#(actually I take that back my dad picked up some recipes from nana for things we liked to eat at daycare)

[random2908]

My Nana’s special mac&cheese trick:

When you’re making the sauce, only use 3/4 of the cheese packet. And then when you serve it, sprinkle the rest on and don’t incorporate it. It tastes way cheesier that way.

[nct-lian]

nct 127’s relation to lian

TAEIL + LIAN: IL-LI

taeil used to wake her up for school when she was still a teenager :((

such a soft but overlooked duo

will appreciate each other forever and ever

lian teaches him roasts in english that he can say to johnny

remain each other’s hype man and woman

taeil was the first to suggest he and the other nct members react to the trailers of her dramas on video so they can boost them in popularity

promotes the HELL out of lian’s solo career over twitter

lian loves coming up behind him and just giving him hugs because he’s soft (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

they watch movies together a lot! but taeil has to come down to the fifth floor because lian hates it up on the tenth one

he was once able to grab her hand in an airport and they held hands the entire time :(( a few pictures went a little viral

they share hoodies NSHDHSHCJA

lian keeps bugging him to get an instagram

taeil will ALWAYS take her side in silly arguments she and the other members have sometimes

he makes fun of her height because she’s shorter than him-

he also used to help her with her homework :(

cried when lian went on her first date

“my child is growing up (´∩｀。)”

had to do a background check on the guy before he even allowed him to come in contact with her again, though

JOHNNY + LIAN: JOANN

johnny is her dad, period

no questions asked he is her father

will give her piggyback rides all the time

he was once woken up by her jumping on his bed and asking if they could go shopping

at 6:00 am

he actually got up, got ready and took her shopping but since it was so early, the stores were all closed

he took her out for japanese fluffy pancakes, though!

whenever lian is sick, johnny makes her his mom’s homemade chicken noodle soup recipe :((

speaking of johnny’s mom, she loves lian to death and always asks johnny if he’s taking good care of her

if they’re not being asked any questions or having to translate anything during interviews, they always whisper jokes in each other’s ears to try and make the other one laugh

because of how lian dies during the trailer of her new drama, johnny cried in front of twenty-two other men while they reacted to it

he was NOT embarrassed

“how are you guys not crying? this is so sad. what a cruel world we live in ໒( ˵ •̀ □ •́ ˵ )७”

kept screaming at lian’s “dream of you” performance video

“WHY ARE YOU ON THE GROUND DANCING LIKE THAT?!” “JISUNG COVER YOUR EYES-“

he once effortlessly picked up lian and moved her somewhere else because she wasn’t standing where she was supposed to be

everyone says that their ship name is something a white, suburban mom would be named. now nctzens pronounce joann like “joanne” ･x･

it was said on the zach sang show that johnny used to measure her height every month to see if she grows or not, and that’s the only reason why he has her height memorized

TAEYONG + LIAN: LIYONG

has lost lian in so many airports it’s not even funny

“hyung, what happened to lian?” “oh, you have GOT to be kidding me-“

whenever he doesn’t see her he goes into panic mode and starts asking if anyone has seen his little sister

“about this tall with really shiny hair? her cheekbones are insane, i swear. OH OH OH SHE WAS WEARING JOHNNY’S HOODIE- you don’t know what johnny’s hoodie looks like.. okay, well thank you for your help.”

one of the first members that she was comfortable with

lian said that he was her role model :’(

as the leader, he’s always taking care of her and will not sleep until he knows for sure she’s eaten

because of how lian never participated in any of nct’s first bit of promotions due to being too uncomfortable around them, she was allowed to skip out on the viewings of their relay video letters

but she was still required to make one for somebody and that somebody was taeyong ˵ ຈ ︿ ຈ ˵

she said that she was glad he was her leader and that she hoped to become closer one day

he cried

declares that he will take care of lian till the day he dies

taeyong had yelled at lian’s former manager until he voluntarily quit working for her- he had found out that lian was being overworked to the point where she collapsed during their dance practice and he wasn’t okay with it

always cheering her on backstage when she performs solo

he always tries to include her in guiding the members for their dances because he knows how happy it makes her

instead of having her carry her glasses around with her, he does it instead :D

“nana, do you have to wear your glasses now?”

taeyong tucks her into bed every night he can ᕕ( ཀ ʖ̯ ཀ)ᕗ

YUTA + LIAN: YUN

totally doesn’t have feeling for her, yeah

yuta is obsessed and when i tell you he’s obsessed, he’s obsessed

did i mention obsessed?

he’s jealous of everyone :(

yun stans insist that the only reason yuta is so touchy with winwin and mark is because he’s trying to cover up his feelings for lian

bye if that’s true-

hyuck wanted to give her a hug (a rare occurrence) and yuta straight up just said,

“mine. go away”

i have proof guys :// johnny recorded it and literally posted it on instagram

lian died internally when yuta cut his long hair because she couldn’t put it into ponytails anymore :((

but his hair is growing back now so she’s able to do it again :)

yuta teaches her japanese every tuesday and thursday!

we don’t bring this up because it’s pretty embarrassing but,, when nct 127 were backstage before performing kick it, yuta asked doyoung (who was in a direction where he could get a clear view of lian’s face) if lian was staring at him

how do we know this, you may ask?

it was caught on camera and everyone made fun of him for a solid week straight

he’s caught staring at her from afar way too often for comfort

lian says that he’s very pretty

much like the other memebers that have instagram, he makes story countdowns that he posts about a week before lian plans to release her solo music

DOYOUNG + LIAN: LIDO

another member of the lian protection squad

doyoung was the first to start calling her cupcake

it all started when doyoung was sick and lian made him cupcakes to make him feel better

will slap anyone who makes a flirty remark towards lian

was embarrassed for yuta when he asked if she was staring at him

said “no” and walked away

lian is the only one who ever shows him any mercy :’)

they have very similar taste in decor so they often go shopping together for things to put around the dorm

doyoung said that he spends the most time in lian’s room because it smells like vanilla all the time

he spoils her SO MUCH

like so much

half the plushies she owns at the moment were gifts from doyoung

has a tendency to watch over her and make sure she’s content at all times

“cupcake, are you hungry? i can make you some food if you’d like” “oppa, it’s 3:00am-“ “and?”

they take such pretty instagram pictures :((

at one point in time, doyoung was jealous of his older brother because lian used to crush on him a tiny bit :0

not because doyoung likes her or anything, she just couldn’t stop talking about how nice he looked in revolutionary love

disapproves of the staff giving lian such short clothing sometimes

“um, excuse me, she can’t wear that. are you crazy? go get her a new outfit, please”

JAEHYUN + LIAN: JAELI

not many people bring this up because we know it’s honestly a sensitive topic :|

but he lowkey has deep feelings for her (he makes it so obvious sometimes it’s kinda disappointing to see how oblivious lian really is to it)

jaeli + yun love triangle anyways

jokes aside, though, jaehyun loves lian so so much

once cried to johnny about how he doesn’t know what to do and that he didn’t want to make anything awkward by confessing to her

makes sure to be near her as often as possible

once scared away a whole kim taehyung from talking to her during isac ╰[ ⁰﹏⁰ ]╯ (let’s pretend bts were there for 2019 pls)

“jungkook, keep your friend away, please :D”

didn’t work, though, because they ended up having a conversation later in the day either way

*in the 97’ liner groupchat* “HYUNG IM SORRY HE RAN AWAY I DIDNT KNOW WHAT TO DOl

it was uncalled for but what can you do amirite ┐(´～｀)┌

lian pokes his dimples a lot and squishes his cheeks

just randomly hugs him but he’s not complaining

johnny isn’t picking sides but he became team jaeli after jaehyun broke into tears in front of him for the first time since they were trainees about how much he loves lian

sad,, i know

lian judges jaehyun for not sleeping with sheets

continues to believe he is not a human being, but a robot created in a lab

jaehyun smiles at her for no reason

JUNGWOO + LIAN: LIWOO

an instant bond formed between them when they first met!

jungwoo learned a lot about her and has developed so many ways to deal with her anxiety :(

gave the staff a guide on how to keep her calm when he went on hiatus because he couldn’t be there with her

buys her colouring books because he knows that they calm her down well!

liwoo went viral and become a popular ship when lian accidentally changed the nct 127 instagram profile picture to a jungwoo icon

she got scolded but it was iconic orange haired jungwoo with a chain-

an untouchable duo when they do double aegyo

nctzens think jungwoo is her favourite member

maybe because lian said he was

“ “who’s your favourite member?” hmm i’ll have to say woo-oppa!”

*cue jungwoo laughing at yuta’s face because he was that shocked*

they share secrets with each other so now they probably know the other like the palm of their hand

even though he’s off his hiatus, he still has to guide the staff members through lian’s little moments because sm staff suck at their job sometimes

they’re the two members who go grocery shopping together

more like jungwoo dragging lian to the grocery store with him but okay

jungwoo loves kissing her cheeks (〃▽〃)

their vocals mixed together are confirmed to be noises from heaven

lian misses his blonde bowl cut :/

MARK + LIAN: LIMARK

leader of lian’s natural length hair committee

like when i tell you mark hates her extensions-

mark was the first friend lian was able to make in nct!

they bonded over canada and it was very rare to see them speaking in korean

mark goes into straight panic when he’s with her sometimes

has to remind himself they’re like siblings

lian ans mark covered “your eyes” by hoody and jay park during a vlive!

it was adorable :((

lian had him saved in her phone as “android user” but now she doesn’t know what to change it to

they had a fight in 2019

mark let’s her call him the weirdest freaking nicknames ヽ ( ꒪д꒪ )ﾉ

mars bar, markie, mork, marko

AND IN RETURN HE CALLS HER MARIJUANA-

he says it’s because czennies consider her to be addicting and since marijuana is addicting as well he thought it’d be a good fit

someone on twitter absolutely ENDED HIM though and wouldn’t stop making fun of him (；⌣̀_⌣́)

they can read each other’s mind just by looking at each other

“dude i hate this shit why does she keep asking us who we wanna collab with?” *cue lian laughing hysterically*

“what’s so funny (゜-゜)” — interviewer

HAECHAN + LIAN: LIHYUCK

haechan makes fun of her kissing scenes in dramas

calls her short all the time

“lian give me a high five- oh haha nevermind it’s too bad you’re so short”

they’ve actually been so close to fighting each other and i’m not even joking

they’re the two members who fight the most out of all of them

but despite this, they love each other very much

hyuck says he’s the only one who’s allowed to make her mad

and if anyone else makes her mad he’d kill them

limark 2019 fight flashbacks where haechan kept threatening mark

there are actually moments when they’re clingy with each other-

haechan loves her hugs :((

like ??????? one minute they’re at each other’s throats and the next, they’re all lovey dovey hugging each other make it make sense ?????

lian could be speaking english and he’d say, “korean, please. i can’t understand canadian”

“shut up <3”

hello haechan cried and wouldn’t let go of her during her and mark’s graduation ceremony in 2018

she makes fun of him for it but never takes it too far

he goes to her for dance advice

during their nct 2018 weekly idol appearance when they were doing the random kpop dance thing, they beat everyone أ‿أ

[queerchoicesblog]

Epilogue: Underwater (SC Titanic, Zetta x Adele Series)

As promised, here the epilogue of the Zetta x Adele Series, folks. 

This is the very end of a project that meant me quite a lot to me and got me through the last terrible year. Thanks to all those who supported it: hope you enjoyed it and will enjoy this ending.

In case you were wondering, this song inspired the whole series, particularly the last chapters:

I will skip the tag list for once since it’s pointless anyway. 

➡️ Ch. 1, Ch. 2/1, Ch. 2/2, Ch. 3, Ch. 4, Ch. 5, Ch. 6, Ch. 7, Ch. 8/1, Ch. 8/2, Ch. 9, Ch. 10/1, Ch. 10/2, Ch. 11/1, Ch. 11/2, Ch. 12, Ch. 13, Ch. 14, Ch. 15 , Ch. 16, Ch. 17

_________________________

Almost a century after the sinking of the RMS Titanic and to celebrate Canada becoming the first country outside Europe to legalise same-sex marriage, the Canadian Film Institute decided to work side by side with several LGBTQ+ organisations across the world to put together an exhibition focused on the early queer cinema and the many queer stars who were forced to hide their true selves in the Golden Age of cinematography, spanning from 1890s till the aftermath of Second World War. "A testament to the role the LGBTQ+ community played in the history of cinema and that we have always been here, even if people hardly saw us" as a journalist wrote on a queer magazine. After the recent discovery of some private documents, the curators were overjoyed to include an icon of the 1900s - 1910s cinema like Zetta Serda into the retrospective and cast a new light on her extraordinary career sadly soon forgotten after the advent of the sound era. Yet, the silent picture star was mentioned as a model and 'endless source of inspiration" by many queer movie stars like Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Greta Garbo all part of the retrospective. Rumor has it that as soon as she landed in America, Marlene Dietrich demanded his agent a meeting with Mrs King.

A curator drove all the way to Montreal to meet the last known heir, a certain Mrs. Julia Nowak, who greeted him on the threshold of a cosy downtown apartment. She offered him a coffee and a slice of a Polish sweet bread: the recipe was a family heirloom, she explained, beaming. She was in her late fifties, a therapist, she said. Her hazel eyes gleamed when she added, in a pleasantly soothing voice that betrayed a hint of excitement: "I must confess I am so incredibly happy that you contacted me about the retrospective. I adore the idea and I will make sure to attend it. Also" she nodded to a wedding picture hung to the wall "did you know that my wife is in politics? She campaigned for the legalisation...yes, Madeleine Fournier: see, you know her! We got married right after the law passed. If anything, your call and project made me twice as happy". She took a pause, smiling over her coffee in remembrance. "Anyway, back to the matter of your visit...yes, as far as I know, I am Zetta's last heir. As you probably know, my family wasn't officially related to her but she stated otherwise in her will". She moved to the couch and gestured the curator to follow her as she opened up one of the boxes and chests piled into the living room and picked out an old album, the leather cover worn at the edges. Dust waltzed in the air as she opened it with caution and gentle care. She showed him a slightly discoloured black and white picture of a young couple kissing for the camera in front of a church. Another wedding picture, from a different era. "Nana Hileni and Papa Maciej's wedding picture. I still remember them even if they both died when I was barely a teen...as if one couldn't bear to live without the other. Or so I like to think. She would help me with the homework, mathematics particularly, and he baked this bread for me till he was too weak to do so. He always claimed that he won Nana's heart with his pastries but she always denied it laughing". She passed another picture of the same couple proudly standing in front of the Nowak family bakery in Hoboken. "Frankly, I believe that Papa's broad shoulders and Marlon Brando smile are more likely to blame for this coup de foudre" she laughed. "And he knew how to deal with her no-nonsense attitude and vice versa. They...balanced each other, if you wish". She picked another picture and handed it to him. A woman was looking down in tender adoration and awe to a baby nestled in her arms looking up at her, outstretching a tiny arm in an attempt to touch her face. "There! This is Dad" she pointed at the baby before turning the picture where someone wrote 'Alex meets Auntie Adele'. Turning it again, she pointed at the woman. "This is Adele Carrem. Or Auntie Adele as I've always heard calling her. Nana's sister and Zetta's publicist and companion" Putting it back into the album, she carefully picked a bunch of other old pictures. "You surely know who this one is" she smiled, handing out the one on top. The photo was rather grainy but you could still recognise the same kid, slightly older, around two, sucking his thumb, cuddled up in Zetta's lap. The actress had aged a little but her features were unmistakable and it was endearing to see her sitting by the fireplace to read that kid with the sleepy face a bedtime story. "Sadly, I have never met them. I wish I did, oh you have no idea...but stories of them lived through in our family" Julia continued. "My Dad loved his Aunties - as he called them - dearly and by what I've heard and read, they loved him in manner as if he was their own. He knew little of them or Zetta's career back then...to him they were just the sweet ladies who would buy him ice-cream in Central Park or take him to see his favourite pictures over and over again at the movie theater. He said he will never forget the afternoons he used to spend with them in a Manhattan cafe that no longer exists around Christmas: Nana and Papa worked like crazy as the festive season approached and the glorious cup of hot chocolate with an elegant puff of cream on top with the Aunties became a tradition to him. He kept it alive somehow as he did the same with me". She handed the curator a bunch of other pictures: Zetta cleaning up Alex's face smeared with jam, the both of them laughing; Zetta posing with Maciej and her Dad at a table in the Hoboken bakery. He eventually mirrored her smile seeing a five years old Alex at the beach all engrossed in building a sandcastle with Hileni and Adele, and he standing at the water edge hand in hand with Miss Carrem, looking out into the distance. "These are family pictures. I'll show you the Zetta's private memorabilia we cherished". Julia searched a little, opening an old chest and handling every item inside with tender care. When she found what she was looking for, she showed the curator an elegant set of smaller boxes containing letters, dried flowers and photos. "I have already received an offer to get these published. I'm still pondering it. Before agreeing, I want to consider throughly if this is a thing they would have wanted, even if they're no longer here" The curator nodded as she kept searching. He skimmed a few letters and smiled as his eyes fall on the photos hidden away in those boxes: the two women sitting together and chatting at Hileni's wedding, Zetta's reading a script, lazily sprawled on a chaise long in her apartment. Some had short lines handwritten on the back, like a promotional picture with "Missing you" written by Zetta herself. The curator showed another to Mrs Nowak: a visibly excited Miss Carrem proudly showing to the camera a document announcing her voter registration. On the back, in Zetta's penmanship: "On the way to vote...my sweet Adele won!". "Oh you didn't know? Auntie Adele was a suffragette! I couldn't believe it when I first heard it! Nana told me that she was in and out jail when they lived in London because of protests. You know, like those suffragettes you read about in history books but less famous. Yet she fought for women's rights and kept fighting for them even in America. She was quite disappointed though by some major decisions of some feminist movements and eventually joined a socialist Union 'more rightfully welcoming working class individuals, immigrants and black brothers and sisters'. It's all in those letters but yeah, you couldn't possibly know. So little is known about her outside family". A little smile drew on her face as she put back the photo. "That photo was taken the day of the first election open to women. I checked the date. I suppose Zetta wanted to immortalise the moment...it was sweet of her, huh? Auntie Adele must have been so proud and overjoyed that day! You know, my Dad was born in 1920 when women's right to vote was legalised nationally and Nana once told me that Auntie commented the lucky coincidence saying she was incredibly happy her nephew would get to live in a fairer world. She was a true force of nature...she never talked much of the sinking of the Titanic just like Zetta and Nana actually but when one day Dad asked...he was barely a child and probably found an old article about the tragedy...Auntie Adele minimised but Nana assured him that her sister saved her life that night, risking her own to go down to the belly of the sinking ship to bring her to safety. Auntie simply shrugged, saying that it was what sisters do and that they made it to the lifeboats only thanks to Zetta, who shouted protests to stubborn officers and eventually found them a spot on a boat. I cannot even bring myself to imagine how scary that must have been: I cried so much when Madeleine took me to see Leo and Kate...to think they were there and it was all real!" She picked a few other objects out the box: a Shakespeare Sonnets book in a leather cover with golden engravings, with a little handwritten dedication 'To Adele, my sonnet 116. Happy birthday! With all my love, Zetta'; old scripts with annotations, a framed photograph of Adele and Zetta slow dancing barefoot in the living room of a gorgeous Long Island mansion. "These have a sentimental value" Mrs Nowak noted, her voice betraying the flicker of emotions as she picked it up. She took a deep sigh and continued. "I remember the day I told Dad I was gay as it was yesterday. We had always been quite close so it came natural to tell him first. We were in his car, he had come straight from college to pick me up at ice-skating practice. I..I dropped it in the middle of a conversation, bracing myself for the worst. I heard so many bad stories about coming out to your parents I was terrified of the consequences but I couldn't hide it anymore. I mean, yes, in public: bullies get even nastier if they know and I didn't want people shouting me "dyke" at school. But I needed to get it out of my chest...with someone at least. He kept quiet for a moment and I felt like drowning in shame. But then he spoke". A nostalgic tender smile formed Julia's lips. "He said he had two amazing Aunties that contributed to make his life a wondrous adventure. It was thanks to them that he, the son of a baker, could attend a prestigious college, for instance: they offered to pay for it without asking a penny back. They also helped him write his first romantic letter to his childhood sweetheart and consoled him when the little girl turned him down. But his Aunties had a secret, he added. He said: to my kid eyes they were no less a couple than Mom and Dad and at home we all treated them in manner but one day Mom made me promise to behave differently when we were in public. In public I would refer to her sister as 'Auntie Adele' but call Zetta by her name. He didn't get it and it took some getting used to. He soon noticed that even the Aunties behaved a bit differently out in the sun: they wouldn't hold hands or use endearing words in the street or when other people were around. They simply behaved like good friends did. He understood it later when he, as stubborn as a mule, asked them directly". Julia gently grazed her fingers on the glass of the framed photograph, caressing it. "And they told me everything, he said. That they were in love, just like mom and dad were, but people out there could be uncomfortable and extremely rude to women loving other women and men loving other men. That they kept their companionship a secret in public because those people had no problems with women being friends and they didn't want to have bad words or worse happening to them. I remember asking him what he thought about it. He smiled. 'I cried. Since Auntie Zetta mentioned people claiming that women like them were sick and would burn in hell, I actually started crying. I sobbed desperately in her arms, crying that I didn't want them to burn in hell, I loved my Aunties and I was happy they loved each other. Eventually they explained me it was just a vile lie spread my malignant people. But I got quite a scare and kept staring at them with puffy red eyes and my face wet with tears for a while. It required lots of cuddling to bring a smile back on my face'. He shook his head, laughing of his endearing naivety. Then he pulled over and looked at me. He continued: 'I still don't get why people keep spreading those mean lies but I know for sure that my Aunties weren't sick and didn't end up in hell and so won't you. Don't believe bullshits like that for a split second, okay? And I also want you to remember that it doesn't change a thing for me and mom too. You will always be my little girl, our little girl and we love you'. We shared a long hug before driving back home. On the way back he insisted to buy my favourite chicken and waffles for dinner, saying mom's veggie soup could wait. For my birthday, a month later or so, he asked me to follow him to the attic and showed me this chest. To meet the Aunties that 'would have surely been there for me'". She tipped away a tear. "I told you I married Madeleine right after the legalisation of same-sex marriages. My wedding was also the last public event Mom and Dad attended together before his health worsened irremediably. He passed away last year". For a moment she looked on the verge of tears but she recovered quickly. "Sorry...anyway, that day Dad insisted on walking me down the aisle even if he was getting weak. He beamed with pride when a friend fixed a rainbow ribbon to his jacket. Later at the lunch he read a speech he had written for the day, his hand shaking. He shared the story of his Aunties. He said that despite the hardships their situation forced upon them, they had quite a happy life together, a happiness carefully hidden from the world. He wished us to find something similar to what they shared without needing to hide anymore. He said Adele and Zetta would have been so happy and proud to celebrate with all of us that day" Mrs. Nowak picked the Shakespeare Sonnet book and gave him a fond look. "He brought this to the wedding. And he read for us the sonnet 116, the one Zetta mentioned in her dedication. You know, the one that starts with 'Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments..." ----------------------- A few months later the exhibition on old Hollywood queer cinema and artists opened. Each artist had a room that soon filled with a crowd of enthusiastic visitors. In the first half, in a room arranged as a turn of the century nickelodeon with velvet chairs, all the memorabilia of Zetta Serda's public life: panels explaining the various stages of her career and the birth of her myth, promotional pictures of her performances, articles about her and a copy of a gazette announcing her wedding with the director Richard King. On the wall, on a screen her entire filmography rolled up in loop, bewitching spectators after a century. In display cases: the gorgeous sapphire necklace she wore on her last night on the Ship of Dreams and at the movie party of Surviving the Titanic, and a replica of her Cleopatra costume. The aging Queen of Egypt with a tragic love and destiny immortalised by Shakespeare was her last role back on the theater stage before retiring from the scenes. Old scripts with her personal annotation were displayed with photographs taken on sets and mundane events. The wall hosting the motion-picture screen cut the room in half. On the other side, the hidden half of her life. Her life with Adele no one suspected back then. A life kept secret that now unveiled in front of the eyes of the visitors. The curators discovered that finding public pictures of Miss Carrem was nearly impossible, true to the nickname she acquired as time went by: The Shadow. She stayed at Zetta's side until and even after she stopped acting, showing rare loyalty and devotion, but ever surrounded by this mystery allure. No one, even the most stubborn reporters managed to know anything about her and she was soon dismissed as a Titanic survivor, possibly a fan, who worked as Zetta's secretary and somehow gained her respect. Little they knew about the depth of their relationship and what stacks of secret letters and family memories revealed of the life of Miss Carrem. A panel finally told her story and her secret achievements: Adele, or better Adal, kept fighting for a fairer world and society her whole life and marched for women's right to vote on the famous parade in 1915. She also passed the teaching of Edith Garrud to her American sisters. The only pictures of her came from the Nowak family, except for one. The only photograph of a public appearance of Miss Carrem as well as the only known public appearance of Zetta and Adele. An old grainy photo accurately framed showed Adele shaking hands with The Unsinkable Molly Brown on a podium. In her free hand a shiny medal and a few steps behind the mayor of New York. According to the panel, the survivors' committee founded by Mrs. Brown decided to award Miss Carrem a medal for bravery and a generous check "to help her and her sister starting a new life in America". With great surprise, Miss Carrem received the medal and the check, thanked the board but refused the honors. Instead, she asked to deliver them both to the family of a certain Charlie Stoke, a stewart that lost his life in the sinking to save her life and those of many passengers. She added that her friend expressed the desire to study naval engineering one day and she wished that the money kindly offered to her would be enough to establish a scholarship for boys like him across the ocean. In another picture, Miss Carrem and her sister chatted with Moll Brown in company of Zetta. Eventually, other philanthropists and wealthy socialites signed checks for her cause so that the Stoke family received a generous contribution too. And today, as another picture confirmed, the faculty of naval engineering of the University of Newcastle hosts a marble engraving of Charlie Stoke: to his memory a scholarship had been instituted one year after on the anniversary of the sinking. Since 1913 it has been helping students of poor background to get an education and improve their life. Zetta herself became a philanthropist during her Renaissance and ever since. The first act of her new phase of her life was joining the Moll Brown survivors committee to provide help to the second and third class passengers families and survivors. Some said that the tragedy she witnessed touched her heart, other claimed that it was to be attributed to the influence of her publicist. Jokingly, she used to say that after all, she had too much money yet all she could have wished for in her life, so why not doing some good with it? A considerable donation under her and Mr King was received by the main hospital during the Spanish flu pandemic; she was particularly active in providing financial help to struggling neighbourhoods and female education institutions. In the middle of the room, a long glass display hosted the Shakespeare Sonnets opened at sonnet 116 and a selection of the private correspondence between Zetta and Adele. My darling, You will receive this letter tomorrow morning when I'll be already off to Chicago. The suitcases are ready and packed, this is a goodnight note scribbled the night before leaving you to remind you how much I love you and care about you. How much I'm going to miss you even if - thank God! - we won't be parted for long... Do not forget you promised me to write every day! Write to me, Adele, write to me whatever thought crosses that gorgeous mind of you: you know I could you rambling for hours without getting tired of the sound of your voice, of your sparkling wisdom. I wanna know everything. So don't be shy: I'll be waiting your letters with tender impatience. Can't wait to be in your arms once more. Adoringly yours, Zetta - Dear, dearest Zetta, I went to Central Park today with Hileni. It was a gorgeous spring day, sunny, a gentle breeze blowing: 'simply too beautiful to be wasted inside' as my sister put it. Did I tell you that she's still exchanging letters with the delivery boy from the hat shop? I thought they were over but apparently he invited her to the nickelodeon next week. Anyway, walking in the park with her I suddenly realised how I wanted to share that spring wonder with you. When are you coming back to New York? Tell me soon, please. And even 'soon' won't be soon enough: you're always on my mind since you left. But yes, tell me soon so I can make you promise we will go for a walk before the weather becomes too hot. Do you think I can wrap my arm with yours? Is it professional enough for a publicist? Even just for a few steps: oh you have no idea how I would love that! Or maybe you have? I hope so: it'd mean you miss me as much as I miss you when we are apart. Oh, I almost forgot: all settled with that magazine you mentioned before your departure! I negotiated a two pages long interview, plus pictures. And a cover mention. Hope I did well: you have already fired me as your secretary, I must prove you I am just what you're looking for in a publicist... Can't wait to see you again! Loving you always, Adele Only one letter was copied on a panel of its own on the main wall side by side with a blow-up of the picture of Adele and Zetta slow-dancing barefoot and free, for a blessed moment immortalised in a discreet shot. Adele pressing a tender kiss on Zetta's forehead, drawing a soft smile on the acrtress' lips. Many visitors commented it was heartwarming to see such a photograph that conveyed the intimacy and the warmth of affection radiating from the dancing couple. Some said that Zetta was even more beautiful like that: free, hair slightly askew and genuinely happy, loved. What stole their hearts away though was the letter attached to it. It was no surprise that the curators decided to name the retrospective Underwater. Dearest Adele, Forgive me for the tone of this letter. I am writing it down in bed while I cannot sleep and my mind runs back to you as if we could meet halfway between the miles separating us, in a world of fantasy of our own. It's ridiculous how much I miss you! I want you near, I need you near all the time. Take tonight: if you were here with me, I would be heavenly sleeping in your loving embrace. Most unfortunately, you are not and I'm lying here, insomniac, thinking of you. And about my life. No, don't frown. I am not getting all sad again. It's...bittersweet. And - I'll spoil you the ending so you will stop worrying, hopefully - it gets better the more you proceed. Have you ever felt trapped underwater? I did, my whole life. Always hiding, always measuring words, gestures, gazes not to let them see, not to let them know...so little time to go up and break the surface. Drop the mask and breathe. In, out. Once, twice. In my lowest moments I repeated to my myself: how are you gonna survive? One day an acquaintance with a remarkable passion for the sea explained me and the other bored commensals that you can keep someone alive by breathing oxygen into their mouth underwater. Pretty much like mouth-to-mouth resuscitation helps an unconscious person to regain consciousness. I found it interesting but doubted his words. Then I met you, Adele. My dearest, wondrous Adele. And I learnt that yes, you can't breathe if you're constantly underwater...but you won't drown if you have the right person swimming by your side in those deep waters. Put your lips on me, Adele. Touch me, hold me in your arms. And I can live underwater. With your love, I can live underwater. We can live underwater. I love you. I want to cover a full page of these three simple words: I love you. I want to cry them out and entrust them to the winds, to the night. But what for? Who cares if the world knows or not? I'll whisper them over your lips when we will be reunited. So you can breathe underwater. Counting down the hours separating us, my love. Eternally yours, Zetta

[hopeatermeetsgodzilla]

Chapter 20

Mothra crawled out of the hole, head upside down as she shook herself free of debris, hands and feet clinging to the ceiling as she crawled away from the tunnel. They had to use the tunnels that connected Styx’s temple to Dagon’s former nest to find their way here, after all. “Battra? Is everything alright?”

Battra groaned as he came out of the tunnel, holding himself upright with a pair of hands clutching at the ledge. His wings flapped a bit behind him. “I hate travelling underground in adult form, but beside that? I’m fine.”

“What the- WHAT IN METHUSELAH’S NAME ARE YOU TWO DOING UP THERE!?” Both Mothra and Battra bent their heads to look at the ground, a very confused Anguirus looking up at them from the bottom of the stairs that led up to the altar.

Both Mothra and Battra let go of their hold, flapping their wings as they neared the floor to cushion their fall. Mothra turned toward Anguirus. “Where is Godzilla!?” She asked with urgency in her tone. “We were at the Tapestry and his flower was all wilted and-”

“I- it’s alright, Mothra.” Anguirus started, making a gesture for Mothra to calm down. before pointing at the altar behind him. “Goji’s right there, and resting. He’s in a pretty bad state, but I was able to stabilize him.” He reassured her, a sigh of relief leaving the moth.

Battra pat her on the shoulder reassuringly, before looking up at Anguirus. “Do you know what caused his condition?”

Anguirus shook his head. “He doesn’t either. He said he was fighting Ghidorah, and then there was a bright light?...” He hissed through his teeth. “I can’t imagine what the surface looks like right now, with those three rampaging...”

“It’s fine, actually.” Battra started, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “The third member of your trio of idiots is somehow holding them outside of reality, and he shows no intention of letting go or dying anytime soon.”

Anguirus laughed, rubbing the back of his head. “That’s Rodan for you! There’s always one of us up to make Ghidorah’s life as difficult as possible! And...” He frowned. “Do you guys know what hurt Goji like that? Because it can’t be Ghidorah. It happened underwater, and they’re pretty useless underwater.”

“Probably humans.” Battra hissed.

Mothra turned toward her brother with a frown, and Anguirus looked at him, confused. “Why- no, how would humans be able to do that?”

“I don’t know how, but I do know the why: to prove that they can and are above obeying the laws of nature.” Battra hissed, Anguirus raising an unconvinced eyebrow in response.

“They’re small and harmless and you’re just looking for an excuse to go an another rampage.”

“Well, unless you can name a Titan able to do that kind of damage, I’m going to assume that humans- who have regularly proven themselves to be more dangerous than anyone gives them credit for- are behidn this and- Mothra where are you going-”

“I’m going to go check on my mate while you two argue like petty childrens.” Mothra answered as started climbing up the stairs, leaving Anguirus and Battra behind as she made her way to Godzilla. Her mate was currently lying on the floor, eyes closed and dark hair lying around him in a puddle. A distressed thrill escaped her as she approached him, kneeling down and putting a hand on his back.

Godzilla opened his eyes, labored breathing picking up as he woke up. He frowned in confusion when he saw her. “Mothra?... Why are you...”

“Hush, my love. That’s not important.” She told him, taking a hold of his face as she came closer. “What’s important is that I need to heal you.”

Godzilla nodded, letting Mothra turn him on his back as she laid his head in her lap. As her wings started to rise behind her, patterns glowing a soft shade of green, he spoke up. “Wait.”

Mothra looked at him, concerned. “What is it?”

“Before I go back to sleep...” He smiled weakly. “Can I get a kiss?”

Mothra smiled, bending down and kissing her mate. “Of course. Now, rest, and do not worry about everything else, alright? We’ll take care of it.”

Godzilla smiled, before allowing himself to fall into a deep sleep, a soft blue light surrounding them.

-

Madison stared at the ceiling, wide awake at a far-too-early hour to be awake at. She groaned. No use trying to get back to sleep now... she got out of bed, slipping her feet into slippers to avoid the cold metal floor. She quietly got out of her room, and then the two-room-and-one-bathroom quarters she had shared with her parents since first arriving at Castle Bravo.

She quietly tip-toed around the living area until she reached a small dining area, surprised at seeing light streaming out of the door. Was someone already awake? She opened the door slowly, surprised to see Florès standing in front of a coffee machine, wearing . She slowly came into the room, sitting at a small, round table. “Uh. I didn’t take you for an early riser.”

Florès turned toward her, somehow looking unimpressed. “Me estoy preparando para la cama, Russellita.”

It took Madison a few seconds to translate what the older man had said. “You’re going to bed now? It’s like 5:30.”

“Sí, no vi pasar el tiempo. Pasa algunas veces.”

“... Okay, okay. Can you switch to English please? I can understand Spanish, but you’re speaking really fast, and your accent is making it hard to understand.”

“Que- mierda, I didn’t notice. Sorry, I tend to forget how to use English when I’m tired.” Florès explained.

“It’s fine, it’s just- my Spanish isn’t really good...” She started. “I’ve been learning it for a year at school now, but I only have the grasp of a five years old on it...”

“And how fucking long do you think it took the five years old?”

“... okay, fair.” She sat there for a moment, looking in front of her as she thought about her dream. She didn’t notice Florès walking up to her until he put a cup of something in front of her. “What’s that?”

“My nana’s chocolate caliente recipe. It’s good.” Madison nodded, taking a sip and feeling the drink warm her up from the inside out.

Florès sat down with his own cup. “Something bothering you and keeping you up, Russellita? Pesadillas?”

“... I didn’t learn that word...”

“Nightmares?” Madison shook her head.

“I mean, it is a dream, but... it’s not a bad one. Just weird. I don’t think you’d be interested, it concerns the Titans.”

“Fire away.” Florès said with resignation in his voice. “It’s not like I’m ever going to be able to avoid hearing about these monstruos as long as I’m in Monarch. At least, the way you talk about them doesn’t fill me with pavor existencial at each word.”

“Well... Mothra and Battra were underground, talking to Anguirus while Godzilla was laying not too far away. At some point, Mothra went to talk to him when Battra and Anguirus started arguing, and she started healing him, and... kissed him? Anyway, I think Godzilla might still be alive.” Madison looked hopefully at Florès, who’s expression was incomprehensible. “What do you think?”

“I think you should talk about the fact that you seem to have an enlace psíquico with the Titans to your Madre.” Florès deadpanned, before frowning in confusion. “Padre? No lo sé, tell your parents you probably have magic powers related to the Titans. Wouldn’t be the first time that happened, you could hear Ghidorah talk, after all.”

“... Okay, but...” She sighed. “So much stuff has already happened to me, I don’t- I don’t know how they would react. Mom’s scared of the Titans, and Dad doesn’t really like them either... I think he thinks we should kill them.”

“Tonto.” Florès muttered. “As if we could kill demons.”

Madison frowned. “The Titans aren’t demons!”

“Then what are they!?” Florès asked. “Because Gods wouldn’t destroy the world they created for no reasons. I don’t- I don’t actually think they’re demons, okay? I don’t think they’re evil  But... you have to understand that they’re not good either. They’re like us, people, just scaled up and with magical powers. They just woke up in an unfamiliar world, and they’re confused and scared but they could also raze us to the ground as an afterthought, and we should leave them alone instead of studying them like wild animals. I’m calling them demons because it’s the closest thing I can think of to describe them, not because I hate them.”

“I don’t believe they’re Gods either.” Madison started, surprising Florès. “I never said that. In fact, I agree with most of your points. But... they live here. It’s not their fault they’ve been hibernating since before written language became a thing. We should try to figure out how to communicate with them, help them, not... cower away and hope they won’t kill us. And there’s proof it happened before! Titans, and humans, co-existing. Why can’t we do it again now?”

“... Russellita.” Florès started, a tired frown on his face. “I respect the fact that you think the Titans should be treated as amnesiac old friends who just came out of a coma. Por favor, respect the fact that I think they should be left alone to figure their own shit out.” There was a pause as they both sipped from their hot chocolate. “If you want, I’ll help you talk about it to an adult in the morning, okay?”

“... Okay.”

[elizabethemerald]

would you be interested in writing morgana/barbara fluff? Them cuddling for movie night (or something equally as soft and sapphic)?

Here you go! You said movie night and my brain thought to gay couple meeting their partner’s kids. Thanks for the patience!

Please Reblog if you like it!

Jim breathed out in relief as he rounded the corner. No matter how far he traveled, no matter how long he's gone, turning this corner always felt the same, like coming home. His bag was slung over his shoulder, as he walked up to the house he had grown up in. It would be nice to see his mom again. He rang the doorbell, but didn't have to wait long before the door was flung open. 

"Jim!" His mom cried out in joy. She immediately wrapped him in a tight hug. "Why didn't you call me? I could have driven you home."

"Hey mom." Jim said, holding her back just as tightly. When he finally pulled back his mom had a wide smile on her face and looking closely at his face. "I like walking in the twilight. Especially in this town. It's relaxing."

Barbara pulled him into the house, closing the door behind him. Jim set his bag down inside the door and carefully looked around his home. Things were much as he remembered, though he was happy to see that there wasn’t any excess dust or clutter. He had been half afraid that his mom wouldn’t think to straighten the house since he had always done it. 

“So it’s just you tonight?” Barbara asked. 

“Yep. Toby’s still on Akiridion-5 talking with Eli about his latest movie idea. Blinky and Aaarrrgghh are spending tonight together. And Claire wanted to go on a date with Darci, but it turned into a girl’s night with almost every girl from our class. So it’s just me.”

Jim smiled and held his arms out. Then he glanced over his mom’s shoulder. The Amulet of Daylight immediately flew to his hand and his lips curled back in a snarl. A growl rumbled out of him. Barbara turned to look at what had alarmed him. Morgana! The former Eldritch Queen had just walked out of the kitchen. 

“Jim! We talked about this!” Barbara said putting her hand against his chest. 

Jim struggled to rein in his emotions. He had known she would be here, it was still a surprise to see her out and about after all the hurt she caused Claire. He breathed in and out a few times and the light of the Amulet faded. 

For her part Morgana hesitated in the doorway for the kitchen. She had a tray of cups balanced on her good hand. A welcoming smile was frozen on her face. Her eyes flicked rapidly between Jim and Barbara, for a few seconds before forcing the smile to brighten. 

“Welcome home Jim! I thought it would be nice for us all to have some hot cocoa to warm up. Sorry it wasn’t done before you arrived!”

Jim stared at her, then nodded. “Would you mind if I have a word with you, alone?”

“Jim…” Barbara started, but Morgana walked past her, handing off the tray of drinks. 

“It’s quite alright dear, I’m sure it will just be a moment.”

Jim opened the door to the garage and ushered her in. He closed the door lightly behind her. Jim noticed she had replaced her former emerald prosthetic with a regular human one. Morgana fiddled restlessly with the long dress she was wearing. 

“I’m sorry to hear that young Claire wouldn’t be able to join us tonight.” Morgana said, once the door was closed, trying to force her voice to be cheerful.

“Claire is uncomfortable being in the same state as you, much less under the same roof.” Jim said shortly. He was surprised to see her drop her gaze in guilt. 

“I am … sorry to hear that.” Morgana paused. “I know it won’t mean much to her, but I am also sorry for … well everything I did to her.”

Jim arched his eyebrows. Even though his mom felt that Morgana had turned over a new leaf, he was still surprised to hear her apologize. Some of the anger he had walked into the room with cooled. He took a moment to resettle his thoughts. 

“I guess this is the shovel talk everyone goes on about so much?” Morgana said before he could say anything. 

“Yeah, except my shovel has a bit more weight.” Jim said, holding up his amulet. 

Morgana flinched back from the amulet that had been forged from her hand. Jim saw and quickly put the amulet away. He leaned forward and held his horns. 

“I just really don’t want my mom to get hurt.” He hadn’t expected the conversation to go this way. He hadn’t expected Morgana to be nervous, or remorseful, or to flinch from his amulet. 

“She’s been hurt before by her partners.” Morgana said, it wasn’t a question. His mom must have told Morgana about what she went through. 

“Yeah. By my dad and Strickler. And I promised that I would always be there for her. That we would take care of each other. With how much time I’m spending in New Jersey, I know I can’t always be there for her.”

“I know you have every reason to distrust me, but I promise you I have no intention of harming or allowing any harm to come to her.” Morgana paused, she fiddled with the gold bracelets on her wrists. “Even if I could ignore my personal feelings for her, she has done so much for me. Caring for me both before and after my fall from power, arranging for this hand, letting me stay in her home.”

Jim nodded. “I’m willing to put aside our past differences for the sake of my mom. I’ll give you a chance.”

“Thank you, Jim.” 

Morgana awkwardly offered her hand, then switched to her non prosthetic hand. Jim moved forward to accept the hand and she moved to offer a hug instead. Finally she settled for patting him on the shoulder. Then she laughed. 

“Did you get a version of this talk from Claire’s parents?” She asked. 

Jim laughed as well. “Yes. Several times. Once when I trashed her house trying to chase a changeling, once when they found out about Trollhunting, and once again when we got engaged. Honestly the first one was the worst.” He laughed again at the memory. “The scariest was Toby’s Nana. She had actually had a shovel.”

They laughed and returned to the house. Barbara had set out the cups of cocoa on the coffee table. She stood near the couch, unable too nervous to sit down, but relaxed as they both continued laughing. Jim smiled at her to show her the conversation went well. 

“Hey mom, I’m going to head upstairs and shower real quick.” Jim said, grabbing his bag from the entrance way. 

“Aren’t you going to have your hot chocolate before you do?” Barbara asked. 

Jim looked at the cup a little sadly before shaking his head. 

“I created the changelings. Do you not think that I could modify your recipe to appeal to trollish tastes?” Morgana asked.

He hesitated for just a moment. Then set his bag down and walked over. He took a small sip and to his surprise the cocoa was delicious! It even tasted like chocolate. Jim hadn’t had something that tasted like chocolate since before his transformation. 

Morgana must have seen his obvious delight as a broad smile split her face. She leaned forward and took a big sip of her own and so did Barbara. 

"I found one of your cookbooks when I was here recovering." Morgana said. "I love that you wrote your modifications to the recipes in the margins. Your mom always loves the cocoa when I follow you recipe."

Barbara giggled and sat down on the couch. "Is that why it's always so good? Because you're following Jim's recipes?"

Morgana sat down next to her. "Mmhmm. I had to make mine sweeter to match my tastes, but it's clear you've already nailed your mom's tastes down. Why do all the work again?"

Jim drank his down quickly. "I might have to get your recipe for this. It's so good."

"Are you sure you want to know?"

He hesitated, then nodded. "Claire and I agreed, no socks. Other than I'm getting more and more used to troll dietary needs."

"Good to know." Morgana said with a smile. 

The smile widened as Jim happily crunched the porcelain of the mug and ate it too. His eyes widened as he realized what he had done. Morgana forestalled the apology that was on his lips with a wave of her hand. 

"I gave you one of the chipped mugs we were talking about getting rid of." Morgana said. 

Jim smiled at that. He stretched, then stood up. 

"I do still need that shower. I swear the gyre tunnels are just filled with grime." He said. 

"Of course honey! Take your time. I'll pick out a movie that we can watch together!"

Jim nodded to his mom and hurried up the stairs. The shower was exactly what he needed. He had the water up hot enough that it would have boiled a human. But it was perfect for his troll hide. 

Once he was finally clean and relaxed he turned off the water and threw on some clean clothes. He would have to wash his travel clothes before he wore them again. Finally he was ready to head back downstairs. 

At the top of the stairs his ears perked up. His mom was laughing loudly in the living room and so was Morgana. Jim was surprised to find out she actually had a pleasant laugh when she wasn't cruelly laughing at the pain she was causing. Jim walked quickly down the stairs to join them. 

"Oh there you are! I thought I was going to have to call the city warn them you were going to drain the reservoir!" His mom laughed while she talked. 

Jim laughed as well and hurdled the rail skipping the last couple of steps. Then he flung himself down on the couch next to her. Barbara was leaning on Morgana's shoulder her hands entwined with her good hand. Barbara pressed play on the movie and Jim hopped up to dim the lights. 

It had been a long time since Jim had a simple movie night with his mom. Morgana's presence seemed to improve Barbara's mood immensely. 

Though Jim noticed Morgana didn't seem to be enjoying the movie very much. She kept untangling her hand from Barbara's to adjust her prosthetic. Jim realized the limb was probably much worse than her than her old magic one. 

"You can take that off if you want to." Jim said in trollish, when he saw her slip a finger under the cup of the prosthetic again.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Morgana replied in trollish. 

"I've been around amputees before." The three wars had not been kind to their combatants. Humans, trolls and Akiridions had all suffered from the fighting. Draal, Toby, and Zadra were all amputees. 

"While I'm glad you two are talking, it's a little rude to have a conversation I can't take part in." Barbara said with a small huff. 

"Oh I'm sorry mom, I was just…" Jim hesitated. 

"He was inviting me to make myself more comfortable." Morgana said as she undid the straps holding her prosthetic in place. She set the limb aside. Then she leaned around Barbara to address Jim again. “You speak trollish very well. You are improving quickly.”

Jim laughed. “I have to! Some of the troll tribes spoke English but not most of them. And I can’t rely on the amulet to translate for me.”

“Shh you two.” Barbara said softly She entwined her fingers again with Morgana’s good hand. She was leaning on the other woman’s shoulder more and more as the movie progressed. 

The rest of the movie passed without incident. When the credits were scrolling up Jim stood and stretched again. He looked down and noticed his mom had fallen asleep against Morgana during the movie. Morgana looked like she didn't want to move at all. 

"I can carry her upstairs if you want." Jim offered in a soft whisper. 

When Morgana nodded, he easily picked his mom up, her head resting against his chest. She followed close as he carried her up the stairs. Jim set his mom gently in her bed. Morgana fussed, taking off her glasses and tucking the blankets in around her. 

Jim decided to withdraw, he still needed to set up the couch downstairs to sleep on. He paused for a second at the door to his mom’s room. He watched as Morgana gently brushed his mom’s hair away from her face. He had never in his memory seen someone look at his mom that way. It was the same way he looked at Claire, Toby and Aja. They were his everything. And it was obvious, Barbara meant the world to Morgana. 

He softly closed the door as Morgana climbed into bed alongside his mom. It was clear his former enemy loved his mom, he didn’t have to worry about Morgana ever letting his mom get hurt. She really truly loved her. 

[everlarkficexchange]

Prompt 41

Written by: @wendywobbles

Prompt 41: Everlark based off the Hallmark Christmas Movies Meme:  I still going to watch them and act surprised when she falls in love with the small town baker who only wears sweaters instead of falling for the big city CEO? Yes! Does not need to be Christmas time, but definitely end game Everlark                                              

Thanks for the prompt, @historywriter2007!

AN: I hope I do some justice to this for you and put a smile on your face….I’m not sure it’s Hallmark Christmas Movie enough so maybe make some hot chocolate and put on the Michael Buble Christmas playlist to help set the scene!

Peeta Mellark had moved to District 12 to take over his Nana Sae’s bakery.  Running the place had been his dream since he was kid. He remembered how Sae had introduced him to the wonders of baking from a very young age.  She lit a fire in him that time had never diminished. 

His dad, William was an only child and while he loved his mother dearly the life of a provincial baker was not for him so he left at 18 for a Capital college and studied Law graduating top of his class. He worked hard for the firm he started with and was made partner before he was thirty.  He met and married Isabella and together they had the picture perfect life-or at least it appeared that way.  They had three boys Jackson, Davis and Peeta.  Peeta has been a surprise addition and when Isabella had found out she was expecting she was convinced that this was her much longed for daughter.  So when her third son was born she was devastated. She took to her bed and refused to leave.  She showed no interest in the child not even choosing a name for him, but while William fretted he actually did little to help his wife to deal with this situation. Instead he continued going to work and hired a nanny to take care of his youngest child.

When Sae came to visit she could not believe that at three weeks old the child was still being referred to as Baby Mellark. She took her son aside and gave him what for, she visited her daughter in law and gave her what for and then she gave the child his name Peeta James Mellark.  Isabella scoffed but she said nothing else after all what did she care what the child was called really? 

Peeta grew up, aware that he was not like his brothers although he could not figure out why. His mother lavished attention on his older brothers while he was often ignored.  His father was away with work so didn’t see the cruel and spiteful ways Isabella would torment her youngest son, which included sending him out of the Capital to a Boarding School. 

Peeta loved District 12 and spent all his school holidays there with his Nana Sae, he rarely visited the Capital or his family there.  In 12 he learnt old family recipes, invented new ones. He told Sae of his hopes and fears, he told her about his first kiss, his first love (although looking back it was more like lust). It was Sae he told first that he was planning on going to culinary school and not following his brothers to law school.  It was Sae who encouraged him to keep going when his parents refused to pay his tuition and it was Sae who paid them. 

As she got older Sae sat him down and told him she wanted him to takeover the business but before he could he needed to go see the world. So he did. He travelled around Panem and then to Europe and Asia working in small family run  places and large upscale restaurants honing his skills and seeing this he had only ever dreamed about.  He met a girl he thought he’d marry. A formidable chef from London with a lively smile and they shared many of the same interests. They were the perfect couple according to their friends and despite a year of happiness he knew something was missing, the “spark” just wasn’t there, so it was with regret that he decided to part ways with Clove.  He kissed her one last time in Trafalgar Square on New Year’s Eve and knew after five years of travel and adventure he was ready to come home.

He headed first to District 12 to catch up with Nana Sae. He filled her in on all that had happened and plans were set that that he would go home and tie up lose ends before returning to take over the Bakery in 2 months.  Sae meanwhile would oversee the conversion of the floors above into an apartment for him to live.  But as with all the best plans it didn’t quite work out like that. 

Two days after he left William rang to tell his mother there had been a dreadful accident and Peeta was in hospital.  After coming to see his parents a row had broken out and Isabella had raged against her son telling him what a disappointment he had been, how she wished he had never been born. Her words cut Peeta deep, but he wasn’t surprised by them.  He turned to walk away when his mother in a fit of fury picked up a tray of glasses and bottles of alcohol and threw it against the wall. It smashed sending glass flying in all directions one  large piece caught Peeta in the leg and immediately he began to bleed and bleed badly. He heard his father cry out as he ran to his side.  Peeta’s last thought as he slipped into unconsciousness was that he had never experienced true love…….

He lost his leg.

They tried to save it they said.  

And so the move was delayed while Peeta attended rehab and adjusted to life with a prosthetic .

He dealt with feelings of rage and anger. Let them consume him. Eventually he realised that he couldn’t live like that, he sought help and worked through his demons.  Old Peeta was gone but new and improved bionic legged Peeta was ready to get back to his life.

He arrived into 12 on a crisp September morning.  He walked to the bakery and instantly he felt at home.

“Well old lady aren’t you going to give me a hug” he dropped his bag on the nearest table and opened his arms.

“Peeta! I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow” cried Sae as came out from behind the counter and gave her grandson a hug “Let me look at you. You look well. So very good compared to last time I saw you. Now your furniture and stuff arrived and is upstairs. The additional rails have been fitted on the stairs and the bathroom modified”

“Good. That’s good” Peeta was no longer embarrassed by his leg and the adjustments that needed to be made to allow him to live his best life. 

September passed in a blur. Learning the ropes and adjusting to his new schedule took time but by October Sae felt comfortable enough to head to District 4 to visit her old friend Mags and leave Peeta alone.  This amused Peeta no end, he was adult but Sae seemed to forget that sometimes.

Peeta had begun to look at making changes to the place. He added new things to the menu. More variety and choices, specialised one of a kind occasion cakes and the addition of decent coffee had meant that Mellark’s was enjoying something of a renaissance. He had started to get to grips with some of Sae’s quirkier habits and had begun to introduce his own.

This included new opening hours.

Nana Sae only opened the bakery from 8am until the bread ran out, she was a one woman show for most of the time so this was suited her.  With Peeta the hours were 7.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday with 9.30am to 12.30pm Sunday.  He needed staff 2 full timers and maybe 2 part timers and although right now he could handle the baking, but he was considering taking on an apprentice.

He talked to Sae after Halloween, he found that she agreed and so they set to work looking for help and filled the full time positions. Sae suggested he get in touch with Katniss Everdeen out at Prim’s Roses to see if she knew anyone who might be worth considering.   He was vaguely aware of Prim’s Roses.  It was on the other side of town that was part drop in centre and part residential for local college kids. He actually wasn’t to sure what it was -a sorority maybe- but he trusted Sae so he called ahead, explained who he was and arranged to meet with the head of the place, a Ms Katniss Everdeen.

***********************

He arrived for their meeting a little earlier than he needed to be there and parked up in the drive way of a large two storey house with a porch.  The garden was small but well looked after. He looked around taking it in, it really was a lovely place and had a nice feel to it- welcoming and friendly.  He walked up to the two steps and knocked on the door. 

The door swung open and there stood a petite woman about his age he guessed, with long dark hair, currently pulled into a messy bun, she had eyes like liquid silver and lightly tanned skin and smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.  “Yes?”

“Oh hey, my name is Peeta Mellark I’m here to see Ms Everdeen?”

“Oh right, right. Hi I’m Ms Everdeen  come in. I’ll just bring you into the office.  Johanna?”

A short spiky haired woman appeared and raised an eyebrow.

“This is Mr Mellark, I’m going to have a quick chat with him.  Can you keep an eye on things?”

They went into a small room which housed a number filing cabinets, a desk, some mismatched chairs, an old computer that had seen better days and walls that were covered in pictures and photographs of girls in their late teens early twenties, smiling, graduating, some with kids and partners even pictures of  =pets. Each picture was different but  the same, all had a happiness in them that just seeped.

“So what brings you here?” Katniss got straight to the point as she gestured at one of the chairs for him to sit into.

“Well I run the bakery, Sae is my grandmother and I’ve taken over, we are looking for staff some part-time workers and Sae suggested I get in touch.  I guess because you are a sorority-“

“Mr Mellark Prim’s Roses is not a sorority.  We help girls transition from being in the care system and into the  world.  . For some being in care is all they  have ever known and they are wholly unprepared to live in the real world as it were.  Some want to go to college, others go straight to work, some don’t know what lies ahead. Here they get time, guidance and learn life skills” she said back in her chair and looked at him.

“Oh…right…ok…. I take it Prim was a person? And the “Roses” bit of the name is because like a rose  these girls need a bit of extra time and attention to flourish, but sometimes they come across as hard and have an inbuilt natural defensiveness to keep people away, kind of like thorns?” Peeta stopped why on EARTH had he even said that!!!!

Katniss stared at him, he had gotten the point of the name immediately. Most people just thought it was a play on her sister’s name. “Yes well most people don’t think too much about the name, other then to comment on how pretty it is. My sister and I were place in one of Panem’s Community homes after our parents passed away. I was  twelve and Prim was eight. At eighteen I aged out and left the system and the home. I wanted to take my sister with me but a very wise man I met in the Homes sat me down and made me go through my options.  The reality was I couldn’t take responsibility for Prim at that point in time.  I adapted to life outside that routine well but when Prim turned eighteen  she struggled. I was able to help her to get herself organised. For Prim that meant deferring  Med School until she was more confident in making her own choices and decisions. We discussed how useful having a person to help you through the first few months like I had been able to do for her.  And here we are.”

“Prim is currently in her first year of residency at a hospital in District 8 and what started as a conversation over a glass of milk has turned into this place.  When you age out the system, particularly one as controlled as Panem’s even the act of opening your own bank account can seem like huge deal, not to mention the problems from childhood don’t just disappear overnight.  Along with practical skills, like budgeting,  small things learning to change a lightbulb, we help girls navigate the mountains of red tape that exists and can stop them from accessing birth records and passports or even applying for driving licences. We also help them to link in with counselling-for some it’s grief counselling, other may require more long term medical interventions.  We do what we can to help.  We have successes but we also have failures but an old mentor once told me that failures can be viewed as learning experiences, everyone fails at some point, just keep trying don’t let it defeat you.  Granted to an 18 year old this probably seems like an awful motto . So why are you here?”

“Your girls- I’m sorry what should I call them?” Peeta wanted to make sure she knew he wasn’t here  to disrespect anyone.

“Girls is fine, for now” she smiled.

“Ok, would there be any interest in anyone applying for the jobs at the bakery?”

“I think so, part time positions?”

“Yes, initially although who knows what the future holds?” he smiled “I really admire what you are doing here. It’s fantastic really.  If there is anything else I can do to help you guys out please just give me a shout.  May I?” He indicated to a post-it pad and pen lying nearby and with Katniss agreement he wrote out his contact information.

“Mr Mellark, thank you so much for stopping by.  I’ll talk to everyone this evening and have anyone interested submit a CV?”

“It’s Peeta and yes that would be perfect” he stuck out his hand to shake hers, and when then touched he was jolted by something. She pulled back her hand clearly she had felt it too.

“Oww flaming static, I’m always the same” Katniss smirked “and Peeta you can call me Katniss”

They walked out to the front door just as Johanna appeared “Hey Kat, Gale Hawthorne of Hawthorne Electrics has just called. He saw you speak at a charity event and he wants to talk to you about funding”

“Wow Ms Everdeen- sorry Katniss you clearly have friends in high places.  I’ll leave you too it, and next time your in town drop in and say hi there’s a hot chocolate in it for you”

Before she could answer Johanna called out “Promise to Irish that hot chocolate up and I will definitely pop in Blondie”

And that was how Peeta met Katniss.  And Johanna.

********************

In the course of just a few week Katniss and Peeta became good friends, despite the fact that they were completely opposite in many ways:

He liked art. She didn’t see the point.

He was a morning person.  She was not.

She was hot headed. He was calm.

She could sit for hours quietly. He was a chatter box.

He had the patience to complete intricate cake designs creating masterpieces from just sugar, water and food colouring.  She was good at eating his cakes the decorating part no so much he let her once, never again.

He liked tea, she drank coffee.

Her childhood before her parents had passed away had been happy, Peeta’s had not.  Katniss hated that Peeta had had such a rough time but loved that he still say goodness in  the world.

She never wanted to get married. He did.

He wanted kids, she didn’t

She loved Halloween, he loved Christmas, and now that December was on the way he was getting down to the serious business of choosing Christmas sweaters for his staff.

She had the voice of an angel, he did not.

But for each difference they had many things is common.  They were hard workers, kind hearted, generous, giving, they enjoyed 1980’s movies of any kind and a love of Gordon Ramsey that bordered on obsessional.

******************************

Peeta had hired Rue and Glenda-or Glimmer- as she insisted on being called- from Prim’s Roses. Rue was attending college studying Computer Science. Glimmer didn’t know what she wanted to do and quite by accident they discovered that Glimmer has a knack for cooking, even old Sae was impressed. Glimmer had an incredible natural palate and talent that most chefs could only dream of.  Peeta and Katniss helped her to apply for culinary schools, and looked at the various options to fund this for her. She was accepted to school in District 2 but although she had received funding to cover the cost and had received  a small stipend when she has aged out of the system she still had to figure where she was going to live and then work so she should could look after rent and bills.

Peeta remembered an old buddy of his had a place in  2 and put in a call.  Cato immediately offered up a solution. He was short staffed so she could work at his bar/restaurant part time. Initially a waitress position but he could give her some kitchen work as well.  Katniss called Enobaria Lewis who she knew ran a similar project to hers in District 2 and explained the situation.  A couple of days later she had a room in a shared house to offer Glimmer.  The other tenants were of similar age and background. Sae paid for Glimmer to out to meet Enobaria and the other girls to see if they “clicked” after all she was moving so far away. Sae had a huge soft spot of Glimmer and she was worried “her baby girl” would get there and everyone would hate each other and Glimmer would be stuck. Luckily they all hit it off. College didn’t start until January but Glimmer decided to move to 2 more or less straight away she could start work full time, earn some cash, get to grips the with city and be completely settled in by start of the course.                                                                                      

*************************************************

Right now Peeta and Johanna were sitting in the living room of the Prim’s Roses house listening to Katniss practice the presentation she would be delivering in two days to the Board of Hawthorne Electronics. 

Gale Hawthorne had been in touch and then arrived into District 12 for a one to one meeting with Katniss three days after Peeta had met Katniss to discuss funding for Prim’s Roses.  Katniss was taken aback by the gorgeous man that stood in front of her.  He was tall, had dark hair, grey curious eyes and when  he smiled his face changed so much he looked younger more, carefree.

 They had quickly got down to business he told her the Hawthorne Electronics was interested in providing her and her organisation with funding to help her grow,  They needed new equipment, additional space and to increase the supports to the service users and  they would like to back them. Gale had a quick mind and asked all kinds of questions but Katniss was able to answer them. 

“Katniss, you present like this it the Board and I can’t see how they can refuse you. They will love you”

Katniss was beaming and then Gale has asked her out. She said yes.

Gale was the perfect partner for Katniss. He loved the outdoors and hunting so the house was well stocked with meat for the coming months. He had a drive to match her own. He loved his family and they were the main driving force for him to succeed.

Although sometimes he wasn’t the most observant  and didn’t really listen. Like the time he bought her a new jacket to replace the old leather one she wore. She thanked him but politely told him to take it back , explaining once more that her current jacket belonged to her father and she wasn’t ready to let it go just yet.

When he kissed her, Katniss first thought was “Well this is nice” her second was “Who describes their first kiss with her boyfriend as nice?” she brushed it aside.   Katniss relationship with Gale was easy she knew not every relationship was fireworks and drama. They lived so far apart and they weren’t  living in each other’s pockets that it suited Katniss. Sometimes their only contact was a few text message a few times a day, but that was normal right?

Now with days to go before the big presentation Katniss was a ball of nerves.

“Katniss you will be amazing. They will love you.  You speak from the heart but you have all the facts and figures, research results and testimonies to back up what you’re trying to do.  If they pass up an opportunity to partner with you then they are fools” Peeta stood up and pulled her into a hug, again they were blasted by static.

“Mellark! Will you take off that awful polyester Christmas jumper when you touch me me it’s like hugging an electric fence”

Johanna snorted “Ah leave him alone I happen to think he looks positively festivetastic in that”

A knock on the front door interrupted them.  Katniss answered it and there stood Gale a large bunch of roses in his arms. “Hey babe” he said as he leaned in to kiss her “I thought maybe you could come to the city with me a day early let me show you around before the meeting? Here these are for you. Roses being your favourite after all” he gestured round as he said this.

“Erm Gale I can’t just leave. I have things that need to do before I go. I’m sorry but this was a wasted trip for you”

“Can’t Jo look after things?” Gale dismissed her concerns.

“No. Absolutely not.  Gale if you have free time why don’t you stay in District 12 and then travel up with me tomorrow night?”

“Great idea babe, I’ll grab my stuff”

“Gale you can’t stay here.  Seriously, we’ve been through this, it isn’t appropriate while I live under the same roof as the girls. Book into the hotel in town I’ll swing by later if I get time if not I will meet you for breakfast” she leaned up and kissed him.

“Fine” Gale snapped and walked away.

Katniss looked at the roses and then at Johanna “Please get rid of these.  I absolutely hate the things”

Peeta laughed at her “Poor fella, he should have just brought you some dandelions they are your favourite after all. Right to the kitchen we have a cooking class to teach” Peeta had taken to giving lessons to anyone interested in learning to cook.  He was teaching them how to make nutritious meals but that were low cost. He was also showing them some no cook ideas.  They classes were proving a hit.  Even Katniss was learning something.

****************************************

The presentation went better than planned and plans were in motion for funding to start in the New Year. 

The night after celebrating Gale told Katniss he loved her.  She was stunned. Did she love him? She respected him, enjoyed his company, they had fun, kissing him was ok and the couple of times they had “made love” as he insisted on calling it had been nice-he didn’t make the earth move but so that stuff was overrated right(if she was being honest no man she has ever slept with had rocked her world) Maybe it was love? So she smiled and said “Ditto” he laughed and told her she was so cute.

****************************************

With a week to go to Christmas District 12 was blaze of festive colour. Peeta had gotten the local vendors to agree to contribute money toward new lights and  to put  a giant tree being up in the town square. Shop fronts were painted, there was Carollers singing  dressed in what she assumed was Dickens style clothing all bonnets and hats.  In Katniss opinion it looked like Christmas itself had vomited on the town.

Gale and her were walking along hand in hand stopping here and there to look at this and that, and Katniss was content.  Gale was the perfect boyfriend, everyone said so.  Prim who was in town for a few days was bowled over by the charming, educated, wealthy Mr Hawthorne and declared he was a vast improvement on Katniss last boyfriend Darius.  They were heading to Mellark’s to grab some hot chocolate before heading back to the house.   Gale was particularly keen to get back to the house. 

When then entered the bakery Katniss was overwhelmed by the scent of ginger and cinnamon.  It smelt just like Christmas should.  She waved to Rue and Diana, who had replaced Glimmer. Peeta had opened up the interior a bit more since taking over so people could sit and have coffee. He told Katniss he planned to do more as time went on but for now he was happy at the pace things were going. Peeta came through from the kitchen with fresh cookies and Stollen muffins, he nodded at Katniss and Gale. Gale returned his nod Katniss waved and asked him if he had a minute.

“Hey guys how are you?” Peeta walked towards them Katniss noticed he was limping slightly.

“We’re good but you by the looks of things haven’t been looking after yourself properly? Are you getting enough rest?  Did you fall asleep last night without taking your leg off? “Katniss asked.

Gale’s head swivelled to look at Peeta “You have one leg?!” he blurted out

Peeta snorted laughing “Yep, you didn’t know? I’m part bionic so don’t ever challenge me to a race I’ll easily beat you”

“Stop teasing him Peeta and let me introduce you to Primrose my sister” she waved to Prim would was currently shoving a muffin in her face.

“Oh my god Katniss…this stuff is amazing…”

“Thanks glad you like it. I’m Peeta the maker of those amazing muffins”

They chatted for a bit until Gale cleared his throat and told Katniss they needed to go.  As they turned to leave Rue whistled and pointed about Peeta’s head  where a piece of mistletoe was hanging.  “You know the rules” she giggled.

Gale laughed and kissed Peeta on the check, then Diana called out to Katniss “Come on you’re more under it then Gale give Peeta a kiss”

The was absurd thought Katniss but she leaned in and went to place a kiss on his cheek, Prim was laughing and pushed Katniss, she stumbled and her kiss landed closer to his lips then she intended.

And there it was that spark of static again but this time with the jolt images that shot through her head: a wedding, laying in a meadow with Peeta plaiting her hair, two children one dark, one blond, she pulled back from Peeta the confusion she felt was mirrored in his eyes.

“Ok, well bye” they both said at the same time.

Peeta practically ran back to the kitchen wondering what the hell had just happened?

Meanwhile Katniss walked out the door wondering exactly the same thing.

*****************************

When they got back to the Prim’s Roses house, Gale was giddy like a child and Katniss was distracted.  He sat her down and began a speech about although they had only known each other a short time, he was certain she was “the one” and he wanted to give her something.

“Hmmmm what sorry Gale? What’s one?”

“Aren’t you listening  I said you’re the one. The one for me. We are physically and emotionally compatible and well I don’t see the point in waiting I am a man who goes after what he wants. So Katniss Everdeen will you marry me?” Gale stood there with a yellow gold ring with a huge pear cut diamond.  It was beautiful but it wasn’t her. She looked Gale in the eye and shook her head.

“I’m sorry Gale no, I can’t if I accept I will be condemning us both to live half a life. You are wonderful, truly wonderful but you need to find someone who makes you spark. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes. I think I do” he sat down beside her “On paper we’re perfect but the reality is not so good. I think we might be better friends than life partners”

Katniss laughed “Gale, that exactly my point I don’t want to be a “life partner” it all sounds a bit businessy when you say it.  You deserve the world and you won’t get it with me. As your friend though can I give you one tip? They next time you propose to someone and you have to describe the two of you “as physically and emotionally compatible” stop and run away. They are not the one for you either”

He looked at her and the two of them burst out laughing.

A short time later Gale got ready to leave. He  told Katniss he would be in touch regarding the funding and he would like if possible to look at bringing the Prim’s Roses model to other areas to help young men and women adjust to life after care.

News of the break up spread, Katniss wasn’t too upset.  Peeta asked her about it.  She felt weird talking to him but she told him the truth that there just wasn’t enough between them to grow a relationship.

Things continued as they had always done Peeta helped out when he could, Katniss regularly visited for free hot chocolate. They didn’t mention the kiss at Christmas time . Rare night off together were spent watching Masterchef US and bad 80’s movies.  With the additional funding Katniss was able to hire some new staff one of her first hires was a young Social Worker called  Leevy who was one of the first girls to come through Prim’s Roses doors.  She was a great fit for the place.

Gale rang Katniss six weeks after the break up and told her he had met someone.  She laughed when he told her that when they kissed for the first time he would swear fireworks were going off.

On the night before Valentine’s Day Katniss sat on Peeta couch watching that most romantic of movies “The Goonies” and she realised how absolutely content she felt, she reached to grab some popcorn just as Peeta did and their hands touched, there was that jolt again only this time she didn’t pull away and neither did he.

 The never made it to the end of the movie.

But Katniss did discover that night that with the right person the earth really can move.

As for Peeta  well Peeta finally experienced true love firstly with Katniss and then three years later when their twins were born, a raven haired girl and a little boy with a mass of blond curls.

[keepcalmimthecupcake]

She’s From Boston part 6

Steve McGarrett x ofc

Word count:  2697

Warnings: Car crash

A/N: It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted on this story. If you want to catch up, you can find the other parts here: 1  2  3  4  5   Feedback is lovely and fuels my muse’s fire. If you enjoy my work and would like to buy me a coffee, you can do so here.   If you want to read my other works, you can find those here.  Special thanks to my lovely beta @fandomoniumflurry who kept me on track as best she could and helped me work through my block. <3

After a quick trip to the grocery store to buy some steaks and a few other items, Steve and Sophie made their way back home. She was totally relaxed now, even laughing heartily at Steve’s silly jokes. She had only known the commander for less than a week, yet it felt like she’d known him for years. She felt completely comfortable in his presence, which was something she never thought possible with anyone but Lydia and Michael. As the pair crossed through her mind, she made a mental note to call them and let them know everything was alright once she and Steve arrived home.

The grocery items were brought inside and Steve went up to shower while Sophie put things away and fired up the grill. As she waited for it to heat up, she picked up her phone and called her cousin. “Lyd, it was awful! I was so scared! Steve and Tani went inside! But everything turned out ok. Steve took them down.” Lydia could hear the pride in her younger cousin’s voice as she spoke about this hero named Steve McGarrett. The way Sophie spoke about him, the man seemed like he could walk on water.

They talked a little longer, then Sophie ended the call to begin cooking. Steve finished his shower then came downstairs to attempt to help with the grill, but his hand was promptly swatted away. “You’ve worked enough today, mister!” Sophie said. “Sit back and let me pamper you a little.” While the steaks were searing to perfection, she cubed up some potatoes, added a few garlic cloves and other spices, then wrapped the lot in some tin foil to throw on next to the meat.

Steve sat outside on a lawn chair sipping a beer and watching her work. He smiled as she moved about, curious about this potato recipe. When she brought the foil wrapped package out and placed it on the grill, he questioned her. “Where did you learn the potato thing?” She turned to him and smiled. “My dad taught me a thing or two about grilling. Actually he taught me a lot of things about cooking in general. My mom was a good cook, but my dad was a great one.”

The two talked about Sophie’s life growing up in New England as dinner cooked. She checked the food once in a while, then sat back down to answer his many questions. Why he was interested in her younger years, she didn’t know, but it felt nice to have someone interested in what her hopes and dreams and fears were. Some of the questions hit a nerve she wasn’t yet ready to pluck just yet, but Steve understood and did not pry.

When the meal was finished, she plated the food and set the dishes down on the small table between them. They ate in silence for a few moments, then she looked over at him. “What about you? Have you always lived in Hawaii?” Steve chuckled and went silent for a moment. “I was born here but I moved to the mainland when I was fifteen, after my mother passed. That’s a story for another time, though.” Sophie smiled and nodded, understanding that each probably needed to get to know the other better before such intimate details were spoken of.

Steve complimented her cooking skills several times as they ate, stating that she’d have to teach him her potato recipe. A comfortable silence set in for another few moments, then Steve looked over at her. “I’d like to hear some more about your childhood. What was one of your favorite things to do?” Sophie thought for a moment then smiled. “Well, autumn was a kind of big thing in my neighborhood. There were several people that had grand Halloween parties. Those were always fun, even if pretty spooky sometimes. The best haunted houses were there. But my favorite thing during that time was apple picking. I don’t know why I enjoyed it so much, but the apples always tasted better fresh off the trees.”

She paused and took another bite of her food, then laughed softly. “Of course, there was the time that I broke my arm at an orchard. I should have listened to my dad when he told me not to climb too high, but there was an apple that looked absolutely perfect and I was determined to make it mine. So I climbed higher and higher. ‘Sophie, I said don’t go too high! I’m not taking you to the hospital if you fall!’ he told me. But when I did inevitably fall, he was the first one at my side, followed closely by my mother. When we got home after the trip to the emergency room, he sat down with me. ‘I hope now you understand why I told you not to climb too high.’ he said and I just nodded. He often told me things and I didn’t always listen. I still wanted to try things. But if his warning came to pass, he would always make sure I understood why he had given his advice.” The silence once again sat in, Steve allowing her to get lost in her memories as they dined.

Once the food was finished, both fully satisfied, they cleaned up the table and moved to the living room. “It’s still your day, Princess Sophie. You pick a movie.” Steve said, a bright smile on his face. She blushed slightly and began to look through his movie collection. Most of them were action films. Though several were among some she enjoyed a lot, none were quite what she was in the mood for. “Ok you’re gonna think I’m silly, but I have a movie up in my room that I’d really like to watch right now.” Steve nodded his approval and she made her way to her room to search through her backpack, where she kept a few of her favorite movies that she’d brought with her.

After finding the film, she returned to the living room and turned on the dvd player. “Ok promise you won’t make fun of me for this? I used to watch this with my parents all the time. It’s one of my favorites ever and….” With the talk of her parents and her childhood, memories were flooding back to her and tears prickled her eyes. “I just kinda wanna watch this right now.”

Steve chuckled and sat down on the couch. “I promise I won’t make fun of you for it. ” Sophie pushed play then joined him on the couch. “It is considered a kids kind of movie but I think it’s for adults as well. It always makes me feel...I don’t know. I guess comfortable would be a good word? It brings back a lot of good memories for me. Dad would always pop us some popcorn and pour some apple juice for me. I probably drank an orchard’s worth of apple juice as a kid.” she said, laughing softly.

Both went silent then, watching the screen as the opening of the Wizard of Oz began to play on the screen. “Now this brings me back. I watched this with my parents a few times, too.” Steve stated simply, placing an arm on the back of the couch behind her. They settled in to watch the film, but when Steve looked over at her not more than a half hour after it began, he saw that she was asleep.

He chuckled and moved to pick her up. Carefully, he climbed the stairs and placed her gently on her bed. A blanket was draped over her, as the night was beginning to cool down and her window was open. When he went back downstairs, Junior was walking in the door. The younger man saw the film still playing on the screen and he raised a brow in question. “Sophie picked a movie to watch. She’s clearly had a long day, though. Passed out not long after it started.” Steve explained as Junior got himself some food, then sat on the couch.

She was back in her childhood home, fourteen years old once again. The gray autumn afternoon loomed over them, but the temperature was still rather warm. Rain had been threatening for days, but none had yet fallen. She was reading the newest book in her collection out under her favorite tree as her parents were packing up for a weekend trip to their cabin. She had decided she’d rather stay home and read, and her parents had agreed that she was old enough to stay on her own for a couple days. It probably had helped her case that her grandparents lived next door.

Once the car was packed, her parents walked over and gave her some last minute instructions and her father handed her some money so she could treat herself and order take out for dinner that night. They kissed her, hugged her and told her they loved her, and she returned their affection. She was anxious to be staying by herself, but she knew if she got too spooked, Nana and Papa would welcome her to stay with them. She smiled and waved as she watched her parents walk away. Her smile faltered a bit, though, when the first few drops of rain caressed her face. This meant she’d have to go inside now.

After settling herself in the rocking chair, she decided that she wanted to work on the crochet project she’d begun a few days before. Nana had taught her the craft and Sophie was excited to make her first blanket. Of course, it would be a Christmas gift for her parents. She didn’t know how much time had passed, but it was beginning to get dark and her stomach was rumbling.

She moved to the kitchen and looked in the drawer for the takeout menus, trying to decide what she wanted. Pizza was decided on and she called in an order for a large Hawaiian pizza. She settled back in now, the steady rain calming as she resumed her project. After some time, she heard a knock on the door. ‘Pizza got here quick’ she thought, but when she went to the door, it was not the pizza guy.

Lights from two police cars flashed in the darkness and two somber looking officers stood at the door. “Is this the home of Leonardo and Marilyn Russo?” the younger looking officer asked. Sophie’s heart thudded in her chest as she nodded. Her mouth was too dry to speak. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nana and Papa walking over. “Miss, is anyone here with you?” the second officer asked. Sophie shook her head, her voice raspy as she spoke. “No, but my grandparents are here.” she said, pointing to the elderly couple that had reached the bottom of the stairs.

“I’m so sorry to tell you this, but Leonardo and Marilyn were in a car crash about an hour ago. A drunk driver hit them head on.” the young officer said, his voice cracking slightly. “Neither of them survived. I’m sorry.” Sophie’s head began to spin. The lights made her even dizzier and she heard a scream in the distance. She didn’t realize it was her own scream until Papa’s arms were around her, catching her just before she hit the ground.

When the two men heard the scream from Sophie’s room, they both leapt to their feet and bounded up the stairs. She was sitting upright on her bed screaming and crying. She was confused for a moment, then realized where she was now, and whose arms were now around her. They weren’t Papa’s arms. He had died almost a year ago. They were Steve’s. “Hey. Hey I got you. We got you. What’s wrong?” he spoke softly, gently caressing her hair.

It took a moment before she was fully aware that she’d had a nightmare. It had been a long time since she’d dreamt of the worst night of her life. “Come on. Why don’t you come downstairs and we can talk about it if you want.” Steve practically carried her back down the stairs and sat her on the couch. “I…..I dreamt of the night my parents died. I hadn’t for a long time. I don’t know why I did tonight. I’m sorry for startling you guys.” Steve and Junior both frowned. “You don’t have to be sorry for that.” Junior stated. “We were just concerned is all.” He went to the kitchen and brought her back a bottle of water.

“It was probably my fault. I’m sorry for asking those questions earlier.” Steve stated. “No, it’s fine. I’ve talked about them before and didn’t have any nightmares. They haven’t happened for a long time.” she restated. “I like talking about them. Sometimes it makes me sad, but I want to like I don’t know….keep their memories alive. That was a really bad time for me. I was fourteen. I went to live with my Nana and Papa after that, but about a month after, we moved. It hurt us all too much to live next door to where my parents used to be.”

The next few hours were spent with Sophie telling the men tales of her youth. She told them about the time she and Lydia had nearly gotten arrested because her cousin had “borrowed” her parents’ car. What the older girl hadn’t said was that she hadn’t informed her parents that she was taking the car and they’d reported it stolen. The cop pulled them over and Lydia was in tears as she tried to explain that it was her parents’ car. This story earned a loud peal of laughter from both men.

Her eyes went slightly misty and a smile graced her face when she spoke about being the maid of honor at Lydia and Michael’s wedding. “Everything was perfect! It was supposed to rain that day, but the sun shone bright the whole ceremony. They wanted to get married in the place they met, which was on a beach in Maine. The rocky coast, ocean splashing behind us, birds chirping, the scent of the ocean and the many MANY flowers just…..” She trailed off for a moment then blushed slightly and chuckled. “Sorry. I got lost for a minute. Anyway, I owe them so much. They are the ones that got me here. Honestly, if it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t even be alive right now.” Several other tales of her adventures with Lydia were told, some sad, some happy, all helping to make the nightmare disappear as her thoughts focused on two of the most important people in her life.

After a while, Junior excused himself to go up to his room. Steve and Sophie stayed downstairs and finished the Wizard of Oz. When it was over, Sophie turned to him, her cheeks flushed slightly. “I have a request. It’s weird, I know. But I feel….safe with you. Would it be ok if I slept in your room tonight? Or at least for a little while. I’m still kinda shaken by that dream.” Steve smiled and nodded. “Of course you can. I’ll be your personal dream catcher. If anymore bad dreams want to get to you, they have to go through me first.”

The pair made their way upstairs and Sophie collapsed onto the bed, still in her clothes. She didn’t bother to get under the covers. The room felt rather warm tonight. She felt kind of odd being in Steve’s bed, but he didn’t seem to think anything of it. They were friends, after all, and he wanted to assure that she was able to sleep peacefully. He was glad that she felt safe with him. As she lay there, she wondered how many other people felt safe because Steve and his team were always on duty to serve and protect. Her eyes were starting to drift closed before Steve even got under the covers. “Good night, Princess Sophie.” he said. “G’night, Steve.” she mumbled in return before she fell into a deep sleep.

[littlej097]

Klaine Advent: Stir

Summary: Kurt and Blaine try to make Christmas cookies with their kids and it doesn’t go as they planned.

Note: I know I’ve been writing a lot about the kids as teenagers, but I wanted to write about when they were little. This takes place before Lucy and Andrew had come into the family. 

Blaine and Kurt had a new life lesson that they had just learned. Baking is hard, but baking with three kids is damn near impossible. It was a new tradition that both Blaine and Kurt were excited to do. Kurt had baked Christmas cookies with his mom before she died and he continued to bake them for his Dad after his mom was gone. Blaine had been baking with his mom and grandma since he was little. Cooper had never been interested in baking, but Blaine loved it. Penny was eight now and Charlie and Caleb were five, so they were at a good age to start helping.

“Okay guys.” Kurt said to their three children who were each sitting on a barstool at their kitchen counter. “We’re going to start with sugar cookies first. This is Nana’s recipe.”

“Who wants to help Daddy go and get the cookie sheets?” Blaine asked.

“I will!” Charlie said immediately. Blaine gave Kurt a smile before he and Charlie ventured into the garage to grab the metal cookie sheets.

“Penny and Caleb, you can help me get the materials together.” Kurt told them. The two kids nodded and walked over to the pantry and fridge where they gathered the materials for the cookies. When Blaine and Charlie had returned all the ingredients were sitting on the counter. “Okay, so first we need to preheat the oven to 375 degrees.”

“I’ll do that!” Caleb said immediately.

“Thank you buddy but Daddy and I are going to do everything with the oven since it’s dangerous.” Kurt told him.  Caleb set his lips into a firm pout and crossed his arms.

“Caleb, bud, you can help me get the dry ingredients like the flour, baking soda and baking powder.” Blaine said, trying to get him excited again. Caleb reluctantly walked over and joined Blaine.

“Alright girls, you and I will need to get together some more ingredients. I need the butter and sugar.” Kurt told them.

“I got it!” Both girls said. They raced over to the ingredients and both grabbed onto the bag of sugar.

“I’m getting it!” Charlie yelled at her sister.

“I was here first!” Penny retorted, not loosening her grip on the bag of sugar.

“Girls, I need two things. You can each bring me something.” Kurt said, trying to break up the fight. The girls gave each other glares and finally Penny released her grip and grabbed the butter instead. Then they walked the ingredients over to Kurt. Kurt put them in the bowl and started stirring the ingredients

Just across the kitchen, Caleb and Blaine had made progress on getting the dry ingredients together. Caleb had just finished measuring out 2 ¾ cups of flour into a bowl. “Good job buddy!” Blaine said as he extended his son a high-five. “Now we just need baking soda and baking powder.” He looked around on the counter and didn’t see them.

“Kurt, where is the baking soda and powder?” he called.

“Oh, I knew I forgot to get something out. Check under the island. They might be there.” Blaine nodded and went to look. He started taking things out from the cabinet but wasn’t seeing them.

“I’ll help!” Caleb exclaimed. However, he moved too fast and before he knew it the bowl of flour was knocked off the counter and landed right on top of Blaine’s head. “Uh oh…” Kurt after hearing the commotion looked over just as Blaine was standing up. He was white from head to toe and it took everything in Kurt not to laugh.

“Achoo!” Blaine sneezed as he breathed in the flour. He began dusting himself off.

“Daddy, I’m sorry.” Caleb said softly. “It was an accident.”

“I know buddy.” Blaine said to comfort his son. He was in no way happy that he was currently covered in flour, but he knew that his son did not do it deliberately.

“Hey bud, why don’t you come over with me and help your sisters while Daddy goes and cleans up.” Kurt told him. Caleb nodded and joined his father and sisters. Blaine gave a look to Kurt and Kurt let out a little laugh.

“This is not funny.” Blaine mouthed before heading to the laundry room to take off his flour covered clothes and grab new ones. Meanwhile the butter and sugar that the girls had brought were creamed together.

“Now, we need to add the egg and vanilla.” Kurt said.

“I can crack the egg.” Penny said immediately.

“I want to do it.” Charlie retorted.

“You’re too little!” Penny replied. “Watch, I can do it perfectly.” Before Kurt could stop her, she grabbed the egg and cracked it on the counter and threw the whole thing, shell and all into the mixing bowl.

“Honey, when you crack an egg, you only put the inside in.” Kurt said as he tried to pick out the tiny bits of eggshell. He was out of luck though. Penny really had cracked the egg...into about a million pieces that were now in the dough. They would need to start over. Kurt gathered the materials and did them himself and started the next batch when Blaine came in.

“I thought you already did that.” Blaine said, parts of his hair still white from the flour.

“There was a mistake…” Kurt said. “We’re on round two.” Blaine didn’t ask anymore questions. They started work on the second batch and it went a little more smoothly than the first. All the right ingredients were put into the mix and nothing was spilled. Penny and Charlie still continued to fight over who got to do things, but that was unavoidable. Soon enough, the dough was finished and they got started on the process of making the cutouts.

“Alright kids, let’s start rolling out our dough and make cookies.” Kurt said. All three kids went to the kitchen table where Kurt gave each of them their own little ball of dough. Everything was finally going okay. The kids were getting along and the cookies were actually getting made. It wasn’t long before Kurt put the first batch in the oven. Then he heard the familiar noise of his daughters fighting.

“I need those red sprinkles!” Charlie yelled at her sister.

“You had them for forever!” Penny retorted. “It’s my turn.”

“Give them to me!” Charlie whined as she tried to take the sprinkles out of her sister’s hands. Penny yanked the bottle away and Kurt and Blaine watched as Charlie got angrier. Charlie had quite the temper and before they could get to her, she, with all of her might, smacked her sister across the face.

“Charlie!” They both scolded as Penny began to wail. Blaine scooped up his older daughter and held her in his arms, while Kurt grabbed his other daughter and tried to take her to the corner for a timeout.

“I don’t wanna go in timeout!” Charlie screamed. She kicked her feet and threw her head back in protest as Kurt practically dragged her to the corner.

“You are in timeout because you hurt your sister.” Kurt told her. “You have to stay here for five minutes.” Charlie stuck out her tongue and blew raspberries at Kurt to show her disapproval at the timeout. Kurt had to walk away as he felt his own temper begin to flare up. Out of all of their children, Charlie knew how to push his buttons the most. He walked back over to where Blaine had Penny on his lap. “How is she?”

“She’ll live. Charlie got her good though.” Blaine said as he turned the little girl around. Kurt looked at his daughter’s face and on her cheek was a large red welt.

“Oh honey, Papa will get you some ice.” Kurt said as he went to the freezer and pulled out and ice pack. He walked it back over to Blaine and Penny and Blaine held the ice on his daughter’s cheek.

“Do you want to try talking to Charlie? I don’t think she’ll be very receptive to me.” Kurt said. Blaine nodded and handed Penny over to Kurt who sat down on the chair with her. Blaine looked at the clock. Five minutes was up. He walked over to the corner where Charlie was and took a seat.

“So, do you think what you did to your sister was very nice?” Blaine asked.

“No.” the five year old replied.

“We’ve talked about hitting before.” Blaine reminded her. “It is a very mean thing to do to someone.”

“She wouldn’t give me the sprinkles.” Charlie said to try and defend herself.

“Well, I didn’t hear you ask her very nicely.” Blaine reminded her. “Maybe next time we can use our nice words and Penny will be nice too and let you have the sprinkles.”

“I guess…”

“So what do you think you should do to your sister?” Blaine asked. “She has a pretty big welt on her face from where you hit her.” Charlie shrugged her shoulders. She was such a stubborn child. “Well, I think an apology would be a good start.” he told her. When Charlie didn’t look like she wanted to move, Blaine gave her a look and said, “Go on.” The five year old got up and walked over to Penny and Kurt.

“I’m sorry that I hit you.” she said quietly.

“It’s okay.” Penny replied.

“Can you girls give each other a hug?” Kurt prompted. The two girls did what they were told and gave one another a quick hug. Suddenly, Kurt felt a tug on his sleeve and he saw Caleb. He was always the quiet one.

“Papa, are the cookies done yet?” he asked in a sweet little voice. Kurt felt his stomach drop. The cookies… He took a sniff in and smelled the smoke.

“Crap!” Kurt said as he ran towards the oven. He threw on his oven mitt and grabbed at the tray. He was too late. The cookies were burnt and to make matters worse when he was pulling the tray out of the oven, he hit his hand on the rack and burned it. “Oww! Shit!” he yelled as he threw the tray into the sink, sending the burnt cookies falling.

“Kurt? Are you okay?” Blaine asked as he ran into the kitchen.

“Ahh, I burned my hand.” Kurt hissed as he turned on the cold water and stuck his hand underneath the stream.

“Papa said a bad word.” Penny said from the table. “He has to put a dollar in the swear jar.”

“Blaine-” Kurt didn’t even need to finish his sentence. Blaine knew his husband was about to blow up.

“Kids, go and get your pajamas on now.” Blaine said. The three kids reluctantly went to their bedrooms. Kurt and Blaine were left alone in the kitchen. “Is it bad?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine. It just hurts.” Kurt replied. Blaine got his husband an ice pack, the only one that was left in the freezer considering they had already used their other one. “We are never baking Christmas cookies again. This was a disaster!”

“Agree.” Blaine replied.

A few days later, it was Christmas and the whole family was over. “Kurt, what happened to your hand?” Carole asked as she looked at his bandage.

“Oh, Blaine and I tried making Christmas cookies with the kids...it didn’t go well.” he answered. “We thought it would be a fun tradition...but the kids were awful.” Burt and Pam both started laughing.

“What? What’s so funny?” Blaine asked.

“Kurt, you were a menace to your mother.” Burt laughed. “There were some years that she just gave up because it was so difficult.”

“What are you talking about? I was a great help to mom!” Kurt retorted. Blaine laughed at his husband.

“I wouldn’t be laughing Blainey!” Pam said. “You were awful to make cookies with. It always took twice as long because all you wanted to do was dance around the kitchen.”

“Mom!” Blaine yelled.

“Your grandmother wanted to kill you too.” Pam replied. “If I hadn’t been there, she might have strangled you with her bare hands.”

“Grandma never would have done that!” Blaine replied. “Well if we were so bad, why did you continue to do it every year?”

“You make traditions for your kids.” Pam replied. “And even though I hated it every year, I knew you loved it and that was all that mattered.” In that instant Kurt and Blaine felt like awful parents. They had thrown in the towel so early. Maybe next they would try to make Christmas cookies again...no matter how unbearable it was.

[littlej097]

Klaine Advent: Drink

Summary: Kurt Hummel loves eggnog and this year, he is set on making the perfect batch of it!

“What is that wonderful smell?” Blaine exclaimed as he walked into their apartment, their three year old daughter, Penny on his hip.

“Eggnog!” Kurt exclaimed as his husband and daughter walked into the kitchen. “And this year, I think I’ve got it perfect!”

“Oh, that’s great honey…” Blaine replied, trying to sound enthusiastic. He knew that one of Kurt’s favorite things about Christmas was eggnog. He always worked for days trying to get it just right, so on Christmas day,  it would be perfect. There was only one problem with that method. To perfect the recipe, Kurt had to try each batch. It wouldn’t be such a bad thing if Kurt didn’t insist on drinking multiple cups of the holiday drink, instead of just a taste.

“You have to take more than one sip Blaine!” Kurt had told him one time. “Really get the experience!” Needless to say, about three cups later, his husband was completely drunk and totally out of it. Blaine prayed that this year didn’t end up the same way, but he didn’t have that high of hopes.

“I want milk!” Penny shouted, pointing to the pot of eggnog.

“Honey no, you can’t have that.” Blaine told her as he set her down on the floor. “Daddy will get you different milk.”

“I want that milk!” the three year old cried. “Wanna drink like Papa.” Blaine gave Kurt a glare as if to say, “you deal with this one.”

“Penny, only Daddy and Papa can drink this.” Kurt told the little girl. “You can have the milk in the fridge. Penny’s face contorted into a scowl and she crossed her arms over her chest. Next came the stomp of her foot and both men knew what was coming. Kurt and Blaine liked to call this the “Rachel” side in her. That however was something that they never told their friend that they did.

“I want milk! I want milk! I want milk!” She chanted over and over. Her face bright red with anger. Meanwhile, Blaine had gotten a sippy cup of actual milk ready and handed it to Kurt.

“Aspen Elizabeth, if you don’t stop, Papa will take away one of your toys!��� Kurt warned.

“No!”

“Then take this cup and go sit in the living room.” The toddler sent her fathers’ a glare and snatched the cup from Kurt’s hand before heading off to the living room to play.

“What are we gonna do when she gets to be a teenager?” Kurt sighed

“God help us.” Blaine agreed. “We’re in for one hell of a time.” With that, Kurt got back to his eggnog. He stirred the pot and then took a ladle and got himself a “sample.”

“I’m missing the bourbon taste.” Kurt replied. He took the bottle of bourbon and poured a good bit into the pot. Blaine watched hesitantly.

“Maybe take it easy hun.” Blaine prompted.

“Oh that was nothing.” Kurt replied. “This is going to be my best batch yet. I know it.”

“Oh I bet.” Blaine murmured before walking into the living room to find their daughter. The next morning, Kurt and Blaine were woken up by a pair of tiny legs jumping on their bed.

“Daddy! Papa! Wake up!” Penny cried. “Santa came! Santa came!”

“Pen, can you give Papa and me a second?” Blaine begged.

“No Daddy! I wanna open my presents! Please!” the little girl begged. She began pushing Blaine in the side to try and get him off the bed.

“I’m up. I’m up.” Blaine murmured. “Penny, go make sure Papa is up.” The little girl walked over to the other side of the bed and promptly hopped on her father’s stomach.

“Uhhh!” Kurt groaned as her little knees dug into his stomach. “Okay, I’m awake.” he added as he picked up the three year old and got out of bed. “Let’s go see what Santa brought you.” The family of three walked into the living room and began to open presents. Penny got all kinds of toys from dolls to legos, dress up clothing and a very expensive doll house. Blaine was put in charge of taking all of Penny’s new toys out of their boxes. Kurt laughed as he saw his husband struggling.

“You doing okay there?” Kurt asked.

“It’s like they don’t want you to get these stupid things out of the packaging!” Blaine grunted as he focused on opening the zip ties, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

“Well, I believe in you.” Kurt told him before going into the kitchen. He got out his eggnog that he had made the day before. It smelled wonderful and Kurt really believed that he got it right this year.

Soon enough, the doorbell rang and Penny went bounding for the front door with Blaine on her heels. He opened the door to reveal, Burt and Carole. “Grandpa! Nana!” Penny exclaimed as she ran forward to give her grandparents a hug.

“There’s my peanut!” Burt exclaimed as he threw his granddaughter up in the air. From her grandfather’s arms, she reached over and gave Carole a kiss. Hearing the commotion, Kurt came in from the kitchen and walked over to give his parents a hug.

“Hey son!” Burt replied, pulling Kurt into a hug.

“Merry Christmas Dad.” Kurt replied. “Can I take your coats?” he asked both of his parents.

“Nana, Grandpa, come see my presents!” Penny called as she took Burt and Carole by the hands and pulled them into the living room. For such a little girl, she sure knew how to pull focus. According to Blaine, that was a trait that she got from Kurt. While Penny was monopolizing all of her grandparents time, Pam showed up which was enough to distract Penny. She instantly ran over and gave her Grammy a hug.

Kurt took this as a good opportunity to see that everyone got a chance to try his eggnog. “Anyone want some eggnog?” he asked as he carried a big bowl from the counter to the table.

“Oh sure, I’ll take some!” Pam replied instantly. She hustled into the kitchen, Penny on her hip. While they were walking, Kurt and Pam bumped into one another and the eggnog promptly crashed to the floor.

There was a loud crash and a gasp. Both adults stood in the kitchen stunned. “Kurt, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you.” “It’s ruined…” Kurt gasped out. “I worked so hard and it’s all ruined!” he added angrily.

“Kurt, it’s okay.” Blaine tried as he came to the kitchen with towels.

“No Blaine! It is not okay! I worked so hard on this eggnog and it was a complete waste of time!” Kurt’s eyes were filled with tears. He pushed past Blaine and disappeared down the hallway and shut the bedroom door.

“Blaine, honey… I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bump into him.” Pam began, clutching Penny. The little girl was clearly upset by her father’s outburst.

“It’s okay Mom. It was an accident.” Blaine replied. “I just don’t know why he’s so upset.”

“I think I know what’s going on.” Burt said, cutting in. “I’ll go an talk to him.” He walked down the hallway and knocked on Kurt and Blaine’s bedroom door.

“Kurt, buddy, can I come in?” he asked. There wasn’t a reply, but Burt decided to go in anyway. Kurt was sitting on the bed with a wooden box on his lap. There were tear tracks on his cheeks.

“You wanna tell me what that outburst was all about?” Burt prompted. “Pam’s pretty upset out there.”

“I didn’t mean to make her upset.” Kurt replied. “I-I just worked so hard on that eggnog. I had finally got it perfect this year.”

“I’m gonna take a guess and say this is really about your mother.” Burt said.

“I just remember how much you loved it. She loved making it and would even make a batch without alcohol for me to drink.” Kurt said, tears in his eyes. “It was a tradition. I’ve tried to make it like she did, but the recipe is so old that the words are smudged and I can’t see what they all are. I’ve been trying to perfect the recipe for years and I thought I finally got it right. Then, I had to go and spill it on the floor.”

“I understand how disappointed you must be.” Burt replied. “I loved drinking your mom’s eggnog too. But accidents happen and that’s all that was.”

“I know.” Kurt amended. “I just miss her so much around this time.”

“Me too.” Burt replied. “I like to think that she’s watching us now. If she was here, none of us would get a second with that little girl. She’d be glued to your mother’s hip.”

“I wish she could have met her.” Kurt told his father. “She’s so much like her, which is funny because she’s not even biologically Hummel.”

“Blood doesn’t make character kid. You’re raising that little girl right and you’ve got your mom inside of you.” Burt told Kurt. “There’s no chance that she’d end up not unlike your mother.”

“Well there is 50% of Rachel in there.” Kurt laughed.

“So maybe she’ll be a little more dramatic.” Burt agreed. “But, she’ll still be a wonderful sweet person.”

“Thanks Dad. That means a lot.” Kurt replied before pulling his Dad into a tight hug.

“Alright, no more crying. We better get out there.” Burt told him. “I think that Pam might try drinking that Bourbon out there and if you don’t grab it you’ll never be able to make a new batch.” Kurt laughed. His dad was definitely right about that. Kurt Hummel wasn’t a quitter. He had made a perfect batch of eggnog before and he was determined to do it again.