Three ficlets each, nine in total. Each between 100 and 300 words.

Participants: anaraine vs. erinm_4600 vs. skieswideopen
Themes: autumn, someone walks into a bar, revelation
Fandoms: Being Human US/Canada, The Hobbit, Oz the Great and Powerful, Remember Wenn, Sleepy Hollow

anaraine

The Hobbit (Bilbo Baggins) | 263 words | "autumn"
Most hobbits, if asked, will cheerfully proclaim that their favorite season is spring. A time of new life and growing, spring is cherished and celebrated with all of the joy hobbits have in their hearts.

But as Bilbo Baggins grows older, his fondness for autumn increases.

It's not as unusual as many of the things Bilbo Baggins has done, for all hobbits love the fragrance of a bountiful harvest, but they are not so fond of the chill on the air and the knowledge that winter draws closer. It has not been so long that the Fell Winter has passed into history and legend.

Still, Bilbo likes to sip at warm mugs of spiced cider ("With just a splash of brandy," Kíli announces, lifting his mug cheerfully.) and watch from his little bench, smiling at the fauntlings playing in the fallen leaves. ("Oi, Kíli," Fíli grimaces, brushing flakes of crunchy leaves from his coat as his brother dances away, laughter flushing his cheeks.)

He likes that he needs to light his fireplace to keep Bag-End warm at night, hours passing quickly in his armchair as he opens books or cherished letters. ("My dear Master Burglar," Thorin says fondly, face limned in firelight.)

Autumn is harvest time, the scent of ripe apples hanging in the air, and that's all there is to it, Bilbo reasons to his neighbors, and they accept the answer with a grudging nod and then a smile when he offers them a slice of his freshly baked cinnamon apple pie.

(During autumn, Bilbo's bittersweet memories come alive.)

The Hobbit (Dís) | 282 words | "someone walks into a bar"
Dís walks calmly to the bar, asking for a large tankard of ale that she takes into one of the dimly lit corners. She is in no mood for company tonight.

She trusts Thorin, of course she does. He's her brother, and he has always had her best interests at heart. He's even held her above their people's interests, before. (And she will never apologize for marrying her One.)

He is her brother, her prince, her would-be king. And he wants to reclaim their home.

Dís knows that Ered Luin will play out within a generation or two more. It has only ever been a stop-gap at best, providing mostly coal, copper, and iron. They cannot live here, not forever; the mountains will be dry soon enough and they will be forced to wander again.

Thorin wanting to reclaim Erebor makes sense, even if he was turned onto the idea by Tharkûn. And Dís will hold her head high when he leaves without her, knowing his duties in Ered Luin will fall to her.

That does not mean she wants her sons joining Thorin's quest. They are young. They know nothing of true war, and maybe she has done them a disservice in that, but they have grown up happy. Her sons smile so brightly, and she couldn't stand to see them dimmed.

But she will give them her permission. They would go without it, so it does her no good to deny her blessing. She will send them off with all her love (and hate that she is being left behind) and pray for the success of their quest.

She can do nothing less (and nothing more).

The Hobbit (Bifur, Bofur, Bombur) | 291 words | "revelation"
The healers expect Bifur to die. He has a chunk of axe lodged in his forehead, and removing it will only hasten his death. They make him as comfortable as they can and invite Bofur and Bombur to sit with him and share any last words, but they have no hope for his continued survival. (And oh how Bofur wants to snarl at them to do something, but there are more injured who might yet live and they must be seen to.)

They sit and wait and sleep at their cousin's bedside, and a night turns into a day turns into a week. While Bifur does not wake up, neither does he leave for Mahal's halls. (Bombur never stops praying, voice whisper soft in the healing tent.)

Astonished does not do the expressions of the healers any justice when Bifur does not die after a fortnight. Dwarves are made to endure, but this goes beyond their comprehension. But they can still do nothing but wait and continue as they have done. Bofur changes Bifur's bandages, and Bombur minces food that will be carefully fed to their cousin.

When Bifur finally wakes up, gasping in pain and clutching at his head, Bofur and Bombur don't have time to cry in relief. They fight to keep Bifur from pulling the metal from his head, Bofur lunging to capture Bifur's hands and Bombur speaking in rapid Khuzdûl to explain why and keep him from doing any more damage.

The revelation that Bifur can only speak Khuzdûl comes later, and it is painful.

(Bofur and Bombur couldn't care less, their cousin is alive. But Bifur looks at himself and can only see broken, wondering bitterly if it would have been better to die.)

erinm_4600

Oz the Great and Powerful (Glinda) | 170 words | "autumn"
A Change in the Weather

Glinda sits on the steps of her palace, listening to the Quadling children singing songs of nonsense while they help to prepare for the fall harvest in their own ways. Glancing up, she watches the activity in the courtyard, where the adults are setting up tables for the food that will mark the celebration. Her father is down in the center, laughing heartily with some of the Tinkers, which makes her smile.

There's a slight snap in the air, and the clouds are a warm orange. Everything about the south of Oz is ready for the change in the seasons. Soon, there will be snow and they will all be bundling up in gloves, scarves, and hats.

But, for now, they will simply enjoy the warmer weather, the changing leaves, and the joy of being together.

The slightest tingle in the air causes Glinda to look up. The skies are clear, save the puffy white clouds, but she can't help the feeling that something is off.

A storm is coming...

Remember Wenn (Jeff) | 171 words | "someone walks into a bar"
A Man Walks Into a Bar

Jeffrey Singer pushed on the door of O'Malley's, already hearing the dull noise of conversation wafting out onto the sidewalk. The smell was as always, beer and peanuts with a hint of coal dust always present in the air.

As he stepped into the well-loved bar, Jeff reached up and removed his hat. Nodding to a few familiar faces, he started to weave through the crowd of regulars to join the group he was with.

The faces were long, forcing smiles for the sake of one man's memory, though all feeling his loss even more, since he was not going to be arriving at all. With a quick round of greetings, Jeff nodded to the man delivering his mug of hot chocolate, with a fresh round for the others, and raised the mug into the air.

"To Mister Eldridge," a few of them said together.
"May he always be at the station," someone else said.
"With us," Jeff added, before raising the mug to his lips and taking a long sip.

Tin Man (Adora & Wyatt) | 148 words | "revelation"
His Smile

Adora watches Wyatt for a moment, sitting at the table and lost in his own thoughts. For just a moment, she sees the ghost of a smile and smiles herself.

"It's nice to see you smile," she says.

Wyatt glances up, staring at her for a moment before replying: "I smile all the time."

"No," she replies, her head slowly moving side to side, "you don't."

Wyatt's eyes narrow slightly, as if he's challenging her. "Yes, I do."

Adora's expression doesn't change. "You don't." She pauses for a moment and then adds, quietly: "Not for a while." Not since he returned from the Last Stand. Not since they started running.

His eyes fall, realizing that she would know better than him. She's always watching him, after all. "I'll smile more," he offers.

Adora's chin drops slightly and the smallest smile of triumph creeps up her cheek. "Thank you."

skieswideopen

Sleepy Hollow (Ichabod Crane) | 290 words | "autumn"
When October hits, Ichabod starts taking long walks through the woods around Sleepy Hollow. He tells Abbie it's because he wants to watch the leaves change, and it's true that he enjoys spending time in one place that hasn't changed much in the last two-and-a-half centuries. But that's not the real reason.

The real reason is that the woods in autumn remind him of Katrina.

They met in October. Married the following October. When he pictures her in his head--in the good times, not the blood and dirt and death of their last days together--he pictures her against a backdrop of red and brown and gold.

He'd loved her so. He'd thought she loved him. Now, though, as he wanders the woods, he wonders.

Had she known before that fateful night that he was destined to be the first witness? Had she told General Washington? Was that why he--more scholar than soldier--had been chose as the one to pursue the horseman?

And if she had known...he hesitates to think it, hesitates to sully her memory so, but the thought persists despite his best efforts...was that why she'd married him? Had she chosen him, or had her order chosen him for her?

The former, he assures himself. In all their years of marriage, he had never once doubted her love. He would have known if she was lying, wouldn't he? She may have been able to hide her witchcraft from him, but could she have hidden her true feelings? Surely not.

And yet...no, he banished the thought. He refuses to believe that. He has been tossed about like the skiff upon the ocean, his life shaped by forces beyond his control. But his marriage to Katrina...that was theirs.

Just like autumn.

Being Human US/Canada (Sally, Nora, Aidan) | 203 words | "someone walks into a bar"
"It's like a joke," Sally says as she follows Aidan and Nora into the bar. It's not their usual neighbourhood pub; this one is darker and louder and much, much sketchier.

"What?" Nora asks, looking around anxiously.

"You know. A vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost walk into a bar. It should be a joke." Except it's not a joke, and all the lighthearted comments in the world won't make it one. Not when the reason they're here is currently pacing a cage at home, with weeks before he'll be himself again.

Aidan's looking around too, but with less anxiety and more focus. He hadn't wanted them to come, but Nora had insisted and Sally had followed suit. "Over there," he says at last, nodding toward the back.

Sally peers at the shadowed figure at the back table and feels a flash of gratitude that she's already dead. "You really think this guy will be able to help Josh?"

Aidan's expression is a mix of hope and uneasiness. "Maybe," he says. "The question is, what will he want for it?"

There are no jokes for that. Not after Donna.

Aidan goes expressionless. Nora squares her shoulders. Sally...Sally hopes.

They head to the back.

Sleepy Hollow (Abbie Mills) | 139 words | "revelation"
It's a revelation, having someone believe her. Believe that she saw what she'd once claimed to see. Abbie hadn't realized until now just how much not being believed had shaped her. She'd overcome her doubts, learned to trust her perceptions and memories again, but those initial days had stayed with her. Changed how she spoke up. Who she trusted.

Mostly, though, it had changed how she interacted with her sister.

They'd been close once, before Abbie decided to believe the therapists and her family and deny the evidence of her own senses. Before her sister started on her long spiral with drugs and alcohol and institutions.

She wondered what might have happened if they'd both had someone who believed them, back when it happened.

Abbie thought she might track down her sister, and tell her she believed her now.