In which one or both characters is ill or injured.
What’s this and how do I join?
This is a challenge to create tropey Hackle (Ada Cackle/Hecate Hardbroom) fanworks! Basically, create a Hackle fanwork that uses this trope (any type of fanwork, any style, any setting, any length, any spin on the trope, any anything!), post it to Tumblr when it’s done, and tag it #hackle summer trope challenge. You are also welcome to add fanworks to the AO3 collection. That’s pretty much it! For a bit more detail, see HERE.
This is a challenge to create tropey Hackle (Ada Cackle/Hecate Hardbroom) fanworks! Basically, create a Hackle fanwork that uses this trope (any type of fanwork, any style, any setting, any length, any spin on the trope, any anything!), post it to Tumblr when it’s done, and tag it #hackle summer trope challenge. You are also welcome to add fanworks to the AO3 collection. That’s pretty much it! For a bit more detail, see HERE.
The sound of her alarm caused Ada to groan, feeling the pounding in her head grow worse. Every joint in her body ached, as she tried to move to turn off that insufferable sound. Ada couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this weak and tired. She had gone to bed early in the hopes of sleeping off the cold she seemed to have caught two days ago, but even sleep didn’t seem to have helped if anything it made her feel worse.
Finally managing to silence the alarm with a wave of her hand, she gave a happy sigh at the silence, even though it felt like a marching band was stomping across her forehead. Even swallowing was proving difficult. She couldn’t afford to be sick; she had a school to run.
Pulling back the covers, she managed to get herself in a sitting position, feeling a chill go through her as she removed the duvet that was covering her body. She had an hour to get ready before the castle would be alive with the girl’s heading to their classes, making her wonder what problems she would have to deal with today in regards to the feud between Ethel Hallow and Mildred Hubble. The mere thought caused a fresh wave of nausea to wash over her. Taking a few deep breaths, she closed her eyes, waiting for it to pass, before standing up and starting the slow process of getting changed and doing the rest of her morning activities.
“Yes, a long time ago,” Ada remarked softly, her hands ghosting over the cello.
“Why did you stop?”
Ada turned to look over at Hecate and held up her right hand. “Nerve damage. No matter how much physio I did, I never quite got the strength back in my hand.”
Hecate took Ada’s hand in her own, seeing the large angry scar that covered the palm of her hand. “Where did you get this?” she asked, tracing her fingertips across the scar causing Ada to shiver.
“Rafferty. I foolishly grabbed the blade of his knife to prevent him from stabbing me, but inadvertently in me doing so, the blade cut deep enough to slice through the muscle and nerves.”
“I’m truly sorry, Ada.”
“Don’t be. It’s in the past.”
“Yet, it still haunts you even to this day. I can see it in your eyes whenever we get called to a crime scene, or when your phone rings. You haven’t truly healed Ada, even though you may think otherwise.”
Ada pulled her hand free of Hecate’s grasp and turned to place the cello back in its original position when she felt a hand on her arm. “Play for me. Nerve damage or not, I would love to hear you play.”
“I haven’t played in years; I doubt I remember how.”
Hecate gave a warm smile, “You won’t know until you try.”
Ada searched Hecate’s eyes, finding herself giving in to her simple request. Sitting on the old woven chair, Hecate helped her place the cello in position and handed her the bow.
“What would you like me to play?”
“Whatever comes to you.”
Ada nodded, the bow feeling heavy in her hands as she drew it across the strings trying not to wince at the screeching sound. She tried not to look over at Hecate as she tightened the stings. If she was going to try to play, she at least wanted it to be tuned correctly.
Satisfied that she was ready, Ada felt her hand shake as she started to play, only getting through the first few notes, thinking about everything that happened in her life when she felt the familiar stabbing pain in her hand causing her to stop.
“Ada.”
“I’m sorry, Hecate, but I can’t do this,” Ada told her resigned dropping the bow on floor.
Hecate’s eyes softened as she walked over and bent down to pick up the bow. “Give it another try, and try not to think about the pain.”
“You don’t give up, do you?” Ada said, re-taking the bow.
“No, because I know you can do this, Ada. Clear your mind. Don’t think and just play.”
Ada doubted it would work, but she would humour Hecate for the time being. Positioning the bow back on the strings she tried to follow Hecate’s advice, closed her eyes and began to play.
Hecate stood transfixed as the first few notes echoed around her. The piece Ada had chosen to play was filled with sadness, regret, hurt, that it brought tears to her eyes. It was hard to think that one person had gone through so much and endured so much heartache in their life. She had known Ada was strong, but she never realised how much until Ada had told her about her past. Many would have given up, but not Ada, she carried on, dealing with the loss in her own way. As the melody came to a close, Hecate dried her eyes and softly applauded.
Ada’s eyes opened and looked over at Hecate in disbelief at what she had managed to accomplish.
“How?”
“The pain was real because you wanted it to be real, Ada. Why do you think I told you to clear your mind?”
Ada looked at her scarred hand, realising that the pain was indeed gone. “Are you telling me it was psychological?”
“In a way. The trauma of everything that has happened to you hasn’t truly left. Whenever you think or speak about that day, I’ve noticed you curling up your hand as if in pain. The pain is linked to your memories. What happened when you cleared your mind?”
“The pain was gone,” Ada admitted softly.
“Just as I suspected,” Hecate replied, moving the cello and placing it against the wall. “You play beautifully.”
Ada felt her words die in her throat as she silently stood and walked over to Hecate, placing the bow on the table. “I never thought I would be able to play again.”
Hecate turned a small smile playing on her lips. “Anything is possible, Ada. You just have to believe in yourself and have the courage to go ahead and do it. The only person stopping you is you.”
“And what happens when that person finally finds that courage?”
“Then they can finally take that leap of faith into the unknown and gain their heart’s desire.”
Ada moved closer until she was mere inches from Hecate and reached a hand out to tenderly place the loose strand of hair behind Hecate’s ear. Hecate felt her heart booming in her chest, as she looked into Ada’s eyes wondering what was coming next.
“I just want you to know; I am not in the habit of throwing myself at women,” Ada said, caressing the side of her face. “After I lost Sam, I swore I wouldn’t let myself get close to another person, that was until I met you.”
Hecate could feel the tension shimmering in the air around them as she saw a mixture of nervousness and apprehension reflected in Ada’s eyes along with something else. An emotion she couldn’t quite place. She had seen it briefly two nights ago when discussing their latest murder victim in Ada’s office. She had thought nothing of it at the time, but now she could see that there was something far more profound than just trust and friendship.
“You’ve come to mean a great deal to me in the short time that we’ve known each other,” Ada admitted. “I know it sounds strange, but it’s true.”
“It’s not strange,” Hecate reassured her with a smile.
“You feel the same?”
“Yes, I believe I do,” Hecate whispered, seeing Ada’s bright blue eyes filled with an array of emotion, as they studied her intently.
It felt as though Ada’s eyes were penetrating her soul, leaving her naked and exposed. Her heartbeat quickened when she felt Ada’s thumb tracing her bottom lip, sending a shiver through her body.
“You truly are special, Hecate. Always remember that, no matter what happens.” Ada whispered.
Hecate saw Ada lean in closer and brush her lips gently over her own, causing her eyes to widen in both shock and surprise.
It was when she felt Ada’s warm hand, and lips leave her face that she saw the other woman take a few steps back, looking shocked and mortified at what she had done as she started to apologise frantically.
Hecate could still feel the faint tingle on her lips from the kiss. Even though it had ended as quickly as it started, she felt a warmth spread through her before it disappeared.
“I’m sorry, Hecate. I don’t know what came over me.” Ada whispered frantically, her eyes filled with fear and worry at what she had just done. “Perhaps you should go.”
“No! I’m not anywhere. Especially, not after what just happened,” Hecate replied all earlier nervousness gone. “I need to know if you meant what you said?”
“Which part?” Ada asked, feeling her mouth become dry.
“All of it.”
Ada thought she could hear a trace of hopefulness in her voice as she waited for her answer. She could deny it all and say it was a mistake, she got caught up in the heat of the moment, but it was then she realised that she was tired of running.
“The yes, I meant every word. I tried to bury and deny any feelings I had for you, but I was only fooling myself. With that being said, I believe that some things should be given a chance, before deciding it if is right or not.”
“Then that’s more than enough.”
“Hecate, are you one hundred per cent sure this is what you want? I can’t offer you anything, and our relationship would need to remain a secret at least for the time being. I hope you understand.”
“I’m more than sure, Ada. You being here with me is all I’ll ever need.“
“Please, say something.” Ada pleaded, feeling her stomach twist in knots unable to take the silence a moment longer.
After the advice from her colleagues, she had decided to admit to her deputy and friend how she truly felt. She treasured the friendship she had with Hecate, which was one of the many reasons she hadn’t said anything. But she couldn’t hide or deny her feelings any longer. The fact of the matter was that she had fallen head over heels in love with Hecate Hardbroom, but the question was if Hecate felt the same.
“I can’t be in love with you, Ada.”
Ada nodded and bowed her head willing herself not to cry. What could Hecate ever see in her? She had been a fool to even think that she and Hecate could ever be more than friends.
“I understand.”
“No, please let me finish.“ Hecate whispered. “I can’t be in love with you, Ada because… because I’m already in love with you.”
Ada looked up seeing the love swimming in Hecate’s brown eyes.
“Hecate?”
“I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think you recuperated my feelings, and I didn’t want to jeopardise our friendship. You mean so much to me, Ada. It scared me how easy it was for you to ingratiate your way into my heart. I ignored that feeling at first, but as the months passed, I could no longer deny what I felt for you. It was no longer just friendship, but unconditional love.”
“Are you sure, Hecate? You aren’t just saying that because you feel sorry for me.”
“Ada, I promise you, every word I’ve said here today is true. I’ve concealed everything i’ve longed to say, too scared to confess what i had been feeling in case you would slip away.”
“And now?”
Hecate smiled, “And now, Ada Cackle i can tell you that I love you too.”
In the daytime the London Underground was a seething mass of humanity. Everyone from every walk of life was shoulder to shoulder, in each others face’s, no personal space, no exceptions. It was how Hecate found herself as she stood in front of one of the many underground maps, with her arms folded across her chest in frustration. She had lost count of the times she had told Ada of the line they needed to take in order to arrive at their destination.
“Ada, as I’ve told you for the past fifteen minutes, we need to take the Metropolitan Line.”
“Are you sure, Hecate? I think we need to take Hammersmith and City.”
Hecate inwardly sighed and counted to ten. She loved Ada with all her heart, and promised not to use her magic on this holiday. But she was willing to break that promise if it meant it got her out of such a crammed and hot environment.
“I’m positive. If we take Hammersmith and City line, we will need to back track and I would rather not stay in this insufferable place a moment longer.”
Ada looked up at Hecate in amusement, “It’s not that bad, Hecate I find it all rather exciting.”
It took all of Hecate’s self-control not to roll her eyes, “If you say so.”
“Are you both finished staring at the map, some of us actually want to see Baker Street?” Miss Drill called in annoyance at having stayed in the one spot for what seemed like forever.
Hecate looked over at Dimity with a scowl, “We are just going! Though I do not understand the need to see a street that housed a fictional detective, when we could be spending our time doing something more productive, like visiting the British Museum.”
“Sherlock Holmes is famous, HB. Live a little.”
Ada hummed and continued to stare at the map. “I still think it’s the Hammersmith and City Line.”
Hecate groaned in annoyance, “Ada, we are not going on the Hammersmith and City line! The only reason you wish to travel on the line is because it’s pink!”
The hallway corridor was dimly lit, the flames of the candles causing shadows to flicker and dance over the walls, as she made her way towards the room across the hall seeing the door slightly ajar. Pushing it open, she entered the room realising it was Musgrave’s family study.
Ada walked further into the room, when she heard the door close behind her, followed by the gentle click of the lock sealing her in.
Before Ada could panic, she felt familiar arms curl themselves around her waist, and drew her against her chest in a welcoming and familiar embrace.
“I’ve missed you, Ada,” murmured Hecate against her ear and placed a kiss on her lover’s cheek.
