(multi) Mother’s home.
Mab hummed to herself softly as she finished off the rest of her human looks and wards to avoid being detected as a fey, at long last she finally had all the ingredients together to brew a potion for a portal, for a banished fey like her it was hard to gather the potion ingredients needed.
After the last time that she had tried to overthrow Titania and Oberon she had been banished to the outskirts of the realm, a dark place with knarled, thorny vines growing wildly and blocking out most sun light.
only the darkest of fey beasts and the mosed cursed of the fey themselves lived here and Mab had grown quite fond of her new realm. She’d made herself a dark castle out of rubble and ruin that she’d found around, broken down bits of the homes of the ancients who once inhabited this part of the realm long before Oberon or Titania, longer than any humans anyway. Mab had done everything she could to raise a good strong home so she could finally go and get her children! Mab glanced at the photograph on her vanity of her and her family, Harper was so young and Ben was barely still a babe himself, their father smiling brightly at them and she kissed a finger pressing it to the photograph
“You can’t keep me from them forever, can you love?” Mab asked with a wicked grin across her face before she strolled out fathering her things as she went into what would someday be a beautiful garden, it was getting closer as her powers were growing, black roses were currently the only things that would grow from these viscious vines that surrounded her home but soon her portal opened before her and she saw the quiet forest surrounding seacoast that she had loved to explore so long ago. she stepped from teh portal and frowned seeing that Shakespeare’s home was still darkening these woods as well as a new one, no matter. even if they detected the portal (Which judging by the shouting from the cottage they definitely had) they would never connect it to her.
Mab headed out humming softly still to herself a haunting melody that had it not been for the wards she was forced to place on herself weakening most of her other abilities would have enchanted those around her who were weak minded.
Walking the streets of the city it was as if she had never left, she remembered the way there as if she’d walked this way every day of her life. She found the apartment and the listing that still had their family name on it and a loving smile crossed her features as she rang the bell no longer having a key for the front door.
Harper had just woken up from her ‘in between shifts’ nap and checked the doorbell cam and practically choked on water seeing just who stood at the door, her blood running absolutely cold as she immediately grabbed her phone and called Max
“Max you need to send someone to my apartment, Now.”
Ben nodded though he was nervous he half expected them to kill each other Harper wouldn’t for his sake but the way they were fighting was crazy
“you think Harper just needs a situation where she can be mad and get that out of her system?* Ben asked him unsure if he should go get them
Will shrugged, “that is for her to decide if that is a possibility. As for them hurting each other I feel that is unavoidable both are hurting.” He held out his arms. “Do you need a hug before all this goes forward?”
Ben fidgeted a moment wanting to say yes but that wasn’t really something an adult would do was it?
“yeah I think so” Ben said after w moment if thought he wanted to be w big tough knight but he also knew he was squishy at heart he hugged will grateful to have him and Jane in his life
Will hugged him, “there you are.” He smoothed Ben’s hair and then ruffled it again. “Now then let’s get this over with.” He smiled and nudged Ben playfully, “afterwards you and Harper can come over for a stress free dinner.”
Ben smiled and nodded
“that sounds nice, the twins will probably want to read to me. They’ve been getting a lot better and I promised kitty last time I’d let her read to me for a change” Ben said he took the tray with the cut up grilled cheese and started heading back to where they’d been. Ben was more than a little surprised to hear laughter this time we he approached the area and spotted mab and Harper, something felt a little off in the air but they weren’t killing each other and actually we’re smiling.
Ben was so relieved he didn’t notice the far off look in Harper’s eyes or how she seemed much more .. well like him.
Will on the other hand did notice and made a mental note to have Harper go to Emelyne before they left for Will’s house. “Tomato soup and grilled cheese dippers.” Will smiled warmly as he sat down handing out Harper’s portion then Mab’s. He sat down as he tucked into their meal.
“great I love grilled cheese!* Harper beamed before nibbling one if the pieces. Mab looked at it suspicious for a moment before she took a sip of the soup in the mug
“thank you will, I appreciate it” mab said to him a cute man who could cook as well? Wonderful how he seemed to be hitting all her markers and she was going to need a powerful king
Will watched Harper then looked to Ben, “well I think comfort food was in order.” He chuckled, “now I think Ben has some questions for you.” He lead the conversation and put the ball in Ben’s court. Eating his soup dipping the sandwich into it and enjoying his meal.
Ben hadn’t really expected to get right to it, he had kind of been wanting to get to know his mom a bit before the answers cane out but it was already out there.
“well uh it in…” Ben was drawing blanks he had the questions but was a little on the spot now
“I guess if we’re gonna address he elephant in the room,why did you leave?” Ben asked her finally getting the words out
Mab sighed and set the good down
“honestly I thought we were going to get to discuss his more privately” mab said to him she didn’t trust the knights there was no doubt the whole place was rugged with mics and cameras for days but she had to keep up with the punches nothing about this day was going as planned
“a fairy has to return to the fey realm once every so often to preserve their powers and life, that’s why fairies are not common here. That being said time passes differently there and I have to spend at least a week there, whether the magic of that realm chooses for it to be a week here or a year in return is completely up to the old magics not even we understand.
I came back but was apprehended by Titania’s guards for breaking a few rules and the queen demanded I stay at her side”
Not entirely a lie, at that point mab had been fairly high on the food chain and had been messing up a lot so Titania wanted her close to keep an eye on her. If you served the queen staying close to her was one if the worst places to be because it meant she thought she had to babysit you to do your job.
“I couldn’t stand it, I broke away and tried to come back again but because I disobeyed a direct order from the queen I was banished to the outskirts of the fey realm and it took me so long to figure out how to come home”
This was where the story went…wobbly. mab had actually committed a few crimes that got her banished before she could try to escape in the other realm she’d tried to seduce the king, she’d hypnotized the young princess into nearly walking off a cliff (the one time puck did his job!) And straight up tried to poison the queen once with basilisk venom but she was caught or thwarted every time. That got her banished and she’d escaped her trial to try and hide among her family only to be caught again and dragged back to suffer her sentence
Will sat and listened mostly looking to Harper and Ben gauging their reactions and to be honest Harper’s lack of a reaction was so very off putting. He would have to ask Puck about Mab when he had the chance. He texted Jane letting her know they would have Harper and Be over and to maybe get Olga and Lottie to come check on Harper. “How is the soup?” He asked realizing the silence that had formed.
“it’s good thank you,” mab said though she hadn’t touched it since starting her story
Ben was just trying to wrap his head around the whole thing and was trying to decide just how much he believed her. Will was friends with Titania and Oberon wasn’t he? Their daughter had stayed with him while she had searched for her mother who wasn’t nearly as flaky as his seemed to be
It was an odd story after all and Ben was bothered by the fact Harper seemed much more distracted by the snack then the story, it was weird something wasn’t right and he didn’t like it.
Ben took his phone and shot a message to shiro asking him to check the cameras in the room they were in after he and will had left he two alone.
“yeah uh thanks will,” Ben said with a smile
Will texted Ben, {Something is wrong with Harper, and I don’t know how I feel about your mother’s story.} Will smiled. “Oh good it is a quick recipe nothing too fancy but if it passes you all then it will pass at home.”
{I already have shiro checking the cameras from when we left hem alone, died her story sound plausible to you? You know Titania better than I do}
Mab noticed the texting and was curious
“what are you doing with those?” She asked Ben looked up
“oh it’s a cell phone, it’s kind of like having- well like having a library in your pocket” Ben said trying to explain in terms she might understand mab nodded thoughtfully
“well what are you doing with them?”
Will smiled, “checking in with my family.” He said popping it over to his conversation with Jane. “See?” He smiled then stood taking the dishes and moving them aside, but not leaving as he pulled up his convo with Ben. {something isn’t right…} he texted he sent it as he slipped the phone in his pocket. “Now then, where are you staying Mab?”
“oh I’ll find a place, I don’t want to invade Harper and Ben’s space I haven’t been in town long the moment I got back I went to see Harper” mab explained with a smile
“aw that’s so sad” Harper said making a face and Ben frowned suspecting what was coming next
“hey Harper can you help will? I want to ask mom a few more questions in private” Ben said to her quickly before she could offer mab to stay with them, it worked. Harper was instantly distracted and smiled
“okie dokie!” She said before she gathered up the empty plated and followed after Will.
“what did you and Harper talk about while we were gone?” Ben asked mab curious “Harper doesn’t usually flip the script so fast” Ben explained to her mab smiled and he noticed that flint if fairy mischief and his stomach dropped a bit, he did not like that
“oh a little of this and a little of that, you know girl stuff” mab said to him cheerfully but Ben could get a hint of something ominous.
–
Shiro met with will in the hall already having an iron fire poker in his hand
“hey Harper why don’t you go see emelyne? Ava was there looking for you and it sounded important” shiro said Harper frowned
“aww but Ben’s gonna have all the fun with mom” Harper pouted shiro raised a brow and shook his head
“oh trust me he won’t”
Will took the dishes from Harper and looked at Shiro. “Nice improvised weapon.” He looked at Shiro. “Don’t let Mab see you with it. She is dangerous and I don’t know if she can knock out the wards. But she may have work arounds.”
“oh they’re still in tact,” shiro told him shaking his head “she just over powered them, her magic is stronger” shiro said Harper laughed
“that’s silly, mom wouldn’t do anything like that” Harper said shiro rolls his eyes a bit before he pulled up his tablet and handed it to will
“she charmed Harper, like dnd charm person with get magic and we need to get her away from Ben now before Kaleb and max find out and blow the whole place down to save that kid”
“Ok, you take Harper to Em, I’ll deal with Mab and get Ben away from her,” he looked at the footage and felt his stomach churn. “I will do what I can.” He texted Jane letting her know that he loved her. If Mab put him in a trance he wanted to be certain that Jane knew. Then made his way into the room.
"but I don't want to go" Harper whined like a child as shiro took her by the arm and started pulling her towards the Infirmary
"trust me you do," shiro said pulling her off in that direction
Ben was by himself now and picking up some pieces of what was once a coffee table
"I told her to leave... She didn't take it well" Ben said to him seeming a little shaky himself he was glad it wasn't worse but she'd blaster the table as if it were nothing and Ben knew she had to have over powered the wards put on the base
