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

[manofmyword]

[Who, me? Never.]

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan snickers both aloud and by brainphone.

[manofmyword]

The Joker hugs his sweetheart and beams un-innocently.

He continues going about his life. People can notice his pregnancy all by themselves. He'll worry about getting an appointment with Rosalie when Nathan says it's time to.

[taste_tester]

Addy notices when they cross paths at the northerly of the two African-continent capitals.

"Ooh," she says. "I wonder what's cooking."

[manofmyword]

"Wait 'n see," the Joker says serenely.

[taste_tester]

"I will do. I seem to recall you spent your last pregnancy female. Was the utter conventionality of it suffocating?"

[manofmyword]

"You know me," he says. "I'm just full'a surprises."

[taste_tester]

"Like a piñata," Addy suggests.

[manofmyword]

He laughs.

[taste_tester]

"When's a good time for a tasting?"

[temporal_affairs]

"When our little pumpkin is four days old, apparently," says Nathan. "Come find us then."

[taste_tester]

"You bet!"

[manofmyword]

The Joker hugs his sweetie.

[taste_tester]

"I shall see you then," says Addy, waving at the Joker's midsection, and she boops Nathan's nose and then strolls off.

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan snorts and hugs his sweetie right back.

The time comes to make an appointment with Rosalie.

The time comes to attend it.

[manofmyword]

The Joker hasn't felt like swapping back again, so he is still unconventionally shaped for a pregnant person.

[temporal_affairs]

Rosalie has known the Joker long enough by now not to do more than raise an eyebrow. She slices, she dices! Now how much would you pay? (Her services are free.)

She presents them with a baby girl.

"Hi there, Aedyt," says Nathan. "Welcome to the world."

[manofmyword]

"Hiya, pumpkin," says the Joker, snuggling his newest offspring. "Aren't you a cutie."

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan kisses her forehead.

[manofmyword]

The Joker does likewise!

[pina_colada]

There is a party with the vibrant hybrid community! It is vibrant and communal and partylike and well-attended by hybrids.

[taste_tester]

And then Aedyt is introduced to Addy.

"Ooh, another twofer," says Addy, rubbing her palms together in glee. "You should have a hundred kids, it'll be great."

[temporal_affairs]

"Are you going to tell us what she does?" inquires Nathan.

[taste_tester]

"Tastes like cinnamon and nutmeg is what - okay, okay. I'm gonna call it - editing? Aedyt here is never gonna need an eraser or food coloring or a seam-ripper in her life. Cinnamon's the ingot part that does the editing, nutmeg's the witch part that'll tell her what she can edit so she doesn't have to do it by trial and error. Magical equivalent of proprioception," diagnoses Addy.

[manofmyword]

"Neato," says the Joker, hugging the baby. "My little pumpkin pie."