CRACK.

Arthur's body tensed, his arm tightening around Kay in his waking moments. He blinked away the sleepy muddle as an answering boom shuddered over the shack. He took a slow breath in, then released it. Kay found his hand and squeezed it gently.

"Looks like we finished just in time," she murmured. Then she pulled her hand back, wrapping an arm around the shivering bundle by her. "Hey. Hey. It's just a thunderstorm."

"Don't like it. Don't like it." Ginny tried to burrow under Kay. "Don't like it."

Arthur reached around Kay, stroking Ginny's head. Her hair had begun to grow back and stuck out like straw a fraction of an inch in all directions. "It'll pass. But you look like you're not getting to sleep anytime soon. This feels like an occasion for midnight cocoa, to me. What do you think, Kay?"

"Absolutely."

"Why don't you two stay here. I'll…" You notice Gareth is missing. "... find Gareth and get his help making the cocoa."

Kay nodded, drawing the blanket over Ginny as another CRACK lit the room. Arthur eased out from under the covers and swung his legs over the end of the bed. His feet found the floor and he put his hand on the wall, feeling his way forward carefully. He chose not to sharpen his vision or hearing, but called out, "Gareth? Are you in here?"

A soft snapping sound from the other room of the shack. Arthur followed it. His foot caught on an uneven board and he tripped, his arm wind-milling on the way down. He landed with a heavy thud. "Ungh. I'm okay!" He called, hoping to keep Kay where she was.

A small form appeared next to him, barely visible, touching his shoulder.

"I'm okay, Gareth. Just… balance is harder." Arthur stood carefully, rotating his shoulder stump. The prosthetic was stashed in one of the cupboards since it was more hindrance than help at this point, shocking him and freezing up every few minutes. He itched to get his hands on a set of tools every time he thought of it. "You okay? Couldn't sleep?"

A small, soft glow appeared between them, a pixelated orb that would have looked at home in an 8-bit video game, but gave enough light to see Gareth's face and hands as he signed. Yeah, no sleep. It started raining, so I'm checking the cracks we patched.

"Well, did we do a good job?"

A couple spots still leaking through the roof. I marked where they are.

"Good. We can go over those tomorwell, when it stops raining. But if there's just two, we did pretty good." Extremely good, considering Arthur had zero background in home repair and one functional arm. Together, the four of them had taken the special order materials from town and spent the day pulling the shack back from the edge. Arthur already had a list of things he wanted to ask a handyman. Tom, back at the shop, had that kind of knack and might be willing to share notes with him. Maybe they could come back here and keep working on the thing.

If we survive our talk with Mother.

Arthur immediately adjusted his thoughts back to cocoa. "Thought we'd make some cocoa and sit by the stove for a while. Can you bank the stove and fill the kettle? There should be enough water in the bucket still. I'll get the mugs ready."

Gareth nodded. The orb split in two, one drifting down by Arthur's hands and the other following Gareth back into the other room. "Thanks," Arthur called after him, then headed for the cupboards.

Gareth still hadn't answered Arthur about why he'd been so upset, but Kay had pulled him aside and reiterated her plea to stop using his abilities, adding in the distress it was causing Ginny and Gareth. So Arthur tried, as much as possible, to curb even the smaller exercises of his gifts, calling for help whenever needed for the last few days.

It was strange to catch himself every time he reached for extra energy. He felt like an inconvenience each time he pulled up short. A burden. But nobody else treated it that way. If anything, faces lit up whenever he asked for help, like he was doing his family a favor.

By the dim light, he pulled down mugs one at a time, a container of unsweetened cocoa, and a bag of sugar. Bracing the container of cocoa between his chest and wrist, he pried the lid off with his fingertips and set it down. He fished a spoon out of a drawer and carefully scooped a heaping spoonful into each mug. Recapping the cocoa container, he unrolled the folded-over sugar bag and added two spoonfuls of sugar to each mug. He gave each mixture a couple stirs to blend the granules, then re-shelved the ingredients and hooked his fingers through two mug handles.

Arthur ferried the mugs over, setting them on the floor next to the stove, now blazing merrily. Gareth set the kettle on top and nudged the water bucket back into the corner. The rain wasn't drumming on the roof so much as sheeting onto it. Kay remained in bed, sitting with Ginny huddled up against her.

Can we just freeze this moment forever, too? He wanted to live here, in this broken down cabin. He wanted to close out the rest of the world. He wanted to rest here and soak in this warmth all of his days.

They would come back, he decided. He would make a serious inquiry about the ownership of this place. They would spend at least a couple months a year here. His mouth quirked. Somebody has to show the twins where to go and teach them how to forage the area, after all.

CR-CR-CRA-ACK.

Ginny let out a cry. Kay's arms tightened around her and she hummed, softly. Arthur's eyelids dropped half-shut and he leaned toward Kay, drinking in the soothing sounds himself.

Snap snap snap.

Arthur glanced at Gareth, who signed, Would you sing, too? It might help her.

Arthur blanched. "Hah, Gareth, that's… I mean, Kay is really… I'm not…" you gesture at yourself, fumbling for the right string of words.

You like to sing. You love music. We like to hear you, too.

Shrugging, Arthur ran his hand through his hair. "It isn't my gift. Just a hobby. Doesn't hold a candle to what your mother can do. Or you."

Gareth reached out a hand and grabbed Arthur's sleeve, tugging gently. The stove light flickered across Gareth's face so Arthur could see his eyebrows raised and his head tilted. Like Ginny, Gareth's hair had also begun to regrow, though in tiny blond curls that clung to his scalp.

Arthur cast an uneasy glance at Kay, but she was grinning at him. There would be no help from that corner.

And then, Arthur got a smile of his own. "Well. I might be persuaded to sing. Perhaps. But not alone."

Gareth immediately turned to Kay, but Arthur grabbed his arm. "What do you say, Gareth? I'll bet you know a lot of the same songs I do. I need backup or I might be too embarrassed to try."

Gareth cringed, made a zipping motion across his lips, and shook his head. Kay's smile slipped.

No. You will have none of that. You turn him to face you and look him square in the eye. "Gareth Kingsman. I'm already under sway to you, your mother, your grandmother, and I'd probably be in sway to your Aunt Aji if she was still with us. There's no escaping that, it's the life I chose. I understand you want to be careful with humans, but the way I am right now, you cannot hurt me with your gift unless you are trying to do that on purpose."

There's a sheen in his eyes that hurts you every bit as badly as Dulcie falling into your arms and weeping. They are too young to hold these burdens. Kay… what was it like for Kay? She should be the one soothing him. Do you even have the right to speak to this?

You think of Timothy Pepper's trembling silence and you know the answer.

"We are out in the middle of nowhere. You have to be careful most times, but not here. Not in this place. Not with me."

Arthur waited as Gareth bowed his head, fiddling with his fingers. Eventually, he peeked up again and signed, You start?

"Absolutely." As soon as the word leaves your mouth, you regret it. You're probably never going to live this down, singing in front of sirens who have perfect pitch and perfect breath control and perfect resonance.

Arthur shook himself. Nobody was asking him for perfection, just his participation. Clearing his throat, he flipped through titles in his head.

Oh. Your grin returns full force. You stand and begin thumping one foot. "Gareth, can you open for me on Try Everything?"

His face lights up and he slides into the beat, clapping in time with your foot. He opens his mouth and

When sirens have sung at full strength in close quarters with you, it has often been difficult to stay on your feet, but this time the tone of the music thrums through you, vibrating sinew and muscle. You know you could free solo up a cliff face in this moment, gifts or no gifts. There is nothing you could not conquer, nothing you could not overcome. You want to run outside and vault the shack. Challenge the storm to a one on one fight from the roof. You laugh in sheer delight.

You've missed the opening. Gareth loops back and repeats the opening twenty notes, and you begin.

"I messed up tonight, I lost another fight. I still mess up but I'll just start again. I keep falling down, I keep on hitting the ground. I always get up now to see what's next."

Just as before, you cannot keep still. Ginny is peeking out from under the blanket, watching you. You lunge forward, hand extended to her. You cannot pick her up like this, but you can invite her to the dance.

"Birds don't just fly, they fall down and get up. Nobody learns without getting it wrong."

CRACK-CK.

She's shaky as she takes your hand and puts her feet to the floor, but she's out. Kay's feet hit the floor next to her and Kay is holding Ginny's other hand.

"I won't give up, no I won't give in," you sing, and Gareth finally joins. "Till I reach the end and then I'll start again. No I won't leave, I wanna try everything, I wanna try even though I could fail."

And as the thunder rolls, Ginny's tremulous voice joins. Gareth takes Kay's hand and we are a circle, wheeling in front of the stove and banishing the darkness for several minutes. When we end the song, Kay surprises you by asking, "Can we sing that one again?"

Perfect recall. Cayenne joins the song and swells the air in our little shack so full that no one can hear the storm outside. Ginny has broken free and grabbed Gareth's hand and they are careening around the room. Kay wraps her arms around you. You follow suit with her as your partner, stomping and spinning and filling the night with joy.

We are nearly at the end of the song when the kettle breaks in, shrieking discontentedly.

Ginny giggles, pointing at the stove. "The kettle wants in on it too!"

You plant a kiss on Kay's cheek and turn to Gareth. "Let's get some cocoa in us, but I think we have a few more songs to go through, yeah? Your turn. What song is next?"

He opens his mouth and catches himself. Hesitating. He takes care with each syllable as he answers, "Can we... do... Shut Up And Dance With Me?"

Your smile cannot stretch any wider. "Oh, Kay, you're going to love this one."


The days passed too swiftly. There was game to catch, meals to prepare, and always another structural issue with the cabin. Trash had to be burned or buried. Wood had to be gathered and water drawn from the well. Evening meals were eaten around the outdoor fire pit, and the meadow resounded with music every night.

Arthur did his level best to forget that sand was running out of the hourglass. The whole of him desired fervently to wring every last drop of goodness from this time and not allow it to be spoiled by his fears. But the day the wind carried Mystery's scent to him, he froze in his tracks, the empty water bucket hanging from his hand.

Ginny continued toward the shack with an armful of wood, but Gareth swung around, dumping his load immediately.

Don't run, he signed, even as Arthur's body tightened like a spring. Smell that. He's full. He's himself again. It's different this time.

Swallowing, Arthur tilted his head back and scented the wind again.

Copious regret.

He exhaled, still shaken. Mystery was no longer starved if he could bleed off that kind of emotion. Gareth was right, this meeting would be different.

But it is also the end of the good times. You do not want it to end. Why, why does it have to end?

He tried to speak, but found Arcturus retreating. He sighed, then gestured to the cabin. Gareth picked up the wood he'd dropped and the two of them trailed after Ginny. Arthur dropped the bucket by the well and sat on the porch as Gareth went inside. Within moments, Kay and the twins joined him, surrounding him and pressing in close. Nobody spoke as they watched the meadow.

Slowly, a red-and-brown patch of hair bobbed up over the edge of a curve, following the path from town. Mystery came into view as a smartly dressed human, walking at a steady pace, his hands spread out.

From the corners of Arthur's mind, Arcturus was screaming that they had to run, they had to take everyone and go NOW before it was too late. They didn't have to attend any meeting, they didn't have to prove who they were. They were Arthur, and damn anyone who thought otherwise, especially that flea-ridden bag of fur.

Arthur's mouth was a thin line and every muscle was keyed up. Mystery continued his approach, stopping only as he came to the firepit. He opened his mouth to speak, but in that moment the wind shifted.

Whatever persuasive opening words he'd intended to deliver were lost forever. Mystery's face twisted in consternation, and the pitch of fear and tension in Arthur snapped into reverse as he was racked by hysterical laughter. It was like watching puzzle pieces slot into place all over again as Mystery interpreted what his eyes and nose told him about the four people he faced.

"Arthur… Arthur what in the actual hell is going on?!"


NOTE: The song sung in the cabin (and the title excerpt) is from Try Everything by Shakira, one of two "triumph songs" of this series. More apropos to the first four fics, but still works.