Feb. '82: In A Minute, Everything's Gonna Change: Hestia

[Doc Dearborn]

▶︎ hestidoc apt.

As Doc cautiously ate his morning cereal at the kitchen island, he wondered if today would be the day he came down with whatever had gotten Hestia feeling off lately. The poor thing had finally conked out in the early hours of the morning, and he'd left their bed to have something to eat, not able to sleep well himself with her not well. You know it's not just that. In these last months, their whole world had changed. And while it was most assuredly for the better that the dark forces had lost the war they'd been fighting side-by-side in, the war being done meant...that you have no idea what to do with your life.

One option lay next to his cereal, the latest letter from his mother and father. His muggle parents hadn't known everything he'd been up to since graduation, and neither did his sister - Doc had figured it'd be safer to keep them out of the loop - but they knew that whatever job he'd had was now done...and were pushing him to attend university. He knew that with some clever wandwork, he could transfigure his and Hestia's graduation parchments and exam scores from Hogwarts into paperwork that Cardiff would approve (if they went to the university his parents worked at, they could get some tuition cuts, which was admittedly appealing), they could move back to Wales, fall into muggle society, separate themselves from what had happened here...

But if he was being honest with himself, which he truly tried to be, Doc would say that he didn't know what he wanted to do next.

While the big baddies were either dead or locked up, he knew, as the rest of the Order members did, that there were still Death Eaters out in public. They'd gotten away with their crimes, pleading ignorance, pleading Imperius...You can't just go off on your own, you'd need to go through the Ministry, become an Auror or Hit Wizard... With his Hogwarts track record, the young man knew that the Ministry wouldn't accept him into either program. Screwed yourself over there, didn't you?

This purposelessness was killing him. He'd had a cause, he'd had something to get him out of bed for everyday. But now...their quiet life was something that a pre-war Doctor would've loved. Lolling around the apartment in pajamas, reading philosophy and poetry, smoking and singing and swapping stories and being. He wondered if he'd get that carefree self back, if he was still just adjusting to civilian life. Time would tell, he trusted, but until then...

He sighed and pulled the letter closer to reread it more thoroughly, bare feet brushing the floor as he absently kicked. There was an open house in April that Mother wanted them to attend...applications were accepted through June, so there wasn't a huge rush...

[Hestia Jones]

The sound of a spoon against a bowl woke her up, and she groaned as she rolled over in their bed. She mumbled as she felt around for Doc, the emptiness next to her confirming her suspicions that he was up. Had he gotten any sleep? She knew the answer to that, neither of them slept well these days. The war had ended, but just because Voldemort was dead didn’t mean the world was safe. Plenty of Death Eaters had pleaded innocence, and there was a power gap now that could be filled by anyone with a bit of ambition and dark magic. Every car that backfired on the street, every yelling neighbor was enough to cause them to tense. And it had been months. They needed to move past this if they were ever going to have a normal life.

Although when war had been normal for so long, she wasn’t really sure how to create a normal life. Sure, they’d fallen back into the routine they had before they had been caught up in the war. Pajamas, couch snuggles. Although with a bit more of an official label now, seeing as they lived together and all that. She’d even met his parents a bit more formally, although she wouldn’t say she knew them well. Doc hadn’t told them much about the war, which was understandable. They were muggles, and she hadn’t really a clue about the muggle world other than the bits and pieces she had picked up over the years. Her parents were a different story, they were thrilled about the whole thing, glad Hestia had something secure in her life. And they were just as pleased about the war being done, constantly pestering her into finding another job.

She was pulled from her thoughts at another churn of her stomach, and she was up and in their bathroom in seconds, vomiting what little contents of her stomach she had left. Between this awful sickness and her time of the month cramps, she wondered if a trip to Mungo’s to get something so she could at least eat would be a good idea. After brushing her teeth, she fumbled out of the bathroom and into kitchen, needing something besides toothpaste to get the taste from her mouth. She found Doc at the kitchen island, and she gave him a small smile as she looked for a cup. “Well the good news is I think there’s nothing left in my stomach at this point, bad news is I think that time of the month is gonna show up here soon so I feel like arse. What are you reading?”

[Doc Dearborn]

Shite.

Frantic feet skidding from bed to bathroom, retching and flushing, the running water in the sink. Thin walls meant much in old apartments like theirs, and while the lack of privacy was sometimes inconvenient, now Doc knew that whatever was keeping her down wasn't yet gone. He put on a wane smile as Hestia, pale faced but smiling, came out of their room. He made a sympathetic face as she spoke, but was feeling some guilty relief of his own.

"New letter from Mam," he said disinterestedly, eating with a bit more confidence upon realizing that if that was what'd made his Hestia so ill - well - he wasn't at risk of getting sick himself. "We've got 'a whole world waiting' for us at Cardiff, apparently. But I dunno, everything's red there, don't feel right about it." It was a stupid copout he knew, and a bad attempt at a joke, but it was true that they'd be trading in their bumblebee themed badger gear in favor of the scarlet of the university's dragon. It would be an enormous change, trading their free London life for school. But they couldn't be in this stasis forever...maybe this wasn't as mad an option as it seemed upfront. It wasn't as if he'd much enjoyed Hogwarts, but he'd have choice at university...The lanky bloke took another bite and stood, back cracking as he stretched before putting on the kettle for Hestia. He leaned down to give the top of her head a kiss, being close to her giving him enough centering to smile a bit, tease more naturally. "Still cute, even if you feel like arse. Sorry babes, that's the pits."

He leaned back against the counter as he waited for the water to boil, eyeing her sleepily. "What d'you think of it, though, gut feeling? University? Wales?...Big things for the early morning, but something to think on. My folks could work some magic of their own for us to go for cheap." Would be easier to get the funds if we were married. His mother had brought up the point again in this latest correspondence, because outside of the university benefits for goodness sake, you've lived together for years, it's time you made a proper commitment to this girl. "I - er - " Doc fumbled, clearing his throat before going on. Why's this so hard to say? He loved this girl, for all of her spice, for all of her fire, for the heart so bold and big that it was a miracle that it fit inside her tiny frame. But expression of feelings wasn't a strong suit of his; he worked better with songs, with poems, with other people's words. They were more eloquent, more thought-out...but he knew his longtime significant other liked it when he used his own. And so, while he could've tiredly misquoted someone else, Doc settled for a simpler, "I'd go with you, if you wanted to try."

[Hestia Jones]

She smiled as Doc mentioned the letter from his mom. She had heard about the woman for years before they had gotten to meet. And while there were some things about Doc's life she didn't really understand, she was fascinated by his mom. Muggles were so fascinating in general, but muggle school was so interesting. Apparently degrees were required to survive well as a muggle.

"A whole world? Is University really that fascinating?" she teased in reply, laughing at his joke, "You know I look much better in red." She shot him a smirk as she went to get a cup for her tea, one of the only things she was able to get down recently. Doc was ever the perfect boyfriend, coming to start the kettle for her. It was fun, not always using magic for simple things. And sometimes very entertaining.

She rolled her eyes at his compliment, setting up her tea the way Doc had taught her. She turned to face him at his question, something she hadn't ever really pondered. It had been brought up before, but she really didn't understand the concept behind it. She met his eyes as he spoke, smiling at the pause in his sentence. They had never intended to settle down like this back when they were younger, but it was nice hearing his words.

"You say that like you would have a choice," Hestia answered, smirking up at him. She wouldn't go without him, that much she was sure he knew. And well, she would go with him if it was what he wanted. She stood on her toes to place a kiss on his cheek, turning to get the milk out of the fridge.

"I don't know. I mean, it's not really something I understand. But it could be fun, I suppose. Certainly more to get to there," she answered, one hand on the fridge door. She checked the calendar, something that caused her to pause. No, that couldn't be right. She must have miscounted when she has filled it out. Shaking her head, she pulled the door open and retrieved the bag, returning to her place next to him. "What do you think? You do look dashing in red. And maybe we could make some muggle friends, that would be fun."

She looked at the milk, her stomach churning. No, probably wasn't the best idea, was it? She gave a sigh and turned back to put it away, "When would it start?"

[Doc Dearborn]

"Apparently, although it lost its charm for me a long time ago," Doc admitted with a chuckle, scratching the back of his neck. Christ, when did you become such a downer? "I mean, it'd be really different actually attending classes than just playing around, although I'm sure we'd find a lot of time for that too." While there had always been the serious sorts of students at Cardiff, in his younger years he'd usually been able to find one or two willing to throw a frisbee around. He and Hestia wouldn't be the only ones looking to have a good time, and the change of pace, something concrete to focus on...might be what he needed. Doc was restless.

While the war had come to an end, and many had rightfully gone to Azkaban, he had the most insistent feeling that too many Death Eaters were walking free. People he had fought in battle, people who had killed his friends, were allowed to live their lives however they wanted, having claimed to be under the Imperius Curse for the duration of the war. It wasn't right, and the more downtime he had to turn it over, the more tempted he was to do something about it. Hestia was against it, and he'd learned to stop bringing it up, not wanting to fight...

"Yeah, you do look good in red," he relented, an affectionate smile growing as he watched his girlfriend fix up her tea with care. While he'd had a nanny growing up to do such things for him (until it was determined he learn as well, esgyrn ddiog*), he'd watched her for years, and the transitions into doing it himself hadn't been too painful. Well, Doc doubted he'd ever be as good a cook as Olwyn was, at least he'd learned enough to teach Hestia enough for them to survive on their own.

He shifted against the counter as he tried to get his promise out, and her looking up at him with those eyes wasn't helping his focus. Not that it was her fault she had the most gorgeous set of them, but he was trying to say something heartfelt, and she'd always had a way of distracting him by just being. Thankfully her response was quick and funny, eliciting a little laugh out of him as he leaned down a tad to make kissing his cheek easier. He nodded along to her thoughts, feeling many of them himself, and wondered what it was about the calendar that had her putting her confused face on...

"It's not gone bad, has it?" Doc asked as she returned the milk as quickly as she'd gotten it out. "We'd have some time to figure everything out, term wouldn't begin until late summer. And I...I've got this feeling that I need to start doing something. This would give us that, and a new start." A chance to get away from the hauntings here. The city that had once held so much possibility for him was now riddled with memories, good and bad ones colliding on most streets. Visions of lost friends, of attacks, could be around any corner. But Cardiff? Cardiff had been home before, and it could be again.

*lazy bones

[Hestia Jones]

He had spent most of his life at the University, seeing as his parents taught there. She wasn't surprised that the charm of a muggle life was lost, especially when they lived in a world with magic. Everything was easier with magic, and yet so much more complicated at the same time. But staying here in this flat wasn't doing either of them any good. Every second of their life since school had been filled with a goal – help end the war. They had done that, and while there were a lot of things she wanted to change, it wasn't worth fighting the battles anymore. Maybe everyone wasn't sitting in Azkaban, but there was enough for her. Life had to move on past this, and maybe going to school was just what they needed. "Well we managed to get to most of our classes for seven years, think we can manage it again."

Because Hogwarts offered many more challenges than Cardiff. The staircases moved! Surely attending a muggle school wouldn't be difficult by comparison. Maybe she didn't understand some muggle subjects, but they could make it work. If it didn't start until summer that gave them plenty of time to get prepared, to figured out funding. They could get currency exchanged, she was sure her parents would help them out when it came to funding. She could just imagine them being absolutely delighted that their daughter was attending a muggle school, something so different from the life they had given her. She'd already answered a least one hundred questions from them about the school, and if they weren't there they could come visit.

"Oh no, the milk's fine. Just not feeling it," she answered as she looked up from her tea, conflicted on drinking it now that it was going to be so plain. If her stomach would calm down for just five minutes so she could eat something. Maybe you should go to Mungo's. They were always careful, so maybe it was just some sort of stomach bug. There had to be a potion they could give her to kick it. "I say we go to Cardiff. It would be nice to be back in Wales and closer to family, and it gets us both out of our heads. Away from the reminders of everything that has happened," she finally stated, sighing as she gave up on drinking tea and dumped it into the sink. "I think I'm going to go by Mungo's, do you want to come with?"

[Doc Dearborn]

"Fair, fair, we made enough of them to pass most courses," Doc conceded quickly, trying to recover from his pessimistic first take at her idea. It really wasn’t a poor idea in the slightest, what with Wales being their first home and the university giving them a multitude of new challenges to focus on to help adapt to civilian life, he’d just had difficulty lately finding the shining side of most anything. The world was still wrong, but they’d given up the fight. Seeing the likes of Lucius Malfoy walking freely around London was enough to drive him mad, and he wasn’t the only one escaping justice… You have to let it go. Move on. She needs you to. You need yourself to. It’s time.

It seemed that the stomach bug was getting the better of Hestia again, if the milk itself hadn’t spoiled. He cleaned up his cereal as she spoke up decisively, giving a few nods of agreement as she did. He’d go with her where she went, as long as she’d have him along, and she was right. "Our parents will be thrilled," he added on, neglecting to continue his thought of more thrilled with me than they’ve ever been. "I’ll talk to mine today to get the ball rolling, they’ll know where and how we should start." Hestia went on and Doc gave a more enthusiastic nod as his bowl was dried by the charmed dishtowel. "Yeah, time to get cracking on that. No need to keep feeling so ill, eh? Just give me a minute to get dressed, caridad." It wasn’t long before they were braving the winter chill on their way to the magical hospital, stepping through the enchanted storefront to enter the forever-bustling space. It was then, hand-in-hand, they went up to the second floor for help, Hestia and a free Healer leaving him outside the room for the initial assessment. Doc tried to get out of the way by sitting in one of the chairs by the wall of the waiting area near her room, but his knees were knocked in to more than once by passers-by. Seeing as most of them were overcome by some sort of magical disease he didn't understand, he did his best to remain unbothered, but his mind had other plans for him, returning to tangled thoughts of Hestia's wellbeing and their future...

She'll be all right. She'll always be all right. All right. All right. Nothing's too wrong, the flu, a virus, a bug...

    I don’t know what to do with my life. I don’t know what to do with my life. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do. What to do. What to do. I don’t know -

Shutting himself away in his hat didn’t completely quiet the voice in his head, but separating from the reality of the space around him helped a bit. Change was overwhelming; change from the war's end, his uselessness, purposelessness. He knew he shouldn't continue to fight, either unofficially or in the Auror Office. Too many of their own hadn't ever come home, and he could get better, he could still have a life with Hestia, and he shouldn't jeopardize that on fools errands. Cardiff offered a return to home, and it would be good for them. You’ll figure it out together with Hestia. Few months to get it together for Cardiff. You always wanted to study philosophy with a group. You can do that there, get back to yourself as much as you can. And what comes after...will come after…

"Mr. Dearborn, would you join us inside?"

He was grateful for the diversion - both for news of his girl and to get out of his head - and slipped his hat back on properly, rising at seeing the Healer who'd gone off with her. He followed the Healer to her room, coming quickly to stand at Hestia's side, hand on her back. "What's the word?"

[Hestia Jones]

She knew her boyfriend was still hung up on the war, and she couldn’t blame him. They’d lost people at the hands of Death Eaters that were still roaming free, and that bothered her too. Good people have fallen victim to the Imperius Curse during the war, people that they both knew, although not well. So to have people walking free that had served You-Know-Who? It was infuriating, it made her want to fight more. But the fight was over. The Order didn’t exist anymore, there was no back up if they decided to make their own move. If they were going to fight those pureblood families though, they’d be eaten alive. It was over, for all of them. Cardiff would be good for them both, and she smiled as he mentioned how thrilled their parents would be. “Sounds like a plan,” she chimed in, making a mental note to write to her parents about this. She was sure they’d find it a bit strange, but they’d always encouraged her in everything she’d done.

Wand waving to get the last dishes cleaning themselves, Hestia followed after Doc to change. Before long they were out in the cold, making their way towards the magical hospital. It had been snowing in Wales, and Hestia was glad that while it was cold, the last bit of snow had finally melted, instead leaving them with just cold rain. She was glad when they reached the doors to the hospital, the warm air inside a nice change from the temperatures outside. It seemed the St. Mungo’s was always busy, but thankfully once they reached the second floor a healer was available to see her. She gave Doc’s hand a squeeze before she let go, following the Healer to a room. Once inside she was rattling off her symptoms, rolling up her sleeve for the Healer to draw blood.

She wasn’t expecting it to change color with the first spell the Healer did. “Doesn’t that...doesn’t that mean I’m pregnant?” she blurted out, anxiety suddenly overwhelming her as a quill took notes at the direction of the Healer. The woman across from her nodded, taking the chart that was floating in mid air.

“Would you like me to get your...boyfriend?”

Hestia didn’t miss the way the Healer glanced to her hand before speaking, but all she could do was nod. Obviously she understood how she’d gotten pregnant, but it just seemed crazy. Before she felt that she’d even had time to process the news, the Healer was back with Doc, leaning into his side as he came to stand next to her. They’d just made a plan for their future, how was he going to take this news? She knew that they would be in this together, no matter what, but telling him? The healer seemed to sense her hesitation, and cleared her throat before speaking.

“I’ll give you two some time.”

Hestia bit her lip, looking up at Doc as the Healer left. “I’m pregnant. Like, with a baby.”

[Doc Dearborn]

The Healer was shortly on her way, leaving Doc with Hestia and The News. Thankfully, Hes didn't hold it in long. He met her eyes with more than a fair bit of shock, admittedly. A baby? Parents, us? Because kids were one of those concepts for Future Hestia and Future Doc to discuss. While they'd been exemplary babysitters for the Bones' when that had been an option and some of their school friends had begun the parenthood journey already, and he was sure there would be a fairly significant post-war baby boom, he'd not thought seriously about Hestia and himself making such a change. Selfishly, Doc couldn't help but think that this was great news for his current apathy - here was something to learn about, to help with, to devote himself to. But holy hell, he could hardly take care of himself, and it wasn't as though his parents were models for good parenting, and what if he was drawn to their same mistakes...

It won't be just you. Hestia will be there. And you couldn't have a better partner for this, you fool.

    Her folks are truly going to kill you this time.

Are we ready for this? Is anyone ever ready when it happens?

"Well, I'd figure that 'with a baby' is better than pregnant with anything else," he jested to break the silence. "A cornyn.* Ours...sorry caridad, it's - er - it's gonna take a minute for that to settle in." Doc swallowed and sat on the chill examination table, arm still around her, his free hand making a mess of his hair as he sat with the information. This had happened by accident, but this wasn't a disaster, was it? It wasn't a mistake? They could grow up, handle this, adapt? But, in a way, Doc saw the need for the opposite, within himself at least. He needed to return to who he'd been, or at least regain some of his old self. Because what kid wanted a somber sorry old sot as a dad? And what woman would want that version of himself as her companion? He scooted closer to Hestia, nerves amping up as he let his thoughts go. You can't freak out. If you freak out, she'll freak out. But how can you not freak out? "How're you - what d'you think - " He took a breath and faced her. The most important thing, after all, was - "Are you all right?" With this?

*swaddling-clothes; roll; shell", and is also used as a term of endearment for a baby

[Hestia Jones]

They hadn’t discussed this, that much Hestia was aware of. Sure, they’d had tried their hand at parenting in the past when they watched kids of their friends. If Hestia was remembering correctly - and she was sure she was - those kids had set the curtains on fire while Hestia had panicked because the curtains had been on fire. And now she was pregnant with a baby. She knew it was going to be vastly different being a parent versus babysitting well behaved children. Parenting was being responsible for another human being, for at least seventeen years. Teaching them the difference between right and wrong. Was that something they were ready for? Hestia supposed it didn’t matter how not ready they were, because they were in this situation now. Her parents would be upset, they had already expressed their concerns about her and Doc living together when she’d gone off and done it without talking to them. Hopefully, the idea of a grandchild for them would soften the blow.

Hestia snorted at Doc’s tease, glad that he was handling the news better than she seemed to be. She’d had more than a few minutes to process the news, and she wasn’t surprised that Doc needed a minute. She leaned into him as he sat down, glad for a few more moments of silence to think. Their friends would be their for them, that much Hestia was sure of. And they had plenty of friends that had become parents already that would be their for advice and help. This wasn’t the end of the world, even if it had felt like it in the first few moments. She’d never thought much about being a parent, not when their world had been a giant mess. But she wouldn’t be alone in this, she would have Doc. And while she wasn’t ready to admit it, she was pretty positive that this baby was going to be the cutest baby she’d ever seen. “I’m alright,” she answered as she looked up at Doc, finding that it wasn’t as hard to smile about this as she had thought. “I mean, my parents are going to flip, but it’s a baby. I think they’ll get over it. I suppose I’m worried about how your parents are going to react to this.” Hopefully they’d be just as calm as Doc seemed to be. “Are you alright?”