without recourse

[luminous_regnant]

Bella doesn't even know that Elspeth had plans to visit Downside until after she finds that Jane is offline, that wishing doesn't fix it. Elspeth is a grownup; Edward does not monitor her every minute of every day, does not report all her comings and goings to her mother.

It's Addy who tells her, uncharacteristically grave, after Bella makes the announcement that Aurum will be isolated until Elspeth finds a door. Elspeth rescheduled an appointment with Addy to go offworld.

And now Elspeth is not going to find them a door, because Elspeth is gone, might well stay gone till Jane is fixed, because time is only synced up due to Jane. And Bella cannot fix Jane. Elspeth might find a door after fifty years have gone by in Aurum.

Bella makes the revised announcement by brainphone to everyone except Jake.

Jake she tells in person. Jake she clutches by the shoulders while he sobs and shakes. Jake she offers to put to sleep so Elspeth will not come home to find him having done something regrettable. Because she will, eventually, come home. Jake she tucks into bed like she's his mother and sends into dreamless nothing so he doesn't have to suffer however long his imprint will be vanished where he cannot follow.

And then she goes to Edward and, because she is a vampire, she does not cry, but she does sob.

Comments

[pina_colada]

"Your ex-munchkin loves his mummy."

[manofmyword]

Awwwwwwwwwwwww! Kerron's mummy beams.

[pina_colada]

"And your ex-munchkin," says Kerron, "is going to go play StarNova with Lily like he said he would, because otherwise you will have a slightly punctured ex-munchkin and that wouldn't be fun for anybody."

[manofmyword]

"See ya," he says cheerfully.

[pina_colada]

Kerron mock-salutes and heads out the suite door.

[manofmyword]

The Joker spends some time awwing to himself.

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan comes home from doing a batch of timings a couple minutes later. "You're in a good mood," he remarks.

[manofmyword]

"Kerron's moving out," he says, grinning.

[temporal_affairs]

"Goodness gracious. If that makes you this happy why didn't we get rid of him months ago, babe?" teases Nathan.

[manofmyword]

The Joker laughs and hugs him.

"We'll kick the next one out at four and a half," he says, completely and entirely joking.

Well.

Not about the 'next one' part.

[temporal_affairs]

Hugs! Slightly squishing hugs. "Will we now."

[manofmyword]

"Nope," says the Joker. "And we're not having another kid until Kerron's had his own place for, oh, at least a year."

He does his level best to squish Nathan right back. It isn't effective, but it's snuggly.

"We made a person," he sighs. "And he loves us. Isn't that just the best thing?"

[temporal_affairs]

"It's fantastic, babe."

[manofmyword]

Snuggle snuggle kiss.

[temporal_affairs]

Kisses! That's one of Nathan's favorite things!

[manofmyword]

Yes indeed. The Joker knows that.

He is also aware of some of Nathan's other favourite things.

And it just so happens that their ex-munchkin is going to be out for a while.

[pina_colada]

Kerron doesn't move out very promptly. Brandon goes back and forth about whether he wants to move, whether he wants to move to Safesun, whether he wants to move with Kerron. Lily briefly considers joining them and ultimately decides against it. Henry is invited but he's got two younger siblings (Parker and Lindsay) whose childhoods he doesn't want to miss, and a doting mother who would mope for a week if he moved out a moment before reaching the age-stalling mark anyway.

Kerron and Brandon eventually pick a place. Just two days after Kerron turns five, they move into it. Kerron hugs his parents goodbye, even though teleportation is cheap, and goes to argue with Brandon about how they should program the windowshade.

[manofmyword]

The Joker was right. He misses Kerron, but he doesn't miss him.

In fact, he kind of maybe celebrates. By having sex with Nathan. For three days straight.

[temporal_affairs]

Only three? That's not even going to come close to beating any records.

[manofmyword]

He's not competitive! And sleeping is fun.

[temporal_affairs]

Snuggling while the Joker sleeps is fun.

[manofmyword]

It is, that's true! It's snuggly and fun!

You know what else is fun?

More sex. And teleporting to new and interesting places. And having sex in them.

[temporal_affairs]

They could have sex in an awful lot of places over the course of this celebration, couldn't they?

[manofmyword]

They could!

And they do.

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan is wholly on board with this program.