Lennon had gotten up early to help his father tend to the sheep before breakfast. Life on a farm wasn't easy, even in the 21st century and even when you were a witch. So by the time they were finished, he was drenched in sweat and in desperate need for a shower.
Heading back into the house where he still lived with his parents and several of his siblings, Lennon was about to go up the stairs and right into the bathroom. But his mother stopped him halfway up the steps, calling up to him "You got something in the mail." Which surprised him. Considering he still lived with his parents, he didn't have a lot of bills to pay. And his friends ever sent him mail - they all texted him or sent him an email.
Coming back down the steps, he took the envelope from his mother. "Its from America" she added. Opening it, he found a second envelope, this one fancier than the first. It was ivory, with his name written in calligraphy. And inside that was a letter.
Lennon read the letter. Then he read it again, just to make sure he was actually reading what he was reading. Handing the letter to his mother, he said "Its from the high council. They want me to go to New Orleans right away." He didn't add that he'd been paired with a werewolf. That news was something he was still processing.
Less than two weeks later, Lennon was on a plane to the United States. The furthest he'd ever traveled before in his life was to Australia, so being on a flight to the other side of the world was an exciting experience for him. He was too nervous about what would happen when he got to New Orleans to sleep on the flight, or even concentrate on any of the in-flight movies.
The first thing he did when he got to New Orleans was fall asleep, thanks to his jet-lag. He slept for almost 12 hours, waking up early the next morning. Excited to see his new surroundings, he headed down to the lobby. Grabbing a few brochures from the hotel's main desk, he decided to see what sights the city had to offer.
On his way back to the hotel, after visiting the Mardi Gras museum, Lennon passed by a couple kissing on the streets. It was only then that he remembered the real reason he was in New Orleans to begin with. And the fact that he was supposed to be getting married to a woman he didn't know started to make him nervous.
I, I have known love before
I thought it would be no more
Take on a new direction
Still, as strange as it seems to be
It’s truly new to me, that affection
Dinah stared at the stick on the edge of the bathroom sink, fingers tangled into her blonde strands. Seconds ticked by like hours and she knew what it would say at the end of three minutes. The one time she had gotten reckless with sex, she was worshiping the porcelain god not a month later.
“I can’t take care of a baby. I can’t be a mother,” she whispered. Her hand slipped from her hair to her stomach. She’d have to find someone to take it, get it as far away from the toxicity of its mother if she was. “This is for the best.”
Dinah knew how she’d gotten into this mess. She knew what she’d done was stupid and reckless. She couldn’t believe the one time she had let herself get caught up in the moment, she might be pregnant. Her head pressed against her knees, arms wrapping around them.
Her phone buzzed beside her, signalling the end of the three minutes. Dinah reluctantly reached for the stick. One line. Not pregnant.
Yes, you are, that little voice in her head told her. Somehow, she just...knew. And there was no way she’d let this child be near her. If anyone on the planet was the least equipped to be a parent, it would be the girl who had her soul shredded.
I, I don’t know what you do
You make me think that you
Will change my life forever
I, I’ll always want you near
Give up on you, my dear
I will never
Dinah stared at the little black and white screen in the doctor’s office, the little whomp-whomp-whomp of a heartbeat filling the otherwise still air. Her child. It was that moment she knew she’d never be able to give it up. This was her baby. She had no idea how she’d be able to become a good mother for it, how she’d be able to provide for it emotionally, but in her heart of hearts, she would figure it out. This baby didn’t ask for the shit storm of a life it was being born into, it didn’t ask to have a mother with her soul irreparably shredded.
Hot tears pricked her eyes as she looked at that little raspberry-sized clump of cells. A heartbeat. It had a heartbeat. Dinah had made that.
Even after having this pregnancy confirmed, she was more than willing to do it alone. She didn’t need anybody but herself and whoever this little person would grow up to become.
She was responsible for the well-being of this child for the next eighteen, responsible for feeding them, taking care of them when they were sick, teaching them right from wrong, wiping their tears, and teaching them how to handle themselves in the world.
No, this isn’t an eighteen-year gig. This is something you’ll be doing for the rest of your life.
It’s not just you anymore, she told herself. Everything you do from this moment on will affect this child.
You thrill me, you delight me
You please me, you excite me
You’re all that I’ve been yearning for
I love you, I adore you
I lay my life before you
I only want you more and more
And finally it seems
My lonely days are through
I’ve been waiting for you
“Are you waiting on anyone to join us?” the ultrasound tech asked as she slipped on the gloves. Dinah shook her head, pulling up her shirt to expose her swollen stomach. She’d gotten used to attending doctors’ appointments, not telling her family and loved ones about things like this. “You’re brave for doing this alone.”
“I’m kinda used to it being just me and the baby,” she said lightly before sucking in a sharp breath at the cold gel coating her stomach. The wand moved around her skin, from one side of the bump to the other. There they were. Her little mango. “Can you tell if it’s a boy or girl?”
“Girl. There she is,” the tech confirmed. Dinah had medical confirmation. A daughter.
I’ll carry you all the way
And you will choose the day
When you’re prepared to greet me
I’ll be a good mom, I swear
You’ll see how much I care
When you meet me
Dinah had been wrestling with back pain all night. It had started out as pressure and into pain. Far, far worse than any Braxton Hicks contractions. For the first time, she wished she didn’t have to go through this without family or friends. She wished she had Daphne there, but her twin thought her dead. The only person she had there was a doula who had been there for her every step of the way, an elderly French woman by the name of Lavinia.
No, no one needs to be here. I can do this. Women have been doing this for centuries, she thought before pain brought her to her knees. She’d been walking all night, trying to send labor along.
“This baby is coming, Dinah. Are you ready?” Lavinia asked, a hand clasping around Dinah’s. Dinah nodded and leaned back against the wall. She barely registered the elderly woman getting a bowl of hot water and towels. “It’s almost time to push.”
No, it was time now. This little girl wanted to come now.
The pain was like nothing she’d ever experienced, not even being killed. Her death had been swift. Her soul being shredded was nothing compared to this. Dinah couldn’t scream, she couldn’t beg to die, all she could do was cry and keep the pressure inside.
You thrill me, you delight me
You please me, you excite me
You’re all that I’ve been yearning for
I love you, I adore you
I lay my life before you
I only want you more and more
“Again! Hurry!” Lavinia urged.
“I can’t, I can’t,” Dinah sobbed. She felt another hand at her back to alleviate pressure. Weakly, she pushed and pushed.
“You have strength in your grip. You’re going to have this baby now. This is her time schedule,” Lavinia told her. “One more big push and this baby will be here.”
Dinah obeyed, gritting her teeth and shrieking as she felt the pressure cease. Her head slammed back against the wall, exhaustion settling to her muscles. She heard a high-pitched shriek and a shrill cry of a baby. Lavinia had wrapped her in a pink blanket and Dinah opened her arms to accept her.
“Hi, baby,” she said, this time the tears coursing down her cheeks. She sniffled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Hi, Imogen.”
All of that pain, everything Dinah had ever endured her had prepared her for this, for being this baby girl’s mother.
And finally it seems
My lonely days are through
I’ve been waiting for you
Ohhhh
I’ve been waiting
For you
Dinah sat on the recliner of Imogen’s room, the tired, sick toddler finally sleeping on her chest after her bout with the flu. She was terrified to drink Pedialyte and ginger ale out of fear she’d throw up again. Instead of laying her on the bed, Dinah simply rocked in the chair and shushed her when she fussed. All she could do was hold her hair, give her water and crackers, and do her best to take this bug away from her little girl. Not even Fresh Beat Band could make this feel better. She’d had to text Alexander and reschedule their evening. No way on earth would she ever leave her baby when she was sick.
She was covered in wet crackers, tears, mucus, and ginger ale. It was the two of them against the world, like it always was. Dinah had been up all night with her, rubbing her back, giving her a bath, changing her sheets. She was exhausted. She desperately needed a shower, but instead, she held her entire world in her arms and relished in the fact the most precious thing in her life was there.
Now that we’ve been open for over nine months, we’ve decided to introduce tasks to Love and War as a means of helping members with their muse. Please note that these tasks are optional. You don’t have to do them. And if you do them, you don’t have to do them for all of your muses. Each task will last a month.
For our first task, we are asking everyone to write a self-para describing a defining moment in the life of their muse(s). Examples might include losing someone they cared about during the war, going away to university, or triggering their werewolf gene. Feel free to make this as short or as long as you desire. However, we ask that you put it under a read more if it gets pretty long.
For this task, please use the tags lovewar:task and task:1 to help us keep things organized. This task will end on Friday, August 31. But if you don’t complete it before the deadline you are welcome to go back and do it at any time! That’s just the last day before the next task goes up. As always, if you have any questions feel free to message the main or ask an admin in the Discord.
