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Jane Chatwin, AKA the Watcherwoman, had, to put it succinctly, fucked up. A whole bunch. Despite her insistence that it was ultimately for the good of humanity, she couldn't help shake the feeling that she was, as they say, the baddie. As she watched the streams of past, present, and future flow by from her little land of living and dead she couldn't help but feel guilt. She was particularly attached to the one she had nicknamed her little "volunteer tomato". His sad puppy eyes and lifelong struggle with depression and fitting in, his obsession then ultimate disillusion with magic, his dear, frenetic hand motions whenever he was excited. It all added up to a pile of Quentin-sized regrets as high as her head seeing just how catastrophically she had destroyed the poor boy's life. So, beginning with the people Q had loved most, she decided she would fix it. First, she would make it so Eliot, sweet, handsome, terrorized Eliot was safe. Then kind, understanding, loving Ted. The mother was a lost cause if there ever was one. There was only so much one woman could do to alter the course of history after all. Then she would, through a series of slight manipulations that meant she wasn't precisely crossing her own time stream, stop the madness of the beast at the root. She would go back to the very beginning, and stop Plover from his abuse. No abuse meant no eventual beast. It meant her dear, precious family would be safe from the terror of the Plover family. Then, one by one she would intervene in the lives of those she so greatly wronged. She knew there was no true atonement for her. She simply hoped that she could begin to right a wrong that seared into her heart and nearly destroyed the world with her carelessness. One by one she checked off boxes and rearranged time and space so Quentin and his friends could be happy for once. Probably it was a frivolous use of her time. But she simply could not let it be. Now, 20 years after moving the Waughs to New Jersey and seeing Eliot, Julia, and Quentin blossom and grow to amazing adults, she would work on the other friends as she could. Next up was Margo. That firecracker of a woman had not had an abusive past per se but her childhood had certainly lacked happiness. It would take quite a while for her to break down all the walls she had created and let friends in but Jane was positive Julia would make that process easier than it might otherwise have been. How to bring Kady, Penny, and Alice a level of happiness to counter their tragic backstories was going to be harder but still doable with time. So. Eliot. Check. Margo. Check. Quentin. Check. Ted. Check. Martin and the rest of the Chatwins. Check. Next up Penny. Penny, unfortunately, would still end up in foster care. However, a magician couple who were familiar with traveling and psychic magic ended up adopting him when he was 5. He was spared most but not all of the difficulties that arose from that foster care. He would be left with a sense of abandonment that years of love and therapy could do little to erase. However, instead of driving people away quite as hard, he worked to keep friendships. He defended his friends and he adored his adoptive family. Eventually, he would be able to talk with his birth mother and hear her story about why they couldn't be a family together. Penny moved into Brakebills, his mind happily beast free. He could hear other people's thoughts but only if he dropped his own mental wards. Wards that his adoptive parents had been able to teach him as a young child. He saw a pretty blond woman with big blue eyes and glasses that made her eyes look even bigger. She looked anxious. Penny was used to that feeling so he thought maybe he could help her. What was difficult, of course, was the fact that Alice was distrustful of everyone. She thought everyone had ulterior motivation and that made it difficult to let people in. Still, they might have made a cute couple if Alice hadn't shown her true colors with Quentin in the physical kid's house. If there was one thing Penny would not stand it was a bully. Jane wanted to make things better for Alice but Alice's story was more difficult to rewrite. She was, truth be told, only brought into Quentin's story to accelerate the urgency Quentin and his friends would feel about the beast. Without that need, much of Alice's usefulness went away. Jane had tried to make at least a token effort when Alice and Q were in undergrad together. Alice was too prickly for sensitive, heart on his sleeve Q though. So that didn't last. Which, Jane was fairly certain that was for the best but she did know that from other timelines Alice was happier when she ended up with Quentin at least as a friend if not a lover. Kady. Now Kady was a whole creature unto herself. Fierce, sarcastic, brilliant, sexy, talented, and just a little bit scared all the time. Jane did manage to make her mom see the light regarding Marina. She removed herself from that trap right before it sprung. Kady and her mom had a typical if not a bit angst-filled relationship but ultimately Kady ended up at Brakebills without the baggage of needing to steal for Marina. Jane had decided there was no need to include Dean Fogg this time since there were no life or death situations. She carefully moved her pieces on the chessboard to make the outcome to her favor and was delighted to see just how much she could influence with slight nudges here and there. Alice and Penny were a non starter but Kady and Penny. Well. That was another matter entirely.
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Kady had a dirty little secret. She would never, ever own up to it under duress. See, her mom had paid for music lessons for her most of her childhood. It was the one consistently good thing her mom could do for her. And Kady, despite being a complete badass, was an absolute sucker for musicals. She knew they made no sense. She knew it was ridiculous to randomly burst in to song. But somehow she could not help herself. On her contraband laptop in a folder marked xxxpornxxx were 50 musicals and mp3 files from said musicals. Her favorite was Annie thought she'd rather die than admit that. Her next favorite, music-wise was Les Miserables. Phantom of the Opera, Newsies, Wicked, Hamilton and Mean Girls were also near the top of the list. But there was one that was equal parts cutesy and happy and reminded Kady of herself as a kid. She'd skin anyone alive that accused her of it but Matilda held a special place in her heart. She was also, secretly, a ballerina. She would practice for hours in her room while she waited for her mom to come home from work. Youtube had provided most of the instruction and she was honestly very good for being self-taught. She was feeling especially happy after being accepted into Brakebills and knew she'd not get another chance when the campus was so empty until fall break. So, she snuck into the auditorium she was fairly certain none of the other magicians were even aware existed, turned on the spotlight, cued up the song she wanted with a spell, and began.
She smiled as "Naughty" sang out from magical speakers all around her. flawless twirls and leaps across the stage exhibited Kady's joy at finding a place where she fit in with other people, even if they might not be exactly the same made Kady's heart soar. She'd cut you if you implied that but still. As one song finished the next one on her playlist began. "Carry the Banner" from Newsies! blared out. This one she actually had the dance from the live recording memorized. It was probably her favorite choreographed dance. As she worked up a sweat and breaths came in gasps as the last notes sang out she silenced the music with a hand gesture and bowed to her imaginary audience. She was not expecting applause.
A dark skinned, black haired, youthful, handsome man wearing a deep v-neck t-shirt , silk scarf, and criminally tight jeans smiled broadly at her. Kady could feel her face flush as she caught her breath. She didn't even have the energy to tell the guy to go fuck himself at the moment. She opted for silence. Maybe if she ignored the guy he'd take the hint and leave. She began her cooldown stretches and focused on her breathing. Silk scarf guy did not take the hint. In fact he jumped up onto the stage and sat cross legged next to Kady.
"That was beautiful. Where did you study?"
"Laugh it up chuckles."
"No. Really, where? I was going to be a professional ballerina before I tore my ACL. I can still dance but I'll never leap as high as I used to. My parents would have supported me one way or the other but you know, it felt pointless after the surgery to risk it happening again."
"Bull. Shit." She finally responded.
"Seriously. Here, I'll show you."
Kady quirked a half smile at the man. "Okay happy feet, what's your name?"
"Penny. Well. William.But please, Penny."
"Okay, Penny. Whatcha got?"
Penny cued up his song and adjusted the lights.
Kady cracked up as she recognized the opening notes of "Wait For It" from Hamilton cued up. Her laughter turned to slack-jawed staring as Penny twirled, leaped, and twisted his body around the stage body flowing like he was made of water. When his song was over and he took a bow Kady lept to her feet and applauded. Penny smiled. "So, you like dancing huh? Want to see how well I move this body without clothes to constrict my movement?"
"Oh my god does that ever work?" Kady guffawed.
"Eh, 50/50" he smiled. "Seriously though, want to go find some food and talk?"
Kady thought for a minute then grinned. "I'm not throwing away my shot." she quipped and put her hand in his. "Lead on."
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Eliot and Julia (whom Eliot had nicknamed "Hoolia" in 8th-grade Spanish class upon hearing the letter J was pronounced H in Spanish. ) Were very close. This is why when Margo and Jules started dating Eliot was very excited. He'd suggested he, Q, Jules, and Margo had a joint wedding in fact. When he said it Julia blushed, Quentin nearly swooned "You want to marry me?" he squeaked out before flopping on the couch a blissed-out grin on his face. Margo, however, lost it. Her face turned red but out of anger, not pleasure. "And who said I'm getting goddamn married exactly Eliot? Gawd just because you're in fuckin domestic bliss with Q doesn't mean you need to spring that shit on me."Julia's eyes widened and filled with tears. Margo couldn't see her but Eliot could. "Jules. Hey, I don't think she-" "Oh no, I fucking know what she meant. Why would anyone marry me? She'd probably marry you before she'd marry me since you relate almost exclusively through sexual innuendo, fashion, and makeup. But hey, it doesn't matter because Margo doesn't love me anyway so have fun with that I guess." Jules spit out. She stormed up the stairs and the remainder of the group heard the door slam so hard it broke. "Shit!" Jules had exclaimed, then the sound of wooden pieces clicking back into place and becoming whole again. Margo just stared wide-eyed after her, seemingly unaware that her declaration to Eliot would have had any impact at all on Jules. When she finally spoke she whispered "El. Q. I fucked up. I fucked up. Could you help me make it right? I need to make it right. I was just. Panicked, you know? I know I was a bitch but I just felt so boxed in all of a sudden and all I could hear was my mother's disappointment that I hadn't married a wealthy man." Q and El looked at each other and paused. They held a whispered conference that Margo couldn't hear because of a noise-dampening spell Eliot cast. When they each nodded in agreement Eliot spoke. . "Well. Margo, it's worse than that. Julia was rejected twice before you. She thought she was going to marry the second guy. She had picked out a dress, took off all her rings and dropped hints that she liked a specific cut of diamonds. In this instance, the man in question was an entire asshat and yelled when he found her "wedding vision board" on Pinterest. "You think I want to get married ? He yelled. And Jules, a sophomore in undergrad had been just. She tried so hard to be what these guys wanted. She was trying to earn her father's approval. She had found his contact information and started a tentative relationship with him. She wanted him to be proud of her. For him that meant she married a man who was wealthy, connected, and looked good in pictures. So Jules had made that her goal. It made us angry at her and scared for her by turns. She didn't even like boys. But she craved approval and worked to change herself in any possible way that might make her father pay any attention to her. She was ready to make herself miserable for a shred of his praise." Eliot shook his head. "We thought we were going to lose her. She was so angry at us for not being supportive of her relationships, and for not thinking her dad was worth interacting with." Q nodded "Yeah if I didn't understand what she was going through, having also been rejected by an emotionally stunted parent, I probably would have pulled away and stayed away." "Fuck" Margo whispered to herself "Ok so how do I fix this? Guys I think I actually love her. I don't do feelings. You know this. Help me?" she looked up at them, eyes wet, embodying the cartoon deer she was nicknamed for. "So, the thing with Jules is she is hard to win over after you've hurt her. You're going to need to do a lot of repair work. And you need to make sure she understands you love her. Because right now she thinks you don't." "Ideas Q. I need ideas." "Well. It's Jules. Do you know any cool spells you could show her? She's a Fillory nerd like us. Maybe something to do with that? I don't know. The last time she was mad at me I bought her 50lbs of Swedish fish, and made a montage video of us growing up to some dumb 80s song.""I remember that! She was mad at me too but I guess I got partial credit for your video because I only had to pony up for movie tickets and popcorn. Though now that I think about it 50lbs of Swedish fish might have been cheaper than the movies and popcorn." Eliot laughed. "It was such a nerdy video Margo. You need to see if you can get Jules to show it to you when you're back in her good graces." "Um, excuse you, it was a heartfelt, sincere gift.""Yes and if you were a 12 year old girl trying to make up with her similarly aged friend it would have been cute. You were 22." "Why do I love you again?" Quentin glared at Eliot, fondness ruining the effect. "So. Candy, movies, apology. I can do that. She likes big gestures doesn't she?" Margo asked hopefully"She does. Very much.""Well then, bitch better get ready to be wooed." "How can we help?" -- While Margo and Q went off campus to find supplies Eliot went to find Jules. She wasn't hard to find exactly but getting passed her protective wards was a bitch when she was angry. Luckily for Eliot, it was him she was angry with so it just took a little bit of tweaking to open the door. He found her face down on her bed, sobs wracking her body. She hadn't even heard him come in. He made sure to touch her hand to make himself known before he sat on the bed and pulled her into his lap for an embrace. She was a tiny thing. If she had been feeling a bit fiestier she probably wouldn't have tolerated being manhandled. As it was she flopped against his chest and wrapped him in a death grip of a hug while she continued to sob. After a few minutes, she sniffled and looked up at her best friend since kindergarten. "El. W-why doesn't anyone love me?!" "Jules. Sister from another mister. Light of my life. You know that isn't true. Q and I would be lost without our Hoolia." He kissed her nose and forehead. "But seriously dumplin. I am certain what Margo said had almost nothing to do with you.""Dumplin? Really Waugh?" "Yes. See also: honey bear, sugar pie, cupcake. You're a snack girl. Own it." Julia pushed Eliot back so they were lying down facing each other, giggling but feeling annoyed by it. "I just. I thought it was going somewhere you know? She's so pretty. And such a good kisser and- "Jules I'm serious. I think you need to talk to Margo. You aren't the only one of us with shit in our history we'd rather repress." "But what if I'm just...fundamentally broken? What if no one ever loves me?" Julia looked at him searching for an answer, eyes wide and wet. "Hey. I'm going to get emotionally vulnerable here okay? Okay. Julia my dad tried to kill me. And my mom thought I was defective for the better part of high school. She's cool with the rainbow flag now but she wasn't for a long time. If it hadn't been for you and Q and Ted? I would be certain I wasn't worth the dirt on my shoes. But I did and do have you. And that will never ever change. You are my Hoolia. My best girl, the only person besides me that can both love and be furious at Q at the same time. You are so loved darling. And if you're worried about never...getting married, having kids? I mean, we can cross that bridge when we come to it, but you know you will always have a place with Q and I. You want kids? I have the secret ingredient to get you your heart's desire right here." "Oh my god do not say those words ever again in my presence. Secret ingredient? Gah. Gag. Remember I am the person that helped you clean up your bed after your first ...nocturnal emission so your mom didn't find out. That was the first, last, and hopefully only time in my life I will come within any amount of contact to your ejaculate sir." "Oh so you want a sweet little brown-eyed baby instead? I'm sure our boy could be persuaded..." Eliot pressed, biting his lip to suppress a laugh at the face Julia pulled at that. "Why do I love you again?" Julia asked, eyebrows raised."Because I'm adorable and you need at least one fashion-conscious gay bestie""Yup. That's it." Julia rolled her eyes. "Well. I guess I should probably go find Margo huh?" "Yeah, I think you should." Eliot checked his phone surreptitiously. "I'm pretty sure she's out at the observatory with Q. Want to go see?" "I feel like I'm being set up but sure, why not?" "Then let's go precious one." Eliot extended one hand to help her off the bed and used the other for a one-handed tut to get rid of the evidence of her crying jag.Even if Jules was still feeling rejected by Margo she felt better after talking with Eliot. She would never stop being grateful that they grew up together.