A/N: I know, I know. I should have updated this two weeks ago. Life happens and stuff gets away from you. Plus, skipping a decade kind of takes a while to plan. ;) But here we go, loves! Rated M for a little Faberry junior action. (Like you didn't see that coming from previous chapters. ;))
People Will Say We're In Love
Sixteen year old Miriam was in her bedroom late at night after having gone with her parents and brother to the Vocalis Innixi meeting to celebrate the full moon. She sat at her vanity, dressed only in her powder blue shift and dark purple robe, and took down the braids in her hair. Carefully, she brushed her hair out, looking at herself in the mirror to make sure she hadn't missed any tangles. She settled her brush down when she saw the blonde girl open her window and climb through.
Miriam turned and smiled at her best friend Elizabeth. She stood up from the bench and closed the distance between them."Bethy," she breathed. "How did you escape your mother's visions?"
Elizabeth smirked. "I asked Mama and Papa if I could go stay with Auntie Sarah," she said. "She always covers for me."
Miriam gasped in shock. "You are a bad influence on me," she said, laughing.
Elizabeth grinned wickedly and kissed her best friend's lips. "But you love me anyway and have since we were five," she said.
Miriam nodded, kissing her back. "Yes," she said.
"I found something of my mother's...it was hidden in the wall of my old nursery," Elizabeth said, pulling a large book from under her cloak.
"Ooh, what is it?"Miriam asked, helping Elizabeth hold the book open.
"It's called a grimmerie," Elizabeth said, flipping it to the page she wanted.
"I've heard of those...Gran says they're bad," Miriam said, biting her lip.
"Not all of the spells in it are bad, Miri," Elizabeth insisted, showing her best friend the spell she'd been working on for a bit. "This one...this one will let us be together and we can have a family, if we want."
Miriam blushed. It wasn't that she was afraid of loving Elizabeth. Her mother and Elizabeth's mother had accepted that long ago and their fathers would find out eventually. It was just...she was scared of changing and ruining their friendship. She didn't want to hurt her best friend. "What does it do?" Miriam asked, looking over the spell.
"It will let one of us turn into a man," Elizabeth said, smiling.
Miriam's eyes grew wide. "Permanently?" she asked. "But it wouldn't be the same..."
Elizabeth shook her head. "Not permanently," she said. "Only when we want it."
"Have...have you tried the spell before?" Miriam asked nervously.
"Only once," Elizabeth said. "It was weird...and I wanted to be with you right that moment...but I didn't want to scare you."
Miriam nodded and blushed. "I do want to try it..." she said.
Elizabeth grinned, kissing her again. "Hold the book for me and I'll recite the spell," she said.
Miriam nodded again, holding the book so that Elizabeth could still read it.
Elizabeth took out her wand and waved it over her head, reciting words that Miriam didn't understand. They sounded almost harsh and Elizabeth's voice kind of had this growly/guttural quality to it as she recited. Miriam saw black and purple smoke surround her friend and cover her body. The smoke slowly dissipated and what was left was a boy with short blonde hair and Elizabeth's hazel eyes. He was naked and Miriam had to turn her face away and hand him a blanket to cover his manhood with.
Elizabeth's male form laughed throatily as he wrapped the blanket around himself. "It's okay, Miri," his deeper voice said. "I'm covered now."
Miriam grinned, looking at him. "You're gorgeous either way," she said, coming up to him and kissing him softly. "And you kiss the same."
Eli (that's what Elizabeth called herself in male form) laughed. "It's still me, Miri," he said, stroking her back. "Just...with something extra."
Miriam nodded, stroking his face. Her heart was beating against his chest rapidly. Some part of her wanted to know what it felt like to have him inside of her. The other part of her wasn't sure she was ready.
As if reading her mind, Eli led her to the bed and pushed off her robe. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to do," he said, kissing her hand softly.
Miriam smiled, stroking his fingers with hers as he pushed back the bedclothes and laid down beside her. He laid the extra blanket over them."What does it feel like?" she asked.
Eli smiled. It's different," he said."Do you want to...?"
Miriam blushed yet again and reached out under the blanket with her hand.
Eli guided her hand to his extra appendage and let her touch it.
Miriam jerked her hand away suddenly and looked sheepish. "No...I shouldn't," she said.
"It won't bite you," Eli said, kissing her. "Promise."
Miriam blushed even more.
"And I won't force myself on you," Eli promised, holding her close.
"I know..." she said. "But Beth..."
"Call me Eli while I'm like this?" Eli said.
Miriam nodded. "Eli...I want to..." she said, struggling for the right words.
"Want to what, my love?" Eli asked, stroking her shoulder.
"I want to...be with you...but..when we're older...I think," Miriam said, biting her lip.
Eli nodded. "Want me to change back?" he said quietly.
"Please," Miriam said, kissing him again, a lump in her throat.
Eli nodded, climbing out of the bed and turning back into Elizabeth with a snap of her fingers. She climbed back in bed with her best friend and put her arms around Miriam. Kissing her forehead, she smiled lovingly at her best friend. "Get some sleep, Miri," she said.
Miriam nodded, tears in her eyes.
Elizabeth frowned, wiping her tears. "Hey...don't do that," she said. "You're still my girl forever...and I still want to be yours too."
Miriam smiled through her tears. "You are," she said. "I love you so much, Bethy."
"I love you too, Miri," Beth said, holding her close as they both fell asleep.
Several days later, Elizabeth was helping her mother teach Samara and their little brother Adam some spells when she turned her wrist and noticed a small bit of scarring. She dropped her wand suddenly and Brittany looked over at her oldest daughter.
"You alright, Beth?" Brittany asked.
"Yes, Mama," Elizabeth lied, pulling her sleeve down over the scar.
"Again, please," Adam said, smiling up at his big sister.
Elizabeth smiled at Adam and stoked his dark brown hair. "Sure, little guy," she said, holding his hand over the wand and showing how to flick it properly. She caused the flowers in the vase in front of them to intertwine and form a wreath.
"That's so...amazing!" Adam said.
Elizabeth grinned. "Takes a little practice," she said.
Samara grinned at her mother, forming a rose with the ribbon in one hand and the wand in the other. "Look, Mama," she said.
"Very pretty, Samara," Brittany said, smiling and kissing her daughter's cheek.
"Want to try that, Adam?" Elizabeth asked.
Adam nodded, beaming.
Elizabeth smiled, taking her brother's hand and another ribbon, showing him how to make the ribbon float and spin in the air. With their combined efforts, they formed a perfect rose. It landed in Adam's palm and he smiled, walking over to Brittany. "For you, Mama," he said.
"Aww, thank you, sweet boy," Brittany said, kissing his cheek.
"I thought you were going to save that for Melody," Samara teased.
Adam blushed. "We're just friends," he insisted.
"What are you going to make for Robert?" Elizabeth said, winking to her sister.
Samara blushed redder than their brother. "Not funny," she said.
"Only kidding, Sammiekins," Elizabeth said, hugging her sister.
Samara hugged her back. "Besides, Papa won't let us be alone," she said. "Not like you and Miri."
"Maybe someday," Elizabeth said, smiling.
Brittany laughed. "You two are not old enough yet," she said to Samara and Adam.
"Neither is Beth!" Adam insisted.
"Awwww," Elizabeth said. "Look at him trying to be a mini-Papa."
Adam puffed out his chest and grinned. "Someone has to protect you while Papa's out training soldiers," he said.
Elizabeth and Samara laughed.
"Beth will be old enough soon," Brittany said, sadly.
"Aww Mama..." Beth said, going to her. "Don't be sad. Aunt Rachel is still close with her mama. And Papa and Nanny are still close too."
Brittany nodded, hugging her eldest. "I know..." she said. "It's just..."
Elizabeth nodded.
"Why don't you two go ask Cook if you can help with supper?" Brittany asked, sensing something wasn't right with Elizabeth.
Adam and Samara giggled, running off to the kitchen.
Elizabeth looked at her mother. "What's wrong, Mama?" she asked.
Brittany looked at her. "Sweetheart...I saw the Grimmerie in a vision," she said.
"The...what?" Elizabeth said, trying to play dumb and failing.
"I know it was your birth mother's spell book," Brittany said. "Dark magic should not be played around with."
Elizabeth bit her lip as tears sprang to her eyes. "It was just one spell," she said, her voice breaking. "I wanted to...I wanted to be able to make love to Miri when we get married."
"Oh Bethy..." Brittany said, holding her close. "There are other ways."
Elizabeth sobbed against her mother. "I want to give her a baby," she said.
Brittany kissed her forehead. "You don't have to use dark magic for that," she said softly.
"Really?"
"Really," Brittany said. "I know of a spell that will do the same without those horrid consequences."
"What should we do with the Grimmerie?" Elizabeth asked.
"It needs to be destroyed," Brittany said. "I'll have to take it to Rachel and have it disposed of properly."
Elizabeth nodded. "Will she hate me for wanting to use it?" she asked in a small voice.
"She knows you love Miri," Brittany said. "And she knows that some day you and Miri will want a family."
"I would never hurt Miri," Elizabeth said.
"I know you wouldn't, darling," Brittany said. "So I think I should hold on to the book until we go back to the St James estate."
Elizabeth nodded. "I'll go get it," she said.
Brittany smiled. "That's my good girl," she said.
Elizabeth smiled and ran up to her room to fetch the book. She pulled open the trunk at the end of her bed and touched the thick leather-bound volume, pulling her hand back sharply as it gave off a shock. She quickly wrapped it up in a cloth and brought it down to Brittany. "Mama...it shocked me," she admitted.
Brittany looked at her oddly, taking the book from her daughter. It shocked her as well and she dropped the book on the floor. "Has it ever done that to you before?" she asked.
"No," Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know," Brittany admitted. "We should get it to Rachel and her mother as soon as possible."
Elizabeth nodded. "Do you think it'll hurt Miri if we don't do it tonight?" she asked, scared for her best friend.
"I don't know that either," Brittany said, opening one of her locked cupboards in the study and setting the book inside on an empty shelf.
Elizabeth bit her lip and gave her mother a guilty look, showing Brittany her scar. "Will this go away?" she asked.
Brittany looked at the tiny scar and brought her daughter back into her arms. "Oh Bethy," she said, stroking her hair. "They usually don't. Nyx gives them to us to remind us not to use dark magic."
Elizabeth nodded against her mother's shoulder. "I won't use it again," she said.
"I know that, sweetheart," Brittany said. "And someday I'll show you that other spell we talked about."
Elizabeth nodded again. "Miri's not ready for it anyway," she said.
"You're both still very young," Brittany said, smoothing her hair.
"Mama...is my birth mother still alive?" Elizabeth asked, fearing the answer.
Brittany swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded.
"Why didn't she want me?" Elizabeth asked.
"I really don't know," Brittany said, kissing her forehead. "I've loved you since the moment I met you and I can't imagine anyone not loving you. And after having your sister and brother, I can't imagine why any mother would desert their baby."
Elizabeth's eyes shone with tears. "You're the best mother I could have asked for," she said. "And even if she were to come back...she'd never replace you."
Brittany smiled at her daughter and wiped her tears away. "Let's go join your brother and sister for supper. Your papa should be home soon," she said.
Elizabeth nodded, leading Brittany out of the study. Neither of them heard the book rattling inside the cupboard or saw the cupboard start to glow darkly. Of course, they also didn't see Nyx appear and take that darkness into herself before she left as quickly as she came. Nyx wanted to protect her faithful children, just as Brittany had done with Elizabeth. Brittany had been a good friend to Rachel, and the goddess known as the Mother of All felt protective of her sister goddess' best friend.
A/N: So...how does everyone feel about the teen versions of Miriam and Elizabeth? Any suggestions? Leave a little love in the box below. Thanks!