Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

(Queens)
4:34 AM

KittyKatherine: EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LISTEN!

BeheadedBoleyn: what

GoldenQueen: DAMMIT I JUST GOT ANNE ASLEEP

BasicallyOurMum: Why did Anne barely just fall asleep?

BeheadedBoleyn: Fortement importuns and general insomnia

PalaceInRichmond: translate?

I<3Coffee: Loudly Unwelcomes

BeheadedBoleyn: my voices

PalaceInRichmond: ah understood 

I<3Coffee: Damn

GoldenQueen: Anyway

BasicallyOurMum: Kat, why don't you go?

KittyKatherine: I GOT AN IDEA

BeheadedBoleyn: which isss?

KittyKatharine: We should do a weekly live with the ladies to get people hyped about the musical 

PalaceInRichmond: ooh we could share snippets of the song and costumes and dialogue and shit

GoldenQueen: That's a good idea

GoldenQueen: Why couldn't it wait till morning?

KittyKatherine: I had it an hour ago and just had to tell

BeheadedBoleyn: valid

I<3Coffee: Is that why you've been moving so much?

KittyKatherine: Happy stims

BeheadedBoleyn: fuck yaa

GoldenQueen: Anne is going to sleep now

BeheadedBoleyn: >:|

PalaceInRichmond: we should all sleep

I<3Coffee: Yeah

KittyKatherine: Night guys

BasicallyOurMum: Goodnight!

(The Bois)
8:24 AM

KittyKatherine: GUYS

MomFriendThree: Wait wait wait wait

ChaosOne: What are the names?

ChaosTwo: WHY AM I TWO?

GoldenQueen: Less chaotic

LiteralChild: What the fuck?

MomFriendThree: Okay everyone sound off

ChaosOne: Maggie

ChaosTwo: Bessie

LiteralChild: Joan

MomFriendThree: Maria

MomFriendThree: Why am I three?

BeheadedBoleyn: First Jane, then Catherine duh

BasicallyOurMum: Yeah.

LiteralChild: I'm not a child??? 

KittyKatherine: You learn to live with it kid

LiteralChild: I m  o l d e r  t h a n  y o u

I<3Coffee: Okay Kat say your idea 

ChaosOne: Why is it called The Bois when we're all girls?

PalaceInRichmond: bois is a gender-neutral term

KittyKatherine: WE ALL DO A WEEKLY LIVE TO BUILD MUSICAL HYPE AND SING AND VIBE AND WHATEVER

MomFriendThree: That's not a bad idea actually

ChaosTwo: yeah

LiteralChild: People could actually learn more about us

ChaosOne: When should we do it?

BeheadedBoleyn: whenever 

BeheadedBoleyn: scratch that no idea why i talked i am in no way involved in the planning

MomFriendThree: Well we're free whenever 

BasicallyOurMum: We're free today if you guys want?

PalaceInRichmond: fuck yeah

GoldenQueen: Any particular time?

ChaosOne: How about 1 pm?

ChaosTwo: cool

GoldenQueen: We all good with that?

BasicallyOurMum: Yep!

KittyKatherine: I'll set it up!

I<3Coffee: Let's go!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They were all set up and ready to go. They just talked for a half-hour before deciding to start.

“What are we gonna do?” Joan asked, looking at Kat as she set up the phone.

“Anything we want?” Maggie shrugged, “We can answer questions or something first.”

“Yeah, ChaosOne,” Anne shot her a smirk, ”Something.”

“Not on board with those names,” Joan muttered.

“Okay, Maggie and Bessie's could be improved,” Kat admitted, ”But Maria and yours' are flawless.”

“I'm not that big of a Mom friend!” Maria argued.

“It's why you're number three,” Anne looked at her.

“I'm not a kid,” Joan huffed, ”I'm older than Kat.”

“Very low bar,” Anna rolled her eyes, ”Kat is also a child.”

“And you're only older by a few years,” Kat pointed out.

“Okay, everybody shut up!” Cathy ran over, ”We're live in 3, 2, 1!”

Kat grinned, ”And we're live!”

“Hell, yeah!” Anne bounced on the couch, ”Okay, let's... Now what?”

“Just introductions,” Jane suggested, ”Catherine?”

“If you don't already know,” Catherine began, ”I am Catherine of Aragon.”

“I am Anne Boleyn!” Anne smiled.

“Jane Seymour,” Jane nodded.

“Anna of Cleves,” Anna glanced at Kat.

“Katherine Howard,” Kat hummed, ”But call me Kat or Kitty!”

“Catherine Parr,” Cathy looked at Kat, ”But just say Cathy.”

“I am Margaret Lee,” Maggie went first, ”But Maggie is cool.”

“Bessie Blount,” Bessie shrugged, ”At least, that's what I go by.”

“I'm Joan Meutas,” Joan nodded.

“And Maria de Salinas,” Maria finished, ”Now what?”

“Questions!” Kat grinned and looked at her phone, ”Which of the Queens has a closes relationship to one of the Ladies?”

“Easy,” Cathy nodded, ”Anne and Maggie.”

“Are we?” Maggie tilted her head.

“The Dumbass Duo,” Anna nodded.

“Fuck off!” Anne shot her a playful glare.

“Okay,” Kitty hummed, ”How close are the Ladies to the Queens in general?”

“Pretty close,” Catherine shrugged, ”After we found each other, we started to hang out a lot.”

“Yeah,” Maria agreed, ”We saw some Instagram accounts and set out to see if it was really them.”

“Then, we found each other,” Joan smiled.

“Next one!” Kitty looked down, “Do any of the ladies have a disability like the Queens?”

“Joan has ADHD,” Maria nodded, ”And I have OCD.”

“Hmm...” Kat looked at them, ”How long about did we find each other? And when did the ladies come back?”

“Well, we all came back at the same time,” Jane explained, ”The Ladies in a house only twenty minutes away. But, much like us at first, they only went out if they had to.”

“So, we never interacted,” Joan nodded, ”Then, around... 8 months ago?” After Maria nodded, she continued, ”Maggie found some Instagram account and started yelling about the Queens. We couldn't find their address, but we sent them messages and set up a meet-up point.”

“I honestly thought we might've been walking into a trap,” Anne admitted, ”But I was so happy when I saw you guys.”

“I was just glad we weren't the only ones reincarnated!” Bessie smiled, ”I don't know what I would do if we never found you guys.”

“Neither do I,” Cathy nodded.

“Okay!” Kat read off another question, ”Any of the other songs finished?”

“Nope,” Anna shook her head, ”But we're working on them.”

“Yes, we are!” Anne nodded, “We're all gonna have one song and then two shared songs, one being the finale.”

“Yeah,” Jane smiled, ”We're very excited to show you guys the finished project.”

“Have we ever been to a theme park?” Kat looked at them.

“No,” Maria shook her head, ”But we might.”

“That would be a nightmare,” Cathy nodded, slowly, ”I can already picture Anne, Kat, Anna, and Maggie getting kicked out, Bessie and I recording, Jane, Catherine, and Maria panicking while Joan sobs in the corner.”

“Fuck off,” Anne jokingly punched her shoulder, ”I would never get kicked out!”

“What is everyone's birthday?” Kat winced a little at the question.

“Well...” Anne began, ”That's... That's a hard one.”

“Birthdays weren't a thing back then,” Maria explained, ”So, some of us kinda lost track of them. No, we all forgot. But the internet has some of our birthdays.”

“Apparently, mine is December 16th, 1485,” Catherine nodded.

“September 22nd, 1515!” Anna raised her hand.

“January 6th, 1536,” Maria hummed.

“The rest of us just know the year,” Bessie sighed, ”But no one's birthday has been celebrated, yet, so it doesn't matter.”

“Next question!” Kat looked down, ”Uh... Weirdest modern thing?”

“Vaccines!” Anne leaned forward, ”And medicine in general! It's insane you guys have this stuff!”

“I've gotta say modern lingo,” Jane hummed, ”Half of the things you guys say just... Doesn't make sense.”

“Pog,” Anna smirked.

“Bet bet,” Anne nodded.

“We're vibing, Janey!” Kat smiled.

“Oh, God-” Maria looked down, ”Please stop.”

“I love modern lingo!” Maggie laughed, ”But I don't understand a lot of new things. Like... There are some clothes I just... Don't get.”

“And all electronics,” Joan added, ”How do those... Work?”

“Just don't question things and go,” Cathy shrugged.

“Okay!” Kat hummed, ”Any favorite songs?”

“All of them!” Anne grinned, ”There are so many amazing new modern songs and I love singing and it's so cool!”

“I love all of the genres,” Cathy agreed, ”And the bands and lyrics. I'm a fan of metaphorical songs.”

“I'm not picky,” Kat shrugged, ”None of us have a particular taste, we kinda like almost every song.”

“Except Joan,” Maggie added, “Joan only likes angsty teen songs.”

“Fuck, off, I do not!” Joan shot her a glare, ”I like some, but I like a lot of songs!”

“Okay, Panic! At The Disco,” Anne rolled her eyes and everyone else laughed.

“Anyway-” Kat glanced down, ”Um... Do we know our general ages...?”

“Okay,” Anne sighed, ”Short story, yes, but just guessing from our bodies and stuff.”

“Kat came back as 19,” Catherine began, ”Cathy was 23, Anne was 22, Jane and I were 25, Anna was 24.”

“I was 24,” Maria nodded, ”Bessie and Maggie were both 23, Joan was 20.”

“Or, that's our guess...” Cathy shrugged, “But we aren't too concerned with age. I mean, we have no idea how or why we are these ages, but it doesn't change much.”

“Yeah,” Jane agreed, ”We just kinda... Go on with our new lives. Our age has little influence on our lives.”

“Other than the fact that 20 isn't like the majority of your life,” Anna pointed out, ”’Cause y'all live ‘till like... 80 or some shit.”

“Insane,” Maggie laughed, ”Life is so long now.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They did the live for a couple of hours, answering questions and talking until they decided to end it.

“Goodbye, Queendom!” Jane waved as Kat ended it.

“Whoo!” Bessie laid back, ”That was both energizing and exhausting.”

“Actually, mood,” Anne nodded.

“The fans seem to be into the ladies,” Cathy smiled.

“I know!” Maggie grinned, ”We weren't sidelined or anything. It was nice.”

“So,” Maria looked around, ”When are we gonna do this again?”

“Next week, same time?” Catherine suggested.

“Sure,” Joan nodded, ”Now what?”

“You guys can stay over and we can watch something?” Anna suggested.

“Sleepover!” Maggie jumped up, ”Hell, yeah!”

“We can stay up all night and play games!” Anne nodded, ”Like Truth or Dare!”

“Yes!” Kat smiled, ”And watch movies and eat candy and not sleep!”

“Oh, God, this is gonna be a mess...” Catherine sighed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They watched shows and movies until around 1:00 AM when Anne suggested starting Truth or Dare. They all settled on the couch with snacks and drinks.

“And if you don't wanna do the Truth or Dare, you gotta take a shot!” Kat added.

“Alright,” Bessie smirked.

“Who's going first?” Catherine looked around, ”And who is staying sober because someone has to.”

“Kat, can you have alcohol?” Joan asked, glancing at her, ”Oh, also, I can stay sober. Not a big fan of alcohol.”

“Perish,” Kat answered, ”I can in this household!”

“Oh, my God...” Cathy narrowed her eyes, ”Can someone else stay sober because, no offense, Joany, I want someone other than a literal child sober if something happened.”

“I will,” Maria sighed, ”Joan and I will just watch.”

“I'm going first!” Anna raised her hand and pointed at Maggie, ”Truth or Dare?”

“Dare!” Maggie nodded.

“Hmm...” Anna hummed, ”Go outside and scream, ‘Fuck’ as loud as you can.”

“Oh, please, don't,” Joan groaned, ”Someone will call the cops.”

“I'm doing it!” Maggie jumped up and ran out the back.

Everyone burst out laughing as they heard a loud, “FUCK!” before Maggie ran back in.

“Anyway,” She smirked, ”Kit, Truth or Dare?”

“Truth!” Kat nodded.

“Hmm...” Maggie hummed, ”When did you first realizing you were into Cath? When did it hit you?”

“Well...” Kat looked at Cathy and smiled a little, ”We were in her room, watching some video on YouTube, and I mentioned that I didn't really feel like touching people and she said that she felt like that, too, sometimes. So, we just kinda watched stuff on her laptop and didn't touch and she was fine with that and it hit me that I was in love.”

“Aww!” Cathy smiled, ”Really?”

“Yep!” Kat grinned, ”And now it's my turn so, Catherine!”

“Hmm...” Catherine looked up before nodding, ”Dare.”

“Don't talk to Anne for three turns,” Kat narrowed her eyes at her, ”Three other people's turns.”

“Ooh!” Anna leaned forward, ”Ya gonna do it?”

“Kat!” Anne pouted, from her seat in Catherine's lap, ”How could you do that to me?”

“She won't do it,” Kat smirked, ”I know how dependant she is. She tries to hide it, but she's totally the clingiest person here.”

“You know, what?” Catherine looked at her, ”I'll do it.”

“Lina!” Anne whined before glaring at Kat, ”You did this!”

“I didn't think she'd take it!” Kitty argued, ”I'm not guilty here!”

“No way!” Bessie rolled her eyes, ”She can't do it.”

“I can and will!” Catherine nodded, ”Now, Jane. Truth or Dare?”

“Truth...” Jane mumbled, pulling Anna closer, ”I am not giving up emotional intimacy.”

“I didn't have a choice in that matter,” Anne muttered.

Catherine glanced at Anne and opened her mouth before shutting it and looking at Jane, “Well... Alright, what did you first think about Anna? Like, the first time you met her?”

“Honestly?” Jane gave a nervous laugh, ”I wasn't sure. I was both impressed and intimidated by her. She was so... Confrontational and laid back at the same time, I didn't know what to think of her. But now I know her better.”

“Damn, I expected something worse,” Bessie huffed, ”No offense, love you, Anna, but I thought you were kind of a bitch at first.”

“Wow, love you, too,” Anna rolled her eyes.

“But it's my turn, now, right?” Jane asked. After a nod from everyone else, she hummed and looked around, eyes landing on Cathy, ”Truth or Dare, Parr?”

“Truth,” Cathy nodded.

“Hmm...” Jane hummed, ”What's the longest you've stayed up?”

“52 hours,” Cathy shrugged, ”Give or take. Passed out at the kitchen table.”

“I remember that!” Anne laughed, ”I had to carry you to your bed and you didn't even wake up! I almost dropped you so many times!”

“Okay,” Cathy looked at Anne, ”Truth or Dare?”

“Dare,” Anne grinned, ”Give me your worst, Parr.”

“Don't talk to Catherine for the rest of the night.”

Anne immediately went to take a shot, earning groans from the others.

“Aw, come on, Annie!” Kat complained, ”You're that co-defendant?”

“Yes!” Anne huffed, “I would die if I couldn't talk to her!”

“What about three turns?” Cathy suggested.

“No,” Anne said, making a heart with her hands before taking a shot, ”Can Catherine talk to me now?”

“It's been three turns,” Kat nodded, ”So yes.”

“Lina!” Anne grinned.

“Bo!” Catherine smiled.

“Simps,” Maria rolled her eyes.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
At around 3 AM, they were all pretty wasted, other than Joan and Maria, and it started to get deep.

“Jane, truth or dare?” Maggie asked.

“Truth,” Jane hummed, running her hands through Anna's hair, who was laying on her lap.

“What's your biggest fear?” Maggie mumbled before eating a handful of Skittles.

“That's heavy,” Cathy commented, curled up by Kat.

“That everyone will realize that I have nothing to offer and you'll all start treating me like shit,” Jane answered, face blank.

“Oh,” Bessie winced, ”Damn.”

“I know you know this,” Kat looked at her, ”But we would never.”

“I know,” Jane nodded, ”Catherine?”

“Dare,” Catherine answered.

“Uh...” Jane hummed, ”Go climb on the roof.”

“What the fuck?” Joan stood up, ”No, she will die.”

“I've done it,” Anne shrugged, ”Barely even almost died.”

“I'm not in the mood for death,” Catherine took a shot, ”But... Anna!”

“Truth,” Anna nodded.

“Well...” Catherine paused, ”What's your biggest regret?”

“It's too late and you guys are too drunk for this,” Maria rolled her eyes.

“Henry,” Anna answered, ”Just... All of it. And March of this year.”

“What happened?” Maggie tilted her head.

“Ah, maybe I shouldn't have said that,” Anna backtracked, ”Really personal, not my place to say, so-”

“I almost died,” Anne said, everyone's heads snapping toward.

“You almost die all the time,” Bessie joked.

“This time it was my fault,” Anne clarified, ”It was me.”

“It's always your fault,” Maria commented, ”I mean, almost always, it's just you being reckless.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Joan waved her hands and looked at Anne, ”Like... Suicide?” She whispered the last word, horrified.

“Yep,” Anne nodded, giving a bitter smile, ”Texted everyone suicide notes and everything! March 24th, that's what broke Anne Boleyn!”

“Oh, God, Anne...” Maggie looked uncharacteristically sad and upset, “T-That's horrible.”

“Elizabeth's Death Day,” Cathy added, looking down.

“It's okay, though,” Anne shrugged, ”I have you guys. I'm okay... I'm doing better now.”

“I'm-” Joan blinked, ”Jesus, Anne, why did you tell us this at 3 AM when everyone is drunk?”

“I'm drunk!” Anne protested, ”It's gonna hit me I told you guys in the morning and I'm gonna freak out.”

“Well,” Maria began, ”So you know, this doesn't change anything and we love you.”

“Thank you,” Anne smiled and leaned against, ”Anna, your turn!”

“Well...” Anna hummed, ”Anne, let's keep it on you! Truth or Dare?”

“Dare,” Anne nodded, ”Been truthful enough this evening. Night? Morning? No idea.”

“Go climb the roof and jump into the pool!” Anna grinned.

“Bet!” Anne jumped up, pausing and stumbling for a second before running toward the backdoor, the others following, panicked.

“Annie, no!” Kat yelled.

“Bo, Bo, I was kidding!” Anna ran over, ”Take a shot and move on!”

“No!” Anne looked at them, ”I've done this before!”

“Boleyn, please,” Catherine pinched the bridge of her nose, ”This won't end well!”

“Nah, I got it!” Anne began to climb up a tree, before moving to the fence.

“At least get the ladder!” Joan sighed, exasperated.

“This is more fun!” Anne argued, before jumping from the fence to the corner of the roof. Everyone shouted in fear and protest, but she managed to scramble up onto it.

“HOW ARE YOU NOT DEAD?!” Bessie screamed.

“Bitch is drunk and sleep-deprived and still more athletic than me,” Maggie complained, ”Smh.”

“This was a mistake!” Anne called down to them, holding both her arms out, ”I will not make it to the pool!”

“No, you won't!” Cathy agreed, ”Now let me get the ladder!”

“I'm good without it!” Anne ran over and launched herself toward the tree. Everyone screamed and Joan closed her eyes.

Anne grabbed onto one branch, muttering something in French, and then began to slowly climb down.

The second Anne's feet hit the ground, Catherine hugged her and dragged her into the house, saying they should make sure she had no injuries. Anne insisted that she was fine, and Kat suggested they just watch some shows for the rest of the night.

Everyone else agreed, so they curled up on the couch and watched TV until they passed out.

Chapter Text

(Chaotic Three)
4:34 PM

BeheadedBoleyn: um

KittyKatherine: Yeah?

BeheadedBoleyn: i usually go to lina but she isnt home rn so

PalaceInRichmond: well we're here for you

KittyKatherine: Yeah tell us what's up!

BeheadedBoleyn: i just... feel

BeheadedBoleyn: fuck i dont know

PalaceInRichmond: we can go to your room if youre there

BeheadedBoleyn: no no i just feel not sad but like i did when i was sad

BeheadedBoleyn: plus im in the living room

KittyKatherine: Gonna be real, not sure what that means

BeheadedBoleyn: numb

BeheadedBoleyn: i feel numb and detached and i dont know what to do so help

KittyKatherine: Uh neither do I

PalaceInRichmond: I do hold on

PalaceInRichmond: Anne I need you to breathe

BeheadedBoleyn: ok???

KittyKatherine: I'm so lost who else is home

BeheadedBoleyn: no one

KittyKatherine: Fuck you think they'd learn their lesson

PalaceInRichmond: guys it's not a big deal this happens to me anytime I get a negative comment on my looks okay

BeheadedBoleyn: w h a t

BeheadedBoleyn: sgnsgsnsgjhs help i dont like this

PalaceInRichmond: I'm on my way

KittyKatherine: Same
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Anna ran out, noticing Kat right behind her.

Anne was on the couch, looking up. Anna sighed and tapped her shoulder, not too shocked by the way she jumped before turning toward her.

“Oh, didn't notice you,” Anne's words were slurred and quiet- again not surprising.

“Anne, I need you to breathe,” Anna jumped over the back of the couch and grabbed Anne's hand, ”Look around and tell me five things you can see.”

“Um,” Anne blinked, ”Why?”

“Just do it.”

“Uh...” Anne looked around, ”I don't know... Just- The TV. Uh, couch. Blanket. You and Kit.”

“That works,” Anna shrugged, ”Four things you can feel?”

“The couch,” Anne began, “Um... My clothes? The choker. I guess that's the same thing. You're holding my hand, so you. The blanket. I don't know.”

“Do you feel any better?” Anna checked.

“Kinda...” Anne shrugged, ”I just- I was only freaking out because I... I don't know. I've felt like this before, but... But it... It was when I was... Depressed.” Anna noticed the way she mumbled the word, almost ashamed. She sighed a little and pulled her hand closer.

“That- That's okay!” Kat walked over and sat down by Anne, ”I mean... Not okay. Depression isn't okay. But the feeling is okay to have?”

“I just always felt numb, you know?” Anne looked at them, ”I just... I just remember working on the suicide notes- One for Jane and I said that I wanted it to be quiet. I always felt numb and I never wanna feel numb again.”

“I get it,” Anna gave a small smile, ”I mean... Kinda. I feel like that a lot. Sometimes, I get some dumb message calling me ugly. I'm usually fine, but there's always a chance it just... Sets me off. I feel numb and detached, like I'm looking at myself. I usually just lay in bed until someone comes and knocks at my door or I just drift out of it? It's hard to describe.”

“I don't think this is normal,” Kat mumbled, ”But what about us is?”

“Maybe we should ask someone when they get home?” Anne suggested, and Anna couldn't help but smile.

“Yeah,” She put her hand on Anne's shoulder, ”We can ask someone for help.”

Anne tilted her head, ”Yeah, that's what I just said? Am I missing something?”

Anna shot Kat a look, and Kat nodded to show she understood. Anna laughed a little, ”Nothin’, ‘Leyn. Let's watch some TV.”

As Anne turned on the TV, Anna felt like a weight had been lifted as the realization hit her. Maybe Anne wasn't perfect, but she asked for help. Effortlessly. Maybe it was a one time thing, but it still showed her that she was getting better.

And that made Anna happy.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So,” Cathy sighed, ”Describe it again?”

“Feeling numb and detached,” Anna repeated, ”Like you're looking at yourself. Losing track of time.”

“Not noticing anything but your own thoughts,” Anne added, ”And like... Hearing static. Just like a staticy noise and everything else is gone.”

“Well...” Cathy looked at her phone, ”It sounds like depersonalization and/or dissociation.”

“Hmm?” Kat blinked.

“‘Persistent and recurrent episodes of depersonalization or derealization or both cause distress and problems functioning at work or school or in other important areas of your life. During these episodes, you are aware that your sense of detachment is only a feeling and not reality,’” Cathy recited, ”The symptoms inclu-”

“Wait, wait,” Jane waved her hands, ”I need a second to process that.”

Cathy sighed and waited until Jane nodded to continue, ”Symptoms include, ‘Feelings that you're an outside observer of your thoughts, feelings, your body or parts of your body — for example, as if you were floating in air above yourself.’

Anna hummed and nodded while Anne just blinked and looked down.

“‘Feeling like a robot or that you're not in control of your speech or movements,’” Cathy continued.

“Mm...” Anne glanced up, ”Kinda? Like, I was just... Saying things as a reaction but not really meaning it?”

“‘The sense that your body, legs or arms appear distorted, enlarged or shrunken, or that your head is wrapped in cotton,’” Cathy scrunched up her nose, ”Damn, that sounds really sucky.”

“I think I've only done it a couple of times?” Anne shrugged, ”Not sure what was that and what was being depressed.”

“‘Emotional or physical numbness of your senses or responses to the world around you,’” Cathy looked at them.

The two just nodded.

“‘A sense that your memories lack emotion, and that they may or may not be your own memories,’” Cathy finished.

“Not really that last one,” Anne shook her head, ”But the rest... Maybe.”

“I kinda get the last one,” Anna shrugged, ”But... Lightly. Just a vague feeling?”

“Vaguely numb and detached is a good way to describe this whole thing to me,” Anne looked around.

“Well,” Cathy hummed, ”There's some medication you can take, but there's also plenty of grounding techniques. Just tell one of us when you feel like that and we can all help. We can also go over grounding techniques right now and save them for future use if you want?”

“That could be useful,” Catherine nodded.

Cathy smiled and began, ”So, there's the 54321 technique...”

Chapter Text

(The Bois)
2:12 PM

LiteralChild: Hey guys???

BeheadedBoleyn: ye?

ChaosOne: yeah?

LiteralChild: [Link Attached]

LiteralChild: Help

I<3Cathy: GOD FUCKING DAMMIT

KittyKatherine: WHO THE FUCK REPOSTED THAT ARTICLE

BasicallyOurMum: It's worse than last time.

GoldenQueen: NO ONE READ IT

BeheadedBoleyn: BITCHES INCLUDED THE LADIES THIS TIME

PalaceInRichmond: OH MY GOD HOW DID IT GET EVEN MORE VICTIM BLAMEY

ChaosTwo: THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE???

MomFriendThree: WHAT

GoldenQueen: Around the beginning the same dick posted an article just about us six

I<3Coffee: We responded and it got taken down

BeheadedBoleyn: and now its back

LiteralChild: I read like half of it and panicked and sent the link and I just 

LiteralChild: What the Hell man??

BeheadedBoleyn: CAN WE ALL NOT BLAME KAT FOR RAPE FOR FIVE FUCKING SECONDS SHE WAS 13

KittyKatherine: Oh my God there's ableism now

ChaosOne: a b l e i s m ?

ChaosTwo: This is beyond shitty

PalaceInRichmond: fuck okay grounding shit help

BasicallyOurMum: On my way

BeheadedBoleyn: damn no period she really rushing

GoldenQueen: @PalaceInRichmond You okay?

PalaceInRichmond: Jane is in here so doing better

MomFriendThree: What do we do about it?

I<3Coffee: The article got taken down the last time we did a response

BeheadedBoleyn: its back now so it dossnt matter

BeheadedBoleyn: oh wow look

BeheadedBoleyn: “All of these women have managed to convince everyone else that they were the poor, helpless victims in this situation when, at best, they're morally gray.”

BeheadedBoleyn: more victim blaming

GoldenQueen: It was the 1500s

ChaosTwo: W e  w e r e  h e l p l e s s

KittyKatherine: Again why is Jane so bad???

PalaceInRichmond: THAT'S THE ONE THING I STILL DON'T FUCKING GET

GoldenQueen: WHAT HAS JANE EVER DONE

BasicallyOurMum: Why do people hate me?

I<3Coffee: Like yeah hate me, I get that, hate any of us, but J a n e ? ?

BeheadedBoleyn: honestly like sure their reasons for hating us were dumb but at least there were reasons

KittyKatherine: Jane's is just... “I don't like her.”... And she was vaguely mean to Anne in our past lives

PalaceInRichmond: WE WERE ALL MEAN THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE

GoldenQueen: On that

GoldenQueen: Everyone needs to fuck out of Anne and I's relationship okay??? We have talked through the past and are happy stop saying it's not healthyyyyy

LiteralChild: But the ableism man

ChaosOne: The fucking ableism gets me

I<3Coffee: Take a shot every time that they make an assumption and then treat it like a fact even though there's barely any evidence and they're literally just guessing 

PalaceInRichmond: please don't you'll die of alcohol poisoning

BeheadedBoleyn: oh hey look the physical manifestations of my fortement importuns

ChaosTwo: What?

GoldenQueen: Voices/depression

MomFriendThree: Oh fuck

KittyKatherine: Is Catherine with Anne

BeheadedBoleyn: yeah dont worry

I<3Coffee: Cool cool

I<3Coffee: Kat and I are together btw

MomFriendThree: All of us are in the living room

GoldenQueen: You guys wanna come over so we can talk in person or something?

BeheadedBoleyn: oh my god this dude wrote a whole ass novel

KittyKatherine: It's an entire b o o k

ChaosOne: yeah we're on our way

I<3Coffee: VictimShaming 2, Electric Boogaloo

ChaosTwo: Ah
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When the Ladies got there, Kat and Cathy were pacing and ranting in the kitchen, Jane was talking to Anna and periodically having her describe something in the room or move around, and Catherine and Anne were curled up and looking at Catherine's phone.

“Now what?” Kat asked, at some point, ”I mean... We can make a response video, but we did that before.”

“No idea,” Cathy hummed, ”We can just make a statement saying we need to compose ourselves and then make a response where we say what we think?”

“That works,” Jane agreed, ”I mean, if the article stays up, who cares? We know it's wrong. All we can really do is tell people that it's wrong.”

Maria nodded, ”Yeah, let's all calm down and stay here for a bit and-”

“What the FUCK?!” Anne yelled, pulling the phone away from Catherine. Catherine was visibly upset and stood up as Anne jumped up and took a few steps away from the couch, looking at Catherine's phone.

“Anne, Anne, Anne, calm down!” Catherine began.

“FUCK NO!” Anne yelled, and the others stepped closer, ”Th-This ASSHOLE said you- you deserved to get locked away. You- FUCK!”

“Annie, what happened?!” Kat's eyes were wide and she was tapping her foot.

“The author of the article sent me a shitty message,” Catherine explained, quickly, ”Bo, please, take a few deep breaths.”

“Je jure, je vais tuer cette personne!” Anne began to rant in French, losing every but Jane, Cathy, and Maggie, ”Je vais faire paraître Henry apprivoisé par rapport à ce que je fais!”

“Bo, Bo,” Cathy began, rushing over, when Anne's phone buzzed.

Everyone stayed quiet as everyone else's phones buzzed, first Jane, then Anna, then Kitty's, and they all got the pattern at that point.

Buzz.

Buzz.

Buzz.

Buzz.

Buzz.

There was a silence until Catherine said, ”Okay... This could be a coincidence, but we need to check.”

Anne looked at her phone. Everyone looked at her and she nodded. Their faces melted into sympathetic and concerned voices, but she just rolled her eyes and said, ”Honestly? I've said worse to myself. Pretty unoriginal. Did mention me being Bisexual and said to pick a side, which was a first for that.”

“Oh,” Cathy blinked, ”Fuck.”

“Mine isn't that far off from the actual article,” Jane clarified, ”Though the lack of commas and spaces make it hard to read.”

Cathy, Kat, Anne, and Joan mumbled in agreement.

“It's literally just what they said in the article,” Kat huffed, before she stiffened and winced, ”Oh, except for the suicide baiting.”

“The what?” Cathy looked at her phone, ”I'm sorry, ‘Go kill yourself, you whore’?! Where the Hell do-”

“They said what?!” Anne demanded, “I did more think I could get more upset, but here we are.”

“This is so much worse than last time!” Anna yelled, pacing and glancing around the room, ”Th- Fuck! There aren't enough words to describe the absolute bullshittery that is this.”

“So now what?” Joan asked, ”We just... Explain that suicide baiting isn't okay?”

“This is bullshit,” Maggie muttered.

“I say we just...” Maria sighed, ”Relax. Say we need to compose ourselves and destress.”

“Sounds good to me,” Bessie nodded, ”Besides, what even can we say to this? It's shitty?”

Anne mumbled something in French before sighing and looking at the others, ”Let's just... Make the statement and figure it out from there. Agreed?”

Everyone mumbled in agreement and Cathy volunteered to write up the statement. The rest of them prepared for a sleepover.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The ten of them were positioned either on the couch or the two mattresses on the ground.

At some point, when the TV was off and everything was quiet, Anne broke the silence.

“Anyone else awake?”

“Yeah,” Kat answered.

“I am,” Bessie shifted a little, ”So is Mags.”

“Hey,” Maggie mumbled.

“Better question-” Cathy sat up, ”Who isn't awake?”

“Jane, Catherine, and Maria are out,” Anna informed from the couch, ”And Joan... May be out.”

“I'm half-out,” Joan muttered, shifting a little from her spot on the couch.

“Gotcha,” Anne nodded.

“I don't think I can sleep...” Kat sighed, ”That article and the message- It's just... Makes me wanna angry stim and I much prefer happy stims.”

“Mood,” Joan mumbled.

“Wait, wait-” Anna pulled out her phone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(PalaceInRichmond added KittyKatherine, BeheadedBoleyn, I<3Coffee, ChaosOne, ChaosTwo, and LiteralChild to a groupchat)

(PalaceInRichmond renamed the groupchat Discussions)

(Discussions)
3:54 AM

PalaceInRichmond: so we don't wake people up

BeheadedBoleyn: cool cool

KittyKatherine: Generalize but what did the messages say?

BeheadedBoleyn: called me a slut whore bad person etc

BeheadedBoleyn: the only comment that actually got me was

BeheadedBoleyn: “Catherine deserves better than you, which is saying a lot considering I think she also deserved to get locked up.”

KittyKatharine: Damn

ChaosOne: why did that get you? he's so obviously wrong on that

BeheadedBoleyn: hes wrong that lina deserved to get locked up but idk about the other one

I<3Coffee: Anne, trust me, Catherine can't do better than you

BeheadedBoleyn: rude

I<3Coffee: I just mean that you're like perfect for each other okay?

ChaosTwo: You two compliment each other perfectly 

PalaceInRichmond: you would both be insufferable without the other no offense Anne I love you

BeheadedBoleyn: i get it

BeheadedBoleyn: ty guys

PalaceInRichmond: I'll go next

PalaceInRichmond: said I was ugly smth about how it made sense Henry dumped me there was self-harm bait at the end

LiteralChild: h m m ?

PalaceInRichmond: “Go cut yourself, you ugly bitch.”

BeheadedBoleyn: FUCK

KittyKatherine: God fucking dammit

BeheadedBoleyn: ok ok ok but @PalaceInRichmond @KittyKatherine u wonr right?

PalaceInRichmond: won't what?

BeheadedBoleyn: cut or kill yourselves

PalaceInRichmond: don't worry I'm good

KittyKatherine: I promise I won't 

I<3Coffee: Cool cool I'll go

I<3Coffee: Honestly pretty basic and boring, shit about how I wasn't Elizabeth's real Mom, not much with merit just insults

I<3Coffee: And who's gonna go now?

ChaosOne: well, my was also just insults with no evidence or anything 

ChaosTwo: Same

LiteralChild: same other than like one v specific thing 

LiteralChild: “You should've died in childbirth like Seymour.”

I<3Coffee: How fun

ChaosTwo: I think Joan is out now

LiteralChild: ur out noe

LiteralChild: fuck

ChaosOne: let's all sleep

BeheadedBoleyn: or at leat try

KittyKatharine: Yeah

I<3Coffee: Cool

ChaosTwo: Night
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The next day, when they woke up, everyone else noticed Bessie, Maria, Jane, Catherine, and Anna were already awake, and pacing in the kitchen, talking about something.

“Okay, okay!” Maria said, at some point, ”Stop. It doesn't mat-”

“People think we harassed someone, Maria!” Catherine hissed, eyes wide, ”People think we sent death threats to someone!”

Kat opened her mouth, but Anne shook her head and signaled to the others to stay quiet.

“There's no reason the others need to know about this,” Bessie reasoned, ”I mean... We can deal with it on our own, right?”

“They have a right to know,” Jane argued, ”What's the worst that'll happen if they know?”

“What about Anne?” Anna mumbled, ”Or Kat? Look, people despising you for something you didn't actually do has to hit close to home for them.”

“Look-” Catherine waved her hands, ”Let's go into the other room to deal with this. The others are still asleep, and we don't wanna wake them up.”

Anne signaled the others so they all laid back and waited for them to leave the room. When they did, Maggie popped up and whispered, ”What the Hell?”

“I know!” Anne huffed, ”What, they think we can't handle stuff?! I can handle stuff!”

“Okay, okay,” Cathy waved her hands, ”But let's look at this from their perspective. Would any of you want the others to know about that?”

Joan opened her mouth then sighed and shook her head, as did the rest of them.

“Well, we know the gist of it,” Kat shrugged, ”Let's go onto social media and look at the rest.”

“Is that a good idea?” Joan asked.

“Yes,” Anne rolled her eyes, ”So some people think we did something? How bad could it be?”

“This is not a good idea,” Maggie grabbed Anne's phone and held out her hand, ”Give me all your devices.”

“Hey!” Anne reached for it, but Cathy grabbed her arm.

“I have to agree with Maggie here,” She let go of an angry-looking Anne, ”It isn't a good idea to look at hate directed at us. It won't help anyone's mental state.”

“Th-” Anne huffed, ”Fine, you're right. Do we tell the others we know?”

“Nah,” Kat shrugged, ”Let's let them tell us or think that we're still blissfully ignorant.”

Joan nodded, ”Alright.”

“You guys wanna get some food?” Cathy asked, a small smile on her face.

“Sure,” Kat nodded, ”Alright. Pancakes sound good?”

“‘Course, Bébé chaton!” Anne grinned.

Maggie stood up, ”How do you make those again?”

“What the Hell, Maggie?!”

“Even I know that!”

“I never make them!”

“You should at least know!”

“Fuck off!”

“This is so sad-”

“Don't you dare!”

“Alexa, play Despacito.”

“FUCK!”

They all burst out laughing.

Maybe this would all end up okay in the end, after all.

Chapter Text

“Okay-” Cathy sighed, ”I've written up the statement. How much of the texts do we want to release?”

“All of it,” Anne shrugged, ”No one replied. It'll just be him being an asshole and us staying quiet.”

“Yeah,” Kat hummed, ”I mean, hasn't the hate quieted down in the last few days?”

“Yeah,” Maria nodded, ”Especially after we said that the claims weren't true and we would go further in-depth soon.”

“You gonna post it soon, Parr?” Anna glanced over at her, ”And are we sure no video this time?”

“I would cry if we did a video,” Joan dead-panned while Anne and Kat nodded in agreement.

“Why?” Bessie narrowed her eyes.

“A mix of frustration and anxiety,” Joan clarified, while Anne and Kat just nodded more.

“A written statement should be fine,” Catherine assured, ”And if isn't, we'll deal with it.”

“Cool, cool,” Maggie nodded, ”Now what?”

They stayed quiet until Cathy mumbled, ”While, I just posted it, so... Uh...”

“We should have a fun day!” Anna suggested, ”Try and take our minds off of this!”

“We could go swimming!” Anne grinned, ”We haven't gone swimming in ever!”

“You know what?” Jane smiled, ”That's a really good idea. We should do that.”

“Pool day!” Maggie cheered, ”Do we all have bathing suits?”

“Nope,” Maria said, ”We never bought any.”

“We can just go in shorts and a tank top or something?” Catherine suggested, ”Well, you guys can, I have a bathing suit.”

Anne grabbed Catherine's hand, ”So do I so we're gonna go change and then I'm swimming immediately!”

“But, Annie, sunscreen!” Jane called as she ran toward her room with Catherine.

“FUCK sunscreen, the sun is weak against me!”

“That isn't how that works!” Cathy called as their door slammed shut.

Everyone else just laughed and began to also get ready.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In the end, Joan wore knee-level shorts and one of Catherine's shirts, which were kind of big on her.

Maggie wore shorts and one of Anne's crop-tops.

Bessie wore shorts and the biggest sweater she could find, specifically to piss off Maria, who protested that that was ridiculous.

Maria wore a simple shirt and shorts.

Cathy also wore a simple shirt and shorts, preferring them over her bathing.

The others just wore their bathing suits.

“I still say I didn't need sunscreen,” Anne complained, ”Can I go in now?”

“You would have burned to death,” Jane rolled her eyes, ”And, yes, you can, b-”

“WHOO!” Anne ran over and immediately jumped in. Kat laughed and ran after her.

Catherine sighed, muttering, ”Again, I am dating a child...” before going in after Anne, who immediately splashed her.

Maggie, Bessie, and Joan looked at each other before running after them and jumping in.

Soon, they were all in the pool, laughing and doing their own thing.

Jane, Catherine, and Maria were watching from the edges of the pool. Anne, Kat, Maggie, and Anna were splashing each other while Joan, Bessie, and Cathy egged them on from the sidelines.

“HA!” Anne splashed Kat and then ducked as Maggie jumped at her.

“FUCK-” Maggie fell under for a second before popping up, coughing.

Anne popped up a few feet away and laughed before Anna splashed her.

“Hey!” Anne turned and began to splash Anna back.

Kat watched, laughing, until Maggie jumped at her.

“Shit-” Kat frantically splashed at her as Maggie splashed her.

“Hey, don't we have water guns?” Cathy smirked.

The four of them all froze.

“Why would you say that?!” Maria demanded.

“Fanning the flames of war for our own amusement,” Joan explained, ”Duh.”

Anne immediately rushed out of the pool, the other three following. Bessie called out that they were in the house on the kitchen table and, after a few minutes, the four came out with ten water guns.

“Why'd you get so many?” Catherine tilted her head.

“In case you guys wanted to play!” Kat explained while they threw the water guns in the pool, only holding on to one each.

“This is gonna end so badly,” Joan laughed.

“No face shots!” Maria yelled while they began to jump in and spray each other.

Maggie immediately shot Anne, who screamed and shot back.

“Watch the face!” Maggie whined.

Kat laughed before screaming and falling back as Anna shot her.

“HEY!” Kat flailed around for a few seconds before firing back.

The rest of them just laughed while they watched.

That was until Anne shot Cathy.

“Hey!” Cathy coughed, ”I'm not playing!”

“You are now!” Kat smirked and shot at Joan.

“Alright!” Bessie grabbed at some guns and shoved them toward Cathy and Joan, ”Let's go!”

“Whoo-hoo!” Maggie shot Bessie, before screaming and falling back as Bessie shot back.

Catherine, Jane, and Maria were sitting on the edge of the pool, talking while glancing over, occasionally.

“Hey, Lina!” Anne yelled.

“Yes, Ann-” Catherine yelled and fell into the pool as Anne shot her.

Maria and Jane burst out laughing until they got shot, too.

Anne turned to Anna and smirked, ”Told ya I could hit her!” before jumping as Catherine shot her.

“Ha!” Maria laughed and shot at Kat, who pulled Cathy in front of her.

“Hey!” Cathy pulled away and glared at Kat, ”You used me as a human shield?!” She gave a faux offended look, ”I'm so hurt!”

Kat giggled and grabbed her hand, ”It was necessary.”

Cathy sighed before turning and shooting back at Maria.

“This is war!” Anna pointed the gun at Jane, who blinked and winced a little. Anna tilted her head and lowered the gun, jokingly saying, ”Alright, alright, I'll spare you, lo-”

She yelled and fell back as Jane shot her. 

“Whoa!” Kat gasped, ”Mum snapped!”

“All is fair in love and war,” Jane shrugged with a small smile.

Anna popped up and faked a hurt look for a second before laughing, ”I'm proud, Schüchterner.”

“Aww,” Jane cooed, grabbing her hand, ”Thank you, but I won't do it again.”

“Enough gay mushiness outta you two,” Bessie grinned, shooting at Maria, ”Come on!”

They all laughed and shot at each other.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
At the end of the day, after they all showered and changed into their pajamas, they got ready to go onto social media and see what happened.

“You guys ready?” Cathy asked, looking at her phone.

“Nope!” Anne grinned, ”But let's go, anyway.”

Everyone else gave a low chuckle until Cathy turned on her phone and began to look.

“Well,” Kat hummed, ”There's a lot of support.”

“And the article is gone,” Anna was on her phone before putting it down and looking at Cathy.

“That's good,” Maria nodded.

Joan gave a sigh of relief and sat on the couch, ”Thank God!”

“Seems like it's good,” Jane smiled, ”It will probably take a few days to fully cool down, but it seems like we're okay.”

“Now what?” Maggie asked.

“Another movie night?” Bessie suggested.

“I'm okay with that,” Catherine nodded.

“Then, let's do it!” Anne smiled, ”I'm gonna grab some candy!”

“Kat, Bessie, and I will grab the blankets,” Cathy glanced at Kat, who nodded, before she grabbed her hand.

They couldn't help but feel like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

Everything did end up okay in the end.

Chapter Text

(PalaceInRichmond -> BeheadedBoleyn)
2:43 PM

PalaceInRichmond: add me to the venting chat

BeheadedBoleyn: who told you about that

PalaceInRichmond: Kat

BeheadedBoleyn: fuck

BeheadedBoleyn: how much do u know

PalaceInRichmond: she told me when I insisted she not bottle stuff up after she had a meltdown 

PalaceInRichmond: I don't know who's in it or anything I just know it exists 

BeheadedBoleyn: alr alr ill add u

PalaceInRichmond: who else is in it?

BeheadedBoleyn: sorry cant tell you but you can ask when you get there

PalaceInRichmond: okay okay

(Vent Time Fuckers)
2:45 PM

(Emerald added Ruby to “Vent Time Fuckers”)

Emerald: ok we have a new member

Kunzite: Oh? Who?

Sodalite: I'm assuming Anna?

Ruby: yep

Ruby: can I at least know how many people are in this chat?

Emerald: well theres a couple vent chats for specific issues on who would help best

Emerald: cathy also has some

Emerald: if you guys wanna reveal yourselves go ahead but there are only two others 

Kunzite: I'm Kat

Sodalite: I'm Joan

Ruby: why are we all named after gemstones and how were they picked 

Emerald: color and meaning 

Sodalite: Yeah

Kunzite: Anyway why is Anna here?

Emerald: no idea she wants to vent

Ruby: well uh it actually involves Kat

Sodalite: O h ?

Kunzite: Did I do something?

Ruby: no no no it's what I did

Emerald: o  h  ?

Kunzite: Could you two not?

Sodalite: Sorry sorry we'll be quiet

Emerald: yeah yeah

Ruby: anyway remember those harassment messages?

Kunzite: Of course

Ruby: I kinda didn't mention something

Emerald: oh

Ruby: okay so

Ruby: he mentioned that whole thing when H*nry dressed up in that disguise

Emerald: im sorry what

Sodalite: Oh yeah Henry disguised himself as a peasant when he first met Anna

Ruby: and he was a dick about it

Ruby: so I treated him like a peasant when he snuck up on me and I lashed out a bit and kinda 

Ruby: hit him

Kunzite: Makes sense

Emerald: well what does this have to do with kat?

Ruby: the dude who wrote the article brought that up 

Ruby: cause that's the real reason H*enry divorced me

Sodalite: Yeah

Ruby: and that maybe if I acted differently 

Ruby: just hold on

Kunzite: Okay?

Emerald: im concerned and intrigued 

Ruby: “Maybe if you weren't such a stuck-up bitch when you first met Henry, he would've looked past how hideous you are and not immediately divorce you. Maybe he would've never married anyone else. And maybe Howard would've never gotten beheaded.”

Kunzite: THAT IS NOT HOW THAT WORKS

Ruby: but isn't it? if he stayed with me until he died you and Cathy would've never had to marry him

Emerald: okay okay 

Sodalite: H*nry is a dick and it's not your fault

Kunzite: You had absolutely no way of knowing who that was and of course you would lash out at a stranger

Emerald: guys

Ruby: I don't know maybe I should've just been nicer to him 

Sodalite: I don't know maybe he shouldn't have snuck up on you like an asshole

Emerald: okay okay guys look

Emerald: this blame game can be put on anyone

Ruby: explain?

Emerald: you can say that its kats fault that cathy had to marry h*nry because maybe she shouldve just not gotten manipulated and raped

Sodalite: Okay well that's not for

Ruby: yeah

Emerald: no its not

Kunzite: Yeah we could blame everything on the fact that Catherine let herself get divorced and just wasn't appealing enough for H*nry

Emerald: which is beyond unfair because at the end of the day you know whose fault this is?

Ruby: ...

Ruby: h*nry

Sodalite: Exactly

Kunzite: You feeling better?

Ruby: well I'm not totally guilt-free but I'm doing better

Ruby: this was surprisingly helpful

Emerald: reason i made these chats

Emerald: however i will have to take you out of this one now unless kat and joan dont mind

Kunzite: I mean I'm cool with it if Joan is

Sodalite: Yeah I'm good with it

Sodalite: Besides I don't vent that much and it's usually light venting

Emerald: all venting is venting here

Emerald: but alr

Emerald: you might get a new gemstone because i didnt have time to research a perfect one for you

Ruby: yeah okay

Emerald: also you should totally try talking to jane or catherine about this they both have similar feelings about my beheading

Ruby: good advice you are surprisingly helpful with this stuff

Kunzite: Anne is a chaotic good gremlin

Sodalite: Highly accurate 

Emerald: you know what i can't even argue that one

Emerald: i will wear that title with pride

Ruby: nice

Chapter Text

Well, this... This had not gone to plan.

In fact, it went so wrong, Anna was ranging about how wrong it went.

“I mean, seriously, couldn't the universe just let us get drinks without someone getting hurt?!” She spat, before glaring at the sky and yelling, ”FUCK YOU!”

“I just wanna go home...” Kat mumbled pressing herself against Cathy, who had her arms wrapped around her.

“What the fuck happened?!” Maggie yelled, running up with Bessie, Maria, and Catherine, ”We got to the bar and someone said there was a fight?!”

Catherine held her hand out and, after Anne nodded, she grabbed her hand and hugged her, ”Are you okay?!”

“Mm...” Anne shook her head and hugged Catherine back.

“Well...” Jane sighed, ”It wasn't our fault! Joan got harassed and Anne tried to tell him off and he pushed her-”

“He what?!” Bessie yelled, ”What happened to him?!”

“I froze,” Anne mumbled, ”Like ‘n idiot.”

“Don't say that!” Kat looked at her, ”He was being aggressive, it's understandable.”

“Okay, okay, okay!” Maria waved her hands, ”Explain from the beginning, please?”

Cathy sighed, ”So...”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So!” Cathy smiled and took a sip of her drink, ”When'll the others get here?”

“Maria texted me that they just got back from the store, so probably around twenty minutes,” Joan nodded.

“Why don't you have a drink, Joany?” Anne teased.

“I'm not a fan,” Joan shrugged, ”I mean, unless any of you guys have any, like... Light alcoholic suggestions for me?”

“Ooh!” Kat raised her hand, ”I do! There's this one drink that's not that alcoholic and really sweet-”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Okay, wait,” Maggie cut in, ”Are all of these details necessary?”

“Good question,” Cathy hummed, ”Shut up. Now-”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“That sounds good,” Joan nodded, ”I guess I can try that.”

“Let's go!” Kat jumped up and left the booth to go to the bar, Joan following her.

“Imagine not liking alcohol,” Anna joked.

“Couldn't be me,” Anne giggled and took a drink.

“Joan is younger,” Cathy pointed out.

“I don't really like alcohol,” Jane added, ”And I'm older.”

“But you're like,” Anne hummed and gestured, ”The Mom Friend. It makes more sense for you.”

“That makes no sense?” Jane tilted her head.

“Whatever,” Anne waved her hand and took another sip.

The other three laughed and returned to a casual conversation until they heard a shout from around the bar.

“Hey, fuck off!” Kat had positioned herself in front of Joan, who looked both shocked and terrified.

Immediately, Anne was over there, the other three not far behind.

“What is going on?” Anne asked, her voice low.

“None of your business,” The guy glared at her, ”I was just trying to talk to your pretty friend over there-” None of them messed the way that Joan flinched, ”-but this one,” He gestured to Kat, ”Was being a bitch about.”

“Call my little cousin a bitch one more time and you're dead,” Anne hissed.

“God, fuck off,” The guy grabbed Anne's shoulder and shoved her out of the way, mumbling the r-slur under his breath. Turns out, Anne and Kat were the only ones who caught that.

Anne stiffened and looked at him, eyes wide, and Kat moved Joan even more behind her when the guy tried to talk to her again.

“Oh, come on,” He rolled his eyes, ”I just wanna talk to her.” He reached for Kat's arm, and Anne let out a small whimper and looked at Kat.

“Back off,” Kat glared at him before glancing at Anne, ”She doesn't want to talk.”

“She can speak for herself,” The guy looked at Joan, who was slowly calming down.

“Back. Off,” Kat repeated.

The guy rolled his eyes and reached for Joan, opening his mouth to say something.

Kat smacked his arm and shoved him, shaking a little as she spat, ”Back off! I already said that!”

Other people in the bar were looking and two other guys walked up, looking confused and upset.

“What the fuck is going on?” One asked, shooting Kat a glare.

“This bitch hit me!” The guy began, clearly intended to continue until Anne swung him around and punched him in the jaw.

There was a split second of silence.

Anne gave a small smirk, “I told you not to call her a bitch again.”

Then, all Hell broke loose.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“You punched him?!” Maria looked at Anne.

Anne gave a small shrug and pressed herself closer to Catherine, who asked her how verbal she was. After Anne made a three with her fingers, Kat spoke up.

“He was being a dick,” She rolled her eyes, ”He grabbed Joan's shoulders when she said no! He started getting aggressive when I stepped in.”

“He and his friends deserved it!” Anna agreed.

“Please elaborate,” Bessie glanced at them.

Anna sighed and began, ”Well...”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The original guy, who they decided to call A for simplicity's sake, tackled Anne.

Kat went forward when B stood in front of her and they began to fight.

Anna punched B when he pushed Kat on the ground and C punched her.

It went by like a blur, no one quite sure who was fighting who. There were shouts, some people egging them on, some people cheering for one side over the other, and some yelling for them to stop.

Jane, unsurprisingly, ended the fight.

What was surprising was how she did it.

She grabbed A and pulled him up. Then, she punched him square in the face. A stumbled and fell back, causing a loud thud. B and C ran over so Jane yelled, ”RUN!” and they all scrambled to leave.

They ran until they couldn't and began to just walk.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Oh, my God,” Maria mumbled.

“Damn, we really asked for one good night and then they just...” Maggie sighed, ”Existed.”

“Not a fan,” Anne muttered, ”'m tired and hurt.”

“Where, exactly?” Catherine asked, eyes widening with concern.

“Head,” Anne paused, ”’n shoulder.”

“He did grab her shoulder pretty hard,” Joan added.

“Where's the car?” Kat asked, ”I am exhausted, in every way.”

“Not too far,” Catherine looked around, “How did you guys get here? Didn't you drive?”

“No, we Ubered,” Cathy clarified, ”A stranger drove and we paid them to do it.”

“Wait, what caused Kat to shout?” Bessie asked, ”Like, what did the guy do?”

“I politely declined his advances and got up to go walk closer to Kat,” Joan explained, ”He grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer, so I kinda whimpered and Kat must've noticed.”

“My wrist hurts,” Jane mumbled.

“You see, I told you, you can't bend it,” Anna began, ”Not when it hits-”

“I know, I know, but I was stressed!”

“It's why you have to practice this stuff, for situations like these!”

“I don't want there to be more situations like these!” Jane looked at her.

“Well-”

“Oh, hey, look, the car!” Cathy cut Anna off, ”Come on, let's all pile in.

“We won't all fit,” Catherine noted.

“We can squeeze?” Maggie suggested.

“This isn't gonna be fun,” Cathy sighed, ”I'm driving. Kat gets shotgun, Joan can squeeze next to her.”

“Whoo!” Kat grinned and ran toward the car.

“It's not that long,” Bessie shrugged, ”Just twenty minutes, right?”

“'m just gonna sleep,” Anne mumbled, “On Lina.”

“Ah,” Jane sighed, ”Come on, let's pile in.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They got home around 8:40. The Ladies then offered to drive home, but the Queens said they should just stay here.

“We've been staying here a lot, lately,” Maggie noted.

“It's cool,” Cathy shrugged, ”The company is nice. Plus, we can work on the musical more.”

“You okay, Annie?” Kat glanced at Anne, who was curled up on the couch with Catherine, ”You look like... Shit, no offense.”

“Tired ‘n buzzed,” Anne mumbled, ”’N upset.”

“I'm still a bit shaken,” Joan admitted, ”But a lot better now.”

“I'm surprisingly calm,” Kat hummed, ”But I might just be processing. It's not too likely I'm just doing okay now.”

“Lina, can I have Tylenol?” Anne looked at Catherine.

Catherine sighed, ”Okay, give me a second.” She nudged Anne off and walked over to the kitchen, ”Anyone else want some?”

“I do,” Anna said, and Kat raised her hand.

“Okay,” Catherine grabbed a few cups of water and some Tylenol, ”But don't get any extra.”

“Now what?” Anna asked after taking her Tylenol. Kat hummed as she took hers.

“Well- thanks,” Anne smiled as Catherine handed her a glass of water before continuing, ”’m pretty tired.”

“We could put on a show,” Cathy suggested, ”Or if you want, go to sleep.”

Maggie sat down on the couch and grabbed the remote, ”Which show?”

“Anything,” Kat hummed and sat down.

Catherine pulled her yellow blanket over Anne and her while everyone else sat down on the couch or floor by the couch.

Maybe tonight hadn't gone to plan, but it wasn't horrible.

It would never be horrible, not as long as they had each other. It would always be okay.

Unless they lost each other.

But that wouldn't happen.

...Right?

Chapter Text

Anna was thinking.

Anne had suggested talking to Catherine and Jane about the guilt over the beheading, which was a good idea.

Talking to Jane would be easy, for obvious reasons, but... But Catherine?

Anna had had her bonding moments with everyone. Sure, she and Cathy argued a lot, but she found herself thinking of Cathy as an annoying older sister rather than a rival.

She and Anne had become the signature Chaotic Duo, Kat and Cathy occasionally involved.

Kat was simply a darling, Anna adored her, they began to play video games together and just got closer and closer through that. Then, of course, learning about Anne's eating disorder together just kinda cemented their bond.

She and Jane were obviously very close.

But Catherine?

They had never gotten close.

She would be lying if she said she wasn't at fault for it, but they just never had a chance to get close.

During the Pre-Araleyn period, she felt weird listening to Anne vent about Catherine and then trying to talk to Catherine.

When Anne ran after their fight, Anna couldn't help but blame Catherine.

Then, the whole Henry situation happened.

She was fine with Catherine after that, but they never had any one-on-one bonding moment.

Then, during Anne's suicide attempt, Anna... She didn't react the best way. She wouldn't be surprised if Catherine hated her for constantly insinuating that Anne had died.

They just... Never had a chance to grow close.

So, Anna wasn't sure how to talk to her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kat, Anne, and Cathy were out today, probably hanging with the Ladies, so that just left Jane and Catherine with Anna.

Anna was in the living room, thinking some more. Maybe... Maybe she should talk to Catherine.

She looked at the TV and blinked as Catherine walked out and sat down.

“What's on?” She asked.

“Oh, just New Girl,” Anna answered, feeling awkward.

Maybe this could be their little bonding moment. Maybe she should just ask about it.

Unless, of course, Catherine got upset or uncomfortable about the question. Then what? She didn't want to destroy their relationship. Maybe it was better to leave them neutral than make their relationship negative.

Anna was still thinking about it when Catherine turned to her.

“Hey, Anna?” She asked.

“Hmm?” Anna blinked at her.

“Well, I was talking to Anne,” Catherine began, ”And she mentioned that I should talk to you and Jane about guilt over the beheadings and all.”

Anna gave a small laugh and Catherine tilted her head, “What?”

“Nothing, just...” Anna sighed, ”She told me to ask you and Jane, too.”

“Really?” After Anna nodded, Catherine continued, ”You know, Anne is smart. Despite how much she wants everyone to think otherwise.”

“She is,” Anna agreed, “I mean, I didn't expect it, at first. But she really is.”

Catherine hummed in agreement, ”It's why I go to her a lot more when I'm upset. She knows me and I know that she'll be able to help. She always does.”

Anna nodded, ”So, how do you feel about the beheading guilt?”

“Well, I don't feel guilty a lot,” Catherine began, ”And whenever I do, Anne always reassures me it wasn't my fault. Sometimes, it borders dangerously on self-loathing from her. But she's been getting a lot better.”

“Has she?” Anna smiled, ”I'm glad. I know I was kind of a dick when she... You know... But I'm sorry. I was just... Processing. And upset.”

“I get it,” Catherine nodded, ”That... That was hard. We were all dealing with it. I know you didn't want her to be dead.”

“Of course, not,” Anna looked at her, ”I... Anne is one of my closest friends. You all are.”

“Yeah,” Catherine smiled, ”But, what about you? How do you feel about Kat's beheading?”

“Oh-” Anna paused, ”Well... Well, I... I feel like, if I didn't lash out at Henry or acted nicer, maybe Henry wouldn't have married Kat and Kat wouldn't have gotten beheaded.”

Catherine looked at her for a few seconds before mumbling, ”You know, that isn't how that works-”

“I know.”

“But I get that feeling.” Catherine finished.

Anna blinked, “Really?”

“Really,” Catherine's voice was a lot softer than Anna had ever heard it, ”I mean... If I was good enough- if I was better, nobody would've gotten hurt. Anne wouldn't have gotten her head chopped off, and maybe everyone else would've been okay.”

“You know...” Anna gave a small smile, ”That isn't how that works.”

Catherine returned the smile, ”I know.”

“But you get it.”

“I get it.”

They sat in silence for a few seconds and Anna asked, ”So, you don't hate me because of... Everything?” in a joking tone, but she was dreading the answer.

“No,” Catherine put her hand on Anna's, ”No, I don't hate you, Cleves. Do you hate me for getting you and the others killed because that egotistical dick didn't like me?”

“Pftt-” Anna snorted, ”No, Aragon, I don't hate you.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

Jane walked out of her room, ”Hey, guys, wh-” She blinked and tilted her head before sighing, ”Oh, man, did you guys have a bonding moment? Did I miss it?!”

Catherine and Anna laughed and Jane soon joined it and sat down.

Cleves smiled and looked at the TV. She and Aragon might not be the closest of the Queens, but they're still close. She liked that.

“Do you feel better?” Aragon asked after a few seconds.

“Yeah,” Anna nodded, ”Yeah, I really do.”