Multifandom -- Be Still, Heart (or: five girls with ex-boy issues)

[anythingbutgrey]

Be Still, Heart
or: five girls with ex-boyfriend issues.
(Dee, Claire, Bella, Marian, Hermione)
She never calls again, turns toward the sun setting in the west, the end of something.
thanks to fiannan for the beta and deadduck008 for letting me steal this multi-fandom idea from her brain (five days)


01. Anastasia "Dee" Dualla

She keeps a picture of Billy in a drawer between pages of scripture she knows Lee won’t touch, pins another on the wall as a consequence of war.

But his death (she still swallows at the word) is not a consequence of war but a consequence of her.

After nightmares, she tells Lee she dreams only of Cylons and fire. He doesn’t ask about those – everyone has them now.

Billy sighs behind her eyelids, Oh, Dee.

02. Claire Bennet

No, they weren’t dating, but Zach’s in her heart, it’s close enough, and he won’t leave.

She never even got to say goodbye. Not that he would understand, his memories washed away by the wind (or other, more human means), but it would have been worth something. She knows he would have nodded, solemn, arms around her and “I’ll miss you. I don’t know why, but I’ll miss you.”

So she calls him to hear him pick up the phone with a small “Hello?” from different pay phones, but one day the phone rings and, instead of a greeting, she gets – “Claire, come home.”

She never calls again, turns toward the sun setting in the west, the end of something.

03. Bella Swan

Tally marks tick off in her brain until the wedding, and it’s a good thing Alice doesn’t sleep because otherwise things wouldn’t be done in time.

Some nights, the moments before she falls asleep, she almost wishes for Jacob to come home and sweep her away. Then she can pretend it’s just her mind running away with things and she doesn’t mean it, just like she never meant, when Edward pulled her from her car that last night with Jacob, that there was part of her that yearned for Jacob’s arms instead. She never meant it.

She looks for him at the wedding, and can’t see him. But she has always been better at feeling him than seeing him, closes her eyes and breathes deep.

No, he’s not there. But he still feels her.

Be happy, she hears him whisper, opens her eyes and pretends they are shining with joy.

She’ll spend eternity wishing he had been there; he’ll spend his (too short, she’ll think, no matter if he lives to 60 or 102) life happy he wasn’t present – he never would have changed anything.

She knew that too.

04. Maid Marian

A yes sits on her tongue and on the fingers of her left hand. She can’t help but wonder, though, the images of last time we tried this painted in her mind. She still winces at the memory of herself in a frozen pile on the floor.

There’s last time and there’s this time and she hopes for something different.

Hope is a scary thing. He taught her that.

05. Hermione Granger

She stops thinking Harry will wake up (eventually) the day she spots him on one knee in front of Ginny in the park.

Ginny’s hand flies to her mouth; Hermione’s to her throat.

Later, she won’t be surprised at the motions of their hands, and threads hers through Ron’s hair instead of simply staring at her fingers for hours.

He laughs against her mouth, “Nice to see you too.”

But in her head Ron whispers I love you and she trains her mind to say it back.


*
feedback?

Comments

[deadduck008.livejournal.com]

Ginny’s hand flies to her mouth; Hermione’s to her throat.

KILLLLLS MEEEE. WHY WON'T YOU WRITE MORE H/HR?
Open wound, PAIN.

But in her head Ron whispers I love you and she trains her mind to say it back.

It's true, it's completely true. I love your Claire too, with pay phones and memories. It's funny how memory is such a huge part of that show, oh Zach.

Hee, I love seeing your other characterizations even though I cannot completely understand 1 and 4 - THEY STILL HAVE PRETTY WORDS!

asdf;lkjasdfj; I love multi-fandom. And you ♥

[fated-addiction.livejournal.com]

Hermione!

You poor, poor girl. I will forever be convinced that should've just ran away to Fiji and stayed there. Married some hot co-ed or something rather.

Lovely, bb.

[latine.livejournal.com]

I just read the ones from the characters I knew, because I don't know some of them, and I really liked them. Like all your fics, mostly. It's so interesting for me to read your H/Hr stories, because I don't ship that and still I find it good to read so I can see your pov on it. Marian's was great and I liked Bella's, but the first two were my fave.

[prettyparadox.livejournal.com]

Ginny’s hand flies to her mouth; Hermione’s to her throat.

KILLLLLS MEEEE. WHY WON'T YOU WRITE MORE H/HR?
Open wound, PAIN.

IA, IA, IAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[prettyparadox.livejournal.com]

Hermione went to Cambridge where she met Edward Cullen...tbc in a fic. :D

[boundary.livejournal.com]

rofl.

[boundary.livejournal.com]

Lovely, lovely, per usual. And yes, I agree. MORE H/Hr PLZ. My god, my favorite ship in the world.

No, he’s not there. But he still feels her.
sigh. you slay me.

h/hr

[placebetween.livejournal.com]

you and your doomed ships. I have to admit I only know the twilight and hp pairings (only slightly marian), but I still really liked it - short but evocative.

[placebetween.livejournal.com]

hiiiiii Sharon
that's all

[noblealice.livejournal.com]

She keeps a picture of Billy in a drawer between pages of scripture she knows Lee won’t touch, pins another on the wall as a consequence of war.
Damn you for killing me. I just...I have never really liked Dee because of Billy's accusation "you should have told me about THIS" and I agreed with him, but I never really considered that she might feel guilty. So now you have me sympathizing with a character I never thought it possible for. I bet she can't look Roslin in the eyes.

Also, your R/M was awesome, this line: A yes sits on her tongue and on the fingers of her left hand. flows so nicely.

[ilonga.livejournal.com]

I only know H/Hr and J/B, but this was very touching.
My favorite quote from the J/B part:

"She looks for him at the wedding, and can’t see him. But she has always been better at feeling him than seeing him, closes her eyes and breathes deep.

No, he’s not there. But he still feels her.

Be happy, she hears him whisper, opens her eyes and pretends they are shining with joy.

She’ll spend eternity wishing he had been there; he’ll spend his life happy he wasn’t present – he never would have changed anything.

She knew that too."

So true and so devastating... cruel reality...

[anythingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

i actually, um, hate dee. because of what happened with billy. i wrote that to actually make me hate her less. i can only hope she feels guilty. ugh. i hate how what happened with billy ruined her character for me. but the notion that she can't look roslin in the eyes is a fascinating idea and now i want to play with dee some more. hee.

glad you liked it, bb!

[anythingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

thanks, dear. glad you liked it!

[spiletta42.livejournal.com]

I came to see what you had to say about Claire, which was achingly real, and I also loved what you had to say about Dee. I glanced at your profile, and I must say, you really know how to pick 'em. What a spectacular collection of doomed relationships! I will pay you to not like Daniel/Vala. *nudges Tomin forward* See, isn't he cute?

[anythingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I actually don't watch SG(A?) but oh, doomed!ships. How I wish I could pick the occasionally happy one. It's a mix between tragic and amusing.

[anythingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

heh. glad you liked it, babycakes.

[anythingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

that sounds like a plan to me, really.

thanks, doll!

[anythingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

because jkfr broke my soul and i have been unable to retrieve it.


♥


fact: whenever you use that icon i am amused for unknown reasons.

[spiletta42.livejournal.com]

How I wish I could pick the occasionally happy one.

Well, I'd invite you to share the squee that is Daniel/Vala (Stargate SG-1) but I fear your power, and if you jinxed my OTP my life would lose all meaning. So please like Vala/Tomin instead, so he can be tragically killed off and out of the way for good.

[miss-mishi.livejournal.com]

Hee. So pretty. I wish I could appreciate your H/Hr because you write so prettily, but I will close my eyes and pretend you're talking about someone else. Watch Gossip Girl now. There are so many doomed ships, and it's so amazing.

[anythingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

haha or you could convert.


i know, i know. eventually.

dinner at j street, bb?

[filmgeekchic.livejournal.com]

I know you probably have a million other things to do, but you seriously need to write a Robin/Marian fic ASAP because this just made me crave a new one.

So lovely. It even made me sympathize with Hermione /Harry which I never really considered before. I knew it was out there and was a possibility but I was always in the Ron/Hermione camp.

[hopelessfangirl.livejournal.com]

Came here for the H/Hr, but I loved the Claire one too. Lovely, lovely, lovely. =)

[anythingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

hee. i need to do so much ficcing my brain and the internet may explode.

and i made you consider h/hr! WIN.

glad you liked it, bb.

[anythingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

thanks!