For once, Shea woke up in her own bed. Despite Summer's best efforts, she couldn't shake the pain through her whole body the day before. The scar from where her child had been cut from her still sometimes ached, and the day before she could feel a phantom knife tearing into her like her father did all of those months ago. A part of her considered staying in bed the whole day. Just curl up around herself and try not to think about how in a different world, she would have been a mother today. She would have held her blonde little baby, she would have seen Alex's eyes light up when he held their child for the first time. She would have fallen asleep with the baby safe and protected by both of them. She would have known that it was like to love someone instantaneously, and know the love that a parent was supposed to feel for their child. Not the love that her parents held for her, and especially not the love that her father showered her with. When he held her down, when he forced himself inside of her, when she begged him to stop, when she pleaded for her baby's life and he took it away. Snuffed out the tiny ember inside of her before it could be anything more than a bundle of cells that she loved with all of her soul.

She wondered if Alex would have turned the way that he did it they had been able to keep their child. She wondered if he did what he did because theirs was taken away before he even knew about it, or if he would have turned out the way that he did regardless. That he would have just found another excuse to fall right into the place that his family picked out for him without a single care for how she would feel on the matter. If he would have killed more if he wasn't caught. All of the thoughts pried her from the bed, unable to wallow in the self pity and the what-ifs for any longer. It hurt too much and she just couldn't handle it.

Shea grabbed her cellphone from the side table and shot out a text to Tyreese's sister Billie to see if she would want to meet up for something to eat at that bar in Hawthorne Village. She wanted to get to know the girl who had her brother so completely wrapped around her finger. Partly because she knew that it would mean a lot to her boyfriend that she cared for getting to know his sister. Partly because she wanted to talk with the girl who had enough personal scars from her life as Shea did. Another part because she was curious how the younger Hufflepuff managed to get Tyreese so completely tamed like she did. Any tricks of the trade would be helpful and used only in the most self serving ways. If those ways also meant that she would be able to check out the summer sales at the shops there, it was just frosting on the cake. The other girl texted her back that noon would be perfect, giving Shea enough time to shower and dress. She stripped from her sleeping gown, leaving it in the basket to be washed later. Since moving on their own Shea and Alya developed a rather wonderful house keeping system. They didn't cook, because both of them lacked the skill, so they would keep out of season shoes in their oven, they would trade off on laundry. Alya would take the weeks when her mother was around and she insisted that she would do it for them. Shea would take the weeks when her brothers would come over and insist that they would help her with things. It was a perfect system.

The blonde was showered, made up and dressed within the hour. She slipped on her favorite pair of heels and locked up the warehouse style apartment behind her. It was a Knight's Bus ride from her apartment in Soho to the Laughing Gnome, but just enough time that by the time she was scanning the crowd for the familiar raven haired beauty, she had a delayed text that Billie couldn't make it. That Tyr and Puck surprised her with a family day along with their mother. She quickly pressed the proper keys that would convey her appreciation to the other girl for letting her know, and that she hoped they would meet up soon. Shea was getting rather good at using the small electronic. Considering she was raised in a pure blood house hold that spit on anything muggle made, she had not even seen a cellphone until she was about fourteen. Didn't own one until about three months prior. Her meeting and getting into a relationship with Tyreese was a catalyst.

She had to find a way to communicate with the muggle man in a way other than owls, and this seemed like the easiest option. Shea was about to turn around and go back home when she realized that she was too hungry to go all the way back to England, and that Shea Avery didn't just back away from a sale on shoes. Not now, not ever. She sat down at a table and started to look over the menu, hoping that something tasty would pop out at her.

[tag: @rookwood]
[wearing: dress<3. ]
[notes: hope you don't mind!]