Starry Eyed

Before the Storm

"Why are their eyes still glowing?" Mariana asks, her fingers still lingering over the shocked expression on her face. 

Neither Callie nor Brandon had bothered to look at each other, too busy studying the looks on their mothers and siblings faces; all while having a panicked conversation in their minds.

"Yeah this isn't supposed to happen right?" Jude asks softly, tears brimming his eyes.

It was like no one even knew what to say; they were all frozen in place with mouths open and eyebrows raised. 

Brandon felt Callie's panic rise and allowed his thumb to glide over the pale skin of her wrist, the spot that held the strongest rhythm of her heartbeat.  This was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of their lives. Instead of feeling panic and tension they should be relishing in their new and very much improved connection.

Their bodies were sensitive to all these new feelings; both of them could hear each other's heart beats in their heads. Brandon could hear her counting along with his, trying to keep her mind off the disapproving look on Stef's face. 

Every thought, every emotion, every feeling - nothing was private - but that didn't matter. In fact, neither of them wanted to hide anything from each other, allowing every aspect of their beings go back in fourth and in between, making sure to leave nothing out.

Callie's eyes stray from their family back to Brandon. Mariana was right about the eyes, and she wondered for a moment if they were meant to stay like that forever and part of her wished they would; the light they made together was truly the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed.

"Wait I read something about this" Jesus says, breaking everyone out of the trance like state they had been in "Yeah so like apparently when it happens this early the light won't go out until they, you know, do it."

It was silent for a moment - everyone trying to process what the fuck had just come out of his mouth -and then laughter followed. 

Jesus wasn't laughing.

"Fine" he mumbles, regretting he had even said anything in the first place "but let me know when your eyes stop glowing." And with that he winks at both of them and walks through the rest of the yard and back into the house. 

Lena looks to Stef for a brief moment, stepping closer to each other. "Kids why don't you let us talk to Brandon and Callie alone for a little bit." Lena smiles, motioning towards the door.

Jude and Mariana give one more sympathetic look towards the new couple before taking each other's hands and walking back to the party. 

"So I guess this is it, you two are...soul mates." Stef snarls, earning a tight squeeze from Lena's hand.

"We have to trust the stars, love." Lena says, smiling at her wife and then back at the new couple "I'm thankful every day that the stars led me to you, and I'm happy our children get to experience it."

It was hard for Stef to stay angry when her wife was a radiating ball of positive energy most of the time. It seeped into all her dark spots and ultimately made her a better person. 

And it's not that she didn't want that for Callie or Brandon, but the second she witnessed her adoptive daughter collide with her son she could feel a wall of resentment build up in the depths of her soul; that wasn't something her wife's sunny energy could send away.

"I'm sorry Lena, I just... need some time." Her hand slips from Lena's grip, and with a sad smile her feet move towards the door. 

"We're sorry -" Brandon speaks first, allowing Callie more time to get her tongue back. "We didn't know it would happen this soon - we thought we had time."