Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1 : Sally Ann

Chapter Text

Sally Ann tiredly walked the outside perimeter of the hospital for what felt like the hundredth time. The Doctor suggested this to try to encourage the baby to move into a proper lower position, Sally Ann just wanted this over with so that she could finally meet her baby. But her son was having none of that. Making her wait over 12 hours since her water broke, the contractions first began mid-morning, but very little progress after that. Though she's heard the stories where a woman could be in labor for over two days, the length of time wasn't what concerned her. No, her issue is the talk with the Doctor once she hit the 12-hour mark:

 "I'm going to be honest with you Sally Ann, this is not looking good. Your water has already broken meaning the baby typically has 24-96 hours, if we are lucky to survive in the womb. Now this wouldn't usually be a cause for concern, but your case is a bit different. All our attempts to get the baby to move down has caused him to move an arm above his head. If you were to push with the baby in his current position, he would get stuck. This in turn would force us to break his shoulder to get him safely out before he suffocates. If the baby does not make some type of progress within the hour we must perform the C-section."

 "Well why not just do the C-section now and get him out rather than wait?"

 "The C-section comes with risks as well, we would like to avoid major surgery if we can help it. Our hope is that if you take a walk for a time this might encourage him to move, if not we will talk of C-section and what that will entail."

 This news was not what she was hoping to hear or even experience when she thought about her labor. It has already been a grueling eight months since she found out that she was having a baby, with a man who just turned his back on her. 

 Her first thought after finding out was how stupid she could be to not have used protect to prevent this. She highly doubted they had anything even close to condoms up on the mountain, but she knew better! It's not like she was that 17 year old virgin again just doing it to please her boyfriend, for God’s sake!

Her second thought was there being no way in hell that she was having this baby and immediately made an appointment with a clinic.

Well that turned out to be a lot harder than she thought it would be.

The movies have made it seem as if it was an in and out thing, well not so much. As she sat in the chair listening to the doctor talk about how much it would cost for which type of procedure, she would want chemical or other, that she would have to go through a waiting period, that they would have to see how far along she was before they could go any further etc,. The long the doctor went on, the more she heard 'You shit outta luck'.

Sally Ann felt such despair as she drove back home to the point that she stopped at the store and bought a bottle of bleach to do it herself.

 Her brother James put a roadblock in her plans when he came raging out the house about her pregnancy and few other choice words that she doesn't even want to think about. She didn't even think she just pressed her foot on the gas and drove away. Once she was sure he wouldn't follow, she stopped the car and opened the bleach, but she couldn't bring herself to do it and threw it out the window and just started crying.

 The rest was an emotional blur at one point a Deputy came up to the window and told her that she couldn't park there. As she drove around Sally Ann saw a help wanted sign for a cleaning lady at the only motel that the town had. By some miracle the manager was desperate for someone, so he and Sally Ann worked out a deal. If she could have a room permanently, she would be the hotel's primary room cleaner 24/7. It wasn't easy and at times the loneliness brought her to tears; but Sally Ann had a roof over her head and as time went on the thought of the baby no longer felt like a curse but a piece of a man who made the sunshine on her for brief time, she even had plans to start online school.

 The ache in her back took her out of her hardships and back into the present. Placing her hand on her lower back and one on her stomach to keep her balance, she continued her walk. As she was turning the corner to make the trip back towards the front of the hospital the Sally Ann stopped dead in her tracks.

 A sudden pain ripped through her lower body bringing Sally Ann nearly down to her knees forcing her to grip the wall with one hand as the other clutched her stomach as she let out a pain filled cry.

 “Ahh!”

 Trying to grasp for her breath Sally Ann felt something dripping down her leg. Glancing down she watched in horror a blood pooled at her feet. It took her a second to connect that the blood was coming from her….

From her baby.

 Sally Ann quickly looked around her. From where she stood there was not a soul in sight, only a couple of industrial sized dumpsters, the streets were deserted. Another wave of pain hit her, this time her legs couldn’t support her and she slide the rest of the way down landing on her knees.

“Help! Somebody please!” Sally Ann shouted as another wave hit her “no, no, no. Oh God. Hello! Anybody! Please!”

Her knees were spread out as she crouched down, hands digging into the asphalt trying to push through another wave. The blood loss was making her dizzy and nauseous, Sally Ann could feel herself swaying as if she was about to either tilt over or vomit. Her sight of the asphalt was fading in/out, with each out it seemed as if it was taking longer for it to come back. There was no doubt in her mind that if she passed out here and now, her and her baby both would not see the next sun rise.

"H-Help" her voice sobbed out the word as her vision began to darken again she glanced up in a vain attempt to push it back. What she saw once her eyes were off the ground freaked her out.

There, not far from where she laid, was a boy who looked to be about 9 years old with brown hair wearing clothes that immediately marked him as Farrell to her. Though seeing a Farrell this far down from the mountains, and one so young, was odd the little boy wasn't the reason she stood frozen in her place. It was the two honest to God wolves that stood around him.

Sally Ann felt a wet nose touch the back of her knee. Sally Ann stiffened and shut her eyes, resisting the urge to look down knowing exactly what she would find if she did. She could feel the anxiety in her rising and desperately tried to remember what she has been taught about how to behave so that an animal won't attack.

Pushing her panic down as she felt another painful wave Sally Ann decided she was not going to die. Turning her attention back to the little boy she found that he was now within arm distance of her.

"H-hey, l-listen... Ah... need y-you to get me some h-help" Sally Ann stuttered out, her accent becoming thicker as she struggled to keep looking at the boy.

The boy didn't move, instead she watched as the strange boy stared at her stomach with an intensity that it seemed as if he could see through her stomach and to her baby. His hand stretched out and tenderly touched her cheek, they felt cold as if he has never worn a pair of gloves a day in his life.

As she opened her mouth again to beg him to get help a bright white light blinded her forcing her to slam her eyes shut. She felt the ground beneath her shift what was once hard asphalt turned into warm wet dirt. Slowly opening her eyes once she was sure it was safe Sally Ann found herself no longer in the back of the hospital, instead she seemed to be in a forest. Looking around her there was no sign of the little boy or the wolves. Just a few paces in front of her she could see what looked like a party, music was playing with a bonfire in the middle and a group of -from what she could tell- Farrell’s. 

“W-what the Hell?” a confused and creeped out Sally Ann said, unsure of how in the world could she have gotten this high up Shay mountain to be close enough to the Farrell camp. However, before she could even think to move the pain struck once again but this time it was ten times worse.

“AHHH!!” the scream ripped out of Sally Ann who no longer could stay on her knees. Collapsing on her side Sally Ann can faintly her the music stop and footsteps rushing towards her before she fell into darkness.

XXXX

“She is losin’ a lot of blood! We gonna need to get the baby out now!”

Who’s losin’ blood?

“Girl? Girl yah need to push!”

Push? Push what?

“Child yah need to push! This baby won't make it if yah don’t!”

“She aint listen’in to me! Tah’ra go get me Hasil!”

Someone was calling her name repeatedly and was yelling at her to push.

“Sally Ann! Sally Ann! Yah gotta to push! Push!”

She just wants to sleep, let her sleep.

The voice wouldn’t listen to her it just kept tell her she has to push now.

She felt hands touching her face.

“Yah can sleep Ah swear! But Yah gotta push first oh’k ? Just push than sleep, Please!”

FINE! Yah want me to push? Here! Here’s yah damn pushin’ !

“Atta girl! Keep goin! Common"

Oh Mah God! Why does it hurt so bad! Ah don’t wanna do this anymore!

“No!No! Don’t Stop! Keep goin’ Sally Ann it almost over! Just ah big one! Just one more!”

One? Then Ah can stop?

“Yas! Yas! Keep goin’! Almost out! Almos’!”

Silence …. Chocking’…

“Wwwaaahhh!”

“It’s ah boy!!”

She felt lips pressing against her forehead as something small was being placed on her chest.

Then sleep finally took her away.

XXX

Sally Ann slowly opened her eyes, turning her face to the side when she was met with nothing but the sunlight directly in her eyes. Quickly turning the other way, she noticed a chair that held a man she never thought she would see again outside of her dreams.

Hasil.

He looked the same, his hair was longer than it was when she last saw him, but he was still handsome as ever. He leaned back in some type of rocking chair, smiling down at the small bundle in his arms. His face had such light and a carefree-ness to it, whispering so softly to who she could only logically guess was her so-their son, who laid quietly in his Daddy’s arms.

Though her heart soared at the sight of him she couldn’t understand, why or rather how he was here? Where the hell is here actually? Moving her eyes of her former lover took in her surroundings and showed the familiar sight of Hasil’s cottage? or was it a hut? Either way said home was located near the top of Shay Mountain, so how the hell did she get up here? And where her clothes were, this spaghetti strap dress doesn’t look like anything of hers.

Sally Ann had so many questions and very little answers, so she turned to the person who could give her some. She tried to call his name, ”Ha..ugh”, he voice on the other hand gave out before she could finish his name. Though it didn’t seem to matter his eyes popped up and was immediately looking at her face, the relief was clear on his face.

“Sally Ann” He softly said moving out of his seat to get closer to her face, “Here let me get yah some water... Woah slow down, don’t need yah drowning on me now”

Sally Ann slowly finished the cup of water before making another attempt to speak, “W-wha… What happened?”

“That’s what I'd like to know. I reckoned that yah walked here. Though why yah were wearing that funny looking dress and shoes to hike is beyond me” Hasil commented as he gently transferred the baby into his Mama’s waiting arms.

She fixed her arms so that she could properly see her child’s face, oh and what a face it was. Though he had her coloring and maybe her nose, there was no mistaking who’s child this was. Looking straight into her own eyes was Hasil’s light brown ones on a small brown face. In awe Sally Ann lightly glided her finger across his face, through his full set of hair then back to repeat the process again. Throughout her exploration of their child Hasil silently sat beside her.

 “That dress was a hospital gown. I was there getting ready to have the baby, but your son was being stubborn. The doctor told me to take a walk, so I went outside and while I was out there the baby started coming but there was no one around me…. Ah screamed for help but nobody came… I thought me and the baby were both dead. There was so much blood…” She stopped to collect herself not wanting to start crying, Hasil squeezed her knee as if to encourage her to continue her story, “…. Then out of nowhere there was this little boy. He looked like one of your kin but he had these wolves with him. Next thing I know he’s in front of me and a bright light blinded me. When I could see again ah was in the forest and both the little boy and the wolves were gone. I sound crazy don’t ah?”

“No, I’m not sure bout da little boy, but my people have been tellin’ folktales bout wolves appearin’ and goin’ for centuries. As far as anyone can tell they protect the mountain and those who are part of this mountain, like this baby here."  He said the last part while looking down at their son

“Aidan”

Hasil looked at her with confusion in his eye, “what?”

“I’ve been callin’ him Bear while he was in my belly, but he looks like an Aidan to me ‘little and fiery’ like his Daddy” She said looking into Hasil’s eyes, though they are far from okay and whether he will have a large part in Aidan’s life is unsure she would like him to have some part of his father

Hasil looked down at the baby touched that she would give their child a part of him and in a show of union Hasil greeted his son properly, “Well, hello there Aidan Farrell I’m your Fa”

Chapter Text

Hasil sat in his chair facing the bed that housed the sleeping Sally Ann, sleep claiming her not long after she named and fed their boy.

The strange dress she had on was ruined with all the bleedin’ so G’win put her in one of hers before they set out to move Sally Ann to his place. He was busy fighting off several curious visiting kins wanting to get a look at both Sally Ann and the baby.

“You wanna protect your family, you always have, but now yah got two that live in different worlds. You been here before cousin and you made a choice you been punishing yourself for since. Yah ready to fight, now?”

Lil Fosters words came back to Hasil as he stared at his son, a bit more color forming ‘round his ears and Hasil said the first thing that came to his mind, “I love you.”

His son opened only one eye, giving him a look that reminded Hasil of the one Sally-Ann would give him when he said something she found ridiculous. Hasil slightly chuckled at the thought that his boy barely a day old was already favoring his Ma.

“Now let me speak ‘fore you start with them looks.” Hasil positioned the baby so that he was laying down with his head facing Hasils knee and his feet pressed into Hasil’s stomach.

“I don’t want you ever questioning my love for your Ma. When I let her go that day, I knew I couldn’t keep her here and I couldn’t go. You see, me and your Ma, we aint from the same place, while I live up here on the mountain your Ma lives below.”

Hasil paused thinking back to the day that changed his life, “When I first set my eyes on your Ma, it was like I was looking at an angel. She had her hair done up like a crown on her head. She had the prettiest smile on her face even when she wanted to try and stop us from looting them. You’ll learn when we Farrell’s get something in our heads to hell with what comes after. I ain’t gonna bore you with everything just know things got real bad down there, your Ma and I thought being up here together away from your Ma’s kin we could be happy.”

Hasil looked back up at Sally Ann with sadness, “but there was danger here too and I had to choose. Now one thing you gotta know ‘bout your Fa Aiden, I ain’t a runner and there was a war comin’. I can’t change what's already passed and I don't want to. But I promise you, I ain’t letting go again.”

Looking back down at his son, he saw he lost him to the temptation of sleep. Smiling Hasil positioned him back into his arms where he should be more comfortable.

Hasil looked at his sleeping family with pride.

Even when he thought he would never see her again, his heart wouldn’t let her go. He tried, he even took his cousin Sah’rah back to the cabin, but as they laid down on the bed with him over her, he kept seeing Sally Ann and he put a stop to the activities.

Deep within his bones he felt this unending ache, so deep that not even the strongest of Krake’s ‘shine could settle it.

What little sleep he did catch, brought no relief either.

Spirits visited him in the form of his Fa and Ma.

Fa never said much even in death that ain’t changed much from when he was on the earth. It was his Ma that would whisper to him in his slumber, but what was being said would slip past him sneaky like a fox no matter how hard he tried come morn’ it was just bones.

He even tried to find the old joy that once filled him and kept his hands busy by making new wood carvings of really anything that came to mind. Though recently he’s been making collections of animals from the forest small enough for a child to play with. He hid them in one of the loose floorings under his bed, at least one of his kin’s youngins found them.

Well now he knows what those damn spirits were trying to tell him.

Hasil stood up with Aidan cradled in his arms and started humming an old song that was used to put the youngins to sleep.

Hush, hush, time to be sleeping
Hush, hush, dreams come a-creeping
Dreams of peace and of freedom
So smile in your sleep, bonny baby

It was like he was a youngin again fighting sleep snuggled in his Fa’s arm with his Ma face above him. Her smiling face as she sang, her golden hair falling around him like a shield.

Once our valleys were ringing
With songs of our children singing
But now sheep bleat till the evening
And shielings lie empty and broken

His little feet were uncovered and so was the rest of him, his Ma was behind him with his clothes in her hands trying to get him to put them on with his Fa on the porch laughing encouraging him to run and tell his Ma to let him be.

Hush, hush, time to be sleeping
Hush, hush, dreams come a-creeping
Dreams of peace and of freedom

He was snuggled in between his parents' belly full, warm, and safe.

Hasil smiled, bending down and placing a kiss on Aidan's head, “Ah will make it safe for us.”

So smile in your sleep, bonny baby