Cole

The clouds were churning in a way that suggested a break in sun, or a downpour. Still it did nothing to dull Cole's mood as he waded through the train station with his backpack and camera bag. The small town boy he'd been felt the connection even if they didn't grow up here. And as he pushed through the doors to the parking lot, he felt it at the shout of his name.

Cole let out a whoop as he saw Anna running towards him, her grey eyes dancing. He lifted and spun her once while she had one hand fisted in his jacket collar, the other grabbing his baseball cap and tossing it behind her, where Ethan would catch it, an old routine. Kissing her forehead once before dropping her, Cole felt most his fatigue lift.

Ethan's face was brilliant against the skies gloom as he put Cole's hat over his own dark blonde hair. "Cole." He said somberly.

"Ethan?" Cole replied, tongue in cheek.

"This is a Yankee hat."

Anna gasped as she spun to look at Ethan. "Mere de Dieu. Take it off, cast it into the darkness now. Right now."

Cole glared daggers at Ethan before taking a physical step back when Anna rounded on him. "Now Ann you can get your Cajun up all you want, but as someone who used to live in New York City you have to know how…"

"It is a Nationals, Cyclones, or Valley Cats hat, or nothing at all Michael.

"If you recall you tossed my Nationals hat and this one didn't just catch it, he never gave it back."

"In the ninth grade." Anna poked Cole in the chest.

"Yeah, you had plenty of time to replace it since then." Ethan put in.

"Who's not helping?"

Ethan just grinned and nudged Anna to the side, putting one arm around Cole the other around her. "I'll help by driving. Shine has your favorite waiting at home."

Home. They may have lived the bulk of their friendship across the country, and he had never lived in Slingerlands, but it was true. Anna kept it home for them. As did Ethan's family. His own, well. They were another story. Yet living in Washington most of his childhood, he responded to the familiar scenery.

Trees. Not as lush and bountiful as Washington, but in this part of the state, the mountains peaked out. His life in the city might have taught him how to apply his craft, but his love for photography had come from this type of scene. The color, the turning weather, the people that lived much more simply. They all added to things he wanted to capture and make last.

Even now, after eating his fill of Anna's barbeque chicken sandwiches, Cole's fingers itched for his camera. The apartment was always bright and filled with colors and textures. Ferngully, Anna had named it before she had even moved in. Before she had even turned it into what it was. The name was from a fairy story they had enjoyed as children. Now that's exactly the tone it set.

Acres of flowers were dried in bundles and scattered all about. Books older than them piled here and there, flanked by various antiques saved from obscurity. Pots and vases held moss and figurines. The walls had paintings of gardens, mountains, woods, and skies. Anna's own hand scrawled movie and book quotes over some. And Cole's photographs of old houses, fields, and Anna's journeys were tucked throughout.

It was an unquestionably feminine space, but the magic and whimsy made anyone feel welcome. A museum turned sanctuary.

Pulling himself from the artist, he looked back at Anna. They had stretched out on the couch and with a happy sigh she lounged back putting her feet in his lap. In her habit she smiled at Cole expectantly, as she had since they were children. Always ready to be there. He knew his buffer time was closing.

"There's something I wanted to run by both of you. An idea so to speak." He began.

"Ah. Here we are." Ethan tugged off the rubber gloves he'd donned to do the dishes and walked over to the arm chair.

"It's nothing bad but I need you both to tell me what you think about it. I'm not doing it if I feel like you're saying yes to make me happy. I mean it."

"We don't bullshit each other Cole, you know that." Anna said.

"No, but we all have made allowances at some point. This can't be one of those. It's about the two most important things in my life, you two and my work so I need it to be something we're all in."

"Then we're listening, and we'll tell you." Ethan said, his voice firm. "No worries either way it goes."

"Exactly." Reassured Cole let out the breath he'd been holding. "A couple days ago I was dropping off some shots at an online publication I do freelance for. Which is a generous term."

"The knock off buzzfeed one?" Anna asked.

"Yeah that one. Anyway, I think I was feeling down that day. You know I hate winter shoots this late in the season and we've all been missing each other so that clouded it too. So walking in a place like that on top of it, I don't know. I felt out of whack. There's a writer there. I can tell she's hated it since her first week, but she's always working. She just looked miserable.

He took a second to formulate how he wanted to go on. He knew his friends had a talent for reading his mind, so he kept his tone easy. "Misery really likes company I guess. I walked over and we started talking."

Cole took them through he and Hayley's conversation and the one the morning before. He altered eye contact from one to the other and saw Ethan's face go through different animations while Anna had a poker face, but for twirling the ring on her left thumb.

Ethan looked at Anna and then was the first to speak. "Well. I guess I'm surprised a stranger would be interested. But it would be naïve to say I don't know why it wouldn't make a good story. We know what we have here. But Cole it could be…"

"It could be magic." Anna jumped in, not looking away from Cole. She smiled as he squeezed her calf, and said to them both, "I know it could be risky. But think of some of the things we've done together. Think of some of the people." She paused as her voice caught, clenching her jaw. "The people we've known." She finished. "Maybe no one would even want to run it, how can we know? But Cole needs to make it. And this girl can help him do that."

"She'll be the one to make it a story. You know me, I don't talk much if I don't have to and it kind of flowed out. The way she looked when she heard just glimpses of us, I don't know. It made me think about the idea more, until now it's all I can think about. Making something else out of what we've shared together. It could be great."

"Magic." Ethan said with a grin. "It could be. If she can find a way to keep our privacy intact. Especially if we end up sharing about other people. A shadow ghosted his face for a second until he pushed it back. "When I'm in the city in April I'll want to meet her." His grin returned at Anna's nod.

"I don't know when I'll be able to myself, so that's a good idea." Hiding a smirk she smoothed her sweater.

Cole looked from one to another. "I don't want either of you to start."

"Who's starting anything?" Ethan raised his hands. "My visit was already planned."

"You know that's not what I mean." Cole pointed to his nose and then the two of theirs. "Can't fool me."

"Ditto kiddo." Anna wiggled her brows. "Don't worry though, we're not starting. I'm sure you and Miss Gillies are the most professional of folk."

"Here here." Ethan agreed.

"We have spoken twice." Cole insisted. "Am I intrigued that she seems to understand us. Yes. Am I interested to know why she's so sad? Absolutely. I hope we'll be friends as well as colleagues."

"Colleagues. Yes I'm real interested in the facial reactions of my colleagues, aren't you Anna Jane?"

"Immensely." Anna patted Cole's arm. "Regardless. You have our blessing, and our interest too. You should ask Hayley if it's alright to send me something she's written. Best way to get to know someone is to see their art."

Nervous she may guess he had recently done so himself, Cole just nodded. "Thank you. Both of you. I'll keep you posted every step of the way and eventually it'll be all of us working on whatever comes of this. As always."

Ethan walked over and pat the side of Cole's head. "It's what we do. I'm proud of you for trying this." He sat on Anna, who huffed. "Now go get ready for the hike you know this one wants to take us on. The rest of the weekend is for us."

Cole got up and went to change in his hiking boots and wash up, so Ethan plopped into the spot he vacated. Once he heard water running he jerked his head at Anna. "Well?" He asked low in French.

"He feels something for certain. It's up to them to figure it out." Her family's native language flowed easy even in whisper. She quirked a brow at Ethan. "The stories he'll tell her, you and I have gotten to share with someone before. He never has. It's important for him to get to do that. No matter the risk."

"But you don't think storytelling is all that's there or you wouldn't have been twirling that ring."

Shrugging a shoulder Anna signed. "Because I see him. I hear what he doesn't say." Reaching up and pinching Ethan's chin she added in English, "Just as I do with you."

"If this gets to the point where they tell the story about….people." Ethan reached out and grabbed her hand. "I need you to promise me that you'll talk to me if it gets hard. I know you won't tell him. He'll stop moving forward if you do, we both know it. So you'll lean on me."

"If you will when you talk about yours."

"Geall." Ethan said in Irish.

"Geall" Anna repeated.

From the bathroom Cole leaned his back against the door, smiling. Sure his French wasn't as fluid as theirs but he knew enough. Just as he knew what parts of their stories he'd be attentive with. Those two could and forever would protect and put him first. It was the best magic they taught him, because he'd learned to do the same for them.