[check out the banner that inspired the story on Tricky Raven in my short story forum, Every Dog Has Its Day!]
Characters: Bella's teddy, Bella, Jacob, Embry, and all the pack kids and their stuffies, Molly Swan, Old Quil
Rating: K, for now, but the finished one-shot may end with more grown up kids/older teens
Genre: fluff, family, suspense, humor
Prompt: Metallica's "Enter Sandman" and Stevie Nick's "Crystal"
A/N: I have this sweet one-shot underway that I started as a showpiece for the theme of this year's anonymous Halloween contest on Tricky Raven, Nightmares & Dreams, but I haven't had a chance to really tell you guys about the contest yet! As a Tricky Raven administrator, I'm not allowed to enter the contests, but that doesn't mean I can't write fun Halloween one-shots anyway! :D
Nightmares & Dreams is Tricky Raven's first ever multi-fandom Halloween contest. We have FOUR Twilight categories and a total of FIFTEEN categories for both authors and artists this year!
I am so excited to have something to show you guys for Halloween, I just couldn't wait til I was done to give you a peek at what I have in the works for later this month! :D I started this last weekend for the holiday and I'm so in love with this little guy, I just have to share. He won't leave me alone! This is an unbeta'd, totally rough first draft. My writing partner is in the middle of a big move and changing jobs, so I'm on my own for a while yet this month. ;) Please be kind, let me know in the comments if you enjoy it, and I'll be back soon with the rest!
The Centurion, a Halloween One-Shot Preview
Molly Swan was born a witch. As was her mother before her. All the Swan women, it was said, were touched with the gift of the Fae.
Her young niece, Bella, had the gifts, too, Molly told the small clutch of creatures crowded onto shelves and crates in her cramped crafting space. In various states of completion or repair, each tiny, patchwork critter waited its turn for her attention. Patiently, they whiled away the days, listening to sweet Molly tell them about their charges.
Not all of the children were born yet, so some of the creatures had a bit of a wait ahead, but Molly knew just when each child would arrive and timed the completion of each loving work of art to coincide with the next child's birth.
The night young Sam came quietly into the world with little fuss and no tears, the squat owl with large eyes carved from driftwood finally took its turn. When he was old enough to speak, little Sammy Uley named his owl Archimedes after the sarcastic and smart-mouthed bird in his favorite animated movie. Molly's lips twitched with amusement the day she returned to her sewing room and informed the cuddled mass of waiting creatures that the first of them had been accepted by his charge, named and claimed forever. Sammy was just two at the time.
Next, the Black twins, Rachel and Rebecca, came into the world in the midst of a late spring snowstorm. Molly laughed joyfully to be caught so off guard. She had no idea there would be twins! Delighted, she took to her sewing room and made a second tiny blue fawn, gifting the girls with their cuddly magical friends during her next visit. At barely one and a half, they dubbed them Flora and Fauna after their favorite cartoon fairies. Old Quil chuckled when they held them up for kisses, but he obliged, whispering a blessing into each ear the same as he had with Sam's owl once upon a time.
The pattern continued. A guardian gift for each child in need of protection.
A graceful, long-necked swan for Leah. A plush, fearless skunk for Jared. A porcupine for prickly Paul whose hot temper sent him wailing with outrage right from the womb into the big, wide world. Molly thought the porcupine quite fitting.
Molly continued her work, creating more childhood guardians for babies to come later. All the while, a special stuffed creature sat in pride of place on the shelf over her sewing machine. Though she added a bit of magic to every gift, the small, golden brown bear was truly a labor of love. Every stitch, deliberate. Every addition chosen with care. A bit of lavender for good dreaming and rosemary for remembrance. A small coin for tribute and a pinch of salt for added protection. Rather than the typical polyfil stuffing and sturdy cotton patchwork, this bear came together from special bits of this and that-a tuft of fur from a bear that gave Harry and Charlie a run for their money, a bit of fluff from Molly and Quil's wedding quilt, a snip of silky satin trim from Sarah Black's handbasket-fabric scraps from a blanket made for the Blacks' longed-for boy who'd yet to make his appearance.
Even the bear's patchwork was special. Staid and loyal, the teddy bear was made from the thin doeskin of Molly's own wedding skirt. The golden brown sueded material felt silky soft to the touch. Worn and well-loved, Molly made sure it was durable enough to last long beyond the girl's all too brief childhood.
The unnamed teddy remembered the day Molly breathed life into his ear. Old Quil whispered secrets in the other, things the teddy would need to know to protect his young charge. The first of them, the secret of the pack mind. Old Quil explained as best he could, but the teddy had no pack. Turning his attention to Molly, teddy wondered what this was-"pack mind", "pack".
Molly explained, "Well, of course you wouldn't know! You're a teddy bear, not a wolf!" She elbowed Old Quil. "Pack mind," she scoffed.
Hunkering down in front of the teddy, she pointed to the others waiting their turn on the shelf-a big, colorful octopus for the future alpha; a long-eared bunny in vibrant aqua blue for his beta; a sturdy, yellow ducky in water-resistant oilcloth for her grandson. "You're a cuddle of stuffies, not a pack of wolves!"
A cuddle? The teddy regarded Molly. Cuddle mind?
"Yes." She smiled, relieved the teddy understood.
The teddy understood many things. As Molly breathed life into each tiny, childhood guardian, Old Quil always added a bit of his own magic-the magic of The Great Protectors. The children were special. Each child had magic, too, and sometimes, Molly explained, magic attracts the wrong kind of attention. The stuffies-centurions, Old Quil called them-would watch over the children and report back to the nearest stuffy-most likely young Quil's ducky. The teddy understood this. The purpose of the cuddle mind was to keep them connected so Molly and Old Quil would know when they were needed.
The teddy also understood his very special job. As Molly finished his stitches and tucked essential herbs and powdered amber into his squishy middle, she sang an ancient song, imbuing the teddy with extensive knowledge, including an in-depth primer on dealing with dreams both good and bad, more bravery than most, and even greater daring-do.
He would need it all.
Bella Swan's magic glowed like a beacon, even in the womb. In the cradle, she kicked and cooed softly, her soulful brown eyes watching everyone and everything with quiet interest, particularly Sarah Black and Tiffany Call.
From birth, the infant Bella Swan knew things.
Magic things.
From the moment Molly set him in the cradle within his darling Bella's clumsy grasp, the centurion teddy stood watch over the most powerful witch the Swan family had ever borne.
Being a centurion, he had some magic of his own. Speed, for starters. As a childhood guardian, teddy and the others could move faster than even a supernatural eye could see. Which is why they never appeared to move. Too fast to track. A handy skill, that, especially in the brief moments they were separated before bed during the dreaded bath when the teddy had just enough time to spray the pillows, doors, windows, and that awful, dark space under the bed with Molly's home-brewed Monster Spray.
Renee thought it was just a pretty spray bottle, filled with sparkly water and provided by Charlie's Aunt Molly to give Bella a feeling of independence and control over the little things that frighten children in the night. The scent of chamomile and lavender helped Bella settle down, so Renee sprayed a little every night on Bella's pajamas and pillow just for good measure, then tapped the dream catcher mobile overhead for sweet, monster-free dreams, too.
Little did Renee know the monsters were the least of her worries…
E/N: How adorable is the centurion teddy?! Who wants to read more?