#and then she discovers that the princess could have been woken a bunch of times over the century

[bookshelf-in-progress]

Daughter of the House of Dreams: A Fragment

Author's Note: This is the opening to a long-abandoned "Sleeping Beauty" retelling that I no longer plan to write, but I still like it as a piece of prose, and it sparked my enduring interest in second-person narration, so it feels relevant, and why should long-dead authors be the only ones who get to have their unfinished fragments published?

If you ever travel to Monetta City, be sure to visit Faraway Lane. Walk past the glittering new shops, and the shoppers in their bright silk dresses and top hats, and you'll find a cozy stone shop at the end of the street. This shop isn't grand and mighty like the other shops. It won't sniff and turn you away if your clothes aren't the latest fashion. It's a grandmotherly old shop that shakes its head at the prancing and preening of the younger shops, and invites you in instead. It holds no wares in its windows; it hardly has windows at all. But it has a warm and wide wooden door, with a shingle hanging above—Alessia Day, maker of dreams.

Don't ponder the sign's message too long—it means exactly what it says. Just slip inside, shut the door behind you, and look. Don't breathe too deeply, unless you want a week of crazy dreams, but allow yourself one gasp of astonishment. You won't be able to stop yourself. No living person has failed to feel awe toward the rows and rows of shelves, longer than streets and taller than palaces, filled to bursting with glass bottles in such bright colors that the dresses in the other shops' windows would weep in envy. Some bottles are the size of thumbnails. Most fit comfortably in the palm. Some are as large as breadboxes or steamer trunks or carriage horses, but the shelves manage to fit them all. And each bottle is filled to the brim with dreams.

If you don't understand, ask Alessia Day. You'll find her at a counter half a mile from the door, polishing bottles and humming a song you've heard but can't remember. She's an old woman now, and proud of it, but squint your eyes and start to daydream, and you'll see her as I remember her—a willow-wand girl with shining brown hair and eyes that sparkle with half-formed jokes.

Tell this girl how pretty she is (she'll laugh and call you crazy) and ask about her dreams. She'll tell you of her stock and sell you any dream you ask for—daydreams and pipe dreams, dreams of love, dreams of adventure, dreams of loved ones lost and loved ones found and people you've never met but wish you had. She'll show you dreams of lush and perfect islands, dreams where fishes fly through the air, and dreams where people swim the seas with fishes' tails. She'll pull down dreams that last a second but linger a lifetime, dreams that fill a month of stormy nights, dreams that fade on waking and dreams that drown out memories. If you let her, she'll talk of dreams until you drift off, and she'll bottle up your dream while you doze.

But if you're smart (I know you are) you'll step to the counter with a clear glass bottle, empty of everything but air, and ask for her story instead. She'd distill it in a dream for you, and be glad to do it—I once saw her whip it up in half a minute, and I'll bet she's even faster now. Buy the dream, but don't drink it right away. You won't be ready for it. Linger in the shop a while. Hear the story first from Alessia Day's lips, in that voice of hers that's sweeter than singing.

You won't believe half of it, but when you stagger from the shop and wander the empty, starlit streets, you'll ponder over passages until you stumble into bed at sunrise. And when you wake, the world will be different—you'll see tiny footprints on the windowsills, know things about the shadows on the walls, tip your hat to creatures in the corner of your eye, and realize there is another color no one else can see. You'll laugh and call it your imagination, but every second Tuesday, you'll start to wonder if the old woman was right, if the things she told you were true.

If you drink the dream she made, you'll know. I'll understand if you don't—some things are easier not to know. But if you do, and dream through her story, come to my house and ring the bell. My man will let you in—he'll know you by the wonder on your face. He'll bring you to my study, set you in my oldest, softest chair, and get us both settled with a steaming pot of tea. Then, once you've finished babbling, I'll close my eyes and tell you my part in the tale.

[coalitiongirl]

Fic Recs (under 300 edition)

So I wanted to get back to reading Swan Queen fic regularly, and I asked people to rec longfic that they'd read (not written) and loved that had fewer than 300 kudos! I haven’t read most of these, but I’ve collected them here so y’all can go through the list and discover some new fics with me! Please try to kudos and review every fic that you read! It means the world to the writers and will keep em writing, and then we all win. 😁

Atonement by SgtMac (M): With Regina's magical heart failing thanks to years of previous evil, Emma and Regina and Henry (and Granny!) set out to save her life by traveling to the Enchanted Forest and requesting help from ancient magical beings known as the Guardians. Given a mission as simple as it is impossible - to achieve atonement by creating peace - the ladies find themselves joining a rebellion and fighting for the very soul of the Enchanted Forest all while trying to help Regina to understand that the self-loathing and guilt which have driven most of her actions don't have to doom her chance for a new beginning or even, a chance to live and love again. A S4(ish) SQ love story set against the turmoil of war and the chaotic savagery of the old world.

Blood and Sand by cheshire6845 (E): A/U The Savior is a slave forced into the role of fighting as a gladiator for the House of Hearts. The odds are against her survival as she will have to win in the arena, navigate Cora's schemes, outlast a general's vengeance, and not be killed out of spite by the current House of Hearts Champion - Regina the Undefeated. This story follows the major plot points of Starz Spartacus with some twists along the way.

But what if there was no time by KizuRai (M): When she wakes up, it's dark. She can't move, she can't see, she can't feel and she can't hear. Where am I? She feels a forceful oppression, pressing her down, draining her of her energy and she's powerless to stop it. How did I get here? The question of here is relative, she's not even sure where here is. What happened? There must be some reason for being stuck here but her memory is fuzzy, like all her thoughts are being sifted through a filter. Who am I? She's not sure if she actually exists or she suddenly became sentient in the darkness.She hears a voice reverberating in the distance, it's distorted and quiet but she hears it all the same. It breaks the monotony of the silence. Someone's coming for her, they will get her out. She's just not sure she wants them to as the price might be too great.

Finding Home by evl_rgl (T): “I wanted to remember you so badly that I pulled back your cursed town just so that the memories would make sense. I needed you so badly that even when I had no memory of you, I still tried to find you.” Regina gave Emma and Henry memories of a happy life together before they fled Pan’s curse, leaving them with no memories of their lives in Storybrooke. However, when the memory spell shows signs of failing, threatening to rip apart the minds of both Emma and Henry, Regina makes a drastic choice to go back and fix it, understanding that it will mean living alone in a world where her son doesn’t know her. Was the spell really faulty, though? (swanqueen)

Five Flames by MariaComet (U): In the past, Emma Nolan disconnected from her peers in high school, preferring to keep to herself. In her sophomore year of high school, she decided to try and join the boy’s wrestling team because she was bored. She didn’t expect herself to become the champion of the most bullied kid in school or the secret best friend of the school queen. She also didn’t expect to join a club that would change her life. In the present, Emma is trying to cope with a humiliating loss in her martial arts career. She claims to be “training” but is stuck in limbo between wanting to retire and try again. She is isolated from her former best friend, Regina Mills, a local celebrity chef and the rest of her old friends. When one of them calls her with an idea to honor their deceased teacher, she is confronted with unresolved feelings and questions about how powerful love truly is.

A Glamour of Truth by PrincessCharming (T): After 2x10, Regina uses magic to show Emma the obvious truth. A tentative trust forms between them amid hilarious bickering. With Emma's help, Regina struggles to regain a place in her son's life... until Cora arrives, wanting her daughter back. Pieces of Regina's past emerge showing that the board was set long before the game started. The final battle begins soon.

His Dark Materials 'verse by MoonlitMidnight (M): A modern Alternate Universe in which Dæmons (the external physical manifestation of a person's 'inner self' that takes the form of an animal) are present. In which Emma and Regina have led slightly different lives and they make slightly different choices.

How Many Miles to Avalon? (WIP) by RavenOutlander (E): Regina would do anything to save Emma from the darkness and bring her back home safe and sound. Even put up with the two idiots, Captain Guyliner and a bunch of dwarves she decidedly wanted to drop off at the nearest exit. But in their search for Emma, they find that she might not need that much saving after all. Caught up in a search for the infamous Philosopher Stone, an all out war between DunBroch and Camelot, and ghosts from the past to haunt her every waking moment, Regina finds herself scrambling to keep her and her family's happy endings from falling apart.

The Hyperion by FrankenSpine (M): After wishing upon what she believes is a shooting star, Emma Swan finds herself aboard the Hyperion, the royal starship of an alien Queen from a faraway galaxy. She quickly learns of the tensions between the Queen's people and her own, but the Queen takes an interest in her and agrees to take her away from Earth forever. Adventure awaits. *(Loosely based on Guardians of the Galaxy with just a hint of Farscape)*

If Wishes Came True (It Would've Been You) by Angeii_K (M): After Regina films a guest appearance on her friend Neal’s popular show, he invites her to spend the weekend with him and his girlfriend. What she never expected was to actually like the woman. Sparks fly between the two, which results in them questioning everything and making choices they will later regret. 4 years later, they meet again in the most unexpected of ways. Now co-stars on the same show, they are forced to work through the emotions from their last encounter. What will happen next? Only time will tell.

The King Doesn’t Have To Know (WIP) by highheelsandchocolate (M): The White Knight had never seen anyone like her before: the Queen was nothing short of mesmerizing. Her possessive yet neglectful husband, however, was another thing entirely.

The Lich by Dangereaux (M): Gay disaster Emma, exasperated Regina, and a monster. A Halloween special.

Maybe if We Close Our Eyes we Can Reach the Stars by wellthizizdeprezzing (T): Emma is a lonely astronaut. Regina is an adventuring alien. Their paths cross leading them onto a journey of new discovery. Between galaxies and many miles of cold black space, despite not speaking the same language, they manage to fall for each other. An out of this world love story.

A prisoner long forgotten by sugarsweet_19 (M): ‘I wish I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood and as black as the wood of the window-frame. Soon after she had a little girl, who was as white as snow, with lips as red as blood and with her hair as black as the ebony of the window-frame. She was therefore called Snow-white.” This is how our story starts but how will it end?The evil queen as been locked up in a tower and forgotten that is until princess Emma looks for a place to hid from her parents after they tell her she has to marry Neal the son of the dark one.

Revenge of the Three Little Pigs by mskyo (M): Regina and Emma find themselves alone and looking for the rest of their party. The Evil Queen must face the consequences of her past actions. Will Emma come to her aid, or understand that justice must be served... *Some chapters have fairly graphic sex, and violence*

Things I Almost Remember by cheshire6845 (T): A/U Despite an oncoming war between the Dark and the Light, Emma and Regina are best friends growing up in the Enchanted Forest. When war does come, they find themselves on opposite sides. Regina will have to defy her mother to save Emma. Will Emma be able to save Regina when Cora curses her daughter to live in the Land without Magic?

What We Make (WIP) by DiazTuna (M): “My mother.” He says calmly. He’d known all along, she’s aware. But he’d known that today would be the day that would get this going. She wants to ask what it was like, to have woken up this morning, laced up his boots and walked into hell just knowing. “It’s programmed the cyborg to kill her. Before I have a chance to be born.” -In which the leader of the future sends his best soldier back to the past to save his mother from a killer cyborg. Terminator AU.

The Wrong Way by pcworth (M): Takes place right after Zelena steals Regina's heart. Zelena offers Regina a chance to go back in time with her and change both of their lives for the better. But what will be the price of that decision. Slow-burn to SwanQueen

zombie trash by 13pens (T): Zelena could have her brain and eat it, too. Fic operates on three premises 1. this takes place in any universe where zelena is a reformed asshole 2. zombies are a thing and exist iZombie style 3. i have NO chill

[tickletastic]

Four Discoveries And A Weapon

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Ship: Non-explicit Scisaac

Summary: The pack discovers things about Isaac, but Isaac discovers things about them too. (AKA four Isaac discoveries, and one time they’re used against him.)

Notes: I accidentally wrote a really long fic and couldn’t think of an adequate title but here’s this. I ended up loving teen wolf so much that I immediately started rewatching it once I finished, so prepare for some teen wolf fics

-1-

Isaac is cute. He would never admit it, but he is. Don’t get me wrong, he’s hot too- but mostly cute, in a puppy kind of way.

He despised being complimented in general, but he always got especially uncomfortable when the girls would coo over him like some child saying its first words or taking its first steps. Allison had seen through Isaac’s exterior quickly compared to the others, he was full of bravado and dark humour, but she could see the fear and desire for companionship within him.

Isaac lost his mother, and then he lost his brother, and that’s hard enough for a kid to go through. But then he lost his father too. Isaac has never had a family, but he’s not opposed to the idea. In fact, although he’d never say so, he would love to be part of a family.

Allison was the quickest of the bunch to realize, cuing Lydia in on the situation. Lydia was the one to realize that although he would flinch away at first, if the touch lingered, Isaac would lean into it. Isaac couldn’t fight his instinct to flinch away or protect himself, but he could show his appreciation for affection wordlessly through his actions once the panic subsided. 

The way that Isaac would lean into pats on the shoulder and head scratches was really, really cute.

And a lot like a puppy.

Dinner and a movie at the Hale loft had become a weekly tradition for the pack. Every week they would find themselves strewn in random places across the loft waiting for someone to cook them dinner, before they would binge watch some cheesy series or some Pixar film.

Derek had become increasingly domestic lately in his attempts to be a better alpha. For Stiles and Scott, it was super bizarre, but Boyd, Lydia, and Allison found it kind of endearing. Erica would’ve probably found it endearing too… If she were capable of feeling anything but annoyance (unless it was towards Boyd, of course). 

As a part of Derek’s initiative, he had finally caved in and purchased some ‘homey’ furniture. The pack was lying anywhere comfortable, taking in the scent of the pasta Derek was cooking. Lydia, Stiles, Scott, and Isaac were arguing over which Disney movie was the best, and which they should watch first.

Isaac hadn’t seen many Disney movies since Camden died, but he knew his definite favourite. “Why would we watch Wall-E when we could be watching Meet The Robinsons? Don’t be a sucker, Stiles.”

“I am not! I can just appreciate a good romance between two lonely robots. Are cute robots in a dystopian future too much to ask for?”

“All I’m saying is The Princess And The Frog was a cultural reset, that movie is amazing and Tiana’s totally badass!” Lydia responded, seemingly disgusted at the mere notion that anyone would find any other movie the best.

When dinner was finally ready, they ended up settling on Aladdin, because Scott, Lydia, and Boyd all wanted to watch a Disney princess movie, but they couldn’t come to a consensus on which one. (Scott, of course, wanted Beauty And The Beast, while Boyd wanted to watch The Little Mermaid. And who knew that Derek wasn’t impartial to Disney Channel Originals?)

Isaac had remembered bits and pieces of the film from when he was younger, but not too much. He did remember that he was attracted to both Jasmine and Aladdin, which was his first of many strange awakenings as a little kid.

Almost like a formula, by the time A Whole New World was blaring from the TV’s speakers, Isaac was laying on the couch and receiving as much physical contact as possible. His head was in Allison’s lap and his feet and legs were draped over Lydia, who was also lying down but not nearly as horizontally and as comfortably as Isaac.

He seemed pretty relaxed despite the fact that he had managed this position by slowly inching closer and closer to the both of them until Allison gently pushed his head down into her lap. She began to scratch his head, Isaac responding by pushing his head further into Allison’s hand, melting into the touch.

Lydia cooed softly, not loud enough for the others to hear her, but loud enough for Isaac’s cheeks to dust pink, even in the low light.

Allison just smiled fondly, scratching a little harder and receiving a quiet, pleased groan in response. Isaac was trying to fight the tiredness that hit him the second Allison had began her calming touch, but it was becoming increasingly hard to fight the closing of his eyes.

Allison started to stray closer to Isaac’s skin, and when she started to scratch behind his ears she believed that his gasp was out of pleasure… It was, but that wasn’t all. When she continued Isaac started to giggle softly, his nose scrunching up at the sensation.

“A little ticklish?” Allison teased when she realized the reason for the giggles. She scratched a little softer, and Isaac started hiccuping softly, a small grin on his face while his eyes remained closed. “Do you want me to stop?”

“‘S good,” Isaac moaned tiredly through his giggles in response, “feels nice.”

Allison laughed as Lydia started her own, ever-so-light tracing over Isaac’s shins. 

“You’re such a puppy.”

Isaac fell asleep giggling softly. He didn’t worry about the pictures that Scott and Stiles would take of him sleeping, curled up with Lydia and Allison as he snored lightly. That was a problem for tomorrow, and oh yes, it is a problem.

Discovery One: Isaac is a lot like a puppy.

-2-

Scott’s eyes shot open, immediately trying to figure out what sound had woken him up. He heard it again, a mix of whimpering, panting, and screaming, and it took him a second to realize where it was coming from. He bolted up from his bed, opening his bedroom door and seeing his mom walk down the hall. 

“It’s alright, I’ve got it, Mom,” Scott assured her, waving her off. She smiled out of gratitude, it’s not that she doesn’t want to help her surrogate son, she just knew that Scott was always much better at the job.

Isaac was covered in sweat, his hair matted to his forehead, his hands balled into fists, holding his blanket as tight as he possibly could, white-knuckled. He was in the fetal position, his back to the wall.

Scott sat down on the edge of the bed slowly, reaching out and rubbing circles over Isaac’s back. “Hey, Isaac? Isaac, it’s okay, you’re okay.”

Isaac continued to shake, his eyes squeezed tightly shut as he started to form words through his dream. “N-no, please. I’m sorry. I d-don’t w-want to go in, p-please.”

Scott knew what Isaac was afraid of, and he was suddenly wishing that he could take away mental pain instead of physical. He shook the taller boy harder, until his eyes shot open and he recoiled into the corner of his bed. 

Isaac was breathing hard, panic written on every feature of his face, trying to figure out what was going on. 

Scott looked at him sympathetically, slowly reaching back towards Isaac to put his hand on the boy’s arm. “Hey, you’re alright Isaac, everything’s okay, you’re safe.”

Isaac’s eyes turned to Scott, but they were distant, he wasn’t really looking. Scott brought both of his hands up to cup Isaac’s face.

“It’s okay, I promise you’re safe.”

Isaac’s breathing was still laboured, but he brought his hands up and placed them over Scott’s, gripping on as if his life depended on it. “Th-the freezer?”

“You’re not going in there ever again, Isaac, I promise.”

When Scott saw the realization on Isaac’s face, he pulled him into a hug, one hand across Isaac’s back and the other cradling his head. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Scott cradling Isaac and whispering words of assurance while Isaac allowed himself to calm down and breathe.

Wordlessly, Scott ended up getting Isaac to move forward, and Scott slipped himself between Isaac and the wall, holding him close to his chest while they spooned.

Scott had one hand draped over Isaac’s chest while the fingers of his other hand were running through Isaac’s hair. Isaac smiled at the sudden warmth, cuddling into Scott as much as he could. Trying to further soothe him, Scott started to draw shapes with his dull fingernails over Isaac’s hipbone. 

Isaac twitched before bringing his hands to his face, a deep chuckle slipping from his lips. Confused, Scott furrowed his brow, craning his head at the taller boy.

Isaac was still covering his face, but he could feel Scott’s eyes on him. “Stohop thahat.”

“Stop what? This?” Scott started moving his fingers quicker and Isaac flinched hard against Scott’s chest, unable to stop the frantic laughter that spilled from him. “Is someone a little ticklish?” 

“Nohoho! I’m trying tohoho slehehep! Cut it ohohout!” Isaac snapped back, trying to pry Scott’s hand away from his hips. 

Scott smiled, he always loved the sound of Isaac’s laughter, but it was so rare. This laughter was everything in comparison to the ironic, dry laugh that Isaac would let out after he said something sarcastic. Scott stopped, even though he would love to hear the music of Isaac’s laughter for as long as he possibly could. He would have to investigate further another time, but for now, he was content with falling asleep holding Isaac, listening to soft giggles that escaped him as he drifted off too.

Discovery Two: It’s going to take a while for Isaac to be okay, but Scott is more than willing to stay by his side the whole time. The rest of the pack is completely willing too.

-3-

With Scott being much busier and all, Melissa had grown to miss spending time with her loud, hyperactive teenager every evening after work. Since Isaac had moved in, he had been spending a lot more time at home after school than Scott. 

Although Isaac was very different from Scott, Melissa enjoyed spending time with Isaac when he was home. The longer Isaac lived with the McCalls, the more like family Isaac became, and Melissa certainly wasn’t complaining. She definitely had enough love in her heart for a new addition to the family.

Isaac was quiet compared to Scott’s usual crowd. Allison and Lydia have always spoken their minds freely, and Stiles was.. well Stiles is Stiles. Isaac was different. He was timid, and he always called her Ms. McCall no matter how many times she would tell him that Melissa was fine. 

Melissa found the manners and timidness cute at first, until Scott had told her about everything Isaac had been to. Now, she tried with every interaction to bring out Isaac’s childish side, the kid deserved a family, and he deserved to act like a kid sometimes too. 

Today, Melissa had come home from a shift to find Isaac cutting up vegetables at the kitchen counter. 

“Hey Isaac, what are you doing?” Melissa greeted, placing a hand on his shoulder. Isaac flinched slightly, looking, as usual, like a deer in the headlights.

“Hi Ms. McCall, I- uh- I was just making dinner because I knew you were working late and I thought you would probably be hungry s-so I decided to make dinner, b-but I started too late so it’s not finished yet. I’m sorry, I swear it sh-should be finished s-soon I just h-have to-”

“Isaac, Isaac it’s alright. It was really nice of you to make dinner, I’m sure it’ll be amazing,” Melissa should’ve stopped him sooner, instead of letting him ramble on and apologize unnecessarily, but she guessed it was better late than never. 

She sat in one of the barstools at the counter, watching Isaac as he tried to cut some carrots in his hand. His hands were shaking and he wasn’t making any progress on the veggies, and Melissa couldn’t let it go on any longer. 

Melissa reached out, holding Isaac’s shaking hands in her own after setting the knife aside. Isaac looked up, he looked fearful, scared that Melissa was going to yell, and she could feel her eyes going soft. She started to softly rub circles over his knuckles, watching slight confusion flash on his face. 

“Isaac, hun, you don’t have to apologize for anything. You haven’t done anything wrong, and even if you had made a mistake, which you didn’t, I wouldn’t hurt you. People make mistakes, and the worst punishment you’d ever expect under the McCall roof is a weekend grounding and a talk. You’re safe, you’re okay Isaac.”

Isaac looked up from their hands, relief in his eyes and a small smile on his face. “Th-thanks Ms. McCall.”

“I’m still fine with you just calling me Melissa,” She got up and walked behind the counter, “now, can I help?”

She had tasered Isaac in his side to get him to scoot over, and he recoiled with a giggle. Melissa recalled fond memories of tickling Scott absolutely silly, something she would do to him up until only recently, when he was about fifteen or sixteen. The memory triggered her maternal instinct, and she started spidering her fingers up and down his sides, going from his hips to the top of his ribs. 

“Mihihiss McCahahall!” Isaac doubled over, he was trying not to fight back so that he wouldn’t hurt her, but his instincts weren’t always easy to fight. Instead of trying to bat her hands away or grab her wrists, he sunk to the floor, ending up with his back against the cupboard and his knees up, Melissa still hovering over him and poking him wherever she could reach. “Plehehehease, it tihihickles!”

“I’d sure hope so!” Melissa teased, but she let up, offering Isaac her hand so he could stand up. She ruffled his hair before passing him the knife he had been using to cut the veggies, grabbing one for herself. “I’ll do the onions, Scott always complains about how they hurt his eyes.”

Discovery Three: Isaac deserved kindness, he just didn’t know it yet, and Melissa would be damned if she didn’t help him realize.

-4-

Allison, Lydia, and Melissa weren’t the only people to realize that Isaac desired a family, the entire pack had caught on eventually. Derek was a little late to the revelation, but better late than never. 

As a shock to both himself and the rest of the pack, Derek stepped up to a parental role rather quickly. He had already had the cooking, cleaning, and pack hugs down, but now he found himself fussing over Isaac like a mother would. Derek was over-protective, caring, and understanding. It was everything that Isaac hadn’t realized he needed, even though he wouldn't admit it.

Whenever Isaac was hurt, he immediately had Allison, Lydia, and Derek fussing over him like a child who had fallen off of his bike. It made him blush beyond compare, and he would always try to bat them away, but time and time again they would still rush to his side despite his quick healing. 

Derek had started attending every lacrosse game. He wasn’t vocal like Melissa or the sheriff, but his eager thumbs up and the big smile he would plaster on his face every time Isaac looked over were enough to fuel a lifetime’s worth of embarrassment.

Isaac was killing it this game, and paired with Stiles and Scott, the team was definitely winning. 

Afterwards, they had ran into the changing rooms, but something told Isaac that he should be listening to the parents outside. 

“The boys were amazing today, it’s crazy how much they’ve improved since the start of the season,” Melissa said. 

“Yeah, they were great, I’m so proud of my boy,” the Sheriff seemed to agree.

At this point, Scott had noticed Isaac’s preoccupation, and he decided to listen for himself.

“It was a great game, I’m proud of Isaac and how far he’s come to trust his team.”

It wasn’t much, Derek had always been a man of few words, but it was enough to have Isaac cover his face, blushing up to the tips of his ears. 

Scott smiled, moving closer to ruffle Isaac’s hair. “Aww, Derek’s proud of his favourite puppy.”

“Shut up!” Isaac groaned, packing all of his stuff into his bag. 

“You’re definitely getting a ‘Daddy’s Favourite’ shirt for Christmas,” Stiles joked, following suit with Isaac and packing his things. 

The three of them walked out, greeted by their guardians awaiting them. 

“Good job, guys, that was a great game!” Ms. McCall praised them, putting her arm around Scott’s shoulder. The sheriff hummed in agreement, while Derek gave Isaac a small smile. 

“If it’s okay with you two, I’d like to take the boys out for some food,” Derek spoke, looking at Ms. McCall and Sheriff Stilinski for approval.

“Totally fine by me, I have a night shift to be getting to,” Sheriff Stilinski approved, giving Stiles a pat on his shoulder and saying goodbye. 

“Totally fine by me too,” Melissa nodded, eyes Scott and Isaac, “I will see you two later, don’t get into too much trouble.”

Derek smiled at the three teens before asking them where they wanted to go, Stiles and Scott branching off into an argument of Olive Garden vs TGIFridays. Isaac just got physically closer to Derek, walking next to him instead of behind like Stiles and Scott were.

“You played really well that game, Isaac. You’ve really improved,” Derek praised him and Isaac was back at his furious blushing. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, looking down.

Isaac looked awkward, but Derek knew he liked the compliments. Derek could smell it on him.

Derek brought a hand up and tried to swat Isaac’s hand from his neck, but Isaac gasped and twitched away. 

“No way,” Derek had a mischievous smile on his face, Isaac just let out a long groan in response. “Well, if you won’t take my compliments, I might have to use my discovery and take some drastic measures. Next game, I’m gonna make a sign, it’ll say ‘I’m Isaac’s #1 fan’.”

Discovery Four: Isaac liked compliments, he just didn’t know how to take them

-And 1-

“Just- lay still!” Stiles grunted, pulling the tweezers away from Isaac’s neck. Stiles had snuck up on Lydia and Lydia had screamed, shattering every glass within a 5 metre radius.

Isaac, sadly, was in that radius, and he had been bringing his glass up to his mouth when it shattered. Most of the glass ended up piercing through his shirt, some small shards lodged in his chest, but others had ended up in his neck.

Stiles was trying to take the glass out, but Isaac’s wiggling was a little too much. 

“I have like four left, Isacc, can you just stop wiggling?”

“I’ll stop wiggling if you stop touching me.”

Stiles sighed, watching as Isaac’s cuts practically healed instantly. He had gotten all of the shards out, but Stiles still wanted to have some fun. 

“Hey, Scott? Could you come hold Isaac while I try to get the rest of this glass?”

“Sure thing, Stiles,” Scott had clued in on the situation as soon as Stiles had started speaking, the familiar glint of mischief in his voice. 

Isaac had bolted upright, getting up to run, walking straight into Derek instead.

“What’s wrong, Isaac? A little… sensitive?” Stiles paused for dramatic effect as Derek stopped Isaac from leaving.

“He is, actually! You should try his ears,” Allison piped up.

“Or his legs.”

“His hips are pretty bad.”

“Yeah, his ribs are too.”

All the werewolves in the room had perked up, Isaac’s pulse had skyrocketed when Stiles had mentioned his ribs. Scott hadn’t even realized that a heart could beat that fast considering Isaac had already been on edge when his sensitivity was mentioned. 

Isaac wasn’t one for negotiating, or begging, really, so instead he just turned to run, getting as far as a grand total of two feet before Scott came barreling into him, knocking him to the ground.  They rolled for a bit until Scott inevitably got the upper hand, pinning Isaac’s arms to his sides.

“Any last words?”

Isaac had opened his mouth to respond, but ended up interrupting himself with a bouquet of giggles as someone dragged a finger up his sole.

“I’m sorry, were you planning on saying something? My bad,” Stiles taunted.

Scott chuckled at his best friend’s antics before tracing his fingers over Isaac’s collarbones. Isaac started to chuckle, shaking his head frantically in an attempt to shake the fingers off. 

Allison and Lydia had gotten closer to the three of them, but didn’t dare join in in case Isaac got overwhelmed by all the touch. They did, however, share a look as they both mutually agreed to play a game that they often used to tease Isaac. The goal was to see who could make him blush the most for the longest, and it was far more entertaining than any movie or tv show ever is.

“Aww, is the whittle puppy ticklish? The puppy can’t take a little belly rub?” Lydia teased, leaning in to quickly scratch over Isaac’s belly once. Isaac snorted, throwing his head back.

“Is the big, bad beta giggling? Is a little tickling too much to handle? Maybe you’re gonna need a little extra protection against those hunters, what if they found out about your little secret?” Allison hadn’t expected for her comments to embarrass Isaac so much, but he desperately tried to hide his violently red face anywhere that he could. 

Stiles was growing bored, and he had started to trace upwards, scratching over Isaac’s thighs. Isaac tried to kick away, but Stiles wasn’t sitting in any position that could lead to himself getting hurt.

“C’mon Derek, aren’t you gonna join?” Scott asked, tracing his fingers over the shells of Isaac’s ears and appreciating the lazy, adorable laughter that it produced. He was gonna have to catalogue that for future cuddling.

Derek considered the offer before finally leaning over the beta, rapidly tasering Isaac’s ribs as Isaac began to flail and flop like a fish out of water, screaming out protests.

“Oh Gohohod!” Isaac squealed, desperately trying to retrieve his wrists from Scott’s grasp. Scott finally did let go, but Isaac’s brain had gone into overdrive as his laughter entered a territory of silence. Isaac couldn’t even begin to think of an effective use of his hands, let alone instruct them to follow through. 

“Ple- Pleehehe-” Isaac wasn’t one for negotiating, or begging, but now he was certainly wishing that he had the ability to do either. His words kept dying in his streams of laughter, which were only interrupted by snorts, hiccups, and gasps.

Isaac was radiating joy, the werewolves in the room could smell it stronger than anything else, but the kid needed to breathe too.

“Alright, that’s enough bullying for one day, kids,” Derek swatted Stiles and Scott off of his beta and Isaac suddenly wished he had the ability to express his gratefulness, but instead he curled in on himself, still laughing hysterically against his own will. 

“Now that,” Stiles began, flopping himself on the couch, “is a useful discovery.”

“Oh really, Stiles? If it’s so interesting then I guess you’d be okay with being next, huh Stiles?” Derek responded, partially to embarrass Stiles and partially to take some embarrassment away from his favourite puppy. 

“Don’t you dare- Derek, no don’t even think about it! Stop!”

[gemstoneconstellations]

Kittens and Bottles

Summary: Your happy life with your favorite cat and favorite hero. This is a small continuation of here.

Wordcount:2644

  You have the best cat in the entire world. Here are the reasons why.

She’s adorable; the cutest fur baby. She’s fluffy, sleek, and mews in the most adorable way.

She is cuddly. Not many cats let you rub your face into their bellies as much as you want. But she does; in fact, she will make you cuddle her belly. If you aren’t careful, you could die in your sleep from her smothering you. It would be a happy death.

She found you a boyfriend. A hot, sassy, sexy, funny, pro-hero boyfriend.

It’s been nearly a year since Kuiper’s escape tactics had been discovered and now you were  happily co-parenting her with Hitoshi. It was pure bliss. Everything has been going so nicely. Hitoshi pretty much lived with you at this point; he really only used his apartment used to store his things and some of his clothes. Coming home to his sleepy, handsome face has been really nice.

His job as a pro-hero does put a damper on things sometimes. He is often changing his bandages in your living room and sometimes had to leave abruptly for emergencies. But he always makes sure that the two of you can spend some proper time together. You get to cuddle him when you go to bed, before he leaves for work; he would wait for you to fall asleep in his arms before leaving. But the best part is when he comes back.

That night, you woke up to a hand massaging your hip, a familiar chest pressed to your back and lips on your neck. He gently sucked on your skin, making you giggle. “Hmm, Hitoshi, that tickles.” Hitoshi hummed into your shoulder, continuing to kiss you, his thumb pressing into your lower back. You opened your eyes to see the clock showing that it was early in the morning. “Did you just get back?”

Hitoshi wrapped his arms around you, pulling your body closer to his as he nuzzled your hair. “Yeah… I think you should always wear my shirts. Nothing else…” You bit your lower lip as his hands wandered into said shirt. Teeth dragged across your neck, causing your toes to curl.

You gasped and opened your eyes to look for the special, small foil package in the nightstand. Only to see your Kuiper sitting in the middle of the room, watching the two of you. “Hitoshi.” Your boyfriend hummed but didn’t stop, his fingers venturing lower. “She’s watching us…”

“___.”

“Yes-” A haze took over you as Hitoshi used his quirk.

“Now, hold still for Daddy while I put our nosy fur baby to bed.” He rose from the bed and picked up Kuiper. She mewed at him, unhappy about being picked up and pushed out of the room. You almost felt kind of guilty as you listened to her voice her displeasure behind the closed door.

The bed dipped and you felt your body being moved, your ankles placed on Hitoshi’s shoulders and your clothing being pulled away. “Now, it’s time for Daddy to play~”

~

You sighed with relief, your stiff and sore muscles now relaxed  after a nice hot shower. A soft towel wrapped around you, you hit the switch to turn on the fan to get rid of the humidity but nothing happened. You tried flipping the switch on and off, but still nothing happened. Great, you’ll have to call the landlord later, but for now, you just opened the small window to let in fresh air.

Wiping away the fog on the mirror, you were about to dry your hair when something caught your eye. “Hitoshi!”

“I didn’t do it!” Your boyfriend shouted, most likely from the bedroom.

You run your fingers down your poor, abused neck. “Then why do I have a bunch of hickies on my neck?”

Hitoshi appeared, shirtless, beside you in the mirror and leaned down to kiss one of the offending marks on the base of your neck. “I may have done that.” He continued to kiss you, pulling you closer to him.

You almost melted into him, till you felt tugging at your towel. You jokingly shoved Hitoshi away from you. “No way mister, I have work and you need to go to bed.” He stepped back into your space, despite your rejection.

“Nah,” Hitoshi’s hands seemed to have a mind of their own and were wondering your body again, squeezing your butt under the towel. He leaned down to whisper in your ear. “I think we should both go to bed.” 

You shake your head at him and turn him around, realizing then that he wasn’t just shirtless. “Hitoshi, at least put some boxers on. We have young kitty eyes watching us.”

“Oh, I see who your favorite is. She can walk around naked but I can’t.” The two of you kept bantering back and forth. You were nearly late to work but you couldn’t help the smile that seemed to permanently pull on your face.

The open window in the bathroom long forgotten.

~

“I’m telling you, you don’t need to give her a treat every time she meows at you. She just got her weight down.” You were laying on Hitoshi’s side; the two of you were just lounging on your couch together today. Kuiper was stretched out over both of your laps, her slightly round belly exposed. Hitoshi opened his mouth and you could see the stupid word forming. “Say it, I dare you.”

He just laughed, leaning his head back on the couch with his eyes shut. “I can’t help but spoil her. She’s too cute.”

“Uh huh. At least you’ve stopped dressing her up in ugly bows.” You pinched his side as he laughed more. Kuiper seemed to have enough of the two of you moving so much and left your laps.

Now free from kitty petting obligations, Hitoshi pulled you closer into his lap and whispered in your ear. “I’m more into undressing you now.” He starts to shower your face and neck with kisses till he thought it would be a great idea to blow a raspberry on the junction of your neck. You snort and try to push his face away. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, thank you. The cold has been going around in the office lately.” You’d woken up this morning with a stuffy nose, nausea, and a heavy body. Hitoshi had to convince you to stay home by bribing you with snuggles and being waited on hand and foot. The two of you had sat together wrapped in warm blankets, watching movies and petting your spoiled kitty all day.

“I’ll buy some weight control food for her on my way home today.” Hitoshi ran his fingers through your hair as you tried to sleep. You groan when he tried to pull away, not ready for him to leave yet. Hitoshi chuckled, holding you closer to him. “Now who is acting spoiled. Five more minutes and then I have to go.” You hummed in agreement but that didn’t stop you from clinging onto him later.

~

“Okay, I know you are tired, but I can’t find my capture weapon.” You groaned, exhausted from the long week you’d had. You were so fatigued; that cold had really kicked your ass and your body was still recovering. You’d spent all day trying not to fall asleep, to finally come home to your comfy bed only to find Hitoshi frantically looking around the room and asking for help. 

You pulled the blankets more tightly around you. “Noooooo.” 

Hitoshi chuckled, getting down on his knees beside the bed and petting your head. “Okay kitten, but have you seen my capture weapon? I swear, I put it on the nightstand this morning.” 

Thinking about it now, you might have seen it in the living room with Kuiper. “Find the real kitty, I think the fur baby was playing with it again.” Hitoshi hummed, his hot fingers massaging the back of your neck. Your eyes closed again. It was so nice to have someone else take care of you when you’re down. You feel a press of lips on your forehead as you drifted off to sleep.

As you suggested, Hitoshi went to look for the now slightly round black kitty. He swears that he isn’t giving her more treats… at least he doesn’t think he is. He looked in the living room, calling the kitty’s name till he heard her meow form the kitty climbing tree. Inside the small cubby at the base, Hitoshi found his scarf. Kuiper was lying in the middle of what looked like a nest. “What you doing, pretty girl? You can’t have that.”

He pulled Kuiper out of the nest and she purred in his arm as he grabbed his capture weapon. There was more than just his scarf though; socks, two shirts, and a random pair of boxers also resided in the cubby. So that’s where those had gone. “What you doing with all this stuff, princess?” He asked the cat, who just purred against him.

~

“Hmmm…” You groan, looking down at the pants that just wouldn’t button. “Have I been gaining weight?” Turning to the side with your shirt up to expose your stomach, you frowned at the full length mirror. You pinch at your skin and sigh. 

Kuiper sat on your bed, watching you with her tail twitching. “Looks like both of us need to go on a diet. Maybe I’ll even get you a kitty leash and we can go for walks.” Even though you’d switched her food to a less fattening kind, she still seemed to be growing. You’d gotten rid of all the treats and Hitoshi swears that he isn’t giving her any more. Plus, she has been more demanding of attention, even at night.

Giving up on those pants, you dug through your closet, looking for some spandex pants instead. You’d finally found them when you heard the telltale sign of gagging. “Oh no, oh no. Hold it in Kuiper!” You rush over to pick up your cat and run her to the bathroom. Thankfully, you got her to the sink just in time for her to throw up, but you seemed to be a vomit sympathizer and could feel yourself getting nauseous as well. You were going to the kitchen for water when the front door opened.

“Hmm, now this is a greeting.” You jump as hands gripped at your butt; you were still only in a shirt and underwear. “I could get used to this.” 

You giggle as you pulled Hitoshi’s offending hands closer to make him hug you instead. “I see you’re back later than usual. Everything okay?”

Hitoshi yawned before laying his head on your shoulder. You smiled at how cute and cuddly Hitoshi gets when he’s sleepy. He won’t move from his spot if you don’t, so you start walking with him on you to put the sleepy boy to bed. “Yeah, there was just a raid that turned out larger than expected but it’s okay now. How was your morning?”

You pushed your boyfriend onto the bed; he gave you a dopey smile. “Kuiper seems to be sick, she’s puked twice today already. She puked yesterday too. I’m gonna take her to the vet.” 

Another yawn as he tiredly rolled over. “Poor baby, let me know how she is.”

“I will.” You found the spandex pants from before but paused before putting them on. “Hey, Toshi? Do you think I gained some weight?” There was no answer; you looked over to see him taking shallow breaths and letting out small snores. Dressed, you kissed him goodbye before taking Kuiper to see her vet. 

~

“I’m sorry… could you repeat that?” 

The vet handed over the test results while his other hand scratched Kuiper behind the ear. The kitty was purring so loudly, it was the only thing grounding you right now. “She’s not fat. She’s pregnant. I’d say about three weeks, entering her fourth.”

“But she hasn’t even had her first heat!” You’d wanted her to have kittens one day but had just been hoping that it would be when she was a little older. Is this what parents feel like when their teenage child tells them they are having a baby? You start to think that you’re going to throw up again. 

You fell back into your seat as the vet placed Kuiper back inside her carrier. “She is old enough to have had it. Is there a way she could have gotten out?”

“No, there’s…” Last month, when your fan had stopped working, suddenly came to mind. Your landlord didn’t come to fix it for two weeks so you would leave the window open. It was so high up that you didn’t think she would be able to… but then again, she had gone through the air vents to get to Hitoshi’s apartment. You sigh and smack your own forehead. You should have known. “Fuck.”

“Well, I’m surprised you didn’t notice this sooner, especially if she’s been nesting. Gaining weight, puking, and being moody are all signs of pregnancy. She’ll be taking a lot more naps; it’s a lot of work making new life.” 

With Kuiper now in your arms again and some nausea medication for your apparently pregnant kitty, you leave the vet’s feeling a bit unsure. You sigh as you stop by a store to get some baby blankets for Kuiper; she can’t keep stealing shirts and Hitoshi’s scarf to have her kittens on. There’s a lot you needed to prepare for with so little time. “Right, should mark down her expected due date.” You looked at your phone calendar to enter it in when you noticed something; you’d forgotten to mark your own period this month. Wait…when was it?

~ 

Hitoshi entered the kitchen yawning. He wrapped his arms around your waist as you cooked dinner. “Hey.”

“Good evening, my love. Feel better?” You leaned your head against his, your hand weaving through his lavender locks.

He was practically purring against you. “Nah. I could sleep some more, but something smelled good.”

Trying to keep your voice even so as to not give anything away, you focused on cooking again. “Hmm, well now that you are up, do you think you could go to your apartment? I could hear her lonely meows but I didn’t want to leave the food.”

Hitoshi stepped back to stretch and yawn one more time. “I thought we closed those vents? Yeah, I’ll pick up the princess.” You bit your lower lip to hide your smile as he left the room.

You waited a few minutes till Hitoshi came barging back into the room, holding up Kuiper in a panic, a small note in his hand. “___! Kuiper’s pregnant?!” 

You didn’t look at him as you continued to cook. “Yeah, her too.”

 “Too?” You turned to him and placed a sonogram in his free hand. Hitoshi’s eyes widened, looking down at your hand now resting on your stomach. 

You smile at him as he placed Kuiper down on the ground, staring at the small picture of your eight-week-old fetus. “Mmhmm, too.”

Next thing you know, you are being spun in the air and kissed deeply by your ecstatic boyfriend. The rest of the night, Hitoshi was buzzing, his hand not leaving your stomach, even when you two were eating dinner.

The two of you laid together in bed, Kuiper against your chest and Hitoshi pressed against your back as he stroked circles around your stomach. “___.” You turned your head to face him as he whispered in your ear. “Marry me.”

You turned back to your cat, petting her as she purred in her sleep. “Nah.” You felt him go stiff and you turned back to him with a smirk, snickering. You kiss his forehead. “Kidding, yes.”

[dandannoodl3s]

Ahhh so I also managed finishing chapter 2 in the re-imagining of the events post the episode 5.08 (Ian Garvey) if you’re haven’t read part one I’ll attach the link but here’s part 2 it’s slightly long but worth it I promise. Gif credits to @biconicclarkegriffin and @bravebold

Chapter 2

Before Ressler knew it, he was driving towards Liz’s apartment. It was way past midnight now and the thought of resting before beginning his quest to uncover the culprits behind this horrific attack was too much for him to bear. Besides he wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing Liz was in the hospital fighting for her life. Cooper had already alerted the Post Office about the events and a CSI team had been sent to Liz’s apartment. Nobody it seemed wanted to waste any time. As he approached her building he saw a bunch of cop cars parked outside, along with police tape cording off the area. He parked his car but sat in it for several minutes, trying to prepare himself for what he was about to see. He stepped out and made his way under the police tape, taking his badge out to identify himself to the officer in charge of the scene.

“Donald Ressler, FBI”

“Yes Sir, come through”

“Are you okay sir?” said the same officer who had let him in.

As Ressler made his way up the stairs to her apartment, his heart beat faster and faster almost bursting out of his chest, He had to lean against the wall to calm down

“Yeah fine” Ressler chimed in, trying to hide the emotions that were threatening to explode.

“Did you know the people who were attacked?”

“Yeah” he said, sucking a deep breath in.

“It was my partner and her husband.”

“I’m sorry sir. It’s always hard when someone close to you is killed.”

“She isn’t dead. She’s in a coma.” retorted Ressler who was beginning to get irritated at the officer for talking so much but he knew that he didn’t mean to offend him, so he just nodded at the officer and made his way into her apartment. But he was not ready for what he saw. There was blood everywhere along with shattered glass across the living room floor, broken tables and chairs, torn pillows and two dead bodies. He assumed correctly that they must have been part of the team that attacked the Keens and having known that there was no way that Liz and Tom had those many bullets to spare, he knew it had been Reddington and Dembe who had come just in time to rescue the two of them.

The CSI’s had marked all the areas and were in the process of gathering all the blood and any other DNA evidence they could get from the scene. Ressler on the other hand made his way into Agnes’s room. It had been completely tossed. All her toys scattered on the floor, her mattress had been flipped, her cupboard had been carelessly emptied out, and there was nothing that was left in place. He was grateful that Liz had sent Agnes to her friend’s place for a sleepover. He didn’t want to imagine what they would have done to the poor girl if she was at home with her parents. No. Liz would never do that if she knew somewhere in her gut that she was uncovering something dangerous.

Suddenly a paper caught his eye. He bent down to pick it up. It was a drawing Agnes had made of herself, Tom and Liz. They were in the park with Agnes in the middle of her two parents holding both their hands and smiling. It made Ressler tear up. How the hell was he going to get her through this? He folded the drawing and put it in his pocket. He went out, ensured that the CSIs covered everything and left her apartment.

1 month later

The investigation into the attack was just a bunch of dead ends. While they managed to ID the two bodies, there was no other trace of blood, fingerprints or anything. Whoever did this was meticulous. It was planned to ensure there were no survivors and absolutely nothing that could lead back to them. What the attackers perhaps hadn’t anticipated was Reddington. And while the Task Force was doing everything possible, Reddington had surprisingly continued to supply them with names of Blacklisters. I guess it was his way of honouring Liz and it was also the only way everyone could remain distracted.

Reddington had also been actively taking care of Agnes. Ressler was actually quite surprised at his approach towards her. He had asked Samar if she would take Agnes in for the time being since he realised how important it was for Agnes to have a female presence. In another world Red would have jumped at the opportunity to keep Agnes to himself for her ‘protection’ but things were different right now and what Agnes needed was a sense of normalcy, something not possible in his world. Ressler would usually spend the weekends with Agnes, who insisted on building pillow forts with him. She was in the “princess phase” while the pillow fort was her castle and Ressler her knight. It had certainly been a difficult month, and perhaps Agnes was too young to completely understand death and medically induced comas, but there was no denying that behind that smiling face, she missed her parents dearly.

“Uncle Donnie?” said Agnes one evening that Ressler was at Samar’s place.

“Yes sweetheart?”

“When is mommy going to come home? I miss her.”

Ressler picked her up, setting her on his lap as she cuddled into him.

“Sweetie, I know you miss her. Uncle Donnie misses her too. Remember what I told you about Mommy and Daddy being in an accident?” Agnes slowly nodded her head.

“Well mommy was injured very badly. It’s like when the evil queen sends her army to kill the princess and take her place in the kingdom and the prince tries to protect the princess by fighting the evil queen’s army. Your daddy was the prince who tried to save his princess, and he fought very bravely to protect your mother.”

“You said daddy is in heaven now right?”

Ressler smiled at the sweet child sitting on his lap.

“Yes, daddy is in heaven now. He’s still protecting your mommy and is making sure she is strong enough to wake up. Give it time sweetie. I promise you that I’m here with you till Mommy comes back okay?”

“Okay, Uncle Donnie.”

And with that Ressler picked her up and took her to the room Samar had set aside for Agnes. He lifted the covers and gently placed a sleepy Agnes in bed. He read her her favourite story at the moment “Mulan” as it reminded her of how strong and brave her mother was and watched her fall asleep before placing a kiss on her forehead and making his way out of the room.

6 months later

It had been half a year and Liz had still not woken up. The doctors had lost hope but Reddington being Reddington refused to give up and had her transferred to a private care facility, paying for everything along the way. Other than Reddington, Ressler was the one member on the task force who visted Liz almost every day. Sometimes he would bring her favourite food from Wing Yee and just sit and talk to her while he ate his share. Other times he would tell her about his day, about Blacklisters they caught and about the thrill of the chase. But every single time he spoke to her, he would tell her about Agnes. Her grades, her favourite movies and books at the moment, how she had dyed some of her hair pink after seeing some movie where the lead actress had pink hair, how she had discovered Samar’s lipsticks and insisted that she needed some of her own.

For Ressler, Liz was the only thing he thought about for the last 6 months. Whether it was his feelings for her or the fact that he just utterly missed her, her teasing and her silly jokes, he just wanted Liz to wake up. On the 6 month eve of the attack, Ressler snuck in a bottle of her favourite wine in his coat pocket before making his way to the care facility. When he entered her room he was surprised to see Red sitting next to her, since he usually wasn’t here so late in the night.

“Donald, it’s lovely to see you.”

“Red, what are you doing here so late?”

“Well I know you aren’t as happy to see me but you know what date it is today and I don’t know, I just wanted to be here with Lizzie”

“I know what you mean. That’s actually why I’m also here.”

Reddington looked at Ressler for a long while before saying something that took Ressler by surprise.

“You know Donald, its going to be difficult for Elizabeth when she wakes up, you know with Tom not being here and their attackers being on the loose, but for what it’s worth I’m glad you’re in her life. I don’t think I’ve told you how much I appreciate all that you’ve done for sweet Agnes.

I know we’ve had a colourful history and I may have outsmarted you that one time in Belgrade but you were the only one who ever came close to ever capturing me. In fact, sometimes your personality strikes me as uptight even rigid, but that perfectly sculpted jaw line certainly helps” Reddington chuckled.

Ressler couldn’t help but snort.

“So the only acceptable quality I have are my looks? Tell me something new.” He said somewhat cockily but he was slightly stung by the jab.

“Your face definitely is a sight for sore eyes but that’s not the only thing. In the last few months you have proved my wrong. You’ve been at Lizzie’s side the whole time, unwavering in you love and care for her. You may not realise this but your loyalty and compassion is an envious trait. Something that I have always admired and remember I am not easily pleased.”

The atmosphere in the room was thick with emotion and as a means to break the unfamiliarity of Reddington’s emotional confession, Ressler took out the small bottle of wine from his inner coat pocket.

“What do we have here?” exclaimed Reddington.

Feigning a smile Ressler said “It’s Liz’s favourite cheap wine. Every time we finished arresting a particularly nasty Blacklister, we would sit in our office and pour ourselves this god awful wine in plastic cups and try to finish our day’s reports.”

“Why in God’s good name does Elizabeth subject herself to such ghastly taste in alcohol, I mean why do that when she has a perfectly beautiful collection of aromatic Chilean wines lying in her house, ones that I especially bootleg for her but for some unearthly reason continue to remain unopened? ”

Ressler chuckled.

“Well, one day Liz and I were the only ones left in the Post Office. We had just wrapped up a case that among other things involved seizing alcohol from underage kids who had they known any better were drinking counterfeit wine supplied to them by the Blacklister we were out for, who made millions selling adulterated wine only to poison his wife and daughter when they found out the truth about his enterprise. Anyway, Liz and I were up late, writing our reports and filling in data when we decided to sneak into the backroom where there were several boxes of adulterated wine ready to be processed in the morning. We were both in desperate need for a drink so we opened up a carton and nicked a few bottles, since they were yet to be registered.

One thing led to another and before you know it we had finished two bottles of that awful wine, laughing at how desperate and teenage it was to go sneaking around stealing alcohol. And Liz in her drunken state declared it to be her favourite ‘cheap wine’ going so far as even writing a heavily misspelled review on the now defunct company website. It was also the last case we solved before things blew up and today while cleaning up her workspace, I found another bottle of that wine and couldn’t help but smile and the first thing I wanted to do was come here and share it with her. I know it sounds stupid, but I would do anything to have that time again, stealing bottles of wine from evidence rather than see her life being stolen from her by some ruthless criminals.”

“It is silly yes, but it is certainly not stupid for you to want to share that memory with her again. We will find out who did this Donald. I don’t plan on letting those scums get away. But until then, let’s open that bottle and judge just how much I need to consider an intervention and possibly a crash course for Lizzie on everything related to the finer things in life.”

Ressler pulled up a chair and poured the wine into two plastic cups and handed one to Reddington as they sat talking about Liz and all her little quirks.

[calpops]

veiled valor | 7 | c.h.

healing hearts

series masterlist

Calum heard no good night. Elodie did not want to part ways; not when the moon let streamlines of gleaming yet dull light into her cabin. Not when stars used to navigate their journey still twinkled in a calm night sky. Her hand fell from the doorknob, though usually prone to pulling at her skirt in times of anxiety Elodie remained calm and sure. Hand still at her side. Calum noted the set of her shoulders, posture refined and unbroken, no hunch of uncertainty or fear. She led the way, always captaining the voyage they ended up on, seemingly in charge of influencing waves that crashed into Calum’s rib cage. With small steps and a gaze that lingered Elodie made way to her bed. He heard no words that bid him leave; just a soft invitation to join.

His heart was racing and although it beat with resounding thuds it was a delicately beautiful feeling. It was a conundrum that left him wandering to her side, stopping short and clenching his hands into fists at his sides. He was apprehensive, and though they had shared before there was still a hesitation. She had yet to undress and put her nightgown on, he still wore his own day clothes; loose shirt and pants with a pendant always tucked into the pocket. He swallowed nervously and she turned to him, a careful gesture bringing her hand to his shoulder. Times before she had wound her arms around the tops of his shoulders; and once they had collided together in a desperate seeking of relief.

“Elodie,” Calum murmured as her hand wandered up lightly, gentle fingers cupping his jawline as soft golden eyes settled into his gaze. “If you don’t want to say good night yet… what do you want?”

A smile slowly curved onto her face, it was filled with ease and comfort. It blossomed warmth in Calum’s chest, a lovely spark of fire beginning to clash with cold waves splashing around and rocking his insides.

“I just want time with you,” she answered, slow blinks and steady breaths accompanying her simple desire.

Calum nodded minutely, he wasn’t aware of the motion or the fact that his heart had settled into a steady and familiar rhythm. His own hands found way to the small of her back, gently guiding her even closer to him, a minuscule shudder of delight rippling its way out of him as her fingers trailed back and brushed through his curls. The moment between them was forged through quiet; only soft waves lapping at the ship and occasional footsteps outside the cabin sounding. Calum yearned to lean down, capture her in a kiss that was reminiscent of not long past. A kiss that spoke all their desires and fears; that tasted sweet and breathed tendrils of longing between them.

“Is that all?” Calum asked, a slight hint of teasing hidden in his tone; a subtle upturn of his lips playing a smirk he knew Elodie caught. “You know I’d give you that.”

Elodie was the one to nod this time; a gentle curve of a smirk decorating her face and twinkling her eyes. “I do believe you said you’d give me anything and everything.”

Calum played coy, hands slowly trailing up and down her back, waiting for a reaction. She was still and calm, only the slight tint of pink coloring her cheeks a sign she was flustered and failing to hide it.

“I did,” Calum quickly conceded, his own words rang clear in his mind. “All you have to do is ask.”

Calum gave her credit; her hands did not shake or grab at her skirt, her body did not pull away from his and her voice stayed strong with her next words.

“I just want you.”

Those words were enough of a gravitational pull to bring Calum down, enough to bring Elodie to the tops of her toes; enough to bring them back together in another sought out form of relief. It was gentler, soft lips and easy caresses of exposed skin leading them towards the bed. The journey felt natural and calm; though Calum’s heart was exploding and body tingling in his excitement.

She fed off his every minuscule movement, she was responsive and sure in her own reciprocating movements. In a gentle motion Calum coaxed them both down, Elodie’s back hit the bed and her fingers tangled in his hair; Calum hovered over her, trailed his kisses from her lips to her neck. He was encouraged by the slight sigh of serenity and need that escaped her. He could only imagine her eyes fluttered shut, lips parted and bliss evident on her delicate features. His lips trailed down, kissing her collarbones as she slightly pulled at his curls with one hand. Her other hand captured his jaw, brought him back up to meet her gaze; a glint of something Calum couldn’t quite place in her eyes. His breath cut short.

“Subtlety, Captain. Lest the entire crew have a visual.”

He exhaled through a slight laugh, Elodie pouting at his response. “Oh Princess, half the crew assumes we’ve been doing this since the night you first boarded.”

Elodie’s eyes went wide, lips parted and cheeks blazing in her shock. She took a moment to recover, hands still on his jaw and in his hair. “And you didn’t stand to correct them?”

“Kept their hands off you didn’t it?”

There was a moment of silence that befell them; Elodie contemplated his words and their meaning—using the moment to process and justify his lack of action and explanation. She nodded. The hand on his jaw left him, a lone finger tapping into her own pulse point as she tilted her head and Calum read into her motions. He smirked and did her bidding; kissing and feeling the thrum of her pulse under his lips as he left scattered marks on her skin.

They stayed wrapped up in each other through the entire night, discovering new worlds yet to be explored within each other. Crossing once unknown territories and feeling the crashing high of bliss settle in their exhausted but elated bodies. Calum pulled her to him; both breathless and overheated. She fit into his arms with ease, head pressed to his chest, fingers tapping out her familiar but tired rhythm. She kept time to his heart beat against his rib cage and he ran a hand through her hair; gentle touches and soft spoken words of content eased them down and into slumber.

Calum was the first to wake, disbelief settling into his mind as his eyes scanned Elodie’s cabin. Her skirt and blouse laid in a pile on the floor, his own clothes tossed aside somewhere. His deft hands had made quick work of them the night before. Elodie was sound asleep in his arms, his heart thumping in a comfortable and steady rhythm as he held her just a bit tighter; realizing he did not want to let her go. And yet, he knew he had to. The day was new and the ship called to him; a certain something within the store room rousing him to his feet.

Calum slipped out of Elodie’s bed as the sun made its ascent into the sky, he was quiet and agile as he did his best not to disrupt her sleep. He slipped his clothes back on, always checking to ensure the safety of her pendant. It was all too familiar to him now—as often as Elodie’s hands played at her skirt in a nervous tic his now plunged into his pants pockets to feel the gold and gems tumble between his fingers. His gaze swept back to her. She was delicate, eyelashes casting shadows on full cheekbones, lips slightly parted and swollen. Calum dipped back down, unable to resist her pull. She was the moon and he was the tide—so easily pushed and pulled by her influence. His heart was set with ease, body languid as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, letting a hand softly brush fallen curls out of her face. He took only a moment more to memorize sunlight dazzling across her before silently leaving the cabin.

He made his way to the stores, weaponry all accounted for within the wooded walls and shadowed spaces. But he had purchased and arranged for something much more to be there as a surprise; silken petals and long stems sat on a barrel of gunpowder. The contrast was striking; it screamed beauty and danger, princess and pirate. Calum knew Ashton handled the flowers without question—his mind likely connecting the dots with ease. Calum pulled a single flower from the bunch, let the stem spin in his fingertips for a moment, remembering the sheer delight that cut across Elodie’s face as he bestowed her with a flower on land. Simple delights had evaded her during her time at sea, flowers lost to and replaced by choppy salt water. He yearned to give her anything her heart desired, any simple pleasure he could obtain along the way sure to board his boat to light up golden eyes.

Calum heard crew coming to life; figured Elodie would be woken soon and strode back towards her cabin—door still shut and undisturbed. He hid the flower behind his back, lightly tapped with his knuckles and held his breath as the door slowly opened and Elodie peered out with tired eyes and an unsure expression, eyes cloudy and lip bitten. She had dressed, a new dress that must have been tucked away in the satchel she boarded with, it was finer than the skirt and blouse he was accustomed to seeing her in. It gave him a moment of pause; images of Elodie in regal gowns of fine fabrics, embroidered with gems and lace flickering through his mind. It was an image that haunted and elated him, her past chasing him down in moments of awe and anxiety. His held breath broke, fingers spinning the stem behind his back.

“Good morning, Captain,” Elodie greeted stepping back a bit hesitantly; as if to invite him back in. As much as Calum wished he could step back into their tiny created universe behind a shut door he stayed poised and still.

It was the first time Elodie had said those words after a night spent together. As much as Calum loved to hear good night roll off her tongue in waves of melodies, good morning had a beautiful ring to it as well. Good night and good morning could become a song he wouldn’t want to live without. He wished he could have heard good morning while still tangled in the sheets with her, longed for a morning where neither would need to break away from the other. If he could have he would have stayed; for the morning and longer.

Calum shuffled his feet and slowly brought his arm from around his back; flower pinched between thumb and forefinger, petals vibrant and lively.

“Morning.”

Elodie couldn’t keep back the crashing admiration overtaking her face; the sparkle of delight lighting golden eyes and upturning petal lips. Her reach was quick; capturing the flower in one fluid motion. Her cheeks pink and head dipping to smell the perfume of the petals. Calum heard the bustle of the crew behind him and footsteps approaching; still he jumped when a hand clapped him on the back.

“G’morning Captain,” Ashton’s voice sounded and brought Calum and Elodie back into the world of the ship. “Miss.” He acknowledged with a slight nod to Elodie.

Calum turned, heart sinking—dropping heavily like an anchor—as he took his eyes off of Elodie. Ashton’s hand fell from Calum’s back and instead motioned for him to follow.

“Need to borrow the captain, if you don’t mind,” Ashton chided as Calum stepped away; not looking but knowing Elodie had gotten flustered from the interruption. “Duties call.”

Calum suppressed a groan and eye roll, figuring it would not be very captain like to skimp out on duties. He had endured one attempted mutiny, his attitude would not call for another. Calum bid Elodie farewell with a tilt of his head and eyes that took one last trailing look over her. Curls fell into forming love marks on her neck and through blazing cheeks and with one sweeping motion Elodie pushed her hair back and securely tucked it behind her ears; leaving purple to see the light.

Calum was stunned as he followed Ashton, realizing they were headed towards the helm.

“And here I was thinking those flowers were for me,” Ashton quipped as they came to the wheel.

Calum merely rolled his eyes at his longtime companion. “No, the extra rum is for you.”

“Even sweeter. Captain, you sure do know the way to my heart.”

Calum laughed good naturedly and settled his hands on his hips, forcing himself to keep his gaze on the waves and not let himself wander his way back to Elodie. He figured she had swept out of her room by now; had likely flitted down to the galley to spend her day with Michael preparing food for an always ravenous crew. He had good faith Michael kept her entertained and would be a good friend to her—their repertoire of inside happenings not falling beneath Calum’s radar.

“Duty calls?” Calum questioned, an arched eyebrow indicating his curiosity at Ashton’s word choice. It was particular and unusual for the second in command.

“Coordinates,” Ashton replied. “Your call, Cap’n.”

Calum nodded. Took a moment to think over his decision; realizing Ashton had taken the lead in times of peril and escape. Now that the commotion had calmed he handed the responsibility back to him—not one for overthrowing power. Calum had no particular destination in mind, he had fared well with trades and didn't have a need for money or supply. So long as they kept low and had no run ins with trouble the ship could fare for months on the open sea; supplies stocked and crew refreshed. His hand came up to rub at his jaw, only two pressing issues crashing and tumbling through his mind. Winter and Elodie. He was not one to sail through the winter, much preferring the comfort of bedrooms with fireplaces and some sense of ease. Winter was approaching, the world would turn cold and the seas would take on a different kind of life.

“We go as far north east as we can before winter,” Calum concluded, a destination settling into his mind and calming the barrage of worry that began to eat at him.

He wanted to get them as far away from Elodie’s past world as he could. He would race to the ends of the earth to do so if it ensured her safety. Distance was the only viable solution his mind could concoct. He hoped—with every last ounce of dripping golden faith inside of him—that distance would be enough. He was known to run from his past, it hadn’t failed him yet.

***

It was mid afternoon by the time Calum could duck down into the galley; being met with an ever welcome aroma of cooking food and the sight of Elodie and Michael in conversation. Her hair was still pushed back, the stem of the flower he had gifted her that morning cut short enough to tuck behind her ear. It brought an easy smile to his face, the soft orange petals a perfect complement to the new pale peach dress she wore. Reminders of the previous night still caught his eye; surely the crew had seen it too. It made his heart stammer to think about; the entire crew knowing through the visual confirmation painted on her skin. The snickering and jabs would live on and grow larger; all in hushed tones that Calum was apt to ignore. He hoped if Elodie ever caught wind of the words said behind their backs she would ignore them too.

“And that’s how Captain did it,” Michael concluded much to Calum’s now open and earnest curiosity.

Elodie was enthralled by Michael’s words; elbows on the table, one hand cupping her cheek as she listened to a story Calum could not confirm or deny as being true. He hopped down the last step, drawing the pairs attention, Michael smirking in a broad and delighted manner as he realized they had been caught. It was apparent to Calum that more words than he knew had been traded behind his back.

“Speaking of me, are we?”

“We always are,” Michael confirmed with a tip of his cap and a sly smile. “The lady is very curious. Who am I to deny her?”

Elodie stood up straight, hand falling to the table top as she welcomed Calum’s presence. “I did warn you I would cheat you out of your own stories.”

Calum reached for Elodie’s hand, brought her closer and spun her around so her back was to his chest; she looked up at him as he settled his arms around her. He dipped down to her ear. “And you trust the word of a pirate?”

“I trust you, don’t I?”

Michael scoffed but didn’t destroy the intimate moment that settled between Calum and Elodie. They were both settled into one another and at complete ease; Elodie all but falling into Calum’s hold, hearts content with open ended questions. They both knew the answers. They both knew they did not need to speak them out loud to confirm. They could hear the crew above them; the seas fared them well and activity was usual on deck. The galley was well situated, a bit of clean up needed before dinner was served and although Calum wished to excuse himself with Elodie and leave Michael to do such clean up he knew that was not fair.

“Michael, you can take leave until dinner,” Calum excused much to Michael’s outward surprise.

Michael’s jaw fell slightly agape and a small gasp escaped him; his seemingly never ending arsenal of sarcasm running dry. If only for a moment.

“I get it; you want to be alone,” he said, eyes flickering between Calum and Elodie. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to run away from the galley together? Go up for some air?”

Calum recalled the previous teases Michael had thrown in his and consequently Elodie’s direction—paired with his own excuse of always pulling her away from the galley and her assigned duties. Calum took on a stern look; one forged with years of authority, eyes set and demanding Michael not question him lest he truly leave him in the galley once more. Michael threw his hands up in surrender, overdramatic and zealous as usual. He bid them farewell with another tip of his cap and a wink, Calum’s hold never faltering around Elodie as Michael swept up the steps.

Calum peered down at Elodie, her face angled up to catch gazes with him. He couldn’t help the smile that upturned his lips or the pleasurable flutter of his heart rate picking up as her hands came up to hold his. He could have stayed like that until the ship became one with the waves—lost at sea for lifetimes unknown. Except. He spun her around in a gentle manner, twirling so the length of her dress spun in time with her. Once more visions of Elodie in fine gowns flitted through his mind and made his imagainings wander to a life she once knew.

“Now what is it that Michael was saying about me?” Calum murmured, hands trailing down to her hips, bringing her even closer to him. “Only good things I hope.”

Elodie scrunched up her nose in a playful way and shrugged. “Perhaps.”

Calum tutted at her response and in one swift motion lifted her and hoisted her up to sit on the tabletop. He stood close enough for her legs to wrap around him and hands to settle on his chest. It was reminiscent of the night spent on the deck, Elodie’s back to the waves and Calum’s hold never faltering from her as she sat atop the rail. There was a quick moment of disbelief that the night sifting through his memory was not long ago; the days always blending together at sea and Calum felt there was something timeless about the bond they worked endlessly to build with one another. With every secret shared and story exchanged Calum felt the passing of time to be meaningless. He could have known her for a hundred lifetimes or only a day. She gave him a coy smile as he begged with pouted lips and closing distance for her to share.

“Afraid that Michael shared your dirty secrets?” She whispered, voice low and implicit of truths.

“Always.”

Elodie laughed, head thrown back, curls falling and hiding marks she wore with refined confidence and glowing pride. Calum pushed her honey tresses back once more, being careful to keep the flower tucked behind her ear. His action paused her laughter and cut the galley into a near silence.

“You know,” she began in another whisper. “For a pirate your dirty secrets are quite mundane and perhaps even a bit honorable.”

Calum tilted his head in curiosity; unsure what secrets or stories Michael may have shared to spur such a remark from Elodie. There were many tales Michael could tell; they had sailed together on many voyages, some brazen and bold, others calm and quiet. Calum wracked his mind for any honorable stories Michael may have been witness to. When he came up empty his teeth sunk into his lower lip as his eyebrows furrowed.

“No pillaging, no thievery, no heathen like behavior at all,” Elodie continued with a smirk. “Only a few drunken and or daring escapes from the law. A couple near heroics.”

“Near heroics?” Calum feigned outrage. “Princess I am always honorable and heroic.”

Elodie batted her eyes at Calum, an innocent and charming pull. “At least for as long as I’ve known you.”

It was Calum’s turn to laugh, a low rumble escaping him as he couldn’t resist closing the distance between them. He kissed her gently, leaving no time to overthink or question his decision. It was becoming second nature; as close in easiness as breathing. Elodie was blushing as he pulled away but the small smile betrayed her embarrassment and emphasized her enjoyment.

“And I will continue to be for as long as you continue to know me.”

Elodie nodded. “For a lifetime then.”

***

Dinner passed without incident and Calum stood at the rail, gaze trained on the sky, using a voyagers eye to map distances in his mind. The stars didn’t shine as bright that night; a film of fog capturing the sky. Although his navigational tools were compromised Calum knew they could sail a comfortable distance away before the first snowfall of the year. He had a home purchased just a couple of years ago—one large enough to accommodate a pirate and a princess if she so wished to stay. He found himself second guessing and doubtful; wondering when the gaze of adventure and freedom would shatter and Elodie would crave the finer things her old life bestowed upon her regularly. Calum figures she never needed to ask for simple pleasure; that fine gowns and flowers of all sorts were a common occurrence within palace walls.

Calum didn’t jump as a delicate hand was placed on his shoulder; he knew the touch, the familiar feeling settling into calm waves. He turned back, Elodie greeted him with a smile and a hand that wandered down to his; fingers entwining in a natural and easy way. His other hand reached out, capturing hers before it could settle into a nervous habit or stray away from his touch. She was set and smiling, eyelashes fluttering as she batted her eyes ever so gently up at Calum. The flower still lived tucked behind her ear and it made Calum’s heart soar to know she kept his token close. Elodie was quiet but her words need not be spoken.

The night was cold and elusive; foggy and dreadful. Calum anticipated a storm within the coming days but nothing his tried and true ship could not handle. Perhaps a downpour of rain and waves that would rock the boat a bit uncomfortably. He hoped Elodie would fare well in the eye of the storm; her admission of not being one for sailing worrying him, he doubted she had sailed through such a storm. The only she had bared witness to aboard his vessel she had been locked in her cabin for and it had blown over as the mutiny grew. Calum anticipated worse this go around. Possible damage to the ship but nothing that would call for docking to repair. They could make it to winter; where Calum knew and trusted a ship builder upon where he planned for them to stay.

Elodie took a longing look up at the sky, breaking gazes with Calum to do so; leaving him grasping at lifelines cast to golden seas. She let out a forlorn sigh, lips trembling as she looked back up at Calum. There was a question in her eyes; one she hesitated to speak aloud. Calum coaxed her on by swinging their hands back and forth, letting a smile upturn his lips and eyes drift to purple still proudly on display.

“Do you think you could teach me to read the stars?” She began, uncertainty lulling her tone. “Once they come back out? I’d much rather learn out here than on a map.”

Calum’s small smile bolstered into an ear splitting grin, her question lighting up his heart with infinite shooting stars. He nodded automatically, not wanting a moment of doubt to settle in her heart or mind. Calum brought their joined hands up, kissed the back of her hand in a quick motion and let them fall once more.

“Planning to navigate on your own?” Calum teased. “Running away again?”

Elodie laughed but the creases in her forehead and the purse of her lips set panic alight in Calum’s subconscious. He hoped his teasing had not overstepped the delicate boundaries they were still walking. Fine lines and fragile walls still standing; though crumbling and fading with each night that passed.

Elodie’s hold on Calum’s hands broke and reached for the rail instead, she licked at her bitten lips and furrowed her brows. “You know I have nowhere else to go.”

Calum frowned, deep set and unsettled. “I meant no harm.”

“I know,” Elodie’s response was quick and sure. “I’ve just never been allowed to do things on my own. There was always someone there to do them for me or in place of me.”

Calum’s heart sank at the melancholy tone settled into Elodie’s words. Her past was forlorn and broken into shards Calum was only granted glimpses at from time to time. He yearned to understand and be let into the full picture. But he knew it would take time. And he would give her all the time in the world to do so; if she ever pleased to. He wouldn’t push. He would wait. Patient and calm.

“I’ll teach you,” Calum conceded easily, knowing in his heart he’d give her anything she desired if it was within his reach. “Once the storm passes.”

“Storm?”

“Expect it’ll roll in by morning. Please don’t walk the deck alone; I’ll be sure someone sees you to and from the galley.”

Elodie nodded, grip on the rail tightening until her knuckles went white and eyes went wide. Calum could tell she was remembering the last fall of rain aboard his ship. He yearned to reach out to her and console any worry, promise an attempted mutiny would not separate them again, but the words died on his lips before he could speak them aloud. There were no whispering or tension among the new crew this go around but he did not wish to make a promise he was not entirely sure he could keep.

“I suppose I should head for my cabin,” Elodie began, eyes still searching the sea and sky. Her hands didn’t relent on the rail but her hair blew back in the sea breeze and her body shifted in time to the winds. She turned to look at Calum once more. “It is getting late.”

The flower tucked precariously behind her ear began to stir, caught in the breeze as it slipped away; fallen to the water below. Elodie peered over the edge of the rail a bit too close to the turning choppy waters below for Calum’s comfort. He pulled her back; knowing there were dozens more flowers in the store room waiting for her. But only one princess gracing the deck of his ship.

Calum escorted her to her door without another word, letting her hand find purchase on his forearm as they fell into silence. Just the night before she had placed a hand over his; begged him for healing hearts and a gentle night with gleaming eyes and subtle motions. This night was different. Thrown back to a time where sleep well and good night were said in the same breath and holds around each other were momentary. She was gone from his arms too soon, Calum left to wait to hear the click of the lock once more. He wandered to his own cabin, glad it was adjacent to hers. He had a feeling he would be checking to ensure she was okay come morning rain and wind. His hand longed to pass her another flower, heart beating with eagerness to see her smile light up the deck and cut through the storm. Tomorrow would bring rain but Elodie would bring and settle calm to Calum. She was mystifying in a sense. One moment wrapped in the same sheets as he and gone in a whirlwind of a storm; tucked behind a wooden door with wonderings of the world scattered through her mind. Calum could not wait to learn more of her world.

***

Copyright 2020 calpops. All rights reserved. This work is not allowed to be uploaded by anyone else in any format (translations included). 

***

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[jadekitty777]

Successive Failure

I’m a little later then I said I would be on this one. I intended to release this one in-between the hiatus, but one of the final scenes was giving me some trouble, but I still hope it was worth the wait! Ever since this volume decided to bring Qrow’s addiction as a more prominent plot point, I wanted to try my hand at a proper introspective piece for him, and this is what resulted.

Rating: K+

Word Count: 6k

Ao3 Link:  Successive Failure

Warnings: Lots of cursing and alcoholism

Summary: No matter how many times Qrow has tried, he has never able to put the bottle down for good. You’d think that’d be his greatest failure in life. You’d be wrong. [A What-If scenario of Volume 6, Chapter 9 – What if Team RWBY found Qrow in a different way]

~

“Give me the strongest you got.” Qrow ordered the moment he sat down.

The bartender’s curvy mustache waggled as he gave him a sharp look over. “You ain’t from around here, are ya bud?”

Annoyance tinged through him. He knew some bartenders were always out looking for the next strange person to talk with; but Qrow certainly wasn’t interested in spilling his life story. “You’re a regular ol’ Sherlock. Can I just get my drink?”

The other was not amused with his attitude, not that many ever were. In answer, he reached under the bar and placed a bottle on the desk. It was pretty unassuming, just a shade of dark-green, with a label on it that read ‘King Taijitu Venom’ on it. The two-headed Grimm hissed at him from underneath the title.  “Argus’ breweries are some of the finest in the world. To the point some of the bottles need special permission to be exported. But this one right here?” He tapped the bottlecap. “Is so potent it’s been illegalized for transport. Only people in Argus can purchase it, and only by the shot.”

As he scanned the words, he quickly discovered why. 67.8 APV. He’d never had anything stronger than 35 before, and it had knocked him on his ass by the end of the night.

He had to admit, it got his interest piqued. “Is it that good?”

“Let’s just say one shot has put even the biggest of guys under the table in the hour. You? I’d give twenty minutes.”

He slid a lien card across the bar, smirking confidently. “That a challenge?”

~

Qrow has had many terrible ideas over the course of his 40-year lifespan. Sneaking from one bar to another to take two shots of pure poison in a bottle somehow only ranked in the top five.

Still, as he wandered around the streets of – where was he again? Didn’t matter. As he wandered the streets, trying to find his way back to the house, he had to wonder why he didn’t try this sooner. He felt great! The liquor had burned like whiskey but tasted as fine as a martini. Worth every bit of the 200 lien it cost him.

“W-Whoa!” Qrow stumbled as the ground underneath him upheaved, grasping onto a light pole to keep himself upright. A bubbling in his chest turned into laughter and he swung himself around it, doing a decent rendition of ‘Singing in the Rain’ in one of those wishy-washy musicals Tai liked to watch. He let go of it, kicking up some snow bunched along the curb of the sidewalk, before tapping and twisting across the road, going on about sunshine in his heart and other such nonsense.

As he twirled once more on his heels, he noticed two bright lights coming towards him. Ah, right, the spotlight! Time for the big finish! He held up his arms, grinning widely, as the lights sped towards him.

“QROW!” The voice – a fan no doubt – was echoed with a great big noise that must have been the baseline reaching the crescendo.

He took a deep breath, ready to belt out the chorus for his audience – when something slammed into his body with enough force to jar his bones and rattle his brain around in his skull. It made the whole world spin.

“What were you doing?!” The voice, his fan, shrieked from above.

He blinked away spots, confused on how he’d suddenly ended up back on the sidewalk. He craned his neck, trying to focus on the tiny lady atop him. As her face came into view, his heart leapt. “Flowerbud?”

“Ruby!” Another, more boisterous, woman yelled, before she came into view. Huh, when had Raven dyed her hair? “Is he alright?!”

Okay. Not Raven. She wouldn’t care about his wellbeing for a millisecond.

“What kind of idiot stands in the middle of traffic like that!” This third lady was much shriller as she came to stand beside not-Raven. Unfortunately, even in his wildest woes of drunkenness, he couldn’t forget the face of a Schnee.

Which had an even more unfortunate side effect of pulling him out of his stupor enough that he realized it was not Summer but his niece hovering above him. It was also her fist that hit him hard enough on the chest that some of the air rushed from his lungs, making his voice squeak ironically when he gasped out, “Pipsqueak?”

“How much have you had to drink?”

“Uh,” It took a moment to calculate, “Just two shots.”

“You’re lying!” Something seemed off about Ruby’s voice, but he couldn’t place why. Maybe he was still hearing Summer’s ghost in its tone.

Another hit jolted him from that train of thought. He swiped out for her hands – and was she using her semblance to keep them away from him because he was having an awfully hard time catching them. “Will you cut that out? Everything’s fine.”

“Fine? …Fine?!” He flinched a bit, her voice too loud. “Nothing’s fine! Oscar’s missing, everyone’s upset and you almost got hit by a truck! You, you-!” Lost for words, she just gave a yell of rage, before she was up and storming down the sidewalk, her cloak billowing behind her like a windstorm. After a moment, she gave another cry, kicking a Styrofoam coffee cup so it skittered across the concrete.

He knew something was really wrong though when she fell to her knees, pulling her hood up over her bowed head, wailing loudly.

“Ruby!” Yang hurried over to her.

Above him still, the Schnee and – wait, where’d the fourth come from? – shared a look, before the former nodded her head towards the sisters. “Go on. I’ll get him home.”

“Are you sure?” Blake looked between her and him warily. Not that he cared about that. Not one bit.

“Don’t worry. I’ve… done it before.”

He did however care about his niece who sounded really, really bad. “Kiddo?” He called to her, struggling to get to his feet. By the time he’d managed it though, dainty fingers were wrapping around his bicep, tugging him away from the sidewalk and away from his niece. “Hey, leggo!” His assailant didn’t answer nor concede. He tried to pull away, only to stumble even more when black glyphs appeared under his feet, magnetizing his boots and forcing him to stay on the path. “Ice princess, ya hear me? I said let go! I have to check on Ruby!”

“You’ve done enough.” She wouldn’t even look at him.

He was glad she didn’t because he knew that tone. Had heard it all his life, sewing itself into his head like a song that he couldn’t find the rest of. A tune that just wouldn’t quit replaying those few beats, no matter how many times he tried to distract himself from it.

It was the tone that said: I’m disappointed in you.

~

When Qrow was 30, he had hit rock bottom.

It had been a slow weathering. At first it was simply the pressure of the underground mission, the secrets so few knew looming along his back like a phantom. Then, Raven left, carving a hole in his team and family that not even Summer and her boundless optimism knew how to correct. She didn’t get long to try before her life was stolen next and with it, she might as well have taken Tai’s as he lost himself to grief so endless, no amount of effort could pull him out of the pit he’d fallen into. Qrow, left alone for the first time, felt like he’d lost all semblance of control. Aimless, guideless, he turned to the only thing that could bring him joy anymore, as false as it was.

He was no stranger to drinking. In the tribe, it was common place for twelve-year-olds to be declared men, and with it, were allowed to sip on the neck of a bottle. At Beacon, he made a lot of his connections through rave parties and throwaway dances, always with a cup in hand and praised for his ability to find ‘the good stuff’. Maturity and fitting in, that’s what drinking meant for him.

Until it didn’t anymore. For as much as he scoffed at his sister for it, he knew – whether physically present or not – he was just as good at running away.

As the years progressed, he became more of a master at that than anything else. By the time he’d truly woken up, Tai had gotten a new job as a teacher, Yang was seven, and Ruby was five. And apparently Qrow, drunk, stupid Qrow, was their babysitter.

But that was kind of the thing about black out drinking. He made promises he hardly remembered and had entire weeks months of his memory just splotched out like a gothic painter got a little too eager when they put the paintbrush to his brain.

So when he finally woke up to a puppy he hadn’t even known Tai had adopted yapping incessantly at him and found the house disturbingly empty, nothing but the grooved tracks of the girls’ play wagon disappearing into the forest left behind, he knew he had fucked up. Cursed himself as he rushed out after them, taking to the sky as he prayed to whatever Gods he didn’t believe in at the time that they would just let him be lucky.

Just this once, please, just this one time and he’ll never drink again.

They answered and he got to bring both the girls home that day.

He repaid Them by trying to convince a seven-year-old to keep a secret she shouldn’t have to hold.

Tai found out anyways, because Ruby was too wide-eyed over just how cool she thought her uncle was to understand why she wouldn’t tell her daddy about his brave rescue.

Qrow remembered that day with more clarity than he would have liked, down to the very way Tai manhandled him out of the house and tossed him into the dirt.

“I’m done.” Tai had seethed. He was beyond livid, red in the face and every inch of him shaking as he contained the need to pummel him six feet under. “You either get your fucking act together or you get the fuck out of my house.”

Though he’d later be grateful, the Qrow that day was nothing but indignant as he rose against him, “The fuck? I save your kids and you kick me out?”

“You were supposed to be watching them!” Tai shrilled back. “I’ve tried my best to be patient and understanding and all you do is spit that back in my face! And you know what? I’m tired! I’m tired of giving you extra money every week. I’m tired of calls at 2 A.M to come pick you up from the bar. I’m tired of having to explain to the girls why their uncle is never around, even when he is.”

“At least drinking’s a better excuse then the damn pity party you’re still throwing.” Even as he said it, he knew he had crossed a line, and deserved every bit of the black eye he received for it.

“You know what? Fuck off.” Tai snarled down at him, before turning back for the house. Turning back from him. “You want to go kill yourself, then be my fucking guest!”

“Y-Yeah well-!” Qrow scrambled for a response, digging as dirty as he could go, “I’m sure you’ll be happy to be rid of me! Better off without your bad luck charm hanging around, right?!”

For a moment, it made his brother-in-law pause but when he looked back at him, there was no sympathy, only disappointment. “Wow. Playing the manipulative card? I thought you were better than that.”

And then, to add salt onto the newly cut wound, the door was slammed in his face and Qrow found himself homeless.

He’d like to say he’d immediately cleaned up his act and came back into the house with his tail-feathers tucked between his legs, but that’d be a lie, so he didn’t. In fact, he never told anyone how he spent the next few months, scavenging about and doing less than savory missions for quick cash to feed his addiction.

His second awakening came when he found himself locked in a prison in Vale after trying to steal a six-pack from the grocery store. Nothing was more pathetic than being given his one phone call and realizing he had absolutely no one to dial.

So he called Ozpin, explaining without explaining that he found himself in a bit of trouble and needed some cash. He had expected to be hung up on. He had hoped to be wired the money. What he got was his former headmaster coming down to the station in person to bail him out. And boy, was that ride back to Beacon ever awkward and uncomfortable, Qrow silently wishing he could sink into the leather seats until he disappeared for good.

Oz didn’t ask any questions until they were closed up in his office, making Qrow feel like he was seventeen and about to be scolded for breaking the holographic projectors in the computer lab. Again.

“So, care to tell me what that was all about?” Ozpin asked, pouring him some hot chocolate.

“Don’t suppose I can just say no and accept a week’s detention like the good ol’ days, huh?” Qrow accepted the cup, even if he likely wouldn’t drink it.

He chuckled in return. “I’m afraid not. Being a graduate means I can no longer dole out corporal punishment.” He pushed off from the desk he lent against, saying as he rounded it, “However, I’m still an excellent listener, if you want to talk about anything.”

He stared hard at his reflection in the muddy surface. “Who says I got anything to say?”

The other sat down, humming, “Well, I suppose if you don’t we can merely spend the time catching up. It has been quite awhile since I’ve last seen you.” Qrow slunk down a little more in his seat, pretending he didn’t know why that was. Oz went about pouring his own cup, adding as he did, “It’s a little ironic you showed up, actually. Taiyang called a few days ago, asking if I’d seen you.” Brown eyes peered at him over shaded spectacles. “He’s worried.”

That finally got him to snort, crossing his heels on the edge of the desk. “Yeah. Sure he is.”

There was a sigh, Oz dropping all pretenses that he didn’t already know what was going on. “Qrow, I understand why you might feel that Tai’s actions were out of spite, but-”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m a burden.” He slumped further, setting the full cup on the floor. “Got it.”

His old headmaster gave him a reproachful look, before sternly saying, “No. You are not the burden, Qrow. Your drinking is. You need to separate yourself from the vice if you hope to beat this.”

Beat it? He could hardly live without it. “Drinking IS part of who I am.”

“Do you truly define yourself in your head as a drunkard?”

“Well… what would YOU define me as?” He challenged right back.

“A huntsman.”

It was so simple.

And yet so wrong.

“Ha, haha!” Qrow smacked his own forehead, craning his neck over the back of his chair as he laughed towards the ceiling. “You got to be kidding me! Oz, I haven’t done an honest mission in years.”

“Then do one.”

“Okay, it was funny the first time, not so much the second time.” He spat.

“I’m being serious.” Oz turned slightly, bringing up a display to the left of him, scrolling through a listing. “How about Grimm control in the western sector? Or escorting the trade lines in Argus?”

“H-Hey.” Panic suddenly clogged his throat, Qrow sitting up straight. “Oz, wait. I’m out of practice.”

Hardly deterred, the man hit a few keys to pull up a new list. “Well, there are certainly plenty of easy rank missions to be done as well. How does transporting rations to stationaries sound?”

“Bad. They all sound bad.” He snapped. When that didn’t even earn him a cursory glance, he smacked the top of the desk. “Oz!”

There was a horrible screech as one of the cogs underneath the glass surface suddenly popped out of place, the rest of the gears coming to an awful, ear-piercing stop. They both looked down at it, Qrow giving a low groan before thumping his forehead on the cold, glass surface.

After a moment, he heard a sigh. “It’s easily fixed Qrow. Other things, I’m afraid, are not. Especially the longer you allow them to remain unrepaired.”

When he turned his head to peer up at him, he didn’t know what to make of the look Ozpin was giving him. It was full of compassion and, worse yet, understanding in a way that made his stomach flip sickeningly. “Look, Oz,” He said as he sat up, “I get what you’re trying to do and I appreciate it, I guess. But, it’s not…” that bad. The rest of the sentence faltered in his throat. He hadn’t slept in a bed or had a decent meal in weeks.

He tried again. “I can-” Stop? If he had the means to get it, he’d be downing a shot in a heartbeat.

“I don’t-” Need help? He was just in jail, for maiden’s sake!

And as he tried to find a way, any way, to justify himself, to argue for a desire on the worst of days even he hated, he realized he’d run out of excuses.

If he didn’t do something now, then what? How much further could he lose control of his life, until he couldn’t come back from it?

For the first time in a long time, Qrow remembered what it was like to be afraid of himself.

The strength he found to finally speak was tenuous at best, coming out as nothing but a whisper, “I’ve really fucked up, haven’t I?”

Oz’s smile was kind. “We all do things in life we regret. But, it’s not in those errors that we should crucify ourselves. Rather, it’s in those choices we make after those errors that we should judge ourselves.”

And so, Qrow made one.

For the following months, he stuck around Beacon and spent his days in a waking hell as he forced himself through a rough detox. Daily shakes, cold sweats, physical, aching pain that wouldn’t quit no matter how many painkillers he swallowed down. On the worst of them, the ones where the need became so strong he knew he was going to fail himself, he would have Ozpin lock him in the vault, knowing it was the only place his wings couldn’t get him out of.

When he returned to Patch, it was on orientation for Signal’s new school year. He never really felt cut out to be a teacher, but being a headmaster himself, Ozpin was able to secure himself the opportunity, encouraging him to take some time to recover and retrain himself while also helping the future generation do the same. In a few years, Oz told him, he’d want to see him return to the field as a Huntsman once more.

It was the first time in a long time that Qrow felt eager for something that didn’t come in a bottle. After being lost for so long, finally he was able to remember what he had wanted in life. To be a legend, unforgettable and revered.

But, first, there were a few people he needed to make things up to.

Ruby and Yang were simple. Young as they were, they couldn’t grasp the full impact of what had happened that resulted in his sudden disappearance, just the sorrow left behind and the joy of his return. However, blindsided as he was, Taiyang wasn’t so easily swayed, making it clear he’d have to earn his trust back. So used to breaking things in life, Qrow wasn’t even entirely sure how to fix that, but for once, he wanted to. This was the only family he had left, and by Gods, he was going to make sure he kept them. So, he stuck around and proved to Tai, to the girls, and even to himself that he really could be a functional adult and he didn’t need a crutch in life to get by. What had weathered away was rebuilt even slower, but little by little he was invited to spend more time at the house, doing everything from sharing dinners to marathoning series together. Eventually, he started to call it home again.

It wasn’t until Tai gave him permission to train Ruby that he truly felt forgiven though. He’d never taken anything so serious in his life as he did showing his niece how to be the extraordinary huntress he could already tell she would be.

Despite all his efforts though, he never stopped drinking, not really. He couldn’t manage to fully abolish the itch that would bite at his skin whenever the temptation would get to be too much. The most he accomplished was making sure his addition wasn’t the thing running the show anymore. But it was something. Something he could take a measure of pride in and hold onto.

His life was his again and he was going to make the most of it.

At 40, Qrow found himself waking up in a hospital and was hit once more with the realization he had fucked up.

~

Three problems made themselves immediately clear the moment he opened his eyes:

The headache beating across his skull was so terrible, taking a jackhammer to it would have been kinder.

The incessant beeping coming from somewhere in the general vicinity just needed to shut the hell up.

The soft whimpers of someone crying was simultaneously the least bothersome and the most terrible.

The last measure was magnified tenfold when he finally turned to see who it was.

“Ruby?” His tongue felt heavy and slurred, even though he knew he was anything but drunk right now.

She jerked, a startled gasp escaping her. She hurriedly wiped at her face. “Uncle, you’re awake!”

He glanced around the room, at the high-tech gizmos settled against the walls and the IV line going down into his wrist, and a sinking feeling started to settle in his gut as he pieced together where he was. “Why am I here? What happened?”

“When we got back, you were on the floor and you wouldn’t wake up. We thought you hit your head.” Ruby swallowed some, her lip trembling. “We weren’t even sure you were breathing and even when Jaune tried to heal you, you just started to-” Her voice caught and she looked away.

Something in him felt like it was breaking, seeing her cry like this. “Rubes, hey.” He tried to reach out for her, but she dodged his attempt, hurrying for the door.  

“I got to go tell the nurse your awake. He needs to check, things. I’ll be back in a second.” She couldn’t manage to even look at him as she slipped out the door.

It was more than a second, or even a few minutes, and Qrow didn’t have to wonder why. The image of Ruby, strong, surefire, almost unshakeable Ruby, probably holed up in a bathroom somewhere to compose herself because of him left a bad taste in his mouth and a guilt so heavy he was sure it’d crush him. (Gods, he wanted a drink.) The least he could do was try and look a bit more presentable by the time she got back and not like… not like he was dying. He struggled to sit up, but just a few inches sent a ripple of pain through his stomach and he swallowed down the instant nausea before he could throw up over himself. He laid still as much as possible, waiting out the agony until it passed.

Alright, bad idea.

He looked around, trying to think. Some beds came with remote-y things, right? It was Atlas tech but Argus was a close enough neighbor, maybe they’d imported.

He had just spotted a possible candidate to his plight, tucked away in the corner of a side table, when the door opened and in walked his niece and a young man in earth-toned scrubs. A gray and white banded tail curled around him as he approached the bedside.

“Mr. Branwen, it’s good to see you up. I’m Nurse Arma.” Qrow tried not to snort over how on the nose that name was. Unperturbed, the nurse continued, “Let’s sit you up, okay?”

Sure enough, the remote he had been eyeing was the right one, and the gears underneath it whirled, slowly lifted him into a sitting position. Qrow had to shut his eyes against another roil of pain – not just in his gut but all over, like he’d been zapped by a thousand volts of lightning dust.

A hand fell to his arm, pinching lightly. “Looks like you’re mostly hydrated again. How are you feeling?”

He glanced quickly to his niece, hidden in the far corner of the room and still refusing to look at him. “Well, ain’t the worst I’ve ever felt, if you can believe that.”

Arma chuckled, writing some things down on the chart he carried as he looked over one of the nearby machines. “Glad to see the alcohol poisoning didn’t destroy your sense of humor.”

“Wait, what?” The fact hit him like a train wreck. He’d been bad before, but he’d never… “That’s what happened to me?”

The smiles were gone, the other turning away from the IV bag to focus on him. “Do you remember anything from last night?”

Last night? A quick glance at the window told him that the sky was a soft, pale shade. He had grown so accustomed to reading it during his years when a clock and a calendar weren’t exactly common finds in a woodland camp, that he knew it was early morning. “I left one bar to go to another and then, I think there were some lights? That’s it.”

That was apparently not what the nurse wanted to hear as he frowned down at him, before glancing across the room. “Ruby, would you like me to tell him, or would you prefer to?”

She withdrew a little further in her corner, murmuring back, “You can. I can’t say it.”

“Alright.” Arma set his clipboard down on the side table, turning his full attention back to his patient. There was nothing about that piteous look that Qrow liked. “The story I was told is your nieces and her friends were out looking for one of your teammates that had gone missing.” Missing? Who had-? “During their search, one of them spotted you running into the street, right in front of a truck. Your niece here used her semblance to get you out of the way, but you were so intoxicated you couldn’t answer why you’d done it. You don’t remember that?”

Qrow could barely breathe. “I… N-No.” Had he been trying to…?

Oh gods, and Ruby and Yang had both witnessed it.

The armadillo Faunus only nodded and continued, like he wasn’t shaking up Qrow’s entire psyche. “One of them brought you back to the house, before going back out to continue her search, hoping you’d be able to just rest it off. But in the meantime, your blood alcohol concentration continued to rise, until it reached dangerous levels. That was when your teammate that was supposedly missing returned to the house, and he found you lying on the floor, unconscious and unresponsive. He called the rest of your team to notify them of the emergency, and they all rushed back home. One of your other teammates tried to use his semblance to heal you. He didn’t think that it wouldn’t work for a non-physical wound.”

He braced himself as he braved asking, “So, what happened?”

“If I had to guess? His semblance probably jumped your BAC into the highest peak possible.” The man held out his hands like a consolation even as he delivered the blow, “You had a seizure. Two, in fact. One there, and one shortly after you were admitted to ER. During the first one, you bit through your tongue enough that we had to stitch it.” Well, that explained why talking hurt. “The one here was much more severe. You would have asphyxiated on your own vomit had you not have had anyone to clear your airways. After that, the doctor ordered a catheter to clear some of the fluid in your bladder and an IV for the dehydration. We’ve been monitoring your progress overnight. Thankfully, no other complications came up; but, as you can imagine, it was a pretty scary experience. For everyone involved.”

Qrow couldn’t look up anymore, and instead stared down at his trembling hands, feeling the shame and humiliation tangling its way through him. “Yeah…”

He heard a sigh, Arma picking back up the clipboard. “You’re very lucky, Mr. Branwen. Had they been even an hour later, you probably wouldn’t be here anymore.” He stepped towards the doorway, saying as he went. “The doctor will come check on you in a bit and release you once she’s confirmed you’re well enough.”

With him gone, the following silence was almost suffocating. It felt like it took everything it had in him to speak up. “So uh, hey kiddo, what say we order some hospital food and complain about how awful it is?”

No answer.

“Or, maybe a game? I’m sure my Scroll’s somewhere.”

He saw her jaw twitch but her eyes remained stubbornly focused on the window.

His hands curled into the sheets. “Ruby. Say something. Please.”

“You want me to say something?” She said, turning, a storm in her gaze. “Okay. I’ll say something.” She stomped towards him, stopping at the end of his bed and yelled, “Do you know how mad I am at you?!”

“I-”

“No! Shut up!” She cut her hands through the air, her voice rising another octave, enough to make him flinch. “Do you have any idea what it was like, coming back to you just lying on the floor like that? I’ve never been so terrified as I was sitting out in that waiting room, wondering if you were even gonna make it!” She hitched over another breath, tears flowing anew. “What was I gonna do if you died, huh?! What was I gonna tell dad? That his best friend was just too STUPID to control himself? And Yang’s so upset with you, she won’t even come in here!” She lifted her arms up to the ceiling as if to curse the heavens, “I don’t even know I feel! I’m hurt and sad and, and- I just want to shove Crescent Rose through your head!”

As quickly as it was there, the bluster blew out of her, and as her arms fell and her body slumped, Ruby looked almost small again, in a way that made Qrow remember the innocent, little girl who so looked up to him for so many years. Looked at him like her idol and hero and who would go around school telling anyone who would listen about how her uncle was just the best and she was going to be just like him. Who would bounce at the end of his bed, bright-eyed and begging him to tell her another story about his missions or who would don her blanket like a cape and go running down the halls, fighting off imaginary foes.

And in her visage now, he could see that vision of him shattering around her. It pained him, to realize he’d caused it. He never meant to fail her too.

Ruby sniffled, saying to the tiles, “I know what Professor Ozpin did hurt you, Uncle, and it’s been real hard for you. But you were wrong about something.” She looked up, catching his gaze and holding it in a way she couldn’t before. “You said no one wanted you, but that’s not true. I will always want you to be a part of my life.” The words struck him in the chest, and he couldn’t breathe again. “If dad and Yang were here, they’d say the same. I know you think you’re unimportant and unneeded, and I think you focus so hard on that you can’t always see it, but you are family. And us losing you will break it more than you think it will.”

Qrow twisted the sheets in his hands. “Ruby, I-” His voice faltered. Fuck.

“I just…” She lowered her head. “I don’t know what else to do, uncle. What am I doing wrong?”

His eyes widened.

“If I could just figure out how to-”

“Stop.” Though his voice had been firm he barely felt steady, everything around him ready to upheave. He watched the way his knuckles turned white, the way his arms trembled. The way a single droplet fell from his chin, splotching a wet spot into the sheets. “Look. I know you want me to say I’ll just quit and everything will just be fine. But, I’ve been trying for years. I… don’t know how. To stop.” He chuckled bitterly, hitching over a sob. He couldn’t remember the last time things hurt this bad. “It’s like my semblance. I don’t want it, but I can’t get rid of it, either.” In the corner of his eye, he could see the blur of red growing closer. “But none of this is your fault, kiddo. All this? Being here today? It’s on me and me only. You, Yang, Tai?” He finally looked up at her. “You guys aren’t the reason I fail. You’re the reason I try at all.”

This time, when she hugged him, he didn’t try to pull away like he had at the farm. Instead, he sighed and sunk into it, enjoying the rare warmth and comfort it brought, even if he wasn’t sure he deserved it.

“Uncle Qrow?”

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

Qrow blinked his eyes open, staring at the silver rose-patterned emblem pinned to Ruby’s coat, seeing his reflection in it. He smiled weakly back at it. “Yeah kiddo, love ya too.”

~

Qrow stepped out of the bathroom, adjusting the last button to his dress shirt. “Gotta say, my normal clothes are definitely more comfortable than that scratchy gown y’all threw me in.”

“I’ll lodge a complaint with the fashion department, just for you.” Arma quipped, placing a tray on the side table, nodding to it. “Your personal artifacts.”

“Thanks.” He still felt sore and his tongue was a definite mess – he’d decided to take a look at it the moment he had access to a mirror – but after a small meal and enough water to fill a lake, his nausea and his headache had both tempered. Enough for the doc to clear him for release.

“Take care, Mr. Branwen.” Arma headed for the exit but as he reached the threshold, he paused, looking back. “And… for your sake, I hope I don’t see you back here.”

“Yeah, me nether kid.”

Once he’d left, Qrow crossed over to the table, sitting down on the edge of the bed. He pocked his scroll. Slowly slipped back on his bracelets. Then his rings. And, finally, his necklace. All the while avoiding the largest item there until it was all that was left.  

He sighed, reaching out and picking up the flask, hearing the slosh as he did. It triggered the itch, the one that left his skin tingling, his mouth watering.

If drinking two glasses of the strongest alcohol in the world was only in the top five worst things he’d ever done, he was pretty sure him undoing the cap of his flask was vying for the number one slot.

“You’re such an idiot.” He whispered as he lifted it.

~

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, following the signs down the hall to the lobby. It wasn’t hard to spot Ruby, between her standout clothing and her high-pitched voice shouting his name as she waved him over.

“Gee, glad the whole cavalry didn’t come running.” Qrow jibed.

She shoved him for it. “They’re outside. The staff doesn’t like a lot of us, uh, ‘weapons-toting kids’ hanging around.”

“Well, at least we’re already here when firecracker decides to deck me right back through the front door.”

“Uncle…” She reprimanded as she turned for the exit.

He followed after her. “Bet you five lien she does it.”

“That’s awful!” A beat, then Ruby smirked. “How about a box of chocolate-chip cookies instead?”

“Deal.” He chuckled, throwing an arm across her shoulders as they walked through the doorway.

~

Back in room 104, it wouldn’t be discovered until the orderly finished cleaning up the room.

Left upturned in the sink just outside of the bathroom was single item.

A metal flask, the last droplet of alcohol having drained out of it some time ago.

[shestillhasherquill]

At the Heart of Darkness (1/11)

Hoorayy! It's time for my Captain Swan Big Bang fic's grand reveal. I am soooo excited for every one to read this. But before that, I would be remiss if I do not thank the Mods for organising this event. Go check out the other great fics and artwork on their tumblr: @captainswanbigbang​ They were so understanding when I had to miss a check-in and gave me an extension. I never thought I'd finish this story after I lost my dad, because there is A LOT of Father-Daughter content in this, but I pushed through because I wanted to get this fic out there. I love the idea, and I know it might not appeal to some people, what with Alice in the fic. To those people, I say: 'I respect your likes and dislikes. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it. Respect that I do, and I don't want negative comments or drama. Thank you.'

I can't thank Maggie aka @accio-ambition​ enough. She was more than my Beta, she was my bae-ta. She pushed me and yelled at me and got stressed out for me, while I chilled out. She has made me question myself and correct myself and been the best GD cheerleader in the world. I LOVE YOU, MAN. Most of the fic was panic written and if it weren't for @accio-ambition​ and @sambethe​ this would be a mess.

A HUGE SHOUTOUT to @sambethe​ for being a second beta practically, on top of being my artist, who made a KICKASS BANNER and a bunch of art that I CANNOT wait for you all to see. She's just the best, most understanding and kind-of always put up with my anxiety rants. Thanks, babe. Check out her original artwork post!

ALSO @downeystarkjr​ made 2 VIDEOS OF THIS FIC WHAT I'm crying you guys. They are amazing, she's amazing and just asdfghjkl; time for fic guys.

Summary: Killian Jones lives in the Land without Magic, with no memories of his family. Until Emma Swan comes into his life like a whirlwind, reminding about everything he had lost. He embarks on an adventure to destroy the Darkness, only to discover that Emma might not be telling him the whole story.

Rating: M

Content Warning: Mentions of Miscarriage, Angst, Gothel

AO3/FF.net

Prologue

“Papa, are you listening to me?”

“Of course, starfish. When am I not?” Killian answered, turning from the book he was reading and toward his daughter. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her dangling from a wooden beam by just her fingertips. “Alice Jones, get down this instant.”

“Will you catch me, Papa?” she called out, giggling. Suddenly everything around them turned dark, and Killian could hardly see. His panic rose, as he called out to his daughter. “Alice? Alice, answer me, love!”

“Papa, catch me. Catch me, Papa.” That was all he heard, echoing around him. “Don’t let me fall, Papa. Don’t leave me!” Alice’s voice grew from playful to frightful, the echoes growing fainter and fainter by the minute. Killian tried walking through the darkness, but it seemed Alice was moving farther away from him in the endless night. He was surrounded by it, like he was lost at sea.

A moment later, he could not hear her voice at all. “Alice? Alice! Where are you, darling? ALICE!” he shouted, his voice breaking.

Killian gasped awake, eyes shooting wide and hands grabbing tight on his sheets. It was that dream again, about the girl - Alice. Papa, she called him, but he did not have a daughter that he knew of. He had been having these dreams for years, and they never made any sense. He always woke up filled with an inexplicable desperation, like he needed to get back to that strange girl.

Every doctor he had been to had said the same thing - they were just dreams. How else could he explain the strange surroundings he found himself in during these dreams. Most times it was with this young girl, Alice, in some kind of a room, high up in a tower. Sometimes, there was another blonde woman, but he has never seen her face. He could not pick her out of a line-up if he had to, in all honesty. But unlike the dreams with the girl, whenever he dreamed of that woman, he woke up crying and his chest hurting.

There were days that he cursed these dreams - they remind him just how truly alone he was in this world. He had a brother once, who he served with in the Navy, but that seemed like it was centuries ago. He did not have a daughter, nor did he know blonde woman like the one plaguing his dreams. He had no one. Why would his mind taunt him so? Show him this life, in this strange land - when all he had was a 20-year sober chip and a job that doesn’t necessarily require him to stay in one place. He’d been searching, going from city to city, town to town, looking for a place to call home.

He’d been in this seaside town for the past two months, and as much as he enjoyed how quaint it was, it just didn’t feel right. Not that he could tell anyone what was - all he knew was he would feel it the moment it was right - he would have found home. Whatever this town was, it was not that.

Killian sighed, trying to put the dream out of his mind, slipping out of bed, grabbing his phone on the way. He punched in his agent’s number, putting him on speaker as he went about starting his morning brew.

“Hello, Jones. Which part of the world are you calling from now?” came Will’s voice, an undertone of exasperation barely concealed.

“I’m still in England, Will,” Killian replied, rolling his eyes. “No need to be an arse so early in the morning.” He turned on the coffee maker, grabbing his phone off the countertop. “Did you get the new chapters I sent you a couple of days ago?”

“Ah, that. Yes, I did. Great work, man. They are great, just a few notes from your editor. I’m sending you an e-mail about it as we speak. But we are quite ahead of schedule so far.”

“Good, good,” Killian mumbled. “I might be leaving this town soon. It doesn’t seem right.”

“Colour me surprised. What is right, Jones? You’ve been travelling like a fucking hermit.” Will’s tone was starting to grate on Killian’s nerves.

“I don’t appreciate your tone, Sanders.” Killian scowled at the wall. He did not need yet another person questioning his decisions - he was doing enough of that himself.

There was a tense silence over the phone before Will finally spoke. “All right. I don’t have any rights to question how you live your life. Just remember that once you’re done with this book, you need to do at least some touring and book signings.”

Killian resisted the urge to groan. As much as he enjoyed the life of leisure being a published author offered, the public appearances and PR were his least favorite part of his job.

“Yes, I remember. There’s still time for that, is there not? I’ll be back stateside in three months.”

“For good? Or just for the book?”

“Well, it’s not to see your ugly mug, mate. I’ll talk to you soon, Will.” And with that dismissal, he hung up. He fixed himself a cup of coffee, carrying it over to his designated work station. He passed a mirror on the way, pausing to stare at his reflection. He stared at it long and hard, trying to find any change in it, but he didn’t. Not one grey hair, not one wrinkle. The same face he has been staring at for the past 20 years - nothing has changed. He realised this little fact about himself a few years ago. He has not aged a day in 20 years. He does not remember what triggered it - he does not remember much, if he was brave enough to admit it. His memory of the past 20 years are pristine, he could remember every single detail. But before that? It was all a blur, like a dream. One could only laugh at that irony: somehow his dreams seem more real than his past.

He shook his head, walking away from the mirror and sitting at his desk. Taking a long sip from his mug, he pulled his sketchpad towards him, grabbing a spare bit of charcoal and scratching out a rough portrait of the girl from his dreams, etching her image on paper, hoping to trigger something that would make him understand why he kept seeing her, why she called him ‘Papa’. And who the mysterious blonde was.

-/-

20 years ago : Enchanted Forest

Killian was woken from his slumber by soft murmuring around him. “Swan, settle down and go back to sleep, love,” he grumbled, reaching for his lady-love with an outstretched arm. They were finally able to convince Alice to stay the night with Smee while they stole a night to themselves.

When his arm met the sheets covering their bed at the inn where they’d spent the night, instead of Emma’s soft skin, his eyes flew open. He scrambled out of bed, reaching for his trousers when he heard her laughter. He turned around, pants hanging loosely around his hips, unlaced and held up with just his hand. There she sat, in one corner of the room, wearing his shirt - and naught else - a book in her hand. “You’re- you’re reading?”

“Don’t sound so surprised, Hook. I was brought up a princess, you know,” she teased, sliding out of her perch, the book landing on the floor with a thud.

He grabbed her when she was within arms’ reach, hand curling on her hip, lips grazing hers gently. “Aye, I know, Princess.” He pulled back before she could deepen their kiss. “I am a little hurt that you chose to read a book, when you could have woken me up. We could have engaged in more, ah..enjoyable activities.” When he noticed her hesitation, he felt his insecurities flare up - it had been a while since he’d been with a woman. In fact, that wretched witch was the last person he had been intimate with. He backed away a little from Emma, his arms dropping to his side. “Unless, of course it wasn’t enjoyable for you, love. I- it has been a while.”

“Oh, no, no. Killian, no,” Emma was quick to assure him, her hand coming up to rest on his chest, right over his heart. “No, last night was perfect. You were perfect, I promise.” Her cheeks tinted lightly at the boyish grin that took over his face. She turned back to grab the large tome before she faced him again. “I was reading this - a grimoire. I wanted to see if I could find some way to break Alice out of that tower. I’ve been doing my own research, but I did not want to tell you and Alice before I found something concrete. I couldn’t do that to you.”

Killian felt his throat close up, his heart clenching at her gesture. He had always known that Emma cared for his Alice almost as much as he did - it was because of his love for Alice that it took him almost a year to warm up to Emma’s presence in their lives. But knowing something and seeing proof of it were two very different things.

“I- I couldn’t give up. I know I promised I would be more careful with my magic, but I just...,” Emma shrugged, trialing off, having mistook his silence for anger.

He was quick to reassure her, pulling her into his arms in a tight embrace. “Thank you, Emma. I do not know what Alice and I would do without you in our lives,” he whispered, his voice breaking at the end.

He felt Emma’s smile against his chest, her arms clenched tight around the book. “You never have to find out.”

-/-

Present : Land without Magic

There were so many things Killian was grateful for, but the internet had to be the most important. It was much easier to find a great place to stay, that still afforded him the solitude that he craved, thanks to the wonder of AirBnB. He rubbed his hands together, warming them up as he walked down the small hill his lone house was on, his reusable shopping bag and notebook keeping him company. As much as he has moved around, he was still a creature of habit. He had made himself the same dinner every Saturday - a pot of hot stew and some marmalade sandwiches for a light snack later. And every Friday, like today, he would walk into town, hit up the local markets and do a spot of shopping. Then, he would spend the day people watching, sitting at the benches in the city center. He would describe everything he saw around him - from the changing weather, to the street musicians playing their tune. The sight of the fresh fruits and vegetables at the market; the ruckus created by students who had survived yet another week. All of it, he would note down - he would build his own stories, even.

He might fool everyone, sometimes even himself, into thinking all of this was for research. But he had been doing this for as long as he could remember, as if he was writing things for someone stuck in a prison, hoping that his writing would provide them with some semblance of the world outside. He couldn’t remember a time he hadn’t done this - but he had no one to share these stories with. So even as he filled notebook after notebook, each of various shape and size, some leather bound with parchment paper, some of them scraps of napkins bound together - even as he recorded everything, the only purpose it served was collecting dust at the house he had in Atlanta - the one and only residence he has had throughout his adult life. The same one he had bought twenty years ago, a quaint blue house with a wraparound porch and a white picket fence, waiting for the day it will be called ‘home’.

And so like clockwork, Killian sat at his usual bench, his view of the town unencumbered from this point, and observed the ongoings. Somehow, this time, his heart was not in it. His dreams had become more frequent recently, and he was loathe to go back on the pills he had been prescribed. They stopped the dreams completely, but that made him feel even worse, even more alone. As much as the dreams - and their characters - haunted him, their absence made it harder for him to survive his lonely existence.

Will had told him over the years that if only he would put himself out there, if only he would come out of his shell and interact, even if it was to simply make a friend, he would feel much better. But he never felt inclined to; he felt like he was supposed to be miserable. He was used to this feeling, and somehow, letting go of it seems unfathomable.

He snapped himself from where his thoughts drifted to, his gaze refocusing on what was in front of him. And the moment his vision became clear, the first thing he saw was the same head of blonde hair from his dreams, disappearing around the corner. He blinked, his breath caught in his throat. He stood immediately, squinting at the lane where he caught the glimpse of the blonde - hair the exact shade of spun gold as from his dreams. His bag and notebook forgotten, he took off in her direction.

For so long, he had been struggling with thoughts that maybe his dreams were more than just that, but had dismissed the thoughts almost as quickly as they had come. But something in his heart told him to follow the blonde, that maybe she might help - whether it was to break the illusion or to strengthen it, he wasn’t sure yet. He wasn’t sure what he wanted the outcome to be either.

He went around the corner he had seen her turn, which led him down a tiny alley. The only place that seemed to be open was an antiquities shop, with a single flickering light on at the display window. Alice and her ‘round the world Wonders, the sign read.

“Alice…” he whispered softly to himself, his incredulity evident. “It can’t be.” He pushed through the door, the bell above the door ringing through the empty shop.

“Hello?” he called out, suddenly feeling a little breathless, as if in anticipation. He waited with bated breath, but no one turned up for a whole two minutes. Just as he was about to call out again, someone pushed past the curtains, stepping through.

Killian felt disappointment settle in his chest when he saw the woman who walked into the room. She was definitely blonde, but she was not the woman from his dreams, of that he was certain. All the built up anticipation of the past few minutes drained out of him. He simple stared at her unable to do much more than force a smile in return to her smiling at him. He was certain the woman he’d seen turn down the alley had been her, but it was not the woman from the shop.

She was dressed plain enough, but her heavy array of braids gave her an air of eccentricity; and as friendly and welcoming as she seemed to think her smile was, it made the hair on the back of Killian’s neck stand up.

“Can I help you?” she asked him, approaching the counter.

As much as he wanted to bolt from this shop, and from this woman, he had a feeling she might have some answers for him. “Erm, no. I was simply looking around,” he replied after a long pause. He turned around, pretending to be interested in an old windmill, running his finger over the blades. “Curious name your shop’s got,” he commented. “Alice… is that you?” he asked, smiling and hoping that she wouldn’t suspect anything, before turning away.

He noticed her stiffen out of the corner of his eye, before she cleared her throat and plastered a smile back on her face. “Ah, no. I knew an Alice, a very long time ago. The name just felt fitting.” She waited a beat before adding, “I’m Eloise. And you’re Killian Jones.”

Hackles raised, he turned to face her again, his jaw clenching involuntarily. “How do you know my name?”

He could have sworn he saw her smirk, but he blinked and it was gone, replaced by a sheepish smile. “I’m a huge fan of your books - the life of a pirate captain and all that.”

Killian was not entirely convinced by her answer, but he had no real reason to doubt her, save for an odd gut feeling. “I did not realise you’d recognise me.”

“Yes, you do look a bit different with the beard,” Eloise commented. “But not unrecognisable.”

Something in the way she phrased it made Killian feel like he was under sharp scrutiny. Whatever he was looking for, this Eloise seemed to have a whole other agenda, one he was not going to wait around and watch play out. “I should get going. But it was nice to meet you Eloise.” Killian started retreating, but she stopped him.

“Wait! I would be really happy if you took a token of appreciation. Your stories mean a lot to me, especially the Princess you write about.”

“The Swan Princess?” he asked, unable to help himself. He felt a strong tug in his chest when he said those words, as if it recognised who he was talking about. But that was impossible: the Swan Princess was just a character that he had made up.

Instead of dwelling on those thoughts, he simply said,“I am really glad you like my work, lass. I appreciate it. But I must get going.”

“Of course. I don’t want to keep you long.” Eloise pulled a painting from under the counter, holding it out to Killian.

He stepped closer, looking at the painting of a ship in the middle of the ocean depicted in the calm before the storm. As mesmerising as the painting itself was, he was more concerned with the signature at the bottom - Alice.

“Who did this?” he demanded, his eyes snapping up to meet hers. “Who is Alice?”

Eloise brows furrowed in concern at his harsh tone. “Mr. Jones, I’m sorry if I did something to offend you. But I simply wanted to give you this painting because it reminds me of your stories. As for Alice...well, she did make this. But I’m afraid she’s not with us anymore.”

Rationally, Killian knew that there was no way that the Alice Eloise spoke of was the girl from his dreams. But his heart clenched just hearing that. “I’m so sorry for your loss,” he muttered, walking away from Eloise and her store, leaving the painting behind.

As soon as he was out of sight, Eloise’s startled expression slipped into a smirk. “Oh, I finally found you, Captain Hook,” she whispered. She flipped the ‘closed’ sign on the door, and headed into the backroom again.

-/-

20 years ago : Enchanted Forest

“Do you really think it is a good idea to keep this from Alice?” Emma asked, biting her lip. “She might want to know - she was vying for this.”

“As much as I want to shout from the mountain tops how much I care about you, Emma - and it is a lot, believe you me, lass - I just do not want her to think this is more than it is.” When he saw Emma’s face fall, he wanted to kick himself for how he phrased it. “I didn’t mean to sound so flippant, love. I don’t want any kind of pressure on you, and if we tell Alice, she might think that we are-”

“So let her,” Emma said, cutting him off. She stepped up to him, her eyes meeting his determinedly. “There’s no pressure here, but I’m in this for the long haul, Killian Jones. If that scares you, well, I-” She huffed, losing steam. “I’ll have to challenge you to a duel - and I will end up defeating you.”

Killian grinned widely at her, kissing her chastely. “Aye, I have no doubt you will, darling. I would gladly surrender to you, Your Highness.”

Emma flushed, slapping his arm lightly. “Are you ready to tell your daughter that she will soon be free?” Emma could swear that the smile that took over her pirate’s face rivaled even the bright rays of the sun.

-/-

Present : Land without Magic

“Ms. Swan? I think I found the man that you have been looking for.” Emma sat up straight at that. While she had hoped utilizing Mr. Castle’s private investigation services would come to fruition, she had not realised it would be quite this soon. If she had realised how efficient this land’s resources were, she would have relied on them much earlier.

“Are you sure? Killian Jones?” she asked, starting to pace.

“Ms. Swan, Killian Jones is quite a famous writer. I am not unfamiliar with who he is.” Emma could almost hear his condescension. “But he is elusive and an extremely private person, so he was a bit harder to track down.”

“But you did, did you not? Track him down?” Emma asked, irritated by Castle dragging the issue.

“Of course, as I assured you. He’s in a small town in south-eastern England. He is coming back to the United States in three months for a book tour.”

Emma’s elation was unparalleled to anything else in the world. She clutched the ring hanging around her neck tight, as tears pricked behind her eyelids. “Thank you, Mr. Castle. Do you have an address?”

Once she had hung up on the call with Castle, she let a few tears fall - tears of joy, of course, but of sorrow as well. She had to bring him back to all the chaos and pain that he had left. She had to bring him back before she had the cure she’d promised him. She absentmindedly rubbed at her chest, an echo of pain and frustration running parallel to her own emotions. It had been twenty years, but she would never get used to this connection she had with Killian - a curse and a blessing all in one; her life was tied to his in many ways, and being able to sense his feelings was the cruelest of it all.

She could still remember so clearly the day they had parted, could feel the flow of the energy as he linked their lives together; she was unable to age, just like all Dark Ones. Because of him, her light magic was forever corrupted now. She hated him for that: she hated him for leaving her with all the pain and the memories, while he walked into another world, without her, without Alice, and without his memories. But she could never hate him more than she loved him. Emma touched the ring again, her heart settling as she remembered his promise to her - the promise of a happy future, no matter how long it took them to get there. She had made him a promise in turn - to find a way to cure him of the darkness that plagued his soul - and to not come for him before then.

Unfortunately, Gothel had a more sinister plot in mind. After two decades, she had managed to break free of her bonds. Emma had no choice to come for him before that wretched witch found him. Killian was not the only reason Emma had come, of course. There was another person she needed to save, but she knew she had to find Killian Jones first. He would be the only one who could get Alice back.

-/-

Eloise waved at the back wall of her store, sparks of dark magic expelling from her hand. The wall shimmered before disappearing completely, revealing an elaborate garden on the other side, with a glass coffin in the middle, covered in vines. She walked up to it, her hand running over the vines, watching as they retreated at her touch.

“Oh, Alice, dear. You’ve been resting for quite a while, haven’t you?” she whispered, not a hint of remorse in her voice. She stared down at the slumbering girl, looking child-like and peaceful in her spell-struck state. “I just can’t have you meddling in my plans, dear. Your father can’t be compromised, not until I can get my hand on his dagger.”

[littlemisssquiggles]

RWBY Musings #40: A Squiggle Meister’s Views on Jaune and the Arc Family

Anon-ninja asked

“ on jaunes similarities to jon snow I have to point out that jon snow is from the north ( and ned stark was lord of winterfell) Jaune has mentioned he has seven sisters a few times through out the series. The Seven Sisters is another name for the Pleiades star cluster, which is named after the seven daughters of Atlas so jaune is actually from atlas/mantle but just visited mistral like they had friends there (and considering the theory that jaunes ancestor was the king of vale what if  instead his ancestor was the king of mistral). you know jon snows father ned stark (in the books it was never stated that his father wasnt ned stark) was the lord of winterfell and he was raised in the north and the pleiades which are also called the seven sisters constellation are the 7 daughters of atlas and jaune has 7 sisters you know weiss is based on snow white who is woken up from a death like sleep by her prince charming true love kiss and jaune saved weiss from a near death experience by amplifying her aura with his own . oh and if jaune and weiss get together and he takes her name he will be jaune schnee or jaune snow which soundss like jon snow ( funny enough both jacques and jaune have french first names”

Squiggles Answers:

Okay anon-chan. You’ve made your point very clear XD. But fair enough and good show on that knowledge, you got there. Nice!  

If Jaune is originally from Atlas, that would make a boat load of sense. Back in V2, Jaune did mention hearing Weiss sing before when he was describing why he liked her. I’m not sure if the Schnee Dust Company hosted any charity concerts outside of Atlas in other parts of Remnant. The only time we’ve seen Weiss perform is on her home turf. If Jaune is Atlesian or at least from that side of Remnant then that would explain how he was able to hear her perform.

I find it interesting that so far in the series, Jaune is the only character to recognize Weiss for her singing talents. My wild guess is that he probably saw her perform once live in person at a concert hosted by the Schnee Dust Company and that’s when he first became enthralled by our veteran ice queen.

Wouldn’t be too shocked if Jaune also frequented some of those concerts just so he can see Weiss. Do you know what’d be cute? If after one concert when he was younger, Jaune brought Weiss some flowers that he had planned to give to her backstage? The idea was to give it to her in person but he never got the chance to since he was immediately stopped by security. So instead the flowers were tossed aside with a random set of gifts that Jacques Schnee probably ordered to be discarded. However Klein or whichever designated butler or caretaker was overseeing Weiss at the time managed to snag one of the gifts for Weiss before it was permanently hauled in the trash and it was the one from Jaune. Though Weiss never learnt who the flowers were from (since Jaune never revealed his name; just said her was a secret admirer or something like that), she remembered cherishing Jaune’s flowers the most since the young white knight had also taken the liberty of leaving her a little letter secretly hidden with his gift. The letter not only voiced little Jaune’s praises and admiration for Weiss and her talents, but also wished her all the best with her life, filling the girl with a pleasant sense of encouragement. Weiss cherished that letter the most because it had been what helped cheer her up following another miserable experience where her mother was absent from her concert (again) so it was just her and her father. And his company was never quite pleasant. They didn’t even share the same limo as Jacques would always have the family chauffeur take Weiss home while he took another to entertain privileged guests.

I think it’d be pretty sweet if Weiss and Jaune shared a little history like this. It’d be good for Weiss ultimately or hopefully at least, warming up to Jaune; finally seeing that he’s a good young man rather than the nuisance he used to be back in previous seasons.

Y’know this makes me wonder something about Jaune now. Is his family rich? Like considered Atlesian upper class? So far, according to RWBY, the only people to have seen Weiss perform in person are the Atlesian elite or at least that’s how it appears.

So...if Jaune’s family name: Arc is supposedly of upper class by Atlas standards, then shouldn’t his last name be known like the Schnee Family? I’m curious now. All fans know about Jaune thus far is that he has seven sisters, shares a huntsman ancestral background and that his great-great-grandfather fought in the Great War using the weapon that Jaune later inherited.

What if...Jaune had a Sofia the First moment where his father, a huntsman originally born in Mantle, remarried into Atlesian upper-class?

So Arc is in fact the family name from Jaune’s paternal side of the family while his new mom---his stepmom carries a surname that is a possible staple in the Atlas community. Perhaps not as well-known as the Schnees but still right up there with the rich and elite? It would be pretty cool if Jaune had a Fred from Big Hero 6 moment where it was later revealed to his friends that his family were rich and well-endowed. However in Jaune’s case, it would be more like his stepmother and his sisters were rich and well-endowed whereas he was always more of the runt of the litter, since he was the only child to not be biologically born to his stepmother.  It’s certainly another way to tie Jaune’s character with John Snow, since Jon was originally believed to be the rejected bastard child of the noble Starks when in actuality he’s the true heir to the Iron Throne. Jaune already comes from a noble family of strong huntsmen; at least on his father’s side as he presumed. It’d be funny if he’s also secretly as rich as Weiss, thanks to his stepmom, but never brought it up. But this is just me speculating here. 

Jaune’s Sisters

‘...The next town is Shion. My family used to visit there all the time!’ ....Oh yeah, don’t you have like four sisters? ... Er...Seven.’

Y’know I used to think that Jaune was the youngest born of his siblings, hence why it was so easy for him to be the target for teasing from his sisters. But...what if... Jaune is the middle child of his family. In looking back at earlier seasons, especially during the scenes where the topic of Jaune’s sisters was brought up, it was never actually confirmed if Jaune’s sisters were older or younger. As a matter of fact, each time the sisters are mentioned, it’s always with an air of ambiguity. No real specification of age.

‘...Over there is the great hiking trail and over there is where we went camping all the time. I got my own tent because I was special. Also so my sisters would stop braiding my hair...’

‘...Who knew being annoying could actually come in handy?’ ....I grew up with seven sisters. It was my only defense...’

Since the story never specifies, I’m gonna assume it’s a mix. Jaune is literally the ‘Malcolm in the Middle’. He’s the Special Boy because firstly, he’s the only boy child of eight children. Secondly he’s most likely the fifth eldest kid in the bunch and lastly, and this is mostly me feeding more into my earlier theory, Jaune is the only child from his father’s first marriage.  

My hunch is that Jaune’s sisters are actually a mix of step sisters and half sisters that he gained after Papa Arc remarried. Since Ruby mentioned the number four when she first talked about Jaune’s sisters, let’s say when Jaune’s dad married his second wife, Jaune gained four older sisters who were his stepmother’s children from her last marriage. Later, Papa Arc and Stepmommy Arc had three more daughters after Jaune. So in actuality, Jaune has four older stepsisters and three younger half sisters with him being the middle man and only boy. Now again, this is just me speculating here to further emphasize my presumption but...who knows? Could be a possibility? There’s still a lot of mystery to Jaune’s family tree left to be discovered so yeah, who knows.  

If Jaune is eventually revealed to hail from Atlas, it’d be awesome because it could give the gang a potential nice place to stay when they arrive in Atlas. Plus it’d be a really, really nice way for us to finally meet Jaune’s family and his infamous seven sisters at long last. The Seven Daughters of Atlas indeed.

Y’know while other RWBY theorists have been imagining Jaune’s sisters to be badass huntresses, am I the only one who’s just picturing them all each as pampered princesses; spoiled by the Atlesian lifestyle. Not so spoiled that they’re pompous and annoying but enough that they consider the huntsman lifestyle, as Whitley put it, ‘far too barbaric and hostile’ for their tastes. It’d be interesting if Jaune sisters, particularly the older ones, never desired to become huntresses due to the dangers of such a lifestyle. It’d be interesting if it’s revealed that Jaune’s sisters constantly worry for their brother’s safety due to him choosing to become a huntsman like their stepfather and his side of the family. But after seeing their brother in action against a Grimm, Jaune inspires, perhaps his younger sisters or at least one of them to become a huntress. Maybe? But that’s my view of the Arc Sisters. Everyone’s got their own. 

Jaune’s Parents

Suppose... Jaune shares a very close bond to his father and to some extent, even his sisters (despite their tendency to tease him a lot as the only boy child). However Jaune has a somewhat strained relationship with his step-mother. 

Not in the sense that his step mother is a wicked woman who constantly treats Jaune like an outsider and stain on her family household but more in the sense that his step-mom strongly desires to be a great mom to Jaune but doesn’t really know how. And while the two do get along well, Jaune has never been able to connect to his stepmother emotionally due to him still harbouring some emotions about losing his real mother at a young age. And despite his stepmother’s efforts to fill that void in his life, Jaune never calls her ‘mom’. He always refers to her as his ‘step-mom’; even in the many long years since their families united. 

Since we’re comparing Jaune Arc to Jon Snow, I don’t want Jaune to be a bastard child of his family or have a mother figure that hates him; like in the case of Catelyn Stark. 

I know in Game of Thrones, Catelyn Stark was pretty much a bitch to Jon. That being said, I don’t want that to be the case for Jaune. If he does indeed have a stepmother, it’d be refreshing to see a parent-child dynamic where the step parent actually tries to connect with their stepchild. Of all her children, Stepmommy Arc has always struggled with her bond with Jaune since he was the only child from her second husband’s first marriage. Not to mention that Jaune always kind of felt that his stepmother didn’t like him when in fact it was a misunderstanding.

So far in RWBY, Blake is the only known character with both her parents still in the story and actually happily married.

A nice way to highlight a comparison between Weiss and Jaune is to indicate the possible similarities between their families. Again, I understand this is merely just a theory of mine but it would be mighty fascinating if part of Jaune’s family, at least on his new mother’s side, is very prestige in the Atlas community. So both Jaune and Weiss will share family members who married into wealth.

Though unlike Jacques, Jaune’s dad actually remarried his stepmother for the right reasons. It’d be a nice way of showing Weiss what her family could’ve been if her father wasn’t such a jackass or, as the FNDM likes to call him, a JACQUES-ASS!

It’d be nice if we got another Atlesian family in the series where the marriage considered of an outsider being courted into higher class society but out of love rather than the pursuit of power. I’d love to see the kind of father Jaune’s dad is.

He certainly seems like the family man type since Jaune mentioned him taking the entire family camping in Shion Village frequently back in V4. It’d be interesting to see if Papa Arc contrasts Jacques Schnee in the sense that he’s the Ned Stark to his...whelp, I guess,Jacques Schnee is more the RWBY equivalent of Cersi Lannister from GOT in terms of their conniving wit and just how low both characters will stoop to get what they want, right?

A Gift from a King

Lastly to conclude my long-ass reply, I’ll answer your point on Jaune's ancestor. Yeah...I don’t think Jaune's great-great grandfather was the King of Vale or the King of Mistral or even a king at all for that matter.

If anything Jaune's ancestor was most likely a revered huntsman whose bravery and strength during the Great War was remembered as he probably helped to shape it and lead Remnant into a new era of peace between the Four Kingdoms. Remember the statue in the Beacon Academy courtyard? The one of the huntsman, huntress and the Grimm? The same one that Jaune was seen looking at back in the V1 opening? 

I could be wrong about this but I think the heroic huntsman immortalized in stone in that statue might've been Great-Great Grandpapi Arc. Or at least reminded Jaune of him and the lineage of strength he was expected to uphold.

It'd be exciting if Jaune bared some similarities to his great-great grandfather in his youth.

Like perhaps Jaune has always perceived Great-Great Grandpapi Arc to be this powerful warrior prodigy from the get go based on all the tall tales he heard about him growing up.

However what if...in his teenage years, when he was about Jaune’s age at the start of RWBY, Great-Great Grandpapi Arc was a scraggly-looking young kid who desired to become a brave huntsman but lacked the talent and formal training. It was then when he met the King of Vale who later became his first friend and mentor. Under the King’s tutelage, Jaune’s great-great grandfather was transformed from an incompetent fighter to a strong huntsman worthy of fighting for his kingdom in the Great War.    As a result of their friendship as his pupil, the King eventually presented young Great-Great Grandpapi Arc with a weapon upon successfully completing his training. The weapon was a sword and shield---Crocea Mors, as the King christened it, which the man proclaimed suited the young Arc lad perfectly as he believed he would go on to do amazing things for his Kingdom with such a weapon in his arsenal. And as we all know, Great-Great Grandpapi Arc fought in the Great War wielding Crocea Mors as his trademark weapon of choice. That's my theory. I think Crocea Mors was gift from the King of Vale to Jaune’s ancestor.

I’d also love to think that Great-Great Grandpapi Arc originally fought alongside the King of Vale in the Great War; adding to my hunch that they were once comrades in arms. 

It's very easy for the Arc Family to have ties to Vale on Jaune’s father's side of the family. However he can also have ties to Atlas too. Y'know in the event that his dad did marry a woman from Atlas?

I really want the concept of Jaune Arc being half Valiant / half Atlesian and/or mostly raised in Atlas to become canon now. I like it because not only could it give us another character with ties to the Kingdom besides Weiss but as I mentioned before, it’s another way to pinpoint some similarities between the two and help strength the White Knight friendship. 

But that's just me.

♦ More RWBY Musings by Squiggles

~LittleMissSquiggles (2018)

[diviinedogs]

do you have a klance fic rec?

I did a fic rec a while back over here! but here’s some more fics :oc

I know younger fans follow me so everything in this list like the last one is gonna have no sm/.ut or too much expl/.icit content

THIS IS...... A LOT AND I’M FORGETTING A TON OF FICS I’M CURRENTLY READING because I just read them when they update I don’t have them in bookmarks on my phone but I really should.... I think these are enough for now though, I actually left a bunch of fics out of this one because it was getting too long

if you guys want I could probably make a page of fic recs? let me know :oc

and of course there’s klance-net’s fic library (I help out with it sometimes c:)

nothing’s quite as sweet

Keith is a barista who hates his job. Lance works at the cat shelter across the street. 

this is like....... one of my fave Klance fics of all time tbh along with A Fish and A Bird+it’s sequel, Crossroads, and the next two fics

Homesick at Space Camp

Lance realizes he's been an asshole to Keith, and on a diplomatic mission to a key planet for the Voltron alliance he... overcompensates. 

the characterizaTION IS THIS FIC IS....... SO GOOD....... and it includes the rest of the team too despite the focus on Lance and Keith and I don’t really see that in other fics tbh

Of Escorts and Espionage

Lance preened. Escort? That sounded kind of sexy and badass. “Why, of course, Princess,” he said, standing up to offer his hand at Allura. “I would escort you to the most Galra-infested reaches of the galaxy if you asked.”

Allura’s arm rose but the hand she placed in Lance’s palm was not hers.

It was Keith’s.

there’s some smut here but I think you could easily skip over it

Handbook of Demonology

This psychic—Lance the Lucid, according to the posters, and Keith wasn’t even going to comment on that—was a charlatan, plain and simple, and Keith kind of wanted to punch him. Sure, Lance knew how to put on a show, but Keith doubted there was anything more to the act than charm and dramatic flair.

Pidge sighed, catching Keith’s eyes. “At this point, they’re pretty much our only hope.”

--

While searching for the truth behind their families' disappearance, Keith and Pidge hire a pair of amateur witches to help summon the demon Zarkon. They accidentally summon Allura instead.

Ignorance is Bliss

As it turns out, learning that your house is haunted makes the ghosts a lot more aggressive. Who knew?

Ah, well. At least one of them is hot. And he's the less-evil one, too, so that's always a plus.

Foreign Scenes

Lance has been dreaming of travelling since the first time he heard stories from his family as a child. Now, having finally the time and money to do it, he goes on a trip to Europe to see some of the most culturally rich cities on the continent. Except he keeps bumping into the same guy over and over again, in random cities, doing stupid shit, and ultimately dragging Lance into his trouble, too.

Basically an AU in which Lance and Keith become impromptu travel buddies and get into trouble.

Would You Want Me (If I Want You)

“Well, maybe you just need to relax,” Lance said with a hum, running a hand through his hair as he grinned down at Keith, his back towards the roof. “So just… lean back and enjoy the weightlessness. It’s…. Nice, right?” Lance didn’t know why he was feeling so sheepish all of the sudden, his lips a thin line. Maybe it was the way Keith looked at him from behind his hair, or the fingers clutching the fabric of his shirt, or the slim legs intertwined with his, or the way the lighting seemed to bounce off of Keith’s skin like he was made of glass.

Whatever it was, it made Lance want to do something stupid.

Or; Keith discovering Lance enjoys messing with Altean technology a bit more than he should leads to Keith finally acting on how he feels.

After talking it out, of course.

can you tell me

Keith works in his brother's coffee shop for the summer, expecting a boring break before college. Lance changes all of that.

The boy is still in the front of the group, but he doesn't take off his glasses so Keith can't tell what he's really looking at -- either the menu or Keith. Keith feels a flash of annoyance but smothers it and pins his smile in place.

anything by this author is greAT so yeah :oc

all we have to do

Keith gets hurt during a mission, and Lance is not sure how to handle that.

Lance wakes up on the floor outside of the medical bay, jerking wildly, body a mess of aches and twinges.

Make Me Your Home

“Oh my god, Keeeith,” Lance wheezed. “Keith you’re the best drunk space cadet I’ve ever seen.”

“Space cadet,” Keith mumbled. He repeated the words again although his eyes had zeroed in on Lance’s hands and Lance offered no resistance when Keith picked one of them up and pulled it possessively towards his lap. He began to gently trace over Lance’s fingers, sending shivers up Lance’s arm and down his spine. “You have looong fingers,” Keith murmured after a few moments.

Keith’s face perked up then, as if he’d just had a brilliant idea, and Lance could almost not wait to hear what new obscure thought had entered Keith’s pretty head. He was prepared to laugh, and instead found himself shivering again as Keith leaned far into his personal bubble, lips practically touching Lance’s ear when he spoke next.

“I bet you could reach all kinds of things, Lance.”

some ns/f.w but it’s minor

Medical Duty

Blue is the color of loyalty, so somehow that translates to Lance being the team medic. Except his only first aid skills come from putting bandaids on his younger siblings, and Keith seems to be physically incapable of not getting punched by every new alien they meet.

The Arch Project

When Lance McClain gets promoted to a top secret research project he is delighted to learn that the old conspiracy theories about something crashing in the desert of New Mexico were not entirely wrong. No one is entirely sure what it is that crashed, but it appears to be a man. A very pretty man who hasn't woken up since the crash. Lance is determined to be the first person on the project in a century to finally crack the case of just what this unconscious being is. Human, alien, or something else entirely? But there are forces out there determined to uncover the truth, and steal it if they must. The Voltron Group, a well known hacker group in the research world will apparently stop at nothing to find out what Galra Associated Corperation is hiding. And sooner or later, Lance will have to choose where his loyalties lie.

this fic just started but tbh I’m really excited for it it sounds cool and I don’t think I’ve seen another fic/AU like it :oc

Shadow of the Past / Ghost of the Future

When Lance is thrown through time, he finds himself one year in the future, in place of the Lance that should be here.

He finds his team to be remarkably familiar, yet distinctly different. They have more scars, a better grip on the whole saving the universe thing, and over a year’s worth of teamwork to bind them together. But the weirdest part? Keith seems to be a lot more touchy with him. Not that he’s complaining… much.

The team must try and work out how to reverse the two Lance’s places and restore them to their original timelines. But despite the fact that they’re still his friends, Lance can’t help but feel a little out of place among a team that’s been through so much with a Lance that just isn’t him. And it doesn’t help that the team is on edge around him, refusing to tell him anything for fear of influencing and changing the past. Things get even more complicated when they have to rely on the team in the past to complete the switch, leaving Lance to little more than sit, wait, and attempt to fill in his future self’s shoes.

//

When Lance is thrown through time, his future self from one year ahead is transported to the past in his place.

This Lance is faster, stronger, and markedly more mature. Not only that, but he's distinctly more intuitive about his teammates and A LOT more touchy with Keith.

The team must try and work out how to reverse the two Lance's places and restore them to their original timelines. Things only get more complicated when the Future Lance can't seem to remember where he was when the switch happened, and he refuses to reveal anything about his own time for fear of influencing the team's decisions.

the other fics by the authors are great too :oc

Your Songs Remind Me Of Swimming

A small cove sheltered by rocks opens Lance's eyes to something he had never seen before. He was never much for believing in the supernatural, but maybe all those sea shanties were true.

I love........ siren/mermaid Keith so much just look at my url a/sdkf;jk

lungs

After a near drowning experience as a child in which he doesn't remember how he survived, Lance avoids the ocean he once loved. He doesn't realize that's where his savior lives.

Or: a slice-of-life story about a boy and his mermaid.

another mermaid Keith!

[loopy-atla-fanfic]

Samsara - Chapter 1

Rating: T

Characters: Mai, Zuko, Ty Lee, Azula

Story Warnings: Ableism, Suicidal Thoughts

Chapter Warnings: Ableism

Written for Maiko Week 2017

EPOCH 1

"Come on, Mai. It's time to embrace the day! Hey, that rhymed."

Mai wordlessly groaned a futile defense against being woken with poetry. She pulled the sheets up over her shoulders and pressed her face into her pillow, preserving her sleepiness for a few seconds before it was washed away by a steady stream of information into her consciousness. These weren't her normal sheets (not black enough), nor were they her pillows (not lumpy enough). Also, Ty Lee's voice usually (usually!) wasn't the first thing Mai heard, and certainly not before the sun had risen. In fact, it was altogether darker than even the dead of night should have been, with the large windows at the far side of Mai's bedroom that let in the glow of the moon and the stars and the Royal Fire Palace's pretentious outdoor torches.

A steady stream of information going into the mind and a steady stream of conclusions coming back out were a major obstacle against falling back to sleep. Who could drift off with that much traffic?

The sudden bouncing at the far end of the mattress sealed the deal.

With another groan, Mai sat up and forced her eyes open.

Naturally, it was Ty Lee bouncing at Mai's feet, looking even more maniacally than she usually did with her hair not yet tied in its usual long braid. The only light source in the room was a small gas lamp near the door on its lowest setting, but even that minuscule glow was enough to reveal the blandly opulent features of a Royal Fire Two-Bed Guest Rooms. Judging from the size, it was a one of the set on the Royal Fire Palace's top floor, right near where the Royal Fire Family itself lived or holed up or infested or whatever word best applied.

For a brief moment, Mai was confused about why, if she had slept over, she wouldn't just have stayed with Zuko or Azula, but then Ty Lee bounced high enough off the mattress to smack her head on the ceiling. Such a display of stupidity reminded Mai of all the stupid things scheduled to happen today.

It was the Day of Black Sun.

The day a bunch of foreign barbarians were supposed to use a solar eclipse to attack the Capital itself (as if Firebenders were the only people capable of doing anything), to ravage the citizenry and pillage their homes, or maybe the other way around, whatever warmed their little barbarian hearts. It was a stupid plan put together by stupid people, and Mai didn't even care if her home was overrun and destroyed. Nothing exciting ever happened here, anyway.

Mai finally crawled out of her bed, trying to blink her eyes into a consistent state of openness. "It cannot be time to get up already. I feel like I'd just gotten to sleep."

Ty Lee, mercifully done with her bouncing, rubbed her head and glared up at the treacherous ceiling. "You got in pretty late last night. Were you with Zuko?"

Probably, but in her groggy state Mai had to think about it for a moment. When she remembered the previous night, she groaned again. "Yes, but not in a fun way. I waited up for Zuko to finish with that war meeting, and then he decided to have an existential crisis or something. I didn't understand even half of what he was talking about, but I listened supportively, and then lucked out when he fell asleep before I did." Mai enjoyed having Zuko as her boyfriend, especially the way he kissed her and held her and looked at her, but he sure was a mess. If only he could stop caring about everything and anything, he would probably be a less grumpy. If he could learn to find the suffering of others entertaining, he might even be able to find happiness in this world. "Hey, is the bathroom open?"

"Yup! I got up early so that I could finish in there before you needed it. I'm just such a nice person that way."

Mai snorted a baseless disagreement as she tried to make her way towards said bathroom. "What time is it, anyway?"

"The sun will rise in forty-seven minutes, so you better hurry if you want to be on time for Azula's briefing."

"The sun isn't even up yet? Ugh. Ancestors help me."

Forty-six minutes later, Mai and Ty Lee met up with the Fire Princess in the throne room. Normally, the Fire Lord would be sitting up on the dais, behind a wall of intimidating fire maintained by his own will (or flatulence) but today Ozai was absent, leaving Azula to turn the room into her very own Operations Center. And it wasn't even her birthday.

The princess herself was wearing her best armor and standing (or posing, more likely) in front of a tactical map that hung from an ornate stand carved to look like a dragon swallowing a gerbil-jay. (Or maybe it was a sky bison.) Azula turned at the sound of their footsteps and smiled. "Ah, girls, right on time."

And of course everyone here knew how much more pleasant a cracked jerk like Azula could be when appointments were on time. Mai dipped her head respectfully, but couldn't let her displeasure with the early hour go unnoticed. "Did we really need to do this at dawn? It's melodramatic, and the eclipse isn't for hours."

The briefest hint of a downward curve flicked across Azula's painted lips. "Of course. We know our enemies will time the invasion to take full advantage of the eclipse, but their other plans were made with the Earth King and his armies. We have to be ready for anything, and that means getting yourself out of bed at a decent hour." Azula turned back to the map and pointed to a bright red mark near the center of the Caldera. "Now, you and Ty Lee will take command of 'Operation: Springback' here in the Capital Temple. You will-"

Mai interrupted with a sigh. "We know, Azula. You've told us all this before."

Azula paused for a moment, and then turned around to look directly at Mai.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mai glimpsed Ty Lee stiffening beside her, and had to admit that maybe two complaints in a row was pushing the princess a bit too far. Azula tolerated a certain amount of insubordination, even outright disobedience at times, but there was always a price to pay eventually.

It looked like Mai's latest bill had come due.

Wee.

Azula turned back to the map and pointed to a fancifully detailed sun drawn in the corner. "Today is what is known as the Day of Black Sun. An eclipse of the sun will occur lasting eight minutes, during which all Firebenders will be unable to summon even the slightest flame."

Oh, ashes. Mai's complaint about redundant briefings was incurring the most redundant briefing of all time. A fitting punishment that would be recorded in legend, no doubt.

Azula continued, "This fact was discovered by the Avatar and his companions, something that the Fire Nation in turn learned during the infiltration of Ba Sing Se by a particularly daring and intelligent agent as well as her two subordinates."

Gee, thanks.

Azula pointed to the Fire Palace. "The Avatar intended to use the eclipse to strike into the heart of the Fire Nation itself and confront the Fire Lord at a vulnerable moment, a craven plan typical of a weak-willed Airbender."

Sure, a weak-willed Airbender who once stole the Mad King Bumi out from under Azula's nose! In Mai's experience, people with weak wills did not surf a metal coffin-prison out of a fortified city. Although, Mai admittedly did not get out much.

Azula clenched her fist. "He added to his cowardice by making a corrupt deal with the Earth King to use of Ba Sing Se's armies for the bulk of the invasion. The conquest of Ba Sing Se and the subsequent splintering of Earth Kingdom resistance makes the original plan unviable, but the escape of the Avatar's companions makes it likely that some form of attack will still occur today. Expert opinion that the Avatar may have survived Ba Sing Se increases the odds of significant military action."

Wait, what? The Avatar is alive? Expert opinion? Who would be an expert on dead Avatars?

Mai briefly wondered if Zuko knew this little factoid, given how the Avatar's supposed death was what had ended his banishment. Although, in this case, Zuko's ignorance was Mai's bliss. Zuko was stupid enough to go out and fight on the front-lines if he thought his prepubescent nemesis might be out there, and Mai certainly had no intention of risking her own life to keep the moron safe.

If Zuko wanted to die, Mai wasn't going to join him. She wasn't that turned on by him.

Back at the map, Azula was pointing to the marked positions of the planned defensive formations. "As such, we intend to meet any invasion forces and draw them into a trap. The regular divisions of the Home Guard have been left in their places at Capital Bay and the Heavenly Way..." Taking passive aggressiveness to a new height (which was admittedly better than if the princess had elected to display regular old aggressiveness, as that usually involved fire and people getting maimed), Azula went on to describe every single aspect of the plan, including the placement of individual squad deployments.

While Mai stifled yawns and daydreamed of new ways to abuse servants, Azula described how the invaders would be allowed to push up to the Capital and even the Royal Fire Palace itself, going on to reveal, "Their prize will be empty, however, as the Fire Lord has been preemptively evacuated to the tunnels underneath the Caldera. If possible, we will pin the rebel forces in place around and within the palace until the eclipse has passed. Then reinforcements will be deployed to sweep in and destroy the last of our enemies, once and for all!"

Azula pointed to the Capital Temple (while Mai struggled to keep her eyes open) and continued, "As the Earth King's original plan called out our temple as a possible fallback point, I'm stationing a company to ambush any rebels who enter and push them back out. You and Ty Lee will be taking command of those forces as part of 'Operation: Springback.' You will be my coiled spring, hiding within the temple."

Azula darted forward so that she was standing right in Mai's face, their noses almost touching. Mai nearly jumped out of her knives, and was definitely awake now.

Azula said, "You will attack only when rebel forces enter the grounds in significant number." She brought up a hand to tap Mai's chin. "You're clear on your mission, hm?"

Mai stepped back so that she could bow low at the waist. "I am, your highness. Thank you for explaining it to me." Azula loved it when Mai got formal for her. Submitting forms in triplicate could even bring a flush to Azula's royal cheeks. Hopefully, accepting the punishment politely would be enough to get back into the princess's good graces.

Azula smiled. "Excellent. Get to your places, then. The army will be distributing breakfast rations soon, and you wouldn't want to miss that. If anyone is looking for me, tell them that I'll be getting something to eat from the sumptuous buffet that the last of the staff prepared in the Royal Fire Dining Room before evacuating, leaving no other source of decent food."

Well, not all the way back in good graces, then.

Still, Mai didn't argue. She and Ty Lee bowed, left the room without rising or turning around (an acquired skill), and then made their way to the temple.

The streets were empty of the usual early morning traffic, now exclusively accommodating the last of the military forces that were hurrying into position. Even though they were wearing the same light uniforms as the Home Guard, Mai could spot the extra soldiers who had been brought in from the Fire Army by the extra stiff way they jogged to their destinations, eyes forward and not scanning for opportunities to bully or bribe.

Mai had to admit that she liked the city more when it was empty. As boring as it was, it also meant that Zuko's fangirl brigade was nowhere in sight, something that had been a source of amusement for all of five minutes before Mai realized that a crowd of screaming teenagers was most importantly a crowd. Let them lust for Zuko's body and scheme for Zuko's political power all they wanted (after all, he had no political power and Mai could hardly blame anyone for lusting after his body), but trapping her in the middle of a crowd was beyond the pale.

Last night, all the civilians had been evacuated, and were spending all day today in fortified underground bunkers. While waiting for Zuko to get out of his meeting, Mai had personally witnessed an old schoolmate trying to petition the palace for an exception on account of a crippling claustrophobia. It had been amusing to see the girl thrown out of the palace in tears like the weakling she had always been. Maybe she was still freaking out right now! Ha!

Yes, amusement at other people's suffering was definitely the best strategy for tolerating life in the Fire Nation.

Mai and Ty Lee passed through the arches of the temple's main gate, and they had barely taken their first few steps into the courtyard before a burly army guy came trotting over to them. "My Ladies, Colonel Lee reporting! I've successfully evacuated the Fire Sages, and my soldiers are stationed throughout the first floor of the main temple building. I have an elite force ready to spill out into the courtyard at a moment's notice, and my subordinates have been given a plan to rapidly deploy continuing waves as required. Naturally, we've saved some space for you two right with that first wave."

Mai acknowledged the man's hard work with a, "Whatever." She really couldn't care less what these boring military types did, so long as she got to fight some invaders before the day was out. That would be exciting, while boring military types were the opposite of exciting. "I hope they're ready to sit on their butts for a while, because we've got a long wait."

Colonel Lee nodded almost like 'exciting' for him meant vegetating on his butt for a full day. "Waiting around isn't anything new for a soldier, my lady. You can count on my troops."

"Thank you," Ty Lee chirped as Mai hurried away from the colonel and up the Glorious Path To Fiery Enlightenment (or 'the front stairs' as Mai thought of it) into the temple. "Wow, Mai, you could maybe be a little nicer. The guy's our co-worker."

"Oh, I'm feeling very nice. Can't you see?" Mai pointed at her own frown, and then shifted her fingers into the rudest gesture she could manage one-handed.

Ty Lee pouted and turned her head away. Ha, that's what she got for waking Mai up early.

Fortunately, they managed to take their positions just in time for the breakfast rations to be handed out- a box of rice and a small piece of Komodo sausage. Mai ate with as much complaining as she could muster while chewing, and then was left with nothing to do but sit around with Ty Lee a bunch of soldiers.

Naturally, she went exploring instead.

Depressingly, Mai did not discover anything that she hadn't already seen on her few visits to the temple on holidays, just the usual statues and murals and tiresome fire imagery. If that was all it took to be a Very Spiritual Place, then surely having both the Palace and the temple within two blocks of each other was redundant. After confirming her count of three hundred and fifty-seven dragon statues on the first floor alone, Mai decided to take a break outside in the courtyard.

She found Colonel Lee talking with a woman wearing the plumed hat of the runners tasked with carrying messages between all the groups assembled for today's activities. When Lee noticed Mai, he waved. "Ah, my lady! The invaders have landed at the harbor and our forces have engaged!"

"No kidding. Will they be here soon?"

Lee frowned. "Ah, no, my lady. There is some time before the eclipse, yet. The plan is to only let them into the city once it is about to happen, and it would be too suspicious if we didn't make them fight to gain the harbor gate. If anything changes, our runner here will update us."

"Private Fan, my lady!" The girl straightened, making a clanking sound against the ground, and bowed crisply. "It is an honor to meet you."

The clanking sound, of course, was more interesting than some nobody's honor. Mai looked down at the runner's feet, and saw that instead of a matched pair of boots, the left leg was a metal contraption made of springs and plates shaped vaguely like a foot.

Mai took a step back in revulsion. "What is that?"

Fan gave the slightest twitch. "A prosthetic, my lady. I was serving in the colonies, and my leg was crushed in an engagement with rebels. I was very fortunate that the Army gave me a replacement and transferred me to serve as a Caldera Guard."

Mai snorted. "So they made a cripple into a runner? Not very bright of your commanding officer."

"I- I assure you am I quite capable of fulfilling my duties, my lady."

"Whatever." Mai waved the matter away and turned to go back inside. "Let me know when the barbarians are at the gates, or however it goes."

She heard Colonel Lee saying something about an apology before she was out of earshot.

Mai decided to continue her explorations on the temple's upper floors. (She would have really loved to see the basements, which were rumored to contain secrets beyond mortal ken and/or proof of the rumors about the Royal Family's more salacious history, but those passages were all sealed with Firebending locks. Bigots.)

The second floor and above weren't usually open to visitors, since that was where the Fire Sages themselves lived and meditated, and humble temple-dwellers tended to get upset when other people saw their massive bedrooms with gilded mirrors and jeweled decorations and polished plates stacked with imported chocolates at the bedsides. However, after the first five decadent living quarters, the novelty wore off. Corrupt priesthoods were hardly unexpected, as it would be very odd if the priests alone in the capital insisted on an honest living.

So, instead, Mai went up to the roof.

The access was a locked door that Mai found pathetically easy to pick, and beyond was a pleasant little patio that would be invisible from the ground or the surrounding mansions. It was a fairly plain space, compared to the sages' bedrooms, unless one counted the intricate golden statues in the very center of the patio that depicted a twelve-foot dragon breathing the first fire into the waiting hands of an eight-foot naked Sun Warrior. (It was a boy.) It was a holy moment in Fire Nation history, and a summation of why the Fire Nation considered itself fit to rule the world: "You others learned to Bend by watching giant gerbils or ripping off the moon. We were given the knowledge by dragons, and dragons are awesome. So there. Neener-neener."

(Mai had a gift for paraphrasing.)

She climbed up onto the holy statue of the Sun Warrior and sat down in the hands that were waiting to receive the First Fire. Being a golden statue, it wasn't the most comfortable thing Mai had ever sat on, but she was willing to bet she was the first teenage girl to do this, and that wasn't boring.

While her backside made history, Mai looked up at the sky. The moon was visible, large and full, not very far from the sun.

Mai looked up at it. "You had to come and mess up my day, didn't you? Well, even with your stupid eclipse, we're going to win. The rebels are going to die, the Fire Nation is going to win, and I'm going to marry Zuko and help him rule the world. Or I'll help him stay sane while Azula rules the world in his name. Same difference. So what do you think about that?"

The moon said nothing in return.

Was the moon a Spirit? Supposedly, the sun was, although Mai had never been one for theology. She recalled something about a dragon, or maybe a Phoenix, or maybe a warrior (a male warrior, because for some reason it always was), or maybe a mix of all three, but the point was that the sun was a Spirit and wanted the Fire Nation to wipe out all those who opposed its grand destiny.

The moon got much less attention, but if it could block out the sun by moving in front of it, then surely it had to be alive, too, right? Or at least intelligent. But then, Ty Lee got in Mai's way a lot of the time, and Ty Lee was hardly intelligent.

Mai sat up and glared at the moon. "I'm going back downstairs to wait to kill some Water Tribe warriors. They worship you, right? Then if you're real, go ahead and try to stop me. Teach me a lesson I'll never forget."

Then Mai used one of her knives to carve 'MAI WAS HERE' across the Sun Warrior's holy hands, and headed back inside to get to take her station.

That ridiculous runner woman with the metal leg came by soon after to confirm that the rebels had broken through the gate at the end of the bay and were pushing steadily to the Caldera. She came by again fifteen minutes later to more helpfully inform that the eclipse was imminent and the Home Guard forces on the path up the volcano had made their planned 'retreat.'

Mai got into position beside Ty Lee, crouching like all the soldiers stationed in the front hall with her, and proceeded to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait.

And get bored. Of course.

The sounds of fighting could be heard through the walls of the temple, the clangs of metal and the rumble of Earthbending and the grinding of war machinery, all the usual din. There were explosions and screams and cheers. It sounded quite fun, and was probably happening right down the street. Mai had to pull a knife and start twirling it just to stay sane.

Then it went quiet.

It stayed quiet.

Mai twirled her knife faster.

Ty Lee hummed tunelessly.

Mai considered stabbing Ty Lee.

The soldiers remained so still, they made no noise despite their leather and armor.

Then the quiet ended. The jingle of metal and the grinding of machinery came back. It seemed like it was right outside.

Ooh, this was the good part!

There was the sound of distant Firebending. A crash. More Firebending.

Any second now the good part would happen!

The soldiers all tensed.

Mai stood up.

The jingle and grinding faded as it moved away.

What! No! Good part?!

It grew quiet again.

Mai sighed and sat down.

So much for the good part.

She waited a little bit longer, just to be sure, and had almost given up what passed for hope in her heart when the thunder-like cracks of faraway explosions sounded. What was going on out there? Were the invaders changing their target? Where was that stupid runner with news? Did her leg get all rusty or something?

Another set of explosions echoed from what had to be quite a distance, so quiet were they. It was a poor omen for her chances of being able to stab anyone today.

That was the last of the noise.

Mai sighed again.

She spent the next two hours waiting there with Ty Lee and the soldiers. She had an urge to start an argument with the acrobat just for something to do, but held back simply out of the vague hope that a lost straggler from the invasion force might wander in. Instead, she and Ty Lee played cards, and refrained from cheating so that the game wouldn't be too easy.

Eventually, there was the sound of boots on the courtyard. Two boots, and not one boot and a glorified metal hobble-stick. Mai pulled a pair of razor discs from her sleeves and stood up, licking her lips.

But it was just a runner who jogged in through the front doors, a man this time, with both his legs, and he came to a startled halt when he saw Mai standing there. "Um, I come in peace?"

Mai rolled her eyes and sheathed her razors. "Well, what's going on? It's been hours since we heard anything!"

"Apologies, my lady, but your assigned runner got caught in the fighting."

Of course. "What an incompetent. Princess Azula will be hearing about her."

The runner's eyebrows drew together. "Private Fan is dead, my lady. Crushed by a stray boulder."

Oh? Mai felt herself smile. "So the rest of her body gets to join her foot? I guess that worked out." It would save having to get Azula to punish the girl, at least.

The runner's face lost all expression. "As you say, my lady. I have come to report that the fighting is over. The invaders have been captured and taken prisoner, but the Avatar and a small group escaped on the sky bison. As soon the prisoners are processed, the citizenry will be brought back to the city. I have orders for the various military divisions-"

"Yeah, fine," Mai said, already walking past the man. "Corporal Lee is in charge here. I'm going home."

She was out in the courtyard by the time Ty Lee caught up to her. "Mai, that was terrible!"

"I know! Stuck all day in that temple with nothing to do, and the invaders missed us completely!"

"No, I mean what you said about Private Fan. It wasn't respectful."

Oh. That. "Whatever." It honestly wasn't worth even the beginnings of an argument.

She and Ty Lee didn't speak again before they got to her parents' mansion and parted. Mother and Father weren't home of course, still pretending to have something like power half a world away in the city formerly known as Omashu. There were no servants around, either, thanks to evacuation, which meant Mai would have to get her own supper. Or maybe Azula would be in a good enough mood to share whatever the palace would be cooking up. The Avatar might not be captured, but getting so many of his allies this close to the return of Sozin's Comet had to be a win, right? Or maybe Zuko could sneak her something, and she could pout and demand rose petals on top, and he would remember that there were no servants around to do the work for him, and she could tease him about being lazy, and-

And first, Mai headed to her bedroom to change into something less wrinkled after spending all those hours crouching in the temple hall. She passed by her bed, heading for the closet-

-and saw a rolled note resting on one of the pillows at the foot of the bed.

Huh.

Who would have left that?

It was tied with a red ribbon, so it probably wasn't a threat of some kind, unless it was an usually chipper assassin. Could she have a secret admirer who broke into her house to leave an offer to turn Zuko in for a new model? Mai would enjoy telling Azula about that, if just to see how protective the princess was of her big brother.

She untied the ribbon and unfurled the note.

Zuko's brushwork stared back at her:

"Dear Mai, I'm sorry you have to find out this way, but I'm leaving."

What.

What?

What?!

"I cannot allow the Fire Nation to make the second great mistake of its history. I have come to believe that we never should have started this war, and I will not let the war finish with the death of another nation. I will confront my father, and if he does not abandon this path, then I will join the Avatar to restore peace and balance to the world. I hope you understand, but it is unlikely that I will ever know. If we do not meet again, I want you to know that I love you, and that you have been the source of my only real happiness here."

The note finished with, "Goodbye and good fortune. -Zuko"

That-

That-

That liar!

Love?! What did he know about love?! Who left behind someone they supposedly loved?! Who pretended around the person they supposedly loved to be home for good and interested in being a true Prince of the Fire Nation? Who wouldn't even so much as hint at treasonous thoughts around someone they loved?

No, Mai decided, Zuko didn't love her. That was his sense of drama, the same drama that had probably killed him by now if he really did confront his father about those kinds of thoughts. Maybe it was even an attempt to hurt Mai. If he was on the Avatar's side now, maybe he had come to hate her. He had used her for pleasure and left behind the assertion that he loved her so that she would be hurt. Maybe he was even saying it so that she wouldn't fight him the next time they met.

If so, and if he was actually alive, Zuko would be in for a rude surprise.

Because Mai didn't love him. Not even the slightest bit!

The sobs wracking her body were just from anger at how badly she had let herself be fooled. People cried out of anger, right? And the horrible hollow feeling she got whenever she thought of him dying at his father's hands was just disappointment that she wouldn't be able to get her own revenge. Because revenge was important for a healthy diet, or something.

Mai found herself reading the note over and over. She didn't know why. If Zuko was dead, what was point in keeping it? If he wasn't dead, what was the point in keeping it? Either way, it was nothing but a reminder of a horrible person who had used and abused Mai, and the smart thing would be to rip it up and move on with her life. Keeping it might even constitute treason.

But she couldn't make herself let go of the paper, even when she had to hold it far away to keep her tears and snot from falling on it.

When Mai finally found the strength to put it down (carefully, back on the pillow, for reasons she didn't want to bother examining), she stood up and ran out of the house, sprinting across the street to the Fire Palace. None of the regular guards were there, but all kinds of military people were bustling about. They all gave her strange looks as she ran past them, calling out for Azula.

Reality had become a blur. Mai's whole focus was on finding the princess, and her brain barely processed the halls and rooms of the palace as she shrieked Azula's name into each one. Some people- soldiers or pages or servants or whoever- asked Mai if she needed help, but they weren't Azula, so she ignored them. She had to find the princess. Had to find out about-

And then all of the sudden Azula was standing right in front of her.

The sudden appearance left Mai stunned for a moment, and in that silent gap Azula grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground, snarling, "Where is he?"

Mai started to say, "Wha-"

Azula's hands burst into azure flame and the heat was enough to make Mai flinch. "Where is my brother?! Don't you even think about-"

"What?!" And then Mai realized what was going on. "Zuko's alive?! He's- he's not- the Fire Lord didn't-"

Azula's flames winked out. She stood above Mai, just staring, and then snapped out, "Get her out of here."

"No, wait! Azula, don't-" But strong hands hand clamped around Mai's arms, and she had somehow forgotten how to fight and stab and kill, and she was forced to let herself be dragged out of the palace and thrown in the street.

By the time Mai picked herself up off the ground, the palace's gate had been closed and locked.

She threw herself against them, but the lock held. She scratched at them, but the stone just bloodied the tips of her fingers. She pulled some knives and tried to use them to scale the gate, but for some reason she couldn't muster the strength in her arms to pull herself up, and she realized it was because she was shaking with sobs again.

Stupid Zuko.

Why didn't he stay?

He couldn't really care about the rest of the world, could he?

Mai wailed and scrambled against the gate until she ran out of strength and drifted off right there in the street.

"Come on, Mai. It's time to embrace the day! Hey, that rhymed."

Oh, no.

Mai groaned and tried to smother herself with her pillow, although her new method of shoving her face down into the pillow rather than the other way around didn't seem to be as successful as the usual process. Meanwhile, the events of the previous day immediately came back to her: the disappointing invasion, the discovery of Zuko's betrayal and her horrible, uncharacteristic reaction. Her face burned at the thought that people had actually witnessed her running and shouting through the palace, and that she'd had a tantrum right there in the street like a tenant farmer. And Azula! If Mai didn't want to be punished, she'd have to kiss some major royal backside. (Far more than usual.) Maybe Azula would be too preoccupied with Zuko to care much about Mai's misbehavior.

Zuko.

He was alive.

Azula had implied it.

Well, that was something, at least.

Not that Mai cared about a jerk like him.

Then she felt something heavy bouncing at the far end of the mattress. It was distressingly familiar.

Mai opened her eyes. Ty Lee. Dressed in her usual circus pink. Loose hair flying. And bouncing.

Mai said, "Again?"

The mad bouncer shrugged. "I just started. But you got in pretty late last night. Were you with Zuko?"

Mai immediately wished she had a knife handy. "Lick ash! Is that supposed to be some kind of a joke?"

"N- owie!" Ty Lee's latest bounce was high enough that she smacked her head against the ceiling, and she turned her descent into a smaller rebound that landed her neatly on the floor. As she rubbed her head and stared up at the treacherous ceiling, she said, "No need to be rude. I saw you waiting for him to get out of the big meeting."

Waiting? Meeting? What was Ty Lee babbling about?

Mai got out of bed and looked around. She was in one of the two-bed guest rooms in the Fire Palace. Had Azula ordered her brought inside at some point in the night? That was unusually kind of the princess, which probably meant it was a lead-in to some kind of horrible torture. Or maybe Azula had already come up with a way to use Mai against Zuko, somehow, and needed her compliant.

"I got up early so that I could finish in there before you needed it," Ty Lee said, gesturing towards the bathroom. "I'm just such a nice person that way."

What? Didn't Ty Lee say that yesterday, too? As Mai examined the room around them, she realized that this was the exact same guest suite that they had stayed in the night before the invasion. On one of the vanities, she spotted a set of her clothes and a case filled with her knives, exactly where they had been yesterday morning. The clothes were even the same, although cleaned and folded. Her knives were all in their sheathes neatly and in order. Going over and examining them, Mai found that the two blades she had tried to use to scale the gates must have been sharpened, because the blades showed none of the damage that would have resulted from trying to carve handholds in solid stone.

Huh. Azula was going all out on the room service. Maybe Mai had been sentenced to death for the crime of being rowdy in the palace.

Thoughts of the gate reminded Mai of the injuries she had sustained on her fingers, but when she looked at them, the nails and skin were all perfectly healthy.

So, Azula had brought in a Waterbender healer while Mai was asleep?

Ty Lee broke into Mai's confusion with, "The sun will rise in forty-seven minutes, so you better hurry if you want to be on time for Azula's briefing."

Azula's briefing? Another one?

Well, better to go along with what she wanted. Mai grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom to get ready.

Forty-six minutes later, Mai and Ty Lee met up with the Fire Princess in the throne room. The Fire Lord was once again not in attendance, leaving the room empty save for the princess herself. She was once again wearing her best armor and posing in front of the tactical map of yesterday's operations on its goofy-looking stand. Azula turned at the sound of their footsteps and smiled. "Ah, girls, right on time."

Mai fell into a full kowtow with her forehead pressed to the floor. "I apologize for my behavior last night. I must have been in shock, but I assure you that I am once again in control and will never act like that again. Thank you for dealing with me so mercifully. I truly don't deserve it, and your generosity does me honor." Hopefully, if Azula was planning some kind of punishment, an apology like that mollify her enough to show leniency, or at least offer Mai a last meal before the disemboweling.

Azula just said, "Behavior last night? Ew, no details, please. Well, you seem to be properly repentant, so we'll let it go for now, whatever you did."

Huh?

Mai looked up. Azula was staring back at her in clear confusion.

Was the princess losing her mind? (That is, more than usual?)

Or was Mai? Could all of that with Zuko have been a dream? But no, it was far too real, and really it did fit with Zuko's recent boneheaded behavior. Mai mentally kicked herself for not realizing that the betrayal was coming. Azula must just want to pretend it didn't happen, probably so that she wouldn't have to deal with her own similar failure to anticipate Zuko.

"Great," Mai said, standing up. "Glad that's settled."

Azula nodded and turned back to the map. "Now, you and Ty Lee will take command of 'Operation: Springback' here in the Capital Temple. You will-"

Mai burst out with, "Huh?"

Azula paused for a moment, and then turned around to look directly at Mai with a disapproving glare.

Wow, this was just-

-like-

-yesterday?

Azula turned back to the map and pointed to a fancifully detailed sun drawn in the corner. "Today is what is known as the Day of Black Sun. An eclipse of the sun will occur lasting eight minutes, during which all Firebenders will be unable to summon even the slightest flame."

Today is the Day of Black Sun?! Mai turned to glance at Ty Lee, but there was no confusion in those gray eyes, just concern.

Maybe it was a dream, after all?

Azula continued, "This fact was discovered by the Avatar and his companions, something that the Fire Nation in turn learned during the infiltration of Ba Sing Se by a particularly daring and intelligent agent as well as her two subordinates."

The wording was far too familiar. Maybe it was a prophetic dream?

Azula pointed to the Fire Palace. "The Avatar intended to use the eclipse to strike into the heart of the Fire Nation itself and confront the Fire Lord at a vulnerable moment, a craven plan typical of a weak-willed Airbender."

Next Azula would clench her fist-

Azula clenched her fist. "He added to his cowardice by making a corrupt deal with the Earth King to use of Ba Sing Se's armies for the bulk of the invasion. The conquest of Ba Sing Se and the subsequent splintering of Earth Kingdom resistance makes the original plan unviable, but the escape of the Avatar's companions makes it likely that some form of attack will still occur today. Expert opinion that the Avatar may have survived Ba Sing Se increases the odds of significant military action."

And he did survive. The reports from the battle confirmed it. Mai wondered, in a bit of a daze, if there was someone she could convince to make a bet with her.

Back at the map, Azula was pointing to the marked positions of the planned defensive formations. "As such, we intend to meet any invasion forces and draw them into a trap. The regular divisions of the Home Guard have been left in their places at Capital Bay and the Heavenly Way..." In excruciating detail, Azula went on to describe every single aspect of the plan, including the placement of individual squad deployments, just like she did yesterday. Mai hadn't paid very close attention, but it was possible that Azula's wording was identical.

It occurred to Mai that this might be a joke of some kind. Maybe this was her punishment, being forced to go through the motions of the worst day of her life. And Ty Lee was in on it? While Mai threw another questioning glance at her friend, Azula droned on with, "Their prize will be empty, however, as the Fire Lord has been preemptively evacuated to the tunnels underneath the Caldera. If possible, we will pin the rebel forces in place around and within the palace until the eclipse has passed. Then reinforcements will be deployed to sweep in and destroy the last of our enemies, once and for all!"

Azula pointed to the Capital Temple, but Mai couldn't take any more of this. She shut her eyes and began probing her own head for injuries. Maybe she gave herself a concussion last night, and now was hallucinating or something?

Mai opened her eyes when she realized that Azula wasn't talking anymore. "Oh, uh, sorry about that?"

Azula crossed her arms. "Am I boring you, Mai? Or are you too important to listen to this crucial briefing about your role in today's events?"

Today's events? "You're sure the invasion wasn't supposed to be yesterday?"

Azula blinked. "Yesterday? Of course not."

Ty Lee leaned into Mai's vision. "Are you feeling sick? You seemed a little confused when you woke up. Maybe you need to go back to bed?"

It was tempting, but Mai wouldn't be able to figure out what was going on if she just slept all day. So she stepped around Azula and pointed to the Capital Temple on the big fancy map. "I'm fine. See? The Earth King's original plan said that the temple was going to be a- what do you call it? A fallback point! Yeah. The invaders could hide in there while the Avatar goes after the Fire Lord. So we've got troop people hiding in there to 'springback' the invaders out again. That's why it's called 'Operation: Springback.' And Ty Lee and I are in charge of that. We need to make sure we don't attack until the bad guys actually enter the temple. So we should go do that, right?"

Azula blinked.

Ty Lee blinked.

Azula blinked again, and then lowered her arms to her sides. "Yes, you should. Grab yourself some Qi-enhancing tea from the kitchen before you go. You seem like you need it."

Mai happily took advantage of both the dismissal and the permission to hit up the Palace's kitchens (losing her mind was no reason to skip an important meal like breakfast, after all), and then she and Ty Lee were on their way to the temple.

Once again, the city was empty of everyone but the soldiers getting ready to fight a war.

Mai tried shaking her head until reality made sense, and was forced to stop when she got too dizzy to walk.

That was about when Ty Lee seemed to decide that enough was enough. "Mai, you do not seem okay. Maybe you should just go to one of the underground bunkers and hide. I can be in charge of the Operation Springback thingy. Probably."

"No, I'm fine." A thought occurred to Mai. "Do you know where Zuko is?"

Ty Lee blinked. "He should be getting ready in the palace. He's going to be guarding his dad, just like Azula. You didn't know that?"

"Ye- N- Whatever! Have you seen him this morning?"

Ty Lee shook her head. "Did- did Zuko give you something last night?"

Mai tried and failed to understand what she was being asked. "I don't think so?"

"You two didn't steal some of your parents' lily wine?"

"No."

"He didn't give you something to make your time together more fun? Something that you had to smoke or mix in a drink or snort up your nose?"

Mai successfully resisted the urge to smack her own forehead. "I'm not on anything. I'm just- just having an odd day."

"Okay." Ty Lee's eyes made it clear that it very much wasn't okay. "I'll just keep an eye on you, and if you start feeling sick or confused or something, you let me know and I'll make sure you won't have to fight if the invaders show up."

"Thanks. You're a doll." Mai turned and got on with the trip to the temple.

She and Ty Lee passed through the arches of the temple's main gate, and they had barely taken their first few steps into the courtyard before a burly army guy- a familiar looking burly army guy- came trotting over to them. "My Ladies-"

Before he could continue, Mai pointed her finger at him. "Colonel Lee reporting! That's what you were going to say!"

He smiled. "You're heard of me! I- I hadn't realized that I'd come to the attention of the nobility. Well, you can count on me, today! I've successfully evacuated the Fire Sages, and my soldiers are stationed throughout the first floor of the main temple building. I have an elite force ready to spill out into the courtyard at a moment's notice, and my subordinates have been given a plan to rapidly deploy continuing waves as required. Naturally, we've saved some space for you two right with that first wave."

Mai very carefully said, "I hope they're ready to sit on their butts for a while, because we've got a long wait." She distinctly remembered saying that yesterday, and Colonel Lee responded with-

He gave a professional nod. "Waiting around isn't anything new for a soldier, my lady. You can count on my troops."

Mai had to shut her eyes against the world for a moment. "I knew you were going to say that."

Lee was practically bouncing with pleasure. "I appreciate your trust in me, my lady. This will be a glorious day for all of us, no doubt!"

They left him at the steps leading into the temple's front entrance, and Ty Lee whispered, "How do you know that guy?"

Mai shook her head. "Today- today is the first time I've met him. The first time. Today."

"Ahh! You were trying to be nice! Wow, you must really be feeling sick. If you need to upchuck, don't do it on my shoes."

Mai tried to laugh, but it wasn't working, so she gave up the effort.

What was going on here?

She sat down with Ty Lee in the front hall with the first wave of their soldiers, and immediately pulled her knees up against her chest and shut her eyes. The idea of a prophetic dream was still on the table, but Mai was pretty sure she didn't have any magic powers. Nor were they supposed to run in her family. True, there was Aunt Zhi on Father's side, but she only claimed to have the gift of prophecy, and her last words being, "No, don't worry, it's perfectly safe to stand under-" were a pretty good bit of counter-evidence.

Had Mai become cursed? Was this like those stories about the prophetess who knew about all the bad things that were to come and couldn't do anything to stop them?

Could Mai stop them?

If she did, what would happen? Would the world end? Would Mai burst into flames?

She opened her eyes and leaned to whisper to Ty Lee. "A runner should be bringing news of the invaders landing on the beach right about now. Do me a favor and check to see if the runner is named Fan and has a metal leg?"

Ty Lee frowned, but said, "Sure. Anything for you."

When she got back, she was staring at Mai with clear accusation. "Okay, seriously, how did you know?"

Mai shut her eyes again and pressed her forehead against her curled knees. "I don't know. I lived this day already, somehow. It all happened exactly like this, all the way to me falling asleep last night, but then I woke up today and it's all happening again. I think I'm magic now."

Ty Lee was silent for a long moment. "Okay."

Mai opened her eyes and look at her friend. "Okay?"

"Okay." Ty Lee pointed at the door leading deeper into the temple. "Mai, for your own good, I'm pulling you off this mission. Go to one of the back rooms and lock the door until I come for you. Try to rest."

Mai sighed. "You think I'm crazy."

"I- I think you're not well right now."

"It's okay if you do think I'm going mad. I think it's a distinct possibility." Mai stood up and was going to comply with her friend's orders, but then she remembered something. "Then how do I know about Azula's briefing and Colonel Lee and Private Fan?"

Ty Lee shrugged. "That will be a good discussion to have once you're feeling better. I know I get facts all mixed up in my head sometimes, so maybe you just knew some of this stuff already and forgot that you knew it."

Mai considered that. "It's plausible, I guess. I never pay attention when people mention names I don't know, but I still could have heard and remembered some without realizing."

"Exactly! Now, go rest! We'll handle the nasty invaders for you."

"Thanks." Mai headed deeper into the temple, passing through hallways filled with soldiers. She found a room way in the back that would probably be safe, told the nearest soldier to guard the door, and then went inside and locked herself in.

Then Mai crawled out through one of the windows and climbed up to the roof. She carefully made were way around spires and flagpoles to the little porch with the golden statues of the dragon ready to upchuck into the Sun Warrior's hands. She climbed up the Sun Warrior's metal body, and checked the palms of those very hands.

They were smooth and unblemished.

There was no vandalism of any kind in evidence- like, just to name a random example, the characters for 'MAI WAS HERE' carved into the metal.

Huh.

Some other test was needed. Mai made her way across the rest of the temple's roof, and jumped down over the outer wall into the street. With the city empty and all the soldiers in hiding, she was alone under the sun.

There was one way to confirm just how prophetic she currently was, and that was to test her knowledge of the invasion itself. The most efficient way to conduct the test was to directly observe the battle.

Mai worked her way up out of the city, to the rim of the Caldera, to that isolated little spot she and Zuko liked, where there was a view clear to the ocean on one side and a perfect vantage point of the whole capital city on the other side.

She looked out over the battle, and found it almost right at her feet.

Battles, she had firmly believed up to this point, were not spectator sports. She hadn't witnessed many, just the siege of Omashu and then the attempt to shove a big drill up Ba Sing Se's rear wall, but those two had both been prolonged, visually confusing, and lacking in dramatic plot points. As a result, Mai had decided that battles were boring.

Well, boring for those not in the thick of them.

As she watched, an enemy army- a real one, with soldiers in uniforms (some blue and some green) and a new kind of caterpillar-like tank that she had never even heard of- was ascending the volcano, while the last of the faux Home Guard retreated into the city. The distinct uniforms made that much easy to follow. Enemy tanks and their guards were racing up the zig-zagging path, while quite a few of the foot soldiers were just running straight up the side. They looked very intent, at least from this distance, but that Mai supposed that was to be expected. People didn't go into battle unless they believed in their cause or were very, very bored.

Mai watched as that army spilled up over the side of the volcano into the city, and the light of the sun became dull and empty. She didn't glance up at the sun, because the sages had been very clear that anyone resting their eyes on the blasphemy that was the moon eclipsing the sun would be struck blind for second-hand heresy (and Azula later clarified that the damage to the eyes was because of blah blah blah science and stuff). The enemy seemed to have gotten the note about the Science And Stuff because they were all wearing some kind of eye shields. Why hadn't the Fire Nation thought of issuing such things to all its soldiers? Oh, right, they weren't supposed to know about the eclipse.

Mai continued to watch as the enemy army pushed straight down the main lanes towards the palace, a frantic forward motion that was a little scary even from this distance. A few token 'defenders' tried to stop the invaders, or at least made it look like they were trying to do so, and in several cases even had time to surrender when the futility became evident. In other cases, the invaders were too quick with their attacks, the defenders went were caught by thrown spears or flying boulders, or in one case a racing tank might not have even noticed the soldiers who wound up underneath the wheels.

It was not, altogether, a pleasant thing to witness.

Nevertheless, Mai watched as the blue and green army began circling the palace. No doubt Azula was getting reports of all of this and wiggling in delight. Mai was very glad to be missing that particular sight.

She watched and watched as that army waited and waited for a victory that wouldn't come. This time 'yesterday,' she had been in the temple, crouched beside Ty Lee, listening to the sounds of all this activity. She could remember the mechanical grinding that must be coming from those tanks. She remembered the cheers that must have come from the invaders who accepted the fake surrenders. She remembered the pregnant quiet that followed.

Then the sunlight began brightening again. Mai stepped into the shadow of a rock outcropping, because the only thing worse than having strange prophetic dreams was having strange prophetic dreams while sunburned.

Then she continued to watch as the squadron of war balloons, those small two-person crafts held aloft by a ridiculously fragile looking bag of hot air, rose up from beyond the far side of the volcano's rim. From this angle, it looked to Mai as if they were rising up from the palace itself. Then the massive airships ascended as well, the massive metal monstrosities that somehow used that hot air science to lift something the size of an armored building into the sky in what, if not a violation of the laws of science, was at least a terrible offense against common sense.

It was hard to tell from this distance, but the invading army seemed appropriately taken aback by this development.

Then Mai spotted something else moving through the air. It was faster than the war balloons, and seemed to be moving at any odd angle-

Ah, of course.

It was that stupid smelly sky bison.

It landed near the invaders, and then when it took off again- along with another little flying shape that Mai was pretty sure was the Avatar on his personal glider- the army began rushing back through the city lanes.

They were retreating.

That would account for the second set of noises Mai heard.

After this, there should be some crashes-

-one of the war balloons fell from the sky like a rock with the top half of its air-sack fluttering on the breeze.

Then there should be silence again-

-the invaders were only able to get halfway down the volcano before the airships caught up with them.

Next would be a waves of thunder-

-the airships dropped bombs on the invaders, but the Earthbenders were able to pull stone ceilings out of the side of the volcano and minimized casualties.

And finally there should come a quieter group of claps to finish things off-

-the airships continued on to the bay, where they dropped another set of bombs over what seemed to be whale-like metal boats beached on the cargo platform, destroying the things. The invaders stopped moving, after that.

The reports had said that most of the army had been taken prisoner, except for the Avatar and a few-

-the sky bison took off, moving maybe a little slower than it usually did. A single war balloon seemed to be following at a distance, but even with the sky bison lagging, the creature was still moving faster than the pursuit, and would probably soon lose it.

After that, the Home Guard- or rather, the army soldiers wearing Home Guard uniforms for the day- came out again and began taking prisoners.

It had all happened according to what Mai had experienced 'yesterday.'

This.

Was.

Freaky.

And also rather definitive. Ty Lee's theory had been that Mai was simply re-experiencing information she had absorbed but forgotten, but there was no way that Mai could have known the cadence of the battle in advance. Yes, there had been plans and such, and certain conclusions could be drawn from the way the battle had played out up to its finish, but Mai hadn't known about the metal fish-shaped boats until they were bombed. There was no distinct plan to have the airship drive on past the army and take out its transportation; that had to have been a decision made on the fly.

Mai was officially a soothsayer.

Wee.

And if everything she had already experienced once was happening again-

-everything-

-then maybe there was a chance to change the worst of it.

Mai threw herself into a run down into the caldera, mirroring the frantic surge of the invading army minutes ago. (Had it really been just minutes? Had the tide of an entire battle really turned in the eight minutes it took a fat and lazy moon to waddle in front of the sun?) She was half-skidding by the time she reached the city itself, and then tore down the streets she had known since childhood, traveling too fast even to see where she was going. Muscle memory alone guided her past the casualties still lying in the street, past the first few Fire Nation soldiers to emerge from their hiding places to secure the city.

She didn't stop running until she was home.

Even then, she didn't bother with niceties like the front door or the stairs. She pulled one of her more sturdy blades out with her right hand and then used her left to grab a low gutter in the front of the building and pull herself into an ascent. Her feet and free hand used the decorations on the wall to climb, and when there wasn't something to grab or step on, that sturdy blade was sunk into the wall and turned into a handhold. Her momentum burned out quickly, but not before she reached those large double windows that let her look out at the Fire Palace from her bed, and she flipped her body through them.

She landed in her bedroom, right on the divan that she and Zuko had occupied so contentedly 'yesterday.'

And from that position, Mai could easily see to her bed.

To her bed, and the rolled piece of paper waiting for her on the pillows at the foot.

Oh.

She was too late.

Again.

She could only stand on the divan, her lungs straining and her heart pounding from the race, and stare at the note. She knew what it said. Was there any point in actually reading it?

But what if it was different, this time? What if Zuko hadn't confronted his father and defected to the Avatar, but instead ran away to Ember Island or something, and the note revealed where he would be waiting? Then, if she read the note, and decided to forgive him for the torture he put her through in the previous version of this day, she could go to him and tell him what a jerk he was. And then he could say he was sorry, and she could decide if she would give him another chance.

(She would.)

Mai climbed over the divan and hopped down to the floor.

She walked over to her bed.

She picked up the note.

She unfurled it.

She read:

"Dear Mai, I'm sorry you have to find out this way, but I'm leaving.

"I cannot allow the Fire Nation to make the second great mistake of its history. I have come to believe that we never should have started this war, and now I will not let the war finish with the death of another nation. I will confront my father, and if he does not abandon this path, then I will join the Avatar to restore peace and balance to the world. I hope you understand, but I will probably never know. If we do not meet again, I want you to know that I love you, and that you have been the source of my only real happiness here.

"Goodbye and good fortune. -Zuko"

Why did it hurt so much, reading it a second time?

Why had it hurt at all? Mai wasn't the type to care about things. Yes, Zuko's company gave her pleasure, but she didn't do attachment. When Zuko had been banished, and she hadn't shed a tear. When her parents told her time and again to shut up if she knew what was good for her, she had simply closed her mouth and shown just how eloquent a pair of eyes could be. When she saw Tom-Tom repeatedly abandoned to wander through a mostly empty house to find his own amusements, she had hidden herself away where toddlers couldn't see.

Why did it hurt so much to lose Zuko now?

Mai let the note fall from her hands, and sat down on the floor of her room. She watched the sun set and the moon ascend over the palace. When Ty Lee dropped by, nearly crying with worry because Mai had disappeared from the temple, Mai had just shaken her head and ignored her friend. Mai watched the stars in the sky, and Ty Lee eventually left.

At some point, Mai drifted off to sleep.

At least this day was finally over.

TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW

"Come on, Mai. It's time to embrace the day! Hey, that rhymed."

Oh, no. Not again.

[artificialqueens]

Just Tonight #4 (Shalaska) - BABE

A/N: Sorry for this taking so long, I’ve been hella busy but enjoy this chapter! Thanks so much for the lovely comments, tbh I’m kinda addicted to writing this so this might go on for a while xx

Alaska couldn’t contain her grin when she snuck into her dorm room that evening, clutching her messed up clothes in her hands. She was still wearing the Ramones tee-shirt (which was drenched in Sharon’s scent and dove her headfirst into her memories all over again) but had traded her short skirt and heels for a pair of high waisted shorts and sneakers that Sharon had lying around. The blonde didn’t want to ask where they had come from but Sharon had assured her that they belonged to her best friend’s girlfriend (Ivy, she said her name was) and that filled Alaska with relief. After she had woken up and made them both breakfast, Alaska had realised that she had missed half her classes.  The anxiety in her pooled up until Sharon’s calm reassurance helped it to dissipate, the two girls spending the day in front of the television. Hours slipped away until Alaska went to check the time (7:53, the cracked screen of her iPhone read), only to discover the thousands of messages that Alaska and Katya had left in their group chat.

Adore:

alaska, you there?

srsly bitch, where tf are you?

Katya:

adore stfu

she’s probably busy ;)

adore:

Like you were with barbie?

Katya:

…

Adore:

that’s what I thought bitch

anyways lask when you get this, come back n pick up some vodka

pearl + her bitches r coming over

have fun ;))))

When reading the messages, Alaska had turned beet red, Sharon reading the messages over her shoulder and laughing her head off.

“Your friends are something,” Sharon said between chuckles, Alaska trying to control her blush.

“Shut up,” she murmured as Sharon pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“You’re cute when you blush.”

That only made Alaska blush more.

An hour, and a couple of borrowed garments, later, Alaska was turning the key in her dorm door’s lock, a bottle of vodka that Sharon had given her shoved into her purse. She heard whispers from behind the door (plus normal volume talking from Adore since she only spoke in yells) and when the door finally opened, the group burst into applause. Adore and Pearl sat on the floor (obviously smoking a joint, what else would they be doing?) of their room while Katya lounged on Adore’s bed (the Barbie from the party sat at her feet) and Violet and another girl (Fame?) perched awkwardly on their beanbags. Both girls were dressed in clothes that probably are worth more than Alaska’s student loans and it made Alaska weep internally.

“What up bitch?” Adore exclaimed, a common greeting from the brunette. “How was your kinky little encounter?”

“That’s none of your business!” Alaska countered, a huge goofy grin on her face. She leaned down and kissed Adore on the forehead before passing the vodka to Katya. The Russian cheered and hugged Alaska tightly. “Don’t thank me, thank Sharon,” Alaska whispered in her ear, causing Katya to chuckle. “Now, offer some to Trixie.” That caused Katya to turn red at the idea as Alaska politely said hello to Pearl, Trixie and Violet. Pearl winked, raising a lazy hand, Trixie grinned, her eyes flickering to Katya and Violet, now that she had her safety net around, offered a small smile and a wave.

“I’m Fame, it’s nice to meet you,” the unknown girl said as Alaska grinned at her.

“Now,” Adore started, obviously stoned out of her mind. “What the fuck went down with you and the sexy lead singer?”

“I tied her up and fucked her till she was sore,” Alaska deadpanned, the other girls laughing. She didn’t feel like discussing how exactly Sharon made her feel in front of a bunch of people she didn’t know. Adore and Katya were like her ride or dies, but the other girls were still foreign to her. She didn’t want to declare her feelings only to be mocked. “I’ve got a paper due soon so I might head out to the library if you guys are having a party.”

“It’s closed, remember?” Adore stated in a matter-of-fact way. “They had to start shutting it at night because people were breaking in and smoking bongs between the shelves.”

“Like you’ve ever been in the library, Delano.”

“I definitely have,” Adore smirked, inhaling her joint.

“Maybe because Del Rio’s office is next door!” Katya exclaimed, causing Adore to choke on the smoke that she knew how to take so well.

Alaska laughed as she plopped down onto her bed, the conversation about Adore fucking the art history professor swirling around her. The only thing that mattered was the text that popped up on her screen.

Sharon:

Miss you already xx

The blonde’s heart raced, a goofy grin on her face as she had a lightbulb moment. In a frenzy, she threw a change of clothes into a bag along with her laptop and textbook. She paused for a moment, texting Sharon back.

Alaska:

Is it okay if I come over? I really need to study and Adore is hosting a dinner party kms :p

The reply was almost instant as Alaska finished putting her things into her bag.

Sharon:

Sure thing, princess. Jinkx and Ivy are here but we’ll be quiet. See you soon x

With that, Alaska swung her bag over her shoulder and left, calling “Later bitches,” out the door.

“Use protection!” Adore called back, Alaska chuckling as she shut her door completely.

Now she could finally concentrate.

———-

In record time (and with help from her GPS since she actually didn’t know the way there, last night’s alcohol abuse was the cause of that), Adore’s beat up old car that Alaska drove as she pleased was in the parking lot of Sharon’s apartment. For once, she was kind of relieved to be away from her dorm room, even though she loved Adore and partook in her antics she really needed to finish this paper, her inner perfectionist freaked out if an assignment wasn’t started a week before it was due. Plus, she really wanted to meet Sharon’s friends. It was a surreal feeling, like everything was happening so fast for Alaska. She wasn’t known to be quick to trust but she trusted Sharon easily, her usual second guessing self plunging in with naivety.

As she walked to the apartment, bag under her arm, Alaska had realised that she hadn’t even had time to change from her borrowed clothes in her frenzy to leave. Her unbrushed hair was piled on top of her head and her eyelashes were still caked with mascara from the night before. It was an embarrassing way to meet Sharon’s close friends (especially since the clothes she was wearing actually belonged to one of the friends) but hopefully she could pull it off, pretend it was ‘punk rock’ or something.  Making it to the door, her petite hand knocking on the wood, her face spread into a grin in anticipation to see Sharon. It had only bee an few hours, but there was something about her that couldn’t keep her away.

The door swung open, revealing a slightly neater Sharon, one that at least had time to comb out her sex hair and redo her makeup. Nonetheless, her eyes were still bright with mischief and her mouth was spread into a similar grin as she stepped for to embrace the girl.

“Hi princess,” she murmured, kissing the younger girl’s forehead. Alaska kind of expected there to be a black lipstick stain left there but she couldn’t tell. “Come meet the crew.”

Alaska was lead into the familiar living room where two unfamiliar girls sat on the couch. One had curly red hair that didn’t just look teased but pissed off, her big brown eyes staring up at her in wonder, the other’s hair was straight and blonde, red roots peeking out of her scalp. Both of them were dressed eclectically but it all had a kind of cool feel to it, as if they were starting a trend and everyone would be wearing the same things soon. Alaska was instantly jealous, her own style feeling so mainstream in comparison.

“Alaska, this is Jamie, I mean Jinkx,” Sharon corrected as the redhead shot her a look, “Monsoon. She’s our pianist and our spare guitarist.”

“Just in case Sharon here is too occupied with the ladies to play,” Jinkx interjected, her tone light.

“Piss off,” Sharon joked, a chuckle escaping her lips. “And this is Ivy Winters. She’s our bassist plus she keeps everyone looking fabulous.” Ivy grinned, nodding proudly.

“That’s what you get when you have a fashion major lying around, I’m glad you finally put her to good use,” Jinkx smirked, looking at Ivy fondly. She leaned over and kissed the girl’s cheek, causing Ivy to blush.

“So that’s three quarters of Anarchy Rose,” Sharon finished, causing Alaska’s eyes to tear away from the couple and back to the other girl. “Dee would’ve come tonight but she’s out with her prep of a girlfriend.” Sharon rolled her eyes.

“What’s wrong with her?” Alaska asked tentatively.

“Nothing, except for the fact that Roxxxy “I’m full of cheerleader pep but I’m also a bitch” Andrews kinda thinks she’s above all of us, it’s fucking annoying.”

Alaska felt awkward replying to that, so instead she changed the subject. “Can I borrow your bathroom for a sec, I kinda look like shit.”

“Nonsense, you look beautiful,” Sharon mused, Alaska blushing in reply. “But of course, you know where it is.” She winked, lightly slapping Alaska’s ass as she walked towards the familiar room.

The blonde then briskly walked to the bathroom, peeling off Sharon’s shirt when she was safely inside.  She had a feeling that not much work was going to be done tonight and Alaska was completely resigned to that fact.

————

Of course, Alaska was completely right about not doing any work because the moment she stepped out in her baggy Blondie t-shirt that she’d stolen from her mother at least a decade ago and her barely visible pyjama shorts, she flopped down on the couch and refused to get up. Instead, Ivy held a bottle of vodka in her hands and Jinkx had laid four shot glasses on the table. Sharon pulled her close with a grin, her arm snaking around her waist.

“Sorry to interrupt you from your study, but these morons want to play ‘Never Have I Ever’” Sharon said with a roll of her eyes.

“Shut your mouth,” Jinkx countered jokingly. “You might actually enjoy yourself.”

“This might be a short game,” Alaska muttered and Sharon, the only person who heard her, snickered.

“You think you’re so adventurous, Princess?” she smirked.

“I know I am,” Alaska smirked back mischievously. Sharon pulled her in for a passionate kiss, only to be interrupted by the clearing of a throat.

“Lovebirds, pull yourselves apart for two seconds so we can play the game!” Jinkx exclaimed while Ivy poured shots. “Remember, the first to five shots loses, and the loser doesn’t have to do anything because we’re completely unoriginal. Ivy, you start.”

“Alright…. Never have I ever ridden a bike,” the blonde replied as the three other girls did a shot.

“Looks like I’ll have to teach you, darling,” Jinkx replied, kissing the girl’s cheek fondly. “Never have I ever… had blonde hair.” Ivy, Sharon and Alaska all drank, and the game carried on until Ivy had only drank twice, Jinkx thrice and Sharon and Alaska both four times. It was Jinkx’s turn, and she knew exactly what to say.

“Never have I ever… fucked anyone in the bathroom of a warehouse,” she smirked, her eyes firmly planted on the couple sitting across from her. Alaska blushed a deep red while Sharon shrugged.

“That’s oddly specific, I wonder who could’ve done that,” she smirked as the couple clinked their glasses together.

“Now that you two have had your fun,” Sharon continued, mischief in her eyes. “Now it’s time for the real fun, truth or dare anyone?”