The States

we all fall down

Ginny writes letters. Occasionally, on good days, David hears her humming the same songs she had once played on her violin- a violin that's hundreds of miles away in Philadelphia. She takes on all the house chores just to have something to occupy her mind when she isn't fighting.

Sometimes, Jackson will join her as she does the chores, silently taking half the work. Sometimes, he encourages Ginny to play the piano. Sometimes, Ginny does.

Sometimes, Ginny's letters are returned unopened, and they all pretend not to see the devastation on her face.

Sometimes, the corner of a letter will stick out of her pocket, the ink smudged by fingertips and tears. 

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Scarlett is too still these days. It's unnatural, because David has always associated his sister with vibrancy and passion.

He is always uneasy when she does it, and sometimes he finds himself watching her, making sure her chest is rising and falling.

Sometimes, he catches Daniel doing it too.

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Everyone knows where Timothy goes- disappearing at night and not coming back for hours or days. Well, everyone, it seems, but Jackson.

He might keep the pendant tucked into his shirt, but they can all see the chain.

They all know that it isn't Timothy's state seal on that pendant.

(The first time Josh says "sleeping with the enemy" and "Kendall" in the same sentence is the last time he does so.)

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Evangeline has shed her former self like a snake sheds its skin. David believes her when she whispers threats and promises. The first time she had mouthed off at Jackson and he'd slapped her for it, they'd all frozen in place.

And Evangeline had looked up, and quietly reminded Jackson that Ginny wasn't the only one with the blood of an empire thrumming in her veins. And then she had stood with quiet dignity and walked away. And she had never retaliated. Not until Jackson had dared to think he would ever be allowed to slap Drew for his insolence.

The next day at breakfast, the slim blade of rapier was at Jackson's throat. And Evangeline had told him he could hit her all he liked, but that if he touched Drew again she was going to gut him like a pig. Jackson had smiled at her and said he didn't doubt it.

David knows that Evangeline will never forget, that she will remember every single slap and slight.

David thinks that Evangeline is biding her time like a true Frenchwoman- waiting until Jackson is down, weak, exposed to use the razor-sharp rapier under her bed.

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Austin hides behind a facade of disinterest and boredom.

Austin thinks he's good at reading people, at hiding his emotions.

David has years on him, however. He's seen the brotherly fondness Austin has for Evangeline, the look he gets when Addison writes him letters, the way he carefully responds to each one.

David saw the horror in Austin's eyes when Carmen told him about little Nevada and Arizona, running off to become soldiers.

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Flora has grown confident, and with that confidence comes surety.

She has feelings for Scarlett, David realizes one day when Flora gives Scarlett an orange blossom.