#‘and Sophia T are you and your special special special friend still friends’

[thxnks4themrms]

Yes Ms Holden me and my special special special friend are still friends

[cowgurrrl]

“I want to be great or nothing.”

Summary: When world famous rockstar Joel Miller finds himself in some hot water with the press, his PR team suggests fake dating an up and coming actress to refine his image. However, when they actually start spending time together, the happy couple can’t stand each other. Will they be able to turn it around for the cameras or will it all be for nothing?

Warnings: smut indicated with an asterisk, tlou au, fake dating, enemies to ???, Sarah is alive :D

01. Smile You’re on Camera [1.7k]

02. When The Sun Goes Down [2.6k]

03. BWFW [3.8k]

04. Kiwi [3.8k]

05. A plea for tenderness* [7.3k]

06. Blueberry Pancakes* [4.5k]

07. Losing My Cool [1.1k]

08. Never Thought [3.5k]

09. Layla [2.3k]

10. Pine Point [4.7k]

11. Old Friends Die Hard [3.6k]

12. Too Close [2.5k]

13. The Chain [2.6k]

14. From the Dining Table [4.5k]

15. Wonderfully Bizarre [1.2k]

🎸🎸🎸

Drabbles

A Soulmate Who Wasn’t Meant to Be: You settle into life without Joel

Night Shift: Joel settles into life without you

Tennessee Whiskey: A (somewhat) quiet night as you and Joel adjust to sharing life again

Thank God I Found You: You and Joel talk about going public with your relationship

Gold Dust Woman: Oscars season with Joel

The Actress: Red carpet interviews with Joel

Je te laisserai des mots: You and Joel realize forever doesn’t sound too bad

I Want To Marry You: Joel asks you The Question

Kiss Me Once, and Kiss Me Twice: You and Joel get married

Heavy Metal Drummer: When Joel’s drummer suddenly drops out, who better to fill in than the girl who’s been there since the beginning?

Just A Boy: Joel struggles with your newest cast mate

Small Bump: You tell the girls you’re pregnant

Beautiful Boy: You and Joel find out the gender of your baby

Hayloft: Joel being protective of his family

Choreomania: Sammy tries to figure out if he likes what his dad does

Brooklyn Baby: You and Joel welcome your son

Iris: Sarah and Ellie hold Sam for the first time

Hey Me, Hey Mama: Mother’s Day

Jackie and Wilson: A night in the Miller household

Little Wonders: When Mom Guilt takes over, Joel finds a way to support you

Mama’s Boy: Sam’s going through a phase

Daydream Believer: Daisy seems to know something you don’t

As It Was: You and Joel have an announcement

At Last: Sam doesn’t seem to know the difference between real life and acting

Daylight: An almost perfect Texas day with the Millers

Yo Gotti: You and Joel read thirst tweets together

Beautiful Girls: Your first night at home with your twins

Love You: Joel being the best dad to tiny baby angels

How Could I Not Love You?: A special day

Unknown: You find out Violet has asthma

I’m Still Standing: Actors on Actors: You and Carolina Garcia-Long

My Girls: The first of many Sophia and Violet days

Lucky: The girls are going through a phase

Girls On Film: Joel accidentally starts discourse

I’m Just Ken: A Halloween fashion show with the Millers

Live from New York: You and Joel take on SNL

Please Come Home for Christmas: The Christmas season with the Millers

Wildflower and Barley: Jealous joel

Bug: The BuzzFeed Puppy Interview

Salad Days: The t-shirt coup

The Millers: A Year in The Life: A documentary about your lives

So This Is Love: A Beach Day

Good Old Days: A SAG-AFTRA Career Retrospective

🎸🎸🎸

Extras 🤠

Joel and sundress season*

Dancing with Joel

Your instagram story 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

ACL with the Millers

Joel’s tattoos

You and Joel find out you’re having a baby

Your reaction to questions about kids

Family headcanons

Random thoughts 1

Random thoughts 2

Honeymoon with Joel

Actress!reader freaking out about Joel on Instagram

Talking about your relationship with Joel

Sammy Insta posts

Family instagram posts

Sophia and Violet

Birthday headcanons

What the kids do later in life

Text threads :D 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The kids’ instagrams

Grandpa Joel

Grandpa Joel pt. 2

Instagram stories: Barbie edition

Random family thoughts

[gigglesoup]

Hi there! I'm Sophia (but you can call me soup or sopinha) and this is my t-word blog! More about me and my boundaries under the cut 💌

• What tickling means to me

Tickling is a non-sexual kink to me. It doesn't make me horny or sexually aroused or anything like that. Erotic tickling does nothing to me other than make me uncomfortable. That said, i don't really mind content like that over my dash (it's quite inevitable since It's a kink community) but please don't try to push it on me. Tickling is something that makes me flustered, happy, loved and comfy. It has always been a love language to me, whether in a romantic or platonic way. Please respect that 😊

• SFW or NSFW?

This blog is NSFW! Tickling is not sexual to me, but It's still intimate and can be sensual and romantic too. Therefore, there will be some "naughty" posts here, since this blog is my space and i want to share some fetishes of mine too. So, yeah. Expect some adult content if you decide to stick around!

• My sexuality and relationship

As it's already stated on my bio, i'm in a relationship. Please respect that and don't flirt with me unless we're really close friends. As for my romantic and sexual orientation: I'm pan! 🩷💛💙

• My nationality

I'm Brazilian! 🇧🇷 my main language is portuguese, not english. I'm trying my best to learn more and more everyday so, please, be patient with me :)

• Asks & DM'S

I'm looking very forward to make friends here, so don't be afraid to reach out and say hi (either through an ask or a direct message)! Just be nice and respectful.

• Tickle talk and teases

I'm super down to tickle talk with friends i'm close to and i love being teased. But not by strangers. Please at least try to get to know me before jumping right into it. Oh, and i don't roleplay.

• My content

My teases (pictures/gifs/videos and text posts) are always free to reblog. I love it when people interact with my stuff! Just don't be a creep or you will be blocked.

• DO NOT follow or interact if

You're a minor or a blank / ageless blog.

You're an adult in the community and allow minors to follow and/or interact with you.

Your blog contains gory, dark, violent content in any form, specially in tickling.

You're just an asshole in general lol. That is, disrespectful, mysoginist, LGBTQphobic, racist, etc.

Thank you for stopping by and i hope you have a wonderful day! 🫶🏻

[malewifegradyruewen]

An Untitled Original Work Goes To Pride

happy pride!! the auow crew is gay so ofc i had to do something for pride!!

i’m realising now that i’m basically writing fanfic for my own writing but it’s fine somebody’s gotta do it

this takes place the summer before auow actually starts, so no Sammie content (or Logan, Benji, or Ellison)

disclaimer: i've never been to pride so most of this came from google and a vague memory from walking through a Christopher Street Day festival in Germany two summers ago

masterpost

trigger warnings: biphobia, swearing, light violence mention, ask to tag

word count: 1018

tagging: @fire-sapphics @damischs @zoyyanazyalensky @love-pyramus @ketterdamkid @pencilwritesshiz47 @tiergan-andrin-alenefar @mermistahawk @dirty-racoon @tommyinnitt @enbies-and-felonies @sophia-not-sofie @imaramennoodle @littlemisscupcake @cadence-talle @knifescythe @anaccidentwaitingtohappen @completekeefitztrash and lmk know if you wanna be added/removed!!

They could see the mass of people from blocks away. Thousands of brightly dressed people, with all sorts of signs and accessories to help them stand out in the crowd. Music blared louder than any concert Mally had ever been to.

Gina had swapped her all-black look for black jean shorts and purple converse to go with a t-shirt she’d tie-dyed and cropped. Leo had been slathering on sunscreen, but was growing increasingly more distracted as they drew nearer to the crowd. Andre’s fanny pack was covered in buttons and pins that the group had applied the night before in preparation for the event.

“Woah, Mally, this is insane,” Leo said. “There’s so much going on!”

“I know, right?” she said gleefully. “Come on, we can’t be late to watch the parade!”

She led the group of friends through the crowded streets of the festival, weaving past vendors and corporate booths. The crowds were thick, but she expertly dodged people, making sure to hold onto Andre's hand so the chain wouldn’t be broken. Finally, they arrived at the curb where they would have an unobscured vantage point.

“They’re starting!” she pointed. “Look!”

There it was, in all its glory. The Philadelphia Pride Parade was just beginning, and they’d arrived just in time.

“I can’t believe we’re actually here!” Gina said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “I never thought I’d be able to go!”

“I know, right? My parents are so chill. I never thought they’d go for this idea.”

“Where are they today?”

“Uh, they took my sister to a museum, I think. But come on, let’s watch the parade!”

The four kids watched gleefully as the parade went by, waving at performers and screaming along to the music. They collected beads as they were thrown into the crowds, collecting several dozen and putting them all around Andre’s neck.

Partway through the spectacle, Mally turned to Gina and said, “Hold this.” She thrust the little flag she’d been holding at her friend and pulled her backpack off. She unzipped it, reached inside, and pulled out a bisexual flag. “This is for you, I totally forgot about it this morning.”

“Oh my God, Mally, thank you so much!” Gina exclaimed, hugging her friend. “I love it, thank you!” Her excitement was infectious as she unfolded it and wrapped it around her shoulders as a cape.

Mally whipped out a lesbian flag and followed suit while Gina showed her new accessoriy off to the boys. Leo grabbed a little container of bubbles out of his pocket and started blowing them in Gina’s face while Andre threw some of his beads around her neck.

When the parade ended, their chain linked up once more as they visited different booths and got countless freebies. Rubbery wristbands choked their forearms, while Leo’s shirt became plastered with stickers. Andre suddenly had not one, but four pairs of bright orange sunglasses on his face, all sporting a logo for a company none of them had ever heard of. After a bit of wandering, Gina stopped to buy a snack.

“You spent eight dollars on a pretzel?” Andre asked.

“What?” she defended herself. “I was hungry! Plus, I got a sticker,” she added, peeling off the backing and adding it to the collection that had amassed on Leo’s shirt.

“That’s still a lot,” Andre said skeptically.

“Yeah,” Gina agreed, her mouth full of pretzel. “It’s not even that good.”

“I’ll eat it!” Leo grabbed at it, but she dodged him and left him to stumble to catch his balance.

“Mine,” she said, grabbing Mally’s arm and moving on to the next vendor.

They continued in this fashion for nearly an hour, wandering the market-like plaza that had been erected on the grass. The energy level of their friend group dropped, but the party kept going stronger than ever. They passed all sorts of people, from kids younger than themselves to people who looked old enough to be grandparents. There were too many flags to keep track of, and dozens of outrageous outfits.

As the group made their way through the park, they came to an open, grassy area, where people had spread out blankets and were eating food, watching their kids run around, and just relaxing. The friends sat down on a patch of soil under a tree, soaking up a bit of shade. As excited as they were to be there, they had to admit their energy was dwindling.

Just then, a tall man in jeans and a baseball cap came up and stepped on Gina’s flag, knocking her backwards onto the ground. “Hey!” she yelled. “What the fuck!”

“Bisexual is just attention seeking,” the man said gruffly. “Pick one or the other. Don’t be greedy.”

“What the hell, dude?” Mally cried, standing up. “What’s your problem?”

“Bisexual isn’t real,” he spat. “She’s just a straight who’s trying to feel special.”

“Oh yeah? Think again,” Gina said, untying her flag and standing up. Before anyone knew what was going on, the man was on the ground, spitting curses at her.

Mally knew what was happening next before Gina could tell her. She gave a small nod before Gina grabbed her face and kissed her square on the lips. Andre and Leo’s cheers in the background only boosted her confidence. After a moment, Gina backed up and spat in the man’s face.

“Straight my ass. I’m here, I’m queer, and I strike fear into the hearts of my enemies!” she yelled as the man scrambled to his feet and ran away.

Mally turned to her and gave her a high-five. “Didn’t think we were gonna have to use that trick. Good thing we were prepared.”

“That was awesome,” Leo said. “You pushed him really hard.”

“Yeah, I was not expecting that,” Andre chimed in. “And yeah, good thing you guys were prepared.”

“Team effort,” Gina smiled at Mally.

“Yep,” she laughed back. “Is your flag okay?”

Gina bent down to pick it up. “Just a bit dirty, I think. Your gift isn’t ruined.”

“Awesome,” Mally said. “Now, who wants ice cream? It’s on me!”

[feysandfeels]

Hello I’m here for your TOG fancasts, loved tour ACOTAR ones

You ask for it and I will deliver. Thank you for indulging me though, much love.

I will say that in my fancasts I always age the characters up a bit because I think the story still works -if not better- if you have 20s to mid 30s.

Throne of Glass Fancast:

Aelin Ashryver Galathanius: by the life of me, truly 👏🏼by👏🏼 the👏🏼 life👏🏼 of👏🏼 me👏🏼, I cannot believe that Anna Sophia Robb is not the most popular fancast choice for Aelin. She is Aelin to a T. The beautiful features that are stunning but it’s more about the confidence, the blue-green eyes, the blond hair, the angular face! Anna Sophia Robb ALWAYS

Dorian Havilliard: Listen I know he’s supposed to be tanner in the books, but but but if you say someone has striking blue eyes it’s gotta be Logan Lerman. No contest. He can do the sass and the playboy, he can do the soft, he can do the tired prince, the possessed one, the guilty one, the one filled with regret. Or if he���s not available Daniel Sharman.

Chaol Westfall: I know Chaol has brown eyes, but here is nothing a good pair of contacts can solve. Liam Hemsworth. He has the ruggedness yet handsome features. 

Nehemia Ytger: Again... how have people not casted Yara Shahidi is beyond me. 

Rowan Whitethorn: this one is tricky for me... for the longest time I could not place him and when rereading it this time my mind for some reason went with Garret Hedlund. Yes I know he is my Tamlin, but #Versatility. I just think he has the physicality of the character... but but but it’s not set in stone because he’s white. NO HENRY CAVILL FANCAST HERE I NEED SOMEONE WHO CAN ACT.

Manon Blackbeak: I warned I would cast myself here too.. and I’ve always been Manon in my head. Give me a wig and we’re good to go. And before you go, how can you be Feyre and Manon, I’ll just say #Versatility. I’ll give you “death and cold hearted” like no other (My group of friends can testify to that... specially if you saw me around 2016-2017 when I went to parties) and I can also give you the “what is happening to me...? am..? I...? feeling...?

Elide Lochan: Rosé from blackpink with black hair. 

Aedion Ashryver: either Jeremy Sumpter or Austin Butler.

Lysandra: Jennie from Blackpink. *Chef’s Kiss*

Maeve: Cemre Melis Çınar. To the TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Nesryn Faliq: Naomi Scott.

Yrene Tower: Zendeya, always Zendeya.

Sartaq: The dude that when you google Sartaq fancast appears: perfection.

Supporting:

Asterin: Sophie Turner

Caltain: Adeline Kane, no contest from the second she appeared on page

Fenrys Moonbean: Devon Terrell but make him blond and we’re good to go

Gavriel: Chris Hemsworth no doubt. 

The Matron: Penelope Cruz. 

The King, aka Dorian Senior: Again Eric Bana ... I don’t know what is it about him that gives me despot vibes. I’m sure he is a lovely dude

Sam Cortland: Brenton Thwaites

Sorscha: Laura Harrier.

Arobynn: Michael Fassbender, no fucking contest

Rolf: Oscar Isaac

Erawan: Lee Pace.

I don’t have a set Lord Lorcan Lochan (never not saying his full name) because Jason Momoa I think it’s like been there done that. Perhaps Aidan Turner but I wish he was darker and a bit more raw and ✨unhinged✨. 

These are the people who I see when I read and if they are still moving forward with they show I’ll be more than happy to pass on my recommendations.

[captain-s-rogers]

Have A Little Faith In Me

(gif credit to the creator)

Part Two

Master List

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC // Clint Barton x OFC Word Count: 2,090 Warnings: none? A/N: Here’s the second part of the rewrite of my first ever Marvel series! Special thanks to the best bestie in the world, @arrowsandmixtapes​ , for making sure all of my work isn’t absolute garbage! If you want to be added to my tag list please let me know! Feedback is cool :)

The few days that passed before Steve called to arrange their date were nearly torturous. Sophia checked her phone every few minutes, tried to keep as many calls to her office phone as she could, and wondered how a dance and a drink had left such an impact on her. 

When Steve did finally call, the both of them agreed not to wait any longer; they scheduled the date for that very evening. Steve suggested a restaurant in Little Italy, and Sophia quickly agreed. She was familiar with the place and simply thinking of the menu had her mouth watering. 

“I really need to go shopping,” Sophia groaned, falling back onto her bed next to where Lucy was seated. Sophia had just torn through her entire wardrobe and, no matter what Lucy told her would be pretty and perfect, not one outfit seemed right to Sophia. 

Lucy got up and surveyed the contents of her friend’s closet. She chuckled, “You don’t need to go shopping, you just need to breathe. You’re nervous and excited, so nothing looks right. Tell me again, where are you going?”

“Luciano’s, in Little Italy? You went there with me once before, that time Mom came into the city for her birthday. It’s small but not necessarily casual dining. Remember, she had too many glasses of wine that night and kept calling you Luciano? She couldn’t believe you wouldn’t tell her you had a restaurant named after you.”

Lucy remembered, and she giggled at the memory as she thumbed through the dresses in Sophia’s closet. After a brief consideration, she pulled out a green skater dress and a cropped black cardigan. She put them on a hanger together and held the outfit up for Sophia to see. 

“He’s tall, so you can get away with pairing this with those cute black pumps I’m always trying to steal,” Lucy noted. “And this shade of green always compliments your complexion.”

“That. Is. Perfect! I can’t believe you managed to find something in all that mess.” She took the dress and sweater from her friend and immediately stripped of her comfy clothes so she could get dressed for her date. 

“Well,” Lucy replied, reaching to put the hanger back in a free space on the rod, “I do know you pretty well, and I’m not freaking out at the moment.”Lucy winked at her friend, then left Sophia alone to finish getting ready. 

It took another hour or so, but Sophia was finally dressed, hair and makeup done. She had decided Lucy was right about shoes and had slid her feet into her favorite pair of black pumps. Once she had packed a few essentials into the clutch that complemented her outfit, she let Lucy know she was headed to meet Steve. 

“I won’t be out too late, promise.”

Lucy laughed. “Let’s hope you are. Have fun, be safe!”

The cab ride from their shared apartment in Manhattan to the agreed upon restaurant in Little Italy was nearly thirty minutes, and Sophia was brimming with excitement. Her nerves were as active as ever; her hand shook when she handed the driver a few bills for fare plus a decent tip. 

After working her way through the crowd at the front of the restaurant, Sophia approached the hostess. 

“I’m meeting someone, we have a reservation.” She tried to ignore the way her heart fluttered at the idea of giving someone’s name besides Lucy’s or her own. “Rogers, party of two.”

The hostess reviewed the reservation list and nodded. She plucked two menus from a nearby basket and smiled at Sophia. 

“Of course, we have your table waiting. Follow me, right this way.”

The table was in the middle of the restaurant, but still spaced out enough from the others that they would be able to hold a conversation easily enough without the background noise making it difficult. Two taper candles in pretty holders were lit on either side of a votive of flowers in the middle of the table.

The waiter was quick to approach; Sophia let him know that she was waiting for her date. 

“He shouldn’t be too far behind, though.” She glanced at the drinks section of the menu. “Would it be all right if I ordered a glass of wine while I wait?”

“Yes, of course. What would you like?”

Sophia gave the young man her wine order, then sat back to peruse the food options and wait for Steve to arrive. 

Choosing black dress pants and a pale, blue button down shirt had been easy for Steve when it came to dressing for his date with Sophia. The black pants seemed appropriate for the occasion and venue, and he knew that the blue shirt would bring out his eyes. The tie, on the other hand, was the tough choice. He had narrowed it down to three, holding each one up in front of him, eventually narrowing the choice down to two. Before he could eliminate another choice, a knock sounded loudly from his apartment door. With a frustrated sigh, Steve tossed the ties on his bed and headed to answer the door. Hopefully it was some kid selling candy he could toss a five dollar bill at and go back to his ties. 

The knocking persisted, even as he walked toward the door. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.”

He was ready to give the visitor the brushoff, as he was already running a few minutes later than he would have liked, but he stopped abruptly when he saw S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury standing in the hallway. 

“How often do you make house calls?” Steve quipped. 

Fury walked into the apartment without waiting for an invitation. “When someone isn’t answering their phone, a house call sometimes becomes necessary.”

Steve groaned. He had left his phone on the kitchen table while ironing his shirt earlier, and hadn’t thought about it again -- he was too distracted thinking of Sophia. 

“Yeah, I was ironing a shirt and --”

“Suit up, Cap. We need you.” Fury’s interruption didn’t leave much room for argument or discussion, but that hadn’t stopped Steve before. 

He ran his fingers through his hair. “Are you sure you need me? I’m all for answering the call of duty, sir, but I kind of -- I have a date.”

The reason for his hesitancy seemed weak, even to his own ears, once it was out in the open. He was Captain America, after all. The mission should have been his priority. 

“The head of the UN has been taken hostage in Russia, so unfortunately, your love connection is going to have to be put on hold. This is time sensitive, Captain.”

Steve went to the kitchen for his phone, but Fury stood in his path. Like a bothered teenager, Steve rolled his eyes, remembered who he was and what he stood for, and went for his suit and shield. 

Thirty minutes had passed, and there was still no sign of Steve. Sophia checked her phone, disappointed that she had no messages waiting to tell her what might be holding him up. She ordered another glass of wine and waited, answering some work emails from her mobile, hoping Steve would come and interrupt her. 

“Is your other party still on his way, miss? Would you like to go ahead and order?”

This was the third time the waiter had asked. She checked the time to see she had been sitting here alone for an hour now, no word from Steve. Apparently, she had been stood up. She ordered another glass of wine, a double order of garlic knots to go, then paid her check and caught a taxi home. 

She had been excited and nervous on the way to Luciano’s, but now Sophia felt irate and hurt. Steve had seemed so eager to go out with her after they danced -- hell, even when they had talked to set up the date earlier that day -- she was baffled by the fact that he hadn’t shown up. She wondered silently if she should have waited a little longer, but told herself not to be silly. She’d waited an hour. That was plenty long enough. If Steve Rogers was the kind of man who played a woman and set a date without the intention of showing up, Sophia decided she was better off. 

When she finally returned home, all Sophia wanted to do was have a few glasses of wine, take a hot bath, and go to bed. She sighed as she let herself into the apartment; no doubt Lucy would still be awake and have a lot of questions about her night. 

“Brought home garlic knots,” Sophia announced, setting the box on the coffee table in front of where her friend sat on the couch. 

“Yum,” Lucy said, perking up at just the smell. She immediately got into the box, picking up one of the knots and tearing a piece off. “Delicious.”

Sophia smiled. “I thought you’d like them.”

“You’re home way earlier than I thought,” Lucy frowned. “Ooh, did he turn out to be a dud? Did the conversation suck? Is he just good looks with nothing to back them up?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Sophia sighed, toeing off her shoes, “he never showed.”

“You’re kidding!” Lucy exclaimed, tiny crumbs of garlic knot sputtering out with her surprise. She covered her mouth and apologized. Shaking her head, she reached for another garlic knot. “You know what, Soph, fuck that guy. He clearly doesn’t deserve you. If he knew --” 

“Luce, I love you, and I appreciate the my-best-friend-deserves-the-world sentiments, but right now I only want to have some wine, take a long, hot bath, and go to bed.”

“Soph...” 

“Really, I’ll be fine. It’s not the first time I’ve been stood up, I’m sure it won’t be the last.” 

“I know, but this guy is -- he’s, like, stupidly handsome.”

“Lucy.” 

The other girl winced. “Sorry, you’re right. I’ll shut up about it. Go get your bath ready, I’ll open a bottle of wine.” 

The mission to save the head of the UN was flawlessly accomplished. Steve had gotten the man out of the hostage situation safely, sat tiredly through the debriefing at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters and was now finally back home. He peeled out of his suit, set his shield against the wall, and turned to retrieve some pajama pants and a t-shirt from his dresser. He saw the shirt and pants and two ties discarded on his bed and sighed to himself. One victory, one loss for the night. Good thing he didn’t need much sleep at this point; he wasn’t going to get any. 

He went to the refrigerator for a drink and spotted his phone on the table. He was still getting used to the device, which was likely why he hadn’t thought much of its absence while he was getting dressed, and why calling Sophia hadn’t been his first thought coming into the apartment. Not to mention, every clock in the house was telling him it was after three in the morning; calling now would be unwelcomed for a number of reasons, he was sure. 

“Should have just called her anyway,” Steve sighed, wishing he hadn’t obeyed that part of Fury’s orders. 

But, if it was this hour, maybe she was sleeping and wouldn’t answer. With a fervent hope that her voicemail would pick up and he wouldn’t bother her while she was sleeping, Steve found Sophia’s number in his contacts. He pressed the green button to make the call, letting out a relieved whoosh of breath when her voicemail picked up after a few rings. 

“Sophia, it’s Steve. Steve Rogers. I’m so sorry about not making our date tonight. Something important came up, and I couldn’t get out of it. I swear, I wouldn’t have gone if it wasn’t an emergency. Is there any way you’d want to reschedule? I would still love to take you out. Just give me a call back and let me know either way. It’s Steve, by the way, not sure if I mentioned that. Right, okay.”

He hit the red button to end the call and tossed the phone away. The voicemail was a feeble attempt to get her to talk to him, and Steve could only hope that she would at least agree to talk to him so he could do a better job of apologizing when he wasn’t a couple hours out from a mission and his mind wasn’t so worn out.

@arrowsandmixtapes​​ @the-murder-strut-murdered-me​​ @growningupgeek​​ @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan​​ @captain-rogers-beard​​ @kitkatd7​​ @patzammit​​ @sagechanoafterdark​​ @what-is-your-plan-today​​

[appalachianwiine]

Swim - Chapter 5 - A Light In the Darkness

I need light in the dark as I search for the resolution   

-"The Resolution" by Jacks Mannequin

“Well we’re not going to be starting Chemo tonight after all.” Dr. Rhee says as she walks in shortly after lunch. 

“We’re not?” Daryl frowns.

“No her post op lab results show just a little bit of an increase in white blood cells.” Dr. Rhee explains. “I’m going to give her some antibiotics and retest tomorrow morning. But the good news is that means she can go down to the playroom for a bit.” 

“Can she have visitors?” Daryl asks. Lydia had been asking about seeing Carl since the child life specialist, Beth, had left. 

“Yeah she can, but visiting hours for non family end at 8pm” Dr. Rhee informs him. 

“Want me t’ call ‘em baby girl?” Daryl asks. 

“Can you?” Lydia pleads. 

“Yeah.” Daryl picks up his phone and dials Lori. 

“Daryl?!” Her voice is a little strained. “We’ve been calling all day. Is everything okay?” 

Its with a rush of guilt he realizes he’s hardly looked at his phone since she called him yesterday. “Shit sorry Lori.” He gives her the short version of it all, about the leukemia, the lumbar puncture, the results they were waiting on.

“I can’t believe you didn’t call earlier.” Lori scolds. “Daryl, we should’ve been there. I can’t believe you had to do all this alone.” 

Daryl grimaces. “Sorry, I uh - I actually had a meetin’ this mornin’. With a nice woman who runs the support group here fer parents. She was a single parent when she went through this with her daughter.” 

“Oh.” Lori says. “Is - is there a lot of that? Single parents I mean.” 

Daryl glances over at Lydia, who’s drawn back into the television. “I ain’ even the only adoptive parent righ’ now. There’s a guy across the hall, Ezekiel, an’ his kid.” 

“Shit.” Lori mutters. “Well um - do you - do you want us to come by? Can she have visitors?” 

“Yeah she can. She’s been askin’ t’ see Carl. Real disappointed in not getting t’ see him yesterday.” Daryl says. 

“I’ll give Rick a call and we’ll be by.” Lori says. “You need anything from home?” 

“No we’re alright.” Daryl says. “Thanks Lori.” 

“Of course.” Lori says. “We’ll see you around 3?” 

“See you then.” He hangs up, turning back to Lydia, who’s watching him with hopeful eyes. “They’ll be here around three.” 

“Yay!” Lydia grins, bouncing up and down. 

“Ya know,” Dr. Rhee says. “Maybe Miss Lydia would like to check out the playroom. She’ll have to wear a mask and stay connected to the infusion pump, but they’ve got a lot of good stuff in there.”

“Can we daddy?” Lydia asks. 

“Sure.” Daryl agrees, he’ll do anything to keep her in good spirits right now. She seems to be feeling good and he’d like to keep it that way. “You know there’s a little boy yer age across the hall?” 

“There is?” Lydia asks. “Can I see him?” 

“Sure, lets go over and see if he wants to come with us.” Daryl helps Lydia out of bed and sets her carefully on the floor. “Hang on let me get the pole.” He reaches for the infusion pole, fumbling with the latch that attaches it to the bed for a moment. It releases and he pulls it towards him, it’s surprisingly heavy. “Alright lets go kiddo.” 

They have to pause twice for Daryl to gather up the tubing that comes out of Lydia’s arm and up to the bag of antibiotics. As he loops them around his hand it strikes him that this isn’t unlike Dog’s long line, wrapped around his hands and unraveling as they move. Lydia looks back at Daryl as they reach the door of 323. 

“You knock daddy.” Lydia mutters, reaching out to grab his hand. The wariness returns to her as they stand in front of the door. 

“Okay.” He says, squeezing her hand and reaching out to knock. 

“A moment!” Ezekiel’s voice comes from beyond the door. There’s some scrambling and then the door pulls open. “Daryl!” 

The booming voice makes Lydia flinch and draw closer to Daryl. Daryl reassures her with a hand on her head, stroking her hair back. “Uh, Ezekiel. This is Lydia.” He smiles. “She was wondering if - if Henry might want to come to the playroom.” 

Ezekiel kneels in front of them, and it’s then that Daryl sees he’s wearing a paper crown colored in yellow and pink. “Hello Lydia.” His voice drops. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ezekiel.” He holds out a hand. 

Lydia’s brown eyes look back up at Daryl, and then, slowly, she reaches out to shake Ezekiel’s hand. “Hi.” 

“Would you like to come in and meet Henry?” Ezekiel asks. Lydia nods silently, and Ezekiel stands, offering a smile and stepping back from the door. “Come in, he’s over there with Carol.” 

Daryl pushes the IV pole into the room, it’s a mirror image of their own, except this one is decorated. Behind the bed is one of those banners you get from the party store spelling out ‘Henry’ in bold green letters, and a bunch of printer sheet sized papers with colorful backsplash and lettering taped around the room. As he walks past one Daryl sees it’s a bible verse, the others appear to be too. Over by the window the bald little boy is sitting on Carol’s lap and holding plastic dinosaurs. 

“Henry.” Ezekiel calls. “Someone is here to see you.” 

The boy’s head turns and Daryl is struck by how in the light of day his skin appears almost translucent but his eyes are bright and alert. “Hi.” He says, climbing off of Carol’s lap and trotting across the floor, his own infusion tube trailing after him. “I’m Henry.” 

“Lydia.” She mumbles, hiding her face against Daryl’s leg. 

“Go on.” Daryl mutters, nudging her forward. “Ask him.” 

“Do you um… want to go to the… to the playroom?” She mutters, half into Daryl’s leg. 

“Sure.” A smile stretches across Henry’s face. “Can we daddy?” 

“Sure Henry.” Ezekiel says, already fumbling with the latch on the infusion pole. 

“Hi Daryl.” Carol says. “She doing okay?” 

“Yeah I think so.” Daryl nods. “Better now that she ate, and uh her friend is coming to visit soon.” 

“Are you coming with us?” Henry asks Carol as he drops a few plastic dinosaurs into a tub. 

“If your daddy doesn’t mind.” Carol smiles. 

“Never do.” Ezekiel smiles, sliding Henry’s own infusion pole over to them. “Ready?” 

The playroom is at the other end of the floor, it’s empty and clean, even here everything smells sterile and controlled. There’s a sign telling the kids to wear masks before they go in, and two boxes, one with princesses and the other with trucks. A bit gendered but it’s an option. Henry reaches confidently for the princess one and puts it on, Lydia on the other hand looks warily at them. 

“I don’t want those.” Lydia murmurs. 

“I know.” Daryl sighs. “But those are the rules, if you don’t follow them you have to go back to the room.” 

“Fine.” Lydia scowls, grabbing one of the pink princess ones and putting it on. “Can we go play now?” 

“Go on.” Daryl says, pushing her infusion pole over to one of the small tables and watching her drag out the barbies.

“They seem to be hitting it off.” Carol comes to stand next to him, Ezekiel is helping the kids pull the toys out, still wearing the paper crown. 

“Yeah.” Daryl mutters. “What’s uh - what’s with the crown?” 

“Oh,” Carol chuckles. “Henry was making us play something he calls ‘’Kingdom” It changes but the theme is usually he’s a prince and Ezekiel is the King and they have to fight monsters.” 

“Ah.” Daryl chuckles. “A fun kid?” 

“Oh tons of fun.” Carol nods. “When he feels good anyway, he’ll probably take a hit after this round of Chemo.” Her smile fades a little bit. 

“Oh.” Dary mutters. 

“Sorry.” Carol apologizes. “It’s just - it’s always a little hard being here.” 

“I can’t even imagine.” Daryl sighs. “Losing her it’s -” 

“Don’t.” Carol cuts him off. “I’m sorry just - the words don’t… they don’t help and you don’t need to go there right now.” 

“Right.” He’s quiet for a while, an awkward silence stretching out in front of them. 

“What do you do?” Carol says after a moment. 

“Cop. Special Victims, domestic violence and child abuse mostly” He nods. “‘S how I met Lydia. You?” 

“High School English teacher.” Carol says. Daryl chuckles. “What?” 

“I don’ know I didn’t picture that.” He shrugs. 

“Oh really?” Carol raises her eyebrows. “What did you picture Mr. Cop?” 

“I don’t know. I just can’t picture you as a strict highschool English teacher.” He scratches his chin. “You uh make the kids write a million drafts?” 

“If I don't, no one will.” She chuckles. “I wanted to teach Elementary though, but after Sophia… highschool was easier.” 

“Ah.” Daryl nods. “And uh, you an’ Ezekiel, how long has that been a thing? Just since he moved down here? Or did you know him before?” 

“Me and Ezekiel?” She raises her eyebrows. “Oh we’re not - no, just friends. Trust me the last thing either of us has the time or energy for is dating. He got in contact with me a lot like you did actually, referral through Maggie.” 

“Oh.” Daryl says. “I uh, sorry I just assumed, I mean Henry seems to adore you and I just assumed.” 

“It’s fine.” Carol promises. “So what’s her plan?” 

“Lydias?” Daryl asks, Carol nods. “Oh um, well apparently the lab is closed on Sundays, but we should have results by Thursday, but I think she’s supposed to start Chemo tomorrow. What uh… what can I expect? I mean Dr. Rhee told me but it’s kind of overwhelming.”

“Daryl.” Carol sighs. “Are you sure you can handle this right now?” 

“I’m fine.” He insists. “The hallway was just -” 

“It’s okay.” Carol reaches over and squeezes his arm. “You don’t have to explain, I promise we’ve all had breakdowns in the hallway.” 

“Right.” Daryl rubs his hands on his jeans.

“So um,” Carol says. “So they’ll probably give about four hours of fluids first, chemo does a lot of damage to the kidneys so they’ll want her to flush it as quickly as possible. So expect a lot of potty breaks, then she’ll get her chemo, then another four hours of fluids. She’ll feel pretty tired, nauseous, she might get constipated, and her blood counts will plummet.” 

“What does that mean?” Daryl asks. “Like what do I - what will she look like.” 

“Um, pale, they’ll watch her for a certain kind of bruising, she’ll have a higher chance of infection. It’s not too bad when they’re checking her all the time, but it’s nerve wracking when you’re at home.” Carol sighs, chewing her lip. 

“Her hair.” He says quietly. “How long… um will that take to…” 

“To fall out?” Carol says slowly, he can still sense some reluctance on her part. “Sophia's took about 2 weeks to really start coming out and then we shaved it after the third week, it was starting to upset her. But Henry kept all of his until it was gone and that was about a month.” 

“A month.” He mutters. “That’s uh - that’s not very long.” 

“No.” Carol shakes her head. “But you’re gonna get through this Daryl. It’s like Ezekiel said, you’re not alone in this. You can call me any time, seriously.” 

“Yeah.” He nods. “I uh - I will.” 

“I know that look.” Carol says. “Which means I’m going to be calling you to check in.” 

“What d’ ya mean?” He gowns. 

“That look means you’re not going to reach out first and you’re going to be stubborn about it.” Carol nudges him. 

He blushes, that had been what he was thinking. “Fine. FIne. I’ll call.” 

“Before you’re discharged. You’ll need help with that. There’s a lot that needs to be done for her to come home.” Carol insists. 

“Yeah alright. Before she’s discharged.” Daryl promises. 

They linger in the playroom for another half an hour, after which Henry starts complaining that he’s tired. Ezekiel takes Henry back to their room and Daryl helps Lydia put away some of the toys. 

“Come on kiddo, Carl will be here soon.” Daryl says, putting a few barbies in the bin. 

“Alright.” Lydia pouts putting a couple more barbies away. “Is she coming with us?” 

Daryl looks over at Carol who’s putting away a few plastic animals. “Um, I don’t think so. Why?” 

“I thought she’s Henry’s mom.” Lydia shrugs. “But he says she’s not.” 

“Yeah.” Daryl nods.

“You two want some help getting back to the room?” Carol offers. 

“Nah.” Daryl shakes his head, sliding the bin of barbies back into the cupboard and starting to gather up Lydia’s infusion line. “I think we got it. Don’t we Lydia?” 

“We got it.” Lydia nods. 

“Alright.” Carol smiles. “I’ll get going then okay?” 

“Yeah.” Daryl nods. “And uh… thanks for everything.” 

“Of course.” Carol says, holding the door open so he can push the heavy infusion pole through it. “And I mean it, I’ll be calling you. I want to see you in our meeting on Tuesday okay?”

Daryl’s about to answer but he’s cut off by a sharp yelp, Lydia has rushed forward to the end of her line and tugged it. “Lydia!” He mutters, hurrying over to her and kneeling in front of her, it doesn’t appear to have come out. “What are you-” 

“Lydia!” And in a blur another eight year old has rushed up beside him, hugging her tightly. 

“Carl!” Lydia grins, barely noticing the worry she’d caused Daryl. “Move Daddy!” 

“I - “ He looks over at Carol, she’s covered her mouth trying to suppress a giggle. 

“It’s cute.” She says apologetically. “Tuesday?” 

“Yeah.” His shoulders relax. “Tuesday.” Carol walks past him towards the elevator and Daryl pulls the infusion pump closer to them. “Carl where’s your mom?” 

“I don’t know.” Caryl shrugs, sticking his thumbs in his belt looks. “Somewhere.” 

“Carl Grimes!” Lori’s harsh voice says, coming up rapidly behind them, baby Judith on her hip. “Don’t you ever run off like that again you understand?”

“Sorry. I saw Lydia.” Carl shrugs. 

“I can see that.” Lori sighs. “Daryl, sorry about him he knows better.” 

“It’s fine Lori.” Daryl assures. “We’re just heading back to the room.” 

“Who was the woman?” Carl asks, holding Lydia’s hand as Daryl gathers up the cords again and loops them around his arm.

“Oh that’s Carol. She’s not Henry’s mom.” Lydia shrugs. 

“Then who is she?” Carl frowns. 

“I don’t know. Daddy's friend I guess.” Lydia doesn’t seem phased by it and the two start off down the hall, leaving Daryl and Lori to hurry after them. 

“Woman?” Lori raises her eyebrows. 

“Carol.” Daryl says. “She’s from the single parents support group. She uh - saw that whole fiasco.” 

“Ah.” Lori chuckles. “She's pretty?” 

“Yeah I guess. Why?” Daryl narrows his eyes.

“No reason.” Lori smirks. 

“Oh no no no.” Daryl says. “My kid has cancer, you're not playing matchmaker.” 

“You’re no fun.” Lori pouts. 

“Where’s Lori and Michonne?” He’s eager to change the subject. 

“Already in the room probably, they didn’t have a baby to hold them up.” Lori chuckles. “Or a little boy who likes to play the world tour of bathrooms every time we’re somewhere new. They brought some decorations for Lydia.” 

“Daddy look!” Lydia grins from the doorway. “Look what aunt Michonne and Uncle Rick brought!” 

Sure enough, when he gets to the door the entire room has been done up like a Little Mermaid party. Balloons, streamers, and a big ‘get well soon lydia’ sign hanging above the bed.’. He grins sheepishly at rick. “Y’all didn’t have t’ do this.” 

“Of course we did.” Michonne grins. “Now come on Lydia we brought you some presents.”

[idiot-extraordinaire]

Date Night, Interrupted

Summary: Brittany and Santana just want a quiet date night at home. Their evenings has other plans.

Part of the Pancakes and Mr Snuggles 'verse.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26035702 https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13677597/1/Date-Night-Interrupted

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There are certain things that are just facts of life.

Fact. The earth revolves around the sun.

Fact. A euler brick is a cuboid.

Fact. Friday night is date night.

Both kids are asleep by 8:30 pm. The TV is playing as two glasses of wine sit on the coffee table as “The Proposal” plays on their TV. Brittany’s head rests on Santana’s lap as Sandra Bullock huffs and gets down on one knee in the middle of the street to propose to Ryan Reynolds. Santana rubs circles in Brittany’s back and the blonde hums contentedly.

The blonde pushes her herself up, lifting her head off of Santana’s lap. Santana’s wearing her glasses and Brittany thinks she looks that special combination of super adorable and sexy as hell.

“What?” Santana asks, noticing a glint in her wife’s eye.

“Do you wanna make out?”

She asks it as casually as one would ask someone if they wanted pizza for dinner.

Santana chuckles. “Totally.”

Santana removes her glasses and places them on the coffee table to avoid them getting crushed and pulls Brittany down for a kiss. Brittany’s far too eager to return it and her hands move down south to cop a feel of Santana’s ass through her shorts as the brunette grasps the back of Brittany’s neck to deepen the kiss.

Sometimes it feels like they’re still a couple of horny teenagers.

They’re like that for a while. They remain on the couch, trading kisses as hands and lips roam slowly, like they have all the time in the world.

A phone rings.

Santana whines against the crook of Brittany’s neck in annoyance.

“Is that yours or mine?”

Brittany cranes her neck over to look at the coffee table.

“Mine,” she reaches for the device to see who is interrupting her sweet sweet lady kisses. “It’s Quinn.”

“Call her back, tomorrow.”

Brittany hits the decline button, tosses her phone back on to the table. It made a sound that she’d be more concerned with if she didn’t have more pressing matters to attend to at the moment.

Speaking of which, Santana’s lips are currently pressed against her neck. Brittany’s fingers graze against her bare hipbone, causing Santana to gasp when she hears another ring.

The pair look over and it’s Santana’s phone this time. Brittany leans over again and retrieves the phone.

“It’s Quinn, again.”

Santana huffs in frustration.

“You should pick it up. It might be urgent if she called us both.”

Santana takes the phone from Brittany and accepts the call, as Brittany starts manoeuvring off her wife and back onto the couch.

“What do you want, Fabray?”

“Good evening to you too, Santana,” she hears Quinn greet on the other line.

“Why are you bothering me and Britts on date night?” she cuts straight to the point.

“Look, sorry if I’m interrupting your sexual escapades-’

“You are.”

“But I’ve turned the house upside down trying to find Lucas’ dinosaur. He can’t sleep without it.”

“And?”

“I can’t find it anywhere, but I think he brought it to your place when the kids had their playdate today. Can you check if he left it there? It’s a little red t-rex.”

Santana sighed and relented. She empathized with Quinn and she did love Lucas. She also knew Mike was out of town on business till tomorrow, so the little boy probably really did need his dinosaur.

“I’ll check. If it’s here, one of us will come by and drop it off.”

“Thanks, S. Call me if you find it.”

Santana ended the call and looked back up at Brittany.

“How is it that we’ve been out of high school forever and Quinn is still cock-blocking me?”

------------------

The kids had been playing in Sophia’s room earlier in the day, so Santana tip-toes in, making sure not to wake her daughter and trying not to stub her toe on anything.

The star-shaped night light gave her enough vision to look for the lost dinosaur. Most of the toys were in a little toy chest next to the six and a half foot tall, Mr Snuggles. Santana didn’t have to rummage far to find the little red dinosaur, mixed in amongst the other playthings.

Lucas must have left it there during their playdate this afternoon.

Having finished her mission, Santana proceeded to head back out, before noticing Snoopy on the floor next to the bed. She picked up the lost white dog and carefully tucked it in next to Sophia, who was hugging her unicorn, her dolphin also within arms reach.

“Sleep tight, baby girl,” she whispered, placing a light kiss on the little girl’s head.

-------------------------

Santana texted Quinn a quick update, advising her friend that she’d found the lost dinosaur and Brittany was headed over to drop it off now.

“Tell her this totally makes us even for the lost binky incident,” Santana said.

Brittany chuckled as she patted down her pockets to make sure she had the car keys, when Santana tossed her a sweatshirt.

“It’s chilly outside.”

Brittany unwrapped the balled up item of clothing to find it was Santana’s NYU sweatshirt. Really, it was only fair at this point, given that Santana had stolen her MIT sweatshirt back when they were on tour with Mercedes and basically claimed it as hers ever since.

“I won’t be long.”

Santana gave her a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll be waiting.”

------------------------

Santana takes the time Brittany’s gone to wash up the glasses and tidy the living room. There’s not much, so she finds herself back in front of the TV when she hears footsteps.

“Mama.”

She finds her son, rubbing his eyes, having wandered out into the living room in his PJs.

“Ollie, baby, it’s past your bedtime,” she approaches him and crouches down to meet him at eye-level. “Are you ok?”

“I woke up,” he says. “Can’t go back to sleep.”

“Aww, sweetheart,” she stands up and gestures back to the hallway. “Come on, I’ll tuck you back in.”

The two of them return to his bedroom, the moon-shaped night light still on over the side of his bed. Santana lifts the covers and helps him get back into bed, where he hugs the little yellow duck he’s had since he was a baby. It takes her a moment, she can barely believe he’s six years old already.

“Comfy?” she asks, as she finishes tucking him in, fluffing the pillow and placing a kiss on his forehead.

He nods. “Mama?”

“Yes, Ollie?”

“Can you read me a story?”

“Sure,” she smiles. “Which one do you want?”

He thinks for a moment. “Cat in the Hat.”

Santana moves over to his bookshelf. It doesn’t take her long to find the book in question, sitting amongst his little collection of Dr Seuss books. They’re his favorite, he likes the rhyming.  She then makes herself comfortable on the bed, with only the nightlight and the light coming in from the hallway to let her see. Ollie rolls onto his side, so he can face his mother while she reads to him.

Santana turns the first page.

“The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house all that cold, cold wet day. I sat there with Sally. We sat there, we two. And I said, ‘how I wish we had something to do!’”

------------------------

Quinn and Mike only lived a fifteen minute drive away, so Brittany managed to get there with no problems (ok she may have grazed the neighbour’s mailbox, but that was nothing).

She rang the doorbell to be greeted by a slightly frazzled looking Quinn.

“Looking for someone?” she asked, holding up the dinosaur.

“Oh thank God, I could kiss you,” Quinn said, letting out a huge sigh of relief, taking the toy from her.

“No thanks, Santana’s waiting for me to get home.”

Quinn rolled her eyes. “Well, thanks anyway. He couldn’t sleep without it.”

Brittany looks down, to find a small boy with dark hair and hazel-green eyes materialize next to Quinn.

"Hey, buddy," she grins at him.

“Look who Aunt Brittany found,” Quinn turns to him, holding out the little red dinosaur.

“Rexy!” he grins and hugs the dinosaur tight. He then turns to the woman standing outside the doorway, still clutching his dinosaur, tightly. “Thank you, Aunt Britt.”

Brittany can’t help smile - even if it did interrupt her date night - and affectionately ruffles his hair. “You’re welcome, Lucas. Make sure you don’t forget Rexy next time, okay? Mr Snuggles might decide he wants to adopt him.”

Lucas giggles a little and nods. “Promise.”

“Alright, sweetie, we need to get you back in bed,” Quinn turns to her son. “Say good night, I’ll be in to tuck you in in a minute.”

“Good night, Aunt Britt.”

“Good night, Lucas,” she says, before he wanders off to bed.

“Thanks for bringing it back,” Quinn says standing back up. “ He cried earlier when we couldn’t find Rexy. I think he’s really been missing Mike the last few days.”

“I guess he’s not the only one,” she remarked at her friend’s tone.  

Quinn sighed. “Yeah, you could say so.”

“He’ll be home tomorrow, Q. Besides, we try to alternate so the next trip is going to be me.”

“Does that mean I should expect frantic calls from Santana to interrupt my evenings, then?”

Brittany chuckles. “Don’t be surprised.  Anyway, she told me to tell you that this officially makes us even for the lost binky incident.”

“Fine, we’ll call it even,” Quinn rolls her eyes, with a laugh. “I’d ask if you wanted to come sit for a while, but I know who’s waiting for you at home.”

“Good call,” Brittany winks, heading back to her car.

------------------------

When Brittany got home, she expected to find Santana waiting for her in bed or perhaps in the living room with another glass of wine.

Instead, she finds both rooms empty, but is guided when she sees the door to Ollie’s room is ajar and peaks in to have a look.

Santana’s sleeping in Ollie’s bed. She’s still in a semi-seated position, with her back against the headboard, still wearing her glasses, Cat in the Hat half open on her lap, but her eyes are closed. One of her arms is wrapped around Ollie, who is fast asleep, clutching his ducky.  

The sight of it makes Brittany’s heart melt. It reminds her of the times she’d come home and find Santana asleep with a baby resting on her chest when their kids were infants.

She tiptoes into the room and gently wakes Santana with a kiss on the cheek and a gentle shake.

“Santana, babe,” she whispers.

“Hmmm?” Santana stirs, blinking the sleep out of her eyes and taking in her surroundings and her wife. “You’re back.”

“I am.”

“I must’ve dozed off reading to him.”

“You’re adorable.”

“Adorable wasn’t really what I was going for on date night.”

Brittany wiggles her eyebrows. “Well, you wanna continue what you were going for? Night’s still young.”

Santana grins as she carefully gets out of bed, making sure Ollie doesn’t wake up and placing the book on top of his shelf. She then takes Brittany’s hand as they make their way to their own bedroom.

“Definitely.”

------------------------

Santana’s running her hand under Brittany’s shirt, her fingers grazing past her ribcage, as Brittany leaves kisses on the underside of Santana’s jawline.

“Mmmm, baby,” Brittany lets out a hushed moan, when they both hear a crashing sound from outside and both look up in alarm.

When they hear an echoey meow, Santana is significantly less alarmed and more annoyed, when Brittany sits up and the brunette is forced to move off her wife so that she can get out of bed to investigate.

Santana flops back onto the bed, clearly displeased and stares at the ceiling.

“I hate that cat.”

------------------------

Brittany examines her surroundings and enters the kitchen to find a certain fat cat’s large behind poking out from the kitchen trash can and helps lift him out.

“There’s no tuna in there Tubbs, you should be careful,” she tells the cat, examining him to make sure he’s not been hurt. “You can’t just go sticking your nose into everything. It's dangerous. Besides, it’s date night. Your moms need their lady kisses.”

Tubbs, unharmed, pays little attention to this and waddles off, swishing his tail, while Brittany puts the few pieces of trash that came out during Tubbs’ exploration back in the bin. As she washes her hands in the kitchen sink, she hears a voice sniff.

“Mommy?”

Brittany looks down and finds her three year old daughter, clutching her unicorn and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Soph, what’s wrong, sweetie?” Brittany asks, quickly scooping up the little girl into her arms.

“I had a bad dream,” she whispers into her mom’s ear, not letting go of the unicorn as she wraps her arms around her mother’s neck.

“Oh, sweetie,” Brittany pulls her closer and rubs her back. “It’s ok.”

“Can I sleep with you?”

“Of course, baby girl,” she says, wiping a few tears tracks on her daughter’s face, with her thumb.

Brittany gives Sophia a cup of water to drink before they go to bed. The little girl giggles a little because it’s from her favorite cup, the one with a unicorn holding a soccer ball.

“Someone had a bad dream,” Brittany informs Santana, Sophia still in her arms as they enter through the doorway to the master bedroom.

“Oh no,” Santana pulls back to covers.  “Come ‘ere, Princess,” she reaches out her arms as Brittany puts their daughter down on their bed and Sophia scrambles up into the bed to give her mama a hug.

“Do you remember what it was about?” Santana asks, as Brittany climbs back onto her side of the bed.

“No,” Sophia shakes her head and sniffs. “But it was scary.”

“It’s ok, baby girl. You’re safe here,” Brittany kisses Sophia’s cheek, as Santana pulls up the covers so that she’s nestled between her moms.

“All good?”

Sophia nods.

“Try to get some sleep," Santana rubs her back. " Mommy and I are right here.”

They both watch over Sophia as the little girl closes her eyes and seems to have little trouble falling back asleep.

Santana and Brittany share small smiles, though both knowing that date night is definitely over.

“Mike and Quinn are totally babysitting next Friday,” Brittany whispers.

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[evermoire]

the devil’s in the details (but you got a friend in me) | pack.

liam both admired and envied t-dog’s ability to fit into any crowd he made his way into. seriously. they’d been in this house full of perfect strangers for about thirty minutes, and t-dog had seemingly already made fast friends with everyone here.

well –– they weren’t strangers to him, apparently.

he’d exchanged hugs with a woman he called maggie, and liam already knew that beth was t-dog’s best friend. he’d also been happy to see michonne again, as well two others –– andrea and glenn. while the others might’ve been strangers, t-dog still introduced himself politely and with such warmth, they couldn’t help but be drawn into his inescapable gravity.

liam had always envied that. the hewitts, they knew how to just –– fit. knew how to smile and make friends, be polite and laugh with ease, knew how to keep their emotions at bay and not overreact to shit. he’d never known how to do that.

tearing his eyes away from t-dog, who was now in the middle of conversation with beth and some guy who’d gruffly introduced himself as daryl, and gave another glance around the room. not for the first time, his eyes caught onto a well-known figure in the room. jackson fucking whittemore. if he really tried, liam could put two and two together to figure out what he was doing here, but it seemed unreal.

he’d looked up to jackson forever. back in the town’s youth league, when jackson was always one age group above him, one skill class above him, close enough for liam to idolize but too far for him to ever meet the guy. watching devenford’s games against beacon hills high school, caught between loyalty for the team he couldn’t play on just yet and loyalty towards the guy he’d modeled his own playing style off of. brett used to dryly tease that liam would have to ride the bench when he finally played against bhhs, your fanboy ass will handicap the whole team.

this weekend, liam recalled belatedly; devenford was supposed to play against bhhs this upcoming weekend.

the line of his lips tightened at the thought and liam shut his eyes. his heart gradually ramped up its pace at the thought of devenford, of lacrosse, coach, the locker room, how it’d all come tumbling down just because he’d wanted it all to stop. liam forced his breathing to remain even, even as his skin began to itch, as if someone had unzipped him and zipped him back up the wrong way, all twisted and a few inches too tight, like this skin wasn’t made to be worn by anyone, let alone someone as untamed as him.

he was learning that about himself. that feeling, anyway. whenever he let his mind stray too far from a linear, trackable theme, he’d fall back into the same disquieting feeling; the very one that he’d gotten expelled to escape from.

“you okay, buddy?”

liam’s eyes shot open to find soft brown eyes looking back at him, brows pulled together in light concern. “scott,” he recalled after a moment. he played on the lacrosse team, too, though liam had never seen him get off of the bench. 

if the older teen was at all upset by the unanswered question, it didn’t show in his smile. “hi,” he greeted cheerfully, leaning against the wall beside liam, close enough to hear but far enough that liam could breathe. “it’s a lot, isn’t it? how are you doing?”

letting his eyes roam around the room again, liam shrugged. he took a moment to place a name to each face around the room, doing his best to recall all of the introductions that had come since the weekend. t-dog, beth and daryl, still talking about something that involved a lot of arm movement from daryl and laughter from t; jude giggling with isaac and boyd; aoife braiding kira’s hair, while talking to bailey and mason; derek speaking to lucy and erica in soft tones; maggie, glenn, jackson and lydia all clumped together, maggie lightly rubbing her baby sister’s back; michonne smiling at lori as the older woman spoke; camden and andrea passing out refreshments; noah enthusiastically to stiles, sophia and braeden; allison by the door, cora nowhere to be seen.

liam mentally applauded himself for identifying everyone and bit back a scoff. like his mind would’ve let him breathe if he’d missed even one person.

“i’m not the one who got bit by a fucking werewolf,” he pointed out, only for scott to nod understandingly. “does it... are they going to be okay?”

scott’s eyes drifted over to mason, then to t-dog, then he smiled back at liam. “they are. it’s going to be hard, at first. and scary. but they’re not going to have to do any of it by themselves. every part that’s hard or scary, we’re going to do it together.”

it took liam a moment to realize that scott was including him in that statement. he blinked. “i’m not involved in this. i mean, obviously, i know and shit, but... i’m not the one who got bit,” he repeated, the moment of t-dog’s bite flashing through his eyes. it should’ve been him. t-dog didn’t deserve any of this shit.

it was liam’s fault.

everything that’d led to this point, it was liam’s fault. 

if he’d just kept walking, if he hadn’t yelled at the headmaster, if he hadn’t attacked the car, if he’d just kept his mouth shut, if he hadn’t joined the lacrosse team––

“neither was stiles,” scott said, drawing liam’s eyes back to him. “or lydia, danny, jude... a lot of us weren’t bit. a lot of us are still human. when the people you love are involved, it kind of extends to you, too, doesn’t it?” he nodded, smile still soft and pure. “we’re here for you, too, man. if it’s scary or confusing, you can tell us that, too.”

it was... undue kindness. the type that the hewitts specialized in. liam narrowed his eyes. “how the fuck do you survive like that? what are you, a disney prince?”

though aoife didn’t hear what liam had said, she could see scott’s innocently befuddled look from across the room, and she couldn’t help but giggle a little as she braided another flower into kira’s hair. she supposed all of this was easier for mason and t-dog; they went to school with everyone in this room already. the only people liam knew were the hewitts, michonne and derek, who’d been there the night the wolf attacked them.

aoife’s lips nearly fell at the thought of what’d happened. it kept happening and they couldn’t stop it. she couldn’t do anything at all, and she hated it.

“hey, mase?” she looked over to him. “what’s your favorite dessert? this is a very important question and i desperately need you to answer like this is a final exam and you’ll be stuck in high school forever if you don’t give me the correct answer.” she was going to bake him something, she’d decided; she was going to bake something for mason and for all of the others, too. anything they wanted.

they deserved something good. and if this was all she could do, then she would do it.

[allie1804-fan]

Please Assist Me (Chapter 21)

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8,  Chapter 9, Chapter 10 , Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15 , Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20

Warnings :

He Said

It was a strange feeling going back to set when this utterly momentous thing had happened.  I felt untethered and for the first time in a long, long time, worried about my focus. I’d had a stressful time over 20 years ago on The Devil’s Advocate but that was more about nerves and Pacino than it was about distraction. Then when Jen was expecting Ava, I was in Baltimore working on The Replacements but I have to confess to a degree of ambivalence at first about that pregnancy so I was almost happier to box up this thing and pretend it wasn’t happening until the shoot was over. This time I knew I would just want to be there and be caring for Sophia and the kids and not be on set at all.

I would have to draw on my inner resources and commitment to the project to get me through this one. And the memories from those short 5 days were pretty special. The pregnancy test surprise, the scan, the kids’ sweet concern that the baby would make it and my sisters’ and mom’s delight at the news.  Karina, and Mom had been unable to resist hugging us both despite social distancing still being important. They hadn’t been anywhere in weeks though so we were OK to let it go for this special moment. And just being back with Sophia again, making love with her – those memories would do their usual dual trick of sustaining me and making me miss her all the more but I wouldn’t trade them.

As soon as I got back, I met with Chad and updated him with my news. I also shared my worries about focus – he dismissed them as bullshit  - not meaning to be mean but because he knew me and was confident that once we got on set, I’d be as on it as ever. I was thankful he had faith in me and hoped I could live up to it.

 She Said

It was late July and I was laying on a sun-lounger by a pool in a villa in Provence. Time to chill at last and to look forward to seeing Keanu later that day. He was joining us direct from New York whereas we had already had a week there and were currently enjoying the company of Alex, Ramsey and their 2 kids. In fact at this specific moment, it was their two kids who were affording me the time to lay back as they were splashing around in the pool with my 2 meaning all I needed to do was ensure the snacks kept coming and that my two  had on enough sunscreen!

I had last seen Keanu 5 weeks before when he’d flown home to attend the 12 week scan.  All was well including the abnormality risk assessment so he’d been able to return to set reassured. After that I had facetimed or phoned him if possible when I had midwife appointments but on a couple of  occasions he’d just got a heartbeat recording after the event! I know he treasured that though, sometimes sneaking a listen to it when he was hanging around on set waiting for the crew to be ready.

We kept in touch with calls most but not every night and we never had any relapses or forgetfulness any more.  We usually had the call at around 6pm (9pm his time) and If Eva was around she would always update him on what the corresponding size of fruit was to the baby. By the last, call about a week ago in mid July, we were up to the size of an apple!

We’d decided to head to France for a family holiday since Covid related travel restrictions had eased somewhat and Keanu had missed his chance the previous year for a European break. He had hired a bike which was waiting here and would spend some time enjoying the  winding, hilly roads of the Vars region which we’d chosen due to it being a bit off the beaten track compared to the hills around Nice or Cannes. We’d found a big property which had 10 bedrooms meaning plenty of friends could join us which they were doing more on rotation than all at once but the space meant we shouldn’t have to turn anyone away. There was a maid service too – I didn’t want one of those holidays where you still have all your usual jobs to do, just more of them but in a prettier place! Mind you, since I’d got pregnant, Keanu had insisted I get a maid service at home as well as the kids’ lock down tutor so my domestic responsibilities had reduced significantly.

The kids and I had travelled over with my mother and at some point in the next couple of weeks we’d host Karina, her husband, Keanu’s Mom and Kim and possibly Chad and his partner if they could make the time.

 He Said

I emerged somewhat groggy to the terminal in Nice and was happy that we’d arranged a car so I could just find the guy with ‘Reeves’ on his sign and snooze for the roughly one hour journey to the villa. I was greeted first by Eva and Miguel who Sophia said had been waiting by the gate for about the last hour with their welcome sign! Then I got to see my beautiful girl walking towards me in a cream maxi-dress  which showed the gentle swell of her growing baby bump to perfection. She was literally glowing now.

“Hey you”

“Hey you two!”

We saved the passionate smooching for later but had a long hug on the driveway before going in to say hi to our other guests.

The house was what they call a ‘bastide’, built up on a hill and it had been extended with some of the rooms being in a separate self contained building which was nice for friends like Alex to have their own space. There were a couple of verandas both with pergolas covered with climbers for shade and of course a pool. Indoors most rooms had terracotta tiles and the shutters which kept the place cool and also meant it would be pitch black until they were opened so everyone would sleep in.  Our room felt instantly soothing with cream walls and blue and cream striped curtains and bed linen.

I am not someone who takes many proper holidays. I get to travel so much with work  usually that the thing  I want most when I’m finished with a project is to be a homebody and catch up with friends in LA.

With this holiday though, Sophia’s planning meant I got many of those home comforts  (reading, biking, friends, family) and the added bonus of being somewhere new.

My regular job ended up being fetching bread and croissants from the bakery in the morning. I could do that on the Harley I’d rented using the paniers – there was quite a lot of bread needed every day after all! Days were spent by the pool mostly but with the odd break to stock up on food, beer and wine from a local supermarket. When Sophia and I went to do this,  I was sure I was being stared at and risked being stopped but she said she’d noticed the French seemed to stare at everyone so it probably wasn’t personal! No-one approached me so either she was right or they were just more respectful of privacy! Our evening meals on most days consisted of salads and/ or something cooked on the barbecue followed by card games, music and conversation into the evening with the whole gang (whichever configuration we were on that day!) gathered on the terrace together breaking bread,  laughing and joking.

With so many other adults at the house to take the kids, we were also able to enjoy a couple of meals out on our own. I wished I could have taken Sophia on the bike up into the hills but obviously we couldn’t risk that so we drove, finding sleepy villages with beautiful tree-lined squares that usually featured an old stone fountain just like the one in the Marcel Pagnol films Jean de Fleurette and Manon de Sources.

It was just a perfect time, made even more so by the fact that this is where I first felt the baby move.

It was quite late one night and Sophia had gone ahead to bed earlier than me. I expected to find her sleeping when I got there but she was sitting up, holding her hand on her belly, smiling at me as I walked in. My eyebrows shot up, reading her expression and she nodded. I rushed to settle next to her but when I put my hand on her belly,  I couldn’t feel anything.

“Maybe try laying your face against me” she suggested.

I eased down and lifted up her t shirt, laid my cheek  against her belly  and held my breath. After a few moments, I squeezed her hand as I felt a gentle fluttering against my cheek.  My tears ended up on her belly. That’s also when I started speaking every day to our baby, all the way through to the birth. Mostly it would just be telling them about our day but sometimes I would use it as a way to say something to Sophia that I was nervous to tackle in a more direct conversation. Like my suggestion that she and the kids either move in with me or we look for a new home together.  

“So I was thinking” I murmured to her stomach “that maybe when we get back to LA, we should all be together, like we have been here, always.”

“Really?”

“Yeah of course – we have this little person arriving, we can’t live apart then can we? I mean you weren’t thinking….. I mean I’d want to live with you anyway, but….” Now I was totally burbling!

She was laughing at me by then.

“No you’re right, I just didn’t know how you felt about sharing your home with all of us or moving or anything. Guess I’ve actually being taking one day at a time on some things!”

“Well I want you all with me. I mean there’s room at my place. We’ll have to change things around obviously but that’s doable. Or if you want a new start we can look for somewhere.”

“OK, let’s do one of your mind map and incubate things and tackle it when we get back. We have 3-4 months before I’m going to basically be a beached whale and not able to do much!”

By the time we left, I was definitely sold on this kind of holiday being in my future – another wonderful change in me that had been down to Sophia.

@fortheloveoffanfic @kindainlovewithk’eanu @omg-imagine @iworshipkeanureeves @fics-not-tragedies @ficsnroses @keanureevesisbae @penwieldingdreamer @witty-wallflower @paperplanesandwallflowers @bitchyslut99 @ladyreapermc @toomanystoriessolittletime @fanficsrusz @keanuficfiles @bitchyslut99

[collecting-stories]

Halloween - Georgia Spin-off

A/N: This takes place a few years in the future. Savannah is thirteen. I just wanted to do something nice for you guys and I know some of you had mentioned some ideas of what you wanted to see for them in the future. 

\\\

“Dad hurry up!” Savannah shouted down the hallway of the small apartment. Two bedrooms above the Pharmacy felt like plenty of space when you’d first moved in but Savannah was thirteen now and it was beginning to feel cramped. When there was no reply from the bedroom she huffed and turned back to the couch, smiling, “are you excited? Can you say trick or treat?”

The almost 18 month old sitting on the couch, dressed as a deer (as per Savannah’s request) smiled before attempting to repeat her. After struggling on the T for a minute he produced a shaky “tricker,” and dissolved into laughter.  

“Yer gonna scare ‘im with that get-up.” Daryl admonished, finally coming into the room. He was pulling his vest and jacket on as you emerged from the bedroom behind him.  

Savannah sneered at her dad and faked a laugh, “your not funny.” She’d been moody all week and when she wasn’t she was neurotically trying to coordinate Halloween costumes.  

“Hear that,” Daryl asked, scooping the baby up into his arms, “I ain’t funny Wyatt.”

“Dad!” Savannah whined, looking passed him to you, “mom, make him stop.”

“No luck Anna. Come on, grab your backpack and we’ll go out to the truck.” You suggested, waving to the empty backpack she had designated for her trick-or-treat bag. She was a zombie and she’d managed to convince Daryl to do the zombie makeup on her after you had deemed the task ‘too complicated’ for your basic knowledge of anything more complicated than a lipstick application. You were into your early thirties and you still hadn’t mastered a smokey eye, there was no way you were capable of making your kid look like she’d risen from the dead.

Daryl had been helpful but also not. He did the makeup that she wanted, even spent hours sitting with her watching youtube makeup tutorials to try and perfect the craft. He’d gotten the gore pretty spot on too, she definitely looked like she was a rotting corpse. When she’d requested that Wyatt be dressed as a deer that she post-dead took a bite out of Daryl had complied with that too. But his first reaction had nearly derailed the entire operation because they had a enjoyed nothing more than teasing each other and with her current moodiness she was unappreciative when he told her that “ya look enough like a zombie in the mornin’ don’t need special makeup.”  

“Carl’s being Indiana Jones and Sophia said she’s being cheerleader.” Savannah commented, leaning forward so she could talk to you better as Daryl drove over to Rick’s house. The neighborhood was better for trick or treating than the main street and the three kids had been going together since you moved back to King County. “Plus Judith is coming this year because Lori’s working and so’s Shane. And Patrick’s mom is finally letting him out to trick or treat but she said as long as he doesn’t bring home too much candy so he said we could have half of everything he gets...”

The current events update from Savannah continued the entire way to Rick’s house and only stopped so she could jump out of the truck and see Merle, who was standing on the front lawn with Carol. She’d giddily talked about the possibility of her and Sophia becoming cousins for the last two years though nothing had happened yet.  

“Think we could pull back out while she ain’t lookin’?” Daryl asked, his hand squeezing your knee.  

“You forget there’s two of them now...what would we do with Wyatt?” You replied, kissing his cheek and looking at your son through the rearview. He was the spitting image of Daryl’s baby pictures and shockingly well behaved almost always.  

“Damn, guess we’re staying,” He put the truck in park and got out, unbuckling Wyatt from his car seat and carrying the baby over to see Merle and Carol. No one had been more excited, or more terrified, than Daryl when you’d told him that you were expecting. And the fear only mounted when he found out it was a boy.  

After a weekend hunting alone though he’d come home with a renewed optimism about the whole situation. He loved Savannah and he knew he was a good dad, he wasn’t so shy about it anymore. Getting to be there for everything this time would be different and had been different but he lost the fear of it pretty quickly. You’d been through it before and you’d get him through whatever parts he was unsure of. Like always.  

“I think you’re supposed to make baby costumes cute,” Carol teased, kissing Daryl on the cheek and taking Wyatt from him. Being the newest baby of the group, everyone got pretty excited whenever opportunity arose to coddle Wyatt.  

“I only follow directions.”

“He’s supposed to my dinner.” Savannah cut in, leaning back against her dad and smiling up at him, “dad made me a zombie and Wy’s the deer I snacked on.”  

“Certainly did a good job.” Rick commented, coming down the porch steps.  

“Uncle Rick!”  

The group felt like it was multiplying every year. It’d started with you and Michonne taking Carl, Savannah, Sophia, and Andre around the neighborhood but over the few short years since it started you had added on to the group. This year you had Carl, Savannah, Andre, Judith, Sophia, Hershel, Wyatt, and Carl’s friend Patrick. Enough for a soccer team maybe if they were all the same age. Rick and Daryl still stayed behind, using the claim that someone had to hand out candy though you were sure the only person actually doing that would be Carol. The guys, Glen included this year, would be doing the same thing they always were, sitting around drinking on the porch.  

“Why am I always designated trick or treater?” You asked, securing Wyatt in the stroller with RJ.  

“Ya want me ta take ‘em?” Daryl offered. He was holding the handle on the stroller, keeping it steady, though his eyes were on you. Admiring the view of his fiancée, even if you were just squatting on the ground to buckle Wyatt in.  

“No,” you stood and came around to kiss him quickly, “I just like hearing you offer to.”  

Daryl frowned and you smiled when his nose twitched a little, confused was your favorite version of him.  

“I don’t wanna let you in on the secret but I probably should,” you teased, “most guys don’t offer to take care of their kids quite so quickly when they could be relaxing with a beer.”

He shrugged in return, “ain’t tryin’ ta be my old man.”

“God I love you. Let’s both ditch the kids and go back home.” You teased, kissing him.  

“You two are gonna have another baby before Wyatt’s three.” Michonne called, walking up to the two of you. She had Judith in her arms.  

The hurdle of Lori calling Rick that afternoon to ask if Judith could accompany her brother trick or treating had not been as daunting as Lori thought it would. All bad blood aside, Judith was Carl’s sister and Rick wanted him to love her as much as he loved Andre and any future child he and Michonne might have. So he had been welcoming to the toddler spending the evening with them and Michonne had been doting, Judith was sweet and Michonne was enjoying having a girl in the house.  

“God she looks like Shane.” You laughed, taking Judith, “Hi Judy, are you excited to trick or treat?”

“Yeah,” she nodded.  

“I like your costume.”  

“I’m a princess.”  

“I’ll say,” You twisted with her in your arms so she was facing Daryl, “look, doesn’t he have a scary costume.”

“Shut up,” he grumbled, nudging your shoulder.  

Judith laughed and buried her face in your neck, shy all of a sudden. “See, she agrees.”

“Mom! We’re ready!” Savannah shouted, running down the steps with Carl, Patrick, and Sophia.  

Merle left for work and Carol headed back to the motel for the evening while you, Michonne, and Maggie walked the kids around the neighborhood. Savannah took the role of big sister very seriously, as she had since the moment you announced that you were expecting again. She took turns pushing the stroller and, on a few occasions, brought Wyatt up with her to the door so people could see their coordinating costumes.  

“Any Thanksgiving plans?” Maggie asked as you walked further through the neighborhood.  

“Deanna invited us up to D.C. for the holiday and we’ve been thinking about going. It’s been since August that Savannah saw Gracie and I know they miss each other. Plus her and Sophia have been talking about going around D.C. together.” You replied.  

“That’d be nice, I’m sure Deanna is excited to see Wyatt and Savannah.”  

“Oh god yes, she loves them. And Aiden’s girlfriend is due in a couple weeks so she’s even more excited, she keeps talking about having all three grandkids in the house together.” You replied, “I won’t be surprised if she takes them all to sears for a picture.”  

After trick or treating and pizza at Rick’s house you headed home, happy that the weekend was tomorrow and you didn’t have to get up early for work. Savannah was still wired from the excitement of the night though Wyatt had passed out in the truck on the way home. You volunteered to put him to sleep, leaving Daryl and Savannah at the kitchen table sorting through candy.  

“Do you want the snickers? I don’t like them.” She noted, dum-dum bobbing in her mouth as she spoke.

“Nah, ya can bring it tomorrow though, see if Axel wants it.” He mentioned. Savannah was coming with him to the garage in the morning while you took Wyatt to the doctor’s. All his protesting that you never spend time at the garage when you were younger was for null, it was nearly every other day you were dropping in or Savannah was coming over after school. Axel, Tiny, and Dale loved the girl too and Axel told her some ridiculous stories.  

“Okay.” She scooted off the kitchen table and wrapped her arms around Daryl, hugging him tightly, “thanks for doing my makeup, everybody said it was so cool.”  

“No problem.” He shrugged, hugging her back. “Glad it turned out.”

“It was awesome.” Savannah pulled away, sitting down in a chair as you came back into the room and swiped a jolly rancher off the table.  

You sat down in Daryl’s lap, smiling as his hand went around your waist. “Did you tell dad about the lady with the coffin?”

“Oh my god! You’ll never believe it...”  

-

Hope you guys enjoyed this. 

taglist: @thinkingsofamadwoman @mixedwiththemoon @titty-teetee  @queenmissfit @marvelismylifffe @iluvmesomemarvelndc @absentmindeduniverse @his-paradox @medievalfangirl @gigilame  @enrapturedbythemoon @cbarter @onemorebeautifulnightmare @darkprincess1128-blog @hopesxxhigh @coffeebooksandfandom @jodiereedus22 @tehfabbooty @thecaptainsgingersnap @angelophany @of-storms-and-sadness @chocolatealmondmillk @twdeadfanfic @alwaysadreamingoptimist @born-in-19-96  @mainokutan @uh-i-think-its-frank @sabertooth-potato @nikki082489 @qrangr @bucky-barnes-babies @ly--canthrope @meziah-48 @dietspriteaddict @daryldixonandfrogs @jaycc7983 @easnuppa @imaginecrushes @tonystarkismyboy @watchmeaspire 

[vore-scientist]

In Which Yonah and Sophia Go For a Walk (safe, soft, sfw, willing G/t vore)

A Tale of the Mystic Woods

Princess Sophia and Yonah the Wizard are my OCs, they are both adults, and part of my Mystic Woods series. 

Warnings: mention of unwilling (but still safe) vore NO ADDITIONAL WARNINGS! 

Has a lot of tender moments. Also this ended up being more plot relevant and lore heavy than I intended... 

----

It had been a pretty rotten week. 

Yonah leaned out the window to stare into the dark night, not really looking at the stunning almost full moon that hung against the expansive starfield. Sophia sat next to him, by his right arm, leaning into him. 

It started off /amazing/ with a failure of an experimental spell he’d been working on for months. This final blow meant it was time to abandon the idea. This wasn’t the first time, but it never felt good. 

And from his frustrations he’d been more grumpy than normal. More of his projects blew up in his face, including a routine potion brewing! Plus he didn’t do any lesson planning for Sophia. He needed to rework his entire teaching strategy but so far was failing at that too. And when he tried to teach her something he almost blew up at her, even ate her without casting her enchantment. 

Though she got her revenge by casting it inside of him. He knew he deserved the painful explosion, but even as he coughed up the sparkling purple dust he refused to cough up the princess for another hour. 

And her lessons were now more important than ever. After about a year of notes on her progress he and Ben had noticed a strange pattern and started paying closer attention. Last month it became clear what was going on. 

He was trying to contain his anger, and he was doing a pretty bad job of it. Sophia had stood up and placed herself in his folded arms. He stood up and held her, but didn’t really look at her. 

“Would belly rubs make you feel better?” Sophia reached out to touch his stomach. His pulse raced beneath her, noticeable even from his palms. 

Ugh. His gut felt tight and icky. Maybe it would make him feel better. 

“I don’t deserve any. Especially after yesterday... And today, after another abysmal attempt to give your lesson without prep! The fact that I didn’t prepare anything!” 

“This isn’t about you earning a treat, Yonah. I’m trying to cheer you up!”

“Then I guess it’s worth a shot,” he tried to smile but his face rejected that notion.

The princess was below his nose and he breathed deeply, letting her sent become his world. It failed to permeate his jumbled mind.

 He licked her face, mostly her right cheek, and she giggled, putting her hands on his tongue as he licked again. 

She tasted so good. He never got tired of her flavor. And her little exclamations of joy as he playfully fought her with his tongue did lift his heart just a bit. 

But his stomach only tightened at the prospect of eating her. His heart beat against his lungs and breathing was just a smidge difficult. But as she set the enchantment he opened his mouth for her to crawl in. 

Thankfully the smooth and heavy glass form was easy to swallow with gravity doing a lot of the work for him. And she slid into his stomach, stretching it out nicely. Still, there was a Sophia sized knot left in his throat. 

She wasted no time and massaged his insides before she was fully in the chamber. 

He sighed, feeling his chest press against her as he inhaled. 

“Goodness you are tense!” 

He almost laughed. Standing up he cradled his full stomach. As he used his hands to gently rock his gut he felt Sophia slide about, making no effort to stabilize herself. That was always strange. 

“Is this helping?” Sophia didn’t appreciate being tossed about though it was kinda fun. She pushed out with a hand. 

The lump in his throat swelled and a few more hot lead cogs loosely screwed into his head, making it run faster and become even heavier. Steam started to literally come out of his ears and hair. 

“No,” he admitted, poking a finger at the spot where Sophia’s hand was. She stroked that area in particular.. 

“Guess all moods can’t be cured with belly rubs?”

“The world would be a much better place if they could,” Yonah mused. 

“You really think that many people out there are getting belly rubs like these?”

“Heh… probably not…”

“And ‘make the world a better place’ as if you have such an impact on the big wide world!” 

Yonah said nothing as his head grew hotter. After a minute he climbed out the window to land with a THUD in the garden. Sophia yelped in surprise as she bounced. 

“Hey! I didn’t mean you weren’t important!”

Still he said nothing. 

If only she knew. 

He rounded the tower to the pool at the back. 

But she couldn’t know! Ben had ordered him not to tell! And he agreed! 

Sophia could not know she had already been chosen to be the next Mystic King. It was rare to know ahead of time, this opportunity meant that when the time came she could possibly be the greatest king this forest has ever known. And he was to train her. To strengthen her bond to the forest, it’s magic, and it’s people. 

He was so so so important. 

He knelt by the pool and held his pounding head. 

Even with a nearly full moon it was hard to see his reflection as his eyes filled with steam and he shook. Managing to take his fogged up glasses off to see glowing eyes stare up at him from the water. Shimmering orange, and still blurry. 

It was so much! And already he was failing! He was a wizard from a small giant village in the Implausible Mountains! He knew nothing about being the Mystic King, he knew nothing about the forest and it’s magic! So how could he teach someone to be it’s king?! Not to mention the Mystic King inherits Orr. One kingdom was a lot, but TWO!? How long did he even have to get her ready? Ben could live another few decades or by some shitty cosmic fortune die tomorrow and Sophia would be King! She could be King tomorrow and she was currently sitting in his stomach! 

How dare he eat the future king! HIS Future king! 

Was that Sophia trying to get his attention or just his nerves causing his stomach to do somersaults? It didn’t really matter. He leaned forward clutching his middle, choking and heaving. The lump in his stomach made it’s way up mercifully fast. 

It was about when she was really starting to worry, as her surroundings shook and the heart above her pounded faster and faster, that the walls around her pulsed and threw her about and then up and out! 

SPLASH 

From the sauna like interior of the giant into the chilly creek water she fell from Yonah’s mouth. When she surfaced he was still coughing and spitting up whatever fluids were left as plumes of steam billowed from the corners of his bright eyes. He reached into the pool to splash water against his face a few times. Eventually there was no more steam. 

She waited for him to calm down to the point where he was at least breathing easy. He was laying face down on the ground, well, face to the side, since she climbed out of the water and looked down at him. His breath was still hot and dried her off quickly. The glow of his eyes dimmed away, though in the darkness of the night his eyes still stood out. 

Sophia dispelled her curse, embracing the heat that radiated off the wizard which fought against the chill of the night. 

“Sorry I wasn’t able to help.”

Yonah took a deep breath, “It’s not your fault.”

It wasn’t her fault the forest chose her! She didn’t even know! He had no resentment towards the Wood’s choice. Having been Sophia’s guardian and friend for the last two years he knew she was something special. And now she had a destiny. She would be amazing, will of the gods or not! He would make sure of it. Amazing, powerful, influential, a King to sing songs about for centuries to come! 

And this future King who would command the power of the Mystic Woods, become part of the Mystic Woods itself… she was sitting by his face, stroking his nose. She was still the princess, still his charge, still without the burden of her own future. 

 Still his best friend. 

Finally he found the strength to sit up, grabbing the princess as he did so he could hold her to his chest. She leaned into it And They rested like that for a few minutes. 

“Do you want to eat me again?” she asked. 

For the first time that night he smiled genuinely. His stomach still twisted. 

“No, my princess,” he said softly, bringing her to his face to kiss her side, “What I need is to clear my head.”

He stood up, taking his glasses with him, the princess crawled to his shoulder. There was no way he was going to sleep anytime soon, but he couldn’t be sure about Sophia. 

“Are you up for a midnight patrol?” he asked. 

“Absolutely!”

“I’ll get my hat.” 

Normally Yonah reduced himself for patrols. Even before Sophia was assigned to be his prisoner. There was just certain types of scouting that weren’t possible when a giant. Or half-giant. He wanted to walk the woods as his full self, even if it meant dealing with branches in his face. 

Sophia rode in a special sling harnessed to Yonah’s robes. The harness itself allowed her to maneuver using carabiners across his chest, his back, and on one side, down to his knees, though it was less stable there. Mostly she stayed by his shoulders. It did make it easier for her to hop on and off his person if they stopped anywhere. 

This was apparently a common accessory for full giants and dragons with many human friends. 

They really should go on more night patrols. The Mystic Woods was home to numerous nocturnal people’s, and others out on “dark” business. 

Even without Yonah using any of his mother’s Ranger Training, they saw an abundance of creatures. 

A pack of silver magnolia wolves, the largest of which stopped to sniff at the wizard who smelled of smoke. The smallest yipped until Sophia jumped down to let it lick her hands under the gaze of both the adult wolves and the giant. It’s eyes were bright and grey like the moon, while it’s coat occasionally shimmered like the night sky. 

At one point an old Grand Owl swooped down And latched herself to Yonah’s harness. She opens one yellow eye to glare at the wizard and princess, daring them to question her actions. Before closing the eye and taking a quick nap. Maybe she knew the wizard walked in the direction she was already heading. Maybe she didn’t care about her destination. 

Neither Yonah nor Sophia dared disturb her. It was ten minutes later she hooted wildly and took off without even a thank you. 

Until they found a clump of pristine feathers lodged into the harness once they returned to the tower. Good as spell components and fletching for magical arrows!

A few pixies somehow gathered up the courage to approach the pair halfway through their night, or rather, they skipped up to Sophia while Yonah took a break, lying on the forest floor, and she on his chest. 

They chattered And jumped around, covering her in pixie dust. Their language a bit difficult to discern. Eventually, through encouragement to speak slower and pantomime, she learned they were concerned for her! A beautiful, And otherwise not-cursed, undisguised princess out in the Mystic Woods at night, was she trying to tempt a tale? 

“I’m not alone,” she smiled and pat the “ground” and Yonah stirred. He had fallen into a light nap. 

The pixies shrieked and scattered as Yonah sat up, Sophia falling into his lap. 

“Wha-“

“Shhhh” 

Sophia motioned for him to relax, and stay quiet. 

“It’s ok! He’s my guardian,” she called out. 

Curiosity peaked, especially waking to find Sophia covered in shimmering powder, Yonah made sure to be as still as possible. 

And inhaled sharply as the pixies eventually returned. The on average 9 inch tall insect-like people had never seen a giant before. They’d heard of beings that the big folk called giant, but never thought they would see one. 

Yonah didn’t have the heart to tell them he was half-giant. They were already so brave for trusting him, as he sat unmoving. It was hard. The pixie dust got up his nose and he almost sneezed them all away. 

Eventually he was able to give them a sample of magic apple butter. Letting them first take tastes from the jar that was to them so massive it worried they could fall in and get stuck. After declaring their love for the spiced preserves he had Sophia aliquot some into sample vials She had in her satchel. They buzzed with delight and disappeared into the forest. 

Since Yonah was clearly able to sleep It was time to head back. After they collected the pixie dust off Sophia’s person. Waste not want not! And she was covered in the stuff! 

They did not they get very far on their return when,

“Fancy seeing you here!” A voice came from the trees as an elf leapt out of the dark, making good use of the harness. They had dark mottled green skin, tall ears, long tightly braided black hair and huge black eyes that  reflected the stars. Making use of the giant’s momentary startled state they smiled a fanged smile up at the princess. 

“Jacuzzi!” Sophia helped the elf climb to her and give her a hug, before they turned to sort of embrace the neck of the wizard. Yonah didn’t stop his progression back to the tower. 

“What are you doing so late?” Sophia asked. 

 “What’s that smell?” Yonah added. 

Sophia could smell it too. It was… not a good smell… it smelled almost like…

“I’m collecting Moon Dancer Droppings!” Jacuzzi exclaimed, holding up their satchel. “Most potent during the day before the full moon!” 

“You...  have a bag of shit…” Sophia leaned away. 

“Magical shit!” Jacuzzi looked extremely proud of themself. 

“Wait really?” Yonah pulled the elf from his shoulder and Jacuzzi presented to him the bag of deer poop. His eyes glowed and his hand curled around Jacuzzi. He could take it, there were so many plants in his garden that could benefit from the magic and nutrient boost. 

But Jacuzzi knew better, they weren’t phased in the slightest. 

“I’ll trade yah for some if you like!” they had a wicked grin on their face and their long ears were sticking straight up. 

The elf and wizard negotiated back and forth until they reached the tower, finally coming to an agreement of one spelled invisibility stone for a generous amount of the fertilizer. Knowing elf culture there were a million things Jacuzzi could want the invisibility spell for, but likely for some elaborate prank. 

Not knowing how far from their home village the tower currently was, Yonah offered to let Jacuzzi stay the night. But the elf turned it down, but didn’t turn down the offer of some cool apple juice before heading out. They even took a bottle to go. Yonah had tons in his magically cold storage room. 

“Pleasure doing business with yah Mr Wizard, and goodnight Princess,” the elf took hold of a vine and swung down the tower, disappearing into the night. 

As Yonah watched the elf go he thought back on the night. Just from one excursion Sophia had done so much with the Wood’s folk. All he had to do was be there for her, encouraging, protecting, and instructing where he could. As he planned more trips into the Woods his head started to deflate of a significant amount of stress. He could do this. And if it mostly went like tonight, it would even be fun! 

Sophia turned, looking up at Yonah, and was relieved to see him smiling too. Then she yawned and the wizard picked her up, hugging her gently and went downstairs to finally get a good night’s rest. 

THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE REBLOG! I CRAVE FEEDBACK!

[For more mystic woods go to vore-scientist(.)tumblr(.)com(/)tagged(/)mystic+woods+story but remove the () or search ‘mystic woods story’] 

[memory-for-trifles]

Best of 2019

Deadwood: The Movie

Oh, Deadwood.

I, like most of us I suspect, struggle to write objectively about the things I love, and there's no way I can write about this movie with anything approaching objectivity. Deadwood was a show I watched at exactly the right age and time in my life and it transcended TV to become something closer to a spiritual guide. There is no plot analysis or real criticism here.

Because this movie, as the Log Lady would proclaim about a slice of pie, is a miracle. That the cast is (mostly) all here, old and beautiful, is a miracle. That David Milch is here and writing it is a miracle. That I am the person I am now and have grown in all the ways I've grown since 2011 is a miracle.

Matt Zoller Seitz said of this movie that it's like having long-dead friends come back in a dream to say goodbye. I was one of the few that was satisfied by Deadwood's unexpected series ending (perhaps because I knew that, famously, it was cancelled abruptly with no planned finale), but to see it back again, just for an hour or two longer, was a joy.

The Star wedding, the happy Bullock family, Alma and her daughter, Sophia and Caroline standing out in the snow...what a gift to all of us in any year.

The Terror

Ah, what to say about my favorite show I watched this year. Trying to describe it to a friend I said that it's its own self-contained winter world of kindness and death and personal crucibles. That is escapism, in its own weird way: that we as viewers can slip off into an Arctic expedition far away from the populated world, however doomed it is. For a show that circles around and around death, and doesn't try to hid the fact that death is the ultimate end for this crew, it's a strangely uplifting show. The way people choose to face death and the way they treat each other in extremis has meaning, even if nobody knows why.

The Terror also has possibly the most beautiful ending shot of any series I've seen; there are so few elements present, but somehow each is packed with a narrative. It tells an eloquent and beautiful story with no dialogue and next to no movement at all. Gorgeous.

Mad Men

Yeah yeah, I was very late to the party. What can be said about the show so many have written about, eulogized, and analyzed more than I ever could? Maybe it's enough to say that I enjoyed sinking into its narrative, and seeing all the clothing. Also I was pretty depressed while I was watching this and it made me feel better to watch Don be a hotter mess than I ever could be while still being #relatable. Love that Sally, love that Joan, loved watching Pete get his ass whupped that one time.

Chernobyl

The unexpected Jared Harris hat trick! You go Jared Harris, with your face that apparently was meant for any other decade but this one!

Anyway, Chernobyl was very stressful but a tight and effective narrative. As someone who grew up so close to a nuclear power plant that we had free potassium iodide pills provided by the state in the house, it had an extra little frisson of horror. Rock-solid acting, absolutely flawless set design, and the very graceful solution of having the actors use their own accents but keeping all the text and signage Cyrillic. Special shoutout to the companion podcast that elaborated on what was fictional, what was historically true, and what was an amalgamation of the two.

[ginalover]

Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon Revisit Their Lesbian Neo-Noir “Bound”

By Maureen Lee Lenker

Photos By Austin Hargrave for ET

June 06, 2019 

Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly aren’t fans of watching themselves on screen — but they’ll make an exception for their 1996 film, Bound.

The Matrix masterminds the Wachowskis made their directorial debut with this noir about two women — femme fatale Violet (Jennifer Tilly) and ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon) — who fall in love and team up to steal $2 million from Violet’s mobster boyfriend, Caesar (Joe Pantoliano).

Bound only made $3.8 million domestically upon its release, but it quickly became a cult classic in the gay community — long before each of the Wachowskis came out as transgender — and it catapulted the siblings to the highest echelons of directors.

We got Gershon, 57, and Tilly, 60 back together at Bibo Ergo Sum, a swanky bar with all the art deco vibes befitting these two femme fatales. There, the actresses vamped it up for a photo shoot, including recreating the iconic Sophia Loren-Jayne Mansfield shot, and had the time of their lives reminiscing as they rewatched the movie together. The enduring warmth of their friendship and their outrageous, heartfelt memories left us fit to be tied.

In the first scene, Violet and Corky share a sultry glance in an elevator, and a palpable connection is born — in fact, it’s still present today in their offscreen friendship.

Gina Gershon (Corky): My agents didn’t want me to do it. Literally, I was told, “You are ruining your career doing this movie. We will not let you do this movie.” I never get to play the hero and to get the chick. I mean, it’s the typical part that I’ve watched my whole life, and it’s never been a woman. I left my agents over it. Jennifer Tilly (Violet): I wanted my hair to have a violet sheen, so it’s black but if you see it in the correct light, it’s very dark. I got this nail polish. It had just come out, and I went into Chanel and they said, “Oh, we only have one bottle. We’re saving it [for] somebody, but they were supposed to pick it up yesterday. We’re going to sell it to you.” It was called “Vamp.” All my makeup is like shades of violet, like my lipstick is purple-y. Gershon: I was coming right off of Showgirls, and I was so ultra femme in that. [I cut] all my nails and my hair off, and I started boxing. I had been dancing for five months, so I was so floaty and I wanted to be in my body more like a boxer…Marlon Brando, Monty Clift, Robert Mitchum. I went to all those guys. There’s a certain quietness. I wanted to be like all the guys I project [my ideas of heroism and masculinity] on to. Tilly: It was a classic film noir, except instead of the lead being a male, it was Corky. A studio offered the [Wachowskis] a lot more money to make the movie, but they said that they had to make Corky a man. Gershon: As soon as I met Jen, I thought, “Oh my God, all I have to do is watch her.” She was so amusing and so fun. It’s just so easy to watch her, like her butt and her legs. It made my job easy to kind of objectify her. We liked each other as soon as we met. Tilly: Once they got the two of us in the room, I thought, “This is a girl that I can really see being in a relationship with.”                                                      Gershon: You’re the really, truly the only real actress I’ve stayed friends with… 

Rattled by her attraction to Violet, Corky goes to a lesbian bar to try to pick up a date as a distraction. It fails though, and Corky stews at home alone while playing her Jew’s Harp.

Tilly: This scene here it was all [advisor and feminist sex writer] Susie Bright’s friends. That’s why the bar scene is so authentic — it’s all lesbians. Gershon: Susie Bright, she was supposed to take me around. The Wachowskis thought it was important that I meet her. She was an authority figure, and [a writer] in the lesbian community. I was really excited to talk to her. Tilly: I never met her. She was pretty much advising Gina. And the thing is, Gina’s character is a lot more hardcore lesbian than Violet. Gershon: We [Gershon and Bright] were going to go cruising around San Francisco. When I got there she couldn’t do it, so she pointed me in the right direction to go to certain bars [on my own]. I just went out and felt the vibe and met people. I actually had a really fun night [Laughs]. I’m definitely not talking about what happened. Just that I felt a lot more confident by the time I got back to L.A. Tilly: She’d come in and she’d be like, “Uh, you know, we need to come up with a new pick-up line. I tried that pick-up line on some chick last night, it didn’t work.” Gershon: I just thought I’d be inspired. I certainly was inspired with tattoos and stuff. I ended up choosing my own tattoos and where I wanted them and all that stuff. Tilly: Somebody said, “Oh, you know, females don’t have any sex organs.” [Susie] goes, “Yes we do; it’s called a hand.” So they did do a lot of shots of hands. Gershon: I really liked the hip [tattoo] that wrapped around my hip and crept up. You saw the top of it coming out of my pants sometimes. I thought that was really sexy. I had seen that on some girl at a bar, and I was like, “Oh that’s hot.” Tilly: That’s also her Jew’s Harp.                                                            Gershon: I’m always trying to get my Jew’s Harp in anything! It was the only movie I’ve ever actually had it in there…I needed something in my hands, and I liked the idea of when she’s thinking about the plan, to have something in my hand.

Violet asks Corky, who is at the apartment complex doing plumbing work, to help her fetch an earring she dropped down the sink. It turns out to be a seduction ploy and the two share a steamy first kiss.

Gershon: I’m doing the pipes. I was a little paranoid. I’m definitely not good at any of that stuff, so I just needed to be convincing…I kind of got into it. It’s so dirty and messy, and you’re shoving this thing in the plug. It was fun. I just wanted to look cool, like I knew what I was doing. I liked all the physical activity. It just made me feel like I was doing all the things that I wish I knew in real life. I remember my mom said, “You’re a really good actress.” I asked, “Why?” She said, “Because I believed the plumbing stuff.” Tilly: Look at this, we’re like equals. You know I’m full of s–t; I know that you know I’m full of s–t. We both know what you’re here for. Gershon: Look at your body. Honestly, whenever I wasn’t sure of what I was doing I would just stare at your chest. Tilly: Method actor. [Laughs] The Wachowskis wanted [an] extreme close-up of our lips. We finished shooting the scene, and the Wachowskis had to get a special camera that cost an extra $10,000. The dailies were coming in looking so good, [producer Dino De Laurentiis] finally got [it for them]. So, we went back and shot that — just a close up on our lips. We were a little nervous. I remember Gina was like, “The camera’s going to look up my nose!” But it’s such a beautiful shot. Gershon: I’m so comfortable feeling your boobs. Tilly: This scene where I take her finger — I just thought, “Oh, [I’ll] put it in my mouth!” I improvised that. She’s like, “Oh, where’s this finger going? Oh, it’s not going south, it’s going north. Ok, now it’s going south.” 

Later that night, Violet comes to Corky’s truck to apologize for all the things she “didn’t do” to Corky that afternoon, and they kiss again.

Gershon: “I hate women who apologize for sex” — That’s a truthful line. I do hate women who apologize for sex. Why should they be like, “Oh my God, I’m sorry I really like this.” I thought it was a very smart line, because it was truthful, you know? Tilly: [Of all our romantic scenes together, we filmed this kissing scene first.] I had never kissed a girl before, onscreen or off. And I was a little bit nervous. Gershon: I brought her tequila and chocolate before our first scene that we were fooling around. Tilly: I was in my trailer like “an actress prepares,” and I hear, “Knock-knock, I got tequila and chocolate.” Gershon: I said, “Here’s your preparation.” Tilly: We actually had to reshoot that scene, but they said, “Not because you girls were drinking.” There was a problem with the camera work.

They go back to Corky’s apartment and have sex.

Tilly: A lot of times, as a young actress in Hollywood, you read the love scene, and it seems like the writer is just getting himself off. Like writing three pages of porn. When you’re reading this, it was very matter of fact. Gershon: [The Wachowskis] knew every angle, every cut. They came from doing graphic novels so they really had it in their heads. Tilly: They didn’t want it to be a man’s version. There’s a male version of what lesbians are, and you see it in the soft-core porn movies all the time. They really wanted to get it right. They wanted to be very respectful of the lesbian community. They wanted it to be very, very authentic and raw, not pornographic. Although it was pornographic because we’re hot. [Laughs] Gershon: It was like the four of us having sex. It was like: “Foot! Wall! Head!” It was so choreographed. The camera [is] moving around, and you have one wall go up, another wall went down. Tilly: They wanted to do it in one long continuous shot. They had guys pulling at the walls. It was like a ballet between the Wachowskis, the crew, [and us]. [They’d be] yelling through the megaphone, “Breast!” and then we knew the breast was in frame. Gershon: I knew I had to curl [my toes] on cue. I think it could have been a little bit more connected to an orgasm or to a sexual feeling. I felt it was more a mechanical thing. [But] it was very fluid. No pun intended. Tilly: Gina is like the coolest person to ever do a love scene with. She was playful. I would be like, “Can you put your hand here so my cellulite doesn’t show? Can you prop my breast to make it look a little more plump?” Gershon: In between takes, we’d talk about shoe [shopping], and we were laughing so hard. Tilly: Gina had weights on the set, so before a scene she would work out [with] weights to make her muscles [bigger]. Gershon: Every guy actor I’ve ever seen on set does pushups and stuff if he doesn’t have his shirt on. I was like, “Oh this is what the dudes do, so this is what I’m going to do,” because it kind of pumps your arms up. It’s all very macho too. You know Corky had a lot of armor on, she was very protective of herself. The more I could feel that, the better I felt as Corky. Tilly: We had a lot of problems. We almost got a NC-17. Gershon: There was one take that all four of us were like, “That’s the one.” It was like a real love scene. You didn’t see a boob. You didn’t see anything; it was all suggested. It really played on our face more than anything. Tilly: You can see my fingers on her crotch. You see nothing; you see a hand! Gershon: It was the emotionality. Tilly: [The rating board] said, “It looks like they’re really doing it.” And the [Wachowskis] go, “Let me get this straight. If the girls weren’t such good actresses, you wouldn’t have a problem?” They were embarrassed, and they said, “Yes.” Gershon: God forbid we have these two women actually in love. We had to go with the “f—ing” scene. In the “f—ing” scene, they were really going at it, and it wasn’t as emotional. They were okay with that, which is bulls–t. Tilly: The Wachowskis said, “It’s homophobia, pure and simple.” The shot that we used was so much more elegant. This one’s a lot more graphic. They sprayed more sweat on us. In the last part of the scene, my boob accidentally fell into frame, like, “I want to be on camera too!”

After making a connection, Violet floats the idea of stealing $2 million from her mobster boyfriend Caesar (Joe Pantoliano), which he has left drying all over the apartment after a job gone wrong doused the money in blood. The scene cuts between Violet and Corky as they plot and the action of their plan unfolding in real time.

Tilly: There was a scene where Corky’s putting in all her little burglar tools [in her ears], and they intercut it with me putting on my lipstick and my mascara. The Wachowskis said, “Those are your tools. Those are Violet’s tools and [those are] Corky’s tools. This is how Corky gets by, by stealing, and this is how Violet gets by, by painting her face.”…Afterwards, they sold all the stuff. You go over to Joey’s house, and it’s like the set. He even bought the wallpaper and put it in the hallways.

Violet convinces Caesar that fellow mobster Johnnie (Christopher Meloni) stole the $2 million, leading to a sudden bloodbath in their apartment, as he kills both Johnnie and mob boss Gino (Richard C. Sarafian).

Tilly: There was also another shot that they wanted — when the head of the mafia gets shot, they said they wanted him to fall like a mighty oak in the forest. The stunt person said, “Nobody can fall that way, it’s too dangerous.” They had to get another $20,000 dollars from Dino De Laurentiis. They created this machine that was like a lever. So, they put him on the machine and then the lever went backward so when he falls, he falls straight back…Christopher Meloni and everyone, they’re shooting [the place] up, the [Wachowskis] wanted me to duck behind the bar. And I thought, “Oh, here’s where she can show ice water doesn’t run in [her] veins.” So I was going to do a thing like, “Oh she’s remembering when she was three and her mother shot her dad.” I thought This is a really good time for me to lose it. Like, “Oh my God, oh my God!” And they peak behind the bar, and they go, “What the f–k? Jennifer, what are you doing?” And I’m like, “Oh, I feel like I should be very upset here!” And they go, “No. Everything’s going according to plan. You planned it. You’re waiting for it to be over so you can move on to the next step of your plan.”

After Caesar murders his associates, including a mob boss, he realizes Violet has two-timed him and finds Corky next door. They fight; he ties Corky up and dumps her in the closet. But eventually, in the most metaphorical shot, she busts out, and the trio face-off in a final showdown, which Violet ends by shooting Caesar in cold blood.

Tilly: You’ve got to really adore your costar and have a good relationship and a trusting relationship because it’s a really violent scene…[Gina] sprained her wrist or finger or something like that. But you got to go for broke. You can’t be precious, you know? You’re doing fight scenes. You kind of have to go for it. Gershon: I definitely got whacked, and it hurt, but it was an annoying thing because I was just like, “I just need some ice.” But then there’s all this brouhaha on the set with insurance. They’re like, “Oh no, you have to go check it at the hospital.” I didn’t want to leave the set. It definitely hurt, but it would have been fine with ice. I didn’t need stitches or anything. I guess they needed to check that I didn’t break anything, which I didn’t. I just felt really guilty having to leave the set, and I was like, “We don’t have time for me to leave the set right now.” You’re bound to get a little bruised here and there. Not a big deal. Tilly: Oh! She explodes out of the closet! Gershon: I kick out the closet door. It was symbolic for so many women. The whole idea of coming out of the closet. It was very satisfying and very heartwarming. Many girls have come up and said that it helped them come out. It helped change their lives, and that’s really meaningful. Tilly: [The moment where I kill Caesar], they were saying like, “This is a Terminator, ‘I’ll be back’ moment.” Caesar goes, “You don’t want to hurt me. I know you don’t.” And she goes, “Caesar, you don’t know s–t.” They consciously put that in to be like an “I’ll be back” moment and they said, “That’s the Terminator moment when she says that.” It’s also really interesting in terms of some of the underlying themes that men think they know what women want.

Violet and Corky’s plot succeeds, and they ride off into the sunset together in the brand new red truck Corky bought with their money. All to the tune of Tom Jones’ “She’s a Lady.”

Tilly: That was my dress. Those are my earrings. That’s my watch. I wore pretty much all my own clothes…After the movie, I gave some of the clothes to my sister. The dress, in the last scene, she shows up wearing it [one time] and I’m like, “You know how many lesbians would love to get their hands on that dress. That’s an artifact! It should be in a museum!” She’s like, “It’s my favorite dress!” Gershon: I love the end. I get the chick. I get a car. I get the money. You know what I mean? I was like a real hero. It’s not often, especially at that point, that the women get to be heroes. Those are always the guy’s part. I was just psyched. I’m like, “Hey, I got my girl. I’ve got a new car. We’re gonna go off into the sunset.” It was very satisfying. Tilly: When Gina goes, “Beep-beep” [and we see her new car]. In the audience, everyone laughs. I’m like, “Why is everyone laughing?” And they’re like, “That’s what every guy does when they get some money; they buy a red truck.” Gershon: I was pushing Sinatra, “The Best Is Yet to Come”. I was hearing that in my head, and I think they were toying with that, but then this is what they went with which was great. I mean you can’t go wrong with Tom Jones. Tilly: We had to reshoot the last scene too because, when they were driving away, you could see palm trees reflected in the windshield. Gershon: We always joked about what happens with the sequel. I think they had to split up when the mob was on them, and Violet ends up with some other rich guy at some point. Corky had to leave in order to protect Violet. They struggle, but I think they always come through, you know? Tilly: Everyone’s positive that they’re so in love, and they’re going to live happily ever after, but I really think in Violet’s nature, she’s a predator. I do not think it’s going to end well. Violet’s in love with Corky, but she’s very damaged and I just don’t think it’s going to be like one of those, “50 years ago, we met cute,” you know? Gershon: I’m really proud of this movie, probably more than any other film I’ve done. These women are sexy and they’re smart. They outsmart the bad guys. And they’re funny and witty. They were into each other; they didn’t need a man to help them. That was all a combination no one had really seen before. These parts weren’t around a lot. Tilly: I did have so many girls come up to me — and so many drag queens saying their drag name was Violet. It really made me feel, in a weird way, like I had a responsibility when all these girls would come up to me and say that they came out of the closet and realized they were gay after they saw this film. Gershon: [When we were making it], I kept thinking, “What do you guys, [the Wachowskis] know about being women? How did you write this thing?” And little did I know, at the time, they were really feeling something. They really were feeling bound up inside. So, it became that the metaphor had a deeper meaning. It wasn’t like, “Oh, aren’t they clever writers.” I thought, “Wow, they were going through this, and the world didn’t know.”

Celebrate 50 years of gay pride with Entertainment Weekly’s special LGBTQ double issue, on stands Friday. You can buy all six covers now, or purchase your individual favorites featuring Anderson Cooper, Wilson Cruz, Melissa Etheridge, Neil Patrick Harris, Janet Mock, and Ruby Rose. 

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 39

Thank you everyone for your patience as I dealt with computer issues this week!  I was able to get the chapter done with minimal delay, and I hope you all enjoy it.  Fair warning: it has not been run by @parisconstantine, so all faults are my own.

Please give a warm round of applause and welcome to @books-and-cartoons original character, Grandma Kim.  I really hope I did her justice, and I really hope you tell me off if I didn’t give her a fair shake!

A few days after forwarding the group of approved candidates to the rest of the Council, I found myself pacing my quarters while my stomach clenched painfully. I had been trying to calm my nerves for nearly an hour, but to no avail. Even worse, for the first time since I left the medical bay, I was completely alone with my thoughts, which swirled and screamed at me with increasing urgency as time ticked by.  I was frightened, angry, betrayed, and anxious in turns.  My hair was a mess from running my hands through it, although I had resisted the urge to tug on it – if only out of worry that I would collapse into a sobbing, drooling heap on the floor.

I had finally given in to my family’s insistence and was waiting for Grandma Kim to arrive.

Conor was on shift, still working to get the platforms completed in BioLab 2 after the delays caused by losing some of the people assigned to the project. I had begged my sister to wait with me, but she put her small foot down with enormous resolve. “I know you are nervous, and that’s expected,” she had sighed. “But, Sophia, I’m exhausted.  I’ve been doing my job and the job of your assistant for months now, plus not being able to sleep without knowing you’re okay.  I need to just – not exist for a few days.  Go to my quarters, keep the lights off, and just let everything that’s going to happen, happen. Your quarters are recorded within an inch of your life and mine: video, audio, and doppler recordings are constantly running. Noah is going to be nearby so they can respond at a moment’s notice if needed, but this is Grandma Kim we’re talking about. There isn’t any safer place to be on this ship, honestly.  I promise that you won’t die, but if I don’t get a break, I might kill you myself.”

Conor had been horrified at her bluntness, but I quickly explained to him that my sister knew I needed a kick in the pants if I was going to get back to something resembling normal, and only meant it with love. Despite so much time around us, he was still adjusting to the way we were so open with our feelings while not hesitating to define our limits with each other.  And, to my utter horror, she was right – she had every reason to be exhausted, and I admired the fact that she knew not to work herself into collapse like I so often found myself doing.

So, in the end, I had agreed that at least meeting with Grandma Kim was best for everyone involved.  It would take a load off of my sister, give Conor a break from being my personal bodyguard, and give me someone to lean on who I wouldn’t feel guilty about needing. After all, helping people through trauma was apparently her job.  

Nonetheless, when the chime sounded to announce that someone was waiting to enter my living space, I nearly shot out of my skin and through the bulkhead above me. Two deep breaths and a lot of shaking later, I signaled for the door to allow her in.  I don’t know what I had been expecting, but the visage that greeted me could only be described as “As Advertised”. Long hair streaked in dark and light grey tied in a practical plait, medium height, just too young to be ‘elderly’ even though I knew she was at least seventy years old. Ramrod posture, gentle smile, and the biggest German Shepherd I had ever seen in my life sitting patiently at her side. “You must be Grandma Kim,” I stated dumbly, trying to sound more confident and in control than I felt.

“Hello, dear,” she tilted her head slightly in acknowledgement. “And this is Lyric. May we come in?”

Flustered, I stepped to the side. “Right. Yes. Please come in.  Would you like me to show you around?”

She hummed softly before gently rebuking Lyric. “Yes, your friend Mac lives here. But you still have to be alert.  Be a good girl and keep your ears up, but don’t bother the grown ups while we talk, okay? Keep it down.”  With that, the admonished pup padded over and nosed Mac, receiving a disdainful look before being allowed to start wrestling quietly.  “That’s a good girl.”  Glancing up, Grandma Kim shook her head with a small smirk.  “Those two are thick as thieves, just a knot of trouble sometimes. But Lyric knows to behave at a guest’s house, so she’ll mind her manners.  And don’t worry about showing me around, Miss Reid. Why don’t you sit down so you’ll be more comfortable, and I’ll get us something to drink and snack on while we talk.” Without waiting for a response, she glided into my kitchen area.

Not knowing what else to do, I sat on my couch and tucked my legs beneath me. No wonder everyone just calls her ‘grandma’, I mused. I just got told what to do by an old lady in my own home. Grandmother powers, indeed.

“This is a lovely kitchen,” she called as she moved around. “Do you cook?”

“Yes ma’am,” I answered, grabbing my blanket and wrapping it around me as a sort of armour.

“I would love to see you cook sometime.” Gods, I could literally hear her smiling. “I always found cooking to be quite relaxing.” She came back into my public area with two mugs and a tray of small pastries.

As she handed me one mug, a scent filled my nose and set my mouth watering. “I’m not allowed caffeine yet,” I apologized wistfully, not yet setting the beverage down.

She tutted! She actually tutted! “Yes, I know. Anxiety and all that. But, excuse me for being blunt, you look like you’re exhausted, and your file lists your favorite beverages as all being coffee-based. A nice warm mug of sweet coffee with plenty of milk will do you right, I think.” She threw me a wink. “Besides, professional nurturers are allowed to override medical restrictions to a small degree.  One cup of coffee definitely will do you more psychological good than it will do you physical harm.”

Needing no other encouragement, I took a long sip of heaven and sighed.  Grandma Kim chuckled slightly before taking a sip of her own and setting it to the side. “Now that we have that out of the way, I know you want to ask me some questions.  Let me go ahead and take the liberty of answering the usual ones right out of the gate.  I know you’re more familiar with what I do than most people are, seeing as your sister and Antoine are partners.  He specializes – or specialized – in providing physical non-sexual comfort and basic care.  Making sure people with deep depression don’t cause themselves harm through direct action or neglect, cuddling, that sort of thing.”

“You say ‘specialized’, past tense,” I stated slowly. “He wasn’t fired for his relationship with my sister, was he?”

“Oh, dear no!” she laughed. “On the contrary.  He recused himself, feeling it would be wrong to continue his duties due to their relationship.  Something about donuts. In any case, he is currently overseeing our policies and general practices, while guiding assignments to ensure better quality of compatibility than simple chance.” I blew a breath of relief as she continued. “My specialty is quite different from his.  I don’t cuddle, really, for starters.  What I provide, instead, is a different kind of comfort.  The comfort of knowing you are safe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, and the comfort of reassurance.  Also, if one of my clients has an episode of hallucination or paranoia and attacks me by mistake, I can both defend myself without harming them and also restrain them if necessary.  It happens rarely,” she held up her hand to fend of my objection, “but it has been known to happen, and I have had several people concerned they will hurt me. You will not, I promise. Before everything went ass over teakettle, I had combat training for unarmed, close quarters, and long-distance weapons.  Very few people on the Ark can land a strike on me once, and none can do it twice.”

I sucked a breath between my teeth.  That was unexpected.

She continued. “Now, I clearly did not learn all that for the fun of it, or for peaceful reasons.  However, I find it a shame that so many people in the After and on this ship live what they call lives unable to shake the idea that someone will hurt them.  Even more shameful is that they all have good reason for that.  I can’t let it continue.  If I, a very harmless looking little old lady can take care of them and give them the reassurance that they are safe?  Well, I feel I would be a horrible person if I didn’t do exactly that.” She took a sip of her coffee as nonchalantly as if she were discussing the weather. “You, however, are a little more unique than that, aren’t you, Sophia Reid?”

“Yes ma’am,” I muttered, glancing down at my own half-gone beverage.

“None of that,” she chided gently. “Grandma Kim or GK will do fine. But as I was saying, you had an attempt on your life made by someone very close to you, and I can imagine that you are hesitant to let anyone else be close enough to hurt you like that.  I don’t blame you, frankly.  What happened to you was an evil thing, done by someone who thought herself a hero. And now, you have the weight of being a figurehead jammed on your shoulders, whether you want it or not, while trying to shore up your own foundations at the same time.”  I nodded as she blew a breath threw her nose. “Well, that won’t do, will it?”

“I don’t really have a choice,” I answered ruefully.

“Of course you do.”

“How do you figure that?” My head tilted to one side, puzzled.

“Well, for starters, I think you need help setting boundaries with the people around you,” she stated firmly. “And I can help you with that.  Not in the way your sister or an assistant can, by managing your schedule, but by reminding you to rest, to take time for yourself. Right now, you may be too afraid of your own mind to do that, but with me and Lyric here to keep you company? Two people who you don’t have to help, and who you aren’t being a burden to by needing us? That alone usually removes a huge weight from people. You have a history of forgetting to feed yourself if you have no one else to feed.  But you also find it distinctly rude to decline food that is prepared for you.” She gestured at the half gone plate of spanakopita. When did I eat that? I must have, to know what it was. She never told me, and it wasn’t something you would serve with coffee.

“Antoine told me it’s one of your favorites,” she explained. “He also wanted me to get you to eat, even if you decided against allowing me to assist you. But I do ask that you consider things. You don’t need to give a response now, since I’m certain this has been exhausting for you.  Go to bed, take a nap, and think about it after you’ve had some rest.  My feelings will not be hurt, either way, but I do think that you would benefit from having a companion, even for a brief time while you adjust to everything.”

I nodded dumbly.  She definitely was right about being exhausted, but a nap seemed like an impossibility at the moment.  “I – I don’t know if I can sleep,” I admitted through clenched teeth, forcing myself to say the words.  “I haven’t been able to sleep by myself since – since I got home….”

“How do you usually sleep?” she asked.

“Conor sleeps next to me,” I admitted. “I don’t like taking medicine to sleep, and I know he won’t let anyone hurt me.  It’s not anything sexual, just – more of a protection than anything else.” Nonetheless, I felt my face flush hot and red.

“Do we need to send him a message?” she offered.

I shook my head. “He’s working. They’re already behind schedule, and I know he would come, but I don’t want to pull him away any more than I have.”  I blinked way the sting that was coming to my eyes.  I was not about to cry over not being able to do something as simple as take a nap.

Grandma Kim hummed to herself for a moment. “Well, I have an idea, if you think you may be interested. And I promise it isn’t medicine.” I nodded for her to continue. “This will in no way obligate you to take on our services, but would you be more comfortable if Lyric slept on the bed with you? Or even on the floor by the bed? I would sit out here while you rested, unless she came to get me if you need help.”

I glanced at Lyric, where she wrestled with Mac, while I thought the idea over. While I barely knew this woman, Antoine recommended her highly – specifically when it came to safety.  And I couldn’t deny there was a certain novelty in having an actual guard dog protect me while I slept, rather than well-meaning construction worker-cum-botanist who did his best imitation of one. “What the hell,” I relented. “May as well take your services for a test drive.”

“That’s the spirit, dear,” she smiled.

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[takingcourage]

Additions: Part 1

Pairing: Jaime x MC

Word Count: 2,850

Summary: Several years into marriage, Jaime and Arden make an important decision about their family’s future. 

Note: This mini-series is a departure from the sorts of things I’ve written before, but it’s been part of my headcanon for these characters for ages and I just had to get it out. 

With that said, I know that this story isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste. If you’re currently being tagged for this pairing and want me to leave you off my list for the rest of this series, just let me know! I promise I won’t be offended or upset.  

September, 2026

Arden was no stranger to the fact that her entire world could change in a matter of minutes. The lightning strike, her mother’s death, that fateful gubernatorial debate – each had heralded new epochs in her life. But even with all of that previous experience, this particular set of minutes still managed to surprise her.

It was the first time she’d been speechless on camera, knowing that tears would begin pouring if she even tried to make use of her vocal cords. Ellen had covered for her admirably, but Arden’s palms were still sweating when she left an hour later.

She pulled out of the studio parking lot, punching buttons on the LED display of the dash.

Dialing.

A repetitive dulcet tone echoed through the vehicle.

“Arden?” her husband’s voice broke through the speakers and the tears threatened to rise again.

“Jaime, where are you?” she managed faintly, blasting the air conditioner in an effort to preserve her composure.

“In my workshop. Are you okay?” His strained concern brought her back to reality.

“I don’t know – but don’t worry about me. I’m not in danger or anything.” The sniffling wasn’t doing anything to add to her credibility, so she shifted tactics. “I just need to talk to you.”

“Sure. I’ll be home for another hour before I need to head over to the worksite for a meeting. You on your way back?”

“Reschedule it, babe,” she commanded gently, ignoring his question.

“Arden, you’re scaring me.” From the jostling on the other end, she could envision him pinning the phone close with his shoulder, hands occupied in searching for his truck keys.

The slam of the workshop door confirmed her suspicions.

“I’m almost home, Jaime. Stay there.”

His sigh dissipated through the vehicle.

“And I’m scaring me too…” the confession was almost a whisper. “But I think it’s a good scared.”

_____

Jaime was waiting on the front step when she arrived home, Opie sniffing at the bushes that lined the side of the house. As she rolled into the driveway, he ushered the dog inside and met her on the pavement. 

“You’re trembling, babe.” He held out a hand to steady her at the elbow, but she rushed on ahead.

“Jaime, I saw our kids.”

He almost tripped up the doorstep, leaving Arden grateful that she hadn’t taken the assistance he’d proffered. “What do you mean?”

“I know we haven’t talked about it in a while, but you know how we always said we wanted to adopt someday?”

He just gawked at her, dumbstruck.

“We were doing the Wednesday’s Child segment this morning and I don’t even know how to explain it, but the kids we featured in the video? They’re ours.” Taking a seat on the couch, she drew out the laptop from her satchel. “Here, I’ll show you.” 

For the space of several moments, the house was silent save for the sound of her fingers clicking on keys. Having found the webpage, she slid the device toward Jaime, reading the familiar text along with him. 

Sophia, age 11.  Sophia is a lively girl who enjoys spending time with her brothers and making new friends. She loves to sing and hopes to continue playing flute in band at her new school. When she grows up, Sophia wants to teach kindergarten or be a pediatrician.  

Alexander (Alex), Age 9. Alex is a talented artist who loves to draw and make things with his hands. He can be shy around people he doesn’t know, but he’s very sensitive and affectionate once he warms up to you. When he isn’t drawing, he loves to watch movies or build with LEGO.  

Will, Age 7. Will is very energetic and enjoys playing outside. His favorite sport is soccer and he dreams of one day playing professionally. He is friends with everyone and always has stories to tell. Will loves animals and hopes to have a pet of his own someday. 

Sophia, Alex, and Will are very close and need to be adopted together. They would do best in an active household that has a backyard so that they can spend time outside. They deserve an adoptive family that can provide structure, patience, and lots of love. 

When she came to the end, her eyes darted back to his face, heart thundering wildly at the conflict she saw there. She ran her hands against the skirt of her dress and waited for him to speak. 

“Arden.” Jaime shook his head and swore under his breath. Blinking, he pushed the laptop a few inches across the coffee table.

“See?” The tears were threatening again, called forth by the raw emotion in his tone. 

He nodded vigorously. 

“And there’s a video,” she continued, scrolling further down the page. “I can’t stop thinking about it.” 

Feeling Jaime tense beside her, she extended a palm toward him and clicked the play button. The musical interlude began, followed by June’s voiceover. 

Every week, we introduce you to a child in our community that needs a family. Today, we’ve chosen three very special siblings who need a forever home...

Arden’s eyes stung as she saw them again, heart skipping wildly just as it had done before. Curious as she was to know Jaime’s reaction, she couldn’t tear her attention away from the screen. 

These were their kids. 

There was no question in her mind. 

Jaime’s grip tightened around her fingers as the voiceover resumed. “How do we bring them home?”

Her finger trailed the trackpad, hovering over the link for more information. “I can fill out the preliminary paperwork tonight. After that, it’s going to be a lot of training and home visits and a lot of waiting. It’s not going to be easy.” 

Jaime pulled her hand to his lap, thumb tracing anxious circles through her skin. “When have you ever been known to back down from a challenge?”

“Basically never,” she laughed ironically. “But are we sure we’re ready for this?”

The enormity of the decision rolled over her like a freight train. Talking about wanting kids and actually pursuing them were two very different things. 

Jaime leaned back into the couch, and her heart beat erratically in the long seconds before his response. What if she was wrong? What if he didn’t feel as strongly as she did? It was early, sure, but despite her fears, Arden had her heart set on seeing more of those three small faces.

“We’ve been planning to have kids for forever.”

“We’ve just been waiting for the right time,” she added softly. 

“I think we’ve found it.”

She clicked to open the new tab. “This isn’t committing us to anything. At this point, it’s really just an expression of interest. If we change our minds later...”

Jaime recognized the implication. “I don’t think we will.” 

Releasing his hand, Arden lifted the computer to her knees. “Neither do I.” She started filling in the blanks slowly. She was an expert typist, but something about this particular form encouraged her to linger over every word.

Jaime shook her sleeve gently, the motion stirring her to look back at him. “Let’s talk for just a second.”

Her posture straightened, hands falling back to her sides. He changed his mind. Arden drew a shaky breath as she met his eyes. 

Jaime looked back steadily. “We’ve been doing the no-kids thing for a while now. Having three of them all at once is going to mean a lot of changes. We’re financially stable, so I’m not worried about that, but this isn’t just sponsoring them or visiting sometimes -- this is an all-day, every-day commitment.” 

Arden rubbed the pad of her thumb in contemplation. “We’re not exactly used to being home consistent hours, but I think we could change that. I’ll still have to go to the studio every morning, but I can be home around noon most days. Your schedule is fairly flexible and my dad and Julie are literally next door. I’m sure they could help fill in some gaps if we ever needed them to.” 

“It would still probably mean cutting back on our work hours.”

"I’m willing if it comes to that. I’ve got parental leave for several weeks and other than our time fliming, a lot of my work can be done remotely.” 

“You’re sure?” His velvet eyes shone with the question. 

“I’m sure. We have so much love to give, Jaime. Look at their faces and tell me that we could seriously say no to helping them have a family.” 

“We can’t. And I don’t want to.”

_____

November, 2026

“Are we crazy?” Arden asked as they walked out of their first training meeting several weeks later. “Are we even old enough to have an eleven year old?” 

Jaime’s head fell back with laughter. “We would have had to stop pretending not to be in love with each other much, much earlier than we did. Like, right after high-school graduation.” He flashed her a wink from across the hood of his car. “But I don’t think that’s going to matter too much. When I first moved in with Paula, I thought she was too old for me, just because she had a few gray hairs. Clearly, I was wrong,” he stated, fumbling in his pocket for the keys. “In the end, all that mattered was being part of a family.” 

“I hope our kids feel the same way.” 

“Even if they don’t, I think we’re doing the right thing.” 

“I do too.” 

He unlocked the door and paused in the seat before starting the ignition. “Growing up, I never really understood why Paula was so excited to have me come and live with her. I think I get it now.”

Arden fiddled with the zipper on her purse, her mind having traveled in a similar direction. “We didn’t even know they existed six weeks ago.” 

And now we can’t imagine life without them. 

His thought tallied with her own. “Exactly.”

“We’ve got a long road ahead of us,” she continued, thinking of all they’d heard. Ready as she was to have the kids under their roof, part of her was grateful that the drawn-out process gave them so many months to adjust. 

“I’m glad you’re the one taking this journey with me.” 

“I wouldn’t do this with anybody else.” Arden clasped his knee firmly, eyes on the road ahead. “Still want to go home and talk about remodeling?”

“Yep.” He slowed for the approaching stoplight. 

“You finally going to take out that wall downstairs that you’ve been complaining about for ages?”

Jaime took the opportunity to cast a scrutinizing eye over her features. “Open-concept designs are on their way out. And it’s a load-bearing wall anyway. We’ve talked about this.” 

Arden giggled into the sleeve of her jacket, arching a brow at her husband.

You’re just trying to wind me up, aren’t you?

She squeezed his knee in silent confirmation. 

_____

April, 2027

Mommy is changing the walls! 

With a start, Arden shifted the roller to one hand. Her other pinched the pause button on her earbuds, putting the podcast to an end. “Opie, how’d you get in here? You’re supposed to be in the kitchen.”

Jaime’s step sounded in the upstairs hallway. “That was me. I didn’t realize you were painting -- sorry.” He coaxed the animal back into the hall and locked him out. Once inside, he cast an appreciative gaze around the bedroom. “This is looking really good. Are you sure painting walls isn’t your day job?”

She rolled her eyes at the compliment, but couldn’t hide the curve of her lips as she continued working. “You should see me assemble furniture. I’ve got mad skills when it comes to flat packs. But enough of that. How was your meeting with city council?”

“Really good,” he told her with a dazed grin. “They want me to draw up plans for about a dozen more buildings downtown.” 

Arden watched him as she came to the end of a stroke. “That’s excellent news! Everyone at work raves about those gardens -- I told you they’d want more.” 

He raked a hand through his hair, but her eyes were drawn to the blush that spread across his cheeks. “I thought they might want another three or four, but a dozen? I’m going to have to contract some of the work out to get it done in time. It’s going to be a busy few weeks.” 

“Then let’s finish up in here and take the rest of the night to celebrate. We could go out for dinner or catch a movie if you want.” 

“We could. Or...”

She pulled the roller down in a long, even line, not daring to look away from the wall again. “Or?” she inquired along with the final swipe. Wall completed, Arden returned the roller to its tray and turned to face him. 

“I was just thinking that we’re running out of nights to have the whole house to ourselves. Maybe I’d rather just stay in with you.” With a mischievous slant to his smile, he worked the knot of her bandana loose and slipped it off her head. Fingers delving into her hair, Jaime’s lips met hers in a kiss that banished all other desires from her mind. 

Arden tangled her hands behind his neck, legs latching onto his waist as he hoisted her up by the thighs. “I like this plan.”

“Good.” He tightened his grip and began to move. Staggering into the hallway, Jaime paused so that she could pull the bedroom door to a close. I’m definitely not doing this with kids in the house.

“That’s probably wi---” The first in a trio of kisses to her throat brought her statement to a premature end. Arden was never sure how he managed kiss her and walk at the same time, but she wasn’t going to complain. As they continued making their way to the bedroom, she heard their door bounce against the wall with a hollow thunk. She flashed a sassy grin when he deposited her on the bed. “In a hurry?”

“We’ll have plenty of chances to sneak around later,” he promised as he joined her.

“Does that mean we can be as loud as we want tonight?” she asked coquettishly, reaching for the buttons on his shirt. 

It’s like you read my mind. 

_____

June, 2027

Jaime closed the bedroom door behind them, the click of the latch quickly giving way to an unnatural silence. Arden took a few tentative steps, crossing her arms in an attempt to relieve her feeling of uselessness. 

They rallied in the middle of the room, weary bodies falling to the mattress as they tried to absorb everything that had happened over the space of the last several hours. 

“I can’t --” 

“I just --” 

Words overlapping, they laughed at the sudden break to the stillness. 

“You go first,” Arden urged, tucking one hand up under her cheek as she studied her husband’s face. His eyes were sagging from lack of sleep, but she’d seen the spark of delight more times today than she could count. 

“It’s nothing I haven’t said before. But I can’t believe they’re actually here.” 

She mirrored his radiant grin, muscles straining with her thousandth smile of the day. “It still doesn’t feel real.” Arden scooted toward him, turning to her side so that her back was to his chest. “This isn’t like visiting them with the caseworker. We’re the ones responsible here.” Breathing sharply, a fear came to mind. “Do you think I should go and check on them to make sure they’re still breathing?”

Jaime pulled her close, the weight of his arms drawing away some of the anxiety that been solidifying since the morning.

“I’m sure they’re breathing,” he reassured, the words ghosting over her ear. “And they’re probably as exhausted as we are.”

“I know, but they’re in a new place. What if they can’t sleep?” Idly, she toyed with the smooth band on Jaime’s finger.

"They’ll learn to sleep here sooner or later. If we wake them up by going in to check on them, it’s just going to make adjusting even harder.”

She hummed her assent as her mind wandered. “Did you see how long Will sat and played with Opie? I’ve never heard that dog have such happy thoughts.” 

“Having kids around is going to be good for him. He was starting to get a little pudgy.” 

“Hey!”

“It’s true. He’s not a puppy anymore and Jinx doesn’t let him chase her around as much as she used to. It’ll be good for him to have someone to play with him more often.” 

“That’s probably true,” she conceded, falling silent once more. 

“We ought to start getting ready for bed.”

Arden nodded, but made no attempt to leave his embrace. “How long do you think it will take for this to start feeling real? Right now, it just feels like we’ve got guests in the other end of the house.” 

He sighed into her shoulder. “Probably sooner than we think. We’ll just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.”

End Note: I know that I cannot begin to capture what it’s like to be a foster or adoptive parent, especially since my writing is coming from research rather than lived experience. If you have a more complete understanding of fostering or adoption and have concerns about the way I’ve represented these topics, I would be forever grateful to hear your suggestions for improvement. : )