Who: Sophie and Jane Anne Deveraux WHAT: Sophie's sister comes for a visit in a dream WHERE: Her Morningside Apartment WHEN: Early this morning WARNINGS: No STATUS: Complete
After spending all day moving furniture around (and re-moving until it was in the spot that felt right), a hot shower felt like what she suspected Heaven felt like having been denied that experience upon her untimely death. Sophie shuffled out of the bathroom lazily toweling off her hair, clad in a pair of pajama pants and a tank top, ready to curl up in bed after saying good night to Lumiere. She felt warm, relaxed, at peace.
“Aw shit. I fell asleep in the shower.” While nothing seemed loudly untoward, everything seemed a little too right to be her current life in Vallo. No lists running through her head, worries about the future of the business she hadn’t even opened yet, something to mess up the good vibes of the day.
“I always admired the way you could power nap standing up.” The familiar voice brought Sophie to a stand still, the towel slipping from her fingers to the floor beside her feet. Slowly, as if any movement would break the moment, she turned towards the source. “I also cannot believe you managed to get Lumiere for a roommate. You were so obsessed with that movie when you were a child.”
Jane Anne Deveraux ran a finger gently over Lumiere’s base. The candlestick stayed still as if all magic had left him. Absolutely a dream because Lumiere would be raising Hell otherwise. Sophie launched herself across the apartment, flinging herself into her sister’s arms and wrapping her own tightly around the other woman. She felt the prick of tears at the corner of her eyes and squeezed them shut, exhaling as if that would stave them off a moment longer.
“Hey SoSo.” That childhood name broke the dam and the tears spilled out down her cheeks, hot and fast. She refused to let go of Jane Anne though as if she could stop her from leaving. Jane Anne started to run a hand through her damp hair soothingly. “Hey, it’s okay. Shhh. Shhh. Come here.” She gently extricated herself from Sophie’s grasp and took her hand, leading her to the couch.
In some ways Jane Anne had been more of a motherly figure to Sophie than their own mother had. Neither their mother or father had been bad parents but they had been strict, their focus on the coven’s needs and raising Sophie and Jane Anne to take their places. As the older sister, it wasn’t fair for Jane Anne to take on that burden but the bond between them was the strongest out of anyone in Sophie’s life. She also understood Sophie’s wild side while trying to keep her grounded.
The tears subsiding, Sophie finally looked at Jane Anne, really looked. Her sister’s soft dark hair falling around her face, brown eyes full of empathy and quiet intelligence, the strong family resemblance between them. No sign of the mortal injury which took her from Sophie, the last time she saw her sister. Tears started to flow again and she slipped her hands from Jane Anne’s grasp, wiping them away angrily.
“I am so sorry. If I hadn’t - if I had used my head, I never would have gotten into bed with Marcel, I never would have - “
“Would have what, Sophie? Aside from questionable judgment, what did that have to do with my death? Nothing. It was the spell that I chose to do and - “
“I could have done somethi-”
Jane Anne held up her hand. “You tried to talk me out of it. Several times if I remember correctly. However that spell was something that needed to be done for the good of many and I have no regrets. It took some time but we got our girls back.” She hesitated. “I should be the one saying sorry.”
Sophie shook her head so hard the room tilted slightly once she stopped. “I know what you’re about to say and don’t. Do not. What happened with Monique was the work of the ancestors. You had no hand in it and I don’t want to hear that s-word leave your mouth.”
The sisters regarded each other for a long beat before Jane Anne signed and dropped her chin. “Proving my point for me,” she pointed out before looking Sophie in the eye again. “What happened to me was not your fault in any way, shape, or form.” She tilted her head. “I just need you to promise me one thing, SoSo. No more vampires.”
Despite the emotions running through her, Sophie snorted loudly. “That’s hard to promise. I mean as much as they suck, sometimes that sucking is so goo-” She yelped loudly as Jane Anne struck her shoulder.
“Goddess, you're incorrigible.” Sophie laid down on the couch, resting her head on Jane Anne’s thigh. Her sister’s fingers started to stroke through her hair again, slow and reassuring. “I mean what I said, Sophie. Let go of that guilt and that blame. Live your second chance to the fullest. Get our cafe up and running again. Abuela was not wrong when she said you give a little piece of yourself to everything you make. There’s a whole new world, literally, for you to share that with. Live. I need you to do that.”
Sophie squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in the fabric of her sister’s pants, trying and failing at holding off more tears. After the feeling had passed, she nodded quickly and readjusted her head for Jane Anne to resume the gentle stroking. “I’ll try,” she whispered.
“Thank you.” Her sister’s words were barely heard before she started to hum the old lullaby from their childhood, the one she’d hum when a storm turned the world upside down and shook hard enough to make every part of the old house creek and vibrate. Sophie’s body relaxed into the couch, muscles letting go of the day’s tension.
“I love you, Janie,” she whispered as sleep began to lead her away. Jane Anne’s song accompanied her long after, fading away bit by bit until it was gone.