The Aftermath

Chapter 10

Finished Your Slice of Happiness? Start Another

September 9th 2014

She was in a cafe staring at a honey curler doughnut contemplatively when he snuck up behind her and announced his presence by hugging her. She gave a startled yelp and ineffectually tried to elbow him in the gut.

"Hey Addy!" Apollo greeted from above her head, her back still pressed against his chest. "What're you gonna get?"

"Apollo!" Adelaide exclaimed, going for exasperated but really only sounding happy. She turned around in his arms and gave him a proper hug. "I haven't seen you for years," she said as she pulled back, her hands on his shoulders. "How are you?"

Apollo smiled sunnily down at her from his superior height, and Adel noticed that he looked exactly as she remembered him. "I've been good, though I've missed you of course!" Apollo hugged her again, tighter this time, and kissed her cheek as he pulled back.

Adel's face pinked, "I've missed you too. I'm so happy to see you again."

"Then you'll be even happier to know that you'll be seeing a whole lot more of me from now."

"Oh?" Adel raised her eyebrows as her smile widened.

"Well," Apollo raked his fingers through his hair, "I'm not so busy now and since all your kids are attending school now, I thought now was the perfect time for us to start hanging out again."

Adel remembered what Charlie had said to her that first, and last, Christmas Adel and all her kids had spent with the Weasleys and Longbottoms – after that Christmas Adel decided it would be better to spend New Year's or Easter together; Christmas was once more a time for Adelaide and her children. Charlie had said that Fred wouldn't mind if she were with another man, and she knew he wouldn't. She had told Charlie that it would have to be when her children needed her less, and with six in Hogwarts and the seventh in medical school….

Apollo was right. It was the perfect time for them to reignite their friendship, and see where that led them.

"That sounds wonderful," she murmured softly, mostly to herself.

December 14th 2014

Apollo knocked on the red door, thinking back to the first time he had. It was kind of funny that the first time he'd met Addy she'd been in labour. He was glad he'd met her though, and even gladder he'd decided to see her again back in September; these last few months had been fantastic.

The door opened and Addy stepped out in a pair of snug dark wash jeans, black boots, a navy coat and a teal scarf. Apollo whistled, making Addy flush and look pleased at the same time. She blew some hair out of her face while pulling on some black leather gloves, "Ready to go?" She asked, then frowned, "Will you be alright in what you're wearing? It's cold out."

Apollo looked down at his boots-jeans-T-shirt-cardigan combo. "I'll be just fine; does the sun ever get cold?" He teased and was pleased when she laughed.

"Only when the world is ending," she replied.

"Yup," Apollo chuckled. "When I fade I'm taking everyone with me."

Adel snorted, knowing that talk of the end of the world should not be that funny, yet was nonetheless. "Where are we going?"

"To the park."

"Hm?" Adel raised her eyebrows in disbelief. Going to the park was quite tame and just not Apollo enough. Last week they had gone paintballing, the week before that was laser tag, and before that he'd taken her skydiving. She had been so happy lately she could hardly believe it. "What are we going to be doing at the park exactly?"

Apollo tapped her nose teasingly, "Secret," then grabbed her hand and pulling her behind him at a jog.

When they arrived at the park they slightly breathless and Adel pink nosed. It was relatively empty, with a lot of untouched snow where the grass would have been. It had started snowing again, and Adelaide tipped her head back to look at the sky, staring at the white flakes slowly falling. Snowflakes got caught in her eyelashes, causing her to blink rapidly. Then, a snowball abruptly hit the back of her head. "Oh!" she said in surprise and staggered slightly.

Apollo's laugh was loud enough for the whole park to hear.

Adel bent over to pick up a handful of snow, compacting it into a ball before swinging around to Apollo and launching it right into his face with a grin.

"Hey!" Apollo cried in mock indignation.

"You started it!" Adel said.

Apollo picked up more snow. That's when Adel started running, though she was slightly hindered by how hard she was laughing.

"Let's make snow angels," Apollo suggested after their snowball fight.

"Alright," Adelaide agreed, "but after that I think I'll have to go back home if I don't want to get sick. I can barely feel my toes."

Apollo flopped onto the snow, pulling Adel down with him, and started waving his arms to make a snow angel. They soon ran into a problem: "We're too close together!" laughed Adel when their arms bonked each other.

"It's alright," Apollo said when Adel started to make more space between them. "Our angels will just intertwine."

They continued, gradually slowing until their arms fell still and both were just staring up at the sky which hadn't stopped snowing since they got there. Apollo turned his head to look at Adel, whose nose was almost as red as her hair, her cheeks not much better. Her lips were chapped from the dry air, and when she smiled she showed off her slightly crooked front teeth. Her eyes were squinted at the bright sunless sky, emphasizing the stress lines masquerading as crow's feet.

Adel turned her head to meet his gaze, her eyes un-squinting. "Do you want to stay for dinner tonight? I made shortbread cookies yesterday, so there's dessert in it for y—mmph!" Apollo cut off her words with a kiss.

When Apollo pulled back, Adel looked slightly dazed; then she started to look worried. "Apollo, you know I won't – you know I can't—"

"You don't want to be immortal," Apollo said.

She shook her head.

"I knew that from the beginning," Adel opened her mouth, but Apollo continued, "and you don't have to worry about hurting me. Gods are fickle as a rule, and though I will love you until you die, I will be able to move on. It's in my nature."

Adel relaxed even as she murmured, "That is a sad nature," with a tremulous smile.

"It might be," Apollo agreed, "for those who know differently. Luckily, I don't." Then he kissed her again.

February 14th 2015

"How could they?" Apollo moaned from where he was seated at the dining room table, his head pillowed in his arms. "So many missed opportunities! The best character they had, just-just sidelined! I can't even believe it… just… they did practically nothing with him! It was just – BAM! – brainwashed, and then at the very end a few fight scenes that don't even highlight how amazing a bow and arrow can be! Can you believe it?" Apollo shot a truly pitiful at Adel, who had been up to that point been making tea and nodding every once in a while with a sympathetic face.

"I'm sure Hawkeye with be more prominent in the next Avengers movie Apollo."

Maybe we should have watched a different movie for Valentine's Day… Adel thought, staring bemusedly at Apollo's moping form.

May 11th 2016

Apollo woke up slowly. He was relaxed and warm, the sun was up in the sky, and there was a beautiful woman laying her head on his chest; for him, there was no better thing to wake up to. "Hmm…" Apollo hummed, tightening his arms around Adel and letting out a content sigh. "Sleep well?"

Adelaide kissed his chest, "Very well. You?"

"Great. You have anything planned today?"

"No, but…."

Apollo played with her hair, twirling it around his index finger, "But…?"

"I've been thinking about opening a daycare."

"Oh?" Apollo frowned slightly. He wasn't against the idea, but… "Why?"

Adel raised her head to look Apollo in the face, resting her chin on his chest. "I miss having children around, and I'd like to be doing something. It won't be a big place," Adel said, starting to sound passionate, "Just a little place for ten to twenty kids, and I would have to hire a couple of helpers, but I think I could do it. I think I'd enjoy it."

Apollo stared at her cheeks, flushed with excitement, and her eyes, bright with ideas. He abruptly rolled over so he was hovering above her, prompting Adel to let out a little squeak that was abruptly cut off when he kissed her. They stayed like that for several minutes before Adel pulled away briefly, asking in a breathless voice, "So you like the daycare idea?"

"I love it."

December 24st 2017

On socked feet, Michael Yew shuffled down the hallway towards the kitchen to get something to drink. He was staying with his mum for the Christmas holidays, along with his siblings – not his siblings from Apollo cabin – as they did every year. He'd arrived in the afternoon completely exhausted after a difficult surgery and had, after greeting his mum, immediately crashed in his old bedroom. Now, after his five hour nap, he was in the hated position of being awake at close to midnight the night before Christmas – except he wasn't unable to sleep because of excitement; it was all because of his nap.

I hate taking naps, Michael grimaced to himself, then paused before rounding the corner to enter the kitchen when he heard voices. Who else was up?

"So do you like it?" A male voice…. Was that his father?!

"Every girl loves to get jewelry for Christmas," the voice of his mum replied. "Thank you."

A pause, then the male voice hummed, "I love you Addy."

"I love you too."

Michael peeked from around the corner and saw his Apollo, his dad, in a form that was older and much more mature looking than he usually appeared in, kissing his mum. Michael hastily withdrew and flattened himself against the wall. Whoa, he mouthed in surprise.

There was a flash of light that Michael recognized as his dad flashing away, probably back to Olympus. Figuring it was safe, Michael entered the kitchen. He draped himself over his mum to get a good look at what Apollo had gifted her. "So," he started, eying the thin chain bracelet with an emerald charm that was secured to him mum's wrist, "you and my dad? Sorta fits."

Adelaide, who had startled at his presence, gave a relieved laugh. "You think so?"

Michael smiled, "Yup."

July 19th 2045

Adelaide, at age sixty four (soon to be sixty five), was someone people said was aging gracefully. She had a few streaks of white in her hair, but besides that and the slightly deeper laugh lines around her eyes, she had hardly changed from when she was thirty. She ran her daycare, which usually held twenty to thirty children a day (excluding weekends) and was loved by harried mothers and fathers who put their children into her care.

Most of all, she was happy.

Except, at the moment, about the little boy she was having to continually walk home after work because the boy's father was always working late and his mother was too ill to pick him up or take care of him during the day.

"It's alright Adam," Adel said as she held his hand and waited for the crosswalk. "We're going to be passing by that gelato place – the one from last week, remember? Would you like a scoop?"

The little boy, who had been drooping like a forgotten house plant, perked up. "Cookie dough?"

"With sprinkles too?" Adel asked, remembering what he had wanted last time.

"Yeah!" Adam beamed, and when they were finally allowed to walk across the street, he was nearly skipping.

They were almost to the sidewalk when Adam lost his footing. Adel was holding one of his hands, so luckily he only fell to his knees, but the loose gravel dug into his jeans stingingly. "Ow," Adam complained, his eyes watering involuntarily.

Adel bent to pull him up by his armpits, "Are you alright sweetie?"

Adam sniffed, but smiled bravely. "I'm o-okay."

"Come on, let's hurry to the sidewal—!" Suddenly Adam was being pushed forward, and this time he landed painfully. His hands, attempting to break his fall, scraped painfully on the concrete, and his wrist twisted. "Ahh – ouch – ow—!" Adam hiccupped and turned at the sound of screeching tires and thump-thump-thump!

There was a taxi speeding away, screams of horror and a crowd converging out onto the street in front of Adam. Adam, in a sea of unfamiliar people, turned his head from side to side in search of red hair while simultaneously trying not to cry. "Miss Adel?" he called out tremblingly, standing up. "Miss Adel? Miss Adel!"

His heart beat faster, and the crowd pushed him into the street. He heard someone call out in panic, "Someone call an ambulance!"

He spotted a speck of red in the direction he was being pushed and called out louder, "Miss Adel!" Then, between the legs of an adult, Adam saw Miss Adel lying in the street utterly still, her arms and legs akimbo, and her head flopping awkwardly in someone's lap.

"Is she okay?!" a woman called out.

"No," the man who had Miss Adel's head in his lap said loudly, and sadly. "No. Her necks broken…. She's gone."

"Miss Adel!" Adam wailed and surged forward, his face wet. "MISS ADEL!"

He was grabbed before he could reach her, held in a strangers arms and turned away from the sight. "This isn't something you need to see kid," the stranger, a blond teenager, said. Through his confused sobs, Adam saw that the stranger was crying just as hard as he was.