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Reflection

The last two months had gone by wild, crazy and fast.

So much had happened. And it seemed like one thing just led to another.

First there had been Destiny Con, and some how he had found him self roped into one of Caitlyn's cosplay. Which was a miracle in of itself because Lance had already agreed to go to the group infested thing. He had never been good with large groups of people he didn't know. And of course dressing as some weird.... deicho? whatever that was, didn't help. Aaaand then that's when con seemed to explode. There were youma's everywhere and Lance had lost track of two outta three of his party members. It was the first time he had met a Negaverse officer.

And then, as if the chaos hadn't been enough, Alistair, the expressive thing that he was, went and kissed him. Just straight out. And then told him to forget it! And while he himself wasn't sure what had just happened. Alistair did a damn good job pretending nothing had happened.

That was, until few days later, when Leto crossed paths with him. Offering promises of strength and destiny. While Lance was apprehensive about it, Alistair seemed to be all over it. And after spending a year's worth of every minute, and then some, together, Lance was not about to let Ali jump into something by himself. And so he became Sailor Damocles.

And then Alistair, then Sailor Tantalus kissed him.

Again.

God that had been crazy. After that Alistair had gone all out and avoided everything he had done to get in contact with him, even to the point of ignoring Caitlyn and Gabriel when every they brought him up. In the end it seemed all Alistair needed was time. Lance had received a few text messages and had managed to coax his best friend into meeting so they can talk.

Hell, the walk to Alistair's house had been crazy. Some how, he had managed to cross paths with Sailor Persephone who made him see the light, figuratively speaking of course, by - go figure, kissing him. What was it with people and their need to kiss him? The blonde really hoped Alistair never found out about that one because he was SO dead if he did. But it seemed Lance didn't have much to worry about because he told Alistair exactly how he felt and now the two were one month into a relationship and things where only getting better between the two.

You know that saying about how things are too good to be true? Lance is a firm believer in that. Because sure enough. Just when he thought things were calm and in the clear, the shades happened. Between his own shade, Tantalus', who had nearly killed the real Tantalus, Natron's and a Shade Queen, the blonde was spent. And again, he was only two months into the job. And now, he found himself back on the job again as he was headed out to meet Tantalus and teach him the basics in fighting so that the brunette was never caught in that situation again.

The blonde realized he must be crazy. Because despite the past two months, he was curious to know what was still waiting a head of him.


[WC: 550]

Hospitals Suck Balls

Lance scrubbed at his face in a slow and tired fashion. The doctors had all but shoved him out of the room a few moments ago, so they could check Alistair over once again. Broken ribs apparently meant being watched under a microscope. As it were they were currently working on day two at the Hospital.

...Did Lance mention he hated Hospitals?

No?

Well he did.

And the fact that both his boyfriend and team mate were both now in one, and because of him, did not leave his mood any better then it already was. He was jittery and flustered. And tired. He had spent the night sleeping on and off. Occasionally he would force himself awake so that he could wander down the hall and go check on Avacyn. The pink haired girl said she would call someone, and she had, but that hadn't eased the blonde's natural tendency to worry.

He had slipped into Ava's room quietly, nodding in greeting to the woman who was sitting there with her. Arilee. Or atleast that's what he hoped it was. Lack of sleep was causing him to jumble things up. He never stayed long. Lance only asked a few quick questions. The typical things like 'How are you feeling?' "How are your arm and leg? Has the numbing gone down?' The usual routine, and it was usually returned with the same answers.

Ava's friend hadn't jumped him demanding a full explanation yet, but he figured it was on it's way. He really would have to call Leto though, he realized as he walked down the hall back to Alistair's room. Give her a run down of what happened and why. Ugh. That would prove to be fun. He prayed Leto atleast waited till both Alistair and Avacyn were back on their feet before she gutted and filleted him like a fish.

Once he was back in Alistair's room, he crashed into the chair with a quiet groan as he glanced at his boyfriend. The brunette was sleeping peacefully. Or atleast Lance hoped it was given the injuries. Lance also had to take a minute to marvel just how face Ali had fallen asleep in the short time he was gone. ...Though on second thought, perhaps that was the work of all the drugs they had pumped into him. Reaching out, one hand curled around Ali's fingers while the other began to play with the hem of the button up the younger man was wearing. It was his of course. Lance had helped Ali into it earlier when the one of the nurses had threatened to cut the sleeves off of Alistair's precious sweater. Lance rolled his eyes at the thought. With a yawn, Lance propped himself up as best he could. "Get better soon. I wanna go home." He mumbled lazily as he began to fall back asleep. "I'm glad you're okay though..."

[WC: 484]

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage

Lance took a deep breathe as he turned off the ignition to his bike. His mind was still circling back to having borrowed Alistair’s car to come here.. But, deep down, the blonde knew that if the person in question saw that Lance had Ali’s car, that meant Ali had his bike. And god would the comments start flying at that point. Though, Lance was still uncertain as to which was a scarier thought when it came to Alistair driving it. His Kawasaki Ninja Motorcycle or…

Alistair’s Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4…

Yeah. That’s right Lamborghini. Don’t ask. Lance still couldn’t wrap his mind around how Alistair had acquired one. He just… did.

Anyway…

Lance climbed off his bike, and shoving his keys in his jacket, resigned himself to the inevitable conversation that was about to come. It wouldn’t be pretty, he knew that. It would probably involve a lot of stern glaring, and in the end, Lance would quite possibly have to resort to sneaking around the man’s back all together. He didn’t particularly like the idea… But if it had to be done, then so be it. Nothing like being scared senseless and there being nothing you could do about it!

Ahahaha… Yep.

God this sucked.

However upon reaching the door, the blonde was startled when it suddenly flew open. In the doorway stood Alistair’s mother, Sorcha, standing there and grinning up at him. Lance blinked at her in surprised, and her grin just grew. “Come in Darling, I’ve been expecting you.”

Oh god. He was doomed already and he wasn’t even in the house yet.

“Glenn isn’t home right now Darling. It’s just Blair and I at the moment.” The woman turned with a grin, as Blair seemed to pop out of nowhere. “But I suppose, that’s the lesser of two evils isn’t it?” Again Lance blinked at her in surprise as Blair wiggled her way between his back and the door as the small girl began the life and death struggle that was getting the taller man into the sitting room. Which, luckily for Blair, was easier once he actually started moving his feet instead of standing there like an idiot. There was a grunt from the smaller girl when Lance finally plopped down on one of the couches. “Thank you dear. You can go now.” The young girl snorted before walking around the back of the couch her mother was sitting at and leaning against the back of it. “Blair… I’m serious. Give Lance a few moments to talk to your mother alone.” The tiny girl just grumbled to herself about ‘always missing out on the fun stuff’ as she skulked out of the room.

“Now… What was it you came here for my dear.” Sorcha said calmly. Lance gulped lightly. What was it he came here for? Well that was easy. He came here because of Alistair. ...Well, more specifically, to talk about Alistair. “...I wanted to talk.” Lance said slowly.

“About Alistair.” Sorcha replied.

“Yes.” Lance replied. “I wanted to ask if I-”

“If you could ask for Alistair’s hand in marriage and if we would give our blessing. Right?” The woman cut off.

“Uh… Right.” The teen muttered. “How d-”

“How did I know? I’m a mother Lance. Not only that but I’m his mother. Eyes in the back of my head type thing. Even blind it wouldn’t be hard to see.” Sorcha crossed her hands, placing them in her lap.

“Oh.” The blonde’s gaze immediately sank towards the floor. Right… That made a lot of sense. Of course she would notice.

Sorcha sat for a moment, regarding the teen quietly. “My question is why do you want to do this?”

Lance’s gaze immediately shot up and focused on her. “Why?” He repeated, only for her to nod back in reply? ...Why did he want to do this. Was it just because of some dream he saw? Was he acting out just based on that?? No… It was more then that wasn’t it? Closing his eyes for a moment, Lance took a deep breathe as he sat in thought. “There are so many answers I could give you, and I don’t think any one of them can accurately describe what it is I feel for Alistair.” He began.

“To put it simply, I love him. More then anything. Yes, I know we’ve only really know each other for a year and a half… But that doesn’t matter to me. I feel like I’ve known Alistair as if I had grown up with him from the start. Alistair means more to me then anyone can really understand. When he hurts, I hurt. When he’s upset, I’m upset too. That list could go on forever and ever. I don’t know what you want me to say. If you’re expecting me to sit here and praise Ali and say he can do no wrong… I’m not. Yeah, he does things that irritate the living hell out of me but… That’s what love is right? Taking the good with the bad. Not just in what happens between us, but as two people. I have to accept his flaws, along with his virtues.”

Lanced paused for a moment, finally opening his eyes. “If it wasn’t for Alistair, I’d would have been that quiet kid in the corner of the class who talked to no one. The one who just quietly slipped on through and that no one noticed. Alistair changed that for me. I’ve met people and made friendships and connections I wouldn’t have had otherwise.” Lance would have only had those he had grown up with… And in some cases, not even that.

“In what little time we actually have been together and known each other, Alistair has changed my life in ways I can’t even begin to describe. I don’t think I could function without him honestly. He’s become that integrated into my daily life that I wouldn’t know what to do if he wasn’t there. I accept Alistair for who he is, what he does. And I will stand by him through anything. I want to protect him from everything.” The blonde paused for a moment, as he laced his own fingers together, hanging his hands from his knees. “...I originally came here to ask Glenn… Er, Mr. Holmes if it was alright to marry your son. I figured, it was a step, you both could appreciate. Not just because it’s proper, but because it shows I care enough of what you both think. Even if Mr. Holmes doesn’t exactly…. think the best of me.” A small snicker came from outside the room. Blair was eavesdropping. Go figure. “...And.. In all honesty,-” Lance began, slowly glancing from the wall back to Mrs. Holmes. “...Even if you both said know, and for as much tension as I know it would cause, I’d still marry him anyway. I love him. I want to take care of him. I just want to be with him, no matter what.” He finished, falling silent.

Sorcha continued to stare at him for a moment with a straight face.. Lance wanted to duck his eyes and not look at her, but he just stared back. Finally, the woman grinned again. “Wait here Darling.” She said as she got up and left the room. Lance could hear Blair calling her bother questioningly before presumably following her wherever she went. The second she was gone, Lance slumped against the couch, releasing a breathe. Well… She hadn’t said no yet… But she hadn’t said yes either.. So far so good? Probably… Maybe.

After a few moments, Sorcha shuffled back into the room, and sure enough, was followed closely once again by Blair, who this time had adopted a rather curious look to her features. Instead of sitting on the couch opposite Lance, this time, the mother chose to sit next to the blonde boy, Blair on his other side. In her hands were two small boxes. “I have, exactly what you’re going to need Darling.” She said, with a smile. The mother of two set the large of two, a black box, on the table before handing off the smaller, a white box, to Lance.

He stared at it for a moment, before glancing at her, where she made a small gesture, urging him to open the box. In side was a rather large, gold ring. She glanced at him again, before pulling it gently from its box. It was… different, as far as ring shapes go. It was shaped like a knight's helmet. And Lance was sure that, if he tried, the little mouthpiece of the helm, would move up and down.

“This ring, honestly it has no grand history as you might expect when it comes to family heirlooms. It’s just a typical story. This ring was a gift from his father when we were in college if you can believe it… An anniversary present of sorts. At the time we’d only been dating for three years.” Sorcha shot him a sly grin and Lance blushed immediately, causing Blair to snicker as she leaned close. “Alistair might say that this ring is big, and bulky, and that you shouldn’t have. But we all know that Alistair has his own affinity for all things out of the ordinary. ...As well as big and bulky.” Another grin, and Lance was redder than he was five minutes ago. “I’m giving this to you. You can chose to use it, or chose not too. Either way now, it belongs to you two. Whether you hold on to it for someone else is up to you two. But from the way you talk, you sound as if you are Alistair’s Knight, so I think it’s kinda perfect actually.” Sorcha smiled lightly.

Lance nodded slowly, setting the ring back in the box, where it was promptly pilfered by Blair as she examined it closely. “...And the black box?” Lance asked, nodding his head towards it lightly.

“What’s in here, you two have no choice but to use. And when you see what’s in here, you’ll see why I say that.” A slender hand picked up the box, before once again handing it to Lance.

Inside, the blonde found two small rings, a gold and a silver, crown rings. The two had small hearts that went around the band. “These…” Sorcha said, glancing at the rings. “These have been passed down in my family for as long as I can remember. These rings were actually my great-great-great-great grandparents wedding bands.” A pause. “...I think. It was so long ago. I think a few greats got lost in translation. Anyway, you get the idea Darling.” Gently she took the box and pulled the rings from them, sliding them onto a finger. “They interlock. Almost as if they were meant to be together and form an everlasting bond.” Sorcha glanced up, looking at Lance, who seemed almost transfixed on the rings around her finger. “Just like two kids I know… Alistair’s always loved these rings. When he was a child he would go on and on about these rings for hours. Making up grand stories about who they belonged to and the such.” Sorcha laughed. “Oh time he even said they belonged to Romeo and Juliet if you could believe it.” Lance did. Wholeheartedly, without a shadow of a doubt. It seemed like a very Alistair thing.

The woman pulled the rings from her finger before placing them in Lance’s hand. “These are yours as well. Consider them an early wedding present from your new mother-in-law.” Lance blinked before the words sank in.

Yes

Not only was she giving him permission, and her blessing, she gave him what would be the symbol of their love for eachother.

Lance set the rings back into the boxes before turning and hugging the woman. “Thank you..” He said. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you.” The blonde spoke softly, hugging her tightly. Sorcha just smiled again and hugged him back, leaving Blair looking at them like they were nuts.

“Just love him. That’s all I want.” She replied.

“I will. I do love him.”

“I know.” The mother replied. “Now you should pack those up and head home… I believe you have some planning to do. Let me know if you need any help with that. I’ve got some connections everywhere that are at your disposal. Alistair might start questioning things if you’re out too late.”

The blonde boy couldn’t help but laugh. “I believe it.” He said as he picked up both boxes, and stowing them in pockets on the inside of his jacket. Both Sorcha and Blair followed him to the door, waving good bye as he walked down the path to his bike. And just just as he went to turn it on, his phone buzzed.

Guess who. A mother is always right. Even when she’s wrong… she’s right.

His fingers flew over the keys as he sent a reply to the text. I’ll be home soon. I love you Alistair.

[WC: 2218]

One Year

It had been one year. ...Well, almost anyway.

One year since the death of his parents.

Christmas Eve. The same night he had proposed to Alistair. His father, in a mass of alcohol. A typical scenario for him. His mother, she was.. well. Lance would say that maybe she was never there to begin with. The deaths of his parents, while they stung and hurt him, did not surprise him. They had died how he had always expected them to. Broken and alone. His grandmother had died as well that night. She was the only one he mourned for. The only one he would miss. She had been accepting of him when his parent's had not. Lance didn't know where he'd be today, if not for her.

One year since proposing to the love of his life.

Perhaps the only thing he would change about this day, was that he would have preferred that Alistair not remember such an important day to them both, only to have it intertwined with his parents. Other than that? He would not have changed it for the world.

One year since those horrible dreams plagued him.

They both had nightmares. They both, still, woke up in the middle of the night. Sometimes covered in sweat. Occasionally they would wake screaming the others name. The dreams were easier to deal with now, even if they wouldn't let up. On those nights, they would stay up well past dawn, only bothering to sleep again once the shadows were sought out by the light

One year full of ups and downs that followed.

In that year, they had lost people, Navi and Chariklo.

Gone, purified from the court. Choosing to leave behind everything they cared for, for something that was any one's guess. While he didn't know Navi, he had known Chari. Chari had been his friend. In those dreams, she had been just like him. A royal, to help ease the burdens that Remarque and Leto carried. They had come to each other to help with their struggles. He could still vividly remember the blonde girl breaking down and crying on him.

Something he had never expected to see from her of all people.

Lance wasn't mad at them for their decision. Just hurt. But he wished them all the same anyway. Where ever they were.

Another of their court however, had chosen to see things through. Amytis, Avacyn, had been close to following in Chariklo's footsteps and chasing after her. If Lance was honest with himself, he would find no fault with her for doing so. Chariklo had been her family. Just as they all had. But Ava had decided that the choice to do so did not outweigh the loss of something so great. With the help of Mirrorspace, Avacyn had come out stronger then before. More determined to prove that they were not something to just give up on.

Ava had even moved in with them. That might seem strange to others, but Lance enjoyed having her around. The three of them meshed well together and worked perfectly with each other. She helped them both through rough days and sleepless nights, and in turn, they did the same for her.

They had become a family.

The addition of Lady, made it feel a little more real, he thought. While he wasn't particularly fond of the Cocker Spaniel's natural ability to be a very efficient alarm clock in the morning, he still loved the dog. Alistair and Ava seemed to love her just as much.

It wasn't much, but despite the incidents that occurred through the year, with the fear and panic that had come from it, Lance was happy.

[WC: 616]