What Lies beyond...

Coming to France was something that Sophia had been putting off for a little while now. But she had decided to finally take her best friend up on the offer of watching Audrey for the weekend. She would only be away for two days. Sophia knew that Audrey would miss her and could very well be upset and cranky but she was still young and it was understandable. She would be making it up to her best friend when she could. Colemet would say she didn’t have to but Sophia knew that it would be something very new for her friend to have a toddler at her place overnight.

Sophia was just here for a quick trip and naturally, she had brought her camera along. When she travelled she always made sure to bring at least one camera with her. She had many of them of course. Photography was a passion for her. She remembered many moments when she and Tiwaz would sit in their flat and go through many photos she had taken in different places. She had dreamed of photographing him and their daughter for years to come but that was not going to happen now. She would treasure the photos she had of the two of them together during Audrey’s first year.

It was all that Audrey would have as she grew up and Sophia would do her best to make sure that she knew everything she could about her father. Eventually, she would learn how her father was killed and she feared how her daughter would react to that but together they would get through that.

While she was here in Calais she would try her best to have fun. Though, she was on her own. She would have loved to have to come here with Tiwaz but they never got the chance. She would have to stick to her fantasies in her mind for that. It was sad but she tried not to appear so. Her best friend could see through her however, Sophia expected nothing less. The two of them had known each other for more than half their lives and so they knew each other back to front and inside out.



The witch was glad that today was a good day, the weather was not too rough and that was perfect given that this place was not your typical beach. It was filled with many mysteries as she had come to learn during her previous stay in France. She had come face to face with the cave and was looking it over before she entered when she heard a noise behind her making her freeze.

Am I more than you bargained for yet?

I’ve been dying to tell you anything you want to hear
Cause that’s just who I am this week

Things were getting so messed up and JR didn't know what to do about them. It wasn't like him. He always had a plan a, b, and c-- but now? He had never expected everything to come crumbling down. In fact, he had grown so accustomed to his lies he almost started to believe them himself. For sixteen years their secret had been kept and he grew complacent in believing it always would be. He hadn't expected his son to catch him red handed in the grips of infidelity, though looking back he wasn't surprised. He hadn't been careful, not like he usually was. He had made mistakes; the first, of which, was allowing the woman into his family home.

JR had grown used to the children's absence, just as he did every school year. They had been away for the majority of nine months and Merlin forbid that he forget that this year his son would be arriving home from the castle early. He had known about the graduation, he had been planning for it for Ezra's entire life, but it had slipped his mind that it meant his son would be home sooner than he normally was. A little slip of the mind, a little woops I forgot, had turned into something so much bigger and he regretted ever having been unfaithful to begin with.

He wasn't sorry for his wife, God no! They had their secrets and their agreements. They weren't exactly lovers, never really had been, in fact they had been friends first and foremost and that was that! She knew of his sexual outreaches and he of hers. It was how they conducted business for sixteen years and how they would continue to do so in light of their arrangement. JR didn't know much cheating he felt like doing these days since Ezra had caught him. 

Being caught wasn't the worst part, no. It was the part that came after where he had spilled the most important secret he and Abby had ever kept. That entire day felt as though someone had kidnapped the real Jasper Parker and substituted some moronic buffoon in his place. Get caught cheating, get caught in your lies, be forced to tell your son everything-- that his entire life was a lie, that he wasn't a pureblood by blood, no, only by prestige. It was the deepest darkest secret his family held and he had to make damn sure Ezra knew that. He needed his son to keep it or else their entire world might unravel before them all.

Ezra had taken off, of course, not wanting to face the facts. Not wanting to listen to another word his old man had to say. And now JR was doing the same. This was his escape. Coming to France had been a spur of the moment choice and he hadn't planned to stay more than a day but he needed the time to himself. To recoup and restructure himself. He was Lord Jasper Parker: calm, cool, collected. He needed to get that man back and replace the man who had taken over. The man who was crumbling apart before his very eyes. If the secret needed to stay intact then so did he.

Part of his plan to clear his mind was to visit Mystique Beach. He had been there briefly as a young man and found that he enjoyed it, though he couldn't deny the slightest of fears thinking about the rumors running around it. Still, it was daytime now which took much of that fear away. JR began his trek to the cave which he knew lead to the beach, stepping heavy with his thoughts. As he looked up he saw a woman with a camera standing before the cave. He offered a warm smile, the type he gave to his patients, and spoke: "Taking pictures are you? Any good ones come about?"

@sophia | OUTFIT

template by eliza @ tb & thq

The coastline of France had really been one of Sophia’s favourite places to photograph. The scenery was really unlike other places and she wanted to capture as much of it as possible. It wouldn’t have been possible if she hadn’t found someone to look after her daughter. She was so grateful she had some really good people in her life. She trusted Colemet enough with her toddler. She could have asked Samuel and Cali but she didn’t want them to have two rowdy toddlers to deal with. Jeremy was still as active as ever and she knew that Audrey would get bothered by it which would not be pleasant for Samuel and Cali to deal with. Her daughter got along well enough with Colemet and she was sure they would have a lovely time together.

She would hear about it tomorrow and she didn’t care if it came in Audrey’s babble or not. Her daughter knew a few words but it was not enough to string sentences together yet. Sophia wasn’t worried, her daughter was still young and had time to learn how to speak properly. She knew that going to daycare was helping Audrey develop those basic skills. Had Tiwaz not been killed she would be at home with her more and teaching all kinds of things but he wasn’t and it left her with her no option. Cali had told her that she would get through this and she knew she would but she so sad when she realised just what her daughter was missing out on and it was the last thing she wanted for her little girl.

She would definitely be teaching her daughter French, she had already decided that when she was pregnant. The language was spoken almost as widely as English was around the world and she wanted her daughter to have that second language. If Audrey wanted to learn another language when she was older then Sophia would let her choose which one but French was the one she was adamant about. She wondered if her little girl had inherited her brains or that of her father but at the moment she just saw a younger version of herself. That would have amused Tiwaz greatly and no doubt he would have commented that their daughter would have given Sophia a run for her money some day. Sophia knew that Tiwaz would be proud of their daughter no matter what she studied or her hobbies or interests were.

Sophia hoped that Audrey would find something liked that she wanted to pursue for years to come like photography was for her. Well, it was still her job now to but she didn’t mind. She still had issues with what was published in the paper but she kept her mouth shut. She had to work after all. Coming here to the beach, she thought would be a nice place to explore having not visited before. She found that source of the sound behind her had been a man. A bloke that looked like he had dressed just right for the beach. ”Of course, this area is filled with many good shots. I take it you’re not another photographer?” she asked noticing he wasn’t holding a camera. Unless he had it stashed in one of his pockets.

am i more than you
bargained for yet?

I’VE BEEN DYING TO TELL YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT TO HEAR
CAUSE THAT’S JUST WHO I AM THIS WEEK

The hardest part about this time of year for JR was the memories. Not just the ones he had of his daughter, those they were made worse by them. Her birthday was fast approaching and every year was the same. He would recall how much she had grown since last year, how much she had changed. How different she seemed and looked from two years, three years, soon to be sixteen years prior. Once his mind would work back the years he knew the sadness of it would come flooding in. JR loved his little girl; he couldn't imagine life without her, but he was still living with the pain that came from her birth. 

They had no real way of knowing that things were going to take such a terrible turn nearly sixteen years ago. Ezra's birth had gone so smoothly, almost as if Mary had been practicing her whole life to become a mother. She brought him into the world and the love she carried for the child was more than JR ever imagined possible. Just seeing her eyes light up as he cooed and grew, it was easy to see that she was enamored with her new roll. Mary had been a great mother. JR would never ever forget watching her with his son and when they learned that they were pregnant with Emily he was over the moon with joy. She would have another child to marvel over and he could further marvel over her, how big her heart could grow with the love she carried for their children. 

The way her eyes lit up when Emily came into the world was something he would never forget. It was the only good memory he had of his daughter's birth and the days that followed it slowly turned the memory sour. Within hours of her arrival something seemed amiss. Days went on and things looked bleaker, Mary grew weaker and weaker. There was nothing they could do, nothing they hadn't tried to save her. It just couldn't be done. So he had watched his wife, the love of his life, slip away. Every year he remained haunted by her memory as he raised their children with another. The only solace he had was that he and Abby...they were keeping their promise to her. Through thick and thin, they had kept true to her. 

Today marked one month exactly until the anniversary of her death and it was weighing heavy on his mind. Coupled with the disaster he had created with Ezra, JR felt as though he needed more than just a day away but he couldn't just leave. Things needed to stay the same, things needed to continue on-- business as usual. A day trip to France would have to do. It was a lovely area, the one they were in, and he couldn't blame this young lass for wanting to take pictures of it. He'd never been much into taking pictures himself but he did enjoy collecting art, especially work from well known photographers. "Oh, I'm sure. This place is magnificent. And you couldn't ask for a better day," he smiled, looking up at the sunny sky. JR worked his hands into his pockets with a slight chuckle. "Me? Oh heavens, no. I've never been much good at working one of those contraptions. Everything comes out as a blur, I'm afraid." It seemed to be quite a nice camera, he noticed. Perhaps she was a little more interest in photography for more than just a hobby. "You looked quite a bit more practiced than I would ever be," he complimented with a smile and nod. "I take it you're no novice?"

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