Three's Company {Sorrow, Gail} (FLASHFORWARD)

It was well into the afternoon when Nora finally found her way back to the house. She was tired and sore, her muscles aching after the work she had grown unaccustomed to. With a hand dusted with dirt she pulled back her hair, making a face at the way it clung to her sweat shimmering skin.

She had been up for hours now – since the sun began to crest the horizon. There was so much to do. She had forgotten the chores of the farm, forgot how much it took out of her. But it was a good feeling. It kept her mind on other things, and the pain of her loss at bay.

It had been less than a week since she had lost her parents. They had left the world hours apart, one unable to live without the other. The news had shook Nora greatly, as had the fact that she was now the sole owner of the farm she had been raised on. It would have been easy to sell it, to let the responsibility of caring for it pass to another. But she found she could not let it go. It held too many memories for her.

So the decision had been made that she return to her childhood home, bringing with her her closest friends. Gail and Sorrow had been a huge comfort to her the last week, and she was grateful for their company.

She needed time to herself, though. It was best right before the dawn when everything was still and quiet. She could sneak out of the house and tend to the animals in peace. Today she had even taken one of her old horses for a ride, leaving the confines of the farm and trotting around the lake some miles away.

When the sun was high above her she had made her way back, leaving the horse happily in its stable. Her chores done, she was looking forward to cooling off in the farm house. While it was still difficult to walk the halls without the sounds of her parents in another room, it was easier when Gail was awake. Her friend should be up at this time of day, and, pausing a moment at the door to let the dull expression of loss fall from her face, Nora put on a smile and walked into the darkened house.

The new lifestyle on the farm had been difficult over these last few days, for all of them. Sorrow grew restless during the day, whilst both Gail and Nora were outside doing chores (though Nora did considerably more work than Gail), and though Nora seemed to be holding herself together pretty well, Gail was concerned about leaving her alone for too long. Gail had been trying to spend time with the both of them, working with Nora during the day, and keeping Sorrow company at night once Nora was too tired to stay awake. Gail's sleeping schedule was a bit screwed, to say the least.

In fact, she had slept in passed noon today, curled up in her small bed with her pillow firmly held over her head as she desperately attempted to ignore the sound of the rooster's constant crowing. This was no easy task however, as her acute sense of hearing made it sound like the rooster and his flock of chickens clucked around right outside her window, when in reality they were some yards away, all the way near the farmhouse. After yet another particularly obnoxious crow, Gail moaned so loud she might has well been screaming. She then rolled over and fell off the bed with a loud thud.

Some time later, the smell of coffee lured her into the kitchen, but stopped at the sight of Sorrow slicing apples and kneading dough- and wearing an apron with faded coloring, but a very distinct flower design. A sort of strained snort escaped Gail in an attempt to hold back the laughter. Clearing her throat, Gail sat down at the counter, still dressed in her pajamas (a tank top and boxer shorts) and said, "Pie for breakfast? Sorrow you're a genius!" That was even better than pancakes for dinner, and just the sort of unorthodox thing they could use to make Nora happy.

The house was dim and cool, the curtains drawn tight to keep out both the sun and the heat. It felt good to let her eyes adjust, her skin to lose the heat from outside. She slipped her muddy shoes off by the door, padded through the entry way and house until she heard sounds of conversation from the kitchen.

Sorrow's soft voice was music to her ears – even at its usual hush she could pick it out from all other noise. It was gentle and smooth, bringing to surface memories of his breath warming her ear and neck as he spoke into her skin. She paused a moment to listen, to let the smile rest on her face and burrow its way to her heart.

She turned from the hall and into the open kitchen, steps taking her across worn hard wood she had known all her life. The kitchen had always been a warm place to Nora, a place where there had been laughter and love. Even with her parents passing that seemed to remain unchanged. Perhaps their spirits lingered in some way, unlike those she encountered in the world of magic, but real nonetheless. They would have liked to see their daughter sharing her life with close friends – they had always worried.

Sorrow and Gail were both in the room, turning to the sound of her approach. “Oh! You're both awake.” She smiled at them, taking in the way their eyes were still bleary with sleep, still half a world away in dreams.

She walked farther into the room, stopping beside Sorrow. It was then she really saw him – hair ruffled out, flecks of white dusting the black, old floral apron her mother had always worn tied to his waist and similarly coated in flour. He looked as if he had just stumbled from bed and into a bag of flour, had no energy yet to care.

“Look at you,” she said, starting to laugh as she ran her hands through his hair, shaking out the layer of flour. It felt good to do so; she hadn't had much cause to laugh lately. She reached up on her toes and kissed his cheek before turning to Gail.

“Good morning, Gail.” Her friend looked to be faring better than Sorrow, but it was obvious she had only just woken up as well. “Did you sleep ok last night? You're still happy with the room, right? We can change it if-” She stopped herself, shook her head. “Ah, I'm sorry. I shouldn't fuss so much.”

When they had all arrived  at the home Nora had been worried they would not be comfortable. They weren't muggles, after all. Everything here was typical of a muggle house, and although she was at home here, she wasn't certain they would be. There had been much to do, as well. In their decline her parents had let the house fall into dust and disuse, and only now, after much help from the two of them, was it back in order. Nora wanted them to be happy here, and she was having a hard time keeping it from showing.

Instead of dwelling on it is inspected the counter. There was fresh coffee, which she quickly poured herself a cup of and sipped. She tried to keep the grimace off her face as she swallowed; Sorrow's way of preparing coffee left it incredibly strong, and she had yet to adjust to it. When she noticed the bowl of sliced apples and honey she couldn't stop herself from picking a few slices out and eating them, licking the honey off her fingers.

“You made coffee! Thank you.”  She spoke to Sorrow again as she leaned against the counter.  He had woken up early and done all this, no doubt for her benefit. It was one of the many times Nora realized how blessed she was to have him in her life.

“You didn't have to do all this. You should still be sleeping – you must be tired. Here, why don't you sit with Gail. I can make the rest of lunch for you two.”

"It's lunch already? Aaaaohhh, I was supposed to help Nora with the animals this morning!" She ran a hand through her tangled mess of hair, looking from the old grandfather clock to Sorrow, "She must have gone out without me!" She let a frustrated sigh escape her as she meandered over to the sink, where the vegetables sat, freshly washed. Maybe helping Sorrow cook could make up for missing the morning chores with Nora. "What about stew? That's a pretty simple dish isn't it? Just vegetables, and minus the meat..." She shook her head with a grin and set the vegetables on the counter so she could wash her hands, "I'll chop them up for you." Not giving Sorrow a chance to say no, she grabbed a knife and cutting board from the drawer and got to work.

It was clear by how slowly and heavy handed she cut that Gail was not at all accustomed to the cooking environment, not like Sorrow was. On top of that, precision was not her strong suit. The slices of carrot and celery came out varied, from thick to thin, and angular when her cuts landed lopsided, but they were all roughly the same size, perfect for a stew.

It was then that she (and presumably Sorrow) heard Nora enter through the front door down the hall. Gail shuffled her feet nervously, still feeling guilty about sleeping in all morning, but as Nora walked into the room, she appeared cheerful in every aspect. As Nora and Sorrow exchanged their usual good-morning kisses, Gail finished chopping up the vegetables. When Nora turned her attention to Gail, she smiled, "The room is perfect Eleonora, no worries!" Though admittedly, Gail still hadn't unpacked. Her huge luggage chest was still sitting up against the corner of the room, and the only thing of hers that decorated her room was dirty laundry. She was so used to living out of a suitcase after so long that it didn't bother her, but perhaps that made it seem like she wasn't planning on staying long. With a curt nod at the thought, Gail decided she would send some time unpacking later today. As Nora suggested cooking instead of Sorrow, Gail jumped in on the conversation, "You've already worked so hard today, the least we can do is cook for you. Right Sorrow?" She flashed a big grin his way.