+8000 meme response 1
Jul. 3rd, 2011 11:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dicreasy2Here's my response for the first prompt I was thrown over at the +8000 wedding meme in celebration of the fact that New York has legalised gay marriage (woooo!).
The prompt from Jess was Charlotta/Hannah - getting ready before they get married.
Note, due to historical laws, this isn’t canon, even though Charlotta’s want panel for most of her life wished it was. Enjoy.
"Then we will have double bad luck."
“Anne,” said Charlotta warily as she looked up at the mirror. Of course, her twin sister’s reflection wasn’t visible in the glass, but with Anne wielding hot irons so close to her scalp, she didn’t want to risk turning her head to look at her.
“Yes my dearest sister?” answered Anne.
“Is this really necessary? I see nothing wrong with how I normally style my hair…”
She heard the irons snap shut on thin air and could picture the look on her sister’s face as she next spoke “Nothing wrong? Charlotta, you do realise that you are getting married tonight? That all eyes will be on you and that a severe, scraped back bun is not going to cut it?”
“But ringlets and curls? Anne, I am not you!” She felt her sister’s icy cold fingers on her head as Anne tiled it forward.
“No, you are not, but I am going to make damn sure that you look beautiful for your bride tonight,” replied Anne as she wrapped more of Charlotta’s hair round the irons and closed them. Charlotta let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes as she decided it was probably wisest (and safest) to let Anne get on with it.
In a room down the hall, Hannah was staring wide eyed at her reflection in the dressing table mirror as Miss Di and Mrs Beth Legacy chatted excitedly behind her. How had it all gotten so out of control? All the flowers heaped everywhere, the spectacular feast her future father-in-law had insisted they have, the guest list which included near enough the entire village… She hadn’t wanted all this fuss, and she doubted Charlotta had either. All that mattered to her at the end of the day, was that she and her dear Charlotta would spend the rest of their lives together. But as soon as they had told Mr Legacy of their plans, he had taken charge, saying that his dear wife Allyn (God rest her soul), would never forgive him if he didn’t make sure their eldest child had the spectacular wedding she deserved. And so it had all been taken out of their hands and now she sat here, looking like a pretty mannequin while everyone fussed around her treating her more as nuisance than anything else, as if she wasn’t important.
She’d had enough.
She stood quickly, knocking over one of the bottles of perfume which stood on the dressing table in her haste.
“Hannah?” asked a puzzled Miss Di as she swept towards the door, but Hannah waved her away with an impatient flick of her hand and pulled the door open. George was standing outside the room she knew Charlotta to be in, and he looked up, startled as she approached. “Miss Belfour?” he asked, but, ignoring the implicit question, Hannah gave him a tight lipped smile, before knocking on the door. She didn’t wait for an answer, before opening it.
Anne turned round, a vicious scowl on her face as she looked to see who the intruder was. She relaxed only slightly when she saw it was Hannah. “Oh, it is you. It is bad luck to see the bride before the wedding you know,” she waved the hair irons around as she spoke, narrowly missing Charlotta’s ear as her sister swivelled on her stool to see who had entered.
“Then we will have double bad luck. Will you excuse us?” She gave Anne a pointed look. The vampire’s scowl deepened for a moment before she nodded and placed the hair irons and curl paper down.
“I will be back in five minutes,” she said as she reached the door.
Charlotta nodded, her eyes never leaving her fiancée. “Hannah, what is it?” she asked quietly as soon as Anne closed the door. Hannah crouched down next to her and took her hands. “Charlotta,” she said peering into her lover’s eyes. “Do you really want this?”
Fear and hurt flashed through Charlotta’s eyes. “You do not want to marry me?” her voice was little more than a whisper.
“No! I mean, yes of course I do! I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. What I meant was, do you want all of this,” she waved a hand expansively. “All of these frills and nonsense.”
Charlotta shook her head. “No,” she replied truthfully.
“Then let us run away,” Hannah took both her hands again and gave them a little squeeze. “We can take a coach, head to Simford, board a train and go anywhere! We could travel to the lakes or to the Highlands or even head to Portsimmouth and board a steamer there!”
Charlotta listened to the other woman talk. What she was proposing sounded wonderful. Travelling together to some far off place and marrying just the two of them.
It was just what she wanted.
It was just what she couldn’t have.
She chewed her lip, and once Hannah had finished talking, she looked up into her expectant face, her eyes filled with sorrow. “It sounds wonderful Hannah,” she said quietly, “but I cannot do it. Father would never forgive me. Since Mother died, and he went to visit Henry, he has been like a lost soul. Planning the wedding feast is the most alive I have seen him in a long time and I cannot let him down by running away. I cannot disappoint him.”
Hannah looked into Charlotta’s sky blue eyes and saw fear and sadness there. She knew something then. She would do this, with all the frippery and frivolous trappings, for the woman she loved and the family which was about to become her own. It was but a few hours, and then they would have a life time which was theirs and theirs alone.
“You will not disappoint anyone,” she said simply. “If this is what you must do, then, this is the wedding we will have.”
Charlotta squeezed her hands. “Thank you for understanding.”
Hannah lent forward and kissed Charlotta’s forehead. “You do not need to thank me for that.” She was just standing up when Anne came back into the room. “Your five minutes are up. I have to finish getting your bride ready for your wedding,” she said.
Hannah smiled at her, throwing her off guard. “Yes, you do,” she replied simply. “She is looking lopsided with curls on just one side of her head. I will see you at the altar,” she said to Charlotta. She had just reached the door when Charlotta said “I love you.” She turned and gave her first genuine smile that day. “I love you too,” she replied, and then she was out of the door.
***
I have two more prompts to fill still, so expect more from me.
The prompt from Jess was Charlotta/Hannah - getting ready before they get married.
Note, due to historical laws, this isn’t canon, even though Charlotta’s want panel for most of her life wished it was. Enjoy.
"Then we will have double bad luck."
“Anne,” said Charlotta warily as she looked up at the mirror. Of course, her twin sister’s reflection wasn’t visible in the glass, but with Anne wielding hot irons so close to her scalp, she didn’t want to risk turning her head to look at her.
“Yes my dearest sister?” answered Anne.
“Is this really necessary? I see nothing wrong with how I normally style my hair…”
She heard the irons snap shut on thin air and could picture the look on her sister’s face as she next spoke “Nothing wrong? Charlotta, you do realise that you are getting married tonight? That all eyes will be on you and that a severe, scraped back bun is not going to cut it?”
“But ringlets and curls? Anne, I am not you!” She felt her sister’s icy cold fingers on her head as Anne tiled it forward.
“No, you are not, but I am going to make damn sure that you look beautiful for your bride tonight,” replied Anne as she wrapped more of Charlotta’s hair round the irons and closed them. Charlotta let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes as she decided it was probably wisest (and safest) to let Anne get on with it.
In a room down the hall, Hannah was staring wide eyed at her reflection in the dressing table mirror as Miss Di and Mrs Beth Legacy chatted excitedly behind her. How had it all gotten so out of control? All the flowers heaped everywhere, the spectacular feast her future father-in-law had insisted they have, the guest list which included near enough the entire village… She hadn’t wanted all this fuss, and she doubted Charlotta had either. All that mattered to her at the end of the day, was that she and her dear Charlotta would spend the rest of their lives together. But as soon as they had told Mr Legacy of their plans, he had taken charge, saying that his dear wife Allyn (God rest her soul), would never forgive him if he didn’t make sure their eldest child had the spectacular wedding she deserved. And so it had all been taken out of their hands and now she sat here, looking like a pretty mannequin while everyone fussed around her treating her more as nuisance than anything else, as if she wasn’t important.
She’d had enough.
She stood quickly, knocking over one of the bottles of perfume which stood on the dressing table in her haste.
“Hannah?” asked a puzzled Miss Di as she swept towards the door, but Hannah waved her away with an impatient flick of her hand and pulled the door open. George was standing outside the room she knew Charlotta to be in, and he looked up, startled as she approached. “Miss Belfour?” he asked, but, ignoring the implicit question, Hannah gave him a tight lipped smile, before knocking on the door. She didn’t wait for an answer, before opening it.
Anne turned round, a vicious scowl on her face as she looked to see who the intruder was. She relaxed only slightly when she saw it was Hannah. “Oh, it is you. It is bad luck to see the bride before the wedding you know,” she waved the hair irons around as she spoke, narrowly missing Charlotta’s ear as her sister swivelled on her stool to see who had entered.
“Then we will have double bad luck. Will you excuse us?” She gave Anne a pointed look. The vampire’s scowl deepened for a moment before she nodded and placed the hair irons and curl paper down.
“I will be back in five minutes,” she said as she reached the door.
Charlotta nodded, her eyes never leaving her fiancée. “Hannah, what is it?” she asked quietly as soon as Anne closed the door. Hannah crouched down next to her and took her hands. “Charlotta,” she said peering into her lover’s eyes. “Do you really want this?”
Fear and hurt flashed through Charlotta’s eyes. “You do not want to marry me?” her voice was little more than a whisper.
“No! I mean, yes of course I do! I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. What I meant was, do you want all of this,” she waved a hand expansively. “All of these frills and nonsense.”
Charlotta shook her head. “No,” she replied truthfully.
“Then let us run away,” Hannah took both her hands again and gave them a little squeeze. “We can take a coach, head to Simford, board a train and go anywhere! We could travel to the lakes or to the Highlands or even head to Portsimmouth and board a steamer there!”
Charlotta listened to the other woman talk. What she was proposing sounded wonderful. Travelling together to some far off place and marrying just the two of them.
It was just what she wanted.
It was just what she couldn’t have.
She chewed her lip, and once Hannah had finished talking, she looked up into her expectant face, her eyes filled with sorrow. “It sounds wonderful Hannah,” she said quietly, “but I cannot do it. Father would never forgive me. Since Mother died, and he went to visit Henry, he has been like a lost soul. Planning the wedding feast is the most alive I have seen him in a long time and I cannot let him down by running away. I cannot disappoint him.”
Hannah looked into Charlotta’s sky blue eyes and saw fear and sadness there. She knew something then. She would do this, with all the frippery and frivolous trappings, for the woman she loved and the family which was about to become her own. It was but a few hours, and then they would have a life time which was theirs and theirs alone.
“You will not disappoint anyone,” she said simply. “If this is what you must do, then, this is the wedding we will have.”
Charlotta squeezed her hands. “Thank you for understanding.”
Hannah lent forward and kissed Charlotta’s forehead. “You do not need to thank me for that.” She was just standing up when Anne came back into the room. “Your five minutes are up. I have to finish getting your bride ready for your wedding,” she said.
Hannah smiled at her, throwing her off guard. “Yes, you do,” she replied simply. “She is looking lopsided with curls on just one side of her head. I will see you at the altar,” she said to Charlotta. She had just reached the door when Charlotta said “I love you.” She turned and gave her first genuine smile that day. “I love you too,” she replied, and then she was out of the door.
***
I have two more prompts to fill still, so expect more from me.
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no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 10:20 pm (UTC)Great cameo for Anne, too!
no subject
Date: 2011-07-05 06:46 pm (UTC)Me too. Every single one of their 50 dream dates, Charoltta rolled the want to get engaged to Hannah, and the want stuck around even after the date ended. But I just couldn't do it.
They were very happy, it just would have been a nice thing to be able to do.
:D Oh I had to have Anne put her oar in there.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 10:41 pm (UTC)Loved it Di, just wish it could be canon! *huggles Charlotta and Hannah*
Maybe they could do all that running away and seeing things after the wedding, like as a honeymoon? :D
no subject
Date: 2011-07-05 06:47 pm (UTC)Yeah it's one of those things I wish I could have done, but wasn't able to. :(
Oh yes, I'm sure they went on a really long tour afterwards. :D
no subject
Date: 2011-07-04 06:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-05 06:49 pm (UTC)They do make the best of it though, and as I say to Jess, I'm sure that they went on a long tour afterwards.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-11 06:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-11 07:03 pm (UTC)I'm sure they ended up having a lovely day, despite all the rigmarole which went alone with it. :D