star_glinda (star_glinda) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2014-01-19 20:05:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !complete, elphaba thropp, glinda upland, luthien tinuviel |
Who: Luthien, Elphaba and Glinda
When: Early January
Where: Luthien and Elphaba’s home
What: A plan of rescue
Rating/Warning: Low/None
Status: Complete
Luthien ran her fingers through her hair as she hunted on the internet for plane tickets. It was a new year, and she wanted her son. She just didn't know if she'd be able to legally take him from her parents. But she'd sure as hell try. She sat back in her chair and hummed a sad chord to try to calm herself down.
Elphaba was in the kitchen making tea while they relaxed, she'd taken a day off to be with Lúthien while they started to sort out how to get her son back. She'd only decided it yesterday and had told the assistant that Glinda suggested she hire to reschedule her meetings for another day. Despite the fact that she wanted to do it herself, Elphaba had tried to let go a bit and forced herself to trust the young girl to get it right. She hoped Glinda would understand her need to take the day off...if the girl did what she asked.
She wondered how the tea was coming. This entire thing was a massive headache and Luthien didn’t even know how to get the ball rolling. Perhaps start talking with her mother. Do an end run around her father. For all she knew they were waiting for her to step up. It didn’t matter, in the end, as long as Dior was safe with her in the end. “Sweetheart?”
Elphaba shook her head and pulled herself from her thoughts, returning to finishing the tea. “Coming,” she called back, tapping the teaspoon gently on the edge and setting it on the draining board. She took the cups through to the front room and smiled down at Lúthien as she put the cups down on the table in front of them. “Sorry, I was wool-gathering,” she told her, sitting beside her. “I’m just really hoping the new assistant I hired remembered to re-schedule my meetings with the Dylans and Glinda for today,” she told her. “Although knowing Glinda she’ll probably come round anyway since this is like the first day off I’ve had since I’ve known her to make sure I’m not sick or dead or something,” she joked dryly. It wouldn’t matter to Elphaba if she did to be honest, this was going to be a difficult journey for her and Lúthien and Glinda’s support was comforting for her.
“I’m sure she did. You cannot be expected to do everything and sometimes the best thing to do is throw them in feet first.” She took her tea and sipped at it. It calmed her almost immediately. “I’m glad you are here. I feel like we’re on the cusp of something difficult, but I know I can stand up to my parents, especially now.” She fingered one of her ears.
“I know, but you know how hands-on I am with my work. I’ve spent so long doing everything myself it’s weird to hand over the reins,” Elphaba sighed maybe a little too dramatically. “I’m glad I could be here for you, love,” she reached over and gently pushed back some of her hair from her face with a happy smile. “This is a big thing for both of us, so it’s only right that I be here for it. Although, I’m sorry, I hope you don’t mind but I spoke to Glinda about it all. I needed someone to talk to who wasn’t...biased I guess, but she was really helpful and I think she could be a great support for us both,” she told her honestly.
“I understand. It’s better to handle things yourself. But sometimes you need to...delegate.” She put her hand on her lover’s arm, her mood improving by the second. “I don’t mind, my love. I need all the help I can get and I am not too proud to ask for it.”
"Ok, well I'm sure Glinda will be more than happy to help us both, god knows she has boundless energy,” Elphaba smiled at her, looking at her with some concern. “How are you doing, love?”
“Nervous,” she admitted. She showed Elphaba her ipad. “I’ve got some flights picked out early next month. It’s probably best to travel after the holidays.”
“Definitely,” Elphaba agreed with a gentle smile. “Once the kids are back at school the prices should be lower. It’ll also give us some time to plan how we’re going to go about this. Do you want to go see your parents together or did you want to see them on your own first?”
“If I’m not proud of you or willing to have you by my side, then I don’t deserve to raise my son at all.” Luthien’s voice was steely. “He needs to know that one stands up for what they believe and what they feel. It would be a bad example.”
"I know," Elphaba agreed, readjusting her position to look at her lover better. "And I love you for that, but I'm worried that all of this information may be too much for them in one go. You've got a career, you're getting married, not only that but to another woman then add on top tellng them that you want your son back...it might be too much too soon and maybe the softly softly approach could be better," she took a deep breath and reached for the cups, handing one to Lúthien and shrugging a little. "I mean I don't know your parents, what do you think?"
"They understand the career. At least I hope they do. They've always been supportive of my singing and proud, I think, that I do not expose my body in the process." She didn't have a problem doing that, but it had to be necessary for the music, and she hadn't written a song or thought of a video where it was.
"I worry about their reaction to you. But I will not hide you." Luthien fidgeted with her finger. "My mother will be more accepting. She was wilder in her youth, and she always told me stories about love."
Elphaba smiled gently at Lúthien as she described her mother. “Ok, so, we think your mom will be more...open to the idea. What about your father?” she asked quietly.
“He will probably want to flay you alive, but he hasn’t dreamed so he isn’t likely to attempt to have you beheaded or something,” Luthien replied, all seriousness.
Elphaba looked up at her, wide-eyed at her tone as the idea of being flayed or beheaded settled over her. "And you want me to meet this man?" she asked, a little sarcastically, a little worried at the prospect.
“Of course I want you to meet him. But he’s a...product of another time, and in my dreams he was king and...well a bit of an ass.” Luthien smiled apologetically.
Elphaba smiled back kindly, stroking Lúthien’s hair back gently. “I pretty sure that I can handle him,” she told her gently. “So long as there’s no beheading,” she smiled at her.
“No beheading,” she promised. “Perhaps we should elope and save ourselves some time.” She was joking. Mostly.
Elphaba stared at her open-mouthed for a few seconds, thought processes having stopped briefly at her lover’s tone.
“Elphie, love?” Luthien bit her lip, watching Elphaba stare at her with growing concern. “Are you all right? I was just...jesting.”
“Umm, yeah,” Elphaba sighed with a slight shake of her head. “I’m uh...I’m fine...I just...I thought my dad was going to be bad about finding out about us. By comparison, him not talking to me and disowning me is pretty much what he does currently so,” she shrugged. “Y’know, it wouldn’t really change much in my life but this...it’s huge now we’re thinking about your son too,” she explained, the worries she had managed to beat down inside her head were finally manifesting.
She got up, then got on her knees in front of Elphaba and took her hands, kissing the fingers. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I did not mean to. I know there are still things that we both struggle to accept."
Glinda had never had great timing but as soon as she heard Elphie had called in she knew she had to see her best friend which is how at that precise moment there was a knock at the door as she waited on the other side for her friend to answer.
Luthien jumped a foot, and was grateful that the door hadn't opened then. That might have been one of those moments that could be misinterpreted. "I'll...get the door." She walked over to the door and opened it. "Glinda!"
“Hello” Glinda said cheerily, “I’m not interrupting anything am I?” she asked, belatedly realising she may have, “I just came to make sure things were okay. Elphie moved things around and...well she doesn’t do that”
Elphaba swallowed thickly and nodded as she stood to greet her friend. “Hi, yeah, sorry I just...we needed to sort some things out,” she licked her lips and tried to give her a smile as she walked up to her.
Luthien stepped aside to let Glinda in, then closed the door. “Yes. We’re making our plans about my son.”
“Oh, goodness. It sounds like I am interrupting then” Glinda said looking at them both in concern, “Are things not going well? You both look very sad”
Luthien glanced at Elphaba, then returned her gaze to Glinda. “We fear the difficulty of claiming full custody again. In light of our...relationship.”
“Lúthien’s father is going to want to behead me,” Elphaba told Glinda dryly. “Which means that I’m pretty sure he’s not going to want to hand over partial custody to me,” she again joked dryly.
“Oh you poor things” Glinda said, “It’s not going to be easy I’m sure but you know the state of California has been allowing stepparent adoption by same-sex partners since 2003 so that part of it you can at least be assured of help. And as for your father,” she took Luthien’s hand, “if he can’t see how your son should be and needs to be with his mother and the woman she loves then he’ll simply have to be made to see it”
“It’s made complicated that they’re all in Europe, so I will need to go through those channels as well. I am sure that I’ll be able to get my mother’s side in this. She is the power behind the man, of course.” She let out a sigh and nodded.
“We’ll be fine, just have to...stay the course,” Elphaba said on an out breath. “I must say though Glinda, I’m very impressed,” Elphaba smiled at her friend proudly. “Your studying must be going well. Can we take her with us?” she asked Lúthien with a grin, nodding towards Glinda as she did.
“Europe could possibly work in our favor, they’re generally a little ahead in these kind of issues. But hopefully if your mother can talk around your father then all this worry won’t be necessary” Glinda said before blushing at Elphaba’s compliment, “Oh well actually this is just something I did on my own, since you told me about the situation I just thought it might be helpful to you both if I did some research”
Luthien couldn’t help it. She hugged Glinda lightly. “Thank you. Please come with us? It will make things so much easier I think. Having back up, as it were.”
“Please,” Elphaba said to Glinda, looking her straight in the eyes. “I have a feeling you’ll be more persuasive than me with Lúthien’s father if he does try to behead me,” Elphaba joked darkly.
“Oh, really? Well of course, if you want me to, then yes I’ll come with you” Glinda replied, truly touched, “And there will be no beheading of anybody” she added sternly with a nod.
“My father in my dreams was a stern ruler,” Luthien explained. “He sent away my beloved on a mad quest to reclaim an impossible treasure because he thought he’d die on the way. He was right. If I hadn’t cloaked myself and followed, Beren would have died.”
“We’d be eternally grateful if you could come with us, give us that pep you’re so noted for,” Elphaba smiled at the blonde woman.
“No mad quests or beheading then” Glinda replied, taking one of Luthien’s and Elphaba’s hands in her own, “I will be there to help and support you in any way I can” she promised her friends.
"Well, perhaps a little mad quest, but as three ladies off to rescue the prince," Luthien corrected.