Tethered

Beta'ed and/or revised by;

Contradicting-Whispers

Heather Shadelight

Pendragoon

FirstSelector

My most heartfelt thanks.

— O —

2008, November. 24th, Mon. Late afternoon.

«Are you coming or not?»

«Sry cant do. Still hv wrk»

Christ almighty, Victoria. Amelia was glad that Taylor laid asleep atop her instead of being forced to read the frankly ridiculous amount of typos her sister made in the name of – what was it? Ah, yes; speed texting, of all things.

Adding insult to the injury, the only time she wasn't trying to stonewall her sister from meeting Taylor – and wasn't Carol happy about that – and she gets rebuffed? She couldn't even claim disappointment, self-centered as her sister was, she knew it had been extremely probable that Victoria would ditch her anyway. At least she had made the promise of not babbling about her relationship to absolutely no one – Carol included. She had been confused as to why, but complied easily enough when bribed with a period-less existence.

She snorted as she put her phone in the table and came back to her girlfriend, arms coiled tighter around Taylor while she drew soft circles on her back, Victoria slipping her mind as she massaged the points and knots of tension she could feel there slowly melting away thanks to the pressure she applied by feeling around her nerve clusters. She could have done that with her power in an instant, yes, but that wasn't fun nor relaxing – for her or for Taylor, had she been awake. Pampering her girlfriend very much was, even if she slept through it.

Her hands kept moving without conscious input, her thought process focused on how she could fix this fucking mess with Danny. She knew that he had been holding it together quite well after Annette's death, but it looked like he had started to come undone recently and was dragging along Taylor too.

She hummed in contemplation, a hand moving towards a head of raven-black hair, fingers more practiced than dexterous sliding along and parting silky locks, tips resting against Taylor's scalp and dragging along softly. She groaned and rested more heavily against Amelia, closed eyes fluttering and expression relaxing.

The day she got Tay out of the hospital Danny almost looked… normal, not cheery by any stretch of the imagination, but it looked like he had been there, mentally speaking. Now that she looked back though, she could see a sort of stilted jittering to his actions and words, almost as if he wasn't really paying attention to anything said or done, the only moment when that didn't happen was when he sort of… congratulated them? Whatever, it wasn't as if she needed his permission to date Tay.

Coming back on track, she supposed she could try to do something and fix the current food problem since it looked like Danny was only interested in getting smashed and ignoring the only thing worth protecting he had left in this shithole of a planet.

Amelia's lip curled back in a sneer that Kaiser would find hard to match, not that the asshole had anything but a full-face helmet all the time. And wouldn't it be fun to just reach and twist him into whatever she wanted ? She wouldn't even be doing anything wrong and she would be learning in the process about what made the human brain tick.

Perhaps she should push more towards treating the chronic or vegetative patients. If she made a mistake she could undo it at the moment, no harm no foul, and it would really help her in the application of some of the ideas she had had. Besides, who didn't want to see their supposedly incurable relatives be alright again? Even if they weren't exactly as they were.

Food for thought.

She noted how it was quarter past six; not too late, per se, but not too early. She had to be home at around seven, so she didn't have too much time left to cuddle her favorite brunette.

She sighed, eyes pinched close and lips pressed into a grimace. She didn't want to go back to Carol, nor did she have any desire to try and socialize with her sister after refusing to come with her because she had some stupid project she could have done later anyway–

Soft warmth pressed against her mouth and ripped Amelia away from her own spiral of dread. Her gasp of surprise parted her lips, an opportunity that Taylor didn't throw away by making her own tongue present and pressing it against Amy's, drawing a purr of contentment from the back of her throat.

Sinfully soft hands sneaked upwards, cupping her face and deepening the kiss for a long, long minute that Amelia didn't want to end, but did. She felt her cheeks heat up while little shocks rattled her brain. Kissing felt so good, and she could see that Taylor enjoyed it too, her brain and body lighting up like a fireworks show with every second of movement.

Taylor separated from her and she bit lightly on Amelia's lower lip as she did, drawing a little gasp of mixed feelings that left her a little dizzy.

Beautiful purple eyes met her own, filled with the same love they were when they confessed to one another. She opened her mouth only to have Taylor's index finger pressed against her lips, shutting up by reflex. It felt strangely good when Taylor took control.

"No bad thoughts," she enunciated firmly, to which Amelia could only nod. When had she woken up, though?

"A while ago," she answered as if reading her mind, probably because there was no other person on the planet capable of reading her face as plainly as Taylor after years of being together.

How had she missed it? Had she really been spiraling so badly? She knew that she sometimes got lost in her own thoughts – more at school than anywhere else – but the spirals were especially bad lately.

Which made her remember. "I can't wait until you get to Arcadia," she absolutely didn't whine.

Taylor sighed, playing with the freckles of her face with her fingertips, connecting one another in nonsensical patterns that made Amelia purr, "I know. Arts in general are such a pain without you…"

She snorted in an undignified manner. "Tell me about it. I hate English when I don't have you to explain things to me during recess." She scrunched her nose in distaste. That Mr. Norton was an absolute ass didn't help matters in the slightest.

She yelped when her abused lower lip got snared between Taylor's teeth once again, the brunette released it when she pulled back slightly and looked at her with a frown she couldn't help but find cute. "I said no bad thoughts." She sighed, "I have more than enough of them for the both of us."

Amelia started to say something but was cut off when Taylor nuzzled her neck and spoke first, breath tickling her sensitive skin in a manner that made her spine tingle. "I… thank you for coming here, 'Melie"

Amelia absolutely beamed. It was a nickname that Taylor only used when they were both alone and Taylor felt specially safe. It made her heart soar being able to hear it again, especially after Annette's death.

"You have nothing to thank me for, Tay. I'll be there for you every time you need me, and you know it."

Taylor blushed and tried to hide deeper in the crook of Amelia's neck, a whispered "thank you" only heard thanks to how close they were at the moment.

She looked at her phone's clock, noting that they had at maximum around forty minutes before she had to call Sarah to get her home – she was absolutely not taking the public transport. The service in this city was atrocious, even if it normally kept out of cape fights for some nebulous reason someone mentioned once. Probably not important.

Then she had an idea.

"Hey TayTay, is The One still where we left it?"

Taylor snickered at the name. "Yes," she then looked at her with concern. "Are you cold? Do we get more blankets?"

Amelia disentangled herself from her girlfriend and got up in a truly titanic effort of will, the loss of warmth and safety more acute than what she thought it would be. She raced up the stairs with a cry of "be right back," entering Taylor's room and going straight for the closet, her hands finding exactly what she wanted in but a moment – after all, she knew where everything was.

Racing back downstairs, Amelia presented herself to Taylor with a truly massive, fluffy hoodie that Danny had gotten in a bit of fancy a couple of years ago at the market. They were cold as death but didn't want to let go of each other, so he got something that could fit them both at the same time – as ridiculous in size as the thing is.

Taylor smiled, then smiled wider when Amelia approached and sat on top of her, Taylor's arms circling her waist while her head rose and emerged from the neck of the hoodie, noses almost touching and breath intermingling.

"Well, if we have so little time on our hands, better make it worthwhile, don't you think?"

She licked her lips and Taylor's blush reappeared, which made Amelia dive into her girlfriend's mouth and take the initiative. She felt through her Tether as well as her power a spike in activity across her whole body.

It made her feel so good.

Her own smile turned into a grin when this time she was the one who used teeth, which drew a little gasp out of Taylor and an even bigger rise in activity, her body heating up and melting against her.

Payback time.

— O —

The door clicked softly behind her, the hum of the TV acting as background noise that helped center her, shoring up her mental defenses to better deal with Carol Dallon in just about…

"You're late, Amy."

…now. She bit the inside of her cheek, doing her best to not snap at her and snark a quick "it's Amelia, jackass." It would do nothing but put her in a more precarious position.

God was it tempting.

"Yea-Yes, I'm sorry." Never give more information than what is asked, ever. That way only ever leads to uncomfortable interrogation sessions where she was the one beneath the blinding light and at the business end of a barrage of uncomfortable questions she certainly did not want to answer.

Suspicious, angry, defensive, aggressive.

She knew that Carol was a Gordian Knot of insecurities but this was taking it a bit too far.

Carol exhaled slowly and audibly, not taking her eyes off Amelia. "I want you to turn on the GPS on your phone each time you go to the hospital. Your power is too valuable to be lost because you decided on taking on a stroll without telling anyone and got kidnapped."

Carol's tone left no room for argument, more of a statement than a question or the start of a conversation. She simply spoke as if whatever she said would come to pass, as sure of it as she was of the Sun rising the next morning, of fire burning if you touched it and of Amelia – she refused to call herself Amy – being a monster wearing the skin of a fourteen year old girl.

She was definitely asking Taylor to spoof her phone.

Amelia replied with a dry "yes" devoid of all inflection and tone, wary of rousing Carol and getting slapped with another ridiculous punishment for getting home ten minutes later than expected.

Without another word Carol stopped accosting her and left in the direction of the kitchen, apparently intent on making dinner. Bleh. The things she made always tasted hollow to her, apparently lacking in some esoteric regard.

Or perhaps she just liked eating what Taylor cooked.

It was probably that.

And now she was left desperately tugging on her Tether again as she went upstairs to stall the loneliness that came with leaving her physical presence once again, the phantom memories of lips pressing on her own making her shiver.

She came to a halt on the cusp of the stairs, a tired eyebrow raised in the direction of the blonde menace in front of her.

"Hey, um…" Victoria grabbed her left arm with the other one, rubbing it slightly. "I'm sorry for not going with you. I had forgotten the project we were working on and… yeah, I'm sorry."

Amelia sighed softly, and after a moment of deliberation hugged her sister whose arms hugged her back almost in reflex. It was a short thing, but it meant more than anything she could say to her sister.

"It's okay. It's… well, just remember to tell me before, okay? I know the two of you don't know each other all that well – or at all, if we're being honest, and that's my fault-"

Victoria furrowed her brow. "Your fault, how?"

Amelia closed her eyes for a moment, cursing her slip. She gestured to her own bedroom after opening them again, and her sister complied, opening the door and getting inside, Amelia hot on her heels.

Victoria chose the computer slash study chair to sit on, and Amelia selected the bed because it was more comfortable and fuck if this wasn't going to be a stressful conversation.

She sank back on her link fully for a moment, searching for something to center herself but only stressing further once she noticed the signs of mounting stress on Taylor's body.

She came back to reality, and grimaced. Better start now. "You noticed how it was always the two of us alone, didn't you?"

Victoria nodded, looking slightly pissed but listening.

"Well, since she was my only friend that also wasn't your friend, younger me got this stupid idea in her head that if I let her get close to you, you would just… I don't know. Snatch her away or something similarly moronic, and I would be alone again."

"But I wouldn't do that!" She looked scandalized and with good reason.

"Yes Victoria, I know that now, but I didn't years before. It was…" she grit her teeth. She didn't like admitting her faults any more than the next guy, but this was her sister, she deserved an explanation. "A stupid idea born out of insecurity, okay? I just didn't know how to deal with only knowing people who wanted to be your friend or already were, and she was the first person that wanted me." She exhaled forcefully, desperately wishing she could be curled beneath warm blankets with the smell of a library wafting out of a soft body between her arms. "So I got possessive. Sue me." Shit. "I mean, I'm sorry."

Yeah, great save, idiot.

Fortunately her sister's frown eased, and she let out an undignified snort at her save, making Amelia's cheeks blush slightly in embarrassment.

"Amy-" " Amelia." " Sister, I can understand that. I know I can be overbearing or overwhelming or just plain too much, but I'll forgive you this slight-" Nerd. She snorted and her sister's eyes narrowed. "-if you arrange another day we can meet and get to know each other. The only things I know are some facts I've managed to spoon out of you with time and what you told me today at school, and I'd like to know more about the girl that has my dear sister wrapped around her little finger."

Amelia scowled and crossed her arms at that, but she didn't outright say or deny anything, which, of course, only gave her sister more ammunition.

Victoria stood up from her seat, stretching and groaning. "Well, I'm due a shower before dinner, so I think I'll be taking it now."

Ammunition that apparently she was going to stash and wait for the perfect moment to use. Damn.

She shushed Victoria out of her room once it was apparent the argument was settled for the moment but not ended, and she submerged herself once more in her link.

Something was wrong, and she didn't know what. Taylor's stress levels had been rising steadily across her entire trip to her home up to the conversation with Victoria, and she didn't like it one bit.

Ten minutes of deliberation later found her with her phone at hand, finger hovering over the 'call' button when she heard Carol call for them – call for Victoria, really – for dinner.

She cursed under her breath, stashing her phone in one of her pockets and going downstairs, Tether held with an iron grip by psychic fingers, growing increasingly distressed at the state of Taylor's stress, all the relaxation and de-knotting she had done earlier coming undone at the seams.

She ate as quickly as it was polite to do so, and raced upstairs for a quick shower as fast as she could, concern warring with her desire to fly under the radar as much as possible the entire time.

Once she was between her blankets, she grabbed a pair of earphones and quickly plugged them in, merging more with her link and sending as much comforting warmth as she was able, easing the tension on her girlfriend's body as much as she could the only way she had.

She didn't dare call her before Carol and Mark went to bed, afraid she would barge in and rip it off her hands.

Those were a torturous two hours that she spent sending as much warmth as possible, concern mounting with each passing second.

Finally, finally, almost at midnight, they went to bed and the house became silent as a tomb.

Amelia pressed the 'call' button, and Taylor's stress skyrocketed. A ring, two, then she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded soft, fragile. She hated hearing her like that.

She exhaled. "It's me, Tay." She bit the inside of her lip, then decided to go for bluntness. "What's wrong? You've been getting tense since I left."

"Nothing, it's just…" She heard a muffled sniff. "Dad still isn't home, and I don't know where he is, Kurt said that he was with them some hours ago but he still isn't home and- and I miss you. I miss you so much…"

Amelia choked down a sob.

Danny, you absolute piece of shit.

"I'm- I'm here Tay. I'm here for you."

She heard and felt her take a deep breath, holding it and letting go a couple of moments later, fingers tapping one by one the palm of her hand in rhythm – a technique Annette had taught both of them some time ago when Amelia was sleeping with Taylor one day and they both had had a nightmare.

"Sometimes, when we are in the same room, it feels… It feels as if both of them died that day and I'm just- alone, drifting and," she took a shuddering breath. "And I don't know if I have a father anymore. I don't know if I matter to him anymore. I just- I don't know."

Amelia did the same thing, deep breaths and fingertips tapping against the palm of her hand and each other, tap tap tap-tap tap, tap.

Amelia said the only thing she was absolutely sure of right now, the only thing that didn't involve screaming and raging at the sky, God, or anything else.

"I love you."

Taylor sniffed, calming down slightly.

"Whatever happens, know that I love you."

She felt her eyes closing, tear ducts opening in both of their cases.

"...I love you too, Melie."

Another shuddering breath.

"Can you… stay with me? Please?"

"Always."

That night, neither of them slept.