Leah. 31. Canada. CST.

Email: intheenditslove@gmail.com
Twitter: @intheenditslove
tumblr: intheenditslove.tumblr.com

(Chances are if there's an intheenditslove somewhere, it's me. :D)

Gimme :D

Seriously, any plot, any ideas, let me hear them. I love plotting.

( Joel info )

Every time Joel thinks he's reached his limit for happiness, that he can't possibly be any happier than he already is, something new happens to prove him wrong. Last week Spencer had come home with a plate of homemade cookies brought in by a customer who knows Joel has always preferred her sugar cookies to all others and he hadn't eaten a single one, wanting to make sure Joel knew they were all for him. (He shared, of course, because he might love cookies, but he loves his husband more.) Then just two days ago, Spencer had sneakily received what he claimed was a delivery for the store, but the way he'd hidden the box from Joel had made it fairly clear it was some kind of last minute Christmas gift, and he knows it doesn't matter what it is, because whatever it might be, Joel knows he'll love it.

It's impossible not to love everything about this life anyway. Maybe he's been having more and more premonitions and maybe there's a big part of him that thinks something is really about to happen, but he doesn't know what it might be. The premonitions come more often, but they're still more or less the same. A lightning storm, Amy's headstone, a woman in a hood whose face he's never been able to see. Shediac, Amy, a witch. That's all he knows. He's called people in Shediac twice now, lied about who he is, tried to get some kind of information out of them, but nothing has been reported as being out of the ordinary. So all Joel can really do is wait.

Last night Spencer had produced a pair of reindeer antlers to put on Dane and although their son had repeatedly yanked them off his head, it had still been one of the cuter things Joel had ever seen, filling him with a sense of joy that overshadowed how he'd felt even the day before. Their baby is happy and healthy and developing normally. They've begun to feed him some solid foods and Joel reads to him every night, which has produced a vocabulary of repetitive syllables, which is exactly where he should be. His hair is dark and his eyes are caught somewhere between his hazel and Erin's blue, a light grey colour that Joel thinks is absolutely perfectly.

And now it's Christmas morning. He knows Dane is too young to really understand what's happening, but that hasn't stopped Joel from waking up in the middle of the night and putting a few extra gifts under the tree. He's as happy as he's ever been and he turns over in bed, looking over at Spencer beside him, his husband still asleep -- or at least doing a very good job pretending -- before he glances toward the window. It's snowing lightly, big, heavy flakes drifting down outside the window and Joel smiles, then burrows closer to his husband again.

Every book, online article and forum he's read has a different opinion.

One month, says the book they keep beside their bed. Two months, says the mom repeating what her doctor has said in an online forum for new parents. Six weeks is best, according to an article he'd found. Twelve weeks is better, says another book, just to be absolutely certain.

For Joel, a man who places a lot of value on research and knowledge and learning, this is an absolute nightmare. All he wants is some definitive answer as to when it's safe to take Dane out of the house and nothing he's read so far seems to agree on it. If doctors can't even agree, he has no idea how he's supposed to reach any kind of decision regarding the matter and he's about one more conflicting piece of information away from deciding to just keep Dane inside for the rest of his life. At least until he's eighteen.

Then they can be absolutely certain he won't end up sick.

The only problem is that Joel is starting to go a little stir crazy and he's sure the same can be said for Spencer and Charlotte both. They're not used to having to be home all day without the store to work on and Charlotte isn't used to running a store full time. She's been an incredible help, but there are things she doesn't know how to do, things she's becoming increasingly frustrated with, and Joel knows they have to rescue her at some point, but he also doesn't want to leave Spencer and Dane.

Sleepless nights, being woken up by the baby when he cries, fussing and spit up and diapers, he's taken all that in stride. It's the uncertainty Joel doesn't know what to do with. He should be at home, he thinks, he shouldn't ask Spencer to take care of Dane just because Charlotte is having trouble with the store. But it's healthy to get out, too, he's sure of that. But he also doesn't want to be away from them for longer than a minute or two, which all results in mostly just feeling overwhelmed and confused as to what he's supposed to do.

It's a completely normal Thursday afternoon when Charlotte texts Joel a bunch of knife emojis and he makes a decision. Clipping Huxley's collar to his leash, he kisses Dane, then kisses Spencer and promises to be back as soon as he can. The baby isn't ready to come to work with them yet, he has to deal with that. He also has to deal with the idea of being away from his family for longer than ten minutes and he's going to do it if it kills him. Which it very well might.

He makes it ten minutes before he stops on the sidewalk and turns back toward home. Huxley looks up at him, clearly confused, then starts to follow before Joel abruptly turns back in the direction of the store. It's silly, he can leave them for an afternoon, he can.

But he stands on the sidewalk anyway, frozen and undecided, trying to figure out if he should go help his sister at the store or just head back home.

[Find Joel anywhere along his walk, acting weird and indecisive. XD]

Dane has been home for exactly thirty-seven hours and a few minutes, give or take, when Joel looks at the clock on the wall as he paces the length of the library, the baby in his arms. He's been fussing today, more than he has yet, and he and Spencer have been taking turns walking with him around the house once they've established that he doesn't need to be changed and he isn't hungry. They've been given their space after the initial invasion, his parents choosing to stay at a hotel for the duration of their time here rather than taking over the house. As much as he loves having his parents here, as much as he's loved seeing them with their grandson, he's also extremely grateful for it.

Ellie, though, had called that afternoon and suggested Joel try flipping Dane over onto his stomach. She'd said something about colic, told him that holding the baby on his stomach might help, and since then Joel has been carrying a peaceful Dane around the house, his little cheek resting against Joel's wrist. He's fast asleep for the time being and Joel can't imagine putting him down. He's a warm, comforting weight on Joel's arm and although he's tired, although he knows there's still a lot of adjusting to be done, he's also never been this happy.

Spencer is napping. At least he hopes he is. Joel had all but forced him to go upstairs and lie down. They sleep when Dane sleeps, that's the way their lives are meant to go now, and now that Dane actually is sleeping, Joel is debating heading upstairs and joining Spencer. The thought of crawling into bed with his husband, settling Dane comfortably on his chest and just lying there for a little while is somehow even more appealing than actually getting to sleep.

If he sleeps, he's bound to miss something, and Joel doesn't want to miss a moment of this.

That's exactly what Spencer is thinking as he lies wide awake in their bedroom. He'd tried more than once to close his eyes and keep them shut, force himself into a sleep that just won't come, but for once he's not being kept awake because of the nightmares he fears might plague him; it's because he knows that just downstairs are the two people he loves more than anything else in this world.

It's only been a day and a half since they've been allowed to bring Dane home, since they'd been overly careful in placing their baby, their tiny, beautiful baby, into his car seat for the drive home while Erin and her husband tried to hide their laughter behind their hands as they'd watched.

"Definitely brand new parents," her husband had commented, and it hadn't been with any ill intent. Spencer had only smiled and shrugged, as if there was nothing that could be done about it and really, there can't be. He's a father now, he's partly responsible for someone's life for the rest of his own, and as daunting as that may be, Spencer has never been happier. The only comparison he could possibly make would be to the day he and Joel had gotten married, and it's with that thought that he finally gives up and rolls out of bed to join his family.

They'd texted friends earlier in the day to mention when a good time would be to drop by to meet the baby. It's getting to be just after noon now, and he's absolutely exhausted, but the promise of getting to see Dane again gives him a burst of happy adrenaline. He'd be happy to stay this way for the rest of his life, at home with just his husband and their child; but he supposes having company over wouldn't be so bad.

After all, there's something appealing about being able to say that today, he and Joel are going to be introducing their son.

[Time to meet the baby. Tag Joel or Spencer or BOTH, but just indicate in your tag what you'd prefer. If both, the order will be your pup, Joel, Spencer.]

So remember when I had that meltdown over a single dads meeting at a concert with their young daughters AU and I kept writing parts of it? Well, it got out of hand (like, REALLY out of hand) and now you get it for real. <4444444

But seriously, I hope you have an incredible birthday. Thanks for being the Seamus to my Aidan~ (Or the Aidan to my Seamus, depending on the day.) I have no idea what I’d do without you, so just always hang around and let’s never have to find out, okay? :D

( Hereafter )

It's hard leaving Spencer.

Joel knows they need to get back into a routine, he knows they can't always be beside each other, but he also knows Spencer doesn't want to be alone yet. More than that, he also doesn't want to leave Spencer alone, not after being without him for days, but they can't spend every single minute of every single day together. Slowly they need to adjust, they need to go back to their lives, and Spencer managed just fine without him the day before, so Joel knows he can do this, too. It makes his stomach clench uncomfortably, but he kisses Spencer goodbye, tells him he won't be long, then sets out for Davin's place.

This is important, too. Spencer isn't the only one dealing with the aftermath of what happened and Joel hopes this is going to go a long way toward helping Davin feel safe again. Putting the wards on Spencer's house after Mark had taken him had helped a lot, he knows that, and while it had still taken time for him to feel comfortable going back into the library, they'd gotten there, too.

Everything takes time. The good and the bad. But if Joel can do something to help speed along parts of it, then he's going to do those things without question. Which is why he has a small bag filled with the things he needs; a soft grey crystal Davin can easily fit on a window sill somewhere, four candles to be burned at the four points of the compass, a small bag filled with ingredients he's already mixed.

And a witch bottle. He knows it isn't the same as a ward, he knows it won't be nearly as effective, but Joel's always had a witch bottle in his home and in his business and there's something strangely comforting about it, so he's made one for Davin, too.

Carefully he adjusts the bag once he arrives at Davin's, then knocks softly, shifting back and forth on his feet as he waits.

They're actually having a baby shower.

Joel is fairly certain his mother wouldn't have let them get away without something, even if he had insisted it be small and consist only of family, but for some reason he and Spencer have allowed themselves to be talked into a real shower. With invitations and food and little baby themed games to play. It's sort of strange, looking at it from his position, given that Erin is the one who's going to be giving birth and therefore is the one in the glowing pregnant woman position at this entire gathering.

She'd sweetly agreed to attend and had even whispered to Joel that she would take the brunt of the attention if she could manage it. He had whispered back that he knew they had picked her for a good reason.

But here they are. Several weeks have passed, the invitations have gone out and the decorations have been put up all over Joel and Spencer's living room. He had agreed to lift the enchantments on the house for the extent of the party, which means that anyone can open the door to their guests, they don't all have to be invited in by either Joel or Spencer, and it makes him a little nervous, but he understands the usefulness of others being able to answer the door. At least for today.

It's the decorations that keep getting to him. Sweet little ducks and zebras and monkeys, little jungle animals all over the walls. The bottle and rattle shaped cookies are pretty cute, but those aren't going to be left when the baby gets here. The animal theme, though, is fairly close to the nearly finished nursery Joel has been working on upstairs and he can't help but grin at the decorations.

Spencer, on the other hand, can't stop coming back round to the center of the living room to stare at the enormous sign that's been strung up above a table already stacked with gifts when a majority of their guests haven't even arrived yet. He'd been worried this morning that the day would overwhelm him, that knowing so many people would be coming into their home would be daunting when just a year ago, he'd never even once invited company over before meeting Joel; but so far, he feels calm, in spite of having had to watch Joel remove the enchantments that act as their security on the house. If someone wishes to crash a baby shower--which he doesn't imagine will happen anyway--then they'll have to face not only the wrath of a room that will be filled with witches and sirens, but the wrath of his mother- and sister-in-law, as well. That's not a sight Spencer thinks would be very pretty to witness.

Still, he feels light, perhaps a lingering effect of the having the chance to fall in love with Joel a second time during the spell that had taken over the town. Certainly, a great deal of his contentment has to do with the fact that he won't have to worry about losing his husband in a crowd but even beyond that, he's excited.

So much has changed in the course of the past year and weeks from now, they'll be holding their newborn in their arms for the very first time without another care in the world but for who they've been looking forward to meeting since they'd decided to take this journey together. There's something a bit strange about realizing that it's all coming to a head, that the waiting will soon be over and they'll be fathers at last, but when the first knock on the door comes, Spencer can't help but smile.

[Baby shower for Joel and Spencer's wee one. Erin, their surrogate, is present and is currently 31 weeks pregnant. If you're even a little friendly with either of them, Joel's mother sent an invitation, but the enchantments have been taken off the house for the event and so it's not an impossible party to crash. If anyone wants to crash a baby shower...]

Despite his mother's warnings, Joel has found himself on the beach once again, not far from where he sailed straight into a storm not three days earlier. She would be furious if she found him here, but this is where he feels most calm, where he's always felt most able to think clearly and lately it seems he's in desperate need of thinking clearly.

So much has happened over the past several days and while Joel is completely certain what he feels for Spencer is real and genuine, he's also truly conflicted for the first time in his life. He has duties. There are expectations that have been placed upon him and in less than two weeks time, he is expected to have picked a bride.

That's something Joel knows he simply cannot do.

Walking along the sand, he looks out into the water for a moment, then begins to shed his clothes. He doesn't care how it might look, if there's anyone nearby to see. His fingers fly over the buttons of his shirt and he drops it to the sand. A moment later his pants follow and he wades into the water in only his breeches, pushing through the waves and then diving under, cutting through with strong strokes. The cold water clears his head and he turns over, floating on his back for what feels like forever before he finally makes his way back to shore.

It's as he's dressing again, his pants once more fastened and his shirt half done up that his vision suddenly goes dark. It's like he's under water, he realizes. Shafts of sun cut through the gently rolling waves, but the deeper he sinks, the darker it gets. There's a flash of a shimmering tail, too big to be a fish, too small to be a shark. Dark laughter. A brief glimpse of a beautiful woman with long, black hair. She's smiling, but Joel doesn't much like what he sees in that smile.

She's saying something, her lips moving, but the voice that comes out isn't hers. It's Spencer's. It's the voice he remembers from that day on the beach and Joel stumbles in the sand, only realizing then that he's still standing on the beach. All of this, everything he's seeing, it isn't really happening.

He directs his attention back to the woman with the tail just in time to hear Spencer's voice whisper two words. A promise.

He doesn't know what any of it means, but as soon as it's begun, it's gone. Joel is left standing on the beach, his hands still on the buttons of his shirt, staring off into the waves as if they can give him some kind of answer.

[Joel's an adopted prince who doesn't know he's also a witch and has no idea he's just had a premonition while on the beach anywhere you want to find him. Enjoy? :D]

There's a storm coming, darling. Be safe.

Joel supposes he should not be out on the water, not with his mother's warning still echoing in his ears, but he had needed to get out of the palace for a time. The water has long since been the only place he has felt truly comfortable and while most of his kingdom would not expect for their prince to be manning his own sailboat, he's never quite been able to give up the habit. The ocean, his boat, it's where he feels truly at peace, the only place of true silence where he can sink into his thoughts and consider his life as it lay before him.

He has long since passed the age where his parents had expected him to marry and he has put them off time and again. Now, nearing thirty, he suspects he won't be able to put them off any longer. There is to be a ball held soon and they will expect him to choose a bride. There are many things Joel still does not know about himself -- where these abilities come from, for example, that he can lift a hand and stop a weapon from coming near him -- but he is certain he does not want to be married. Not to any of the women being offered to him.

There seems to be little he can do about it, though, and so today he has chosen to escape.

There is a storm coming, his mother was right about that. He can see it brewing to the east, but it looks far enough away that he thinks he still has plenty of time. The sailboat is small but sturdy and Joel is well in control of the vessel even as the wind picks up and sends waves smacking against the boat's body. He reaches down, adjusts the sail, and sends himself further out into the water. A reckless decision, perhaps, but he needs the time alone. He needs time to think.

It isn't until a wave splashes across the deck that Joel realizes he's sailing straight into the storm. That it isn't nearly as far away as he'd thought. That at this rate, he'll be in real danger within moments. Sailing out of the storm seems to be an unlikely option, not with the wind picking up around him, battering his sail and his small boat. The only real option seems to be to sail through.

He's standing to prepare for that when a rope snaps and the mast slams back toward him with a speed he can't brace himself for. It hits his chest, sends him down against the edge of the boat where he knocks his head against the wood. He's in the water without realizing, cold waves splashing over his face, but he can't lift his arms to swim. He can't do anything.

And as he slips under the stormy surface, Joel realizes how much more peaceful it is under the waves.