99. [Text/Action for travel group]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[SO YEAH, UH. IT'S BEEN. A FEW DAYS. SINCE... YOU KNOW.]

[Since the whole thing on the weekend that they all remember now.]

[In those few days, Heather has been holed up in her hotel room like a dysfunctional pop star hiding from the paparazzi. What's she been doing in there? GOD ONLY KNOWS. Actually, the people IN that hotel room know and it's mostly being quiet and sleeping a lot, but there you go.]

[BUT LO AND BEHOLD: a text!]

[A text with a request.]</sub>


SUP PEOPLE

I have a mission for all of you


send me funny shit

any funny shit

I don't care if it's a joke or a story about the time your drunk uncle bill mistook your annoying aunt sally's drink for a spitoon or a video of that fat Meowrth that likes to get in boxes i forget his name it's like Maroo or something

1 2 3 GO

Comments

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Dimly, she can remember that moment, too. Not from Cheryl's eyes-- not even a crazy magical soul-baby can remember the moments directly after its conception. But from Alessa's-- she can remember watching the couple from afar (very afar... she had not, of course, had the privilege of physically being there in person) as they picked up that little piece of her soul and carried it far away from Hell like some kind of refugee.]

[Of course, that memory isn't as clear as the horrendous pain that followed it for seven years. But it's there.]</sub>

... Did you guys ever need to tell anybody where I came from? I mean... it's not like I had a birth certificate or anything...

[haveyouseenalittlegirl]

In a way.

A friend of Jodie's helped us with that. She knew we'd been trying to have kids, and we'd been looking into adoption before we found you....

No one had reported a missing child, so we assumed you were left by a young mother that couldn't look after a baby.

[If only that was the case.]

It didn't take too long after that to adopt you legally. Shirley helped us get a birth certificate for you, without getting too many people involved.

[foolishwren]

... D'you think those people ever wondered where we went?

You know... after...

[haveyouseenalittlegirl]

[He sighs, thinking back.]

A few maybe. I was already pretty withdrawn ...after your mother died.

[Sad to say, there weren't many people after that. And the few remaining....well how do you explain that you suddenly have a baby again?]

My family and your mothers, was gone by then. So we didn't have any family wondering. A few close friends had already moved to other states or countries by that point as well... and I guess we just lost touch.

[foolishwren]

I guess I figured that's what happened...

<sub>[It had been a somewhat lonely existence... but at least she'd had school. And friends, even if eventually the friends she'd made had started being assholes. It was still something.]

[She can't imagine what it had been like for Harry.]

[She trails off there.]</sub>

[haveyouseenalittlegirl]

Just something that happens I suppose.

[He had his writing. He was a little too paranoid to make real friends. They moved around too much, people might start to ask questions. Or worse, they might be another Order member trying to trick him. No, it was better not to risk it.]

[foolishwren]

_{[At least now they were somewhere where they could live like a normal family. ... Or, well, normal by this world's standards, anyway.]}

... Do you think Mom might show up? I mean... for real. Like you did.

[haveyouseenalittlegirl]

[He starts to say something then stops. And sighs.]

I don't know sweetie.

...I suppose it's possible. ....but it doesn't seem like something we should get our hopes up for.

[foolishwren]

_{[It's sad, but... it's true, and she knows it. It's something she accepted long ago, about many people. Not just Jodie. ... But it's so easy to get lost in pointless optimism.]}

... Yeah...

[haveyouseenalittlegirl]

[That's sadly something both of them have had to accept. But it's never easy.]

But....

[He starts and then falls silent again for a moment, he knows he's partially responsible as to why Jodie wasn't mentioned as much as she should have been when Heather was growing up. But then it had been still too painful.]

She might not be here, but if you want to hear about her sometimes. I thinks I might know a few stories.

[foolishwren]

_{[She thinks about this for a moment, thinking the same thing he is. It's not that she's mad about it. She completely understands why she grew up not hearing much about her adoptive mother, who had perished before she'd even been born. But it would have been... nice.]}

... I'd like that.

... Maybe not right now, though.

_{[Because right NOW, it's too painful for HER, too.]}

[haveyouseenalittlegirl]

Later.

[Yup, later is better then now. Far too soon.]

I think we need a distraction though. Do you feel up to helping me pick some names for people in a story?

[foolishwren]

... Yeah.

I'd like that too.

[haveyouseenalittlegirl]

Great. I might even have some stickers left.

[Because name=stickers. Ongoing traditions and all that. Just let him go get his things.]