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lotus0kid · 7 years

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Hi and happy anniversary!! If you're still taking propmpts/questions, can I ask for a Seconds update? Did Hiero and Ives ever again try to reach out to Hamish and Phoebe? Thanks for all the great fics :)

HN/HM/OE/R: Anniversary Fic the 14th

((This follows the events of this fic. Thanks for prompting!))

Phoebe knows every creak and sigh in the house onMagnolia. Right now she wishes shedidn’t, because every sound has a memory attached to it, and at night whenshe’s alone in bed they threaten to drown her in grief. But she chose to stay, after the busted door andwindow were replaced and the blood was mopped up and her mother’s butchered bodywas unhooked from the basement ceiling. She stayed for Carly, and for herself. She didn’t want to see an updated version of her own childhood play outfor her daughter- the sudden, violent absence of a parental figure, the hastymove, the construction of a brittle new life. She didn’t want to end up like Essie- peeking through the blinds,waiting for her doom, eventually too scared to even set foot outside.

She can’t do it. Shewon’t. So she stayed, and a yearpassed. It crawled along, trudgingtoward the first anniversary. One wholeyear without her mother. She and Carlycouldn’t even mourn in peace. They hadto be watched at all times, just in case visitors arrived. The pair of monsters that brought this horrordown on them. Phoebe’s repulsed fearratcheted up for weeks before the actual day arrived. She barely dared to let it start unwindingafter the anniversary passed with no sightings of Hiero or Ives. She’s three weeks into the second year, andshe still can’t relax.

Hamish, sweetheart that he is, practically begged for her tolet him buy a plane ticket to Savannah. Phoebe knows it was little more than stubborn pride that forced her toface the first anniversary alone. Thathasn’t stopped her from Skyping with Hamish every spare minute though. She still can’t explain it, but nothing makesher feel better quite like looking into his eyes and hearing his voice.

Good night, Phoebe,she calls up the memory of their latest parting, in hopes it might drown outthe painful memories and let her sleep. But then, she hears something.

Phoebe bolts upright in bed, not daring to breathe as shelistens. There. A little creak, whereno creak should be except when someone is walking in the living roomdownstairs. Heart pounding, Phoebe slipssilently out of bed and goes to the lock box on her dresser. She digs the key out of the drawer below and opensit. Gun drawn and held ready in bothhands, she pads out of her bedroom and along the hall. She pauses at the top of the stairs andlistens. She hears nothing, which meansnothing.

She prays whoever is down there heard her and made theirescape. Or, no, she wants them to stillbe there, so she can catch them. Ofcourse she does.

She inches down the stairs, gun aimed toward the livingroom. To her guilty dismay, she sees a petitefigure standing at the fireplace mantel, red-nailed hands gripping it on eitherside of Essie’s urn. Stepping onto theground floor, Phoebe takes careful aim at her twin sister’s head. Her thumb moves to the hammer, nudging itback a bare millimeter.

“Wow,” Hiero says, nearly causing her own demise as Phoebe startles. She half-turns, swinging from the mantel withone hand as she directs a dull glare at Phoebe. “You’re really gonna just shoot me, in cold blood, right here in thefucking den?”

Phoebe doesn’t answer. Can’t really, while her own face is staring at her.

“You know my brains’d splatter all over our mother’surn. Bullet might actually go rightthrough me, spill her ashes all over the place. Is that the plan? Messy as hell.”

“Shut up,” Phoebe mutters, “Get on your knees. Hands behind your head. You’re under arrest.”

A red smile stretches across Hiero’s face as she does asinstructed. “Like you could even getcuffs on me,” she giggles merrily, “I’d like to see you try.”

Phoebe creeps forward, even as she puzzles over how tosubdue Hiero without putting a bullet in her.

“You don’t even have cuffs on you. I don’t see a phone either. How’re you gonna call for back-up and keepthat gun on me, sis? I’m so curious.”

“I said shut up,” Phoebe growls. She really didn’t think this through. Why the hell didn’t she bring her phone? Or at the very least call Liz or McVee fromher room? Even the possibility ofHiero’s presence scrambles her brain.

“Guess you could have your little girl call 911. But then, I’ll bet she doesn’t know about herAuntie Hiero yet.”

The gun’s cocked by the end of her sentence.

Hiero’s eyes widen, but not with fear. “Ooh, now things are gettinginteresting. What’re you gonna do? Shoot me and claim self-defense. It might work, long as no one figures out I wason my knees. Unarmed. Helpless. Bet they’d give you a medal.”

“SHUT UP!” Phoebe shouts, hard breaths issuing from hernose, fingers starting to ache from her death grip on the gun.

Silence rings between them, only broken by a door openingupstairs. Phoebe’s heart stops.

“Mommy,” Carly calls down, “Are you watching a movie?”

Phoebe swallows hard. Hiero wags her eyebrows. “Yeah,sweetie, sorry it was too loud. Go tobed now, okay? See you in the morning.”

“But can I-?”

“Carly!” Phoebe barks, “Go to bed.”

“... Okay.”

Hiero twists one hand so just the wrist touches herhead. She wiggles her fingers in a wavetoward the stairs while silently singing the words, Bye, sweetie! When Carly’sdoor shuts, Hiero coos, “Ain’t she a little angel?”

“Why the hell are you even here?” Phoebe asks in a furiouswhisper.

Hiero rolls her eyes. “Duh, to visit our mother. I knowyou know it’s been a year now.”

“A year and three weeks.”“Well, yeah, had to wait for the cops to quit hovering, didn’t I?”

“As if you actually care,” Phoebe snarls, “She neverwould’ve been in danger if you hadn’t shown up!” To her horrified embarrassment, tears well upin Phoebe’s eyes. She dares to take ahand off the gun to swipe them away.

For some reason, Hiero doesn’t attack. She frowns at the floor. “I wish I didn’t care, okay? But I do, and it sucks. You know I got to talk to her once. Like, as me. Same night Boyd... Anyway, shesaid she loved me, and missed me. Glad Igot to hear that, at least. It helps.”

“It helps?” Phoebe echoes incredulously, “You are acannibal.”

Anger sparks in Hiero’s eyes. “That doesn’t mean I don’t got feelings! About our mother. The woman who abandoned me, with some notnice people.” Anger turns to coldcontemplation. “I wonder how you’d’vefaired. In the Congregation.” The wordcomes out in a venomous drawl that chills Phoebe’s blood. “You have no idea what I’ve beenthrough. What was done to me.”

“That doesn’t give you the right to eat people.” Phoebe is very close to sure about this.

“I’ll take what I want from this world, because sure as fucknothing’s been given to me. I will feed. And I’ll grow strong. Stronger ‘n you can even imagine. It’s really not all that accurate to call mea cannibal, when I ain’t exactly human anymore.” She lets out another cheery giggle, her eyesfar too bright.

“Is this some more of Ives’ bullshit?” Phoebe inquires,“Where is he?”

Hiero rolls her eyes. “Oh yeah, sure. Grab a pen, I’llwrite down the address for you.” Herirritation dissolves before she says, “He did want me to ask though, did youget the plane tickets?”

Phoebe’s lips thin as her mind flies to the envelope sittingin her nightstand drawer that she really should’ve reported to McVee two monthsago.

“You know Francis and I got a ton of frequent flyer miles. So, y’know, whenever you wanna go see Hamish, or vice versa, justholler.”

“That is so sweet of you,” Phoebe simpers sarcastically.

“Don’t mention it, sis,” Hiero sneers right back, “That’swhat family’s for.”

A surge of disgust and anger allows Phoebe to sight down thebarrel again. For once, Hiero says nothing,just dares Phoebe to shoot with nothing but a mirror of her own steady gaze.

Hiero is a killer. Ifshe leaves this house on her own, more people will die. Phoebe knows that. For her own peace of mind, she wants Hieroand Ives locked up where they can’t torment her or Carly or Hamish ever again. But she has no back-up, and no way to get itwithout involving Carly. If she shoots,Carly will come running. Both of thoseoutcomes are untenable. She doesn’tbother wondering if she could subdue Hiero in a hand-to-hand fight. A part of her brain she chooses not to dwellon knows Hiero is far stronger than she looks. Stronger than it’s possible for her to be. Faster too. Even with a gun, Phoebe is out-classed. She’s probably been at Hiero’s mercy this entire time.

Hiero smirks, as if she can read Phoebe’s dismal conclusionon their shared face. “Can I go now,officer?”

She doesn’t wait. Ina blink, she’s up and gone, leaving behind nothing but a breeze and agiggle. Phoebe stands in the livingroom, feeling pathetic with her cocked gun and vanished perp. Her heart pulses with sick thuds against herribs. She stumbles to Essie’s urn, freehand gripping the mantel where Hiero’s did. For better or worse, she chooses to believe Essie would want both of herdaughters alive.

---

“I hate her.”

“No you don’t.”

“I do, she’s a bitch.”

“She doesn’t understand us.”

“She could try!”

“We’re cannibals, dearest.”

“We’re family!”Hiero wails from where she’s draped across Ives’ lap.

“Did she get the tickets?” he asks gently, stroking herhair.

Hiero sighs, “Yeah. Might even use ‘em too- she looked guilty enough. Ugh, can you imagine? Feeling guiltyover plane tickets? Godday-um! You try to do something nice for someone...”

“True love will conquer all, my Hiero,” Ives says, bendingdown to kiss her temple, “Never fear.”

“Someday they’ll appreciate us,” she asserts, “Just takestime. And time’s what we got, so itworks out.”

“That’s right.” Ives’lips move below her ear, and along her neck. Hiero giggles and twists until she can pull him down over her.

Family is at once perfectly simple and devilishlycomplicated, Hiero is finding. It makesher a little nervous about the future, but she’s always been the type to plungeahead even when the going gets rough. She just doesn’t want to lose her roots, not now. She wishes things were different. At the very least, she wishes she could’vebrought her and Francis’ happy news to Essie herself, not a cold silent urn ona mantel. Hiero chooses to believe Essiewould be pleased their little family is growing.

#anyem #fanfiction #seconds #high noon #hamish macbeth #operation endgame ravenous #deweymay

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