The Park, Monday Evening

[lockestheway]

Portals elsewhere might break, send you to the wrong planet, or leave you hanging; this one was forever faithful to its own schedule.

Sadly, for those denizens of the island who might have grown attached to their children, that meant it was time to say goodbye. The portal popped up blazing purple in the center of the park, calling to those it had taken here just a few days ago.

Time to go, time to go home, children.

[[ for your AU kidlet goodbyes! Sniff. ]]

Comments

[unburnt-queen.livejournal.com]

She did. Dany barely thought about it before closing the distance to wrap her arms around him.

"I'm afraid I might get your shirt wet," she mumbled. It wasn't a hesitation so much as a warning, because she wasn't going to be able to keep from crying, now, no.

[knowsnokungfu.livejournal.com]

"I can't speak for the shirt..." Chuck said, once he'd slid his arms around her in return. "But, I don't care."

The shirt could get wet, if it helped, and he would be here for hugging as long as she needed it.

[unburnt-queen.livejournal.com]

She accepted that and was quiet for a moment, trying to get herself under control. "I'm sorry. I'm not normally one to cry," Dany offered softly, when she could speak. "It's just...this weekend was a lot harder than I'd expected it to be. No one had warned me that it wasn't just...." She trailed off, a little uncertain as to whether to tell him about Rhaego. It was hardly the secret it had once been, but she still balked.

[knowsnokungfu.livejournal.com]

"They're... really, really easy to get attached to." Chuck rubbed her back with his palms, a little extra reassurance. "Even if they're not ours ours, it's rough watching them walk away."

[unburnt-queen.livejournal.com]

Dany nodded against his shirt, hesitating before offering, "I was told it was just...hypothetical children. Rhaego wasn't a fiction. And Rhaella can never be real, no matter how the possibilities might align."

There. She almost felt relieved, telling him.

"It's all the more heartbreaking."

[knowsnokungfu.livejournal.com]

Chuck's mouth started to form a few words that never quite made it out, while he stringed those statements together.

"He wasn't a fiction, in your version of your world?" His theories as far as these weekends went had assumed they weren't strictly fictional at all, just from worlds slightly altered from theirs. This was one thing he thought he should check, rather than assume.

[unburnt-queen.livejournal.com]

She shook her head. "He was stillborn. He died the day before my husband did. I was sent here to recover from the birth," she said quietly. A pause, and, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before now. I...it's hard to talk about. And I was worried what you'd think." She still was, really.

[knowsnokungfu.livejournal.com]

"I... think that's really sad." He was still getting his head around it, but for now, it was as simple as that. If he was supposed to think something else, it hadn't come to him yet.

He'd been assuming something along the lines of her sadness being because Rhaego reminded her of his father. Apparently, more than that.

"I'm sorry."

[unburnt-queen.livejournal.com]

She gave a little half-shrug. "It was my fault," she murmured. "But I never thought I'd see him. They took him away before I woke up, after he was born. To see him here...." She trailed off, shaking her head. "And our little girl is impossible, too," she added, swallowing thickly. "I can't bear living children at all now. Part of the 'my fault' aspect of it. I'm sorry."

[knowsnokungfu.livejournal.com]

Chuck shook his head. "You don't... really, don't need to be apologising to me. For any of it." Her fault, could mean a lot of things, and he didn't push on that for now.

"There's something, in knowing they're both happy, and existing, somewhere, isn't there?"

[unburnt-queen.livejournal.com]

"I'm apologizing for not being the person you probably thought I was," Dany amended, starting to regain control over her emotions and voice. "Bad enough I'm a widow, here. Few enough people know I'm the mother of a dead child."

She paused, though, considering his statement. "That does help, though. Wherever they are, they're both happy, with living parents who love them."

[knowsnokungfu.livejournal.com]

"Not exactly something many people open with," he pointed out. In fact, it was probably rare that it was. "This island just... has a habit of yanking old wounds. Its a talent. You'd think it did it on purpose."

[unburnt-queen.livejournal.com]

She forced a wobbly little smile. "Anyone ever tell you that you're exceptionally reassuring?"