Refuge

by M J (pietromaximoff)

Summary:

when strange bursts of magic start popping up around town, Jack and Elsa start to investigate... trying to protect the town that’s slowly but surely turning against them.

Notes:

Happy Pride Everybody!

Since June is internet pride month (pride month is in November where I live lol) I decided to write this short-ish fic to celebrate everyone in our lovely community... and also channel my frustrations at bigotry and the rise of fascism in a somewhat constructive way 😅
I hope you enjoy this first chapter, the second one should be ready by the end of the month ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

 

Also, thank you so much to @Ipsl0re and @Bluemoonperegrine for helping with this one!

Chapter 1

Elsa was already on her second cup of coffee by the time Lyra finally sat down to eat her breakfast.

Mornings had always been hectic, but today was already proving to be a challenge. Her morning had started when their cat, Moggy, decided to wake her up by presenting her with a dead rat which had somehow been drained of blood. Getting Lyra out of bed had been nearly impossible, she’d had to bribe her with pastries just to get her to come to the breakfast room. Then she’d walked into the kitchen to find the coffee machine wasn’t working and given up.

Thankfully, Jack was an expert in turning instant decaf into surprisingly passable coffee.

“You’ll pick her up from school today?” he asked, pouring her a cup while staching his old beat up laptop into his satchel.

Elsa had offered to replace it countless times, but Jack insisted that he didn’t need another one, that this one worked just fine. The cooling fans seemed to disagree.

“Yes. I’m meeting with a client just before noon,” she said, “I should be done before lunch time.”

“Papa, why aren’t you wearing any jewellery?” Lyra looked up expectantly at Jack from her spot on the stool, her legs swinging back and forth as she chomped on another bite of her croissant.

Jack scratched behind his ear, right next to where an ear cuff had been clipped to his helix the day before.

“I just didn’t feel like wearing it today, Mimi.”

“And your nails?”

He looked down at his free hand, –the varnish clearly having been hastily scrubbed off– then closed it.

“Sometimes papa dresses fancier than other days,” he explained. “Today I just decided not to paint them.”

Elsa could tell there was more to the story, but she wasn’t about to keep poking in front of their five-year-old.

Lyra frowned dubiously at them. Still, she mercifully decided to drop the subject and frowned pensively at her food before taking another big bite.

Elsa reached for Jack’s hand and laced their fingers together. “Would you help me with the dishes, please?” she asked quitely

He blinked up at her. “Now?”

Yes,” she said pointedly, “now.”

Giving her the same sceptical look Lyra had just given him, Jack followed Elsa into the kitchen.

She turned on the radio and made sure to tune in on the one folk music station she knew Lyra absolutely couldn’t stand.

Turning to face Jack, she leant against the counter and asked, “So what’s going on, really?”

Jack scratched behind his ear again, before letting out a long, deep breath. “There was a school visit to the library last week,” he explained, “and one of the parents complained that we were trying to push an agenda on the kids.” He put air quotes around the last bit.

Elsa blinked at Jack, mouth agape. “Because of your ear cuffs? That’s utter bullshit!”

“And the eyeliner too, apparently.” He sighed, “plus I was wearing a skirt that day, so–.”

“So they should shove their opinions up their arse!”

Jack sighed, shrugging, as if those wankers hadn’t thrown the most ludicrous accusations at him.

Elsa set her jaw. This was what infuriated her the most, not the fact that people were cruel to Jack - she’d long since learnt to expect that - but that he had been mistreated so much he was used to it. He barely even fought back anymore.

Jack wrapped his arms around himself and looked away. “I didn’t want my manager to have to deal with all of that, so I told her I’d just wear jeans and lay off the make up for a while.”

“But it’s just eyeliner and the occasional skirt!” she countered. “How the fuck is that a political statement? And even if it was–”

“Elsa, please,” Jack said, rubbing his eyes, “getting angry won’t make it better.”

Elsa huffed out a breath. She wanted to hit every single one of those imbeciles and make them choke on their own tongues.

But that wasn’t what Jack needed right now. So instead she held his hands in hers and offered, “I’m sorry. What they’re doing isn’t right.”

Jack stepped closer. "It's not," he said, "but what can you do?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Elsa wrapped her arms around Jack and pulled him into a hug.

He leant into her embrace. Burying his face in the nape of her neck and breathing her in.

They stayed like that for a moment, taking comfort in each other’s warmth, before the sound of porcelain smashing on wood brought them back into the present.

“Mummy!” Lyra’s voice carried from the adjacent dining room “Moggy broke a cup.”

They both chuckled, pulling away from each other.

“Duty calls,” Jack whispered.

He pressed a small kiss to Elsa’s lips, before they headed back out the kitchen.

 

---

 

The coffee shop was busy, and the waitress kept looking over at their table, just like Elsa liked it. She didn’t have a reason to think that the burly man sitting across the table from her would cause a scene, but one could never be too careful.

“This is a lot of money,” her client grumbled, gesturing at the work proposal on the table.

Elsa simply shrugged. “I’m putting my arse on the line for this, and I’m not doing it for any less.”

“It’s not like you need the money.”

“Neither do you,” she pointed out. “But you do need to get that amulet back.”

He frowned down at the quote again, scratching his thick beard. Then, reluctantly, he sighed and stretched out his hand.

Elsa shook it, offering a slight smirk. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

The man grumbled, before finally standing up and leaving. “I’ll be in contact then,” he said over his shoulder.

“Can’t wait.”

Once she was alone, Elsa let out a long breath and let herself relax against the backrest of her seat. No matter how many times she did it, this part of the job never became easier.

She took out her phone and turned it on. She still had thirty minutes before it was time to pick up Lyra, so she might as well scroll through Insta while finishing her coffee.

The moment it was on, her phone practically buzzed out of her hands;  multiple unread messages and missed call notifications from Lyra’s school popped onto her screen.

With her heart in her mouth, Elsa rushed out of the pub, fumbling her phone, praying Lyra was okay and cursing herself for ever having turnt off her phone in the first place.

 

---

 

“She bit him?!” Elsa stared askance at the headmistress.

The woman sat across a desk from Elsa. The wall behind her was adorned with a number of diplomas and awards, which only exacerbated Elsa’s frustration at the woman’s apparent lack of care for her pupils.

She couldn’t decide what she hated more about the headmistress. Her passive aggressive snides, the way she never took responsibility for her own misguided decisions, or the fake smile plastered on her face.

“First off,” the woman said, “I want to make it clear that the school cares very much about all our students, and we always want to keep everyone’s specific circumstances in mind.”

“Right,” Elsa sighed. She had a pretty good idea of where this conversation was going.

“Arguments between children are to be expected.” the woman went on, “But physical violence is not something we tolerate.”

She rubbed her temples. “Look, I really don’t want to turn into one of those parents, but Lyra is not a violent child. Are we sure there wasn’t more to this? Is there a chance this wasn’t unprovoked?”

“Are you saying it’s the other child’s fault?” The teacher practically gasped.

Elsa set her jaw, trying really hard not to lose her patience. “I’m not saying it’s anyone’s fault, they’re five years old for god’s sake. I just don’t understand why she would do that.”

“Damian said Lyra simply decided to attack him.”

“But what does the teacher say?”

The headmistress looked away. “She was in the bathroom at the time.”

Elsa blinked at the other woman in disbelief. The teacher had left a group of five-year-olds unattended?

Raising her hands in defence, the woman argued, “There was a teacher's assistant supervising the children at all times,” she said, in lieu of explanation. “and most of the children usually end up falling asleep during story time anyway.”

“Well, they clearly didn’t,” Elsa siad, her voice rising. “And in any case, a single aid cannot be expected to look over that many children on their own.”

Apparently oblivious to the problem, the headmistress shrugged and said, “The fact remains, Lyra did bite Damian. I know she struggles with impulse control, but–”

“ Again , she’s five.”

“–but the other parents have a right to know their children are safe. I encourage you to have a conversation about this with Lyra. I know her father is her primary care taker, but you might want to take a more involved role as well.”

It took everything in Elsa not to snap at the headmistress.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and stood up to leave. “Right,” she managed. “Well, if that’s all.”

“Actually, there is one last thing.”

 Elsa dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands and clenched her teeth. “Yes?”

“Lyra’s condition does complicate things.”

“Her condition?”

“When you submitted her healthcare paperwork, there was no mention of any anti-rabies vaccination.”

Elsa’s jaw dropped, she couldn’t believe her own ears. “Are you asking if my daughter is rabid ?!”

The woman let out a small gasp. “No, of course not,” she said frantically. “I would never say something like that.”

“Then what are you saying? Would you ask this question about any other child?”

The woman just shrugged, as if she wasn’t the one treating her child like a fucking dog. “Some parents have raised concerns.”

“You can tell them to sod off then!”

And with that, Elsa slammed the door behind her.

She drew a deep, calming breath before looking down and to her left. Lyra sat on a bench, her short legs swinging back and forth as she fidgeted with the hem of her tartan dress. Her daughter looked down, pretending not to have overheard their conversation.

Elsa cursed herself for having lost control in front of her.

Biting her lip, she reached out her hand and sighed, “Let’s go, Pumpkin.”

Lyra took Elsa’s hand and hopped off the bench, before they both walked out the building in silence.

Stepping onto the pavement, Lyra looked up at Elsa. “Are you cross?” she asked.

Elsa kneeled down to face Lyra and held both her hands. “I’m not cross, pumpkin,” she explained. “But you can’t just bite people, we’ve talked about this. Think about how Damian must’ve felt.”

Lyra frowned. “Damian was being mean to Sasha. He said his mum didn’t love him because he’s stupid!”

Elsa’s heart twisted in her chest. Sasha was a boy in Lyra’s class, whose mum had left him and his dad the previous year. Jack had recently gotten closer to them, often taking both children to the library or the park while they waited for Sasha’s dad to get off work.

Gently resting her hands on Lyra’s shoulders –the way Jack often did– Elsa held her daughter’s gaze and said, “You’re right, Damian shouldn’t have said those things. You were right to stand up to him and defend your friend. But using physical violence is not the way to do that, alright?

Still knitting her brow, Lyra nodded.

“I know it’s hard, but we need to learn to help our friends without violence.”

“Okay,” Lyra said quietly.

Elsa let out a long breath, before taking out her phone to check the time. “Before we meet with Papá, I need you to come with me to the pharmacy. Is that alright?”

Lyra shrugged, which was more than Elsa had expected, honestly.

Standing up, she took her daughter’s hand again and started walking. The high street was only a quarter of a mile away and she suspected they could both do with some exercise right now.

With the sun shining on her chubby, freckled face, Lyra squinted to look up at her. “Mummy, can we get biscuits at the pharmacy?”

“Yes,” Elsa chuckled, “ Yes, darling. We can get some biscuits.”

A few minutes later, Elsa stood in the pharmacy’s snack aisle, holding a packet of sugar free biscuits in each hand.

“Should we get the cinnamon or chocolate ones, pumpkin?”

Lyra didn’t answer, seemingly distracted by something to their left.

Following her daughter’s line of sight, Elsa found a young teenager, about twelve or thirteen years old, anxiously looking over his shoulder while slipping a packet of sanitary pads into the front pocket of his sweatshirt.

Elsa’s heart caught in her throat, how desperate would this kid have to be to risk getting caught stealing just for a packet of pads. She wondered if maybe she should offer to pay for it.

Lyra tugged at the hem of her jacket. “Mummy, why is that boy putting things into his pockets?”

The boy whipped around and looked at Elsa like a deer in the headlights.

She panicked.

“Is he stealing something?” Lyra asked.

Elsa wasn’t sure what to say.

She felt the weight of other customers gazes on them. An older woman who stood near the door stared at her, as if waiting for her reaction. A man stood a few paces behind them, grumbling something under his breath that Elsa couldn’t quite make out.

They were going to notice the boy’s stealing and get him in so much trouble, maybe even call the police.

Visibly afraid now, the boy dropped the pads and bolted. He almost made it to the door before a clerk caught him by the hood of his sweatshirt and dragged him back.

“Stop!” Elsa said, already going up to a shop assistant while keeping Lyra’s hand in hers. “He’s just a kid, don’t grab him like that.”

“He stole something,” said the assistant by way of explanation.

The boy huffed, “I didn’t!”

He looked between her and the clerk, his expression a mix of fear and rage.

“You’re putting hands on him based on suspicion?”

“Your daughter said–”

“That was a mistake,” Elsa blurted out.

“No it wasn’t!” Lyra protested, snatching her hand away. “I’m telling the truth!”

Elsa cursed herself, realising what she’d done. She looked down at Lyra and gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “I didn’t say you were, darling. We–”

“Ma’am,” the clerk interrupted, “If the kid took something, someone needs to pay for it.”

“Then I’ll pay for it,” Elsa sighed. She wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

The clerk scowled at the boy. “Empty your pockets.”

The boy did as he was told, awkwardly turning out the front pocket of his oversized sweatshirt. Whatever he’d stashed there, he’d must have dropped before trying to run.

The clerk groaned but let the kid go.

He ran out of the shop and disappeared into the streets.

Elsa allowed herself a moment of relief before turning to Lyra, whom she still had to answer to for earlier.

“I’m not lying!” Lyra protested, crossing her arms over her chest and stomping her little foot.

“I know you’re not, pumpkin.”

Lyra pouted. She huffed out an indignant breath and walked out the door.

Running a hand through her hair, Elsa swore under her breath. “Lyra, wait!” she called, following her daughter out the door.

Her phone rang as they crossed the threshold. This time Jack’s picture lit the screen.

“Hold on, love,” Elsa called after Lyra, who was still stalking down the street, while bringing the phone to her ear.

“Hey!” Jack greeted over the phone. “How’s your day going?”

“It's going,” she groaned, jogging to catch up with Lyra.

“What’s wrong? Do you need me to come over?

“No, It’s alright, really. I’ll tell you tonight.”

“Okay. I’ll meet you in a bit then.”

 

---

 

“You’re not going to school tomorrow, pumpki,” Elsa told her daughter, who sat across the dinner table from her and Jack. “You’re going to the library with Papá tomorrow, pumpkin.”

She poured herself another glass of water and braced for Lyra’s frustration.

Instead, the five-year-old blinked up at them in confusion. “Why?” she asked through a mouthful of chicken.

Elsa and Jack looked at each other, then back at their daughter. They’d decided to wait until dinner time to have this conversation, hoping it’d be easier once everyone had had time to calm down.

“We think it’s better if you skip school for the day,” Jack explained, “just until everyone has had time to process what happened today.”

“That’s not fair! You said you weren’t cross, why am I in time out?”

Elsa sighed, “you’re not in time out, love. This isn’t a punishment.”

“Then why?”

“Because you got into a fight today,” Jack said, “and sometimes–”

“but you fight all the time.”

Elsa gulped. “That’s different darling.”

“How is that different?”

Jack reached for Elsa’s hand under the table and gave her a gentle squeeze.

She took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. “Sometimes grown ups have to do things they don’t want to, but that doesn’t mean children should do the same.”

“It’s like what happened this morning,” Jack went on. “that boy we saw at the shops, the one who was putting pads in his pockets.”

“He was stealing,” Lyra said.

“Yes, he was.” Elsa nodded. “But the thing is, sometimes boys get in trouble for doing things that are supposed to be for girls , like buylg pads or wearing dresses.”

Lyra knit her brow pensively, and ELsa wondered if maybe she was coming at this from the wrong angle.

then her daughter asked, “Is that why Jojo’s dad says Papá is a fruit?”

Jack choked on his drink.

“He said what?!” Elsa demanded

“Jojo said her dad told her we couldn’t go on playdates because Papá was weird, because he wears make up and nail varnish.”

Elsa was at a loss for words. She looked at Jack and found him staring.

“sorry?” Lyra offered.

Jack snapped out of it and was quick to reach for Lyra’s little fingers over the table. “No, mimi. Don’t apologise,” he cooed, “you did nothing wrong.”

“But Jojo’s dad–”

“He’s a arse!”

“But,” Jack interjected pointedly, “this is a good example of what we are trying to explain.” he looked at Elsa, who was trying really hard not to delve into the most creative part of her vocabulary in front of their daughter.

Jack cleared his throat and said, “Sometimes people are expected to behave a certain way based on their gender; boys are expected to wear trousers and women are expected to buy pads. So when boys buy pads, people might be mean to them.”

“Which is wrong, by the way.” Elsa said, “Everyone should be allowed to buy pads and wear dresses if they want.”

“Yes. And because of that, grown ups sometimes need to do things they don’t want to, like bending the truth to make sure people aren’t mean to boys who buy period pads.”

Lyra frowned down in thought, her tiny little nose scrunching up as she processed what they’d just told her.

Elsa looked at Jack, then back at Lyra. “Does any of this make sense, pumpkin?”

“You know you can ask us anything,” Jack said.

“So,” Lyra said, trying to articulate her thoughts, “Mummy lied to that man to protect the boy who was stealing pads.”

“Yes.”

“But I can’t bite Damian to protect Sasha.”

“Let’s make a deal,” Elsa proposed. “Next time someone is being mean to your friends and you want to protect them, you can tell us and we’ll help you come up with a way to help.”

“That doesn’t involve physical violence,” Jack reminded them.

Elsa rolled her eyes affectionately. “Yes, darling, no violence whatsoever.”

“Alright,” Lyra sighed.

Elsa decided this was today’s most difficult negotiation.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion shook the house. A bolt of lightning hit the gound outside the window, then the lights went off.

“Lyra, come here!” Jack urged, picking Lyra up into his arms.

“Get into the kitchen,” Elsa told them, reaching for the the sword mounted on the wall. She turned to the door, but before she could move Jack caught her wrist.

“You’re staying with us,” he told her, his eyes shining red with need. 

Before Elsa could say anything, a blinding light flooded the room. She twisted around and wrapped her arms around her family, shielding them against a wall.

The light was gone as soon as it appeared, plunging the house back into utter darkness.

“What’s happening?” Lyra cried into Jack’s chest.

He held her tighter and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “We’ll figure it out, Mimi.”

Jack turned to Elsa, his and Lyra’s eyes were the only light in the pitch black room. “That wasn’t a storm, was it?”

Elsa shook her head. “I think it’s the ley lines.”

She held her mate’s gaze, with a silent question in her eyes.

He noded, then murmured, “be careful.”

“I will.” Elsa said, taking her daughter’s little hand. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

“I’ll come find you,” he murmured.

“Don’t go.” Lyra protested. “You don’t have to.”

Elsa’s breath caught in her throat. “I do darling,” she sniffed. “It’s alright, I’ll just go check out the garden to make sure everything’s alright.”

Lyra pouted, tightening her grip on Jack.

Elsa turned around wiped the tears from her face, striding out the door to hunt whoever was threatening her family.

Chapter 2

Summary:

While Elsa searches for the source of the mysterious lights in the forest, Jack takes Tier under his wing and tries to provide a safe space where he can be himself... to the chagrin of the boy’s family.

Notes:

Pride month might be over but pride isn’t, and neither is this fic, seeing as I’m the slowest writer ever 😅

Thank you so much to @bluemoonperegrine and @Inspl0re for helping me beta read this chapter as well as the first one!

Elsa’s night had somehow gone worse than she’d expected. She knew she should be thankful not to have died or gotten hurt - and she was, truly - but she couldn’t help feeling frustrated at the lack of results her investigation had yielded. She’d managed to find what looked like the remnants of a spell in a clearing in the forest: a patch of burnt dirt where someone had tried to light a fire, and a few symbols scrawled in the dirt. Her knowledge of magic was far too limited to understand what had been attempted there.

So Elsa dragged herself back home, aching to collapse into Jack’s arms and snuggle Lyra to sleep.

She found them sitting on Lyra’s bed. Jack cradled their sleeping daughter in his arms and stroked her hair as he hummed a lullaby.

His face lit up when he saw her. He immediately got up to greet her, gingerly laying Lyra’s head on her pillow to not wake her.

“How is she?” Elsa asked, leaning against the door frame. She wasn’t hurt, but the stress and anxiety of the previous day were getting to her.

Jack went up to her and held her hand. “She’s fine. She was a bit scared, but managed to fall asleep.” He looked into her eyes, bringing up a hand to cup her cheek. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

She shook her head. “Just tired, and angry because I didn’t find anything.”

He brushed a lock of hair from her face and tucked it behind one of her ears. She winced when he accidentally touched a small scratch on her forehead.

Sorry,” he whispered.

“It's nothing. Really, it’s just a scratch.”

“Still, let me have a look at it.” he said, cupping her cheek in his hand. “At least let me make you some tea.”

A slight smile tugged at Elsa’s lips. “Alright,” she whispered, holding Jack’s hand over her cheek and leaning into his touch. “Thank you.”

 

---

 

With the storm getting louder and the wind shaking the windows of her study, Elsa was thankful for the cup of tea nestled in her hands and the fire crackling in the hearth. 

Jack sat across from her on the love seat, gently rubbing ointment on the small cut in her temple.

“You know the stone will close that cut in like an hour, right?” She murmured.

“I know,” Jack smiled. “But that’s no reason not to manage the pain.” 

She smiled at her cup. “Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure.

Jack kept massaging Elsa’s temple, more as a way to soothe her anxiety than out of medical necessity. His delicate fingers ghosted the line of her jaw.

Elsa cupped his hand over her cheek and leant into his touch. Using her free hand, he pulled him flush and leant back, so that the both of them were curled up together on the love seat.

A giggle escaped Jack’s lips as his chin came to lay on her chest.

With the Bloodstone humming against her skin and Jack’s grounding weight on her, Elsa breathed more easily.

They stayed there for a moment, taking comfort in each other. Neither of them wanted to part, even an inch.

After a while, Jack lifted his head and looked up into her eyes. She could see the concern in his gaze.

Knitting his brow, he took a deep breath and asked, “Elsa, what happened tonight?”

She bit her lip, not sure where to begin. “Someone tried to perform some sort of magic ritual in the forest,” she explained. “In the clearing, right at the intersection of the ley lines. I found a patch of burnt dirt on the ground and some runes scribbled around it, but I don’t know what the spell might’ve been for.  Whoever it was got away before I could catch up with them.”

“If they were willing to come all this way, then the ley lines were probably an important part of the ritual,” Jack noted.

“Probably.” She thought about it for a moment, then said, “We need to find out who it was, and make sure they don’t keep trying to break in and do who-know-what in our backyard. We don’t know what they want, but sooner or later someone’s going to get hurt.”

Jack hummed pensively. “I don't know much enough about this sort of magic to tell what kind of spell they might be attempting. But if we figured that out, then we might be a step closer to finding out who this person is.”

“True.”

Elsa let out a deep breath. Now that her anxiety had subsided and her muscles were relaxing, she realised just how tired she was. She set her cup on the side table and leant her head on Jack’s shoulder.

“Do you wanna go upstairs?” Jack asked. “You seem really tired.”

Elsa shook her head into the crook of Jack’s neck. “I want to stay with you.”

Jack chuckled lightly, “Elsa, we sleep in the same bed.”

She hummed agreement, but didn’t move, falling asleep in his arms instead.

 

---

 

Warm light shone on Elsa’s face as she peeled her eyes open. The pillows under her head were soft, and the heavy blankets were warm; getting out of bed was going to be a challenge.

She rolled over and stretched out her arm, only to find the other side of the bed empty and cold.

“Jack?”

No one answered.

Groaning, Elsa rubbed the sleep from eyes and pushed herself to a sitting position. Rough fabric scratched at her legs and she realised she was still wearing the same jeans and shirt she’d worn the night before.

She was positive she’d fallen asleep in the study, but couldn’t remember coming upstairs. Her boots had been carefully set on the chest at the food of their bed and her jacket hung from a hook next to the door. That definitely hadn’t been her doing.

She threw off the covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, reaching for her phone on the nightstand. The display read 07:30

Elsa swore. It was late. Way too late.

She rushed out the room, grabbing her boots on the way out and nearly tripping as she tried to put them on while running down the stairs.

She followed the sound of Jack's voice to the breakfast room.

Jack and Lyra sat across from each other at the table, having eggs and sausages.

He looked up at her and smiled. “Good morning,” he said casually. “Did you get some rest?”

Elsa opened her mouth, then closed it again. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but a perfectly normal family meal was somehow not it.

Jack seemed to pick up on her distress, because he frowned slightly and asked, “Everything alright?”

“I– Yeah,” she said hesitantly. “Yeah. No, I’m fine.”

Realising she was still lingering in the doorway, Elsa went up to the table and sat on the chair next to Lyra’s. Their daughter still hadn’t looked up from her breakfast.

Elsa raised an eyebrow at Jack. He shook his head lightly, as if to say don’t worry about it .

Deciding to trust him, she changed the subject. “You let me sleep through my alarm.”

Jack chuckled. “Yeah, because you were exhausted.”

“That I was,” Elsa conceded.

“Besides,” He went on, “we’re not in a hurry today.”

Lyra made a disapproving noise.

“ Oh ,” Elsa said, as the pieces finally fell into place, “Right, no school today.”

“Exactly, Jack said pointedly. “No school today.” Clearing his throat, he looked at Lyra and said, “Don’t you have anything to say to Mummy?"

Lyra scowled without looking up from her food. “Good morning,” she said.

Elsa gave Lyra a wry smile. “Good morning to you too.”

Elsa debated whether or not to push any further but decided against it. As long as she wasn’t being rude, Lyra didn’t have to be happy about skipping school. Plus it was probably not a good idea to discuss it while she was still upset.

Shifting her attention back to Jack, she asked, “Did you carry me upstairs last night?”

Jack let out a small chuckle. “I did,” he said, somewhat self-consciously. “I kept expecting you to wake up halfway up the stairs and wriggle away.”

Elsa reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“You were so tired,” he went on, “and I thought sleeping in the study might make you sore.”

“It would have,” she smiled. “Thank you.”

Jack poured another cup of coffee, before standing up to get more eggs. “So what’s the plan for today?” he asked.

“I’ll call Jericho. He knows a lot more about ley lines than I do so he might be able to point me in the right direction.”

“Sounds like a solid plan,” he said, walking back from the kitchen with a plate of food for Elsa.

“And I’ll go back to the forest,” she told him, smiling as he handed her a plate of eggs. “Maybe there’s something I missed last night. Plus, the daylight can’t hurt.”

“Great.”

“Are you two going to be alright at the library all day?” She looked between him and Lyra. “I can come downtown if you need me to.”

“I think we’ll be alright.” Jack said, pointedly looking at their daughter. “Right, Mimi?” 

Lyra hummed agreement, still poking at her half-eaten food.

“I’ll join you at the park then?”

He smiled and squeezed her hand. “Yes.”

 

---

 

Jack’s day had actually gotten off to a good start; his manager Claudia had been more than happy to let him bring Lyra to work. Despite her previous misgivings, Lyra had quickly settled in the children’s area, claiming her favourite beanbag, with a picture book in one hand and a juice pouch in the other. He’d made a mental note to offer her a snack later on in the day and a visit to the park so she wouldn’t get too antsy.

Since one of the librarians had called in sick, Jack was filling in at the reference desk. This not only meant that he could more easily keep an eye on Lyra, but he could interact with the patrons.

As the clock struck two, his favourite regular walked in. Tier, the twelve-year-old boy who spent every evening at the library. He often did homework, read, charged his phone or just hung around, usually until closing.

At first Jack had assumed he was a latchkey kid, but over time he’d begun to suspect the boy didn’t want to go home. He visited on weekends and holidays, and never talked about his family.

Tier’s oversized hoodies and messy hair that had clearly been cut at home were not lost on Jack either. If Tier did have issues at home, they were probably related to his identity and the way he presented himself.

Before long, Tier came up to Jack and frowned pensively at the tome on the desk. “What is that?” he asked.

“It’s a grimoire,” Jack explained. “A book of spells.”

The boy’s face lit up.

Delighted at his excitement, Jack continued, “The library just got this book for the annual history exhibition.” 

“And what sorts of spells can you do with this?”

“Well, this is a book on transfiguration.”

Tier gasped. He looked up at Jack with big bright eyes. “Transfiguration?”

“Yes, shapeshifting specifically. This section focuses on the way astronomical phenomena, like constellations or moon phases, can influence human physiology.”

“Like when werewolves turn during the full moon?” he boy asked, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Jack couldn’t help but smile a little. “Yes. Exactly that, actually.” He wondered if he should keep going, then said, “I was doing research on pain management. This book might have spells that help shapeshifters undergo less painful transformations.”

“Do you know any werewolves?” Tier asked through furrowed brows.

Jack’s scratched behind his ear. “I do.”

“And this book has spells that can help you shapeshift?”

“Not how I would put it, but yes. Some of these spells are meant to reveal the spellcaster’s true self. Though, what that actually entails in practice is a bit dubious.”

Tier looked more closely at the grimoire, fidgeting with the hems of his hoodie. “Could I borrow this book?” 

“A hundred-year-old grimoire? I don’t think the library’s system will let me check it out. And frankly, I’m not sure I should even be reading it out here.”

“Oh” he said, disappointed.

“But you can read it while I have it out here,” Jack said. “I was almost done with it myself. If you promise to be careful you can look at it while I finish the cataloguing process on my computer.”

Tier was more than eager to bring a chair up to the desk and sit down to carefully examine the tome.

Jack had never seen a teenager this excited about any book, especially one like this. He wondered if his family ever encouraged his curiosity.

“Tier,” he began, “I noticed you weren’t here yesterday. Did you do anything fun?” Jack knew he probably hadn’t, but wanted to give him an out.

The boy shrugged. “was tired,” he said curtly, keeping his attention to the book between them.

“Right, of course.”

The two of them sat in silence while Jack updated the catalogue.

After a few minutes, Tier said, “I wanted to ask... Can I stay a bit later today? I forgot my house keys and I don’t think my uncle is home yet.”

“We all have to leave once the library closes, Tier. I’m sorry.”

The boy shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away. “Right, sorry.”

“I’ll tell you what, I was planning on taking Lyra to the park after work. You can come with us if you’d like.”

“Definitely!”

 

---

 

The mild wind and petrichor at the park were nice after having spent all day at the library. Jack pulled his coat tighter, thankful for the tumbler full of warm coffee in his lunch bag. Tier walked beside him with his hands shoved into the front pocket of his hoodie. Lyra skipped a few paces ahead of them both, eager to release pent-up energy.

As soon as the climbing frames were in sight, Lyra bolted. Jack strode toward the bench he usually occupied while Lyra climbed and jumped, surprised that Tier had stayed beside him. The kid’s stomach growled audibly, at least to Jack’s ears.

“Don’t you want to play on the swings?”

Tier shook his head. “I’m too old for the playground.”

“Right, of course.”

They sat down. Jack set his lunch bag aside as Tierpulled his knees up to his chest. His stomach growled again.

Jack looked at the boy. “Hey, did you have lunch today?”

Tier looked away. “Wasn’t hungry,” he mumbled.

“Well, I packed a sandwich for myself,” Jack said, reaching into his lunch bag. “But I think it’s too much for me. We can share it if you want.”

Tier frowned at the sandwich, then nodded.

“Great,” Jack smiled, cutting the sandwich in two and handing the biggest part to Tier.

The boy smiled in lieu of a thank you before taking a bite of his food.

They sat in companionable silence, enjoying their food. Jack kept an eye on Lyra as she ran up a slide.

“Can I ask you something?” Tier said, keeping his eyes on his sandwich.

Jack took another sip of coffee. “Sure.”

“Are you gay?”

Jack choked.

“Shit. I’m sorry.”

“No, I–” Jack cleared his throat. “It’s alright. It’s just... an odd question.”

“Right, you're not supposed to ask that, are you?”

Jack gave Tier a reassuring smile. “It’s not a good question to spring on someone,” he explained. “You might be forcing them out of the closet.”

Tier shifted self-consciously on the bench.

“To answer your question though: No, I’m not gay. Not exactly.”

Tier blinked up at him.

“I’m bi,” “I mean, back when I was young people didn’t really make much of a distinction. We didn’t have the vocabulary or even the understanding sometimes.”

“I don’t know that we have the understanding now either.”

Jack let out a mirthless chuckle. “True.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

Jack let out a chuckle. “Something like that.” he said. “Elsa and I have been together for nearly a decades, so I don’t think she’d refer to herself as my girlfriend.”

Jack tried not to laugh at the notion of someone referring to Elsa as anyone’s girlfriend and expecting to survive.

“She’s a woman, right? Doesn’t she mind you being bi?”

“Elsa? No, she’d never.” Jack blushed. “You’ll be pressed to find a more loving and accepting person. She’s wonderful.”

“You seem to like her.” Tier said.

“I love her, more than I’ve ever loved anyone.” Jack smiled as warmth blossomed in his chest. He looked to the side, where Lyra was chasing a squirrel around the swings.  “Except Lyra, of course.”

“I think I’ve met your partner. Sort of.”

“Really? How come?”

“I was at the shops yesterday and your daughter was there, with a lady whom I assume was her mum?”

Suddenly all the pieces fell into place. Of course Tier was the kid from the shops. How many twelve-year-old trans boys were there in this little town?

Jack considered mentioning the fact that he knew about the shop incident, but decided against it.

“Tier, won’t your family mind you staying out this late?” They likely wouldn’t –they hadn’t even attempted to message him since they’d left the library– but Jack didn’t want him to get in trouble.

Tier shrugged. “My aunt and uncle don’t really care.”

“Don’t they?” Jack frowned. “How do you mean?”

“Well, they sort of had to take me in after my mum went missing, but they don’t really want me.”

“I’m sorry, Tier,” he said. “It’s one of the worst feelings, isn’t it? When you feel like you have to hide from the people who are supposed to care for you.”

“Do you have parents?” Tier asked.

Jack swallowed the lump in his throat. “Sort of,” he sighed. “I mean, I do but...”

“But they don’t love you, do they?”

Jack came to the sobering realization that he didn’t actually know.

“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I mean, I hope they do. I think sometimes people want to love us on their terms instead of accepting who we are and the choices we make.”

Tier frowned pensively, seemingly mulling over Jack’s words.

“Mummy!” Lyra cheered, running across the playground.

Jack turned to see her speeding past their bench and jumping into Elsa’s open arms.

“Pumpkin!” Elsa greeted, picking Lyra up into a hug.

Jack waved at her from his spot next to Tier. “Hey there!” 

She walked up to their bench, her eyes flicking between the two of them.

“Tier, this is Elsa,” he said. “Elsa, this is Tier. He’s the boy from the library.”

“It’s you,” Elsa said, shifting Lyra’s onto her left side to hold Jack’s hand. “Nice to meet you properly.”

Tier nodded, a bit awkwardly.

“I should probably get going then,” he said, getting up from the bench and pulling the strap of his backpack over his shoulder.

“It’s getting dark,” Elsa said. “Let us drive you home.”

Tier looked from Jack to Elsa, then to him again. “Okay,” he said hesitantly. “Thanks.”

They gathered their things and walked over to the street where Elsa had parked their car. After wrangling Lyra into her car seat, Jack sat on the passenger seat and held Elsa’s hand.

Looking over at Tier through the rearview mirror, he smiled and said, “Lead the way.”

Before long, they were parking by a picturesque terraced house, with exposed brick walls and a small front garden.

Through the bay window, Jack saw a large figure standing in the dark. A tall, well built man in his forties who was undeniably looking at them from inside the house. For a moment, Jack could swear the man was holding his gaze.

Elsa’s hand on his brought his attention back to the car.

“Right,” Jack said, looking at Tier over his shoulder. “Do you have everything?”

Tier nodded, clutching the strap of his backpack as he opened the door. “Thank you,” he said quietly, clearly not excited to go back home.

Jack swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling like he was sending a pig to the slaughterhouse.

Tier got out of the car and walked into the house. His uncle disappeared from the window as he opened the door.

Jack drew a long, deep breath. “You don’t think his uncle would...?”

“No,” Elsa said, “I don’t think so.”

“Are you sure?”

“No,” she breathed.

 

---

 

After putting Lyra to sleep Elsa and Jack sat side by side on their bed, enjoying the sound of the wind blowing outside their window and the crackling of the fireplace across the room.

Wiggling his toes under the heavy blankets, Jack scooted beside Elsa and leant his head on her shoulder while looking at his laptop. He’d spent the last few minutes looking at brightly-coloured, oversized t-shirts that did not match any of his clothes. Not that Elsa had the energy to ask about it right now.

“Can I ask you something?” she said.

“Of course.”

“Yesterday, Lyra’s headmistress said something that I can’t get out of my head.”

He looked up at her, resting his cheek on her shoulder. “What did she say?”

“That I should get more involved in Lyra’s upbringing.”

Jack looked at her dumbfounded. “But you’re her mother, you’re raising her.”

“She said you’re her primary caretaker. At the time I thought she was wrong, but the more I think about it the more I wonder if maybe she had a point.”

“She doesn’t.”

“You’re the one who always drops her off at school.”

“Because it’s on the way to the library, not because I’m more involved than you. It’s just logistics.”

“They called me and I had my phone off. What if I hadn’t looked at it in time? What if something had happened?”

“I didn’t know about the biting thing until after lunch.”

“But you were at work.”

“So were you. The school has both our numbers. If there’s an emergency, they can call me too.”

Jack closed his laptop and set it on his nightstand, then twisted back to face her. “Elsa, you Lyra her with her homework every day, you bring her to doctor’s appointments, and you’re always there for her when she’s upset or needs a hug. That's what a parent does.”

“The headmistress didn’t see it that way.”

“The headmistress thinks werewolves have rabies.”

Elsa snorted out a chuckle.

Jack smiled up at her and held her hands. “I mean it though, you’re not an absent parent just because you don’t meet people’s expectations of what a mother does.”

“Maybe it’s the mum guilt getting to me, isn’t it?”

“It totally is the mum-guilt,” he agreed. “I mean people will judge you for not braiding your child’s hair and then give custody of a child to someone like Tier’s uncle.”

“God, you’re right. That poor boy!”

“It honestly makes me angry. I know we don’t really know them very well so I don’t want to judge, but–”

“But If your child is stealing sanitary pads then you’re doing something wrong.”

“Yeah.” Jack let out a deep breath. “Did you know he wears the exact same hoodie every single day, it’s fraying at the cuffs. And I know his aunt and uncle can afford to buy a new one because they own the cleaning business that supplies Lyra’s football team.”

“That’s his uncle? Simon, the one who keeps commenting on the teacher’s legs?”

“The same one.”

“Ugh, as if I needed another reason to hate that guy.”

She glanced at Jack’s computer on the nightstand. “You’re trying to get him a new sweatshirt, aren’t you?”

He shifted awkwardly in his spot. “Do you think I might be overstepping?”

Elsa thought about it for a moment. “I doubt Tier will mind, but his aunt and uncle might have a problem with a strange man giving gender affirming clothes to the trans child they do not want to accept.”

Jack sighed.

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it, for the record.”

He looked up at her again. “Oh?”

“But if you do, let me know so I can come with you.”

Jack smiled at her. He took her hand and brought it up to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “You’re the best.”

Elsa cupped his cheek, “maybe,” she murmured, closing the distance between then and resting her forehead on his. “it’s easier with you.”

 

---

 

Jack sighed, he’d spent the last three hours rummaging through bookshelves, trying to find a book that had been misshelved. He rubbed his eyes and took off his glasses. Deciding it was time for coffee, he climbed down the shelf ladder and stretched, before heading for the breakroom. The library had closed hours ago, he’d requested extra time in the archive so he could get done the work he’d put off the day before.

After some stern words with the coffee machine, Jack headed back into the stack room, only to be stopped by an itching sensation in the back of his neck. That all too familiar sensation he got when someone was hunting him.

He whipped around to see Tier’s uncle, Simon, standing in the doorway. His pasty-white skin was red with anger and his beady eyes bulged out of his skull.

Jack swore, how had this guy managed to get in here?

“Hey!” the man shouted, closing in on jack. “Are you the librarian?”

Jack gulped.

“I asked you a question!” Simon demanded, coming uncomfortably close to Jack’s face.

“I– I’m a librarian,” Jack managed. “If you have a complaint I can–”

Suddenly, the man was lunging at Jack.

He swerved, just in time to avoid a punch.

Simon fell face first onto the floor and grunted, “You faggot! I’m gonna kill you!” 

Jack flinched. He stepped back only to bump up against a bookshelf.

Simon pushed himself to his feet and lunged at Jack again, this time caging him against the bookcase and grabbing him at his jumper.

He tried to push him down onto the floor, but couldn't. Instead watching in horror as the slight man before him grabbed his wrists and twisted them before pushing him back.

The man staggered backwards.

Jack bolted for the door, only for pain to explode in the back of his head and send him down onto the floor. Jack stared up at the man, wiping blood from his forehead. “Did you throw a book at me?!”

Simon grunted, bringing his foot down on his leg and pinning it to the floor.

He heard it before he felt it, the grinding and cracking of broken bones. Jack screamed, writhing under the weight of Simon’s boot. “Please,” he cried. “Stop.”

Jack knew pleading was pointless, but the pain was excruciating and–

Simon’s boot hit his core. It knocked the air out of him

“You disgusting piece of shit.” he spat, before kicking him again.

The metallic taste of blood made Jack gag. He coughed up blood and vile on the floor.

“What is wrong with you?” he gurgled, trying to draw in a breath.

“Me?!” the man chuckled mirthlessly. “You’re the one who went after my niece!”

“What?”

Simon kicked him again. “You brainwashed her into thinking she was a boy!”

“You’re deranged!” Jack cried, “Tier is–”

“Shut up!” Simon screamed so loudly Jack genuinely feared he might go deaf. He grabbed Jack and lifted his limp body off the floor.

His head was pounding, his leg was killing him, and every time he tried to breathe he could feel the cracking of his own ribs. so when his vision blurred and everything around him went quiet, Jack didn’t struggle.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 19 of The Huntress and The Wolf