Final Performance (TW Ellen)

“You’ll be fine, Elle,” Laura told the five year old female wolf. “Besides, Peter has already told Derek that if he steps on your feet that he won’t be going to the batting cages for a month. Dad, even agreed with Peter on the punishment. And we both know how pouty, Der gets if he doesn’t get to do his sports.”

Ellen giggled as she thought about the last time Derek had been without his sports. He had worn a frown for weeks before Talia had relented and allowed him out of the house. But he had been miserable for all those days with not being allowed to leave the house except for school. David had not be allowed to go to Hale house either to spend time with friend, for fear of riling up his friend.

“But what if I make a mistake?” she hesitantly asked Laura with wide brown eyes.

The fourteen year old looked down at her friend and hugged her. When Laura pulled away, blue eyes met brown, “Then you make it seem as if it was part of the routine. If you don’t react to it, then no one is going to know.”

Ellen’s brown eyes widened slightly as she heard Laura’s words, “You promise?”

“I promise,” the older girl swore as she squeezed one of the Ellen’s hands. “For now, though let’s finish getting you ready for your dance." Laura picked up the white foundation and brush.

She quickly began to pale out Ellen's caramel colored skin, so she looked pale like death. Both girls could hear Derek in the next room grumbling as Talia and Elizabeth put Derek in similar makeup. Ellen's giggles brought a smile to Laura's face, her friend and godsister had been racked with nerves the last few days as Peter had them practice the dance until Derek wasn't stepping on her feet. Laura could taste the nervousness in the air, but she knew that Ellen could do it.

Laura did quick work with Ellen's makeup, she enjoyed Ellen's giggles from the brush as it tickled her skin. Soon enough, the five year old girl was ready with her makeup and dress. She was sill missing her shoes but Laura helped her friend into the kitten heeled dance shoes.

"Okay, you're ready to go. Let's see if we can find Derek," Laura suggested as she helped Ellen down from the counter top she sat on.

Hand in hand the two girls made their to the dressing room next door. The door open, for the pair to step inside. Laura gasped as she took in the sight of her little brother. He looked a lot like Gomez Adams, the fourteen year old laughed at her brothers pouty face that didn't fit with the suave and smooth man.

"Oh Der, look at you little brother," Laura teased as she stood behind Ellen. "Nice work, mom."

"Thank you, it took a while to get the mustache down. He wouldn't stay still," Talia remarked as she frowned at her son. "Ellen, you look so beautiful. Are you both ready?"

The pair who were set dance reluctantly nodded. Talia motioned for them to wait out of sight, not fair from the ballroom. The group of dancers on the floor finished and passed the pair. Ellen's grip on Derek's hand tightened before they made their way out onto the floor.

She trailed after Derek, as they took their first position. Patiently, they waited for the music to start. The opening beats began and the pair took off into the steps they had practiced. It went smoothly, at one point while Ellen was spun away from Derek, she tripped slightly on her skirt. But she caught herself before she fell on the floor to hurt herself. Derek was quick to catch her and move on with the dance.

After three minutes, the pair were tired as they finished the dance. Both were panting as they moved back stage. Once out of view, Ellen cried out an apology for almost falling. Derek hugged her tightly. "Don't worry, no one noticed, Ellen. You're fine. I didn't step on your toes," he joked to try and stop her from crying.

Ellen giggled as she realized that Derek was right. All of her worrying about Derek stepping on her feet had been for nothing. Instead, she had been the one to make a mistake. Ellen knew that her parents, Talia, and Peter had seen the mistake. Disappointment emanated from her little self in quiet waves. Ellen didn't hear the applause as she tried to fight the tears that stung her eyes.

-TBC

A/N: Sorry guys I thought that I would have this finished but I don't. I'll get back to it in December. Happy early Halloween. I won't be posting tomorrow so I wanted to wish you all those now.

Also, there won't be any posts in November since I'll be doing NaNoWriMo, again. This is my third consecutive year. I've given myself the goal of writing 2000 words per day, I did okay for the first couple of days with this last year. I am hoping to actually hit the 50000 word mark but if I don't, it's not the complete end of the world.

See you all in December with Christmas and Holiday themed pieces. 

-ADF

Practice, Practice, Practice (TW Ellen)

Ellen looked between her mom and the open door. She wondered where Talia had gone but didn't ask. She grabbed the teddy bear that sat next to her and clutched him tightly to her chest. The soft brown bear had been a gift upon her birth, funnily enough Derek had given him to her.

She waited in impatience silence for something to happen. Her socked feet began tapping against the hard wood floor. With closed eyes Ellen's feet moved through the paso steps that she had known for weeks now. In her head she could see herself doing her parts of the dance, with Derek if he didn't step on her toes.

Footsteps broke Ellen from her thoughts, she turned to see Peter Hale enter the room. With excited eyes, Ellen jumped to her feet and threw herself at the beta werewolf. Peter chuckled as he caught the five year old, he lifted her into the air and hugged her, he rubbed his nose against his cheek to scent the young wolf.

"Peter, why are you here?" she demands as she looks at the blue eyed werewolf.

"Well, a little birdie told me that you and Derek won't be doing the Halloween recital," Peter answered as he threw a frown in Derek's direction.

Derek glowered at his uncle’s not so subtle hint. He wasn’t going to deal with Peter, he turned back to the window to let Ellen handle his uncle. Peter was wrapped around Ellen’s fingers, he easily gave in to every whim and desire. It was both amusing and annoying to the Hale family, but Talia enjoyed seeing the softer side of her little brother, who was the enforcer for both Hale and Night Packs.

Ellen nodded her head in agreement with Peter's comment."Nope, we're not going it."

"Might I inquire as to why you aren't doing the recital? I was looking forward to seeing your paso doble routine with the costumes," Peter said as he looked at Ellen with a soft frown.

Guilt ate inside Ellen's stomach, she didn't want to let down Peter. He was one of her favorite people. He always made time to play with her. She pouted softly before she told Peter the truth, "Because I don't want Derek to step on my feet anymore. It hurts to dance when my toes are in pain."

Peter's blue eyes widened as he looked at Derek. He knew his nephew could do a paso doble without hurting his partner. He frowned when he caught sight of Derek's blank expression. "Well, I think that just means more practice for the both of you," Peter suggested as he looked back down at Ellen.

Derek growled at his uncle's suggestion. But he didn't fight him, instead, he got up and followed his uncle to the room that was used as a dance studio. Talia had wanted all of her children to know how to dance, no exceptions. Even her nieces and nephews had to learn this skill. Ellen's father had learned to dance with Talia and both Ellen and David were learning.

"All right, let's see how you two regularly dance. Maybe a different set of eyes will help," Peter suggested as he moved to the CD player to play the music.

Ellen took up their first position, her back to Derek and her gaze on the floor. With quick counts, Derek started the paso and Peter watched with critical eyes. (Since I have no idea how to write dance steps, I would like to refer you to watching a paso doble on YT.) 

After the music came to a stop, the pair separated. Ellen's feet in pain from Derek stepping on her feet. Both listened as Peter gave them their notes. He made both them start over again, with the suggestions he gave. The second try was better, not perfect but better. He tried to fine tune his ideas to help and had them do it one more time.

Their third attempt was much better, Peter praised the pair and suggested they keep practicing. He left the room, he wasn't surprised to see Talia and Elizabeth outside. The three peeked through the gap to see that Ellen and Derek were getting better with their dance. It looked like they might actually do the recital if they kept the good practice up.

TBC

A/N: Sorry for not posting on Wednesday. I got busy but I might be adding more to this piece on Monday. There will also be a few announcements so stay tuned for those.

Stubborn Werewolves (TW)

Ellen looked at her mom with wide confused eyes. "But I don't wanna do the paso with Derek. He's too tall!" Ellen whined as she sent said boy a glare.

"Ellen, you and Derek have been working on the paso for weeks. Why don't you want to do the recital with him?" Elizabeth Night asked her daughter with a frown on her face.

The five year old brunette's brown eyes looked at Derek's green gaze. She took in the frown and furrowed brows that often frightened the younger pack members. But Ellen had never been afraid of Derek, much to her brother's frustration. "Mama, he'll step on my toes, again," she muttered the last part.

Derek's frown deepened as he heard Eleanor's comment about stepping on her feet. It had happened once, and to be fair she had stepped away too late. "You're no cupcake, Eleanor," he mumbled as he glared out the window.

Two sighs came from the bickering children's mothers. Talia knelt down in front of her god-daughter, she studied the five year old girl in front of her. She looked very much like both her father and her mother. The young werewolf stubbornly looked down at her black mary-jane shoes, refusing to look into the dark eyes of Talia Hale.

"Ellen, don't you want to show your family what you've learned in your dance classes?" Talia asked as she gently brushed a piece of brown hair behind her ear.

Ellen's eyes flashed from brown to golden amber as her emotions got the better of her. "No."

Talia sighed but moved away knowing that she wouldn't win against her god-daughter. The Hale alpha shared a look with Elizabeth. She got up and moved to her office to make a phone call.

Ellen sat in her spot on the floor, avoiding everyone's gaze. Derek was in the window seat, he let his attention stay on the others who were playing outside. Elizabeth sat in one of the arm chairs with a frown as she looked between the five year old girl and eleven year old boy.

Elizabeth knew Derek and Ellen were close, closer than the two packs truly knew. Ellen and Derek often gravitated towards each other, just naturally. Sometimes, like today, they would be  stubborn but not want to leave the other. Both were waiting for the other to give in to doing the recital. But neither was willing to admit it. She sighed as she waited for the big guns to arrive.

TBC

A Day for Potions

Zara sat in the window seat and looked at the view. The evergreens stood tall and proud as the seasonal trees glowed against the dark background. Shades of gold and rich red were easily distinguishable and created a warmth of burning embers. With the sky gray and ominous, it was enjoyable for the witch. The energy from the day, soothed the magic into a soft vibration. A light trickle of rain fell from the sky but no one appeared to be bothered.

It was the perfect day to brew potions. Zara moved to the small cauldron in her room. With quick movement the ingredients were gathered and ready to be brewed. The potion was a simple one, nothing horrible, just one for minor aches and pains. As, Zara knew that rain bothered her Nana's joints. She never minded making remedies for her Nana. Nana had taught Zara a lot about her magical abilities. She enjoyed the lessons she learned. It was a wonderful passing of the torch for the Oro family.

-fin

Autumnal Magic

With the arrival of October, the witches know it is now time. They all begin to brew their potions and cast their spells for Samhain, a new year for all of those who practiced magic. Autumnal breezes blow the golden colored leaves, as the air smells clean as if it had rained.

Leaves crinkle and crack as they are stepped upon. They crunch loudly when they are jumped on. Piles of orange and yellow leaves are seen all over the town. Pumpkins in shades of white, gray, and orange decorated stoops and doors of homes and businesses. All were in the festive spirit of All Hallow's Eve as it approached.

Fun Weekend

Chrys watched as the trees whizzed past her in a daze, the conversation from the front seat between Isabelle and Enya was one Chrys had heard before. She had shared a similar conversation with Enya a few days earlier. In the seat next to her Willow snapped pictures with her phone, Chrys knew her digital camera was in the brown leather backpack at her feet.

"Yo, Chrys are you awake?" Ayden asked with a thump to the back of Chrys' seat.

Chrys spun to look around her seat to look at Ayden, "I'm awake, I'm just tired. I had a long night last night," she answered as she sent her friend a grin.

Soon, they arrived at William's Farm and Orchards. They all hopped out of the car and made their way around the farm. It was a busy weekend for the far, the group looked around for the rest of their friends.

"Should we text the others to find out where they are?" Willow wondered as she looked at her friends.

Enya nodded as she pulled out her phone to send the others a text. Chrys knew they had planned to do the corn maze later that night around dusk. But it was still pretty early, so they would be able to do other activities.

Soon, they found the rest of their group of friends. Hugs and greetings were passed around, before they all decided to look around at the various vendors and food stalls. It's a nice day for the group as they wait for the time to do the corn maze.

TBC

Haunted Dreams

There in front of Tomas sat Ava, as she often prepared for various formal events. She was distorted in gray scale instead of color, he noted that she was transparent. He could easily imagine that she wasn't there but she was.

With a step back, Tomas attempted to retreat only to run into the doorway. The noise caused Ava to stop her preparations. She looks over at Tomas with a surprised look.

"Tomas, why are you here?" Ava harshly asked as she looked at her husband. A sharp glare crossed through her eyes.

Tomas ignored Ava's question. "You're not here. You are dead," he growled as he shook his head.

At the words, Ava froze, her lips slightly open as she looked at Tomas with confusion. Her eyebrows pulled together, a familiar sight to the King. "Dead?" she hesitantly asked as if she didn't want to believe her husband's words.

“Yes, dead,” Tomas bluntly stated with an irritated expression.

“Oh,” she softly said as the words sank into her thoughts.

With slow blinks, Ava’s gaze moved to the floor, her eyes watered with tears. Her thoughts riddled with questions and denial. She was not dead, she couldn’t be. Ava had been in her room preparing the Hallows Eve Festival Madolvina held every year.

“What is the date, Tomas?” she asked as she looked up at her husband.

“Why do you care, Ava? You are DEAD!” he angrily huffed. He turned away from the Princess and left her alone in her rooms.

Ava glared at Tomas’ retreating form with ire. “Don’t you dare walk away from me Tomas!” she commanded.

Tomas came to a screeching halt as Ava suddenly appeared in front of him. Her once golden brown eyes sharply regarded her husband. His blue-gray eyes were frightened, he stepped away from his dead wife. She had never been this much trouble when she was alive.

“What is the date, Tomas?” she growled at the King of Maldovina. Her eyes flashed a vibrant scarlet color that glowed against the darkness of the hallway.

Tomas babbled an unintelligible answer. Fear consuming his thoughts as he was caught in her gaze. The anger in her eyes frightened him, he felt chills run down his spine.

"It is .... Eleven years past your death, Ava," he informed her with an annoyed tone.

-fin

Stalked

The castle loomed against the horizon as Era looked at the weathered brick monument from the wrought-iron gates. Her lilac eyes moved back and forth as she studied the forbidden building with suspicion.

Havenwood Castle had haunted Era's dreams for the last few months, and she couldn't understand why. As a child everyone in Havenwood, stories were told about the castle and who had lived there. Rumor of a vampire residing in the castle was quite popular.

With a sigh, Era moved away from the gate. As she walked back to her home, the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Tingles ran up and down her spine, before she looked over her shoulder to see nothing. Era looked around to see nothing but trees and the road before her.

She shrugged as began to make the trip back home. All the while with the feeling that something or someone was watching her.
-fin

October Rain

Giggles echoed on the pavement, as the rain fell through the canopy of orange and gold leaves. Despite the gloomy weather, the four year old girl enjoyed the falling water. Her red-brown hair bopped along as she bounced from puddle to puddle. The soft pink boots that adorned her feet created large splashes as she jumped in the air.

The splashing water wet her father's beige khakis and black rain boots. Thomas St. Rose didn't mind, he rather enjoyed these little moments with his youngest child and only daughter, Artemis. He had done the same with Christian and Henry when they had found love in jumping into large puddles from the falling rain.

"Up, Daddy. Up," Artemis demanded as she lifted her arms up for her father.

The doctor chuckled before he offered his hands out to Artemis. She tightly grasped the hands and lifted her legs. Her laughter increasing as her dad lifted her a foot off the ground, then swiftly lowered her. Artemis threw her legs down to catch the puddle and make bigger splashes.

As the rain continuously fell, the father daughter duo made the short journey back home. The trip always came to a stop to splash and kick at the water, as Artemis enjoyed the puddles.

-fin
Original: September 21, 2017
Revised: October 9, 2017

This is a revised edition of a previous piece that I wrote in my journal.

Forgotten Ghosts

Tomas stared at his wife with wide eyes. Disbelief in his features as he truly saw her as if for the first time. "No, you can't be here," he shakily uttered as he looked into her gray eyes. The Maldovina King stepped back as Ava moved forward. Shaking his head he continued to back away until he hit the wall behind him.

"Tomas," the disjointed silky voice, that sounded only slightly like Ava. With a pale white hand, Ava reached out to caress the King's cheek.

"You aren't real. You're DEAD!" he exclaimed as he shifted to his right to escape her cold touch.

With a gasp the King sat up in his bed. He feverishly looked around his private rooms, searching. The ghostly figure of his long deceased wife nowhere in sight. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he buried his face in his hands, in an effort to calm himself.

"It wasn't real," he told himself as he left his bed. He pulled on a robe and exited his chambers. His guards absent, as they usually were in the late night hours.

With a resounded sigh, the King made his way across the palace. He had not entered the East Wing of the Palace since the siege. The same siege that freed him of his cold wife and made him King. As he looked at the familiar hallway, memories filled his thoughts. Many enjoyable ones of the past, without Princess Ava.

At the approach of her forgotten quarters, Tomas hesitated in opening the door. He had never loved his wife, their marriage had been a political arrangement between their fathers. He never cared for her, she was merely a toy to keep on his arm for events. Ava was never any use to him, he enjoyed to annoy his regal wife.

She was frigid and often angered easily. Upon her passing, he had gained the freedom he had wanted since their marriage. Many of their staff had adored her but he never understood why. She was boring and plain with her brown hair and dark eyes, she resembled the does he often had hunted for sport.

Anger filled the King, she would not dictate his life anymore. Ava had been dead for eleven years. She was all but forgotten now, her name erased from all documents. When his reign came to an end, no one would remember Princess Ava, the dead wife of King Tomas.

He entered her chambers and looked around the dusty room. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. The room was bright from the light that filtered in through the windows, a large panel fell upon the vanity. Tomas turned to see something most unexpected.

TBC

Heading to the Pumpkin Patch

"Avis it's time to go!"

Avis winced at her mom's tone, she looked at her white familiar. "Well, Cleo, it looks like I'm late, again," she sighed as she grabbed her bag off her desk.

As the sixteen year old witch left she casually threw over her shoulder, "I'll see you when I get back, Cleopatra."

Avis ran down the stairs and quickly made her way to the living room. She saw her mom, dad, brother, and sister all waiting for her. She pinched her face at their annoyed glances. "Sorry," she mumbled as she walked past her siblings to head out the door to her father's car.

The sixteen year quickly climbed into the back seat. She watched with watchful blue eyes as Enver moved towards his car, Lynx doing the same. Avis figured she was on her own with her parents, with a sigh she sank into the leather seat and looked out the window. As she studied the large pine trees that lined one side of their Victorian style home, her parents joined her in the car.

"Ready to find some awesome pumpkins, this year, Avis?"

Avis looked from the window to see her dad looking at her from the rear view mirror. She smiled at the familiarity of it all. "Yeah, I have a few ideas for my pumpkins already," she answered as they drove through the little town of Eden.

It was only nine thirty, but the town was bustling with business. Halloween was the season that everyone in Eden enjoyed the most. Avis smiled as they passed her godmother, Artemis St. Rose's office, the lights off. She hoped that Artemis would be at the Riker Orchards. She wanted to see her godmother and her best friend Athena St. Rose, and Venus and Calliope.

"Already?" her mom asked as she spun to look at Avis.

The honey blonde looked at her mom with a coy grin, "Yeah, but I'm not telling. You'll have to wait to see what I come up with."

Jack chuckled at the banter between his wife and youngest daughter. He enjoyed these peaceful moments with his children and spouse, they were quite rare now with Enver and Lynx in college and moved out of their home. But they always came together for holidays and he cherished these moments.

-fin

A/N: This is a semi-sequel to last year's Pumpkin Picking piece. You can find them in last years October blogs.

Leaf Pile

Amy Carter stood in the massive meadow, that was apart of the Wayne Manor grounds. The yard was enclosed by many deciduous trees, with a small trail that led to the meadow. The six year old girl took in the bright reds and orange golds that surrounded her with a brilliant smile, she  spun in a slow circle as the leaves rained down around her in a fluttering breeze.

She dropped into the pile of leaves that Alfred had raked earlier in the day with a giggle. Her gaze on the sky that was full of dancing leaves. With a deep breath she closed her eyes and enjoyed the silence except for the nature that took place in the trees.

"You know, I don't understand why you brought me out here," thirteen year old Bruce Wayne complained as he looked down at Amy.

Amy's brown eyes snapped open as she jerked her head up to look at Bruce. Her childhood friend had become even more of a downer since becoming a teenager. She knew he was struggling still with the loss of his parents, three years had done little for his grief. Amelia's parents, who were close friends with the Wayne family had tried to help Alfred Pennyworth with Bruce. But he rarely interacted with people anymore. Amelia who adored Bruce and had crush on him was determined to not give up on him.

She stood up from the pile, and marched over to Bruce, who stood a few feet from the edge of the pile. Leaves clung to Amy's legs but she didn't care, she huffed as she moved behind Bruce and pushed against his back. She wasn't getting anywhere, he stood taller than her. Not to mention the teenager was older and heavier in weight.

"Come on, Bruce!" she whined as she tried to push him again.

Bruce did not budge, he just rolled his eyes at Amy's attempts to move him.

"You used to play with me all the time!" she cried out as she sent the teenager an intense glare.

With a annoyed sigh, Bruce let  himself free fall into the pile. Amy's giggles reached his ears, as she saw the wave of leaves that flew into the air. She jumped into the foliage and landed next to Bruce, her face turned to meet his gaze.

Her smile made the boy freeze, he hadn't realized how much he missed moments like these. Amy attempted to get to act like a normal child after his parents' passing. But he just wanted to be alone, she was stubborn and pig headed, never giving up on him. He smiled at his six year old friend and turned to look at the gray sky.
-fin

A/N: It's October, which means autumnal themed pieces all month. Just a reminder, I won't be posting in November due to NaNoWriMo. To keep up with my progress you can find me at twitter, I'll be making a post for my various social media later in the month.