Alternate Realities

Prompt: Don't give me space

"Are you... okay?" Elaine spoke while she slipped through the shadows into Eveangeline's room. With her characteristic ease, she eased down on the edge of the mattress before becoming fully visible in the dim lighting.

Evangeline groaned in a weird monotonous tone that raised the hairs on the back of Elaine's neck. Her hand snapped down to grip Evangeline's limp arm.

"You have a stroke?"

Another groan and then, finally an answer, "Can you just kill me?" Evangeline rolled over, dramatically pressing her face into the pillows and screaming into the stuffing.

"You aren't going to marry him."

"Tell my parent that."

"I did. And I'll do it again, and again, and again."

"You did?"

"And I told him." Elaine laid her cheek on her girlfriend's back and pulled her legs up on the bed.

"What did he say?"

"Mostly a bunch of stammering. Looked like he'd been crying. I don't think he's anymore thrilled by this than you are."

"Cal cried? Why? Am I that bad?" Evangeline made the final flop back onto her back.

Elaine situated her head on her shoulder joint and squeezed her arm across Evangeline's middle. "He's got it bad for that... for Mare."

"I've never wanted to be one of them more than I do right now."

Elaine sat up on her elbow. "Excuse me? You want to be a red? Weak, powerless?"

"At least when they love someone, they can be with them."

"You won't marry him," Elaine insisted. Evangeline softly huffed and wiggled uncomfortably. "You wont."

"You married Ptolemus."

"To stay with you! Marrying Cal is a one way ticket to Archeon. Assuming they even win this damn war. And if they don't, you have a target on your head."

"And so do you. If they lose, Maven's coming or the Rift."

"Yeah, but if you don't marry Cal, you'll be here with me when they come. And we will give them a hell of a fight."

Evangeline mustered a similar grunt to the start of their conversation.

"Fine, I'll go find a book." Elaine hoisted her self up to sitting only to be pulled back down, almost strangled in Evangeline's hold.

"No, don't."

"It seems like you need some space, some time to think."

"Don't give me space, that's the last thing I want from you. If you so much as step outside that door, I don't know if I'll have the strength to say no."

Elaine wrapped her arms around Evangeline and held her through a long, sleepless night.