An unidentified reality.

[vanya-a.livejournal.com]

She'd gone looking for the people Vic had described and had ended up here in...

...well, the middle of nowhere was what it looked like. It was a wooded area, near a lake, with what looked like an abandoned log cabin on a rocky outcropping near the water.

"Great," Vanya muttered to herself, walking toward the building. "Just great."

Comments

[random_xtras]

A cold nose was suddenly thrust into her hand. One that she hadn't sensed coming.

[vanya-a.livejournal.com]

"Ah!"

Vanya jumped back, reclaiming her hand for herself.

"What was that for?"

[random_xtras]

"He's healing, but it's slow." She looked at the other woman's surface thoughts, then around the cabin, which was bare but for a soft bed on the floor in one corner and a massive fieldstone fireplace that took up most of the back wall.

[vanya-a.livejournal.com]

Vanya sighed, hugging herself.

"So am I."

[random_xtras]

"There's nothing to feel embarrassed about," said the wolf fae softly. "I've never taken a mate yet, but I've seen how it is."

[vanya-a.livejournal.com]

"Yes. Well, he'd probably get more worried if he were here..."

[random_xtras]

Zanoah would have thrown up if she'd had the energy.

Instead she shifted back to the wolf and tried to drag herself to the far corner, only fall still as the world went dark around her.

[vanya-a.livejournal.com]

Vanya's eyes fluttered shut.

Suddenly there was nothing.

A couple days later

[random_xtras]

Atin woke with a start, his eyes going to Vanya's face and widening as he saw it glowing softly.

The scarred clone pushed himself up on one elbow to look down at her, noting with relief that her breathing was deep and regular and her expression peaceful. But the glow made his hair tingle, and he wasn't sure what to think of it.

Especially not when a bit of it suddenly floated free and hit him in the chest.

He blinked as his senses seemed to explode, then slumped.

[vanya-a.livejournal.com]

Vanya's eyes snapped open. She was still in pain, but it had dulled to a level she could handle. Either that or it had been going on so long that it barely fazed her anymore.

-What happened?-

[random_xtras]

"Can you do that other thing again?" His face showed his curiosity.

[vanya-a.livejournal.com]

She furrowed her brow, not quite understanding.

"I wasn't aware I could do anything else, dear."

[random_xtras]

He smoothed her hair and rocked a little more. "That light... is it God?"

[vanya-a.livejournal.com]

A peaceful smile.

"I think so."

[random_xtras]

"Mmmhmm." The girl looked at her with calm, knowing eyes.

[vanya-a.livejournal.com]

Vanya sidled closer to Atin and stole a quick glance at him, then returned her attention to Zanoah.

"How are you doing? You seemed very ... weak."

[random_xtras]

"Here, I'll show you." She tentatively reached out with her mind in offer of sharing thoughts.

And Atin went wide-eyed again at the touch of a mind other than Vanya's.

[vanya-a.livejournal.com]

Vanya smiled and held his hand.

She understood.

She understood a lot of things about him now, more so than ever.

[vanya-a.livejournal.com]

She opened her eyes and was met with the beautiful valley that Zanoah had impressed upon them.

"Wow," she breathed. "This place is... beautiful."

[random_xtras]

Atin stared, his arms tightening around his wife as the very aliveness of the place impressed him.

"Who are they?" He turned his head to look up at the faces of the statues so far above them.

"Atin??" came a shout from the direction of the river.

"Fi?" His head snapped around.

[random_xtras]

Atin looked to his brother. Fi knew the rules around here, and about how mad at him Kal was right now.

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

Fi nodded excitedly. "Of course! C'mon."

He started walking toward one of the buildings nearby.

"Everyone is going to flip out when they see you." His grin became a little manic. "Even though Sal told us all you were okay."

[random_xtras]

"Guys, calm down." Rhea laughed and gave the nearest clone a gentle shove, which earned her a good-natured grin. "Stand back and listen, alright? We'll hear it all if you do."

"Yeah, she's right," came another female voice from the back of the crowd.

Atin looked at his brothers and squared his jaw, though he was grinning again. "That's not a girl. That's my wife."

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

"We could start," Niner said wryly, "with this question: where the fierfek have you been all this time?"

[random_xtras]

"Don't compare me to Leeroy...."

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

"Why not?"

They were laughing outright. There wasn't any harm meant in it; fun at Atin's expense was practically an Omega tradition.

[random_xtras]

"Trust me, cyare, they're crazier," he assured her earnestly, his arms tightening around her as he rocked just slightly from side to side.

[vanya-a.livejournal.com]

"Okay then, whatever you say." She snuggled closer to him, suddenly wanting very much to go home.

And shower.

Among other things.

[vanya-a.livejournal.com]

"Likewise," Vanya said with a smile.

Then she took Atin's hand and concentrated firmly on home.