We can never catch a break

Date | 7th of January 2022
Time | Midday
Weather | Cold but the sun is out
Place | Oliver’s place in grounds of lily
Attire | Well, not much

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It had been difficult to find time together. Not that Madelaine had much on her schedule, and not nearly as much as Oliver had, but his mother had come around to catch up with him and get to know Madelaine. Something she had appreciated very much. Cassian had been by a couple of times as well and called Oliver because he had decided to take a break from running the family company or something like that. Norah, Norah she really didn’t know how to feel about. But she had the worst timing of all of them. First, she had been upset with Oliver for having abandoned her. Clearly, she had a love for a brother that ran deep, much like she had with Sterling. Sterling that still didn’t know that she was still alive, or so she would think.

To sum it up, they hadn’t, bonded and been together like that. So, she had asked if they should try to shut off their phones, make it look like they weren’t home and just spend some time both of them. And finally, it would look like that they would get to a point where they could be together uninterrupted.

A soft sigh left her, kissing him passionately as she felt his hands on her skin. Electrifying every ounce of her body. Her own fingers grabbing onto his hair pulling him closer as her legs locked around his waist and pulled him closer. “I want you” she whispered, kissing him again. Feeling her entire body pulsating burning hot like a fire. But just, like every other god damn time. The doorbell chimed. “Just, let us just ignore it” she whispered, kissing him again. But whoever it was, didn’t seem to give up, and finally she let go of him. “Seriously” she huffed disappointed “please, just, get them to go quickly” she mumbled with a soft pout.  

Oliver’s fingers ran delicately over Madelaine’s skin, and even though they hadn’t been going for long, things were starting to get really heated. A pleasurable groan left him as she whispered her desire. Only a moment later the doorbell rang. He took a bigger breath in, clearly annoyed from the doorbell already. She asked him to continue anyway, which made him try to put it past him, but as it rang again, multiple times in a row, he groaned, but this time frustrated. “On it,” he mumbled and got out of the bed. For a moment he looked for his own robe to wear, but in the hurry, he couldn’t find it and simply took the one he had bought for her. He wrapped it around his body while he approached the door. The doorbell rang again. “I’m on my way,” he called and only a short second after he opened the door, “This is a really bad time. Come-” He looked at a piece of paper which had almost been shoved up in his face.
“Sign, please,” a female voice sounded. Oliver couldn’t see what was written on the paper, but he knew the voice quite well. He let his hand wrap around the small hand which held the paper and brought it down. “Florence… Hi,” he said already knowing that he wasn’t going to get rid of her just that easy.
The siren in the door looked him up and down. Clearly not very pleased by even visiting. “It’s clear that you’re busy doing what you’ve always been doing.” Oliver wanted to disagree, but it seemed like Madelaine was about show herself. The siren sighed and repositioned the papier in her hand to hold it towards him again. “Sign.”

Madelaine sat up in the bed, watching how Oliver left out the bedroom door. A soft annoyed sigh left her, as her fingers glided over her neck, before they grabbed some of her many braids she had gotten, keeping her afro in check. Her legs dangled over the bed, before with a huff she got up and walked over and found his bathrobe and folded it around her. It gave a lot more coverage especially since she wasn’t really wearing anything underneath. It didn’t sound like the person were about to leave. She walked down the stairs and looked at the door where a beautiful woman stood. “What is going on Oliver?” she asked, seeing how the woman was shoving something in his face asking him to sign it. Pulling the belt around her waist a little tighter so it wouldn’t go anywhere. As she stepped beside him, trying to figure out what on earth there was going on here. She didn’t look like someone she had seen before, and something about the situation once again gave her a bad vibe. They truly didn’t seem like they could catch a break.

Oliver heard Madelaine clearly, but he really didn’t want to take his eyes away from Florence, in slight fear of what Florence would do after so many years. He hadn’t even heard from her. Florence noticed the girl behind him and set her a friendly smile, before she looked towards Oliver again. “Sign,” she insisted again, and Oliver finally took the paper and started looking at it. With a quick glance over it, she wanted to be divorced. Hadn’t they gotten a divorce? He wished he could remember, but he had probably been in too deep of a whole to even notice what had happened. “Eh, Madelaine,” he said and turned slowly towards her, not leaving Florence completely out of his sight. “This is Florence Dubois,” he mumbled and turned the paper, “You remember Riv-”-“Are you still talking to him?” the siren interrupted, clearly surprised. She gestured towards Madelaine, “And she met that psycho?” Oliver was taken a little aback and blinked a couple of times. “Florence, please,” he sighed and for now tried to keep her out of the house, even though it was cold. “She was my wife in the 17th hundred, in Italy,” he explained somewhat calmly. “Or, she apparently still is…” He turned back to the first page and looked up at Madelaine. “I’ll just…” he said and gestured to the papers. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss by her ear. “I’ll hurry up,” he whispered. He let the arm with the paper wrap around Madelaine. “Would you like to enjoy the weather or?” Florence gave him a little smile, “I’d like to come in, and a glass of water maybe?” Oliver made a little grimace from how Florence asked for service too, but on the other hand, she probably needed it. He nodded a bit to Madelaine, so they could make room for Florence to enter, so she could get inside and find the living room to sit at. “Can you take these? Then I’ll fetch us all some water,” he said and handed Madelaine the papers.

Madelaine found the whole thing rather rude. Who just showed up, demanding someone to sign anything like that? But then again, she had seen so many weird things people would do in court. She just, she had never thought she would end up being on the end where she wasn’t the lawyer. “Hello” the witch said, folding her lips a little as her eyes glided over the person standing in front of them. She quickly let her eyes glide from Florence towards Oliver as they mentioned River. So, she was part of that story? She wanted to say interesting, but it really wasn’t. To be fair, she was a little moody and annoyed that they constantly got interrupted and now by something that reminded her of a night she much rather just put past her. Especially since she also had met Orion again, the person that had left her behind.

His wife. She was stunned for a moment. Now she had no illusions that he had been married or had other families when he was over four hundred years old.  But she had to admit that she really didn’t want to meet anyone of them. Not when you already had a hard time thinking you were worth anything these days. Madelaine felt how her jaw tensed and just nodded as he explained they were still married, great, lovely. Why not. She closed her eyes for a second, not because she overly enjoyed, that he was kissing her by her ear, but because she was trying to calm herself. Now he invited her in as well, her eyes glanced towards Oliver, what the hell?  

“Yeah, sure” she mumbled, thinking he also meant that she should look them over. She had done a few divorces in her time as a lawyer and started looking them through. She pinched her nose, walking over and took her glasses to put on. “Is there proof that you haven’t been together for the last two years?” she asked looking up at Florence “because new laws dictate that you need to be separated for two years before you can get a divorce, but if there can be admitted proof then you might be able to skip those years” she explained, sitting down in the sofa reading over the papers. “Did you guys sign a prenup when you got married?” she then asked not looking up, for now it helped being very clinical about it “Because there is an issue about money, property, and any children that there might be in the marriage” now, she had no idea how it worked when you had been married for that long, but, well. She had to start somewhere, right?  

Florence followed Madelaine and could clearly see the annoyance. She raised her brows a little with the question about whether or not there was proof they hadn’t been together for a couple of years, “He’s been here, I’ve been back at Leah Abyss,” she replied and sat down. “Under water kingdom, if you haven’t heard about it,” she said with a kind smile. Now, Florence wasn’t going to be mean, but she knew that most people didn’t know about Leah Abyss, and it was all okay. “Appendix two.”
Oliver was on his way back with the glasses of water as he saw how the two girls sat and talked about the papers. He hadn’t really thought that Madelaine would look over the papers, but he truly appreciated that she had done it without he had asked for it. He placed a glass for each of them as she asked if they had signed a prenup, “Uh… I don’t-” - “We have,” Florence interrupted him. “Appendix four,” she mentioned. Florence had put a lot of work into the papers so the poor man wouldn’t have to do anything but read and sign. Oliver frowned a little and sat down next to Madelaine. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Florence, it was more that everything that happened back then was just such a blur to him.

“Oh, okay” she nodded when Florence elaborated on where she had been. No, she had no idea what Leah Abyss was, nor much about underwater creatures among the supernatural. She had never been very interested in the hunter aspect of her family, and there for not studied it. Not like she had done with law and other things in her world. Even though she knew about the world, she much rather just lived in her human world. Especially after she had lost Oliver, it had been easier for her to occupy herself in a world where he couldn’t be part of it. Mending the heart that had been torn when she had seen him leave knowing she couldn’t be with him. Well, here they were. And now she wished they could go back when everything had seemed so much easier. She looked over the two appendixes that Florence had referred too, to make sure that they were all in order. Took her time to read the things with fine print, mostly so Oliver wouldn’t be signing anything that couldn’t be undone or wasn’t legal. Then she read the other appendixes to see what they were about, before she turned them to the first page and handed them to Oliver “I’ll find you a pen to sigh with, everything seems to be in order, but you should read it through as well” she said with a restrained smile and got up from the sofa and walked over to the small cabinet and came back with a pen for him. “here you go, I’ll just –“ she nodded going towards the bedroom so she could get dressed.

Madelaine seemed to be completely focused on the papers, but it didn’t stop him from reading along. There was nothing he stumbled upon where he believed it was wrong or unfair. Everything seemed to be in such perfect order. It seemed very much like Florence to know exactly what was needed to get what she wished for. He was handed the papers and he looked up at Madelaine as she asked him to read them through too. “Of course,” he said softly being very aware of the restrained smile. He read a little while she found him a pen. “Thanks Maddie,” he spoke softly and watched her as she walked away from the company, only to look down at himself, wearing Maddie’s robe. It didn’t really leave much for the fantasy. He tried to push it past him and focus on reading.

“You look great together,” Florence said. Oliver simply looked up, and didn’t want to get a conversation going, because truly he was afraid of what she might say. “You look happier,” she almost whispered, but this time with a voice, which wasn’t without a little something in it. “Stop that,” he hissed. She smiled a little. “Did she have fun when she met him?” she teased him, even though it also tore her heart to think about it – but she did every time she looked at Oliver. “Shut up,” he whispered and tried to focus on reading. “You know, I hated every single moment of it,” she whispered. “Florence,” – “Florence” she mimiched River with a not so safe for work voice. “Shut up!” he raised his voice at her and a sly smirk spread on her lips. “You were so close to make her yours, weren’t you?” He slammed the papers onto the table. “Keep quiet,” he hissed, which only made the smile play wider. “Sharing is caring, right Oliver?” she said with River’s voice. He sat still in a moment and could almost feel his heart break. He had truly believed he could suppress everything that had happened and let the past stay in the past, but Florence had indeed found her claws for this meeting. “You can wait outside if you want me to sign this,” he hissed. With that she go outside and wait with her glass of water. Oliver tried to put his eyes back on the paper and focus on them while he rubbed his forehead.

Now, she had intended to leave them alone, put on clothes maybe go for a walk to clear her head. That was when she heard that Florence brought up how they looked together, something about it, just, struck her wrong. So, she placed her back against the wall leading into the room they were sitting in. her hand glided around the robe, gripping on to the fabric of the robe as she felt how her heart almost exploded in her chest.


She felt sick as she looked down. Now she had told Zitora she didn’t want the papers that she had gathered on Oliver, as she had done it even though she had told her no. She had told Oliver that she understood that there might be things in his life that he didn’t want to talk about. Things that he regretted. But she had never. Her hand pressed over her mouth and nose as she heard Florence mimic River’s voice. And suddenly it made sense to her why River had told her to make sure never to meet him again. But this, this was something she had wished she had known. That he had told her – tears started gathering in the corner of her eyes. But even though her quick brain had gathered the dots and understood what the conversation was about. She almost buckled when she heard the words. Sharing is caring, right Oliver.

She quickly got up the stairs and started putting on clothes. She was scared. Panic grabbed her chest and stomach violently almost making her throw up as she got into their bedroom. The last year had been hell, she had been abused and tortured. And she had found safety in Oliver’s arms, but now – how could she look at him the same? How could she, trust him, if he could have such dark corners hidden in his life. She got into some jeans and a hoodie. She got down the stairs and saw that Florence were standing outside the front door. Grabbing her shoes, she ran towards the back door. Run, run, run, run.

She almost fell as she put her shoes on and then she was out the backdoor.

Oliver was quite focused on reading the papers when he heard someone run towards the back door, which made him put the papers down and get up from his seat to figure out what was going on, only to see Maddie running towards the back door. “Maddie!” he called and hurried towards her. With a quick spell he magically locked the door. “Maddie, what’s going on?” he wondered and tried to approach her, but if she seemed like she didn’t want him near, he would keep his distance.

She didn’t hear him call for her, but when she heard the door lock, and she couldn’t get it open a panic scream left her. As she pulled almost franticly tried to claw herself out, to the point where her fingers bled. Tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t go back, he couldn’t get her again, she couldn’t. She would rather die, than let him touch her. Awful flashbacks to when Joseph had stood over her, sending excruciating pain through her body by removing her mate mark, wait to see if new one appeared and then remove that one as well. “Please open, please open, please –“ she turned looking at Oliver, realizing she wasn’t back in the cave. But she remembered why she had been scared in the first place; he could be just as bad as the men she had tried to run from. Even her childhood friend had almost chocked her to death. Backing up against the door looking him with pure fear in her eyes. “Don’t touch me” she sobbed, pressing her hands against her heart as it felt like it was exploding in pain.

Maddie started to try and claw herself out. He tried to speak her name and get her attention. She was hurting herself in all the panic she was in. He couldn’t help but wonder what had been going on. When she finally looked at him, he could see how tears were streaming down her cheeks and read her facial expressions. She started to back up the door and he kept his distance and even took a step back when she mentioned that he shouldn’t touch her. “Everything is okay Maddie,” he spoke softly. “I’ll open the door so you can get some air, okay?” he spoke slowly, having picked up on how she was holding onto herself like she was in pain. A soft click was heard, and he made his magic open the door too.

Nothing was okay, and the more she looked at him the more it hurt. Like someone had ripped him over and left something very unpleasant to look at. “I heard what she said, I never thought that you -” she whispered not being able to finish the sentence, removing one hand form her chest and found the door handle, after a few tries she got it open without taking her eyes off him. She didn’t notice how the lights started to flicker in the house, nor the low rumble underneath their feet. How small pearls of sweat was gliding down her temple. How sickly she must look in her face, as her magic flared up like an uncontrollable energy source inside of her. Like an electric cord that had been exposed, magic leaked out of her as she turned around, out the door. Not that she made it many steps before she almost stumbled feeling how pain spread from her heart all the way out to her fingertips and toes. A scream escaped from her lips as magic exploded from her body. It made her fall to her knees. Gasping for air she collapsed on the cold ground. The warm burning sensation of pain softly disappeared and cold took over instead. She felt so tired, as she fought against closing her eyes, almost afraid that if she did, she would never wake up again.

It pained him that she had heard what Florence had said and he let her get outside. He noticed how sick she looked, how everything started to flicker and how the ground rumble underneath them. Without having it confirmed, he knew that it was her magic, and he immediately did whatever he could to settle everything around her, so as little as possible would be affected by it.  She screamed and magic exploded from her body making it almost impossible to contain, and eventually he had to let go of the shield he had created around her. As she collapsed, he ran out to her, and Florence came running right after.
“I’m here. I’m here.” He told her and wrapped his arms around her, sitting with her. He could feel how her life energy slowly faded. “Madelaine, stay with me!” he ordered her before he placed his hand on top of her chest. “Stay,” he begged her and started to transfer his own energy to her. It immediately started to make sweat appear on his forehead.

Florence stood quite still as she watched what was happening, and when it seemed like Oliver was getting too tired, she run over to him and took his hand. “Take mine,” she insisted. With what could almost seem like a roar in frustration of hard work he transferred the old sirens energy into Madelaine. “Your ring,” he grunted and only a second later she had taken it off, not minding what it could be used for. While holding the sirens hand and a hand on top of Madelaine’s chest, he started a small mantra. The siren only really heard  the start of it before she passed out. He finished the ring and quickly put it onto Madelaine’s thin fingers. As soon as it was on he pulled her up into a hug and held her tight.

Her eyes half open felt everything around her in slow motion. Feet that came running towards her. A voice telling her that they were there. His voice ordering her to stay with him, begging her to stay. But she for a second wanted nothing more than to just let go and leave. Because what did she have left? A broken mind, heart, and soul. So, she closed her eyes, tears running down her cheeks. Letting go.

She didn’t feel a thing. For a moment everything was quiet. Beautifully quiet and sound. Like someone had wrapped her in a blanket and told her that everything would be okay. Would her brother and sister be okay? Would they get to know? Her mother, her father? A small flicker formed in her chest, a warm and bright curious feeling spread. Begging her to open her eyes, to come back. Almost like a promise that everything would be okay, that it would all be okay. But dared she believe? It wasn’t the first time she had on the brink of death. First the ritual of turning her, and then everything else that she had been put through.

A gasp left her as she tried to get air down her lungs. She flailed in his arms scared screaming. She stopped after a while as she realized that she hadn’t died. And then she started crying. She wasn’t really sure if it was because she wasn’t dead, or that she was still alive. But she just let it out. Her hands grabbing the silk robe he was wearing. Buried her face in his shoulder. Exhausted and completely devastated.

She screamed and he continued to hold her tight. It didn’t take long before he could feel tears running down her cheeks and down onto his shoulder, especially when she buried her face in the robe. He cradled her slowly from side to side. “I’m here,” he whispered and made sure to caress her. “Everything is going to be okay,” he continued to speak ever so softly. “I’ll help you through it all. I promise,” he didn’t need her to reply to anything, he simply wanted to give her assurance and hopefully she would calm down. “You’re safe.” He looked at how Florence laid on the terrace.
After a while of caring words he turned his head a little towards her, “You should get some rest… I’ll carry you to bed, okay?” he suggested but wouldn’t push anything over her. It had certainly been quite an experience, and he wanted her to take it as slow as she wished for it.

She didn’t answer him, she just kept crying. Being ashamed that she had hoped she would just die. Still scared off him, and what she had found out. Exhausted from what ever had just happened, and when he mentioned getting some rest, she just nodded and let him pick her up to carry her upstairs. Even though she didn’t want to, she would rather be anywhere else right now and didn’t feel as safe in his arms as she had done just moments before the door had rung. Her eyes rested for a moment at the fainted Florence. Before she closed them and kept completely still and quiet. Madelaine felt the soft bed under her body she turned her back to him, pulling the covers over her and more or less hid away the best she could.

She nodded, and with that he lifted her up and went inside and brought her up to their bedroom. He made sure the covers covered her, but she even pulled it further up her body. “I’ll be right out here if you need me,” he told her, and with that he left her alone inside the bedroom. He walked outside and picked up Florence to put her inside and make her sit in the sofa. He closed the door and looked at the marks Madelaine had made from trying to escape. He would have to repair it another day. He then grabbed the papers and his and Madelaine’s glass of water. He walked upstairs and sat himself down next to the door. With a raging headache, he managed to teleport Madelaine’s glass of water to her nightstand. He then leaned back towards the wall and started to read the last of the divorce papers so he eventually would be able to sign them.

She didn’t answer him, let her eyes lock with the window and just laid there looking at nothing. It almost felt like her brain shut down, not letting anything affect her, not a thought, not even an emotion. Nothing. She felt so empty, and for a while she didn’t know if it would ever get better. If she would ever be able to reenter into the world without being scared. Without fearing for her life, and looking at every person passing her, as if they would be the next to hurt her. No one could live like that, now, could they? That small of hope that she would get better, that things would turn out better. It felt like something had completely distinguished that.

At some point she had to have fallen asleep, dreams filled with nightmare not letting her escape even in her sleep.

As soon as he had signed the papers, he walked down and put them on Florence lap before he walked upstairs. He could hear how Madelaine seemed to be uncomfortable, and for a moment he would just let it be, before he got impatient and said her name. “Are you alright?” he asked, and when there was no reply, he allowed himself to go inside, to find her seemingly tossing and sweating. He quickly moved over to her and sat down next to her, grabbing her by her shoulders, both to try and wake her, and to keep her from sitting up too fast. “Madelaine. Madelaine, you’re having a nightmare,” he tried to wake her. He knew that dream catchers were supposed to help, but he simply hadn’t been able to put work into one which would actually have magic in it to catch nightmares.

She didn’t hear him come in; it was first when his hand found her shoulders trying to wake her up that she gasped. Flailing with her arms trying to push him off. “No!” she shouted in a low and tired voice, still a little raw from her screaming and crying before she had collapsed.  When she realized what was going on she looked at him, and for a moment she had forgotten everything that she had heard, a small smile formed on her lips. Then it disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared, pulling away from his arms. “I’m fine” she mumbled, lying herself down in the bed again, turning away from him. Because, to be fair she had no idea how to look at him.

She pushed him off and he pulled a little away. She was clearly affected by her nightmare, and for a moment it seemed like everything was fine, and she might’ve been a little apologetic, but it disappeared as quickly as it at appeared and she turned away from him. “You don’t sound fine,” he mumbled, “Anything I can get you?” he offered wanting nothing more than to comfort her, but somehow it seemed like it would be the most wrong thing to do right now.

She closed her eyes, as he told her that she didn’t sound find. No, he was right. She was far from fine; she was still shocked by the things she had heard that Florence had said. A soft sigh left her, almost as if she answered the not fine part. She wasn’t really sure what she had said after she had tried to claw herself out of the house, when the door had been locked. That whole bit was kind of blurry, but she had mentioned she had heard what Florence had said. Or maybe she hadn’t? “No, just leave… please” she whispered, pulling the covers over her shoulder so she could hide under it. Almost as if she was trying to protect her body.

Oliver listened as she sighed. It almost hurt to hear. He felt like every second was a thousand. It almost felt like he was dissociating as he sat there. Not really exciting, but at the same time, he was there. Just leave. It stung. “Okay,” he whispered, seeing how she covered herself as much as possible. “You can just call me if you need anything,” he added before he slowly, and a little hesitant got up and left the room. He walked downstairs and saw how Florence was no standing up and reading through the papers he had signed. She seemed so happy to have gotten just what she had wished for. As soon as she picked up that he was looking at her, she looked up at him. “What are you starring for?” she asked, raising her brows a little.
Oliver shook his head a little and looked down towards his feet. “Nothing… Maddie might just have heard you,” he mumbled.
Florence trotted over to him, clearly with angry steps. “Do you want me to feel sorry for you?” she hissed and starred at him. She shrugged and shook his head a little. “Good, because I’m never going to feel sorry for you,” she continued hissing. Oliver wanted to say something, but his tongue tied. “Thanks for the signature,” Florence said and moved towards the front door to leave.
“Wait!” The siren stopped in front of the door, not turning or anything. “Would you maybe…”
She turned around and he shut his mouth, “Talk to her?” she asked blinking a little rapidly with her eyes. He didn’t even really get to reply before she rolled her eyes, “Fine,” she sighed and walked upstairs. She knocked on the door ever so perfectly. “Madelaine? It’s me… Can I come in?” she spoke softly and innocently.

Maddie, much like before was just lying there starring into the wall this time. Her eyes felt dry and uncomfortable both when she had them open but also when she closed them. She huffed a little, almost hiding herself over the covers. Right now, in this moment she was overwhelmed with how homesick she got. Wanting nothing more than to fly back to New York and visit her parents. Hug her mom, and play chess with her father. But more than anything, she missed Sterling. So much. How he had always been able to just look at her and see something was wrong. That even though they had Hannah that craved so much attention, because of her migraine and her mother always fussed around her making sure that Hannah had what she needed. Sterling had always been there for her when she had needed it. And Hannah, that silly little kid. She really hoped that she was alright, and that her condition had gotten better.

Then someone knocked on the door. What on earth was she still doing here? She wanted to tell her to go away, fuck off even floated around in her brain as a response to her being there. Why the hell would she want to speak with her? And why was she still even here? So, she didn’t say anything, she just stared into the wall only the top of her head, eyes and nose visible.