Disclaimer: Yada yada yada ya. I'm tired and I don't have a lot of time at the moment, so short disclaimer. I don't anything that they had first. I own the toys I came up with and until I'm done with them I don't intend to share. Poor baby.
Author's Note: Like I said I'm tired and short on time. I finally managed to get my brother to take me to the library tomorrow so I can update chapters 5, 6, and this one. I hadn't planned on starting this chapter (7) until I had uploaded 5 & 6 but I'm incredibly bored though short on time so I thought 'What the Hell' Anyway. Like chapter 6 I have nothing more than a vague thought of what I'm about to type, so…no overview. Again Deal with it.
"The Irony of it All"
Chapter 7: " Best friend and sister…what's the difference?"
"Sarah Catherine Williams! Out. Of. Bed. NOW!"
Sarah's only reaction was to roll over and put her pillow over her head.
She was tired, cranky, and really didn't feel up to actually joining the rest of the world any time soon. In fact it seemed like an entirely wonderfully idea to find a soft, sunny spot to curl up in and sleep forever.
"It's not that long at all…mmmmmmmmm." She mumbled, still cocooned in that place between dreams and waking memories, where your thoughts seem to be spoken aloud, and in doing so, deserve an answer.
"Sarah! Come on Butterfly! Get up!"
"Hmmmmmm. Huhhhh?"
"Get up! Sarah, we are going to be late. So get out of bed. Now."
Sarah was waking up whether she liked it or not, after all the body can only take a certain amount of noise before some response is needed. However, she had every intention of going back to sleep just as soon as she got rid of the 'thing' that was rather effectively keeping her from doing just that.
Therein lied the problem. With a start Sarah realized who the voice belonged to.
'It isn't real. If I lay here long enough Mac will go away. Far away.' Even as she hoped, Sarah knew she had not a single chance in Hell.
Slowly she sighed, Sarah was now awake, though not happy about it. Listening carefully she tried to see if maybe the sky had fallen, and Mac had (for once) decided to let her sleep. She waited, and heard nothing… Nothing… Still no sound.
'Okay, I don't hear anything. Maybe it was a dream after all. I'll open my eyes and no one will be here.'
Or not. Her mind taunted.
Gingerly, Sarah cracked open one eye. She didn't see anything. Open the other one and if no one was there, she could go back to sleep. Gathering her courage, Sarah slowly let both of her eyes flutter open. Big mistake.
With a look that appeared to be part malicious glee, part amused sympathy, and part demonic joy, Mac pulled the curtains in Sarah's room open, and let the sun say 'Hello.'
Light flooded the room. Really bright light.
"What the.. !?!" Sarah let the exclamatory question trail off as she dove for cover. Or more appropriately under the covers.
"Hahahaaaaaaaaa! Now. I don't want to have to tell you again. Get. Up." During the following commentary Mac had moved in front of the window, which had, temporarily, allowed Sarah to once again peek out from under the covers and glare at her sadistic, so-called 'friend'.
"Mac…I find nothing funny about this."
"That would be because you didn't see how funny you looked diving under the covers." Mac replied.
"And the reason behind that was…?" Sarah trailed off and sent a pointed look toward the redhead.
"You're nocturnal, lazy, and famously bad-tempered in the morning?" Supplied Mac.
"I am not 'Famously bad-tempered' in the morning! I didn't get to go to bed until after three last night due to a very loud buncha...never mind."
Eyebrows raised Mac sent Sarah the 'why-are-you-even-bothering-to-deny-that-you-almost-screwed-and-said-something-that-I-now-have-to-torture-you-about?' look.
"Oh…no,no,no, do please finish. I have a feeling that particular unfinished thought is going to be an interesting one."
"There's nothing to be interested in Mac. I simply had trouble falling asleep last night. That's all."
Mac grinned. "Sure and ya' did love," she drawled, lapsing into the Scottish brogue her grandfather spoke with, "And I was merely suggesting that the reason you had trouble falling asleep, was the part of your earlier, almost tell all, which you neglected to finish, was what had piqued my interest. By the way, you're gonna end up telling me any way so why bother to wait?"
'Not if I can help it. Although, she's right. Eventually I'll tell her. I always do, it's just hoping that she won't have me committed, that worries me.'
Secretly Sarah knew Mac would believe her. To some extent anyway. She didn't know to what extent yet, but the knowledge that there would be some extent should suffice for now. In the mean time, until she got up the nerve that is, she'd settle for changing the subject. So…
Sarah glared, Mac beamed, and unhappily, though not entirely gracelessly Sarah slid from her bed to dress.
"Any particular reason that you're waking me up so early? Or did you just feel the need to torture me? And while I'm at it, why do you torture me? Was I a horrible person in another life and you're my punishment or what? I must have been really horrible if that's the case, because I don't think even Charles Manson would deserve you," Sarah broke off to pull her tank top over her head.
Mac's only response was to give her the 'poor-poor-pitiful-you' look. Then she heaved a sigh and tossed her waist-length curls. "First of all, as your best friend, it's my job to torture you," She stopped and sent Sarah a smug smile. "You'd feel neglected if I didn't."
Sarah tossed a rueful grin over her shoulder as she dug through her dresser for her jeans. "Okay, if you're not my punishment, then why did you wake me up this morning?"
Mac raised a sardonic eyebrow, "Don't tell me you forgot."
"Forgot about what?"
Rolling her eyes Mac contemplated her place as the martyr. ' *sigh* It was her idea and she's already forgotten about it. Butterfly is going to one day forgot about her wedding and one day be late to her own funeral. And organization is a foreign concept. No…wait. Alien might be a better word to use.' Mac smirked as she thought about that last part. She snapped back to attention when Sarah asked the reason for her torture again.
"Mac. What did I forget about?"
Mac heaved yet another long suffering sigh and rolled her yet again and sent her best friend a look that said she thought Sarah was the village idiot. "Butterfly, the extra practice was your idea and you've already forgotten about?"
"The practice. I completely-"
"-Forgot, lost track of, chose to forget?" Mac interjected with a grin. "Please pick one, I'm dying to know what your excuse is this time, though nothing short of an alien abduction, with proof, would keep Miz Deidra from chopping off your head with the guillotine I think she keeps in the back closet."
Sarah gave a delicate shudder, "Have you ever actually been back there?"
Mac's eyes widened, "Not only no, but Hell No. That closet scares me. I mean like, Twilight Zone, scares me. But on the bright side, since I sacrificed my beauty sleep, to wake an hour and a half earlier to drive over here to make sure you got up on time, and were not thrown in the dungeon. Now…wasn't that generous of me?"
Sarah glanced up sharply, when she spoke her voice was no more than a whisper and her eyes were not focused on Mac.
"Generous?…Yes,.. I think you were."
Mac looked at Sarah with concern. Then the realization dawned on her.
'It's finally happened. Now the wheels are in motion that can't be stopped, and all I can hope is that happily ever after is written in the stars.'
Slowly, and somewhat more gently than she normally would have done, Mac called Sarah back to the present. "Sarah?"
"What…I'm sorry Mac, did you say something?" Sarah's attention was once more focused on her best friend.
Recovering quickly, and suppressing the new light of understanding in her own eyes, Mac sent the willowy dark brunette a chastising look. "I said…I had to give up my beauty sleep!"
With mock sympathy and a devilish grin, Sarah countered, "That's to bad Mac…I'm sure you needed it."
"Exactly and I- Hey!" It was then Mac's turn to glare. She didn't say anything, she just sat there calmly composing herself. Ya…Right.
Without warning Mac started hurling pillows towards Sarah's very irritating head. Sarah's response was to back up toward her window and start laughing.
"Mac…chill…come on! Hey! You can't throw that. Ow! Okay maybe you can… seriously… truce!"
Mac stopped the barrage of catapultable objects, and grinned at her opposite. Sarah was backed up against the window and waving one of her white shirts as a flag of surrender. "Are you sorry?"
"You have no idea," Sarah muttered.
"Okay then, I suppose I can go easy on you and let you live…this time." Mac raised her eyebrows threateningly.
Sarah snorted.
Unable to stop herself from smiling, Mac decided to allow herself one more throw, for the sake of injured pride.
"Hey!" Sarah ducked, and the stuffed animal, which strangely enough looked a lot like Sir Didymus, Sailed through the air and hit the window. It flew open and the stuffed replica of the gallant fox flew out of the window and landed, luckily in the tree.
"Oops. Sarah I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"It's okay Mac, I can get him from here." Sarah swung her windows open a little wider and stretched toward the stuffed animal.
"Just a little further, a little more…Got it!" Sarah clasped the fox close as she wriggled back in the window. Turning lose with one hand she reached to steady herself on the tree and her palm closed over something which felt like a small bit of silk.
Closer inspection revealed it was a feather. A white feather, that turned gold when it was hit with light. Sarah dropped the toy, and gazed at the feather.
'Is it his?.. But even if it is, what's it doing out here? The only place I saw him as an owl was when I was sent home and sadly he flew away…He wasn't out here watching…was he?'
So intent was Sarah on the questions racing through her mind she didn't notice the 'sadly' her mind had included into the mix.
"Sarah? Hey Butterfly are you okay?" Mac crossed towards her and laid her hand on Sarah's shoulder. Sarah glanced up and her stormy grey-green gaze met a concerned amethyst one and held for moment.
Rewarding Mac with a reassuring smile, Sarah closed her fingers over the feather. "Ya, I'm fine, just a tingle up my spine, so to speak."
Mac huffed, "Anymore tingles and we're gonna be late, regardless of how early I got up to ensure the opposite. Finished getting dressed and grab your gear, mine is in the car, where I'll be waiting."
Sarah sighed. "If I must…"
"You must, now get a move on it girl!"
Smiling Mac walked out the door. 'I hope they know what they're doing, 'cause butterfly doesn't have more than a small clue…please let this work.'
As Mac left, Sarah once more looked out the window. Softly, to herself, she spoke…
"Please be alright."
Author's Note: Ooh lala, I like this chapter. I didn't expect it to turn out this well. And though I'm bragging it's because I think this is my favorite one so far. Again How about the plot. Is it torturing you? I sincerely hope so, at least I hope it's torturing those of you who have so delighted in torturing me. Especially cutiechelsey. Sweet, It's not that I have a grudge against you, It's just that you so seem to enjoy leaving me hanging on to every word I thought I'd return the favor. Again thanks to everyone else whose reviewed so far, and I hope for more. **crosses fingers**
As always major thanks to my beta reader who puts up with me. She doesn't have to and yet she does. Is this girl trying to get into Heaven or what? Celestia, How 'bout it, are you surprised?
And again I want to know if you can figure out any of my plot…so try, please. Leave your deposit in the blue box. ^_~