Work Text:
OFBB reversbang- fic- angelskuuipo- art #3
Title: Walking in the Stars
Author: Danielle aka Angel's Kuuipo
Artist: Trishkafibble
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy
Characters/Pairings: Mariah Craven/Jace Craven; Noah Craven, Hannah Barlow, Kayla Barlow
Word Count: 4,984
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: This is an original work of fiction. Please do not take, borrow, copy, or otherwise make like it is yours. Thank you.
Summary: Sometimes, 8yr old Noah Craven has waking dreams and sees things he knows are true. Okay, he has visions. Sometimes they’re things that happened in the past, but sometimes they’re things he knows could happen in the future. Noah Craven is a very special little boy, but that’s to be expected in his family since his mom and his aunts and uncles are pretty special, too.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hannah Barlow stood in the kitchen and bit her lip to keep from smiling as she listened to the low-voiced argument going on in her dining room. The childish voices rose in pitch for a moment before subsiding. She lost control of her smile when she clearly heard an annoyed huff from her friend’s son and he said, “Fine, but only those two spots. I hate pink and so does Mam.”
Hannah could practically hear her daughter rolling her eyes and barely stifled a giggle when Kayla sighed dramatically and groused, “You are such a goob sometimes, Noah. It’s not pink. It’s more purple.” Kayla paused and Hannah could just imagine the look Noah was giving her. Then her daughter said grudgingly, “Okay, maybe it’s pink…ish. But it’ll still look good!”
Noah Craven sniffed disdainfully. “I know what I like is all. More than that, I know what my Mam likes. I’m making this for her. You’re just lucky I’m letting you help.”
Hannah bit down on a knuckle to keep the laughter in. Noah sounded exactly like his mother when she was dealing with people that annoyed her, be they publishers or police. God, she wished she was recording this.
She got back to work making a snack for them, knowing they’d be claiming starvation in the next few minutes.
~*~
Noah Craven concentrated on his project, the tip of his tongue caught between his teeth and just peeking out from his lips. He wasn’t too thrilled that Kayla kept butting in and giving suggestions (coloring any part of this picture pink? Really?), but he supposed he couldn’t gripe too much, since he was working on it at her house.
He wouldn’t be if he could help it, but there were times when he knew he needed to do something right then or he’d forget it and…he couldn’t let himself forget anything when it came to this picture for his Mam. If he could finish it before tomorrow it was going to be her Mother’s Day gift and he really wanted that to happen, otherwise it was just gonna be breakfast out and a trip to the zoo. This, though, this was special. The picture was his family’s story from the beginning several lifetimes ago to a possible ending long into the future.
Okay, yeah, he was eight years old and he knew he didn’t think like other kids his age, but his Mam and his aunts and uncles all told him that it was okay to be different and he believed them. None of his family could really be considered normal— well, except for his Grandpas and his Uncles Rylan and Brandon; especially when he was actually only related to his Uncle Micah and his Grandpa Ray. Even his Da was mostly normal, except in certain…extreme situations. He’d learned from the cradle that family didn’t necessarily mean they shared blood. His family was pretty much all chosen and that made it awesome.
Noah frowned as he carefully drew clouds in one of the rings at the center of the ship. He paused a little and took in the overall picture. Something was missing…
“The sky should be sparkly,” Kayla said musingly.
He automatically opened his mouth to disagree, then stopped and actually thought about her suggestion. He nodded and said, “You’re right.”
Kayla blinked and then smiled brilliantly at him. “I’ve got just the thing!”
She hopped off her chair and yelled, “MOM!” at the top of her lungs as she ran through the door into the kitchen.
Noah snickered when he heard Miss Hannah scolding her daughter. “Kayla Meredith Barlow, what have I told you about yelling in the house?”
He laughed outright when Kayla said promptly, “Only if someone’s dying or the house is on fire. Sorry, Mom.”
Miss Hannah sighed. “Close enough. Alright, so what do you need?”
“Do we still have any of that metallic glitter-sand stuff we used on my Halloween costume last year?”
Noah blinked then grinned. That would be pretty sweet.
“I think so. Why?”
“Noah needs it for the picture he’s making. I told him the sky should be sparkly and he agreed with me!”
Noah winced a little. Kayla sounded so happily surprised. Maybe he should try to be a little nicer to her. It’s just…this was his. He had a clear picture in his mind’s eye of how this was supposed to look and he really wanted to do it on his own. Still, aside from the pink she kept trying to talk him into using, some of her suggestions were pretty good.
Noah’s attention turned inward as he saw a possible future unspooling in his mind’s eye:
He checked his reflection one last time, making sure his bowtie was straight. His Da was standing in the doorway, smiling at him. He smiled back and took a deep breath.
“You ready for this?” his Da asked.
Noah nodded. “Yep.”
Jace studied him for a moment longer then nodded. “Alright then. It’s time to take your place.”
Noah moved towards the door, but stopped in front of his Da. He pulled the older man into a hug and clenched his eyes shut when Jace squeezed him hard. “Love you.”
“Love you, too, Da.”
They broke apart and headed out of the cabin so Noah could take his place at the small altar that had been set up for the ceremony on the bank of the river. His Mam stood there waiting to perform the handfasting, serene and beautiful as always. She smiled at him and took his face between her cool palms. Mariah searched his eyes and he let his guard down to let her see. He had nothing to hide from his mother; he never had. She looked at him a moment longer then nodded firmly and placed a reverent kiss on his forehead.
“Tá mé chomh bródúil as tú, leanbh,” she said softly.
“Go raibh maith agat, mamaí,” he whispered back.
Jace cleared his throat and they broke apart, moving to their respective positions. Noah looked at the guests that were gathered to witness the joining and he smiled at his extended family. Aunt Charleigh and Uncle Duncan and their five children and two grandchildren; Aunt Risa and Uncle Brandon and their two kids; Uncle Jared and his partner Grayson; Uncle Micah and Uncle Rylan…they all smiled back at him and gave him several thumbs up.
Before he could look at his future wife’s side of the guests, the music started and his eyes were drawn to the woods. His breath caught when he got a look at his bride coming out of the trees on the arm of her father. He couldn’t help the smile on his face as she walked toward him.
Noah held out his hand and her father placed her hand in his. He smiled at Tristan Barlow and the man nodded stoically as he stepped back and took his seat. Noah would have laughed if he didn’t know both his Mam and Kayla would smack him on the head. It was just that Tristan was never stoic. He was boisterous and fun and still made Hannah, his wife of almost twenty-five years, blush like a school girl when he got a certain smile on his face.
Noah looked at his soon-to-be wife and mouthed, “Hi,” at her. Kayla returned the greeting with a tremulous smile.
Mariah Craven called a greeting and the ceremony started. Noah had never been happier than he was at that moment.
Noah tuned back in to the world around him to find Kayla and Miss Hannah looking at him worriedly. He blinked at them. Crap. “Hi?” he said uncertainly.
Kayla’s grey eyes were huge when she asked, “Where’d you go? I tried to get your attention for, like, ever.”
Noah frowned and ducked his head. “Sorry. I was just thinking ‘bout stuff. Guess I zoned out.”
Miss Hannah ran a hand through his hair. “You’re sure you’re alright, Noah?”
Noah nodded, still keeping his head down. “Yes, ma’am.”
Miss Hannah watched him for a moment longer then sighed. “Okay.” She set a jar down on the table next to his picture and said, “Kayla said you’d like to use some glitter-sand for the project you’ve been working on.”
Noah’s arms automatically moved to shield his picture from view. “Yes, ma’am.”
Miss Hannah smiled at him. “Don’t worry. I won’t look if you don’t want me to.” She gestured to the jar. “Will this work?”
Noah eyed the jar full of silver sparkles and the corner of his mouth quirked up. “It’s perfect.”
Kayla bounced next to him and he smiled at her shyly. She stilled and looked at him with a crooked smile.
Noah blinked. Oh boy.
~*~
The doorbell rang, startling them all. Hannah headed for the door, looking over her shoulder to see her daughter and her friend’s son looking at each other awkwardly. She smiled as she opened the door. Her smile widened when she saw who it was.
“Jace! I wasn’t expecting you or Mariah for hours yet, if at all,” she said as she let him in.
Jace Craven nodded as he kissed her on the cheek in greeting. “I know. We caught a break on the case and made an arrest. Mariah is at home resting, so I thought I’d come and get the rugrat. He give you any trouble?”
Hannah shook her head. “Of course not. He and Kayla have been working on an art project. Although,” she paused for a moment then continued hesitantly, “he did kind of space out a little bit a few minutes ago. Kayla and I came out of the kitchen and he was just sitting there, staring vacantly at nothing. Neither of us could rouse him. Then he blinked and it was like nothing was wrong.” She looked at Jace in concern. “Has that happened before?”
Jace pursed his lips. “It has. It’s nothing to worry about, Hannah. We’ve got our eye on it.”
She didn’t look convinced, but she nodded anyway. “Alright.” She turned towards the dining room. “Noah, your father’s here,” she called.
Noah bolted out of the chair and threw himself at his Da. Jace caught him and set him on his hip. He smiled at his son. “Hey buddy.”
“Da! Did you and mam catch the bad guy?”
“We sure did. Your mom’s at home waiting for us. You ready to go?”
“I need to put my stuff away.” Noah slithered down Jace to the floor and turned to Hannah. “Miss Hannah, may I take the jar of glitter-sand home with me? I’ll return it when I’m done.”
Hannah marveled for a moment how well-mannered Noah Craven was before she answered him. “Of course, Noah. Will we get to see the finished product?”
Noah bit his lip then shrugged. “That’s up to Mam. It’s her gift.”
Jace and Hannah exchanged grins over his head as he went back to the table to get his things together. Kayla helped him then shocked all three of them when she kissed Noah on the cheek and ran for her room, throwing a “Bye Noah, bye Mr. Jace!” over her shoulder as she went.
Noah stared after her for a moment before he scrubbed his cheek and carefully slid the work in progress into his portfolio.
Jace blinked and asked Hannah, “What was that?”
Hannah had her hand over her mouth. “I’m not sure,” she said softly. “I think they had a bit of a moment just before you got here. It was right after Noah came out of his trance or whatever you want to call it.”
“They’re eight!” Jace managed in a strangled voice.
“I’m aware,” Hannah agreed.
Noah bounded up with his backpack and portfolio banging awkwardly against his side. “I’m ready!”
Jace automatically took the portfolio from his son. The thing was almost as tall as Noah was, but it was necessary for his ongoing projects. He didn’t draw small.
Noah turned to Hannah before Jace could prompt him and said, “Thank you for watching me and for letting me borrow the glitter-sand, Miss Hannah.”
Hannah smiled at him and reached out to ruffle his blue-black hair. “You’re welcome here any time, Noah.” She moved back to the door and opened it for her guests. Kissing Jace on the cheek, she said, “Give my best to Mariah. I hope she feels better.”
Jace nodded. “She’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep. Thanks, Hannah. Let Tristan know I should be good to go for basketball on Thursday?”
“Sure. Dinner after, like usual?”
“If all goes well.”
“We’ll look forward to it. Drive safe.”
Jace waved over his shoulder and Hannah watched him get Noah settled into the backseat of his SUV before she shut the door.
She leaned on it for a moment before heading into the kitchen to put the snacks she’d made back into the fridge. She shook her head and smiled helplessly. Her daughter and Mariah’s son. She could think of worse matches.
~*~
Jace glanced at his son in the rearview mirror. Noah had his head down and his teeth were worrying his bottom lip. “You had a vision, huh buddy,” he asked casually.
Noah sighed and nodded. “Yeah.”
“Wanna tell me about it?” Noah mumbled something that Jace didn’t catch. “What was that? I couldn’t understand you.”
Noah’s mouth twisted into a grimace before he looked up and met Jace’s eyes in the mirror. “I married—well, handfasted—Kayla,” he said petulantly.
Jace thought he did an admirable job of not crashing, though he did swerve a little. He yanked his attention back to the road and just nodded absently. “Alright,” he said slowly. “Is that a bad thing?”
It was times like this Jace wished the family he’d married into wasn’t quite as special as they were. He wouldn’t be alive or aware of his past lives without Mariah and her gifts. He wouldn’t be the Guardian of the Warrior Witch without her, and that was still a trip to think about. But he loved Mariah more than anything, and he loved their son who was shaping up to be pretty damn powerful in his own right; so he dealt. It just still caught him by surprise sometimes that things like Shapeshifters, Hunters, Witches, and Seers were real, even after having had contact with the Veilside for ten years.
Noah huffed. “Da, I’m eight. Even though Kayla’s a friend, girls are icky, and it’s just weird to look at her and know that’s where we’re headed.” He sighed again. “I know it’s not set in stone. I see possibilities, not absolutes, but this just felt…right.”
Jace winced in sympathy. It was also times like this he had a hard time remembering his son was so young. Noah knew and understood things people three times his age couldn’t begin to grasp. He really had no idea what to say and he said as much. “I don’t know what to tell you, Noah. This is a little out of my depth.”
Noah snickered and Jace grinned. “I know, Da. I’ll talk to Mam.”
“Alright, buddy.” He decided to let it go and change the subject. “So, what were you working on today?”
Noah hesitated for a minute before he answered. “It’s our story.” He met his Da’s eyes in the mirror again. “It’s tells our family’s story from the beginning all those centuries ago and goes to the end a really long time from now.”
Jace’s eyebrows rose. Leave it to his kid.… “Huh. That sounds pretty cool. You need any help?”
“Not really, but it could get messy.”
Jace snickered. “Thanks for the warning.”
Noah shrugged. “If we put a sheet or something on the work table or maybe under it, it’ll catch the stray glitter-sand.”
Jace shook his head, a loving grin still on his face. “It’s so easy to forget how young you are sometimes, you know that?”
Noah’s shoulders slumped. “I know,” he said dejectedly. “I’m a freak.”
Jace’s eyebrows shot up again. “Oh, hey, no.” He checked to see where they were and was thankful they were almost to the park near their house. He pulled in and parked before getting out and lifting his son out of the SUV. Noah curled around him, even though he usually complained about being too big to be carried anymore. Jace pressed a kiss to his temple and walked over to one of the picnic tables. There was no one around, so he sat down and arranged his son in his lap.
He lifted Noah’s chin to make sure he was looking at him and said, “You are not a freak, Noah Henry Craven. You are exactly how you are supposed to be. I’ll admit that our family is different, but different is our normal. Normal is relative. Your mother is a powerful Empath and Witch. Your Uncle Micah can do anything with metal. Your Aunt Risa is a natural born Hunter and can track anyone or anything she catches scent of and then kill them if necessary. Your Aunt Charleigh, Uncle Duncan, Uncle Jared, and your cousins turn into black panthers, for crying out loud. You see the past and the future. All of those abilities are gifts and are normal for each and every one of you.” He cupped Noah’s cheek and hoped to God he was making sense. “You’ve had to grow up more quickly than I would have liked because of your gift, and for that I am sorry, but Noah, that doesn’t make you a freak.” He searched his son’s blue eyes, so much like his own. “Alright?” Please believe me.
Noah stared at his father for a long time and Jace let him look, not trying to hide anything. He must have found what he was looking for, because he smiled crookedly and whispered, “Alright.”
Jace pulled him into a hug and pressed a kiss into his hair. He had faced the worst humanity could throw at him as a police detective, but some days it was the dad gig that really scared the hell out of him.
They sat there for a few minutes before Jace asked, “You ready to head home or would you like to play for a while?”
Noah, his head still tucked under Jace’s chin, said softly, “I wanna go home. I want to finish the picture for Mam. Mother’s Day is tomorrow.”
Jace smiled and pressed a kiss to his son’s hair. “Sure, buddy. She’s gonna love it, I know.”
“Hope so.”
Once they got home, Jace helped Noah set up his work table with an old sheet underneath to catch the stray glitter, although with how meticulous Noah tended to be Jace wasn’t sure there’d be much of a mess.
Jace watched Noah carefully set up the jar of glitter-sand, the glue, a paper plate, an old plastic plate, a cup of water, and a few paint brushes. When Noah hesitated to open his portfolio, Jace asked, “You want some help?”
Noah bit his lip and looked at him from under his lashes. “I kinda want it to be a surprise for both of you.”
Jace bit back a smile. “In other words, you don’t want me to see it until it’s finished either.”
Noah nodded.
“Alright. I don’t need to remind you not to eat the glue or anything, right?”
Noah rolled his eyes. “Of course not, Da.”
Jace grinned at him and ruffled his hair. “Have fun. I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready, okay?”
Noah smiled back at him. “’Kay.”
Jace headed for the door, but paused when Noah asked, “Mam’s okay, right?”
“Yeah, buddy. She’s just tired. She’ll be up for dinner. Don’t worry.”
“Okay.”
Jace let himself into the hall and closed the door behind him. He leaned against it for a moment and took a deep breath. God, he loved his kid. Pushing off the door, he headed for the master bedroom to check on his wife. Mariah was still sleeping peacefully, so he let her be and went to the kitchen to try and figure out what to make for dinner.
~*~
Noah plugged his mp3 player into his speakers and pulled up the “Create” playlist his Uncle Micah had made for him. He smiled when Imagine Dragon’s Underdog queued up and he got the lighting in the room just the way he wanted it. Then he pulled the picture from his portfolio.
He looked it over carefully before deciding that he needed to finish coloring in the ship before he did the sky. It took him about an hour before he finished. He nodded in satisfaction and sat back, stretching his arms above his head to work the kinks out of his shoulders. His Mam would give him that look if she knew he hadn’t taken any breaks.
He looked at the picture again. Something was nagging at him. The sparkly sky would cap it off, he knew, but there was still something missing.… Noah jumped up and went to one of his organizers. He pulled open a drawer and dug around until he found what he was looking for. It was a thin, stylized V-shape of hammered gold his Uncle Micah had given him. It had been part of a diadem design that his Uncle had scrapped for some reason. Instead of melting it down, he’d given it to Noah to eventually use on one of his projects. Noah placed it below the ship and nodded at the result. Perfect.
He glued it in place then got to work on the sky. He thinned out some of the glue with the water on the old plastic plate and painted swirls all over the sky portion of the picture. Then he took the jar of glitter-sand and liberally sprinkled it over the whole picture. He shook as much of the excess as he could onto the paper plate and studied the result. He dabbed some glue in a few more places and poured the glitter-sand in the paper plate over the picture again. He went back and forth a few more times before he was satisfied with the finished product and sat back with a contented sigh. It was done.
And just in time, too, because his dad knocked on the door to tell him dinner was ready.
Noah decided he’d clean up his mess after dinner and bounced out of his room. He washed his hands and joined his parents in the dining room.
“Hello, Mam,” he greeted as he kissed his mother’s cheek.
“Dia duit, mo beag ciallmhar amháin,” Mariah responded as she wrapped him up in a hug. She always spoke to him in the Irish while she recovered from helping his Da with a case.
Noah sat in his seat and studied his Mam for a moment. “You still look tired.”
Mariah nodded. “I am,” she said in English. “I’ll be better tomorrow.” She looked at him with a sly smile. “Do you have anything special planned?”
Noah smiled back at her. “Maybe.”
Mariah raised one eyebrow and looked between Noah and Jace. “Either of you going to fill me in?”
Noah giggled when his Da just grinned and said, “Nope!”
Mariah huffed at them, but smiled as they dished up dinner. Noah nodded to himself. Tomorrow was going to be a great Mother’s Day.
~*~
Mariah awoke to the sensation of something soft and velvety tickling her nose, and the strong scent of roses. Her nose crinkled up and she ineffectually batted at whatever it was as she slowly blinked her eyes open.
She rubbed her nose and smiled blearily at her husband, who was leaning over her with a peach-colored rose dangling from his fingers. “Maidin,” she mumbled.
“Good morning, love,” Jace murmured.
Mariah blinked a few times to try and wake herself up then she stretched like a cat, groaning as her muscles loosened. She flopped back onto the bed and smiled at the look on Jace’s face. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
He continued to stare at the strip of smooth skin showing between her pajama pants and her t-shirt and mumbled distractedly, “Hmmm?”
Mariah giggled and slowly drew a line with her index finger from her waistband up to her eyes. Jace followed it automatically and grinned sheepishly as he met her indulgent gaze. “You with me now?” she asked teasingly.
“Yeah. Sorry. You were saying?”
She giggled again and pulled him down for a kiss. He tasted like coffee and it reminded her that she needed to brush her teeth, but that could wait. This last case had taken a toll. She and Jace hadn’t had much time to do anything more than kiss in passing for the last two weeks, never mind spending time with Noah. She didn’t mind consulting for the police department and she liked being able to help her husband, but she was very glad the DPD rarely needed her help. She much preferred to stick to writing and being a mom as her day job.
Jace pulled back slowly and nuzzled into the crook of her neck. He placed a soft kiss there before he sat up and gave her a rueful grin. “As much as I would love to continue this, we have more pressing concerns.”
Mariah arched one eyebrow at him in a silent question and he answered it without prompting, “Our son has plans for you today and I don’t want to get in his way. He’s been working like a boss and he deserves the pay off. The only thing you really get a say in is whether you want to open your gift now or wait until this evening.”
Mariah gave him a lopsided smile. “Well, that’s a no-brainer; like I really want to wait all day for a pressie.”
Jace grinned at her again and pressed a swift kiss to her lips. “Go freshen up. We’ll be back in a few,” he said before leaving the room.
Mariah was sitting on the chaise lounge under the window when the door opened again and Jace entered carrying a tray laden with a glass of orange juice, a plate with the biggest croissant she’d ever seen, and a small vase with a purple rose in it, which he set down on the end table next to the chaise before leaning on the arm next to her. Noah was behind him with a big grin on his face and a large piece of black poster-board in his hands.
“Lá na Máthar Shona ar, Mam!” he cried cheerfully.
Mariah beamed at him. “Go raibh maith agat, leanbh.” She really loved that he was getting so good at speaking her native tongue. “So, what do you have planned for me today?”
Noah came to a stop in front of her and looked at her closely before he nodded decisively. “After breakfast we’re going to the zoo, then lunch at Steubens, then maybe a movie if you want.”
Mariah’s eyebrows rose. “That’s quite a full day. We’ll see how I’m feeling after the zoo, alright?”
Noah frowned a little. “The case was pretty rough, huh?”
Mariah smiled crookedly. “Yeah, it was. But don’t let that worry you, okay? I’m sure we’ll have fun today no matter what. I think the zoo sounds like an excellent idea. Maybe we’ll get to see the baby orangutan. And Steubens is always a good idea. You know that’s one of my favorite restaurants.”
Noah ducked his head with a small smile. “Uh huh.”
Mariah ran a loving hand over his head. “What’s in your hands, beag ulchabhán?”
Noah bit his lip and slowly turned the poster-board around to show her. Both she and Jace gasped as they got a good look at what their son had created.
“Oh, Noah,” she breathed. “It’s gorgeous.” She tugged him towards her and pulled him onto her lap. Jace moved to sit next to them and took the picture so they could all look at it.
“You did a great job, buddy,” he said with a smile.
Noah smiled shyly. “You really think so?”
“Oh yes, baby,” Mariah said. “The sky reminds me of Van Gogh’s Starry Night.”
Noah beamed up at her. “Yeah?”
She nodded at him and ran a finger over the ship. “The ship is beautiful, too. Tell us about it?”
Noah took a deep breath then launched into his explanation, touching each part as he went. “It’s our family’s story. From the bottom up it’s the start of our family line. The God and Goddess; the soulmates that became you and Da and the Aunts and Uncles; the royal lines that run through our families; the circles are the light and dark of battle, loss, and victory; family; birth; everlasting love; you and Da and the Aunts and Uncles finding each other through the ages; the triquetra in the center are you, Aunt Charleigh, and Aunt Risa; and the top is the eventual end of our family lines, but we as a people will be walking in the stars long before that ever happens.”
Jace and Mariah both felt the power in their son’s voice and knew a prophecy when they heard it. They were silent for a long moment before Noah looked over his shoulder at them. He worried his bottom lip with his teeth. “Does any of that sound right?”
Jace wrapped his arms around them both and pressed a kiss to each of their cheeks. Mariah smiled down at her son and hugged him tightly. “Yeah, baby. It sounds absolutely perfect.”
And it was. Regardless of what the world threw at them, they would survive. It was comforting to know that, even if they didn’t know specifics. As long as they stayed together, they would be just fine.
Best Mother’s Day gift ever.
-30-
