-dozen phones around the bar went off, including Sterling’s and Henry’s. Exchanging surprised looks with his cousin, Sterling pulled his phone out to see a message from Shane.

Shane : need help in the cindersap

Shane: jas fell in the river

Creative cursing and the sound of scraping chairs filled the saloon.

Callie

Callie had barely made it past her borders (my wards) before she nearly doubled over from the sheer wrongness that flooded her. Immediately, her phone started going nuts in her pocket. Callie panted as she pulled it out, already knowing that the panicked texts she’d waited on all day had finally arrived. She refused to consider how she’d known.

Shane: need help in the cindersap

Shane: jas fell in the river

Shane: i can’t find her

Marnie: When did you last see her?

Sterling: We’re headed out from the saloon to help search

Emily: I’ll call Harvey

Jasmine.

Swearing, Callie stumbled to a nearby tree, placed her hand upon it, and closed her eyes, flowing through the thickening rope that connected her to the Junimos. She threw her arcane senses out until she found the river, then flowed through the roots surrounding it, searching for any sign of Jas. A painful cry for help ricocheted inside of Callie’s head. It wasn’t something she could hear with her ears, but she heard it all the same. A desperate plea for someone, anyone—

There.

In the middle of the river.

Young and flailing and oh-so-very scared and hurt, Jas floated further and further away on the currents—too fast for anyone to run alongside and catch. Even if Callie could inform someone where Jas was, the girl would be long gone before they could reach her. Callie couldn’t run fast enough either—she knew that—nor could she keep watch this way and sprint through the forest. Racing ahead of Jas with her arcane sight, Callie sunk the Junimos’ magic (my magic) into a tall cottonwood growing along the riverbank. Rasmodius had told her mages could accomplish the same results with any sort of magic. Only the means differed.

But this—this would come at a price.

….

( Some choices I’d make again and again and again, despite the cost.)

….

Callie moved.

The world stretched and blurred around her. Her stomach sloshed and heaved and yet somehow stayed still. She could feel her heart rabbiting and her head jackhammering as she compressed and twisted and flowed through the numerous, intricate threads of the mycorrhizal network, moved through heat and cold and dark and light and lurched once more into sweltering humidity. She staggered to the side and grabbed ahold of another tree, finally emptying her stomach of its contents.

She couldn’t focus on that, on the nausea and the pain (Oh Yoba, it hurt so bloody much); she needed to get to Jas. Forcing herself upright and opening her eyes, Callie realized she’d made it to the river deep, deep within the forest. Nowhere near the ranch or Fairhaven Farm or even the festival grounds, she'd landed past the bend in the river.

“Jas?” she croaked out. Spitting the last of the bile from her mouth, she drew a deep breath and roared, “JAS!”

Silence.

She couldn’t see Jas anywhere, but she had to be near (she had to be). She’d felt her here, seen her here. Where? (Where?!)

Closing her eyes, Callie muted her hysteria to a buzz in the back of her brain and again reached for the connection, flinching at how the threads bristled with sharp points like a frayed airplane cable. She spread her awareness out, gritting her teeth against the spasms of pain that resulted. She half-expected her other self to warn her off, but there was no sign of her or the pair of Junimos that stayed at her side. It didn’t matter. Callie flung her senses out and along the river, following its path down until—there by that boulder. Again, she pulled and moved herself downriver through the woven roots. Every piece of skin prickled with goosebumps yet burned hot; she didn’t care. She had to get there now and—

Yoba, she’d made it!

Straightening back up from dry heaving, she forced her eyes open once again and looked while ignoring the pain and the wetness running down her face, and (there-there-there! she’s right there!) she galloped for the edge of the river where she could see Jasmine half-laying on a boulder near the bank. “Jas! Jasmine! Talk to me, kiddo!” she yelled. Jas stayed still (so still too still), but she was on the boulder; she wasn’t floating away.

Callie had no tools, no rope, nothing to try to get ahold of the little girl with. But Jas was so close to the edge (so damn close) and Callie had never cursed her short limbs more in her life. Tossing her phone down on the grass she leapt into the water from upstream (Yoba why is the river so bloody cold it’s Summer dammit). The river blinded her and tried to pull her under and further from the bank, but fate smiled on her as she somehow caught a hold of the slick boulder.

Wrapping an arm around Jas’s tiny torso, Callie forced herself to take several deep breaths and ignore all the signals her body lit up telling her that she’d royally damaged it; just like she also ignored Jas’s blue lips and how limp the kid felt and the panic threatening to pull her under before the river could. Instead, she looked downstream for any sign of a spot where she could pull Jas to shore and found—nothing.

Not a damn thing.

Her grip on the wet rock began to slip, and she knew the same way she’d known all day something bad was about to happen that if she lost her grip the chances that she and Jas escaped the river were nil.

She told herself she could do this.

She could.

( I have to.)

Just… just one more time.

Closing her eyes, Callie pulled and moved and something snapped and something else burned and everything became white agony, but then she was back on the bank where she’d dropped her phone, and more importantly, she still held Jas in her arms. Even as her body rebelled and heaved and every muscle twisted and inverted, she somehow managed to lay Jas down without harming her. She ignored the way river water dripped from every part of her just as she ignored the crimson blood that splattered onto Jas’s dress. She pressed her ear to the little girl’s chest and heard nothing, no sound (I won’t let this happen—I refuse).

Callie gulped down air and tried to bottle her terror enough to take care of the situation. Though she hadn’t ever performed CPR on an actual person before, she’d taken a class on it a decade or two back and remembered the general theory. (Because theory and practice are so very similar, and I do so well the first time I try something [fuck!]) She continued to ignore the part of her that had become a gibbering mess and instead focused all of her attention on Mo’s daughter. Callie had already performed a half-dozen miracles in the last few minutes, what’s one more?

Okay.

Okay.

(Come on, Calia. Let’s do this.)

Heel of the hand to the center of the chest. Place the other hand above and interlace the fingers. Alright, lift the fingers and then compress. One to thirty.

Tilt the head. Breathe. Wait for the chest to fall. Breathe. Wait.

Compress again. Keep a steady, quick tempo.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

Ten.

Eleven.

Twelve.

Thirteen.

Fourteen.

Fifteen.

Sixteen.

Seventeen.

Eighteen.

Nineteen.

Twenty.

Twenty-one.

Twenty-two.

Twenty-three.

Twenty-four.

Twenty-five.

Twenty-six.

Twenty-seven.

Twenty-eight.

Twenty-nine.

Thirty.

Tilt.

Breathe.

Wait.

Breathe.

Wait.

One.

(Dammit, Jas.)

Two.

Callie needed help.

Three.

(Come on.)

Four.

Jas was dying.

Five.

(Don’t do this.)

Six.

Callie reached out one more time.

Seven.

(Don’t leave Shane.)

Eight.

It hurt.

Nine.

(Don’t leave Marnie.)

Ten.

She connected to the land.

Eleven.

(Not like this.)

Twelve.

She connected to Jas.

Thirteen.

(Dammit.)

Fourteen.

She pulled life.

Fifteen.

(Dammit, Jasmine.)

Sixteen.

She pushed life.

Seventeen.

(Breathe.)

Eighteen.

She paid—

Chapter Text

Chapter 20 – Mumbo Jumbo & Bullshit

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Meet-up

Lee-lee,

I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to talk to you after the service at the Zuzu Guildhall. Everything’s been… well, utterly fucking nuts, to be honest.

Shane has ended up moving to Marnie’s ranch as well. Losing Triss has cut him far deeper than I anticipated. I don’t know why; they are were best friends for longer than you and I, and I know damn well how lost I’d be without you.

Speaking of, I’m wondering if we could arrange to meet up in Zuzu here in the next couple of weeks…? I have something important I really need to talk to you about, and it really should be in person.

Talk to you soon!

Love,

—Mona

Shane

Word spread through the valley like wildfire.

People kept showing up to join the search. The old geezer from the Adventurer’s Guild, Marlon, had taken over the moment he arrived, pulling out a map of the forest and assigning people to search in different areas. Despite finding the ribbon at the edge of the river, they had no way of knowing if Jas had actually fallen in or if she’d simply wandered deeper into the forest. Emily stayed beside Marlon, fielding calls from the different teams to make reports on what they’d found thus far.

They’d found nothing.

“Sorry, Shane. Nothing new to report. Just keep going along the river,” Emily said to him over the phone.

“Alright. Thanks. Call back in thirty,” Shane said before hanging up.

He, Sterling, and Henry trotted along the northern side of the river, calling out for Jas. Andy and Susan moved along the opposite bank doing the same, following it as it wound ever further into the forest. Shane wished they could go faster, but between his hangover and his knees and the roots and the mud and the fading light, it simply wasn’t feasible. With every step he berated himself for drinking instead of spending some fucking time with Jas. If he would act like an actual Yoba-forsaken father instead of drowning in a bottle—

“JASMINE!” he called, hearing her name echo again and again through the forest as others did the same.

“Still no news?” Henry asked over his shoulder as he held a branch out of the way for the other two.

“Nothing,” said Shane.

“Jaaassss!” Sterling called again before asking, “Has Callie shown up yet? I think Andy and the wizard are the only ones who’ve gone deeper into the forest than her.”

“No one’s heard from her or Philip,” Shane replied. The more rational part of him knew that likely meant they were fucking or otherwise 'indisposed.' In his desperation, however, the rest of him hoped that it meant that Callie had already found Jas. Everyone knew that she had a knack for finding what was lost. Callie had found Sterling when he’d disappeared. She claimed to have the gifts of Insight and Clairvoyance. Shane found himself wishing that, just this once, it wasn’t actually mumbo jumbo and bullshit.

“JAS!”

Callie

Jas choked and coughed as the grass, weeds, and trees around them turned yellow—brown—black. Callie blindly turned her onto her side, so she didn’t breathe the water right back in. Releasing her connection to the Junimos, Callie grunted. Otherwise, she'd start screaming as the fire and ice and needles and nausea and—

“Farmer Callie—?” Jas started to ask before coughing some more. She sounded utterly disoriented.

Forcing herself to breathe through the pain, Callie rasped, “You okay, kiddo?”

“No,” Jas whimpered where she lay, opening her green eyes (Triss's eyes) to finally look at Callie. She gasped. “You’re hurt!” she said. “You’re bleeding!”

Blinking, Callie gave her a confused look (bleeding?) before a wet splat sound drew her attention down to the circles of blood on the ground. Glancing at her hands, she saw they were smeared with blood from where she’d wiped at her face. “Not to worry, snickerdoodle,” she said, her voice feeling distant and raw. “I was a bit foolhardy trying to get to you,” she added as she wiped her face again with her wet sleeves. She couldn't decide if the blood came from her nose or her eyes or—

“Are you sure?” Jas asked. Her face—so much like her mum's—reflected uncertainty and fear.

“I am,” she insisted. “What about you, Jas? I’m not the one who nearly drowned,” she continued, looking Jas over for other injuries. Drops of blood stained the bodice of Jas’s dress, but it looked like they had come from Callie and not Jas. So much easier to ignore deal with her afflictions if she focused on someone else; it always had been. Her pain hovered just below the threshold where the world would disappear, but as she checked Jas, it was slowly beginning to dissipate.

(Liar.)

“My leg hurts,” Jas said, still sounding on the verge of tears.

Looking it over, Callie saw a jagged cut on Jas’s calf along with dozens of little nicks, scratches, and bruises over the girl’s other limbs. “I got you, kiddo,” she murmured, before releasing a dagger into her hand. She grabbed ahold of the bottom of her work shirt and proceeded to cut off a length of cloth to tie around Jas’s leg as a makeshift bandage. It was wet and had also been in the river, but it was better than nothing. Black fireflies encroached on the edges of her vision.

(Don’t you bloody well dare pass out, Calia Solanen.)

She kept the world in focus by sheer force of will.

“How’s that?” she asked as she finished tying the bandage. “Too tight?”

“I don’t think so,” Jas said quietly. She turned her gaze up to Callie’s and said, “You really came, just like they said you would.”

“Huh?”

“The Junimos. When I fell in, they said ‘Hang on, Jas. Your Farmer is coming,’” Jas explained. “Then they disappeared.”

Yoba, Jas really was her mother’s daughter.

Callie could not deal with that revelation right now. Push that into the box with the rest of the day’s arcane bullshit and unpack it once they were back in civilization and every nerve didn’t feel charred over an open flame. “I wouldn’t mention them to anyone else just yet,” she finally said.

“I know. Uncle Shane wouldn’t believe me anyways,” Jas added, looking down at her hands.

“Perhaps,” Callie said, not really wanting to have that conversation either. Instead, she twisted the ring on her hand with intent, creating a warm glow around the two of them. Twilight had come, and Callie knew well just how dark the forest could get.

“That’s so cool!” Jas exclaimed, staring at Callie with starry eyes.

“Yeah, it is,” she agreed, trying to smile. She suspected it came out as more of a grimace. “Do you see my phone? I tossed it down nearby.”

Jas hobbled around on her leg as she helped Callie search. It took them a few minutes as they slid in the mud, the withered plants crunching under their unsteady steps, but they finally found it. Picking it up, Callie wiped it against her jeans to clear the mud off the screen and dialed Marnie’s number. The call immediately dropped. Frowning, she tried Marnie's again, then Shane’s, then Sterling’s, all with the same result. Swallowing another string of swears, Callie handed Jas her phone. “Okay, kiddo, we need to start following the river back to town. I want you to hang onto this. I’ll ask you periodically to try and call out to one of those three numbers.”

“Why me?” Jas asked, looking confused.

Callie now had both daggers out of her sleeves and into her hands. “We’re deep in the forest. The wards that protect Stardew from monsters are weak out here, and night is nearly upon us. I need to stay alert and ready to fight should something rear its head. If something attacks us, you keep following the river and calling, and I promise I’ll catch up when I can.”

She started crying at that, even though she tried to keep a brave face up. “I’m scared,” said Jas.

“Me too, snickerdoodle,” Callie admitted. Despite her refusal to acknowledge it, she’d royally fucked herself up (ya think?!), and she had a little girl to protect. Not just any girl, either, but Mo's and Triss's daughter, the daughter Mo had originally wanted to entrust to Callie. Her heart thudded heavily. Yoba, she’d always detested escort missions. “But we’ll keep going anyways, yeah?” she tried to encourage Jas.

“Yeah.”

The walk was long and their progress slow between the mud, their soaked clothing, and their injuries. Callie’s head swam, the world fuzzing in and out of focus, but she forced herself to keep moving, to keep watching, to keep protecting Jas. Neither one spoke much; when they did, it was to alert the other to something on the path that might hinder them. Periodically, Callie would ask Jas to try making phone calls out, but to no avail. Night fell. After Yoba alone knew how long, the river turned from north-south to east-west.

With glacial slowness, the piercing pain from her magic dwindled down to a throbbing ache in the marrow of her bones. Callie continued to randomly drip blood, and the back of her sleeve grew black and stiff with a mixture of blood and muck. Her chest grew heavier with each step. Exhaustion pulled at her, eager to succeed where the river had failed and drown her. But every shift of shadow, every distant sound of a twig snapping or leaves rustling put Callie on edge, pulled her back to the present, back to her charge. She had to protect Jas. She had to. Briefly, Callie considered trying to set up camp, but she knew feared that if she stopped, she’d black out and leave Jas undefended and terrified.

“You making it, kiddo?” Callie asked, hoping conversation would help keep her from passing out.

“Yeah,” said Jas, a fierce, determined grimace on her face that was pure Triss. Her black hair kept falling into her eyes without her bow to hold it back. Blood, mud, and river slime stained her ripped and torn dress. The makeshift bandage around her leg also showed bloodstains. Jasmine didn’t complain or whine once, however. She’d just look over at Callie, set her shoulders, and take another step. “I’m doing okay,” she promised.

The moon rose above, providing patches of pale light through the trees, and still they walked. Callie wasn't sure how much longer she could keep upright and moving, though. Her muscles kept spasming, making her arms tremble and her steps unsure, while her head steadily pounded. She kept swallowing back bile, the result of either her earlier teleportations or the agony haunting her steps.

Everything hurt so fucking much.

Callie tried to focus on her senses—the smell of cooked grass from Summer's heat, the sound of birds and other small creatures in trees and bushes, the taste of copper on her tongue, the feel of her mostly-dry clothing rubbing her skin, the sight of Jas at her side—but it was hard when everything felt dull and distant compared to her all-encompassing ache. Her vision kept trying to tunnel. Every time it did, she exerted her will to claw herself back to full consciousness, focusing on a series of icebreaker questions to keep her and Jas talking, to keep them Jas distracted from the situation they'd found themselves in. There were questions about favorite animals and questions about superpower preferences and questions about clowns and games and movies. Callie couldn't recall a single one of Jas's answers, but the questions kept Callie in the here and now and kept both of them walking.

The pools of moonlight in the distance grew steadily larger. “I think I see the festival grounds,” Callie sighed with relief. She estimated that they’d walked for a couple of hours, if not more.

Maybe.

Everything felt... distant... and slow.

“We’re almost home!” Jas exclaimed, her fatigue falling away at the mere thought.

Callie frowned.

Something felt off.

(Don’t let my guard down.)

“Do you think the phone will work when we get there?” asked Jas, her green eyes filling with hope.

“It should,” Callie said absently, going still.

(There!)

Over a decade of combat and training allowed Callie to drop and roll out of the way as a swarm of slimes glooped and glopped out of root and branch in an attempt to ambush.

Because of course they did.

“Run, Jasmine! Run for the grounds and keep dialing until somebody answers. RUN!” she barked as she staggered back to her feet, brandishing her daggers before her as she moved to defend Jas.

“Farmer Callie—”

“GO!” she thundered. Callie threw herself between a dark slime that had a star atop its head and her best friend's daughter.

Jas fled.

Sterling

“Still nothing,” Shane said as he hung up yet again.

Frowning, Sterling shined his flashlight along the bank of the river. The longer they searched with no sign of Jas, the closer Shane edged to a panic attack. Not that he blamed him. For all that Shane pretended otherwise, that kid was the center of his world.

“Just have to keep looking then,” said Henry, continuing to lead the way through the woods. Flashes of light in the distance kept catching Sterling’s eye as other search parties spread through the forest, cries of “Jas!” and “Jasmine!” echoing hoarsely through the night.

The party of men continued to make their slow way along the river. Henry kept scanning the ground ahead of them with his flashlight, while Shane looked off to their north into the forest and Sterling continued searching along the river. He feared that they’d find Jas’s body on the riverbank, and he wished to spare—

Sterling’s phone rang and nearly made him fumble his flashlight. Digging it out, he answered it without looking. “Sterling here.”

“Mr.SterlingitgotthroughohthankYoba—”

“Jas?!” Sterling exclaimed, coming to a dead stop.

Both of his companions turned to stare at him.

“Where are you?” he asked.

Jas started babbling hysterically.

“Poppet, sweetheart, I need you to slow down. I can’t understand you. Where are you? Are you okay?” Sterling asked again, ignoring the way Shane made gimme motions with his hands.

“I’m at the festival grounds,” Jas repeated, just barely slow enough for him to catch her words. “Farmer Callie got me outta the river, and we’ve been walking so long, and she’s hurt, and monsters attacked us, and she told me to run, and—”

“We’re close by and will be there soon. Are you okay?” Sterling asked, before covering the mouthpiece and saying, “Callie found her. Jas said they’re at the festival grounds, but something attacked them and Callie’s hurt.” Henry immediately turned north, leading the other two men through the night towards the grounds. Shane pulled out his own phone to call Emily, while Sterling stayed on the line with Jas.

“My leg is hurt, and I don’t feel so good, but Farmer Callie keeps bleeding, and she's really, really hurt. She told me to run and stayed behind with her daggers, and she promised she’d catch up to me, but she’s not here yet—”

“Breathe, poppet, you’re okay. We’re crossing the bridge now to get to the festival grounds,” he told her as all three men jogged further west into the forest.

“She told me to keep hitting redial until the phone got through. She said that once I got to the grounds, the signal should return, and it did finally get through, but she’s not here yet and—I see light! Is that you guys? Can you see me? I’m by the river!” Jas shouted loud enough that Sterling actually heard the last bit through both ears.

“JAS!” Shane bellowed as he bolted towards the river.

“Uncle Shane! I’m here! I’m sorry!” Jas cried.

Sterling hung up and chased after Shane.

Catching up to the pair, Sterling grimaced. Poor Jas looked an utter mess. Snarled and tangled hair, scratch- and bruise-covered limbs… her dress looked coated in mud and worse. But she gave all three of them the brightest smile even as she sobbed and hung onto Shane.

“I got you. I got you, chick-a-little. You’re okay,” Shane crooned as held onto her.

“Which way did you leave Callie?” Sterling asked urgently. Happy as he was to see Shane's goddaughter was relatively okay, her words about Callie’s injuries and that she’d stayed behind to fight rang in his ears.

“She’s back that way,” Jas whimpered, pointing back along the river.

Sterling thought he could see a faint light in the distance.

“Let’s go,” Henry said, already heading in that direction.

“Get Jas back home, Shane,” Sterling said as he followed after his cousin.

“We can’t leave her!” Jas wailed.

“We’re not,” said Shane, taking a ragged breath. “They’re going to go help Callie, and I’m taking you home.”

Callie

Leaning against another cottonwood with one arm, Callie desperately gulped in air. She hated fighting monsters. Hated it. Despite knowing firsthand their never-ending war against humanity, she despised killing monsters. They were clearly sentient beings, much like the dwarves or elves that once roamed the world, and they should be treated as such. The Guild had nearly excommunicated her when they discovered she used her arcane abilities to banish monsters back to their original realms rather than kill them, believing it a betrayal of their oaths.

Closing her eyes, Callie took shuddering breaths that weren’t nearly enough. She’d instinctively tried to banish the slimes as she always had, using her daggers as a focus and her innate arcane nature rather than her connection to the Junimos, but the attempt had wracked her with such excruciating pain that she honestly had no clue how they hadn’t killed her in her distraction. Upon regaining her senses, she’d swept them off of her with her blades.

She detested killing.

But she couldn’t let them go after Jas.

Callie had murdered every single one of them. It hadn’t taken long, even with her injuries and exhaustion. She still hated it.

She couldn’t stop now, though. She’d sent Jas blindly into the night towards the festival grounds. With any luck, Jas would finally get signal, but Callie knew there was no guarantee. Wards tended to interfere with cellular communications, and Stardew had had some of the strongest wards in the Republic since before there even was a Republic. Pushing off the tree, Callie turned towards the festival grounds and forced herself to keep trudging along the river, eyes peeled for any sign of Jas or other monsters, hands clutching the hilts of her daggers. Why wouldn't they stop shaking? Fuck, she was damn lucky that slimes had caught them and not a Shadow Brute or two. She doubted she’d have fared half so well against the Shadow Folk in her current condition.

Yoba, even her fucking eyelashes hurt.

After an eon of stumbling from tree to tree for support, she thought she heard a familiar voice calling her name in the night. She paused to listen better, slipping and sliding in the mud as her balance failed. Clinging to yet another tree, she finally stilled and listened again.

Nothing.

Callie nearly wept. This night of anguish, fatigue, horror.... Yoba, please let it end.

But then it came again. That same familiar voice—and another equally familiar—both calling her name! Surely, surely if they were looking for her that meant that they’d already found Jas.

“I’m here!” she tried to cry out as she started staggering forward again, but with how raw and raspy her voice was, she had no clue if it carried. Seeing flashlights in the distance and hearing her name grow clearer, she finally sheathed her daggers and tried calling again, “I’m here! Red! Hank! I’m here!”

“Lee-lee!” she heard them both chorus, joy and relief threading through their voices.

Callie stopped and slumped against yet another tree.

Sterling

“Yoba!” Sterling swore as he finally caught sight of Callie. She somehow managed to look worse than Jas. There was so much blood on her; her face and arms were coated in it, some dried, some fresh. The bottom of her shirt was gone, letting her scars gleam pale in the moonlight between patches of muck. Her extremities all shook, dripping globs of slime from them, and her eyes had a glassy quality that honestly frightened him.

He broke into a sprint despite the darkness and mud and—

“Did you find Jas?” she rasped.

“Yes, we found her. She’s with Shane,” Henry reassured her. “He should already have her back to the ranch by now.”

Sterling reached her and swept her up into a bridal carry before she could collapse. “What did you do to yourself, farmer?” he asked, voice cracking, unable to fathom just how she’d ended up in this state.

“Made a series of choices and am paying the price,” she said, making no effort to hang onto him and instead letting her head loll against his shoulder. “Gotta get Jas to— to Harvey. I had to resuscitate her,” she continued, sounding like she was just reciting any other day on the farm. “I don’t think there’s any brain damage but….”

“She’s in shock,” Henry said, his concern obvious as he pulled his phone out to call ahead.

Sterling increased his pace, cradling her close to him, uncaring of the blood staining his shirt.

Upon arriving back at the ranch, they discovered it had turned into a proper madhouse as people returned from their own searches in the forest. Lewis and Emily stood outside of the ranch, thanking people for their help and reassuring them that Jas was okay. Upon seeing the three of them arrive, Emily sent them straight on into the ranch. “Dr. Harvey is checking Jas over at the moment, but he’ll want to check on you too,” she said, eyeing Callie in Sterling’s arms with deep concern.

“I’m— I'm okay,” Callie said, her voice painfully gritty. “Just... I'm just tired.”

Sterling exchanged skeptical looks with Henry and Emily at her declaration.

“I am,” she insisted.

“Then it won’t take Dr. Harvey long to determine that and send you on your way,” replied Emily in a tone that brooked no argument.

Sighing in resignation, Callie laid her head back against Sterling’s shoulder again. He tightened his hold, wasting no time getting her inside the house. In the amber light of the kitchen, the blood coating her face and arms looked even more dreadful somehow. Her glassy eyes were tight at the corners, her lips a thin line, and her limbs had yet to cease their trembles. Gently, carefully, Sterling set her in one of Marnie's dining chairs.

While they didn’t see anyone, they could hear Dr. Harvey talking from Jas’s bedroom. Sterling assumed that Marnie, Shane, and Jas were also back there. “How’d you find Jas?” Henry asked as he walked over to the cabinets. He kept opening up cupboards until he found a large bowl that he then filled with water.

“Pure, unadulterated luck,” she replied.

Sterling went to grab a roll of paper towels and brought them to the table. “What were you even doing that deep in the forest?” he asked. “With the rain finally moving off, I figured you were hip-deep in farm work.” Especially since she did most everything by hand.

Callie quirked a half-smile. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

He’d forgotten how irritatingly good at dodging questions Callie could be. Once Henry placed the bowl on the table, Sterling tore off some paper towels and dipped them in the water, then began to meticulously clean the blood off of Callie’s face. She let out a soft sigh. It felt good to do something to help her, take care of her, to reassure himself that Callie was okay. Sterling knew without a doubt that the sight of her bloody in the moonlight would haunt him for a long, long time to come.

“Did anyone contact Philip?” she finally asked.

Ignoring the hurt her question brought, Sterling said, “I know he was on the initial group chat, but I don’t know if he came down to help search. We set out with Shane pretty much immediately.”

Turning her head towards Henry with unfocused eyes, she asked, “Do you think you could let him know I’m here?”

“Of course,” he said, pulling out his phone.

Sterling continued to tenderly clean her face, frequently changing paper towels. “How’d you get so bloody, hotstuff?” he finally asked. He couldn’t find any sign of a significant cut on her anywhere.

“Managed to get a nasty nosebleed while pulling Jas out of the water,” she said, closing her eyes as he worked around them. So much blood had dried—caked—along their edges that he doubted her tale. “Didn’t even realize it until after—" Her whole body shuddered as she roughly swallowed. Sterling paused in trying to clean her up. "—um, until Jas woke up and pointed it out to me. I bled a good bit before then,” she finally concluded.

Before either Sterling or Henry could reply, they heard the door to Jas’s room open and close. Henry immediately walked off to grab the doctor’s attention.

“Just let him take a quick look at you, okay?” Sterling asked. Callie opened her dark brown eyes back up. A stubborn glint shone from within them. “Please, Lee-lee,” he softly begged, “Just so I— we don’t worry?”

Her face softened at that. “Okay, hon.”

Dr. Harvey cleared his throat, causing Sterling to back away with the latest dirty paper towel. “Sorry, doc,” he said.

“You’re fine, Sterling,” Dr. Harvey said before turning his attention to Callie.

Before he could say anything, however, Callie spoke up. “Will Jas be okay?” she asked, rubbing the palm of her hand with her opposite thumb.

“She’s going to be just fine, Callie," the doctor replied, giving her a kind, reassuring smile. "You got to her in time; there’s no sign of any brain damage.”

Tears welled up in Callie’s eyes which she hastily wiped away. “Sorry."

“You have nothing to be sorry for. Your friend’s pretty insistent that I should check you over before I go," he added.

She gave a wavering smile at that. “I think I scared them when they first found me.”

“Lee-lee, you were covered in blood and slime and about to pass out where you stood,” Henry pointed out dryly. Sterling couldn’t help smirking at her put-upon expression.

“This way, Callie,” Dr. Harvey said before she could work up a retort. “We can use Marnie’s room.”

Sterling hovered behind her as she walked, ready to catch her if she showed signs of collapsing, but she stayed on her feet. “This examination shouldn’t take long,” Dr. Harvey told him. Frowning, he returned to the kitchen and grabbed a chair to bring out to the feed store. Sitting down, he stared at the closed the door that hid Callie and Dr. Harvey.

Henry clapped Sterling on the shoulder. “I’m sure Lee-lee’s going to be okay.”

“Yoba, I hope so,” he sighed.

“I highly recommend you get as much rest as you can, drink plenty of fluids, and take iron pills over the next several days as your blood replenishes,” Dr. Harvey said as he and Callie finally emerged from Marnie’s room.

Callie gave him a soft thank you before saying, “I’ll do what I can.”

Sterling looked up from where he waited for her. The doc's examination of Callie felt like it took for-fucking-ever. Most of the search teams had returned and left for their own homes at this point, and so had Henry and Mia. Marnie and Shane had yet to emerge from Jas’s room. “Think about what I said, Callie. I’m willing to—” Dr. Harvey continued, only to have her cut him off.

“I’m good, Dr. Harvey, but thank you anyways,” she said with a tight smile. Sterling suspected the good doc was once again trying to talk her into taking sleep meds.

“Well, if that’s everything, I’ll be on my way,” Dr. Harvey said, heading for the door.

“Thanks again, doc,” said Sterling. Turning his attention to Callie he added, “Let me walk you home, firecracker.”

For a brief moment he thought she would argue with him, but then she gave him a weary smile. “Alright, trouble, but only so you don’t blow my phone up the whole time.”

“Of course. Just don’t want you to decide to sleep on the road,” he said with an easy grin even as his worry spiked. If she agreed that easily, she was worse off than she acted. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he guided her out of the ranch and towards the road to her farm. Callie leaned so heavily against him as they walked that it wouldn’t surprise him if he ended up carrying her again. For all her protestations—and Dr. Harvey’s relatively clean bill of health—Sterling couldn’t shake the feeling that she was hiding some sort of injury beyond blood loss from a nosebleed.

“Did Henry ever get ahold of Philip?” she asked.

“He sent several text messages but never heard back. Then again, it’s late,” Sterling pointed out. He felt her shoulders droop under his arm and tried to reassure her. “He’s probably just asleep.”

“Yeah,” she sighed heavily. “Probably.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 21 – The Price

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Past the morning sickness!

Lee-lee,

I’ve officially announced my pregnancy to everyone, so no need to keep it under wraps any more on your end! People here in the valley have given me such love and support, despite the fact that Triss and I hadn’t wed. Marlon’s already benched me from going into the mines, however. I mean, I get it, but it’s still frustrating. Marnie’s been making noises that maybe I should just fully quit from the Guild. Bub’s outright stated it, especially after I informed him that I was making him the godfather.

Alright, I’m going to wrap this up here—my little blueberry grenade desperately wants pink cake.

Yep, it’s all his/her/their fault.

Honest. 😉

Love you!

—Mona

Philip

With a grumbled curse, Philip turned off his alarm and sat up in bed. He’d finished up with his paperwork by midafternoon (thanks to his early start), and he had taken advantage of that to retreat back to his hotel room and just… well, collapse. He’d fallen asleep by six, maybe seven at the latest. And while he didn’t feel completely rested, he at least felt human for the first time in weeks.

Unplugging his phone, he picked it up to double check how much time he had until his morning session with Shiro. Despite the huge chunk of sleep, he'd still hit snooze a few times. Oh good, not yet seven—no time to exercise first, but enough time for an actual breakfast. He also found several messages waiting for him. A bit bemused, he opened up the group chat first, as it had the earliest new messages. Shit. Shane’s goddaughter had gone missing the night before, and they’d had a full-fledged search going to find her! Skimming over the messages, he felt relief wash over him when he saw that Callie had found her several hours later.

The next set of messages came from Hen.

Henry: Hey, just giving you a heads up that we’re having Dr. Harvey check Lee-lee over.

Henry: She seems mostly fine, but when we found her and Jas, she was covered in blood and about to pass out.

Henry: She wanted someone to contact you and let you know.

Philip immediately opened the messages from Sterling. If anyone would know—

Sterling: Hen left before the doc was done with hotstuff. Doc gave her a clean bill of health outside of resting and taking some iron. I just dropped her off at the cottage

Sterling: You should check in on her when you get this. She was pretty upset when no one could get ahold of you

He breathed a sigh of relief; it was quickly followed by a pang of annoyance. Sterling didn’t need to nag him about talking with Callie. Philip felt guilty enough on his own about how the weekend had gone. He knew he’d deeply upset her with their train wreck of a date. For the first time since they started dating, she had let him sleep in. While part of him felt grateful for the extra rest, the fact that she hadn’t woken him with her usual enthusiasm had left him… well, hurt. Hurt and a little bit angry, to be honest. He knew he hadn’t had the best attitude Saturday, but that was no reason for her to withhold affection, to not talk to him about it.

That’s a two-way street, he reminded himself. Philip hadn’t given her any affection at all, despite how she’d at least greeted him with a kiss. By the Void, he hadn’t talked to her about anything either. Instead, he’d fled for work as soon as they'd finished breakfast. And it was fleeing. Despite his hurt and anger, a large part of him believed at the time—still believed—she was trying to take care of him by letting him rest. He’d feared that lingering would lead to him lashing out when she truly didn’t deserve it.

Scrubbing his face with his hand, he backed out of Sterling’s messages and saw that Callie had sent a few of her own.

Callie: Hey sweetie! Hope you’re having a good morning! 😀

Callie: In case no one sent you an update, Dr. Harvey said I’m fine, so I hope you didn’t worry too much 😌

Callie: I hope you have a fantastic day 😘 Let me know if you want to do dinner tonight!

His shoulders relaxed as he smiled at her reassuring messages. Yeah, they’d had a bad weekend, but everyone had rough patches. She really was an utter sweetheart, still reaching out to him in spite of everything. They would be okay.

Just a few more weeks.

Philip: Sterling sent me an update after he dropped you off at the cottage 🙂 I’m glad you’re doing okay! Try not to overdo it 😉

Philip: Let me get through my sessions with Shiro and then we can discuss dinner 😘

Callie

Callie’s day didn’t start out that badly. Oh, she certainly felt fatigued, and everything hurt, but she figured that was only to be expected after her stupidity foolhardiness the evening before. At least she could move around. And while her stomach still felt tender from her desperate teleportations, she at least managed to eat a small breakfast of toast and yogurt. To be honest, she’d expected far worse consequences for her efforts saving Jas. Some nausea, some stiffness, some joint pain and a roaring headache… it was a cheap price all things considered.

(Have you convinced yourself yet?)

Alright, fine. Callie felt like day-old dog vomit. Regardless, she still had things that needed doing.

(I’m supposed to rest.)

And she would. Relatively speaking, at least. She’d already released the hens that morning, and the melons could stay in the fields for one more day. Instead, she’d stay in the cottage and work on making more jams and labeling her jars. That wasn't nearly as taxing as harvesting, and she'd still get something done. Mind made up, Callie pulled everything she needed out of their respective cabinets. If she moved slower than normal, if it took a little bit longer to retrieve the produce she needed to process, well, she was taking it easy, ya know?

Ever since she’d entered into the compact with the Junimos, she’d gotten into the habit of observing her crops and land with her arcane senses, and that even extended to when she made things with the less… aesthetically pleasing produce. In this case, some of her extra fruit was better suited towards making jams and jellies, while others would serve far better in baked goods, and her senses could tell her which were which with ease. Setting the last crate on her dining table, she unthinkingly grabbed the frayed strand connecting—

P A I N 

Immediately, she pulled her senses back into herself even as her ass landed on the tile. The feeling of needles pierced through all of her nerves, nearly making her lose what she’d managed to get down for breakfast. She collapsed back, trembling, waiting until everything eased. It didn’t. Instead, Callie felt as though every hangover and bout of flu she’d ever suffered through had gotten together for a huge orgy and then spilled the results all through her body.

Her head throbbed. Her joints ached. She started hacking. She felt hot and clammy and all around miserable. Everything sounded too blinding and smelled too loud and tasted like unwashed asshole.

Clueless as to how long she laid on the floor, Callie eventually managed to climb to her feet. Yoba, there wasn’t enough water in the world for how parched she felt. She tottered further into the kitchen to refill her water bottle. She took a sip only to have her stomach lead a violent rebellion.

Okay, okay, she’d take a damn break….

Feeling as though she swam through gelatin, it took her forever to clean up her mess. At least yesterday all of the vomiting happened in the forest. Callie threw away the last of the paper towels then washed her hands… or tried to. Halfway through, she felt a heavy wave of fatigue and dizziness sweep over her all at once. Closing her eyes, she held on to the edge of the sink, waiting for it to pass.

Yep, she waited for it to pass.

Any minute now.

…

Shite.

Blindly, Callie reached out and turned the water off, relying on her ears to tell her she’d succeeded because she knew opening her eyes would result in her vomiting again and no thank you, evil. She slid down the cabinet and sat once more on the gloriously cool floor. Slowly, carefully, she stretched out on it, pressing her heated cheek against the soothing tile.

(I need help.)

Groping for her phone, she clicked the home button twice and croaked, “Call Philip.”

“Calling Philip Chavez,” the little computerized voice replied.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

“This call has been directed to an automated voice answering system. [Philip Chavez] is currently unavailable. Please leave a—”

Sterling

“But Callie’s doing alright?” asked Emily as she picked out a loaf of bread and added it to her basket.

Doing a quick, subtle check of his phone despite being on the clock, Sterling frowned. He still hadn’t heard back from Callie, despite texting her on his morning break. She was supposed to be resting. If she wasn’t responding, then she was probably out in her fields doing the exact opposite.

“That’s what the doc said. Told her to rest and take some iron for the blood loss. I haven’t actually heard from her yet today,” Sterling replied as he pocketed his phone and returned to adding bags of tortillas to the shelves. Callie had managed to make it back to her cottage on her own feet, but he still couldn’t shake the relentless, nagging feeling that something was wrong.

“You don’t sound convinced,” Emily said, eyeing him as she stepped around him to grab a package of flatbread.

Sterling frowned. “I’m not. You didn’t see her when we found her, Em. Something was seriously, seriously wrong. And she wouldn’t answer us when we asked how she’d managed to find Jas or get to her so quickly,” he said, unable to stop himself once he started talking. “She gave non-answers, though…” he trailed off, remembering her words when they’d first found her.

“What did you do to yourself, farmer?”

“Made a series of choices and am paying the price.”

“Though?” Emily questioned, studying him.

Shaking his head, he slowly said, “In the woods, she said—”

A very loud duet of meows rose from the front of the store.

“What in the Void are they doing in here?! Get them out!” Pierre yelped.

Sterling would totally rib him about that later. But first….

He and Emily hurried out of the aisle to find both Mr. Ginger and Cuthbert sitting just inside of the store and meowing at the top of their tiny lungs. Several other heads poked out from the aisles as well.

“Bosun?

“Cuthbert?”

“Pumpkin?”

“Osiris?”

“Berty?”

“I don’t care what their names are, get them out of the store!” Pierre blustered before breaking into a series of very loud sneezes.

Sterling and Emily traded amused looks before slowly and carefully approaching the pair of felines. Neither puss seemed the least bit concerned. In fact, upon seeing Sterling, Cuthbert ran forward and rammed his head into Sterling’s shin, purring loudly. Mr. Ginger continued to sit on the floor, meowing and scratching at the door.

Crouching down, Sterling scooped Cuthbert into his arms and stood up. “What are you doing in here, Berty? You never leave the farm. Are you letting that old tabby teach you bad habits?” he cooed as he walked towards the door. Said tabby let out a very displeased mewl at that. Cuthbert rubbed his head against Sterling’s cheek.

“Silly Osiris. If you want out, why’d you come in?” Emily asked as she opened the door for Mr. Ginger and Sterling.

Mr. Ginger darted outside and continued to meow, stopping several feet away. Cuthbert jumped out of Sterling’s arms and onto the ground, careful not to sink his claws into bare arms. When the pair of humans returned to the store, however, Cuthbert darted back inside and meowed loudly, headbutting Sterling again. Mr. Ginger returned to the outside of the door, meowing and scratching at it.

“What’s gotten into you?” Emily asked the gray cat.

Sterling glanced towards his irritated boss. “Is it alright if I take him back to Solanen’s Farm? Otherwise, I’m afraid he’ll keep darting in,” he said quickly.

Pierre frowned. Before he could deny Sterling, however, he started sneezing his head off again. “Fine, fine, just get the blasted thing out of here!”

“Thanks, boss!” Sterling said, walking back outside before Pierre could change his mind, Cuthbert cradled against his chest. To his surprise, Emily followed him. “Leaving your shopping?”

“It’ll be there when we come back,” she said cheerily. “I want to see what has the two of them so riled up.”

“That makes two of us,” said Sterling. Cuthbert jumped out of his arms again and ran forward several feet to join Mr. Ginger. Both cats looked at the humans expectantly. “Come on, let’s get you two back to the farm,” Sterling said as they started walking.

The cats kept ahead of Emily and Sterling, occasionally looking back at the humans and meowing loudly. “Think maybe they want us to hurry?” wondered Emily.

“I think they might,” Sterling agreed, lengthening his stride.

“Hey!” Emily protested, having to half-jog to keep up with him. “What’s got you so wound up?”

“Just… I’ve got a bad feeling,” he muttered.

Emily’s countenance grew serious at that. “Then what are we waiting for?” she asked as she, too, increased her speed. Seeing Sterling’s surprise, she gave him a half-smile, “You and Callie share a bond. If you think something's wrong, then I believe you.”

Right. This was Em.

Within ten minutes, they’d made it to the farm. Glancing out over the fields, Sterling saw no sign of Callie. He frowned. “I wonder where firecracker is? She’s not in her fields.”

Emily also frowned. “Didn’t Dr. Harvey tell her to rest?”

Sterling scoffed at that.

“Alright, fair,” Emily acknowledged with a wry smile. “Do you think—?”

Mewling loudly—insistently—both cats ran to the cottage and started scratching at the door. Sterling and Emily exchanged worried looks and then hurried after them. Emily tried the door, but it didn’t budge. “It’s locked.”

Reaching into his pocket, Sterling pulled out his key chain and quickly inserted the key Callie had given him. “Good thing I’m prepared, then,” he said, opening the door. “Hey, hotstuff!” he called, looking around. Several crates of blueberries, peppers, and tomatoes covered the dining table. Several pots sat on the stove, while a couple of cutting boards and an empty sack sat waiting on the island.

He heard a groan.

“Lee-lee?” he wondered as he hurried around the island. He found her laying face down on the floor, her phone just beyond her limp hand. He quickly knelt beside her, turning her onto her back only to discover a pool of bile beneath her. She radiated heat. “She has a fever,” he said, pressing his wrist to her forehead. At least she was breathing, if shallowly.

He knew something was up. Why had she hidden it?

“Looks like she threw up,” Emily added as she grabbed a dishrag and wetted it down. Carefully bracing himself, Sterling scooped Lee-lee up yet again. Yoba, she really was burning up. Emily carefully wiped Callie’s face to clean off the smeared and partially dried bile.

“Red?” Callie whispered through chapped lips, eyes still tightly closed.

“That’s me alright,” he said.

“I feel horrid,” she whimpered, curling against him.

“Call the doc and let him know we’re headed his way,” Sterling told Em as he headed for the door. The key to her truck didn’t hang where it normally did; he hoped it was still in the truck or Callie’s pocket. If all else failed, he could hot wire it, but….

“Already on it,” Emily said, pulling her phone out.

“Tell me what’s wrong, darlin’,” he said to Callie as he carried her outside.

“Mostly... mostly okay when I woke up,” she grimaced. “Li’l tired ‘n’ achy ‘n’ queasy, but didn’t s’prise me with how much I threw up yesterday—”

“You vomited yesterday?” Sterling interrupted her as he hurried out to Callie’s truck.

“Yeah. Lots. Everything’s gotta price, y’ know?” she said, shivering in his arms. “But a bit better s’mornin’. Started workin’ on jams ‘n’ then everything went to—” She moaned in pain as he lifted his knee to help support her legs.

Balancing her awkwardly, he opened the door with one hand and then carefully set her inside. To his frustration, her sun visor was down; no way her key was out here then. “Sorry, sweetheart,” he said, pushing her hair back from her face.

“S’okay. Izz okay,” she said as her whole body shuddered. Sterling closed the door.

“Catch,” said Emily as she tossed him the keys.

“Where’s you find those?” he asked, following her around the truck.

“On the table with her crops,” she replied as she crawled in from the driver’s side ahead of Sterling to ride in the center of the bench, phone pressed against her ear. “Dr. Harvey wants to know your symptoms,” she said, worried eyes focused on Callie.

“Headache, queasy, cold… everything hurts, too bright,” she said sluggishly. Sterling listened as he started up the ancient monster and pulled onto the road, not bothering to strap himself in.

After repeating what Callie said, Emily added into the phone, “We found signs of vomiting when we got here, and she said she did it yesterday too. She’s also shivering and hot to the touch. We didn’t take her temp, just got her in the car so we could bring her to you. We should be there in just a couple of minutes—we’re in her truck.”

Sterling was probably overreacting—Yoba, please let him be overreacting—but deep down, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was more than some flu.

The Cat

As Mr. Smooth-and-Charming carried the farmer out towards the truck, Emily turned her attention to the two cats pacing anxiously nearby, her phone in her hand. “We need Ras, Osiris. I know you’re magical somehow. Can you get the wizard? Send him to the clinic?” she begged him.

The cat stared up at her and slowly blinked twice before darting out the open door. He was the fastest cat and best mouser in the valley for eight years running. He’d get Ras before they even made it to the doctor. At least this pair of humans actually listened, unlike that stupid meathead of an uncle that Jas had. The cat’s knowledge of human illness was vague at best, but even he could smell how not right Lee-lee was.

She had saved his Jas; now, he would save her.

Making it to the tower, he let out a piercing yowl as he scratched at the door. If that stupid wizard had gone to drink with the graybeard again—

The door opened.

He wasted no time racing inside, calling for the wizard. “Ras! Ras!”

“Up here, Trix.”

Bounding up the stairs, the cat leapt onto the table next to the cauldron, deftly avoiding the various books and tools left scattered upon it. “Ras, Lee-lee needs you!” he mewled before the wizard could scold him for getting on the table.

Rasmodius didn’t pause at all in the process of adding something to the cauldron. “I know.”

“She’s sick, and they’re taking her to the clinic. Emily said she needed you.”

“I know,” the wizard repeated, dipping a ladle into the cauldron. “Her magic has done nothing but howl,” he added as he poured the liquid into a flask and capped it. Turning his gaze to the tabby, he said, “Join us when you can,” before turning into a ball of light and disappearing out the window.

Cursing to himself, the cat turned tail and ran.

Sterling

When Dr. Harvey tried to get Sterling and Emily to leave the room while he examined Callie, Sterling dug in his heels. “Not only no, doc, but hell no,” he said, staying next to the head of her hospital bed opposite Dr. Harvey.

“I understand you’re concerned, but Callie’s privacy—” Dr. Harvey began.

“Means nothing if she’s not telling you the truth,” Emily interrupted from where she stood at the foot of the bed.

Dr. Harvey hesitated at that.

“And if anyone can call her on her bullshit, it’s us,” Sterling added, pressing the advantage.

“They can… stay.”

Everyone turned to Callie in surprise. She looked deathly pale in the hospital bed, lips painfully split open and eyes sunken even with the IV hydrating her. Her breaths came in shallow, quick pants, periodically interrupted by a hacking cough, but her face shone with determination.

Frowning, Dr. Harvey asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yes. They’re… true valley folk,” she said, even as her forehead creased from the pain.

Dr. Harvey’s breath caught. “You’ve got a high fever, Callie, and possibly aren’t thinking straight—”

“She said yes, doc,” Sterling butted in. Stop arguing and help her.

“They hear… what they hear.”

“Very well,” sighed Dr. Harvey before clearing his throat. “You damaged your connection, didn’t you?” he asked her.

“Yes.”

“Connection?” asked Sterling.

“Do you want to ask me questions, or do you want me to help her?” Dr. Harvey snapped at Sterling before immediately apologizing. “I’m sorry, that was unprofessional.”

“I had to,” Callie said, drawing their attention back.

“What did you do?”

Before she could respond, a deep voice inquired, “Yes, Calia, tell us, what did you do? Your link is frayed, burned, and almost completely broken, and your arcane energies are bleeding out of you at an alarming rate.” Sterling’s head snapped around; his eyes grew wide as he stared at a man that he’d only seen up close once in his life. The wizard had left a lasting impression.

“She broke her link?” Dr. Harvey choked, eyes wide behind his glasses.

What the fuck were they talking about?

“It’s not torn beyond mending,” the wizard said, pulling out a flask and pouring a rosy pink liquid into a goblet that Sterling had only just noticed. “But I need to know what you did, Calia.”

Letting out a tired sigh, she said, “I figured out… how to… to…” she glanced at the others for a moment before grimacing. “I ‘ported… using the mycorrhizal… network… to get to Jas.”

“How many times?” the wizard asked gravely even as he searched through his pouch for something.

“Three,” Callie groaned as she shut her eyes.

Sterling looked from Callie to the wizard to Dr. Harvey to Emily and back again, utterly baffled by the conversation.

“Fool,” the wizard grumbled as he finally found what he needed and pulled it from his pouch. Crushing it between his fingers, he sprinkled the remains into the cup and swirled it around.

“I felt… it was worth… the price.”

“You belong to the valley as a whole, Solanen,” the wizard said sharply, his eyes like twin burning coals. “Desperate though times may be, you have a responsibility to all of its people.”

“Still… worth the price.”

Hearing the wizard emphasize ‘Solanen’ sparked a memory.

“I didn’t realize you had an arcane nature.”

“I’m a Solanen. Make of that what you will.”

Callie wasn’t just named ‘Solanen’; Callie was a Solanen. Sterling kicked himself for not seeing it sooner.

“I swear, child, you will be the death of me yet,” the wizard grumbled as he added yet another powder to the goblet. “Absolutely, abominably reckless.”

“You say the… sweetest… things, Rasmodius,” she rasped. Sterling glanced down at her face, noting the hint of a teasing smile. The bravado did nothing to hide her misery, however.

“I hoped age and experience would cure you of these idiotic impulses,” the wizard, Rasmodius, muttered to himself before waving a hand over the goblet he held.

“We can’t wait much longer, Ras,” Emily said, eyes wide and voice breathless. How does she know him?  “Her threads are— the connection is—”

“I am well aware,” came the cool reply. The cup flashed gold, startling everyone else in the room. Everyone but Callie, at least. “Help her sit up,” Rasmodius commanded.

Both Dr. Harvey and Sterling moved to help her, with Sterling sliding his arm completely behind her back for support. “What are you giving her?” Dr. Harvey asked.

“A variation on a Life Elixir. It will only work for her due to her innate arcane nature,” Rasmodius said as he brought the elixir to Callie. “You’ll need to drink this in its entirety,” he told her.

“Stomach’s… iffy,” she warned, her whole body shaking even with Sterling and Dr. Harvey both supporting her.

“Endure, Solanen,” Rasmodius said, bringing the cup to her lips.

“Drama… queen…” she quipped before drinking.

From his angle, Sterling could see how the gentle, rosy pink of the liquid had turned an inky, deep violet. It fairly reeked with an incredibly acrid scent. Callie grimaced as Rasmodius tipped the goblet, but she continued to drink it down anyways despite the green hue her skin gained. As she drained the last of it, she again clenched her eyes and mouth shut as if holding the elixir down with sheer willpower.

She probably was.

“What does your Sight tell you, Emily?” Rasmodius asked as he stowed the empty goblet into his voluminous robes.

Sight?

“The threads are starting to reknit themselves, but it will take some time for them to finish doing so,” she said slowly, staring at Callie with an eerie, unblinking intensity.

Sterling absently wondered when his day had gotten so fucking weird.

“Excellent,” Rasmodius said, looking both pleased and relieved. As Dr. Harvey started to lay Callie back, the wizard said, “Keep her in an upright position for the next hour. Otherwise she is liable to lose what she drank.”

Dr. Harvey shuffled in embarrassment. “Yes, of course…” he replied. He adjusted the bed, so she could rest back against it yet remain upright.

“Why are all your brews… so... so... so utterly vile?” Callie complained as Sterling adjusted the pillows to help support her, keeping an arm behind her while half-sitting on the bed. No way was he letting her go just then.

She leaned into him.

“They aren’t,” Rasmodius said shortly. “If you know what is good for you, Calia Solanen, you’ll stay in bed for the next week,” he continued, his deep voice hard as steel. To Sterling’s surprise, Callie cringed and nodded. How in the Void had the wizard managed that, and how could Sterling learn to do the same?

As Dr. Harvey began checking Callie’s vitals again, he asked, “Could you please explain to me just what she did to herself? The notes regarding her connection and abilities are rather… vague.”

Biting his tongue to keep from reminding everyone of his presence, Sterling listened intently.

“Calia—”

“Callie,” she interrupted with blatant irritation.

“Callie,” Rasmodius amended, “did the magical equivalent of a mother flipping a car off of her child. Thrice,” he said, his face growing dark. “She then proceeded to follow that up with the arcane version of running a marathon on a broken leg. It is a miracle of Yoban proportions that she survived long enough for me to create something to aid in her healing.”

The three normal humans (was Emily normal? She had the gift of Sight which meant an arcane nature) stared at the wizard in shock before turning their collective gaze towards Callie, who promptly flinched.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Dr. Harvey asked her.

“What could… you… have done, doc?”

“For one thing, we could have made sure someone was around in case you passed out on the floor of your kitchen,” Sterling said before the doctor could.

Callie cringed even as she leaned more heavily against him. “I’m sorry, Red.”

He sighed.

“As it is,” Rasmodius said, drawing all eyes back to him, “it will take days for the elixir to reverse and heal the damage she’s dealt herself, and she’ll need to be dosed every twelve hours until her fever breaks. It would be wise to have someone monitor her at all times rather than depend only on your equipment,” he added as he looked at Dr. Harvey. “I fear that she will need soothing in the days and nights ahead.”

“Soothing?” asked Emily, head canted to the side.

“While this elixir will heal her, some of the ingredients required to make it target her arcane system as opposed to her physical form can have an adverse effect upon the imbiber’s psyche, bringing the past into the present or leading them to see and hear what is not there,” he explained. “My understanding is that Callie has had a number of rather… unpleasant experiences, and I fear that with the physical pain she’s in, those more difficult memories will come to the fore. If left unattended while caught in those memories, it is likely she will harm herself, albeit by accident. Those she is close with—shares a connection with—would suit the task best.”

That made the doc frown. “If she needs that sort of attention, people will wonder why I haven’t sent her to Zuzu,” Dr. Harvey pointed out.

“We can arrange to have her dearest friends with her during the day,” said Emily.

“And have Philip stay here overnight with her. People won’t think too hard about her boyfriend bending the rules to look after her,” Sterling said, ignoring the bitter taste in his mouth. He’d much rather stay with her. “Play it less as you wanting to keep her monitored and more you can’t keep her neurotic friends away,” he added.

“I do not care what subterfuge you feel you need to perform in order to keep her under watch, only that you do so,” said Rasmodius. “I will return when she’s in need of her next dose.”

Dr. Harvey sighed as the wizard turned and left, his robes billowing behind him. Looking at the other two there, he said briskly, “If anyone asks, tell them she caught Pontiac Fever from rescuing Jasmine. It’s a plausible diagnosis, even if the onset is technically too early. Which one of you will stay for now?”

“I will,” Emily said before Sterling could. “I know you’ve got to get back to work,” she added to him in an aside.

He grimaced at that. Em had a point. That Pierre hadn’t started blowing up his phone yet was a damn miracle. “I’ll come by after work and relieve you,” he replied.

“And I’ll contact Philip for her,” said Dr. Harvey.

Realizing that Callie had remained remarkably quiet, Sterling glanced down and discovered that she’d fallen asleep against him, her head listing against his shoulder.

“What are you going to tell him?” Emily asked. “I know we’re supposed to tell people it’s, what did you call it? Pontiac Fever? But he’s her partner, surely—”

Dr. Harvey looked at the sleeping Callie and sighed yet again. “Not without her approval. She’d probably give it—she gave it for the two of you—but I can’t make that call without her express permission.”

Sterling instinctively tightened his arm around her.

Chapter Text

Chapter 22 – Revelations

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Pregnancy Brain

Lee-lee,

I just realized that I never replied to your last email that you sent three months ago! I blame pregnancy brain. I always thought people were exaggerating about the brain fog, but after the THIRD DAMN TIME I accidentally put milk in the cupboard and the coffee cups in the fridge, I have to admit there’s some truth to it.

You haven’t even read these words yet, and I can already hear you scoffing in disbelief. Just you wait! Your turn will come!

Wouldn’t it be pretty awesome if you had a kid in the next year or two, so your munchkin and mine could grow up together?

Anyways! How’ve you been? Catch me up, dear heart.

Love you always,

—Mo

Sterling

“He’s not coming?” Sterling gaped at the doctor. He’d taken over from Emily only a few minutes after five. To his relief, Pierre had ceased his tongue-lashing once he learned of Callie’s illness. His boss had then surprised Sterling by encouraging him to leave right at closing time to visit her.

“I can’t tell Philip the true cause of her symptoms,” Dr. Harvey reminded him, adjusting his glasses. “From his point of view, he can’t risk spreading an illness with symptoms this severe to his patients, most of whom are elderly or immunocompromised in some manner.”

Sterling absently ran his fingers through Callie’s curls as she slept. Her face remained pinched in pain, and she frequently coughed in her sleep. Her skin felt so damn warm to the touch. “So, who’s going to stay with her at night? The wizard said someone close to her should stay by her side.”

“I’m trying to figure that out,” Dr. Harvey said, crossing his arms and tapping his fingers against his triceps. "I can, of course, sleep in one of the beds down here instead of in my apartment, but Callie and I are not all that close. I'm unsure how she'll react to my presence in her delusional state.”

“Let me stay,” said Sterling.

Dr. Harvey hesitated.

“Doc, she’s my friend, probably the best of the whole lot, and as she delights in reminding me, I was her first friend here. I’d prefer to have Philip stay with her; he’s her partner,” he stressed, outraged that Philip had fucking refused to help. “Since he won’t, then let me keep watch. When she next wakes up, we can get her permission to tell him what is actually going on, so he’ll feel safe staying with her. But until then, it’s not like I’m doing much when I’m off work. You need good sleep far more than I do considering your day job, and I probably know her better than just about anyone else in the valley. I’ll need to grab a bag with a change of clothes, but….”

Dr. Harvey stared at him for a long while, clearly wrestling with himself. Looking back down at Callie, he sighed. “Alright,” he finally said. “I’ll sit with her while you grab your things.”

“Thanks, doc.”

Callie

“Hey, Sissy.”

“Bria?” Calia rasped. Her throat felt rough and raw from how much she kept coughing. Closing her eyes tight, she counted to three and then reopened them, trying to make her eyes focus on the woman in front of her. She couldn’t—not at first, anyways. She was so bloody tired, and everything ached.

“The one and only,” smiled her sister.

And it was Bria; Lee-lee could see her little sister now, see her adorable little sandy curls and laughing light eyes that shifted between gray and blue. She'd always though her sister the cutest kiddo she'd ever seen. Finally relaxing, Lee-lee leaned her head back against the bed. She took several shallow, rattling breaths—any deeper, and she'd start hacking again.

Dad had dropped by earlier, and she’d wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. She’d cut the bastard off for a reason, after all. At least he hadn’t punished Bria despite Calia’s obstinance. It confused her, though. He’d always favored that method of control. So had her husband.

That thought felt somehow wrong, though. She hadn’t lived with either in forever… right? Right. Callie had divorced Paul years ago. Reece was gone too. But she wasn't alone anymore.

Wait, where was—?

“How are you feeling?” asked Bria.

“Like shit, but I’m guessing—" she broke off into another fucking coughing fit. Once she could finally breathe again, Calia focused her vision back on her sister again, taking in the roundness that lingered in her face. The twins were only born a few weeks ago, and Bria's body had yet to recover. "I figure you already knew that,” she tried to joke.

“I bet,” she sighed even as she gave Callie a worried smile. “Think you could take your medicine?”

Callie frowned and rubbed at her temples, ignoring Bria's question. She'd had one of her own... oh! “Where’s Philip? I thought he…” she trailed off, trying to remember just what she’d thought. Wasn’t he here earlier? She had vague memories of someone carding their fingers through her hair and promising her she was safe now. Surely, that was her lover.

Yoba, she missed Reece so damn much.

Bria swallowed hard. “He… needed to step out for a moment.”

“Is Shiro okay?” Callie asked, alarmed. That was the only reason she could think of for why Philip would leave.

“Yes, but Shiro needed his help real quick,” said her sister, relaxing a little. “Now, why don’t you drink your medicine?” That tickled at something else in Calia's mind. Wasn’t that what Dad tried to…? No, of course not. Callie hadn’t seen Dad in years, not since the funeral. “I promise it’ll help, Sissy. You know I’d never do anything to hurt you. It’ll taste horrid, though,” Bria added.

She stared at her blurry sister for a long moment, eyebrows knitting together. Bria was right, of course. Lee-lee knew to the marrow of her bones that her sister would never intentionally cause her harm. “How—" another cough, "—how horrid?”

“Oh, bad enough you’ll want to puke, but you need to keep it down,” Bria insisted. “It’s the only way for you to get better.”

Calia sighed, shoulders slumping. “Sure. Shite, anything to stop this Yoba-cursed headache.” She was so tired of the constant ache in her body.

“Here you go, Sis.”

Emily

“Thank you, Emily, for your assistance,” said Rasmodius, his deep voice both dark and weary.

For all that he presented himself as calm, cool, and collected, the way swirls of magenta and tangerine floated through his aura told Emily just how worried and stressed he felt. Convincing Callie to cooperate with taking the elixir had proven far more difficult than any of them anticipated. “We’re lucky that she sees me as her sister rather than her mother,” said Emily. Cal had never fully elaborated on just what the issues were with her family, but over the past day, she had gathered that Callie and her parents did not have a remotely healthy relationship.

Emily’s hands clenched.

“Indeed,” said Rasmodius. Unfortunately, Callie’s delusions had painted Ras as her father each time he brought the elixir. None of them were prepared for the sheer fury mixed with terror that she regarded him with. “Still, thank you. It is good to see your blossoming bond with the Solanen.”

“Callie,” stressed Emily. She had chosen to befriend Callie before she ever knew just who—what—she was to the valley. Admittedly, Emily had done so partly because of a series of dreams she’d had upon hearing that someone would finally take over Solanen’s Farm, but only in the beginning. Callie had won her over easily with her warmth and kindness—particularly towards Shane.

“As you say,” he sighed. “What does your Sight tell you now?”

Emily turned her gaze back to Callie where she lay in the hospital bed, once more asleep in an upright position. Her tan skin remained a sickly, ashy tone, her lips still chapped despite the IV. Curls that usually bounced and shimmered when loose had turned dull and frizzy from lying in bed for two days. Her friend spent most of her time asleep, trapped in whatever nightmares her pain and memories wove together.

Still, Emily almost preferred that to when she woke. Sometimes, Callie had thought Emily was Bria, her sister. On other occasions, she thought Emily was Mona, Shane’s sister. Cal had apologized to Bria for not protecting her better; she’d begged Mona’s forgiveness for not moving to the valley when Triss asked her to. Most times, however, she recounted some new horror, a quiet confession of something she’d endured and could only entrust to those she felt safest with. Up until this point, Emily had thought herself a gentle soul, but if she ever crossed paths with Paul….

Shaking off her thoughts, she observed Callie’s aura. Confusion and pain and fear and fierce determination still radiated around her like a maelstrom. In the beginning, her aura would bounce wildly between flaring with rust and mauve to turning a bleak onyx and nearly snuffing out completely. Now, her aura had equalized some. It still fluctuated, it spiked and dimmed, but not to the extremes it had before the first dose. Turning her attention to Callie’s link with the Junimos, Emily ran a critical eye over the six roots that connected Callie to the earth below. They still looked knotted and frayed, but far stronger and smoother than the thin, ragged filaments she had when they first found her. Emily quietly released a sigh of relief. “Far better, Ras. I suspect one, maybe two more doses after this one, and the connection will finish restoring itself.”

Rasmodius’s eyes closed. The magenta and tangerine faded—though hardly disappeared—to be replaced by a reassuring soft jade. He took a long, slow breath, then opened them anew and said, “Excellent. I thought as much from what I can sense, but you have ever had a better eye than mine.”

“I had a good teacher,” said Emily. While she’d made her peace with Rasmodius, she still missed Alecto. If the witch had remained, perhaps Emily would have pursued more of magic. Her potential was small in the eyes of most witches and wizards.

He flinched. “Indeed,” he said even as he turned towards the window. “Let Dr. Harvey know I will return this evening.” Before Emily could reply, he turned once more into a ball of light and fled.

Mouth pinched in discontent, she returned to her seat beside Callie and began to gently massage her hand and arm. While limited in precisely how she could help, Emily saw no harm in trying to redirect the chakra flowing through her friend’s meridians to aid her recovery. It would work better if she could actually work along Cal's spine, but Emily would do what she could with the tools at hand. She’d nearly finished with Callie’s left arm when Dr. Harvey entered. “Rasmodius gone already?”

“Yes. We convinced Callie to drink, and then he took his leave a few minutes ago. He said he’d return this evening for her next dose,” she replied. Dr. Harvey nodded, watching Emily as she walked around the bed and began working on Callie’s other arm. If nothing else, Emily knew she at least comforted Cal with her touch. “Any word from Philip?” she asked.

He grimaced. “Not yet. I assume he’ll call at the end of the day.”

Emily frowned. She’d done that a lot since finding Callie. “You’ve heard nothing?”

A moment's pause, then, “He’s knee-deep in work.” Dr. Harvey did not look happy at his words. “More than a few people suffered mishaps stumbling through the woods in the dark.”

“And neither you nor Dr. Paula can tend to them?” she asked. Emily simply could not understand Philip and his... inattention.

Shaking his head, he replied, “That would require either the patients or Philip informing us.”

“Callie keeps asking for him, even within her hallucinations." Every time, Emily had given her some comforting lie about why he wasn't there, but she didn't know how much longer she could keep up the ruse.

The doctor gave another world-weary sigh. “I know.”

Callie

They rode home in torturous silence.

Paul said nothing in the car. No music played. Just… silence.

Harrowing silence.

Calia barely breathed. A silent Paul was a dangerous Paul. From the passenger seat, she could feel his shock turn to rage. His eyes went from impossibly wide to narrowed slits. His driving grew aggressive, then boldly reckless. The issue was supposed to be her, not him.

They arrived home and walked through the front door with nary a word. She watched him closely, careful in all her movements lest she become the target of his bubbling rage, his grief . Paul moved across the den to the liquor cabinet, pouring himself a shot of bourbon and downing it in one go before pouring another. Grabbing his glass, he went to sit in his favorite chair. He set his bourbon on the end table before holding his head in his hands.

Her heart broke.

Even now, even after everything that had happened, she still loved him.

Paul was her husband.

She walked up to him, kneeling down on the carpet to look up at his face. “Paul,” she said softly, tenderly. She laid a hand upon his knee. Even though her husband was infertile, they could still—

Calia’s world blossomed into painful starbursts. Her head snapped back as he backhanded her. She crashed into the liquor cabinet. Glass shattered.

“Get the fuck outta my face, stupid bitch.” Paul loomed over her, eyes glittering with equal parts grief and rage as he scooped up a long shard of glass, ignoring the blood that dripped from his palm. “Everything is your fault,” he spat, wrapping his free hand around her throat before she could regain her senses. “Too soft-hearted for the Guild.” He lifted her from the ground by the neck. “Too weak to properly use your magic.” He slammed her once more against the cabinet. “Too noble to serve our goddess,” he hissed as she clawed at his wrist. “The only thing you’ve ever been good for is fucking and that barely. And now? Now you can’t even breed properly.”

He paused before leering. “But if one Fane cannot fulfill their matriarch’s oath, perhaps another can.”

Sterling

Discovering Callie at the cottage was not the first time Sterling had found a lover someone dear to him dying on a kitchen floor. Last time, he’d taken Kai to the hospital only to have his family bar Sterling from visiting. They blamed him for what had become of Kai, and he couldn’t fault them. Fuck, he even agreed with him—it’s why he left, after all. This time, however, no one told Sterling to leave. Anyone who could wasn't around. And so, when he was neither working nor checking on her farm, he spent every spare moment he could in Callie's company. He’d vowed at the beginning of Summer that if no one else would look after her, then he would, and it was one of the few promises in his life that actually meant something.

Hours earlier, Callie had taken her fourth dose of the wizard’s elixir; her fever had yet to break. Dr. Harvey did his best to reduce it, but remained limited in what he could give her for fear of causing an interaction between the medication and the elixir. Sterling had coaxed so many ice chips past her lips and changed out so many cool rags against her face. Though she had ‘woken up’ a few times, every time it became obvious very quickly that she still suffered from some sort of delusion or waking nightmare. Sterling did not know what Callie had revealed to Emily during the daytime, but what he’d learned at night haunted him. The wizard had warned of how Callie would react to the elixir, and he hadn’t lied. Most often, she appeared to relive memories. Paul’s abuse featured most heavily, though finding Reece came a close second. Still, more than once she’d seemed cognizant, only to confuse Sterling for someone else and drift through time.

Watching her, he could see how she began to restlessly shift in the bed, a sure sign that she found herself trapped once more in a nightmare. Her whole body trembled; she flung her head from side to side, gasping wetly when she didn't cough outright. Hoping to give her some sort of solace, he wedged himself onto the bed with her, holding her shivering, overheated body as he again petted her hair. With any luck, he could soothe whatever dark memory plagued her before she began truly flailing again.

“Why don’t you want me around anymore, hon?” she asked, startling him. He’d thought her asleep.

“But I do want you around,” Sterling said, confused and afraid of who she thought he was now. A glance down showed her glassy eyes staring up at him.

“But… you keep disappearing. You keep telling me not to visit, and you were upset when I surprised you at the hotel the other day and… and… you don’t seem to want me anymore… I just don’t understand, Phil. Did I upset you? Hurt you somehow? I’m sorry—I never, ever meant to—”

Swallowing down the rage that roared to life, Sterling closed his eyes and tightened his arms around her. “I’m here now, hotstuff.”

“You don’t get to call me that,” she retorted, her voice surprisingly fierce and angry. “That’s Red’s name for me.”

“You’re—you’re right. I’m sorry,” he choked out.

She didn’t respond.

Looking down again, he saw that she’d drifted back to sleep. Once she finally grew still, he slid off the bed and back into the chair beside it, pressing his forehead into the mattress and trying to calm the adrenaline flooding his system. She’d never mistaken him for Philip before; he wondered how much of what she’d said was truth and how much stemmed from her fevered delusions.

He deeply regretted encouraging her and Philip to date. Sterling had done it thinking that Philip would prize Callie above all else, because how could he not? Sterling had never met anyone as amazing as Callie, and Philip appeared to think the same. If Sterling dated Callie, he’d spend every spare moment he could with her.

But Philip….

The man texted at breakfast and called of an evening, but he hadn’t ever come by. Maybe he called Dr. Harvey more often for updates or visited during the workday, but Sterling doubted it. Even before Callie had fallen ill, Philip had often prioritized others over her. How many times now had she reached out to Sterling because Philip was unavailable? And now… now it sounded like he’d turned her away on other occasions too. It sounded like he’d hurt Callie. Not in the same ways that Paul or even Reece had, but inflicted pain all the same.

Sterling tilted his head up to study her scrunched, tormented expression. He interlaced his fingers with hers, brushing his thumb against her parched skin. A part of him wondered what it said that Sterling was here, and Philip wasn't.

Callie

Around lunchtime on Wednesday, Callie’s fever finally broke.

She could remember only vague snatches from the past few days, mostly overwhelming fear followed by strong arms wrapping around her or soothing words against her hair. Callie knew her illness resulted from what she’d done to save Jas, but how she’d arrived at the clinic remained a mystery to her. Or it would have, if Emily hadn’t told her everything while Dr. Harvey sorted out the paperwork for her release. Em explained how she and Sterling had found her in her kitchen and brought her to the clinic, how Callie had given permission for them to know about her link to the Junimos, and the elixir Rasmodius had created to aid in her recovery. She also told Callie about how she and Sterling had taken turns staying with her after Rasmodius insisted someone monitor her at all times.

“I’m so sorry—” Callie started to apologize, only to have Emily put a hand over her mouth.

“Don’t,” she said firmly if kindly. “We’d do it again in a heartbeat, Cal, just like we know you’d do it for us.”

“Okay,” sighed Callie, lacking the energy to argue. Though her fever had broken, she still felt fuzzy-headed, and something Emily said finally broke through her brain fog. “You said you and Sterling… where’s Philip?”

Emily’s lips grew taut.

She explained how Callie couldn’t give consent for Dr. Harvey to tell Philip the truth of the matter, and how Philip felt he couldn’t visit if there was a risk of contagion. “He did talk each day with Dr. Harvey, but….”

“What?” she asked, trying to hide just how devastated she felt. Callie knew he’d made the logical choice from his perspective. If he’d caught something from her and passed it along to one of his patients—especially Shiro—it would have haunted both of them. He had no way of knowing she wasn’t contagious. Still….

“I’m not sure he’d have come even if he knew the truth,” Emily admitted.

Callie frowned. “Of course, he would have,” she replied. Apparently, she did have the energy to argue. “He’d probably have continued doing sessions with Shiro at the very least—” she broke off into a series of body-wracking coughs. Ugh, she hated that. It made her ribs and head scream expletives in the only language they knew: pain. “—Just like you and Sterling traded off with your work schedules,” she insisted once she could finally breathe, “but I don’t doubt he’d have shown up,”

She had to believe that.

She had to.

“He never once came by the clinic, not even to talk with Dr. Harvey,” Em pointed out. “And from what I’ve gathered, he never called specifically about you—just asked after you when he had to call about one of his patients.”

“He’s super busy and exhausted right now,” she reminded Emily. “Once his work slows down—”

“Do you think it will?”

“Of… of course it will,” Callie replied, caught by surprise. “Yoba knows that every job has busy seasons, and this one is just four more weeks….” Well, provided Shiro’s recovery went according to plan, but there was no need to borrow trouble. Yoba, but her head still pounded.

Em sighed. “Cal,” she said gently, adjusting her chair so she could more easily grab and hold Callie’s hand. “You know that I encouraged Philip to date you, right?” At her surprised look, Emily smiled. “I did. He waffled about it for weeks before the Flower Dance,” she explained. “You two seemed like a good fit, and he hadn’t shown an interest in anyone here before. And when the two of you spent time together, your auras both brightened with happiness. So, you know I’m not talking out of a place of envy or anything, yeah?”

Callie nodded warily, studying Emily’s face as she spoke for any sign of hesitation or deception. She found none.

“You were seriously, seriously ill. You nearly died,” Emily said starkly. “I expected Philip to move mountains to make it to your bedside. Sterling expected it. Dr. Harvey expected it. But… he didn’t.”

“He didn’t know how bad off—”

“He didn’t know the arcane aspects of it, but Dr. Harvey made it clear to him just how serious your symptoms were, and he refused to even try to see you,” said Emily. “He could have contacted a physical therapist out of Grampleton to take on his patients for a week or two. He could have worn PPE to visit you, to check on you. Something. He had options.”

“So… what? You think I should break up with him?” Callie asked, completely incredulous.

“I think that you should think long and hard about the life you want in the long run, Cal. Even when you were at death’s door, Philip put other people ahead of you.” Tightening her grip on Callie’s hand, Emily added, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.”

As Callie struggled to come up with a reply, Dr. Harvey returned with a clipboard and far too many papers. "Mia is on her way to pick you up and drive you home, but first, I'm sorry to say, you have to sign your life away," he said crisply, setting the clipboard and pen on her lap.

Even as she signed all of the paperwork and listened to Dr. Harvey's instructions, even as she got into the fresh clothes that Mia brought, even as she listened to Mia and Emily chatter about things Callie had missed around town that week, she couldn't get Emily words out of her head.

Even when you were at death’s door, Philip put other people ahead of you.

Sterling

“Well, look who’s up,” Sterling drawled as he stepped inside Callie’s bedroom. The various gifts and flowers that had appeared in her hospital room had migrated to the cottage—including a sizable stuffed sturgeon from Willy that currently rested beside her on the bed.

Emily had wasted no time informing him that Callie’s fever had finally broken. The relief he’d felt at that news made him giddy as he worked. It was one thing to hear news of her recovery and release, though; it was another thing entirely to actually see for himself. She looked so much better with clean hair and her own clothes, sitting upright in her bed at home. In her lap rested a tray with an empty bowl showing the remnants of soup and a napkin draped on it. Beside her on the bed, several books kept the fish company.

So, so much better.

Sterling would never admit it aloud, but she’d scared him so fucking badly. If he lost her….

“Hey, shop boy,” she smiled. Her eyes looked clear and bright for the first time all week, even with the dark circles under them. “Already back from your uncle’s?”

“What makes you think I was at my uncle’s?”

“Well, you’re in your farm clothes,” Callie said, gesturing towards his outfit.

Fiddling with one of his earrings, he shot her a bashful smile and admitted, “Didn’t go to my uncle’s, hotstuff. I spent today harvesting your melons.”

“Sterling—!"

“Now, don’t you fuss at me,” he interrupted her, grabbing the chair the girls had left behind and dragging it closer to the bed before sitting. “If we left them in the fields for much longer, they were going to start rotting, and you’d have taken a nasty hit to your income. A whole crew of us got together: Jeric, Sophia, Andy, Leah, Sam, Abigail, and me. Between us, we got everything harvested today.”

Callie’s eyes filled with tears. “You didn’t— shouldn’t—”

“Hey, hey,” he said softly, cupping her cheek. “It’s no big deal. I really don’t mind helping you out, farmer. Surely, you realize that by now.”

She leaned into his hand and closed her eyes, trying to smile but not quite managing it as her tears fell. “I’m sorry for everything. For making you worry and work and— and— everyone going out of their way for me—”

Sterling used his free hand to move the tray out of her lap, then wrapped her in a hug. “Shhhh,” he gently hushed. “Don’t worry about all that, sweetheart. Once word spread that you were sick, people crawled out of the woodwork offering to help or bring food by. Your animals have never had so many people loving on them before. Everyone appreciates the work you do. And, honestly, I think they’ve liked the chance to help you in return. I know I have.”

Callie kept crying. “I know. I’m sorry. I can’t seem to stop crying….”

“Can’t imagine why. Not like you performed legendary magical feats to save a kid, then fought monsters, then had your arcane system bleed out, and then suffered from high fever and nightmares for several days or anything.”

“Heh. I guess,” she said, then stilled in his arms. “Legendary magical feats?” she repeated, her tears slowing as she pulled back and looked up at him with wide eyes.

Ah. He’d wondered how much she would remember from when they found her. “Yep,” he said, popping the ‘p.’ “I don’t think Dr. Harvey was pleased you wanted me to know that bit.”

“When Rasmodius arrived,” she said slowly, wiping her face with her hands.

Handing her a box of facial tissues, Sterling said, “I’ll admit I have a few questions in that regard, but they can wait until you feel better.”

“Get them out of the way now if you want them answered. I’ll probably avoid them if you wait,” Callie said quietly as she cleaned her face.

Sterling hummed in thought, looking down at the top of her head. “What is the link the others kept talking about?” he asked. “And why’s it so important?”

After tossing her trash into the nearby bin, she picked at nonexistent lint on her quilt, saying, “It’s the link between the line of Solanen and the spirits of the forest, the Junimos. It’s a… hmm,” she paused, marshaling out her thoughts. “At its most basic, it’s an agreement, a compact, that in return for access to the forest’s magic, my line would protect and shepherd all that lives and grows in the valley,” she paused as a series of coughs made her nearly double over. Once she could speak again, she continued, “It’s passed through my lineage from generation to generation for centuries, to the point that the name ‘Solanen’ became synonymous with ‘mage’ to the people of the valley.”

Stunned, Sterling nodded to keep her talking. He, of course, had heard the legends about Solanens, but he'd always considered the legends just that, legends. To the best of his memory, Old Finn had never shown any signs of using magic. Then again, if Sterling hadn't stumbled upon her at the beginning of the week, he would remain unaware of Callie's abilities....

“After Uncle Jake passed, Granddad inherited Solanen’s Farm and should have inherited the compact as well, but no one could locate it. He spent what remained of his life trying to aid the valley anyway while he searched for it, but….”

“He never found it,” said Sterling.

Glancing up at him, Callie gave a short nod. “Right. He willed the land to me, and I should have taken over the farm and the protection of the valley upon reaching my majority, but I remained ignorant of that fact until about a year ago. When I moved here last Spring, I didn’t expect to find the compact.”

“But you did?”

“I did. Or the Junimos did, at least,” she smirked, “and they brought it to my attention.”

“So, you have the link now?”

“Kind of.”

Sterling’s brow furrowed. “But the others said—”

“I’m connected to the Junimos,” Callie said, raising her eyes again to meet his. “But… what I have is but a pale echo of what my ancestors had. Thankfully, it is stronger now than when I first made my link, but it’s still nowhere close to what it should be. That’s why—” another set of coughs. Sterling quickly offered her a drink of water from the bottle on her nightstand. She took a long drink, then shot him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Red. Where was I? Ah, yes, um, that’s why what I did to rescue Jas hurt me so; I essentially pulled a firehose’s worth of water through a garden hose, and the pressure burst the connection. Assuming I didn’t permanently damage my link—a major assumption—I’ll likely reach a point where what I did will become barely a blip on my radar; but right now….”

“What kind of magic can you do?” he asked, trying not to think about how close she’d come to killing herself.

Callie laughed a little at that. “That is an excellent question that I have no answer for. Just like the compact itself disappeared after my great uncle’s death, I cannot locate the writings my family had about our link. Right now, it’s all trial and error,” she said, breaking off into a yawn that turned into another coughing fit. “Sorry,” she croaked.

“No, you’re okay,” he reassured her, giving her a gentle squeeze before standing. “I think I’ve asked you enough questions for now. Let me get this tray cleared for you. Would you like more water?”

“Yoba, yes, please,” she said with a small smile. “Thank you.”

It did not take him long to remove the tray and collect what was needed. His mind whirled around everything she’d told him, though it did not shock him quite to the extent that it would, say, Shane or Jeric. Sterling had grown up in the valley; his parents were miners in East Scarp before the mine collapsed.

He’d seen a thing or two.

“Here you go, hotstuff,” he said as he returned with food for him and more water for her.

Callie gave him a lopsided smile. “Thanks, Red,” she said before frowning down at the phone beside her.

“What?” he asked as he balanced his plate in his lap—tuna casserole that Jodi had brought by.

“Oh, um… just…” she stammered, looking back at him with an abashed expression. “I’m… I’m waiting to hear back from Philip,” she finally said. “I texted him earlier letting him know my fever had broken and that Dr. Harvey had sent me home, but I haven’t heard anything back yet. I figured I would by now.”

Each day that went by, Sterling became more tempted to deck Philip the next time he saw him. “Well, why don’t you try calling him now?” he suggested, even if the words tasted bitter in his mouth.

“I don’t know…. I know he’s working himself to the bone, and… well, I don’t want to… to be a bother….”

“He’s your boyfriend, Lee-lee, your partner,” he replied in a voice sharper than he intended. Moderating his tone, he added, “if there’s anyone in the world you should have free rein to bother, it’s him. Go on.”

Smiling at his encouragement, Callie picked up her phone and tapped the screen before holding it to her ear. After a moment, her face dropped. “Um… hey, honey. It’s… it’s Callie. Uh, it’s not important. I just, um... wanted to hear your voice. I guess... I’ll talk to you later. Bye,” she said, her voice growing softer and softer the longer she talked before hanging up. She looked so dejected.

Sterling contemplated murder.

Shoveling the last bite of casserole into his mouth, he placed his plate on her end table and said, “Alright, give me about ten minutes here, sugar plum, and I’ll have a distraction set up.”

“Oh?” she said, dragging her eyes away from the phone in her hand to regard him.

“You’re stuck in bed until Saturday, yeah?” he asked as he stood up.

“Yeah.”

“Alright, so I’m going to set up your TV in here.”

It took closer to twenty minutes than ten, but Sterling finally got the television hooked up along with her movie player. Most of that time was spent with him trying to find her card table to set the tv on. He also did his best to keep jabbering the whole while, trying to prevent her fretting about Philip. He reassured her that Jas really was fine, that Marnie had brought Jas with her to the store yesterday morning to shop and check on Callie.

“Marnie would really, really like for you to come over for lunch once you’re better,” Sterling made sure to inform her. “Don’t be surprised when she hits you up about it.”

“How’s Shane doing?” she asked.

“I… don’t really know,” Sterling admitted. “I haven’t seen him since the search.”

“Really?”

Shrugging as nonchalantly as he could while plugging wires in, Sterling said, “I’ve split my time between work, the clinic, and here,” he said, not looking at her. “I know he’s checked in on your chickens for you, but that’s about the extent of it.”

“Oh…. How are you doing?” Callie asked him once she finished her latest round of coughing.

Finally getting the last of it hooked up, Sterling grabbed her universal remote and climbed onto the bed. “Me? I’m just peachy. Been worried sick about you, but that’s to be expected,” he said, crawling across the covers and scooting up beside her.

She reached over and kindly moved her books and the stuffed fish out of his way so he could sit next to her. “Are you sure?” she asked, sounding skeptical.

Sterling paused in the process of loading up her streaming services and turned his head to look at her. “Why do you ask, honey bun?”

Her dark eyes studied his face. “I’ve put you under a lot of stress, and I doubt you’ve had much if any chance to drink anything—”

“I’ve managed to sneak one or two in to stave off withdrawals,” Sterling admitted before grabbing her hand and giving her a small smile. “Despite everything… I haven’t missed it that much.”

Callie smiled back. Yoba, it really was one of his favorite sights, and he’d missed it terribly—missed her terribly. “That’s good,” she said, her voice sweet and fond despite its rasp.

“So,” he said, clearing his throat as he felt his cheeks warm. “That comedienne you like has a new stand-up out….”

Chapter Text

Chapter 23 – Priorities

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: It’s a girl!

Lee-lee,

I know we’ve both fallen off from writing, but I wanted to make sure you knew that Jasmine Wallace-Gatti arrived three days ago in good health (in case you hadn’t seen my post).

Yoba, I’m so tired, but Bub and Aunt Marnie have done so much already to help. I know Jas will have a good life.

I attached far too many pictures since I know how much you love babies!

I miss you!

Love,

—Mona

Callie

The days after her fever broke about drove Callie up the wall; she’d never handled confinement well nor having others making a fuss over her. And everyone made a fuss over her because nobody trusted her to stay in bed without supervision. The first day, Jeric babysat her in the morning, teasing her mercilessly the entire time once he figured out that she was ticklish. Well, at least until it triggered a massive coughing fit. After that, they picked out one favorite superhero film a piece to watch until lunchtime. Leah and Elliott took over keeping her company that afternoon. Or, rather, she drifted and dozed while Elliott wrote in a corner and Leah sketched them, but it worked out. Yesterday, Mia spent the morning mocking trashy reality tv with her.

That afternoon, however, Sebastian, Abigail, and Sam dropped by and tooled around on their instruments. They wanted to get her opinion on the song she’d suggested to Sam back in Spring. The music itself was in a good place, but the lyrics still gave them fits. Bored to tears by that point, Callie bent her mind towards trying to help them out. By the time they left, the song was in a very different place.

“Well, even if we didn’t have it ready this week, I think we’ll be in a good place to perform it when we do that concert in Ridgeside,” said Abigail with a satisfied smile.

“Did you have a gig?” Callie asked, curious.

Before she could reply, however, Sebastian distracted them by saying, “I’m going to have to completely retool the instrumentation, I think.”

“Oh?” Abigail replied, looking over from where she was packing up her drum set.

“This isn’t a power ballad anymore,” he said as he collapsed his keyboard stand.

“It’s a far more intimate song now,” Sam agreed as he closed the latches on his case. He flashed Callie a quick smile. “You totally prefer indie music, doncha?”

“I like all sorts of music,” she deflected.

Each evening, Sterling watched over her. Honestly, of all of her different friends (and far more people counted themselves in that category than she anticipated), she preferred his company the most. He had a knack for making the hours trapped in bed feel less draining and confining, distracting her by listening to music together or playing video games or just making her laugh. He knew just how to soothe her lingering headaches, and when a coughing fit plagued her body, he’d hold and support her. Most nights, she fell asleep sitting up with her head on Sterling’s shoulder. Her coughing bothered her less when upright. Callie didn’t know how she’d ever manage to repay him for his kindness.

It helped to ease her mounting anger worry at Philip’s continued absence.

“You are an incredibly fortunate woman, Solanen,” Rasmodius said as he pocketed a crystal. “First in that you survived to begin with, and then that your link has re-threaded itself stronger than ever. It is most peculiar.”

Lifting her eyes from admiring her nails (she never would have guessed how adept Sterling was at manicures), Callie said, “I’m firmly convinced it’s due to the goodwill of the Junimos themselves. They were the ones who found the compact for me.”

“Yes. They seem most eager for you to complete your quest,” Rasmodius acknowledged, his coal-black eyes scrutinizing her. “As it is, I recommend you ease back into your spellwork over the next month. You would have recovered with less need for my interference if you hadn’t already exhausted yourself arcanely before your experiments in teleportation.”

Callie stared at him blankly. “What?”

Rasmodius stared back. “What do you mean, ‘what’?”

“Exhausted myself arcanely…?”

Eyebrows rising, Rasmodius said, “Well, yes, child. For doing everything through trial and error, you’ve had tremendous success in the creation of your wards and in supplementing your crops' growth and health with your magic, but it has come at a steep cost. There’s a reason most mages do not even attempt warding until they’ve worked with their arcane energies for years, sometimes a decade or more first. Honestly, if it weren’t for the lifeforce you’ve drawn from the forest in turn, you’d have burned yourself out months ago.”

“I created the wards?” she wondered aloud. She’d thought that the work of… well, whatever the hell her doppelganger was.

It was Rasmodius’s turn to look shocked. “You— you didn’t realize?”

“I…” Callie trailed off, uncertain just what to say. She’d never spoken of the ethereal Callie that she interacted with; she felt reluctant to bring her up now. “…I suspected I had the night I experienced the Void. I just hadn’t had a chance to ask you about them. But, spellwork? Drawing lifeforce from the land?” she replied, bemused. A muddled memory of blackened and withered plants surrounding her and Jas on the riverbank flashed through her mind.

Reaching up with a single hand, Rasmodius massaged his temples. “You have no idea what you’re doing.”

That was very much a statement.

“Of course, I don’t!” Callie snapped, unable to tamp down her frustration. “I have nothing to work from save what I’ve gleaned from your library! Everything I’ve done is instinct mixed with guesswork.”

“Describe to me what you do with your arcane abilities,” he commanded.

So, Callie did, explaining the meditation work she did each morning, running a path around the borders of her farm and expanding her senses throughout her land into the plant life there, healing disease and redirecting roots to better nutrients or water sources. She also described her experiments in casting out her sight and hearing through the earth.

Rasmodius rumbled in his deep voice, “Incredibly fortunate indeed,” before giving himself a shake. “You have no need to ‘run your borders,’ as you phrase it, until sometime next Summer—possibly next Winter, considering how strong your wards are. You’re actually re-enforcing them each time you do that, which is both incredibly taxing and completely unnecessary. Focus more of your meditation on actually meditating and communing with life rather than trying to search through it. No wonder you’re exhausted all the time.”

And here she’d simply blamed it all on the physical toll farming took and her utterly shitty sleep habits. Nodding her head in acknowledgment, Callie asked, “Otherwise, am I healthy enough to get out of this damn bed?”

“Assuming Dr. Harvey gives his blessing, yes,” the wizard sighed wearily.

“Thank you, Rasmodius, both for your insight and for your help in my recovery,” she said sincerely. He didn’t deserve to be the focus of her frustrations.

Waving a hand in dismissal of her thanks, Rasmodius muttered something disparaging to himself before transforming into a ball of light and disappearing out the window. He really was a petty bitch, sometimes.

(Don’t piss off the only wizard you’re on speaking terms with.)

Alright, fair.

No sooner had he teleported away than she heard a gentle knock at her bedroom door. Looking up, she discovered Dr. Harvey standing there with his medical bag in hand. “Dr. Harvey!” she greeted with a bright smile. With any luck, she’d finally get free of this Yoba-forsaken bed.

Harvey

“Good morning, Callie,” said Harvey as he walked further into the room, running a clinical eye over her form. "How are you feeling? Any lingering pain?"

She gave him a sunny, pleased smile. "I still have a mild headache, but at least it comes and goes now instead of constantly plaguing me. I haven't had a coughing fit since first getting up this morning," she added, knocking on the wooden nightstand beside her. "I truly am feeling much better, Dr. Harvey. "

“I must say, you look in far better condition compared to when last I saw you,” he observed. Indeed, if he hadn’t seen her for himself this past week, he would never guess she was seriously ill just a few days prior. The healing the Junimos provided her astounded him. The notes left by his predecessors had stressed the remarkable abilities of Solanens to heal themselves and others, but he could admit to himself he’d thought them exaggerations.

“Yes, well, my friends have made sure to enforce my bedrest,” Callie acknowledged with a wry twist to her mouth.

“Good,” he said. He’d known his share of difficult patients, and Callie had all the hallmarks of one. "That is all good to hear. Still, I'll need to check you over before we can take you off bedrest," he said. “I have no doubt that Philip’s fussed over you nonstop when he’s here,” he added as he came to a stop next to her bed and set his bag down. He kept close watch on her from the corner of his eye, curious as to her reaction. Despite his words, he strongly suspected that Philip had not, in fact, spent much time fussing over her at all.

Callie flinched, though she tried to quickly cover it. “Well, not so much, but then again, he’s also buried under work at the moment,” she said, trying to keep her voice nonchalant. She failed, but she tried.

Dammit.

Harvey had a great deal of fondness for Philip—he’d shared several classes with the younger man once upon a time—but the therapist had always prioritized his work over his relationships. He’d hoped that he’d learned better by now, but considering the misery on Callie’s face…. “Has he not come by?”

“He hasn’t had the opportunity to,” she said swiftly, trying to give him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. I know he’ll get here when he can. He’s just utterly exhausted and has stayed up on the ridge.”

“Not again,” he muttered to himself, his mustache drooping down.

“What?”

Harvey hesitated in the process of pulling out his stethoscope and sphygmomanometer, not meeting her eyes. “Nothing you need to worry about,” he finally said. Far be it from him to introduce strife if she truly did not have an issue with Philip’s continued absence.

“Is he okay, doc?” she asked, eyes wide as she worried her lip.

“Of course he is,” he said. This time, he tried to reassure her. He doubted his success; after all, Harvey also worried about Philip. “He just… tends to repeat his mistakes.” You would think that after Lisa, Emma, and Addy, he’d have learned better, but no.

“Mistakes?” she echoed.

“Our line of work is a hard one—hard on the body, hard on the mind, and hard on our relationships,” he said. “Particularly for someone as altruistic as Philip. I just fear that he’s sacrificing you at the altar of ‘doing good.’”

“He’s not,” Callie insisted, though she looked troubled. “I understand where he’s coming from.”

Harvey eyed her for a moment and then gave her a tepid smile. “Of course.”

Callie

“You don’t need to babysit me,” Callie told Sterling on Saturday evening. To her surprise (and sizable relief), he’d come knocking on her door. “Dr. Harvey and Rasmodius have both cleared me, you know.” Admittedly, neither had liked that fact—she suspected both would love nothing more than to confine her to bed for another week—but they also knew they’d lose that argument.

“I know that, farmer,” he said, left hand thumbing his earrings. She couldn’t help smiling a little at the fresh coat of polish on his nails. While not as proficient at it as Sterling, she still felt she’d done a good job on them. “But I wanted to check in on you. Kind of got into the habit this week.”

Shaking her head with a soft laugh, Callie opened the door further and let him inside the cottage. It looked like he’d come straight there from Pierre’s shop. She had always appreciated him in those slacks and that dress-shirt, especially when he rolled up the sleeves. Not as much as the biker leathers, mind you…. Giving herself a mental shake, she said, “I didn’t even do that much around the farm today outside of closing the coop. I promise I’m not overdoing it.”

“You’ll have to forgive me, firecracker, for wanting to use my own eyes to check that,” he teased her.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get sick one time—”

“Sick? You nearly killed yourself!”

“Semantics,” she joked before giving him a reassuring smile. “I really am grateful for all that you’ve done for me, Sterling.” To her private joy, he blushed brightly at that. The man could flirt and toss innuendo around with gleeful abandon, but give him honest gratitude or a thoughtful gift, and he turned just as red as his cousin. Callie tried not to abuse this knowledge.

Too much.

“Would you like some dinner? My fridge is still overflowing from everyone’s kindness,” Callie offered as she headed towards the kitchen.

Leaning against her kitchen island, Sterling asked, “Not planning on going to game night at Emily’s?”

She shook her head. “That sounds utterly exhausting, and I’m still bloody tired,” she admitted, turning away from the fridge to look at him. “But I understand if you’d rather have fresh food there than leftovers here.”

“Do you still have some of Granny Evelyn’s chicken pot pie left?”

“I do.”

“I will totally eat leftovers with you, darlin’,” he declared with a wide grin.

That made her smile. While she wouldn’t have begrudged him for eating at Emily’s, it was nice to share a meal with him. The house had felt awfully quiet this afternoon with everyone finally gone. While the pair of them made short work of the remains of the pot pie, Sterling filled her in on the latest bits of gossip he’d heard. The most interesting tidbit centered on Vinny, who apparently insisted to anyone who’d listen that he’d seen an honest-to-Yoba monster in the ocean. While Sterling chuckled about the boy’s active imagination, Callie filed the rumor away. She knew better than to dismiss such claims out-of-hand.

Most gossip, however, revolved around either Jas’s dip in the river or Callie’s resulting illness. “Jas seems to have had no lasting issues, at least,” Sterling reassured her yet again.

“That’s what Marnie said when she came by. You were right, she’s already bugging me about coming over for dinner,” Callie admitted as she picked up their empty plates and took them to the sink to do a quick wash with her dish wand. Hearing his chair scrape across the floor, she asked over her shoulder, “About to head off?”

“Unless you want me to stick around and keep you company…?” Sterling trailed off, sounding surprisingly hopeful.

“You’ve kept me company every evening and watched over me every night this week,” she laughed, rinsing off the plates before putting them in the drainer. “Aren’t you tired of me yet?”

“I don’t think I could ever get tired of a pretty face like yours,” he said. Even with her back to him, Callie could hear the flirtatious grin on his face.

Drying her hands on the nearby dishtowel, she replied, “And you wonder why I call you ‘trouble,’” before turning to face him.

“One of these days, I’ll convince you I actually mean it,” he said. The smirk on his face contrasted with the earnestness of his gaze.

Callie blushed, because of course she did. She must be feeling better. “So why don’t you want to go to game night?” she asked shrewdly.

“Heh. That obvious?” he asked, looking away from her.

“Yep.”

“We always end up drinking more heavily on game nights than movie nights, though I can usually keep it somewhat under control with you there,” Sterling said, blue eyes returning to her own. “I’ve done pretty good this week while watching over you—only a couple a night—and I don’t really want to binge right now….”

Yoba, she understood that far, far too well. Smiling, Callie asked, “Well, would you rather watch a movie or try another one of my retro consoles?”

Sterling’s eyes widened in surprise before a grin broke across his face. “You do like to give me hard choices.”

She rolled her eyes. “If it’s too much for you, I can pick.”

He opted for a movie but let Callie choose which one. She pulled out one about an alien invasion and put it in for them. “I watched this one all the time as a teenager,” she said as she sat down on the couch and started the movie up.

“For some reason, that doesn’t surprise me.”

By the time the military scrambled to take on the alien invaders, Callie had her head against Sterling’s shoulder. She didn’t even think twice about it—she’d slept semi-upright against him most nights due to her cough—just like she didn’t think twice about the way he wrapped his arm around her in response or how her hand loosely gripped the front of his shirt. If anything, she welcomed it, welcomed the feeling of safety it brought her every time he held her.

By the time the lead actor ranted about how he could have been at a barbecue, Callie had fallen asleep, her scarlet nails stark against his white shirt.

Philip

Philip had finally made it to the end of his ‘week,’ if you defined a day of paperwork as a weekend. What a slog it’d become, too. Several people had injured themselves stumbling through the dark forest in search of Jas; Philip had his hands full with a flood of emergency appointments on top of his already heavy load. He knew on one level he could have sent them on to Paula or Harv, but he also knew how much extra they would charge.

Even worse, Callie’s time in the river had led to her catching a nasty, nasty bug; he hadn’t heard from her personally until Wednesday night. Philip hadn’t actually laid eyes on her since the morning before Jas went missing. When Harv informed him Cal laid ill, he’d wanted nothing more than to go to her. A fever that high could prove dangerous, after all. But then, her words had returned to him, how she’d encouraged him to help the Bladebanes, how she worried about his regrets if something happened to them due to his choices. Reluctantly, he'd come to the conclusion that there were plenty of others who could take care of his girl, but he was the only one who could care for his own patients. He couldn’t risk catching what she had and passing it along.

He did not doubt that she understood. His girl was incredibly selfless.

And yet, shame and regret and a quietly seething resentment he tried desperately to ignore prickled at him as he walked from the cable car to her farm. Harv had called him that afternoon and thoroughly guilted Philip about how he had ignored his girlfriend. But he hadn't! He'd reached out to her, texting when he could, letting her know he was amongst the living and making sure she was too. He'd even bought her flowers!

Just... as utterly exhausted as he’d felt, he hadn’t managed to visit her, nor had he picked up Wednesday when she called (he'd already passed out by then), nor had he ever managed to actually deliver the flowers he'd purchased. Despite the texting, he knew he hadn’t really talked with her. Yoba, he hadn’t really talked with her since before Shiro’s surgery. Which, in turn, was why he made his way to her cottage instead of going to bed; he just wanted to see her, check on her, and get Harvey off his back. He’d changed out of his scrubs and grabbed that bouquet to take to her. They looked a little worse for wear, but it was the thought that counted, right?

Right.

Arriving at the farm, Philip felt a mix of relief and dismay when he saw the lights on. Callie did not leave them on when she went out, so she must certainly still be home. Only then did he realize that part of him had half-expected that she’d gone to movie night. Or was it game night this week? Shit, he didn’t even know who was hosting. His hand tightened around the flowers in his hand. He hoped the lights meant she wanted to spend extra time with him and not that she felt too ill to go visit her friends… or worse, was hosting all of them.

Sterling

Realizing that Callie had fallen asleep against him yet again, Sterling smiled to himself and gave her a small squeeze. Holding her while she slept was one of the best parts of this long-ass week. Actually, despite the stress of Callie’s illness and recovery, in many ways he’d had a fantastic week. Looking after and taking care of her had kept him on a remarkably even keel—he hadn’t lied to her about how much his drinking had fallen off with his staying at her side every night—and it had also distracted him from the pain the Remembrance Ceremony always brought. Even his shakes had diminished to the point where he got some Yoba-blessed sleep.

Once her fever broke, the last couple of evenings had proven wonderful. After work, he’d drop by the farm and check on the animals and fields for her, making sure Ian hadn’t missed anything, and then he’d spend the rest of his time hanging out with her in the cottage. Thursday evening, they’d played on one of the retro consoles she kept (Callie trounced him at the racing game, while he decimated her at the fighting game). Yesterday evening, they’d traded off playing their favorite music for one another while doing each other’s nails (it had taken some persuasion on his part, but the scarlet polish really did look fantastic on her). And this evening, they cuddled together on her couch and watched a movie. It all felt gloriously chill… domestic even. No drama or fighting or trying to figure out where to go to get out of a shitty apartment. They just enjoyed each other’s company.

Sterling did not look forward to sleeping alone in his own bed tonight.

Callie slept peacefully through the rest of the movie. As the end credits rolled, he carefully shifted around to get to his feet, then scooped her up and carried her to her bedroom. Every time, it surprised him how little and light she felt in his arms even when dead to the world. He thanked his lucky stars that she’d left her bed unmade as he gently laid her down and then tucked her in. Unable to resist, he pressed a fleeting kiss to the top of her head before straightening up and returning to the living room.

Philip stood just inside the front door. “What were you doing?” he asked, clutching a sad-looking bouquet of spangles in one of his hands.

“We were watching a movie,” said Sterling, keeping his voice quiet. Gesturing to the door behind him, he said, “Lee-lee fell asleep, so I put her to bed.”

“It looked like you were cuddling my girl,” Philip retorted through gritted teeth.

He must have seen them through the window. Sterling’s temper burned hot. “Yeah? She’s my friend. I’ve cuddled her a lot this last week, what with the fever dreams and her cough and just general misery,” he retorted, doing his damnedest to keep his tone mild despite how badly he wanted to thrash Philip. Lee-lee had fallen asleep, and he wanted to keep it that way. He walked away from her door until he could casually lean his weight against the back of the couch.

Eyes narrowing, Philip asked in a tight voice, “You stayed overnight?”

“Well, it’s not like you were available to watch her,” Sterling said dryly, his inner asshole rather enjoying the way Philip’s knuckles whitened on the bouquet. “Dr. Harvey didn’t want her left unattended, so, yeah, I kept watch over her at night.”

“I thought Mia or— or Emily stayed with her—”

“Emily works at the saloon, so she took the day shift while I took the night shift,” Sterling replied. “Once Callie came home, other people kept her company too. Besides, if you’d ever once bothered to do more than send a generic text, you would know all of that. Do you even know that she finally got released from bedrest?” Philip's eyes dropped, staring at the floor even as a vein bulged in his neck. Sterling frowned, adding, “I don’t think you realize just how much you’ve hurt her.”

Sighing, Philip’s shoulders slumped, his frustration plain on his face. “I know I’ve disappointed her—”

“You know jack shit,” Sterling cut in. “She thinks you don’t want her anymore.”

Blanching, Philip whispered, “What?” His eyes widened as he asked in a louder, panicky voice, “Did she tell you that?”

“Not intentionally, I don’t think, but… yeah, she said it.”

“What do you mean, not intentionally?”

“While fighting her fever, Callie tended to talk in her sleep or have delusions,” Sterling said, grimacing in remembrance. “Lots of trips down unhappy and honestly terrifying memory lanes. But a recurring refrain was her fear that you don’t want her, that she’d upset you, and that’s why you weren’t around.” It had broken his heart every damn time.

“Shit.”

“Look, man,” Sterling sighed. Despite his own anger and misgivings, Callie had given no indication that she held any of this against Philip, and that was her choice. All he really wanted was for her to have happiness. If he repeated it to himself enough times, maybe he’d believe it. “I know you’ve got a lot on your plate right now, but you can’t keep ignoring her like this. She’s your girlfriend, your partner—”

“You’re right,” Philip cut him off, glowering. “Callie is my girl, not yours, so I’ll kindly thank you not to butt into our relationship.”

That caught Sterling off-guard and, quite frankly, pissed him the fuck off. The image of how upset she’d looked after leaving her voicemail flashed through his mind. “If you’re going to treat her like shit, I’m sure as fuck going to butt in—”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Of course it’s my business!” Sterling nearly shouted before reining himself in. “She’s one of my best friends!” he continued more quietly if no less intensely. “I’m not going to sit by and do nothing when she’s crying herself to sleep at night because her fucking partner can’t even bother to pick up the Yoba-forsaken phone and talk to her. You never came by the clinic, and even once the doc released her, you still didn’t visit!” he ranted. “She damn near died, Philip!”

“No need for dramatics, she had a nasty cold—” Philip tried to defend, but Sterling had had it with his bullshit.

“Dramatics? Don’t give me that shit. I know Dr. Harvey told you how bad off she was,” Sterling snarled over him. Philip recoiled. “It was pure luck that Em and I came out to the farm that morning and found her face down on the kitchen floor, lying in a pool of vomit with a fever of over a hundred and fucking four degrees. Did you know that she tried calling you as she passed out? I saw the call log. If no one had come to check on her, she would have died! So yeah, I’m feeling pretty fucking protective of her right now. Pull your Yoba-cursed head out of your fucking ass and treat Callie like a queen, like she bloody well deserves.”

Philip stared at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

Sterling couldn’t resist adding, “Or else you’re going to lose her.” He’d make fucking sure of it.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Philip eventually asked, his eyes narrowing again as he straightened up to his full height.

He may be broader than Sterling, but Sterling had inches and reach on him—and he’d bet in more ways than one. He, too, straightened up, watching Philip warily. “I’d like what?”

“For us to break up so you could swoop in and pick up the pieces.”

Sterling scoffed. “Dude, you are so far out in left field—”

“Am I? Am I, Red?” Philip asked, taking a step towards him. “Do you think I haven’t seen the way you look at her, the way you grimace and grit your teeth whenever we kiss? Do you think I’m unaware of the way you flirt with her and find any excuse to talk to her, touch her, hold her? You want her back in your bed so damn bad it makes you stupid.”

That was not what was going on. It wasn’t. “What the fuck are you on about? I’ve supported the two of you since day one—since before day one—”

“—because you’re too much of a coward to admit you’re in love with her!” Philip shouted, his voice booming through the house.

Sterling glared and prayed that Lee-lee still slept.

“You practically said as much when I bought that bouquet for her,” Philip continued shouting as he took another step closer to Sterling. The flowers in his hand shook from the force of his grip; a handful of petals drifted to the floor. “And I’ve watched you ever since. I’ve watched as you’ve continued to insert yourself into every facet of her life. Meeting up with her at the saloon, helping her on the farm, taking her to the beach, dancing with her, making a show of taking care of her this week—”

“Because you aren’t fucking there!” Sterling hissed back, stepping into Philip’s space, getting into his face. Any semblance of patience had fled. “And you should be! You should be the one checking on her. You should be the one making sure she’s eating, that she’s sleeping. You should be the one watching over her when she’s sick. But you aren’t! You didn’t! So, yeah, I fucking stepped up to the plate to make sure someone takes care of my best friend. And if you don’t like it, then get your priorities in order and show the fuck up. Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like all you want her around for is an ego stroke and a regular fuck and to the Void with Lee-lee’s wants and needs!”

The bouquet bounced off the floor, scattering half-dead flowers everywhere.

A decade plus of barfights let Sterling duck out of the way of Philip’s punch and jump to the side of Callie’s couch. Philip stumbled forward from the force of his blow when it didn’t actually connect to anything. “The truth fucking hurts, doesn’t it?” Sterling taunted, his mouth running on autopilot. Shit, he hadn’t had a good brawl in forever, and Philip clearly needed a solid thrashing. “You’re a shitty partner to Callie, and everyone knows it.”

Letting out an honest-to-Yoba growl, Philip scrabbled to keep his feet and turned around with pure rage in his eyes. He lowered his center of gravity and ran at Sterling, leading with his shoulder to knock him over. Again, Sterling slipped to the side, but Philip surprised him by catching his arm, cocking his free fist back, and pulling Sterling towards him—

"THAT IS ENOUGH!"

Callie

Callie slid to a stop next to them, catching Philip’s fist. “Stop it, Phil! Don’t you dare hurt him!”

“Let me go,” he snarled, his face unrecognizable in his fury.

“Lee-lee—”

“Hush, Red,” she said without looking at him, both of her hands still wrapped around Philip’s wrist. Her arms trembled ever so slightly with the strain of holding him back. “This isn’t like you, Phil,” she said in a softer, gentler voice. “Why are you attacking my friend?” Sterling's words calling her his best friend continued to ring in her ears.

“Why are you defending him?” asked Philip, looking away from Sterling (though maintaining his grip on his arm) and down at her. “Do you have any idea what he’s said?”

“Yeah, actually, I do,” she said, her back straight and her hands keeping her boyfriend’s fist in place. She stared fiercely into his icy eyes. “Believe it or not, I can’t sleep through your shouting. He didn’t say anything that wasn’t bloody true, and you know it. You. Weren’t. Here.”

“I couldn’t risk infecting my patients—”

“But you could have found another way! A phone call, a video call, a bloody hazmat suit, something! Shite, call one of your colleagues in Grampleton or even Zuzu to cover for a week!” Callie said, her own stress and anger and fear from the past week pouring out, her eyes welling with frustrated tears. “I needed you, Philip. I needed you. I damn near died and you weren’t here and— and—”

“Well— well—” Philip floundered before giving her an accusatory glare. “If you didn’t need to feel like a Yoba-cursed hero and jump blindly into dangerous situations—"

“HA!” Callie barked, forcing her tears to recede with sheer willpower. “Projecting much, Incrediman?” she spat. “Lately, it seems like feeling like a hero, the high you get from helping others, is all you care about! And while that can be admirable in a superhero, it’s a shit way to have a happy home life. I’d think the Prodigirl and Frostshade arc would have taught you that much.”

Looking utterly stricken, Philip finally let go of Sterling and let his fist fall. He replied in a quiet, deeply disappointed tone, “I thought you were different, Callie. I thought I’d finally found a woman who wasn’t selfish.”

Stung, she said, “Wanting my partner while ill and injured isn’t selfish, nor is feeling abandoned when he can’t even call me.”

He looked behind her and scowled. “It’s him, isn’t it? He’s filled your head with—”

“You leave him out of this,” Callie snapped, her fire blazing anew. How dare he? “He hasn’t said one damn word against you and has defended you more than once, so stop trying to pin this on him. If he did anything, he showed me that there are people who truly care about my health and my happiness, who care about me. So don’t you dare blame him for your shortcomings.”

Rage returned to Philip’s face in an instant; it writhed into another snarl. “Alex was right,” he said, the bitterness in his voice as heavy as a sledgehammer. “I should have known better than to date a junkie’s slut.”

Oh, fuck no. “Get out,” Callie said, tone frigid.

Philip suddenly paled, as if he’d just realized what he’d said. “I’m sorry, Callie. I didn’t mean—”

“I don’t care,” she said, glaring coldly up at him. “Considering the quality of your characters, I’d rather be his slut than your girlfriend any day. Get out. Get the fuck out of my house.”

“I—”

“Leave. Now. And don’t bother ever coming back.”

Wrath and sorrow warred across Philip’s face. He spun on his heel and stormed out of the house, his trainers crushing the remnants of flowers on the floor. The door slammed shut.

Callie refused to cry.

Chapter Text

Chapter 24 – The Cavalry

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: It’s a girl!

Lee-lee,

I am glad to hear that things are going well with Bria. Have you given any more thought to coming out next Summer with her? I would love for you to finally meet Jas. She’s only eight months old but she looks so much like Triss—and has that same twinkle of mischief in her eye.

I have officially retired from the Adventurers’ Guild and hired on with Aunt Marnie part-time. Once Jas is school age, I’ll move to full-time. Kind of hard to believe that I’ve become an official ranch-hand, but it’s good work. Joja-mart hired Bub to stock shelves, so that also helps with covering bills, though… well, a significant portion of his pay goes to the saloon.

Anyway, let me know if you think you’ll be able to make it out next Summer. I think it would do both you and Bria a lot of good.

Love you,

—Mo

Mia

Sterling: Lee-lee and Philip just broke up

Sterling: Think she could use some girlfriends

Sterling: We’re at the cottage

“Oh, shit and fall back in it,” Mia muttered, setting her beer down on Emily’s coffee table.

They had a large crowd tonight—her and Henry, Jeric and Emily, Leah, Elliott, and Haley, Victor and Sophia, and even Harvey, Paula, and Anton had shown up—but they’d thankfully just gotten started on their game of cards. At Mia’s declaration, practically everyone turned and stared.

“What’s wrong?” Jeric asked from where he leaned over the back of the couch.

Mia held her phone out for him to see. Henry and Emily leaned over to look as well.

“That was fast,” said Henry.

“What’s goin’ on?” Leah asked from between Haley and Elliott.

“Callie and Philip broke up,” Emily replied before turning her attention to Mia. “I’d go, but—”

“You’re hosting tonight,” Mia said in understanding.

“Wait, they broke up?” Paula echoed. The Ridgeside doctor looked shocked. “Why?”

“He didn’t visit her at all this week,” Sophia said with a deep frown. She was among those who’d helped Callie out on the farm.

“Well, she was sick, and he does work with the old and infirm…” Paula defended him.

“He didn’t even call her, Paula,” Harvey said quietly, startling Mia. She honestly expected him to defend Philip as well. “When I checked her over this morning, she was asking me how Philip was doing, if he was okay.”

Mia didn’t catch Paula’s reply, as she’d already walked into Emily’s kitchen to raid the snacks and alcohol and bring Callie some comfort food. “I have a tub of mint chocolate chip you can take,” Emily volunteered, having followed Mia back.

“Bless you,” she replied.

“I just wish I could come with. I feel kind of like this is my fault,” Emily admitted.

Mia stared. “What do you mean, your fault?”

Emily began wringing her hands, but before she could respond, Haley startled both of them by saying, “Go on, sis.”

“What?” Emily stared.

Mia just kept packing, half-listening as Haley encouraged Emily to go with her. “This is hardly a wild group. I can keep a lid on things,” Haley promised.

Emily and Haley argued for a few more moments before Emily relented and thanked her sister. “You aren’t half-bad,” she joked as she gave Haley a quick hug.

“Whatever,” Haley replied with an eyeroll, though Mia saw how she smiled; Emily couldn’t, however.

“I’ve got supplies,” Mia announced.

“Then let’s get going,” said Em.

Sterling

“I’m sorry,” said Sterling.

Callie stood with her back to him, staring at the door Philip had flounced out of. “What are you sorry for?”

“Provoking him.”

She turned to face him. It surprised him that while her eyes were wet, no tears fell. Not yet, anyways. “You told him the truth. If that provoked him, then that’s on him,” she said, her voice tight.

Sterling wanted nothing more than to pull her into a hug, but he feared that would upset her further. “I’m still sorry.”

Callie took a deep breath even as her fists clenched. “Me too.”

“What can I do for you? Need me to go? Call your girlfriends? Give you a hug?” Sterling half-babbled out, guilt and fear clawing at him. He hadn’t intended— he didn’t actually want—

“I…” she started to answer, then trailed off with a miserable smile. “I don’t know,” she finally settled on.

“Okay,” he breathed out, trying to force his brain to engage, limbs trembling from adrenaline that had no further purpose. He half-wished he had gone ahead and decked Philip, but he knew that Lee-lee would not have handled that well. Stone-cold sober as he was, that was enough to stop him. Reaching out, he grabbed the wadded-up throw blanket from the couch, shook it open, and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Come on, firecracker,” he said gently, guiding her back to the couch once more. The menu for the movie they’d watched still looped on the tv. She followed him in the same docile manner as the other nights she’d gone through a major upset—talking about Reece, remembering Paul’s abuse.

Sterling hated it.

Once he had her settled on the couch, he promised her he’d be right back and quickly went back into her bedroom. Remembering how Barky had soothed her last time, his eyes darted about until he finally spotted the stuffed sturgeon (“Sturgis the Sturgeon!”) that Willy had sent her as a get-well present. He snagged it off her bed and then sent some quick texts to Mia. Flipping his phone to vibrate, he shoved it into his pocket and then carried the fish out to Callie. She took it from him and wrapped her arms around it, curling into the couch. Cuthbert had appeared from wherever he’d hidden, lying beside her and rubbing his cheek against Callie’s knee.

Sterling’s pocket vibrated, so he snuck a quick look at his phone.

Mia: Grabbing stuff and headed your way

“Mia’s on her way over,” Sterling said, standing beside the couch and hesitantly stroking her hair.

“You’re going?” she asked, her voice so quiet he could barely hear her.

“Unless you want me to stay. I just thought you might like to talk to someone a little more… removed from the situation,” he explained. Someone who wasn’t the catalyst for her breakup.

I’d rather be his slut than your girlfriend any day.

Sterling shoved that memory aside for the moment. Right now, he needed to focus on his Lee— his friend. He’d unpack his feelings about the night later with the help of a six-pack. Fuck, he’d probably need a twelve-pack or even a bottle of whatever Joja had on sale.

“I… thank you, Sterling,” she said, leaning into his hand as he continued petting her hair.

“Any time, darlin’. You know that.”

“I do,” she acknowledged, letting her eyes close as she cuddled the stuffed sturgeon.

They stayed like that until they finally heard a knock. “Stay there,” he soothed her before making his way to open the front door. He discovered not just Mia, but also Emily, Jeric, and Henry. Sterling blinked. “Didn’t expect everybody to—”

“Nah, pretty boy. Hen and I are here to collect you,” Jeric interrupted him. “We’ll leave the cutie in these ladies’ capable hands.”

“Thought you might also need to decompress,” Henry added, giving his cousin a knowing look. It was like he didn’t trust Sterling not to hare off and do something stupid, which… yeah, okay.

Mia and Emily had already slipped past Sterling; Mia took several bags to the kitchen island while Emily went to sit next to Callie. Flowers continued to scatter across the floor. Looking back over his shoulder at Emily hugging Callie, he said, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Lee-lee.”

“Okay,” Callie managed to choke out.

Once Sterling had stepped outside and closed the door, Henry slung his arm around Sterling’s neck. “Come on. Let’s get back to the house and then you can tell us what in the Void happened.”

Emily

Callie didn’t break down until the boys had left. Then, the floodgates opened. Emily rocked her in her arms, crooning a quiet, “Shh, shh, let it out.” Her friend’s pain and anger poured off of her in waves.

“I’m so fucking furious,” Callie admitted as she sobbed.

“We know,” Mia said as she sat down on Callie’s other side and gently rubbed her back. Meeting Emily’s gaze, she added, “You have every right to be.”

Callie cried harder at that. Honestly, it relieved Emily. She’d noticed over the months that Cal tended to repress her negative emotions in a misguided attempt to not burden others. It reminded her of Shane in a way. Eventually, Cal’s tears began to slow enough for her to talk. Emily grabbed the box of tissues off the coffee table and handed them over. “Do you want cider or ice cream?”

“Both…?” she said tentatively.

“Good girl,” she smiled.  “Bowls, or are we all sharing the tub?”

“We’re totally sharing the tub,” Mia replied before Callie could, flashing them both a sunny-yet-sharp smile. “If we’re going to play to stereotype, let’s not half-ass it.”

That made Callie giggle a little even as she wiped her face. Her red nails caught Em's eye. One, Callie typically didn't wear nail polish, and two, they were extremely well done.

Mia returned with a pair of beers, a cider, the tub of mint chocolate chip, and three spoons. Once all three were settled and had started digging into the ice cream, Mia finally asked, “What happened, Cal?”

Callie gave them a run-down of her evening. When she mentioned that Sterling had put her to bed and that she woke up to hear him and Philip arguing, Emily flinched. Despite the fact that Sterling and Shane practically paid for Emily’s wages between the two of them, she didn’t know Sterling all that well. But she had learned a thing or two this past week as she traded off taking care of Cal with him. Watching how Sterling worried and fretted over Callie, how he’d known something was wrong with her when he had no good reason to, how their auras soothed and blended when together… well, it did not take much for her to surmise just how Sterling would react when Philip finally showed his face.

“I don’t know how long they argued for before I woke up,” Callie admitted. “But when I came out, Philip was ranting about how Sterling shouldn’t have stayed with me this week, and Sterling lost his cool, telling him that the reason he took care of me was because Philip wasn’t there.” Here, Callie started to tear up again as her crimson anger blazed anew. “And that, from his point of view, Philip only cared about how I made him feel and not actually about me. Or something like that—it all kind of blurs together, to be honest. Either way, Philip lost all control and took a swing at Sterling.”

“You’re joking,” Mia gaped, her green eyes huge as she paused in mid-bite.

“Is Sterling okay?” Emily asked. She didn’t remember Sterling looking injured, but to be fair, her attention was focused on Cal when they arrived.

“He’s okay,” Callie quickly reassured as she dug into the tub of ice cream. “He dodged the first punch, and by the time Philip went to throw his second punch I’d made it between them and stopped the fighting.”

“You could have gotten hurt, Cal!” Mia scolded her.

Noticing the way Callie’s eyes and aura flared, Emily suspected that Philip was the one far more likely to get hurt in that altercation. “But I didn’t,” Cal said instead. “Philip and I argued then. He tried to tell me that Sterling deserved it for the things he’d said, and then I told him that I’d heard every word and that Sterling had only told the truth. Philip had abandoned me, and he wasn’t there when I needed him,” she explained, tearing up again.

Mia and Emily both rubbed her back at the sheer hurt coming off of her. Still, a part of her felt grateful that Callie had come to that realization sooner rather than later. The rest felt guilty for instigating the whole mess.

“We argued more; I don’t remember everything we said. I know at one point he accused me of being selfish for wishing that he had tried to visit me. Eventually he started accusing Sterling of turning me against him, and I told him that the only thing Sterling had done is show me what it was like to have someone care about me, and then—” Callie abruptly stopped, tossing her spoon down into the tub and reaching out for the cider sitting on the coffee table.

“Then what?” Mia gently prompted as she added her own spoon to the now-empty tub.

Callie took a long pull on her bottle before sighing. “He said that he should have listened to Alex, that he should have known better than to date a junkie’s slut.”

Emily stared.

“He said what?” asked Mia in a terrifyingly flat voice.

“You heard me,” Callie replied, her aura spiking dangerously. “I told Philip I’d rather be Sterling’s slut than his girlfriend, and then kicked him out of the house,” she said, collapsing back into herself.

The three women grew quiet for a long moment, processing everything Callie had just said.

“It sounds like Sterling didn’t say anything I wouldn’t have,” Emily eventually commented. If anything, it sounded as though Sterling had shown remarkable restraint, assuming that Callie wasn’t whitewashing the whole affair. She didn’t think her friend was, though.

“Do you regret what you said?” asked Mia.

Callie stared down into her bottle, a thoughtful look crossing her face. “No,” she finally said. “I regret the manner it all unfolded, but… I don’t regret standing up for Red. He’s done so much for me in general, and this last week in particular….”

“I have to admit, I’m surprised by the whole thing,” Mia said, before quickly elaborating. “I mean, that just doesn’t sound like Philip, you know? He’s not a cruel man.” Her aura reflected her hidden anger, however.

“Shiro told me a couple weeks back that he was worried about Philip—that he’d grown easily frustrated and irritable,” Callie sighed. “He hasn’t wanted me to visit; he almost stood me up last week because he’d fallen asleep. He looked horrified after he made his slut comment, but… maybe I really am selfish, but I don’t care how stressed or sleep-deprived he is, you don’t treat people that way. He could have at least called me!”

“You’re not selfish,” Emily swiftly corrected her, trying her level best to uproot that thought before it could take hold. “Or if you are, it’s in a healthy way.”

“Because you’re right,” Mia said, finally depositing the empty ice cream carton on the table and grabbing her own beer. “It’s not selfish to want your loved ones around when you need them.”

“Yeah, I know, but….”

“No buts, Cal.”

“You’d rewrite the laws of physics if it meant helping someone you love,” Emily added with a meaningful look. After all, that’s essentially what Callie did when she rescued Jas.

“Thank you,” she said, leaning her head against Mia as she wrapped an arm around Emily’s shoulders and pulled her in for a snuggle. “I’m really grateful for you two coming over.”

“That’s what friends are for, yeah?” Mia smiled as she wrapped the other two in a hug.

“We know you’d be there for us if the situation was reversed,” said Emily.

“Just remember that if I do find myself in a similar situation, I prefer chocolate ice cream with brownie bites,” Mia smirked.

“I actually prefer raspberry sorbet,” Emily added.

Laughing, Callie said, “Noted.”

Emily smiled as she also wrapped the other two women in a hug. Callie was hurt in so many different ways, but she’d pull through. They’d make sure of it.

Sterling

Henry, Jeric, and Sterling made short work of the whiskey they’d picked up on the way back to East Scarp. Both men had pumped Sterling for information on the breakup; he had no qualms about relaying the things he and Philip had said to each other. Well, most of the things they’d said.

They didn’t need to hear all of the details.

They did, however, fixate on how Callie had thrown herself between the two of them to stop Philip from belting Sterling and how she’d ripped Philip a new asshole. “Damn, man,” Jeric slurred, his dark eyes drooping even as they glittered with envy. “Baby girl sure is protective of ya.” The younger man had tried to keep up with the Coopers’ intake and did not have nearly the same tolerance.

Before Sterling could even begin to protest that observation, Henry piped up and said, “Lee-lee’s always been that way, even when we were kids. Picture a pre-teen Lee-lee chewin’ out Mr. Mullner because he was beratin’ Sterling.”

“You’re kiddin’.”

“Nope,” Sterling said, his voice laced with smugness as he popped the ‘p.’ “First time I ever laid eyes on ‘er, too.” Fuck, he’d had such a crush on her after that. Tiny and fierce and adorable and—

“She went toe-to-toe with a lotta the grown-ups that Summer on Sterling’s behalf,” Hen said with a fond smile. “Said they were all bullying him.”

“Well, she wasn’t wrong,” Sterling pointed out. To be fair, though, he was a little shit back then. Callie hadn’t cared, insisting he was a kid and that they were adults and should act like it.

Before Henry could reply, Jeric’s head thumped on the table.

The cousins traded looks as the cowboy began to snore. “Looks like the couch has another customer tonight,” Henry joked. “You want to cuddle this one too?”

“Ha, ha, ha.”

Stretched out on his bed, half-reclined against the headboard, Sterling stared blindly at the ceiling as he held the remnants of the whiskey against his stomach. He and Henry had gotten Jeric arranged on the couch, then sat together and had another drink before his cousin finally decided that Sterling wouldn’t slip out of the house to commit assault and battery. While he’d admit that part of him regretted not getting to knock Philip on his ass, his focus wasn’t truly on that. He’d held it together while shooting the shit with Hen and Jeric, but Philip’s words hadn’t stopped ringing in Sterling’s ears. And now, hiding in his dark room as he downed the dregs of the bottle, he couldn’t stop arguing against them.

You’re too much of a coward to admit you’re in love with her!

He wasn’t.

He wasn’t.

Well, he did love her, but as his friend—his best friend. And sure, when he got lonely, he still returned to his memories of their liaisons in Spring because Callie was practically a goddess, but… that didn’t mean he was in love with her. It just meant that he found her sexy and beautiful. He was hardly the only one based on the various things he’d heard other people say. And yes, he’d grown angry with Philip as time went on, but that was due to just how piss-poor a job the man did taking care of her. Sterling just wanted whoever she ended up with to treat her with the love and care she deserved, just like he wanted for Henry or for Mia or, fuck, even Shane. And, yes, he also wanted her to stay a part of his life for as long as he could manage it, wanted to spend time with her and take care of her.

But Sterling wasn’t in love with Callie.

The bottle shook.

He wasn’t.

Callie

There were far worse ways of waking up than in a cuddle pile with two of her dearest friends. It did, however, make getting out of bed a bit complicated. Emily’s surprisingly long arm draped across both Callie and Mia. Her chest against Callie’s back moved with each deep, slow breath, reassuring Callie of her presence. Mia, meanwhile, was nothing but soft warmth and softer curves as she held Callie tucked under chin. Yoba, but she felt so much like Reece.

Callie took a quiet, pained, shuddering breath at that thought.

It took several minutes of slow, careful, precise movements to extricate herself from their arms and legs. At least Cuthbert had decided to curl up next to Emily’s head, so Callie didn’t have to worry about disturbing him as she crawled to the foot of the bed. Several times, she came to a complete stop as one of her bedmates shifted, waiting until she felt certain they’d settled back into slumber. Finally, though, she could slide off the end of the bed and silently shuffle to the toilet.

She hadn’t expected to host a slumber party. Then again, Callie hadn’t expected to break up with her boyfriend of almost three months either. At least it hadn’t taken her a marriage of nearly a decade to reach that point…. She didn’t know if that was better or worse, actually.

Once she finished drying her hands, Callie checked the time—wow, she’d actually slept in! It was nearly eight! Shaking her head at her inner sarcasm, Callie slipped out of the bedroom and out into the living area. A part of her felt relieved gratitude when she realized that one of her friends must have cleaned up the destroyed bouquet the night before; no remnant of the flowers remained. Giving herself a shake, Callie grabbed her boots and shoved her feet inside. Even in her pajamas, she could let the chickens out and hopefully collect some eggs. The least she could do was make her friends some breakfast for listening to her cry and whinge last night. 

An hour later, as coffee brewed and sausages sizzled, Mia stumbled out into the living area dressed for the day and with her hair in a frizzy braid. “Whatever you’re cooking, I’m on board with,” she declared.

“A sufficiently carb, protein, and grease-laden meal,” Callie replied with a teasing smile, keeping busy and refusing to wallow. She could do that on her own time. Besides, Mia looked painfully hungover—she’d declined Callie’s offers of water and painkillers before bed. “Em still asleep?” she asked.

“Yeah. Don’t be surprised if she doesn’t emerge until close to noon,” Mia warned her as she plopped onto a stool by the kitchen island. “Also, the guys are on their way over.”

Callie shot her a surprised look. “I figured they’d be out at the family farm by now,” she said even as she pulled out a griddle from one of the cabinets. Easy enough to add in pancakes, but she’d need to pull out more meat.

“Don’t know what to tell you, Cal. Henry woke me up by sending a message saying they were on their way over with Jeric,” Mia explained.

Hearing Jeric was with them, Callie wondered just how drunk the three of them had wound up last night. “Good thing I’ve got plenty of breakfast foods. I suspect you aren’t the only one hungover.”

By the time the guys arrived, Callie was elbow deep in food prep. Sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, blueberry pancakes, a selection of melons, peaches, and bananas—she flitted from one thing to another, popping different things into the oven to keep warm as they finished up. When they knocked at the door, Callie asked Mia to let them in. “If I walk away, I guarantee something will burn.”

“Where’s Callie?” she heard Sterling ask as the door opened.

“Cooking,” Hank pointed out before stepping inside past Mia.

“It smells amazing,” Jeric added.

“And a good morning to you as well,” Mia said dryly.

Sterling gave her a chagrined smile, “Sorry. Didn’t mean to slight you. G’morning,” he said, before hurrying over to the kitchen. “How can I help, hotstuff?”

“Morning, trouble. Can you set the table? Put a plate out for Em in case she wakes up,” she said without looking away from the eggs. “Morning, Hank! Morning, Jeric!” she added a little more loudly over her shoulder. A quick glance confirmed her suspicions regarding hangovers. Sadly, Sterling seemed in the best shape. Or, more likely, he had more experience pushing through it.

“Planning on feeding an army?” Henry joked.

“I’ve seen how much you can pack away,” she retorted, deftly moving to the side to let Sterling reach the plates from the cabinet the griddle.

“Anything I can do to help, gorgeous?” Jeric asked. Glancing yet again over her shoulder, Callie realized he’d addressed himself to Mia.

Mia had returned to slicing the melons where she stood at the island. “Why don’t you grab the coffee things? The carafe is over there, and Callie keeps creamer in the fridge,” she said. “And Hen? Why don’t you grab the orange juice and glasses for people.”

Ten minutes later, the five of them sat at Callie’s table with very full plates. “So, what brings you guys out this way? I figured you’d be at your farms,” Callie said as they tucked in.

Henry turned red and muttered something.

“What?” asked Mia, looking just as confused as Callie felt.

Sterling smirked and said, “He and Jeric overslept.”

Callie and Mia both turned disbelieving looks on them. Henry somehow turned a brighter shade of red, while Jeric just shrugged. “At least Ian was available to go take care of my animals when I called. These two are beasts when they get to drinking, ya know?”

Both women burst into giggles. “I thought you knew better than to try to keep up with them, cowboy,” grinned Callie. “Or at least had more respect for your liver.”

“What’s so funny?” Emily asked blearily as she stumbled out from Callie’s bedroom.

“I’m sorry, Em! Did we wake you?” Callie asked, getting up from the table to pour her a cup of coffee.

“Not really. All the body heat disappeared,” she complained.

“You three shared a bed and didn’t invite me?” Sterling playfully whined. Henry promptly elbowed him, the red in his cheeks finally beginning to fade. “What’s that for?” he pouted, rubbing at the spot on his ribs.

“You know exactly what that’s for.”

Jeric smirked knowingly. “Don’t let him fool you, pretty boy. He was thinking it too.”

Henry promptly blushed bright red again.

“Jeric, behave,” Mia scolded.

Callie set a cup of coffee down for Emily and asked, “Want food?”

“I’ll load my plate, Cal,” Emily reassured her.

“Ain’t no behavin’ like misbehavin’!” Jeric beamed at Mia as he stabbed into a sausage, making Sterling cackle as her eye twitched.

All of breakfast maintained the same level of chaos, but Callie didn’t mind in the least. In fact, she welcomed it gladly. Despite her heartache, it was good to have her friends here. She dreaded when they’d finally head home.

But, eventually, that time came.

“Thanks, you guys, for last night and this morning,” she said as everyone started gathering their things to leave. Callie refused to ask for them to stay longer. She’d already taken up too much of their time as it was.

“No need to thank us,” Mia said as she gave Callie a quick hug.

“We should have a real slumber party at some point,” Emily added. “Make a spa night out of it.” That didn't surprise Callie; Em had spent a fair amount of time cooing over the manicure Sterling had given her.

“Thank you for breakfast,” Henry said to Callie as he snuck his own hug in.

“You’re very welcome. Sorry you overslept.”

“He needed to take a day off anyways,” said Mia.

Ignoring Mia’s comment, Henry turned his attention towards Emily and Jeric. “Would either of you like a ride home? I brought Mia’s car over, so we have room.”

“No thanks,” Emily said. “The walk will do me good.”

Jeric looked between Callie and Sterling for a moment before flashing Henry a wide smile. “I mean, if you really want to come up to Blooming Hill Farm, I won’t stop you, but I can always take the cable car.”

“I’ll admit I’m a bit curious about your setup,” Henry replied.

Turning towards Sterling, Mia said, “Don’t forget to meet us tonight for housemate night.” Her gaze turned to Callie. “You should come as well. We still haven’t had that game of pool.”

“I promise I’m no good at it,” Callie told her.

“Then you can be her partner and maybe I can finally win!” Henry laughed before returning to his conversation with Jeric.

“I love how he says maybe even with me dragging you down,” she said to Mia as the crowd moved out to the porch.

“So will you come?” Mia asked even as she smugly smiled.

“Sure,” Callie agreed. It had to be better than stewing by herself.

Only once Emily started walking south and everyone else got into Mia’s car did it dawn on her that Sterling still stood beside her on the porch. “Not going back home?”

“Thought maybe you could use an extra hand around the place,” Sterling drawled, though his blue eyes revealed his concern. “Since you said you didn’t do much yesterday, that is. Wouldn’t want you to overwork yourself before you’ve fully recovered.”

Callie smiled a little at what he didn’t say but she clearly heard: I don’t think you should be alone just yet. He really was her best friend. “Well then, let me get dressed, and then we can get to work.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 25 – Mending

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: You can talk to me

Lee-lee,

Are you doing okay? Is everything alright with Paul and Bria? You sounded really… I don’t know, sad? angry? off? the other day on the phone. I don’t mean to pry, just… you know, if you ever need to escape somewhere, you’re always welcome here. Bring Bria too. Don’t even have to wait for Summer—any time at all.

I mean it.

I love you.

—Mo

Callie

As the next week passed, Callie slowly resettled into a routine.

Despite the damage she’d done to her link, Rasmodius’s brew successfully repaired it. Each morning, once she had done her stretching and practiced her forms, she spent a long while in meditation, carefully expanding her senses through the farm. She did not push herself, fearful of tearing the connection anew, but she did slowly grow more comfortable again, spreading just a touch farther each day.

Sterling had proven yet again his knowledge of farming while she was out of commission. She’d made a substantial profit off of the small melons; she still hadn’t figured out how to repay everyone for their help with the harvest. The watermelons should be ready next week—she needed to get Maru out to pick the ones she wanted.

The silo looked in good shape; Robin had done an amazing job per usual. Once Fall arrived, Callie would start harvesting hay for the winter. For now, she rejoiced in having some place to store her wheat. The farm felt like a real farm these days.

Once she finished with all of her daily work, she’d turn her attention to working on the old tractor in the afternoons. The parts she’d ordered had arrived while she lay ill, and she had just two weeks until Fall arrived. She desperately wanted to have it working before it came time to plant again.

Callie didn’t spend all of her time and attention on just the farm, of course, despite her innate desire to just hole up after… well, everything that past month. She forced herself to go to the exercise class, the various shops, the library, and the saloon. She also put in the effort to keep tabs on all of her friends.

Once the ceremony in Ridgeside for the unveiling of the newly repaired minecart system had completed, Callie visited Shiro. Yuuma, spotting his chance, left to run some much-needed errands. “I’m glad to see you up and about,” she told Shiro, giving him a nervous hug where he sat at the kitchen table.

Shiro eagerly returned it. “I could say the same for you,” he said as he let go.

Taking the chair across from him, Callie said, “I’m sorry. That was far from my intentions.”

“I sincerely doubt you intended to get sick,” Shiro pointed out dryly.

They chatted about how Shiro’s recovery proceeded, how the pain had grown less since the surgery but regaining his flexibility and mobility was taking a torturously long time. “Philip has poured his all into helping me, constantly adjusting my regimen and spending extra time helping me. I swear I’m doing everything he wants me to, but even Dr. Harvey seems frustrated at how slowly I’m recovering,” Shiro admitted to her.

“Do they think you’ll need to keep doing the more intensive PT for longer than they initially estimated?” Callie asked as casually as she could manage. Even though she had broken things off with Philip, she couldn’t help worrying about him. He’d consistently rebuffed her attempts to help him, yet she’d still managed to look after him from time to time. She wondered if his friends had picked up the slack.

“They keep saying it depends on how much I improve over the next few weeks, but… yeah, I suspect they’ll keep the increased sessions for a good long while,” Shiro sighed.

“I’m sorry,” she told him sincerely.

“Me too.”

A moment of quiet settled between them as they each fell into their thoughts. Eventually, Shiro asked, “So, how is Philip doing? He hasn’t spent much time around here outside of our admittedly-long sessions, and he’s stayed incredibly focused on our exercises during that time.”

Callie stared at him in disbelieving horror. “You have a better idea than I do,” she said. Did he not know?

His forehead creased at that. “What?”

Shite, he didn’t. Swallowing hard, she said, “Shiro, we broke up last weekend.”

“What?” he repeated, his own disbelief clear.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“Not at all… he’s seemed distant and distracted, but honestly it felt like a bit of an improvement from how testy he’d acted lately,” Shiro said with a dazed expression. “But, why? He’s absolutely crazy about you, Callie.”

Callie stared down at the woodgrain of the table. Obviously, Philip hadn’t said anything to Shiro, but she knew that word had spread. More than a few people had stopped to express their condolences. While she never brought it up, from the comments others made she knew that word of his… inattention the week of her illness had also made the rounds. “He might be, but… if he was, he didn’t show it,” she finally said. “He didn’t want me around, Shiro—kept telling me that he needed rest but that he’d make it up to me. And then… you clearly know I was sick, yeah?”

Shiro slowly nodded.

“I was deathly ill,” she continued. From the way his eyes widened, she could tell he hadn’t known that part. “And he just… never showed up. He didn’t visit; he didn’t call… at best, I got a handful of text messages that mostly boiled down to, ‘I’m alive. Are you?’” she explained, trying desperately to keep her bitterness out of her voice. Just once, she’d like to not be an afterthought in someone’s life. “I needed him, and he wasn’t there. And I probably would have forgiven it, but…” she trailed off.

“But what?” Shiro finally prompted.

“He threw a punch at Sterling.” That moment had burned into her brain. She carried too many scars—literal and otherwise—to not feel a frisson of fear every time it flashed through her mind. Would he have eventually thrown one at her too?

“WHAT?”

Shiro’s outrage and disbelief made Callie burst into wry laughter. “I know, I know… it’s utterly out of character for him,” or so she’d thought. Yoba, how could she have misjudged him so? Had she learned nothing from Paul? She should know better by now, dammit. "But he did. I watched it happen.”

“But why? What did Sterling do?” Shiro asked, clearly trying to square his knowledge of Philip’s nature with him throwing a punch.

“Philip got angry that Sterling had looked after me while I was sick, and in turn Sterling got angry and told him that the reason he’d looked after me was because Philip refused to. That I’d asked for Philip first, and Philip said no. And that pissed him off enough to attack Sterling. I broke it up before it could turn into an actual fistfight in the middle of my cottage. Things were said in anger and… well, I kicked him out of the house and told him to never come back.”

Shiro gaped.

“Yeah, it feels surreal to me too,” she admitted.

When someone shows you who they are, believe them.

She could see Shiro grasping at straws. “Would you take him back if he apologized? Made amends?” he asked, his dark eyes huge.

“No,” she said decisively. For all that breaking things off hurt, it also had brought a surprising amount of relief. She hadn’t realized how much of her stress had revolved around Philip. Or maybe that was unfair—maybe that was the result of not pushing her arcane abilities to the limit day after day. Either way…. “Maybe at some point down the line we could be friends again,” Callie finally added, “but, well, that ship sailed and sank.”

Jas seemed none the worse for wear after her recent adventures, happy to chatter with Callie about her friends and games of make-believe. Shane had become withdrawn since the river mishap, hiding from everyone, and it continued through the following week. According to Emily, he didn’t even show his face at the saloon that first week, though he'd started showing up in the last day or two. Callie wondered how much of that was due to guilt from Jas’s misadventure, and how much was due to Sterling not going into the saloon either. Instead, he kept showing up on her doorstep after he got off work each evening.

He had an excuse every time.

“I remembered you were getting low on kitty litter….”

“Mia wanted me to bring by more pink lemonade….”

“I found my old copy of Mega Smash Sisters and thought you should experience a true classic….”

She didn’t mind though, far from it. Callie enjoyed unwinding with him at the end of the day—that was half the reason she would go to the saloon as often as she did, after all. Only now, instead of chatting while he steadily got more shitfaced, they did it while playing games or watching tv. Sterling admitted that he still drank when he got home each night, but not as much as he used to.

Sometimes, Callie felt guilty about how much time she spent with him. She’d just broken up with Philip, and now every evening she did something with Sterling. Admittedly, he was her closest friend, but… well, Sterling felt more like a boyfriend than her actual boyfriend had. At least he kept his flirting under control; Callie didn’t think she could handle that yet.

He even came by on his day off to help her with the tractor, much to her surprise. “I’m not a mechanical genius by any means, but I’ve helped Hen a time or two with his dad’s equipment,” he’d explained. Even better, he actually knew what he was doing—which put him ahead of her by a league. Books and internet videos could only carry her so far. Callie privately thought he looked good with grease on his hands and his hair standing wildly on end. He made an attractive greasemonkey.

With his help on Wednesday, Callie finally felt confident enough to ask Andy to come by on Thursday and double check their work. She wanted to have someone more experienced look it over before trying to make the damn thing run.

“I’ll be, farmer. I think you’ve managed it,” the old farmer said as he climbed down off the tractor. “Why don’t you start her up and give her a try.”

To her delight and honest astonishment, it worked perfectly.

That evening, Sterling had barely finished his line about Mega Smash Sisters before she gave him a huge hug. “Whoa! What’s that for, hotstuff?” he asked, stumbling a step before recovering his balance. “Not that I mind having a pretty woman throw herself at me….”

“The tractor works!” she nearly squealed, his flirty comment not even registering.

His eyes lit up. “Show me.”

Grabbing his hand, Callie dragged him off towards the big shed at the north end of her property, making him laugh the whole way. She put the key in his hand then pushed him towards the tractor. “Go on!” she encouraged.

“It’s your tractor—”

“I drove it around this afternoon. It’s your turn,” she insisted.

Sterling let out a whoop of excitement as he drove it out of the shed.

Eventually, the time would come each evening when Sterling would take his leave, heading home to indulge his drinking habit and let Callie get some sleep. And she did—she did get sleep, more than she had in some time, actually—but it did not come quickly or easily. After bathing and all her other ablutions, she’d turn off her light, crawl into her bed, and wait for Cuthbert to hop onto the bed with her. As she stroked his soft, gray fur, she’d finally let herself cry.

Just because she didn’t regret ending things with Philip, didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. She hated that she’d hurt him too. She worried how it would affect her friendship with the Kobayashi brothers. She feared that she was so damaged at this point that she couldn’t even have a healthy relationship, that she wouldn’t recognize one if she did find it. Her first relationship ended in marriage, and her marriage ended with him trying to kill her. Her second relationship ended in engagement, and her engagement ended with her fiancée killing herself. Her third relationship ended after not-quite three months. Callie couldn’t decide if that meant improvement or impairment.

She only knew one thing for certain: they broke her.

Shiro

“I mean this in the most loving way possible, my friend: you look like shit,” Shiro told Philip when he showed up for their session.

Callie had informed Shiro of her and Philip’s breakup several days ago; Philip had yet to even mention it to Shiro. In fact, if Callie hadn’t said something, Shiro would still remain ignorant of it. He kept waiting for Philip to finally talk about it, but he remained focused on the work.

Even if Callie had never said anything, though, Shiro would still know something was wrong. As Summer progressed, he’d made note of how Philip continued to grow more and more exhausted and irritable, bringing it up to the man on more than one occasion. Every time, Philip would just laugh, acknowledge he did too much, and then continue anyway. Today, however, Philip looked haggard. In addition to the dark circles under his eyes, his skin looked sallow, the lines in his forehead and at the corners of his mouth more pronounced.

“That’s not kind at all, Nii-san,” Yuuma scolded his brother.

Shiro winced. In that moment, he’d forgotten his otouto was still in the room.

“I feel like it,” admitted Philip.

“Can we help?” Yuuma asked, turning his gaze up to him.

Shaking his head, Philip said, “No, but thank you for offering, Yuuma,” he said with a distracted smile and pinched eyes. “You should get going if you’re going to help Lenny,” he added.

Yuuma’s eyes widened as he doublechecked against the clock. “Oh! You’re right! I’ll return soon, Nii-san,” he said hurriedly as he gathered his things.

“Take your time,” Shiro told him even as his brother darted out the door.

After the echo of the door slamming shut faded, Philip asked Shiro, “Ready to begin?”

Shaking his head, Shiro said, “I’m not doing a damn thing for you until you sit down, drink some water, and tell me why in the Void you’re so hungover.”

His friend blinked in surprise before making a sound halfway between a laugh and a strangled cry. He did, however, sit at the table. Shiro pushed a glass of water Yuuma had already poured towards him. “What’s going on?” he asked, hoping that maybe, finally, his friend would talk to him.

Philip drank half the water in one go before setting it down. Staring down at the table much as his ex-girlfriend had days before, he said, “Callie broke up with me.”

Shiro nodded and asked, “Do you know why?”

Looking back up at Shiro, Philip frowned. “You’re not surprised.”

“I’d heard a rumor that the two of you had broken up, but you hadn’t said anything…” Shiro shrugged, neglecting to mention that said rumor came straight from Callie.

Sighing again, Philip rested his elbows on the table and ran his hands up his face and into his hair, pulling the skin up from his eyes. “I fucked up, Shiro,” Philip finally admitted.

His language startled Shiro. “How so?”

“I…” Philip trailed off, clearly having difficulties spitting the words out. Finally, he straightened back up and said, “I wasn’t there for her. I focused more on my job—on helping you, the Bladebanes, the Mullners, others who’d strained or injured themselves in recent weeks, and not on her. She asked for me, but… I… I…” he sighed, dropping his gaze in obvious shame. “I flat didn’t show up. And when…” Philip’s face twisted with a bitter smirk. “…a friend of hers pointed this out to me, I lashed out at him because I couldn’t face that.” He looked back up at Shiro. “You know how fiercely Callie defends her friends.”

Philip’s an idiot.

“You’re an idiot,” Shiro repeated aloud.

“Now, that’s not fair—”

“No, you really are, Philip,” Shiro said bluntly. “Sacrificing your health and your happiness for the sake of your ‘patients’ is absolutely an idiotic thing to do. You can’t do a damn thing for anyone else if you don’t take care of yourself, and part of taking care of yourself is maintaining your relationships. Quite frankly, I’m outright pissed that you’d use me and others like me as an excuse for your own self-destruction.”

Philip stared at him.

Shiro had given the whole situation a great deal of thought over the past few days, and now that Philip had finally admitted what had happened, he put his plan into action. “So, what you’re going to do is cancel any other appointments you have after this one, and then go back to the hotel and sleep,” Shiro continued. When Philip started to argue, Shiro kept talking right over him, “Technically, any other patients you take on beyond me are supposed to get approved by my parents, or at least their insurance company. You are here to help me, Philip, and you can’t do that if you’re hungover and strung out from stress. So, go get some sleep, then come back tomorrow and we’ll figure some things out.”

Philip’s eyes flashed with genuine anger as he jumped to his feet, and for a moment, Shiro thought his friend might literally fight him on this. Shiro might no longer have the physical strengths and aptitudes he’d had while serving the Ferngill Republic, but he still remembered how to take command. He arched an eyebrow at Philip and refused to show any other physical reaction, maintaining a calm demeanor.

Several minutes passed with neither man making a move. Finally, Philip closed his eyes and sighed. “Alright.”

Sterling

“Where’s your girl?” Shane asked as he slid into the booth. Glancing up from his beer, Sterling frowned. His fellow retail worker looked like shit—somehow even more unkempt than normal. Sterling hadn’t talked to Shane hardly at all since the search party for Jas. He found, now, that he regretted it.

Friday night had rolled around again, and Callie had told him she planned to show up at the saloon. Sterling both had and had not looked forward to coming back in. He’d done pretty well with keeping his habits under control while avoiding the place, and honestly felt better for it. Yet, he also missed it. The Stardrop really did feel like home. The regulars welcomed him back happily and with a great deal of ribbing about his disappearance.

He couldn’t decide how he felt about that.

“She’s not my girl,” Sterling corrected Shane irritably, “and she said she’d be in after visiting Gunther.”

“Well, she’s not Philip’s anymore. I figured you’d already moved in,” Shane retorted. There was an edge to his words that Sterling wouldn’t couldn’t identify.

“Callie’s my friend,” he insisted.

“Uh-huh, sure,” Shane said as Corine brought by a beer and a couple of shots and set them on the table between them.

“Want anything else?” she asked.

“A couple of burgers and fries, if you don’t mind, Corine,” Sterling said. “Though wait until Callie comes in to start ’em…?”

“Not a problem,” she said cheerfully before darting off.

Turning his attention back to Shane, Sterling discovered that he’d pushed one of the shot glasses in front of him. “What’s this?” he asked.

“Your penance for not coming in for two fucking weeks,” said Shane, grabbing the other shot glass for himself. When Sterling hesitated, he added, “What? Don’t tell me you’re going to puss out on me.”

Rolling his eyes, Sterling picked his glass up. “One shot, man.”

Shane smirked.

By the time Callie arrived, Sterling had downed two more shots and felt fucking fantastic. When she finally broke free from her conversation with Willy and Clint, he allowed himself a moment to enjoy the outfit she’d picked for the night. She’d left her curls loose and free (which he adored), and she hadn’t worn that skater skirt since Spring.

He’d always liked her in that particular skirt.

“Took ya long ‘nough, hotstuff,” he greeted her as she slid into the booth beside him. He left his arm stretched across the back of the bench.

Shane studied the table, refusing to meet Callie’s eyes, his face bright red. Sterling wondered if Callie knew the effect that particular pair of boots had on his buddy. Of course, they had an effect on Sterling too. They had from the first time he saw her in them.

“It’s not even seven yet, trouble,” she said as she shook her head. “Hey, buttercup,” she smiled at Shane.

He muttered something that might be construed as hello in reply.

“I can’t help that any delay in seein’ yer pretty face feels like an eternity,” Sterling said, giving her one of his most charming smiles. Yoba, he’d missed this.

“You’re incorrigible,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Only because you’re irresistible,” he replied, giving her a once-over.

That got her cheeks to turn pink, which in turn made him grin. He couldn’t help it. He felt loose and relaxed in a way he hadn’t realized he’d longed for so much, and Callie really was the prettiest women he’d ever met. He’d tried not to hit on her since she’d broken up with Philip—the last thing he wanted was to fuck up their friendship—but in this exact moment, he wasn’t thinking with his brain.

“What have you two been drinking?” she asked, looking between the pair of them and then eyeing the empty shot glasses on the table.

“Tequila,” Shane said. “Want one? My treat,” he offered. He’d bought all the shots thus far.

But Callie shook her head. “I think I’ll just do water tonight, but thanks all the same.”

“Spoilsport,” Sterling teased her.

“Yep,” she agreed. “Also, a killjoy.”

“Don’t tell me ya gotta rule about shots too,” Shane grumbled as he glared over his glass.

“Not so much that. Just don’t want alcohol tonight,” she shrugged.

Corine arrived then with burgers and fries for Callie and Sterling. “Here you guys go. Need anything else?” she asked, pausing for a moment.

“I’m good,” Callie said, even as Shane said, “One more rounda shots, Corine—and one for half-pint too.”

“I won’t drink it,” Callie insisted.

“Bring three anyways. Someone’ll take the third at some point,” Shane replied.

Smiling brightly, Corine said, “I’ll bring them by.”

“You need to loosen up some, doll face,” Sterling said as he added ketchup and mustard to his basket.

“You’re both loose enough,” she said amiably. “One of us should keep our wits to make sure you boys get home.”

“I haven’t had that much,” Sterling protested before biting into his burger. Fuck, that tasted amazing. He’d only had three shots and a beer. He was fine.

Callie just shook her head.

They didn’t manage to convince her to take the shot, so Shane knocked it back.

“Hafta getcha two next time to catch up t’ me,” he slurred at Sterling.

Sterling started to agree to that when he caught a glimpse of the wry resignation on Callie’s face. She didn’t say anything to dissuade them or distract them. She didn’t even seem upset, but….

“Nah, I think I’m good at this point,” he said as he ate the last bite of his burger. “Probably will move to water after this.”

Callie smiled, her dark eyes brightening. Yoba, she really was so fucking gorgeous, especially with the way her curls framed her face.

“Finally admittin’ I can drink more ‘n ya?” Shane needled him.

Still looking at Callie, he said, “Didn’t say that. Just hopin’ I can convince hotstuff here to dance with me instead.”

Shane sighed in defeat.

“I’ll dance with you too if you’d like, buttercup,” she said, looking away from Sterling to Shane. “You’re not half as bad at it as you pretend.”

Sterling nearly frowned before he caught himself.

Thankfully, Shane waved her off. “Not t’night.”

Corine picked that moment to come by and collect their baskets. “Need anything?”

“Water if you don’t mind,” said Sterling.

“Of course!”

“I make better choices when you’re around, farmer,” Sterling said, his arm around Callie’s shoulder as they left the saloon. It wasn’t a platitude, either. He knew himself. If she hadn’t shown up, he’d have matched Shane shot for shot until they both blacked out. Instead, he’d stayed on the dance floor with Callie most of the night after they ate. Sterling had reveled in getting to dance with her again. He’d delighted in every excuse to touch her and pull her against him. Philip was right about that much… though at least Sterling had enough common sense left to not grind against her on the dance floor. Even having drank nothing but water the rest of the night, Sterling kept having to remind himself to keep things tame, to not fuck things up.

She was just so irresistible.

“Maybe,” she said, sounding amused.

“No, I do,” he said, giving her a squeeze. “Coming out to East Scarp tomorrow night?”

“That’s the plan,” Callie said. “Can’t get too tipsy, though. I have watermelons to start harvesting on Sunday.”

“That’s a shame,” he said. “Need help with your melons? I’m more than willing to lend you a pair of hands.”

Tilting her head back, she smirked at him. Only then did he realize how that sounded. Welp, at least she didn’t look offended. “For all that you complain about how I never take a break, you don’t exactly use your days off for rest and relaxation either with the way you keep working at my farm or your uncle’s.”

“Working at my uncle’s cuts my rent,” he said. “Working with you feels less like work and more like hanging out with a good friend.” A good friend with extremely kissable lips.

Shit, he needed to head home and take himself in hand before he really did ruin things.

Callie’s face softened considerably. “I’m glad. Let’s see how you’re doing Sunday, and whether Hank needs your help.”

“Fair enough.”

Pierre shot Sterling a disgruntled look as he tied his apron on for the day. “Back to hitting the bottle hard, I see,” he sniped.

Ugh.

Sterling hadn’t had a hangover like this in weeks. He hadn’t missed it in the slightest.

“Friday nights,” he replied with a shrug before heading back to the storeroom to bring out the fresh produce for the day.

At least Shane looked even more miserable when he dropped by Pierre’s for his weekly grocery trip. While he preferred Joja’s frozen dinners, Shane swore up and down that the brand of pizza rolls Pierre carried was worth the extra cost. Hating the world and the way his head pounded, Sterling didn’t talk to Shane while he was there. Though, to be fair, Sterling normally didn’t talk to Shane at work… or at movie nights… really, the only time the two of them talked was at the saloon, during a game night when everybody got smashed, or at the ranch when Sterling was too intoxicated to make it home. In fact, he couldn’t think of a time when the two of them talked and weren’t either trashed or on their way there. How many times had Sterling waited to start a real conversation with Shane until they were both several beers in, knowing he wouldn’t get an answer before then?

That thought haunted him throughout the day, even once his hangover finally began to subside.

“Going to movie night tonight?” Jeric asked when he dropped by to harass Sterling and Pierre.

“Yeah,” he said, still trying to shake off his thoughts about Shane. “It’s at our place, so….”

“How’s the cutie pie doing?” Jeric asked more seriously. “She planning on going?”

“She’s… doing about as well as can be expected,” Sterling finally settled on. He’d done his best to try and provide distractions for her of an evening, so she didn’t sit and dwell and mope. But he could still see how much she hurt. “And she said she intended to go tonight.”

“Glad she’s doing alright,” Jeric said. The cowboy eyed Sterling thoughtfully before adding with a sly smirk, “Maybe I’ll drop by sometime next week and check on her. See if she needs someone to cheer her up a bit.”

Sterling nearly dropped the can of peas he was placing on the shelf, but he caught it before it hit the floor. “She’d probably appreciate that,” he made himself say. Knowing Callie, she really would appreciate Jeric’s visit.

The cowboy’s eyes twinkled, and he couldn’t decide just what the man was laughing at. “Aight,” Jeric said, “I’ll let you work in peace. I’ll swing by later to pick some stuff up for tonight,” he added before making his way towards the counter to jabber at Pierre and give the man a few more gray hairs to dye.

By the time Sterling clocked out for the night, he had two thoughts haunting him: his friendship with Shane, and the fact that with Callie back on the market, people would start calling again.

Mia

“Thanks for coming over to help me prep,” Mia said as they put more food out on the counter.

Callie smiled, visibly admiring the fruits and vegetables they’d cut into various shapes and the different collections of salads and chip platters in cute arrangements. “I’m enjoying the free time while I can. Tomorrow, I’m starting in on my watermelons, and then a week later Fall starts.”

Eyeing her friend, Mia shook her head. “Just don’t overdo it, this time, alright? You still haven’t regained all the weight you lost at the beginning of Summer, though you at least look better rested,” she gently admonished her. Even though she knew part of the weight loss was attributable to the Pontiac Fever she’d come down with after rescuing Jas, Mia still couldn’t help worrying about the other woman. If something happened to Cal, it would utterly devastate her boys. Devastate Mia too, for that matter. All of their lives had improved when she moved to the valley.

The door opened to let Sterling and Jeric carry in various items Mia had requested they pick up—beer, buns for burgers and hot dogs, condiments and the like—while Shane (why, Yoba? why?) carried in packages of meat. “Marnie sends her love,” he muttered to Callie as he handed it over to her.

Glancing down at his hands, Callie grinned. “I see you spent some time with Jas today. That shade of purple is perfect with your hair,” she said warmly. Flecks of Cal's own polish still clung to her nails.

To Mia’s unending surprise, Shane’s cheeks turned a brilliant red. “Shuddup and take it,” he grumbled.

Laughing, Callie did indeed take the bag from him. “Thank you, buttercup.”

Waving her off, Shane went to join Sterling in getting the grill started. Mia took the bag from Callie with a delighted smile. “Is this from Marnie’s ranch?”

Callie shook her head. “Marnie’s too soft-hearted to raise her animals for meat. This is from one of the ranches between here and Grampleton. Shane agreed to run out and pick it up for me.”

“You didn’t have to do that, Cal. You host as often as I do—”

“Consider it a thank you for last weekend,” she replied.

Mia just shook her head as she began unwrapping the butcher paper filled with ground beef and different sausages. “Let’s get the burgers shaped and then worry with the brawts.”

While they got to work, Jeric wandered over to them and said, “Can I help somehow?”

“Can you grab the platter from the cabinet there for us to put the meat onto?” Mia asked, nodding her head towards the cupboard in question.

“Of course,” he replied, opening the door and looking for said platter. Glancing at Callie, he said, “Missed you today, cutie. When I went to Pierre’s, he said you’d already gone through, and you weren’t at the farm when I dropped by. Feeling a bit neglected, not gonna lie.”

Callie shook her head at him. “It’s not my fault you had bad timing today,” she said dryly. “Also, there’s this thing called a cell phone. I know my reception sucks, but at no point today did you text me.”

Jeric laughed as he pulled out the platter. “Damn, kitten, sheathe your claws.”

She pretended to hiss at him, then grinned.

Mia shook her head at the two of them. “Less flirting, more helping,” she said. Though, to be honest, it was good to see Callie having some fun.

“I’m not flirting,” Callie insisted even as she returned to her assigned task.

“I definitely am,” Jeric grinned.

“Practice on the redhead, not me.”

Mia gave Jeric a vicious grin. “Please, proceed.”

“Dammit, baby girl, why ya gotta do me like that?”

“I’m not a baby.”

The three of them continued to joke and tease one another, though Mia and Jeric frequently teamed up against Callie, who easily rolled with it and gave as good as she got. Though, even Mia had to admit that Callie started to look a bit frazzled by the time Sterling stepped in to collect the meat.

“They’re ganging up on me!” Callie playfully whined as she washed her hands.

Sterling shook his head. “Shame on you, picking on the poor, defenseless farmer like that,” he said. “That’s my job.”

Callie groaned as she turned the water off. “I don’t know why I put up with any of you,” she huffed. She couldn’t hide her smile, though.

“Aww, you love us, and you know it,” Mia said as she handed her a dish towel to dry her hands.

“It’s true; I’m a glutton for punishment,” she acknowledged.

Clapping Jeric on the shoulder, Sterling said, “Come on, cowboy. Let’s get these on the grill,” before picking up the platter and heading for the door.

“Guess I’ll join in the masculine tradition of standing in the miserable heat watching meat burn,” Jeric sighed as he followed Sterling out.

“If your meat’s burning, they have a cream for that,” Callie called to their backs as they stepped outside.

Mia cackled, having missed Callie’s quick wit and sense of humor. Until then, she hadn’t realized how much it had disappeared. She wondered just how long worrying about Philip had sucked the life out of her friend.

Sterling looked back over his shoulder and gave Callie a wicked grin. “I’m only interested if you’re the one providing the cream, baby cakes.”

Mia laughed even harder as Callie flipped him off.

“Yes, sugar plum, that is the idea,” he smirked as Jeric snickered and let the door close.

Sighing, Callie buried her red face in her hands. “I am not having a good run today.”

Giggling, Mia gave her a one-armed hug. “I don’t know. You look like you’re having a great time.”

Callie smiled a little at that as she returned the one-armed hug. “Alright, so it sounds like it’s just going to be the six of us tonight. How do you want to do seating?”

Callie

It turned out that Mia wanted them to get some chairs out of the bedrooms. She went to go get one out of Hank’s room while asking Callie to retrieve Sterling’s office chair.

Stepping inside, Callie’s eyes flitted over his room, mentally filing things away. She’d been in here once before, and she had seen it numerous times over video calls, but it still felt different standing in there alone. Boxes, most of which looked as though he hadn’t bothered to open, hid the entirety of one whole wall and partially obscured two other walls as well. He kept his bed made—she suspected Mia’s hand in that—though it confused her to see that he had his headboard and pillow towards the middle of the room instead of at the end next to the wall.

Across from the bed was his desk with his laptop open. Perched beside it, she saw the little fox she’d made for him earlier in the season. That made her smile. Pulling his office chair out, her eyes caught the text on the screen.

…I'm feeling pumped. Like. Bouncy. It feels good to actually DO things, to take care of someone. When I’m with her, I practically forget about beer. When was the last time I did anything for fun with my friends back in the city? Without alcohol involved?

Rapidly tearing her gaze from what was clearly Sterling’s journal, she focused on getting his chair out of the room. Callie couldn’t help a small, pleased smile though. He’d done so much for her these past few weeks, first helping her recover from her arcane trauma and then supporting and distracting her after she broke up with Philip. It soothed something inside of her to know that, in some small way, she had helped him in return.

They had just finished putting silverware on the table when Henry emerged from his shower. “Hey girls,” he said as he stepped out of the hallway.

“Hey, Hen. Have a good day?” Mia asked even as Callie said, “Hi, Hank!”

Smiling a little, Henry walked over to help them. “It was an alright day. Dad bitched, but what else is new.”

Jeric came back inside carrying the platter. “Do I need to wash and reuse this for the meat, or do you have another platter?” he asked.

“Oh, hand it here,” Mia said, taking it out of Jeric’s hands and carrying it to the sink.

“I could’ve washed that, sweetheart,” he protested. “I got two hands that work.”

“Ah, but it’s my house,” countered Mia, “and I’m very particular.”

Before Jeric could argue further, Henry asked, “Food about done then?”

“Pretty close,” said Jeric, before poking Callie in the side. “I noticed you avoided going outside.”

She twitched away from him. “Stop that,” she said. “And damn straight I did. Inside has air conditioning.” Grinning, he went to poke her again, and she grabbed his finger. “I’m warning you, Kayden,” she jokingly growled.

Mia walked back over with the dried platter. “Here. Go get the food before Callie breaks your finger.”

Jeric laughed and took the platter from her. “Aight. Be back in a jiffy,” he said as he headed for the door.

“What was that about?” Henry asked Callie.

Sighing, she took a drink of her lemonade. “When he babysat me last week, he figured out I’m ticklish,” she said. Henry’s eyes gleamed, and she suddenly remembered that as a kid, he could act just as mischievous and ornery as Sterling when he wanted to. “Now, Hank, you think long and hard before you do something you’ll regret,” Callie threatened him, eyes narrowed.

His grin widened. “Or you’ll do what?” he taunted.

“I’ll sic Mia on you.”

“Damn,” he cursed.

Mia giggled at their antics. Then again, once she got going, Mia giggled at everything.

“Behold: meat!” Sterling declared as the two other guys followed him in.

“Dork,” Mia said through her giggles.

Jeric eyed Sterling askance and then shook his head, saying, “I take no responsibility for him.”

“Isn’t he Callie’s responsibility?” Shane smirked.

“Hey now, I don’t remember volunteering for that,” said Callie. “And I’m sure not getting paid for it.”

“Technically, I think Gus bribed you with dinner one night for that express purpose,” Sterling reminded her.

“Damn it,” Callie laughed. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I like you then.”

Sterling smiled, his blue eyes surprisingly soft. “It really is.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 26 – Ocean Drive

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: You can talk to me

Lee-lee,

Please let me know everything’s okay. If they’re not, then let me know that too. I’m really worried about you. You haven’t answered my emails or phone calls in over a year now. Jas will turn two in just a couple of months.

Please be okay.

I love you,

—Mo

P.S. If I don’t hear from you by Jas’s birthday, I’m coming to Zuzu to find you.

Callie

Time raced for the end of Summer.

Callie focused her attention on harvesting her watermelons, making sure to give Maru her first pick before selling off the excess. Once she’d finished that, she focused on harvesting the flowers and other plants that would die if left out in the Change. Despite the long hours in the hot sun, Callie enjoyed the work. Truly nothing compared to harvesting the fruits of her labor.

Sterling showed up around lunch on Sunday to help her harvest the watermelons. That was the compromise they’d come to, so he got at least some rest and relaxation on his day off.

He had a very different idea for his next day off, however. “Think you could save Wednesday afternoon for me?” Sterling asked her the next morning as he helped her unload her latest shipment at Pierre’s.

Callie paused for a moment as she mentally reviewed what she had left to do. It would take a bit of finagling, but… “Probably. What for?” she asked, curiosity piqued.

“You promised me a road trip,” he reminded her as he added another crate to his stack. “And with Fall around the corner, I know your free time’s about to become nonexistent for a long while.”

“Fair enough. I should have no problem swinging that,” she said, smiling in anticipation. Going out riding sounded like a fun afternoon to her.

Besides, the way he smiled in response made it totally worth the effort.

Thankfully, by the time Wednesday afternoon rolled around, Callie had finished harvesting all of her watermelons. She even managed to grab a quick shower and change out of her work clothes before she heard the tell-tale sounds of a motorcycle engine. Darting outside with her purse, she made it to the bottom of her porch steps just as Sterling came to a stop in front of the cottage.

“Hey there, farmer!” Sterling shouted through his helmet as he parked the bike. “Here, take this and hand me your bag,” he added as he held out his spare helmet to her. It was less a command and more super-excited kid wanting to go-go-go!

It made her giggle.

By the time she had secured the helmet on and flipped the face shield down, Sterling had finished stowing her purse. Patting the seat behind him, Sterling said, “Hop on, hotstuff. Let’s get this show on the road.”

Callie nearly jumped as his voice echoed clearly through the helmet. “These have headsets?” she asked in surprise.

“Seemed like a good use for some of that extra money I had lying around after a couple of weeks of no saloon visits,” he said. “Road trip wouldn’t be nearly as much fun if we couldn’t talk to each other.”

As she got herself seated behind him, Callie asked, “Just how long have you been planning this for, shop boy?”

“Jeric and I’d talked about getting headsets like this for a while, but I’ve wanted to take you out on my bike pretty much since I met you,” Sterling admitted.

Grateful that the face shield and the fact that she rode behind him hid her blush, she teased, “You mean we’re going to go faster than Granny on a moped?”

Instead of answering directly, Sterling said, “Hang on, darlin’.”

No sooner had she gripped the belt loops at his hips than Sterling pulled out to get them to the highway. The instant he hit the asphalt, he gunned the engine, making Callie fling her arms around his middle even as she laughed with delight.

His own laughter sounded far too pleased.

Sterling

Riding with Callie was everything Sterling had hoped it would be.

Like him, she loved it when he pushed the speed on his Kitsune, pressing her chest firmly to his back and leaning with him even as she hung on for dear life. Much like whenever they danced, she followed his lead instinctively. No hesitation, no fighting for control, she had implicit trust in his decisions. Yoba, the high it gave him rivaled anything he’d ever tried in Zuzu City.

“How long will it take us to get there?” she asked, her melodic voice filling his helmet.

“A couple of hours or so to get out of the valley, and then maybe another hour and a half to get us where I want to take you,” Sterling replied, smiling in anticipation. They’d get there a little earlier than needed for what he wanted to show her. Unless, that is, they found somewhere to stop along the way. They both grew quiet for a time, partly to enjoy the ride and partly to allow Sterling to focus on the drive through the mountains. Even now he had to keep his speed in check—too many blind turns and sudden drops and climbs as the highway wound its way out of the mountains. He felt far less willing to indulge in risk taking while sober, especially with Callie clinging to him.

Eventually, the road straightened back out, and they found themselves past the foothills. As they neared Belleview just outside the valley proper, Sterling spied a familiar diner and dive bar. “Have you eaten lunch yet today?”

Callie responded with a nervous laugh.

“You could have said something sooner, you know.”

“This is the first place with food we’ve passed.”

Sterling brought them to a stop in front of the diner, parking and killing the engine. Realizing that Callie was waiting for his permission, he said, “Go ahead and dismount, firecracker.”

“Yes, sir,” she said with a teasing lilt to her voice as she swung her leg around to hop down. Sterling smiled a very pleased smile. As he secured their helmets, Callie said, “I need to grab my purse—”

“I’ve got you today, Lee-lee,” Sterling interrupted her before offering his arm.

“Red…” she sighed even as she slipped her arm through his.

“Consider it my thank you for going on this little road trip with me,” he said, smiling down at her.

Though she had her hair pulled back in a single, thick plait, a half-dozen tiny, wild strands of curls made a halo around her face after the ride. It made her smile that much more adorable as she gave in. “Alright, fine,” Callie said. Considering how easily she folded, he felt certain that she’d already started plotting how to repay him anyways.

The burgers were just as gloriously sloppy as he remembered, and the fries were the right combination of crisp and salty. One of the servers he’d flirted with the last time he’d stopped there looked a little put out that Sterling had brought Callie in, but the other two looked chuffed. “Been out this way before?” Callie asked as they ate, eyeing the waitstaff with obvious amusement.

Nodding, Sterling said, “Yeah, I ate here…” he trailed off as he remembered why, then gave her a rueful smile. “…a couple days after you found me on the tracks,” he admitted.

He could almost see the wheels turning in her head as though she thumbed through an old rolodex of memories. “Same day you came out to apologize to me?” Callie asked before murdering a fry.

“Heh, yeah, that’s the one,” said Sterling. Of course, she could pinpoint the day. “I spent the ride trying to decide what to do about you.”

“Do about me?” she asked, her brown eyes bright and curious.

“I’ve done a lot—and I do mean a lot—of stupid shit I’m not proud of over the years,” Sterling said once he’d finished off his hamburger. “And most people who’ve witnessed me that way… well, they typically either joined in on the afore-mentioned stupid shit or made themselves scarce afterwards. Sometimes both,” he explained.

“Okay…?” she replied leadingly, obviously still confused.

Sterling looked down at his fries as he said, “Well, you didn’t join in or encourage my stupidity, but you also didn’t beat a hasty retreat. You just kept, well, treating me the exact same as you had beforehand. I didn’t know what to make of it,” he looked back up at her. “Make of you. I finally decided that if I hadn’t scared you off yet, then I should at least try to make amends.”

“I’m glad you did,” Callie said, her voice as warm and sweet as honey. It made him smile; he was glad too. Her phone chose that moment to start ringing, shattering the moment as she pulled it from her pocket. Glancing at the number, she gave him an apologetic look. “Mind if I take this? It’s my sister.”

“Go for it,” he said. To be honest, he felt a little grateful for the interruption before he turned into an utter sap.

Giving him a quick grin, Callie answered her phone. “Hey there, bumble-butt!” He half-expected her to get up and walk outside for some privacy, but instead she stayed there, allowing him to listen in on half of the conversation. “That’s ‘cause I’m not in the valley right now. No, not up on the ridge either. Hmmm? Oh, no, shop boy finally talked me into taking a road-trip with him—” Callie held the phone out from her ear as her sister squealed loud enough for him to hear. Sterling smirked at that. Always nice to have someone cheer him on. Even though they were only riding as best friends.

Clearly.

Bringing it back to her ear, Callie playfully scolded her sister even as she gave him a wry smile. Her face quickly dropped as she sighed, “No, Bria, I don’t have a boyfriend right now. No, nor a girlfriend, nor a significant other, nor a partner. Philip and I only broke up a couple of weeks ago.” Rolling her eyes, Callie huffed, “Fine, yes, I do have a partner in crime. Now, is there a reason you called?”

He felt fairly certain that he was said partner in crime. He could hope, anyways.

Callie grew quiet as she listened to her sister, nodding even though Bria couldn’t see her. “Yeah… I don’t have my calendar at the moment, but I’m pretty sure it’s….” A bit more listening and another apologetic look before Callie sat bolt upright and exclaimed, “Brianna Rose Fane!”

It wasn’t even his full name getting used, and Sterling still felt himself coming to attention at the tone of Callie’s voice.

“That’s what I thought,” she added after a moment, before breaking into laughter. “There you go. Alright, I should really get going. No. You’re a married woman with twins. Damn straight I am. Love you, kiddo. Give Brooklyn and Lillian hugs from me. Bye!” Hanging up, Callie shook her head. “The woman who raised her should be ashamed of herself,” she laughed.

Smirking, Sterling teased her, “You shouldn’t talk about your ma that way.”

Callie stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before rubbing the back of her neck under her braid and laughing a little. “I, uh, actually meant me,” she said. At his surprised look, she shrugged. “They diagnosed Mum with cancer when my sister came along. Bria’s almost ten years younger than me, so I got saddled with most of the childcare. My parents hadn’t really wanted her to begin with, so after I got married, she came to live with Paul and I in her teen years.”

“I’m sorry, I—”

“Don’t be,” she smiled. “I’ve screwed up most things in my life, but Bria’s upbringing is one of the few things I feel like I did alright. Not perfect—I should have left Paul much, much earlier for example—but alright. Like she keeps reminding me, she grew up knowing someone loved her.”

Remembering his own fucked up childhood, Sterling smiled back. “There’s a lot to be said for that.”

Callie

As they left the valley proper, the road straightened out with far fewer twists and dips. Callie felt more comfortable talking to Sterling without worrying about distracting him at an inopportune moment. “When was the last time you came out this way?” she asked as they rode.

“Oh, Yoba… fifteen, twenty years ago? Ma was still alive,” Sterling replied. Callie knew that she’d died when the mine collapsed in East Scarp. “She had family out this way, so about once a year Ma would convince Pa to go visit. Towards the end, oftentimes it was just her and I. Pa… never really got on with her folks,” he said after a moment. Considering what little she knew of the man, that didn’t surprise Callie at all. Shaking his head, he continued, “But, despite that, I still know where we’re going. I’ve wanted to make this trip for a long, long time.”

“I’m glad you can finally make it,” said Callie, tightening her arms around him.

“I’m glad we can make it,” he said, voice so soft she could barely hear him over the headset. Raising his voice to a normal volume, he added, “Actually, my family out here is the farthest I’ve ever been from Stardew Valley, though Zuzu City comes close. What about you, hotstuff? Did you travel a lot as a kid?”

“All over the damn place,” she said with a rueful chuckle. “My brother, Hudson, and I did ballroom competitions starting when I was eight and he was ten. It felt like my parents loaded us up and drove us someplace new to dance every weekend, at least when Mum felt healthy enough. We did that until my brother graduated from school, at which point they promptly decided that it was more important for me to ‘focus on schoolwork and family.’”

“Did you like doing it?”

“Absolutely. Left to my own devices, I would have kept competing after my brother aged out of our bracket.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because the competitions were always about making my brother look good; they had nothing to do with what I wanted,” she replied, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. Though, to be fair to her brother, Hudson had asked to keep dancing because he knew just how much she loved it. “My parents are firm believers in ‘the family comes first,’ and within the family men first and elders foremost. I danced because Hudson wanted to; in my parents’ eyes, my wants and desires had no impact on it. So, when he had to stop…” Callie trailed off with a shrug.

They rode in silence for a mile or two as Sterling considered what she’d told him. “They sound like my uncle,” he said at last.

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

“But you said you danced at ZU…?”

Callie grinned at that. “I did. As long as my grades stayed up, I got the degree they’d chosen for me, and looked after Bria whenever they needed, they didn’t care what extracurriculars I picked up. I danced with a couple of different troupes and got involved with the theatre department.”

“Is that how you met Reece?” Sterling asked, his voice tentative.

She smiled in fond remembrance. “We lived on the same hall but met in a club. We had a mutual friend who liked to DJ, and we both got dragged along with a large group to ‘go support them.’”

Sterling turned his head, as if trying to see her over his shoulder. “I have a hard time envisioning you clubbing,” he said, sounding amused.

“What if I told you I was underage at the time?”

That made him snicker. “Oooo, a troublemaker and a rebel!”

“You joke, but that’s precisely how my parents have always described me.”

“Wait, really?”

“I avoid my parents for a reason, Red,” she reminded him.

Silence fell between them again as they rode. Eventually, Sterling said, “I can’t see anyone else on the road… what say you we put on some speed?”

“Yes!” Callie replied with an eager grin.

The sun barely sat above the horizon as they finally took the offramp Sterling wanted. Finding a good place to park in the sand, they removed their helmets and dismounted the bike. “Come on, Lee-lee,” he said, holding his hand out to her. “If you’re anything like me, I know you’ll love this.”

He smiled when she grabbed his offered hand.

They made their way down to the shore, stopping periodically when some shell caught her magpie eye. By the time they reached the water’s edge, the sun had just breached the edge of the world, setting the sky and ocean on fire. The way the two blended together, she could hardly tell where one ended and the other began. Callie let out a long sigh of appreciation, eyes wide as she soaked in the sight.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Sterling asked in a surprisingly tender voice.

“Stunning,” she agreed, before looking at him. Her cheeks heated upon realizing he was watching her and not the sunset.

Smiling his small, real smile, he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, the edge of his fingerless gloves rough against her skin. Sterling turned his eyes out over the ocean as well. “This really is a dream come true, you know,” he said. “Whenever we’d make the trip out to see the family, I always begged for us to stop along the coast.” His smile turned wry as he explained, “Of course, they always denied me—either because we were almost there and they were ready to be done with the drive, or because we’d just left, and they didn’t want to spend forever on the road. I always longed to soak my feet in pure sunset,” he added wistfully.

“And now… I can. One of the plus sides to growing up, I guess, is that I get to decide how many detours I make along the way. I’d forgotten that, until I moved back to Stardew.” Sterling squeezed her hand, drawing her attention away from the blazing horizon to find him smiling down at her. “I’m glad I finally got to do this with you, Callie. Thanks for that.”

“Thank you for bringing me along, Sterling,” she replied, returning his smile with her own before teasing him a little, “I guess you’re not tired of me yet.”

As his free hand messed with his helix piercing, Sterling looked away from her and back out to the ocean; she could still see the blush that spread across his cheeks. “No, no, I’m not. Far from it,” he said softly. “I didn’t get to say it at the diner, but I’m… so, so thankful that you’ve stuck around. Most people don’t, and… not only have you stuck with me, but I have fun with you even…” trailing off again, he gave her a sheepish smile, “…even when neither of us are drinking.”

Callie held his hand tight. She looked up at him and waited until he met her eyes. “To be fair, you’ve stuck with me too, you know. Every time I’ve found myself spiraling or in trouble since I moved to the valley… you are the one who’s picked me up and brushed me off, listened to my woes and heard my cries and then made me laugh. You’ve done that both drunk and sober; that’s just the kind of good man you are, Red, and I’m grateful for you every day,” she said, pouring as much sincerity as she could into her words.

“You’re going to make me cry,” Sterling tried to jokingly accuse as his blush deepened and he looked away again. He tried to surreptitiously wipe his eyes.

A sympathetic smile curved her lips. “Not doing it on purpose. I just want you to know how important you are to me,” she explained. With a quiet, shuddering breath, Sterling wrapped Callie in a hug. Feeling how he trembled, she held him in return. One day, she'd convince him he was a far better man than he believed himself to be.

Eventually, he pulled back and gave her the smile she loved best. His eyes looked red as he said, "C'mere, darlin'." She let him shift her in front of him; once more, he wrapped his arms around her middle from behind, chin sitting atop her head. Callie relaxed back against him, resting her arms on his and trying so very hard to memorize the moment—the beauty of the setting sun painting both sky and sea, the heat of a fading Summer and the cool, damp wind off the ocean, the sound of the tide breaking against the shore, the way his every breath stirred her hair, how safe she felt wrapped in his arms with his chest at her back.

Yoba, she wanted to keep this forever.

They stood that way for a long, long time as they watched the sun sink ever further into the sea. He did not loosen his hold on her until the sun had slipped completely below the waves.

“Come on, firecracker. We have a long ride home.”

For the first part of the drive back, Sterling spun Callie tales from his past, stories of mishaps as a barista, anecdotes of when he started as a bartender, a couple of yarns about things he and Henry had gotten up to as kids. During the next portion, she returned the favor, talking about raising her sister even though they were both kids, times when shows had gone horribly wrong, the ways cutthroat politics played out at Joja. They were deep in the valley by that point. The only light came from his lone headlight and the stars above. No one else was out on the roads.

After about ten minutes of hearing nothing but the roar of the Kitsune, Sterling's voice filled Callie’s helmet with tired words: “Sometimes, I think you’re the only real friend I have.”

That startled her. “I have a hard time believing that,” she denied. “Hank—Henry and Mia both love you, and there’s Emily and Jeric and—”

“Henry loves me the same way you love Hudson: because I’m essentially his brother. Mia loves me because she loves Henry. I know I disappoint them both regularly,” Sterling interrupted her to say. He voice held no heat, just a sad knowledge. “Jeric is your, Mia’s, and Emily’s friend, so he tolerates me on that basis, and Emily, again, tolerates me because of Shane.”

“But you do have Shane,” Callie pointed out. She knew Shane considered Sterling his friend—his best friend. And, as far as she knew, Sterling returned that sentiment… or had at one time.

So, yeah, I fucking stepped up to the plate to make sure someone takes care of my best friend.

Sterling fell silent at that, either to ponder her words or to navigate the sharp drops and sudden turns in the road. Finally, he said, “Yeah… I do. I know I do, and I’m so grateful to have him. He was my lifeline when I first got here….”

“I hear a ‘but’ coming…”

He snickered.

“I’d smack you if you weren’t driving,” Callie grumbled.

“Violent woman,” Sterling teased her, before sighing and saying. “But… having spent as much time as I have with you, and then comparing it to when I’m with Shane…” he sighed again. “I don’t think what he and I have is a true friendship. We don’t know how to interact with one another when we’re not drinking.”

Callie hummed thoughtfully at that. “I don’t mean this quite the way it’s going to sound, but… have you tried?”

“That’s a fair question,” Sterling acknowledged, “And yeah, we have. Or, at least, I have. If I try not to drink, Shane just keeps teasing and offering and needling me until I do. The times where neither of us drink… well, Shane barely does more than grunt in response to anything I say.”

She frowned at that, yet again tightening her arms around him. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“It’s just like with my friends back in the city. Whenever I’d try to stop—using, drinking, whatever—they’d say I’m not as much fun without something in my system,” he added. The raw pain in his voice at that admission made Callie’s soul ache for him. “And with Shane… it all feels like…” Sterling’s shoulders hunched, and she could feel the tension ripple through his back. “It feels like back in the city.”

“You know it’s not true, right?”

“Hmm?”

“That you’re no fun without some chemical in your bloodstream," she said. "Because you are, Sterling. You’re all kinds of fun when you’re sober. When they said things like that or acted like that… it had a lot more to do with their own hangups than anything to do with you."

He reached down with one hand and patted her hands where they lay against his stomach before returning to the handlebar. “That’s because I’m with you, sweetheart. When I’m with you, it just happens… naturally, I suppose, like you bring it out of me. I don’t have the right words to describe it, but,” and here she could hear the smile in his voice, “I’m glad to have it—to have you in my life.”

“Now you’re going to make me cry,” Callie said, wishing it a joke instead of an echo of his words on the beach.

“I just want you to know that you're important to me too, Lee-lee.”

Sterling

Finally making it back home after dropping Callie off, Sterling took off his shoes and wiggled his toes as they found freedom. Shoes were the tool of the oppressors, after all. As he returned to his room to put them away, he heard one of his housemates turning off the water to the shower.

Sterling flitted around his room, filled with a jittery, nervous energy he didn’t know how to contain. Not like when he had cravings, but more like— like— like tomorrow was the Feast of the Winter Star, and he couldn’t wait to see someone’s face when they opened the present he had gotten for them. Or like he’d just gotten off the best rollercoaster ride of his life and still giddily swam in adrenaline.

After changing from his jeans to thin, cotton pajama pants, Sterling returned to his desk. Plopping down in his chair, he scooted up to his laptop, lifted the screen, and opened his journal. He bounced his knee beneath the desk and tried to think of how to word his thoughts. He felt about to burst from just how good the day had gone. Sure, they’d talked about some heavy things, but… in a good way. And…

I finally got her to go riding with me, and we went to Ocean Drive! It was everything I’d hoped for. The sunset. The breeze. The gulls. The ocean.

Callie.

Like, knowing she believes in me… I feel STRONG? As though I can actually do this—get better. I knew moving was the right choice, but… it FEELS right now.

Sterling’s phone vibrated where it sat on the desk, distracting him from jotting his thoughts down. He’d forgotten to flip the sound back on when he’d gotten home. Picking it up, he smiled when he saw messages from Callie.

Callie: Thank you so much for taking me out to Ocean Drive! 😀

Callie: I had a great time, and I hope you did too

Callie: [img_7921] Cuthbert and I both hope you have sweet dreams!

Sterling: Thank —you— for coming with me… and for talking with me

Sterling: I don’t get to connect with people like that often 😊

Sterling: Stay safe AND hot, alright farmer? I’ll see you tomorrow

A truly, truly stellar day.

Backing up in his messages, he saw he’d missed quite a few that afternoon and evening. He had a couple of messages from Shane asking where he was and if he was hanging out with Callie. Wincing, Sterling shot off a quick text telling him that he and Callie had gone out riding, they were back in town, and that they’d see him tomorrow. He also had one from Mia asking when he thought he’d be back, and then another from her saying not to worry about it. He’d need to check with her in the morning. Scrolling down, he blinked when he realized that the number of unread messages from Kai had gone up. He stared at it before deciding to close his phone.

Soon, but not tonight, not when he’d had such a fantastic day.

I just looked at my phone right now, and suddenly looking at those messages from Kai doesn’t feel quite so daunting. Maybe I’ll finally tackle it. Tackle him….

Chapter Text

Chapter 27 – The Dance of the Midnight Jellies

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Mona

Lee-lee,

We’ve never met, but I’m Mona’s brother.

Fuck, I don’t know how to write this. Still don’t really believe it myself.

Mona’s gone.

The river flooded. She was trying to bring in some escaped cattle, and she drowned. I’ve been going through her online accounts trying to contact her friends and take care of banking and shit.

Anyways, her services are scheduled for Tuesday.

—Shane W.

Callie

“It’s hard to believe the year’s almost halfway over already, isn’t it?” Henry laughed with disbelief. “Hope you’re ready for the busy season, Lee-lee. Next thing you know, we’ll be prepping for Winter.”

“Let me get through Fall first, Hank,” said Callie as she sat down with her bowl of potato soup. She had offered to host a get-together before the festival, and she’d opted to make soup and biscuits. The latter half of the week had brought days of intermittent rain, as if Summer knew Fall was gunning for it and decided to throw a tantrum. At least the rain had finally moved off in the last couple of hours—they should have clear skies for the Dance of the Midnight Jellies.

“Pumpkins! Spooky season!” Sterling cheered obnoxiously as he sat down on her other side.

“I already promised Maru first dibs on my pumpkins,” Callie informed him.

Sterling gave her a look of utter betrayal. “How dare you, madam—”

“She fixed my sprinklers for me.”

“You got off cheap, baby girl,” Jeric said as he, too, found a seat at the table. The table had once belonged to Callie’s grandmother on her mother’s side, and it had enough leaves to seat sixteen people. Provided Callie had enough chairs, at least.

“Oh, trust me, I’m very well aware. Maru initially planned to do it all for free, but I insisted she needed some form of recompense,” Callie explained before tacking on out of habit, “And I’m not a baby.”

“But your friends will get second pick of the pumpkins, right hotstuff?” Sterling interjected, his blue eyes wide and pleading.

“How old are you again?” Mia smirked as she sat down.

“Carving pumpkins is one of the best parts of Spirit’s Eve!”

“I don’t know… the maze is pretty fun,” Emily said thoughtfully.

Shane groaned at that. “I hate that Yoba-cursed maze.”

“Why?” Hank asked with a confused expression.

“Jas begs every year to go in, and Marnie absolutely refuses to let her because she doesn’t want to deal with the nightmares. It makes Jas insufferable for a week afterwards,” he groused before digging into his own bowl of soup. “Don’t really blame Marnie, though.” That was probably one of the longest speeches he’d ever made when the group got together.

“You could take her and be the cool adult in her life…” Sterling teased Callie.

“I’m already the cool adult in her life,” she replied primly.

“Only because she doesn’t know what a dweeb you are,” Shane retorted. Callie didn’t argue the point; she was a dweeb.

“Are you ready to see the jellies tonight?” asked Emily. “There’s really nothing like it.”

“I’m so excited to see them again!” Mia exclaimed. “They’re such a rare species to find outside of Stardew Valley. My dad took me to see them in an aquarium once. I knew then I had to see them in the wild someday.”

“How cool would it be if you could capture the jellyfish and put them in tanks to use as lamps?” Jeric said thoughtfully. Mia and Emily both looked at him askance. The others smirked at the way Jeric started sweating. Swallowing, he quickly added, “That’d be pretty brutal to them though. Best to just enjoy the show.”

 “I’ve never gotten to see them before,” Callie said, keeping the conversation moving. “Only downside is that it’s the night of the Change.”

“At least you have your tractor up and running this time,” Jeric replied, gladly latching onto the new subject.

“There is that,” she acknowledged.

“Maybe this time you’ll remember to eat and sleep, yeah?” Emily said, giving Callie a stern look.

“No worries there, Em,” said Sterling. “Not with the lot of us keeping an eye on her.”

Callie smiled.

Philip

“You look like you’re doing better,” said Shiro.

“Real rest has helped,” Philip admitted as he walked down the cliffside stairs beside his charge. While the new railing helped immensely, since Shiro’s surgery, they’d shown a bit more caution whenever traversing these steps.

Last Friday, after Philip had a chance to sleep and sober up, Shiro had given him a choice: either cut the number of patients he’d taken on or reduce everyone’s hours to where he only did eight hours a day instead of the twelve-to-fourteen that had become his norm. Working with Harvey and Paula, Philip had spent Saturday redoing his schedule to where he didn’t work more than eight hours a day, with Sundays being completely off—not even paperwork. Neither doctor had given Philip any sympathy either. The worst part of the whole ordeal, in Philip’s private opinion, was that they hadn’t forced him to do this before he’d screwed up so spectacularly with Callie.

As though reading his mind, Shiro said, “Callie’s doing well. She said she planned to attend the festival tonight.”

It took far too much effort for Philip to keep from cringing at that announcement. “That’s good to hear.”

Yuuma brightened at that. “I’m glad Ms. Callie is going. The Dance of the Midnight Jellies seems like something she’d really like.”

Philip had to agree.

Shiro gave a wistful smile at that. “I’ve always loved watching the Midnight Jellyfish….” With a quick glance at Philip, he asked, “Have you talked to her since—?”

“No, and I have no intention of doing so soon. We need time. She needs time,” Philip said as they finally reached the bottom of the staircase. “And, while I’ve acted like an utter asshat throughout this whole thing, I do actually care about her, Shiro. When she’s ready, we’ll talk.”

Frowning, Shiro sighed. “Alright, that’s fair. So, what did you do with your day off?”

“Slept in, watched all of the Incrediman movies, and tried my best to relax.”

“Look, otouto! He can be taught!” Shiro grinned.

Callie

“Hurry up, farmer,” Sterling said, bouncing on his toes.

“I’m hurrying! I’m hurrying!” Callie cried out with a laugh as she finished locking the door to the cottage.

“They only opened the beach up about five minutes ago. I promise they haven’t launched the boat just yet,” Mia gently scolded him. Unlike most night fish, the Midnight Jellies were attracted to the lights made by humans. From Callie’s understanding, the beach would be lined with candles, and when the clock struck midnight, they would launch a boat with more candles to help attract the jellies.

Locking the door, Callie turned to find Mia standing at the foot of the porch steps while Sterling stayed right beside Callie. Shane and Emily had already left for the ranch to collect Marnie and Jas. Jeric and Henry stood next to the road, deep in some discussion. It was as equally likely to be about agriculture as superheroes. Callie felt a brief pang of longing, wishing that Philip was there with them. Even knowing that breaking things off with him was the right thing to do, she still missed him. She wondered if she’d see him at the festival.

A large, warm hand wrapped around hers before interlacing their fingers. Callie looked up into Sterling’s kind, brilliant blue eyes as he said, “I just don’t want Lee-lee to miss out, is all.”

“As if you’d let that happen,” she replied, returning his smile.

“Well, come on you two,” Mia sighed, though her smile looked both pleased and smug.

The five of them headed south as well. As luck would have it, they passed by the ranch just as Marnie, Jas, Shane, and Emily all exited.

“Farmer Callie! Farmer Callie!” Jas shouted as she took off at a dead run for her.

“Hey, there’s my favorite snickerdoodle!” Callie replied, scooping the little girl into her arms and spinning her around a couple of times. Jas broke into shrieks and giggles.

“Snickerdoodle?” Jeric asked, sounding amused.

“‘Cause I’m sweet, but I have a bite,” Jas explained to him with a fierce grin.

“She used to be such a quiet little thing before you showed up, Lee-lee,” Marnie teased Callie.

“Yeah, I sincerely doubt that,” she replied dryly, giving Jas one last squeeze before setting her on her feet. Callie caught Shane smiling from the corner of her eye and felt pleased. He’d become more withdrawn since Jas had fallen in the river. She worried about him.

Jas grabbed first Callie’s hand and then Shane’s hand and began swinging them back and forth. “Are you excited to see the jellies, Farmer Callie? They’re so cool! Mr. Davidson at the library recommended a book to me that talked all about…”

Shane

Walking with Jas, holding her hand while Callie held her other, Emily’s arm tucked into his… seeing Marnie ahead of him in conversation with Henry, Mia, and Jeric… knowing Sterling was at Callie’s side… Shane almost felt content for once in his life. He could pretend for a brief moment that he wasn’t a failure dragging everyone in his life down. He could pretend that they were all actually glad to have him there.

“…and not only can some jellyfish live for hundreds of years, but the midnight jellies can actually turn back into babies! So, unless something eats them, they can practically live forever. But if they just lose a body part, they can regrow them and…” Jas chattered as the group walked.

Shane caught Callie’s eyes above Jas’s head, and the pair shared an indulgent smile. He appreciated the love and attention she regularly paid his kiddo. Catching Sterling’s amused face above Callie’s, Shane’s smile turned wry. He also appreciated her apparent success in pulling Sterling further and further out of his pit, even if it meant they both had less time for Shane. That was a good thing, though. Once he knew for certain that those he cared about were all on stable ground….

Well, maybe he’d finally find the courage he needed.

Callie

While she hadn’t done it as much in the latter half of Summer, Callie had fished off the docks at night numerous times since moving to the valley. Night fish often sold for a higher profit than daytime fish, so when desperate for money, she preferred to fish at night. Walking onto the beach only to find both the dock and the shoreline lit with candles came as a shock to the system. A beautiful shock, but a shock nonetheless.

They were neither the first nor the last arrivals. People spread out all along the water’s edge and the piers. The children tended to run about, excited to get to stay up so late and see their friends. School started in just a couple of days, but this was a chance to catch up outside of Penny’s and Flor’s watchful eyes. Jas let go of Shane’s and Callie’s hands. “Can I go join Ellie and Vinny?” she asked.

“Of course. I’ll be near the docks, petal,” Marnie told her before the girl scurried off. “I’ll see all of you in a bit,” the ranch owner added to the others as she walked away.

“Off to find Lewis, the prick,” Shane muttered, making both Callie and Sterling snicker. 

Mia slipped up beside Callie and pointed to a particular spot on the beach. “I think Henry and I are going to head over there to wait for the jellies.”

“That looks like a great spot,” Callie said. “I think—”

She broke off as Jeric slung an arm around both her and Mia’s shoulders and asked, “Mind if I join you in watching the jellyfish?”

“Yes, obviously. I invited you to dinner because I didn’t want to spend time with you at the beach,” Callie said dryly as Mia laughed.

“Hey, can you blame a guy for wanting to be surrounded by gorgeous people on all sides?” Jeric asked, tossing a wink at Mia.

Grinning with pure mischief, Sterling draped himself on Jeric’s back with his arms dangling down his chest. “You mean like this?” he purred.

Shane’s eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at Jeric.

“Damn straight!” Jeric replied, sounding most pleased with his current position. “Now I just need Henry in front of me and I’ll have achieved paradise.”

To Callie’s amusement, Hank turned a brilliant shade of red as he started trying to stutter some sort of a reply and failed miserably. “I think you may have just broken Hank,” she said. “But I’ll join you guys in a bit. I want to mingle and say 'hi' to folks before the jellies arrive—but I’ll make sure to find you before then.”

“Our little social butterfly,” Sterling teased her.

“Just playing to my strengths.”

Shiro

Sitting in the sand, staring out over the dark ocean waters, Shiro yearned. He missed this. He missed the warmth of the sand, the cool breeze, the sounds of the waves and smell of the salt. Too often these days, he regretted pursuing the military instead of surfing. How different would his life have turned out had he gone the other way?

“Deep thoughts?” Philip asked where he sat nearby in the sand, his hands behind him for support.

Philip wouldn’t be here, for one, and maybe…. Refusing to finish that thought, Shiro said, “The Midnight Jellies invite them.” His father had told him that, once.

“Ms. Callie! You’re here!” Yuuma said, looking up at the woman. He stood right at the edge of the water, letting it sweep up and over his feet.

Callie offered his otouto a warm smile as she walked away from the East Scarp veterinarian and his daughter. “Good evening, Yuuma. Are you…?” her voice trailed off below the volume Shiro could hear her, though Yuuma clearly could. Shiro smiled at the sight of the two of them together. She had left the ball in Shiro’s court as to whether she should still come around, not wanting to make things awkward between him and Philip. He probably should have told her to stay away, but… she always brightened Yuuma’s day. Shiro’s too.

“I’m glad you’re still friends with her,” Philip said, startling Shiro.

Turning his gaze from his best friend’s ex-girlfriend, Shiro couldn’t help turning red in embarrassment. “I know it makes things difficult—”

“She’s a good source of support for both of you,” he continued, as if Shiro hadn’t said anything. “Especially for Yuuma. I’m glad you two have someone else you can call on, when necessary,” he said as they both watched Callie kneel down in the tide and give Yuuma a hug.

The two men sat in silence for several minutes, watching the little tableau play out. “Callie asks after you,” Shiro finally said.

“Wanting to know if I’ve combusted yet?” Philip joked.

Rolling his eyes, Shiro said, “Wanting to make sure you’re taking care of yourself, dork.”

“That sounds just like her,” Philip said, somehow sounding both wistful and bitter. “Looks like she’s about to move on. If you want, I can wander a ways off so you two can—”

“Don’t worry about it,” Shiro said. He watched as Callie gave Yuuma a gentle smile and ruffled his brother’s hair. The moonlight made her face radiant, or perhaps it was just the kindness it exuded. Things were a little rough, but they wouldn’t always be that way. Eventually, they’d find their new normal. It wouldn’t be the same as it used to be, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t wind up better.

Shiro allowed himself to hope.

Callie

“The jellyfish are so cool!” Ellie told Callie with complete seriousness. “Did you know that they don’t have a brain? Or a heart? And they aren’t even fish!”

“I don’t suppose that Mr. Davidson recommended you a book about jellyfish?” asked Callie, lips twitching with amusement.

“How’d you know?” she asked, her eyes wide.

“Hello, Callie,” Jacob said with a smile caught somewhere between amusement and embarrassment. “I hope Ellie hasn’t chatted your ears off with jellyfish facts.”

“Daaaaad!” Ellie complained, though she also grinned.

“Between her and Jas, I feel very educated in different factoids regarding jellyfish and the Midnight Jellies in particular,” Callie grinned at him.

“Honestly, I rather love the mystery that surrounds them,” Jacob admitted. Callie did not know Jacob nearly as well as she knew his daughter, but it pleased her that he had grown comfortable enough around her to give her a true smile. She started to respond to his comment, when she caught sight of Yuuma standing near the water, his back to his brother and— and Philip.

It looked like the boy was crying.

“There’s value in both knowledge and mystery. Knowing how to balance the two is where wisdom lies,” she said, turning her gaze back to Jacob and Ellie. “I hope you both enjoy the jellies’ dance. I’m afraid I see someone who needs my attention.”

Glancing towards Yuuma, Jacob’s face grew understanding. “Of course. I hope you have a good time as well.”

“Bye, Ms. Callie!” Ellie added with a bright smile.

Smiling, Callie left father and daughter and instead walked up to Yuuma. “Ms. Callie! You’re here!” he exclaimed, catching sight of her and scrubbing at his face to hide his tears.

“Good evening, Yuuma. Are you okay, kiddo?” she asked as she came to a stop beside him.

“I—” he started, clearly ready to say he was just fine, before breaking off into a sigh. “No,” he admitted.

“Would you like a hug?” she asked. At his nod, Callie knelt down to be closer in height before wrapping her arms around him.

He hugged her back with surprising strength. “The jellies make me think of my mama and papa,” he muttered into her neck. “Do you think they can take a message from me all the way to them?”

“If you really need them to, I’m sure they can,” she replied, lightly rubbing his back.

“I really hope so,” Yuuma said, before sniffling some more. “I just want them to know I still love them.”

“Oh, kiddo…” she said, heart aching for him all over again. He tried so hard to suppress his own fears and wants for Shiro’s sake, but he was still a little boy. “I promise you that they know all the way down to their bones that you love them and miss them. That’s true no matter how far away they have to go.”

“Really?”

“Really really,” she promised again. “You believe me, don’t you?”

Yuuma nodded against her shoulder. They stayed there at the water’s edge in a hug for several minutes before he finally gave her one last squeeze. Letting go, he started rubbing his face again. “Thank you, Ms. Callie. Um… can you not tell anyone about this?”

“I’ll look out for you,” she said.

He nodded again, before giving her a small smile. “I’m glad you’re our friend,” he said as she climbed to her feet.

Callie returned his smile. “I’m glad you’re my friend in return,” she said, before reaching out and ruffling his hair. “Be sure to tell the jellies your message, okay?”

“Okay, Ms. Callie,” he said with the utmost seriousness.

Reluctantly walking away from Yuuma, Callie noticed Shiro and Philip watching them from the corner of her eye, but pretended like she hadn’t caught sight of them. She didn’t know how Philip felt about how their breakup went down, and she didn’t want to ruin tonight by pushing her presence where it wasn’t wanted. Instead, she continued on her way towards the docks. There were plenty of people still to greet.

A Solanen’s job was never done.

Sterling

Shane split off from the group not long after Callie left, saying he wanted to go out on the docks where the view was better. Sterling, meanwhile, hung out and joked with the others—the way Jeric kept flirting with Henry amused him greatly—but found himself consistently checking out of the conversation and looking around for signs of Callie. Every time he looked, he found her talking with someone new, all smiles. Everyone he saw her talking with returned her smiles and looked just a little bit brighter when she moved on to the next person. He swore she must know every person in the valley. Then again, she was the valley’s Solanen; maybe she did know everyone, at least in passing.

When over an hour had passed and she hadn’t returned to them, Sterling finally gave in to the urge to fetch her. “I’m gonna go rescue hotstuff,” he said, nodding his head towards where she stood listening to Dr. Harvey. He had talked with her for the past ten minutes or more.

“Don’t dawdle. Mayor Lewis should send the boat out any time now,” Mia said.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied with an easy smile even as he quickly made his way over to the tidepools. Whatever Dr. Harvey was going on about, Sterling recognized the glazed look in Callie’s eyes as she suffered from information overload.

“Lee-lee! There you are!” he exclaimed as he approached the pair. “Mia thinks the mayor’s about to send out the boat,” he added at a more normal volume as he got closer.

Glancing down at his wristwatch, Dr. Harvey’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry to have kept you, Callie. Go on and enjoy your evening,” he said.

“No worries, Harvey," she said with a sweet smile. "Maybe we can grab a coffee sometime after I get past planting, and you can tell me more.”

The doctor smiled back. “That sounds marvelous.”

Possessively grabbing Callie’s hand, Sterling gave it a gentle tug. “Come on, sugar plum,” he said, before giving the doctor a smile with a few too many teeth. “See you around, doc.” Dr. Harvey waved the two of them off before heading closer to the shoreline.

“Thanks,” Callie sighed once they’d passed out of earshot. “I think I learned more about model planes in the past ten minutes than I imagined possible.”

“You could have just left,” Sterling pointed out, feeling his shoulders begin to relax.

“I could have, but I got the sense that few people actually listen to him when he talks about his hobby.”

“Sometimes, you are too kind,” he said as they neared the little plank bridge back to the main beach.

“I think the world could do with a bit more kindness.”

Sterling knew that was an argument that he wouldn’t win and that it would only irritate them both. Looking towards the water, he changed the subject, saying, “It’s a bit sad to know we’ve reached the end of Summer.”

“I thought you loved Fall,” Callie said as they crossed the bridge.

“I do love Fall,” he quickly insisted. “But... well, I prefer warm weather, overall. In the city… even in Summer, the city’s always so cold,” he shuddered. “The warmth’s a good reminder that I’m here…” he trailed off for a moment, coming to a stop near Elliott’s cabin before looking down at her and smiling. “That I’m home,” he added. Sterling wondered when Stardew Valley had started feeling like home again instead of the city. Watching the way Callie’s cheeks turned pink at his words, how her lips curled into a pleased smile, he realized that even though he didn’t know when, he did know why.

“We’ll just have to find other ways to remind you that you’ve left all of that behind,” she said. “After all—”

“Come on, you two!” Mia called to them.

Turning his attention to their friends, Sterling realized he could see faint glimmers growing larger on the water’s horizon. “Looks like they’ve already launched the boat,” he said, pulling Callie towards the shoreline. She hurried after him, taking two steps for each of his, her fingers still interlaced with his own.

“I’ve never seen anything else like this,” Henry breathed as the two of them joined their friends at the mouth of the stream. “It’s such a beautiful reminder that nature is amazing in so many ways. Just when you think you understand it, you find something new to take your breath away.”

Looking out at the approaching jellies, Callie replied fondly. “Spoken like someone who truly loves the land.”

Sterling only half listened, staring out over the midnight ocean, watching as the tiny specks of light grew steadily larger, from pinpricks to globes to giant, undulating bodies, drawing ever closer to the humans who’d gathered to watch them pass. While he’d liked it well enough as a kid, The Dance of the Midnight Jellies had never counted among his favorite festivals, but now… Henry was right. It truly was breathtaking… beautiful.

Not until Callie laid her head against his arm did he remember everyone else standing with him. He glanced down, curious to see her reaction. Her dark eyes reflected all of the lights along the shore and in the water; they looked as though they’d trapped a galaxy within. She had a stunned quality to her face, her lips parted ever so slightly, her eyes a smidgeon too wide, as if she saw something—felt something—beyond the comprehension of mere mortals.

“What is it?” he asked her, his voice barely audible.

Unable to tear her gaze from the ocean, she whispered, “They’re magical.”