Writing something to break your bloody heart.

I was asked to pinch-hit for the SSHG Giftfest (Severus and Hermione fanfic), and was given a prompt that included "Marriage Law Fic". Those fics are predicated on the idea that Severus and Hermione have to marry for some legal reason (usually some ruling about magic-bloods having to marry Muggles magic types whose parents are plain humans), and end up with the pair in love. Or not. They were very popular as a trope before we knew Severus was a half-blood, (and remain popular for other pairings), but it's hard to find a new way to look at them.

And a dear friend of mine was dying. He'd been dying for five years (because gioblastomas never go away and never give up trying to kill you) but just in the last year he'd deteriorated drastically. His worst fear was still being mentally agile and alert, but his body being unable to work due to the damage on his brain from the fucker tumour. He'd put in a submission to our euthanasia commission, and had no intention of putting up with the humiliation and lack of dignity that a disintegrating body was going to give him.

As it happened, the dear lad was doing fine and then very suddenly went - a seizure, a few breaths and he was gone. His many many friends mourn him deeply, but are glad he didn't have to endure the slow slide down he was dreading.

I hadn't thought of it at the time I was writing this, but I think there was a great deal of Lachlan's situation coming through. And some other people I have known. And shades of my father's dementia (which he is still denying thoroughly) and what my Mum has to cope with.

So if you want to read a story that is heartbreaking and full of love and desperation, here it is. Honesty.