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[personal profile] axeslade
yep, they helped me finish this chapter, which has won Bri's approval so...



“Maand...”
“Mmm...” Mandy blinked sleepily, turning over to James.
“What?”
“I just thought you might be relieved that we're sort of on solid ground again.”
“What do you mean s-” she sat up, yelping when she realized they were in a tree.
“Christ James, you're going to give me a heart attack.”
He grinned, kissing her softly.
“Ah c'mon, where's your sense of adventure?”
“There's a reason you're the one who doesn't have to work at flying, darling.”
He laughed, working his fingers under her robe and shoving it off. She jumped slightly.
“James…” she motioned halfheartedly to the three sleeping youngsters a few feet from them. He laughed again, shaking his head.
“They're just not very adventurous clothes darling.”
“And being in the buff would be?”
“Lord, I really am going to have to work at you aren't I?” he shook his head, running his fingers through her hair, tenderly caressing her neck.
“Didn't you used to be a tomboy?”
“Well yeah, but what's that-”
“Imagine those sorts of clothes.”
Mandy looked at him strangely, but did as he said. She thought about the days before things started going bad, running around in Steve's castaway jeans and a worn out t-shirt...
“Christ, I didn't think you wore your clothes that tight when you were little.”
Mandy opened her eyes, looking down at herself. She was wearing a mud-stained, torn white t-shirt and blue jeans that were torn at one knee and, as James had said, rather tight. She grinned as she saw the pair of ratty sneakers and realized her hair was in a ragged ponytail.
“Do you like it?”
“Mmm, you look stunning love” he nuzzled her shoulder,
“I can't wait to show you off.”
“What do you-”
“Aha, breakfast first, then questions” James put a finger to her lips, gently parting them and sliding a bit of whipped-cream soaked waffle into her mouth. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back and swirling her tongue around his finger. God, it was ridiculous how much she’d missed these little silly things.
Then, something hit her in the back of the head and drenched her hair. Her eyes flew open and she turned to see a young girl, probably about five or six, holding a slingshot in her hand. All Mandy was able to make out was a mess of dishwater blonde hair, because at that moment James stood up and the girl ran away. James shook his head, laughing.
“Brianna” he gently placed Seth in Mandy’s arms, picking up the two young girls and swiftly soaring from the tree. Mandy looked down at him.
“Ah, James…”
“Happy thoughts, luv.”
Mandy sighed, closing her eyes and drawing herself back to their wedding night. That was a good one. The way he’d touched her, the silly way he’d been kissing her stomach…
She felt something light and warm sprinkle over her skin, and then heard the sound of grass crackling under her feet. She looked at James, shaking her head.
“Do I even want to know?”
James grinned, delicately slipping one hand out from under Jamie, tossing a bit of purplish powder at her.
“Fairy dust.”
Mandy sighed.
“This is all just a bit too unbelievable, you know that?”
“You were with me for four years, you shouldn’t be shocked by anything.”
Mandy grinned, kissing him softly and letting him lead the way.

“So ah…where exactly are we going?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
“Why do I get paranoid when you say things like that?”
James laughed, kissing her nose and letting her lean against him as they walked. God it felt good to be with her again.
Suddenly something shot past them and Mandy tensed, pulling Seth so close he let out a whimper.
“What was that?”
James just smiled, awkwardly shifting the toddlers in his arms and walking over to the bushes. He let out a bright laugh as a mud-stained blonde boy stood up.
“Wolfgang…”
Mandy’s eyes flew open in shock. His brother?
The little boy scuffed his feet.
“Sorry, din’ know it was you.”
“That’s all right. “ James grinned, ruffling the boy’s hair.
“Did Bri come this way?”
“Yeah, I think she was headed towards the Lagoon.”
“Thanks man” and then James kept going, disregarding Mandy’s look of bewilderment.
“Wait, why didn’t you int-“
“He knows who you are, Mand” he kissed her cheek,
“Besides, I think you’ll be more interested in meeting Bri.”
“And why-“
“Just trust me” he knelt down for a moment, gingerly letting the freshly waken girls down, grinning at their looks of awe as they looked around at the bright flowers and creatures, then stood up again and kept walking.
Mandy let out a clearly audible gasp as they came to a large lagoon. The beauty of the water and the flowers in it wasn’t the reason she was shocked, though.
“Mermaids…”
James grinned.
“I knew you’d find something to fall in love with here.”
“They’re beautiful..” Mandy whispered as one of the creatures finished brushing her long pearly hair and dived into the water, green tail flashing. James kissed her again.
“Not as beautiful as you, luv” he grinned.
“Now, Bri must be around here somewhere…” he walked around the edge of the water. The mermaids stopped what they were doing the second they saw Mandy and a few jumped in the water before James held up his hands.
“She’s with me ladies, no need to panic.”
A few peeked their heads out of the water, cautiously coming up and perching on the rocks again. One with blue hair, who seemed to Mandy to be no more than fifteen, rested her head on the shore, looking up at Jamie.
“Oh! These must be your children, aren’t they James? This one has your eyes.”
James grinned.
“Yeah. Go on girls, they don’t bite.”
“Us bite! We’re more dignified, it’s just those silly fairies that take chunks out of people” she reached her scaly fingers out, touching Jamie’s hair and jumping slightly.
“She has to be at least partly one of us, she’s too pretty.”
James laughed, crouching down.
“Say, any of you lovely ladies seen Brianna come through here?”
The blue-haired mermaid idly motioned a hand to the left, crooning over Jamie the entire time. James laughed and lifted Seth from Mandy’s arms, cooing nonsensically for a moment and then setting him down in a bed of plants.
“The girls’ll watch the kids. Come on.”
Mandy shrugged and followed him, now incredibly curious as to why he wanted her to meet this one little girl. What could make her more spectacular than mermaids?
James walked around a rock, peeking to the other side and then jumping on the child crouched on the other side.
“Gotcha!”
The little girl squeaked.
“I didn’t mean to hit her James, really I did-“
“That’s not why I’m here, jumpy” James grinned, helping Brianna up and turning her to face Mandy.
“Mand? You notice anything about this little troublemaker?”
Mandy took a good look at the child. The same dirty blonde hair she’d saw at first glance, but now she got a good look at her face. High delicate cheekbones smudged in dirt. Ratty clothes covering a thin pretty frame. But the thing that caught her off guard was the child’s eyes. A breathtaking shade of blue gray. The eyes she had spent five years of her life drowning in, eyes that had made her look the other way to abuse and infidelity.
“How old is she?” she said in a scared voice, touching the chlid’s face.
“Six in two weeks.”
Just about the age that…oh lord it couldn’t be. Mandy felt her head grow light and then hit the ground, turning out the lights.

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A most peculiar mademoiselle

January 2011

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