#Benedict arrived home from work just before this happened

[rurpleplaysmuttingtonac]

Lucy was inconsolable when she walked out of the bedroom that morning and saw the urn on the landing. Running around the manor with fear climbing up her throat, when she realised who the missing person was, she collapsed in the kitchen.

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't believe what had happened.

Ricky, who'd loved her, who'd given her a choice, was dead.

He was gone.

Forever.

She wasn't sure how it had happened.

All she knew was that one moment she was on her feet, tears streaming down her face and screaming with despair and the next, she was on the ground and she saw Death approaching her.

Martin had followed her out of the room and concerned for her welfare, he kept an eye on her. When she fell to the ground and grew eerily motionless and Death approached, he jumped forwards.

"NO!" he yelled, crashing to his knees so quickly he winched as he knew he'd bruised them.

Beatrice and Jordan, who'd already been crying over Ricky's death, widened their eyes and their voices joined in with their horror at Lucy's possible death.

"NO!" he repeated. "Please no, not her as well! You already took Sophie and Ricky!"

Oh, so there's at least one person here who cares for that poor sod who died last night?

"Lucy cares, I care, we all care!" Martin muttered, panic filtering through his words. "Lucy cares the most, that's why...I have no idea why she's dying but she was distraught!"

Perhaps she wants to join her lover in death?

"He wasn't her-"

Just because they never shared a bed, do you really think love is so simple? You have much to learn, Martin Phillips.

"Please!"

I'll give you a choice then young man, the same choice I gave the other bloke a month ago. I'll restore this one's soul to the land of the living under one condition. You have to guess correctly what hand her soul is in.

"I will, yes please!"

But maybe you should consider one thing. This one loves another and she was so upset to learn of his passing that she was ready to pass on as well, to join him in death. If that's how she felt about him, then how will she feel about you if you succeed? How will she feel about you robbing her chance to remain with him for all eternity, when you wanted her for yourself?

Martin felt like the breath had been kicked out of him.

He knew that Death had a reputation of deceiving and playing with mortals and their emotions. He also knew that his 'face' was hooded, so it was impossible to read in his expression if he was lying ort not.

But a lot of what he'd just said rang truer than Martin wanted to believe. Lucy had apparently died as soon as she saw Ricky was dead. She'd all but ignored him as he'd tried to console her, pushing him away.

Did she want Ricky?

Maybe she'll want me when she hears I saved her? he thought hopefully, but it sounded pathetic to him.

Time is ticking Martin Phillips, Death reminded him. I haven't got all day to sit here whilst you ponder all your life choices. Do you want to plead for her life?

Martin shook himself and took another glance at Lucy's prone figure. He cast an eye at Beatrice and Jordan who were both watching him, agape. He wasn't sure if they'd heard what Death had told him but seeing their horrified gazes at his hesitation, his resolves solidified.

"Yes" he heard himself saying. "I will plead for her."

Very well then, Death continued. Pick a hand, either hand.

Martin did succeed in choosing the hand that contained Lucy's life essence.

There's a reason they warn mortals to be careful what they wish for, Death reminded him. Stand aside and I shall restore Lucy Hernandez to this world.

Sure enough, with a wave of his scythe, Death made Lucy's body hover above the ground for a few feet before her eyes opened, and she looked around wildly.

"Ricky?" was the first thing she said.

Martin felt like a bucket of ice filled water had been dumped over him. He stepped forward, ignoring Death's mutter of Told you so.

"Lucy! You're ok!"

Lucy's conscience was starting to come back to her. She glanced around and met his gaze before her eyes began to fill with tears again. "Is Ricky really dead?"

"I'm afraid so" Martin said gently, ignoring the tidal wave of regret that was washing over him.

When she started to sob, he pulled her into his arms, closing his own eyes to stop the onslaught of anguish he now felt.

[ill-loveyouthroughthestars]

I NEED SOPHIE BECKETT TO BE IRISH !!!!

This is my Roman Empire, i have dreamt of this and I have multiple reasons

1. It will tie into History and how Irish people have always been considered an outcast in society for centuries especially before the famine

2. When I read the book all I could hear was an Irish!Sophie with her accent, her attitude, her antics and her random quotes are so Irish I just love (I also feel with this Irish attitude it could bring humour to their storyline and season)

3. I feel it would also play well with Benedict not being able to recognise her even more due to her accent ( at the masquerade she pretend to be British when actually she is fully Irish)

4. People would even question her parentage even more due to her being Irish and highly educated (which was a rare sight in that period of history)

5. I feel like this aspect of Sophie could show how she has never felt like a person, never having something that was her and with this symbolism it shows how Irish people had everything taken from them as a nation and as people such as aspects of language, land and etc.

Irish!Sophie has never knew how beautiful Irish culture is with araminta excluding her from this side of her due to never considering her as a person.

Headcannon- she arrives to the Bridgerton household and a few of the staff are Irish and they start speaking to her in Irish and she’s like “what” like utterly confused and they start to question her and her upbringing

6. And I was watching titanic (I know) and I was thinking this would be iconic for irish!sophie (let me cook!!!)

I imagine a scene like the Irish dance scene in titanic

^^^^^

When Sophie starts to work for the Bridgerton household she meet the other house staff which could have a few Irish iconic characters and they invite her to a drink and a dance in like an underground basement type of thing where there is montage of Sophie dancing a ceile or drinking with her fellow Irish people (rambled there for a second)

This starts to happen a few other nights and Benedict gets suspicious of her always being tired and he follows her one night and finds her dancing, singing and looking happy. He decides to confront her but just to see she has had too much fun ( she’s drunk) and as he is about to scould her or something idk she grabs him to dance (this could be like a moment he fully falls for her)

Skip to them leaving and Sophie is drunk and they could have a moment where it parallels to Benedict’s high dinner scene on their walk home (we live among the stars type of moment)

NOW HEAR ME OUT!!!!!

They could somehow have a little drunk smooch and Sophie is at the state of drunk that she nearly reveals that she was the lady in silver at the masquerade ball and as she’s about it fully tell him she’s like “I was the La- lady-“ AND SHE JUST PUKES ON HIS FEET

(Y’all cancel me Idaf I needed this to be known)

And there’s a moment where they just look in shock and disbelief they start to laugh.

Skip to the next morning and she is hungover like crazy and she leaves her room and runs into Benedict and just tries to ignore what happened last night and bids him hello and hurriedly speeds off while he chuckles to himself

7. With Sophie being Irish it could also make Benophie stronger as Benedict is willing to accept her and understand her culture and involve it in their life e.g buying her a claddagh ring as an engagement ring (one of the stories about the creation of the claddagh ring are about a peasant and a prince fall in love and it is forbidden or something and the prince gives her a ring to symbolise their love(BENOPHIE CODED)), learning Irish with her, visiting ireland and giving their children irish middle names

8. I also think a brilliant song for the season would be linger by the cranberries because the lyrics and meaning of the song are perfect for Benophie while it also being an Irish band

9. I know that people are hoping for a POC Sophie or a Latina Sophie but I feel with Irish Sophie’s exclusion from society due to her being Irish shoes a whole other side of Bridgerton’s defiance against societal norms

10.i think I just want an Irish Sophie because I’m Irish but shhhhh

[ofstarsandvibranium]

Walls Are Crumbling: Part 4

Fandom: Bridgerton

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x F!Reader

Summary: 6 months into your marriage and your pregnancy. You and Benedict are so in love. Every day is filled with even more love and laughter...until you see Lord Mattias again.

Warning: mentions of miscarriage (but its a lie), insinuation of smut at the end.

A/N: uh oh

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

You didn't expect for things to get a lot better, but they had. Being in love with Benedict, being married to him, having a child with him, albeit not his by blood, it was wonderful.

After the love confessions, you two had decided to sleep in the same bed together. You still have your room for reading or some alone time. Benedict has his own study where he paints. More often than not, you'll sit in the room with him to read while he paints.

Not today though. You had gone on a walk with Daphne and Auggie and you ran into someone unexpected: Lord Mattias.

It had been months since you last saw him. He had his arm around another woman and, previously, you would've been crushed. But now, you have neutral feelings towards the man.

"Lady L/N. How," he glances down at your stomach, "..wonderful to see you."

"You as well, Lord Mattias." You see him glance at your wedding ring, the one that belonged to Benedict's grandmother.

"I heard you'd gotten married," he states plainly.

You nod, "To Benedict Bridgerton."

"And you're expecting."

"I am and I'm very happy. Things have worked out well for me. I assume they have for you since," you gesture to the woman he has yet to introduce to you.

"Amelia," she introduces herself, "Jeffrey and I just gotten engaged ourselves!" She looks up at her fiance excitedly.

"Congratulations," you say. You nod to Daphne, "This is my sister-in-law, Daphne Basset, Duchess of Hastings."

Amelia immediately curtsies and Daphne shakes her head, "That's not necessary, please." She clears her throat, "Amelia, why don't you tell me how you and Lord Mattias met?" She gives you a pointed look before wandering off to the side. Amelia, eager to be in Daphne's presence follows her to a nearby bench.

Jeffrey clears his throat, "So is this child-"

"No. Fortunately for you, I lost the baby in its early term. This child is completely mine and Benedict's," you put a protective hand on your belly.

Jeffrey sighs, "Y/N, I regret what I said all those months ago. I do still lo-"

"Please, don't, Jeffrey. Save yourself from embarrassment. I'm happy now and you're getting engaged," you nod in Amelia's direction.

"I don't love her. Not like I love you," he reaches out to touch you, but you step back.

"Do not get any closer to me. Despite how much you've hurt me, I don't hate you. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be as happy as I am now, married to the man who's always been there for me and cared for me. But do us both a favor, and forget what happened between us."

You swiftly turn on your heel and walk over to Daphne and Amelia, your sister-in-law looking relieved to finally have you back, "Ready to go, sister?"

"I'm feeling quite tired now. I think it's best we head home for rest, don't you think, Daph?"

She nods all too quickly, "Yes! I agree!" she turns to Amelia, "It was a delight speaking with you. Congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you so much, my lady!" You watch as Amelia gets up and rushes back to Jeffrey's side. You don't look his way as you pass, but you feel his eyes on you.

"Are you alright?" Daphne whispers.

"I can't believe I thought I was in love with him," you mumble, "He said he still loves me."

"Oh dear."

"I know. That poor girl. She looks so happy with him."

"Hopefully he'll get his head out of his arse."

You groan, "God, I hope so."

__________________

When you arrive back home, Benedict is in his studio painting. You're stomping in, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl in the middle of the room, and biting into it.

"I was painting that," he says with an amused smirk.

You stop chewing, "Oh," you look at him guiltily, "I'm sorry." You place the apple back into the bowl as best as you could.

He chuckles, putting down his brush and palette down, "It's alright. I should take a break anyway." He gestures for you to sit on the chaise and he sits beside you, "How was your time with Daphne?"

"It went well...until I ran into Lord Mattias." Benedict immediately sat up, "He asked if the child was still his."

"What did you say?"

You wince, "I lied. I said I lost his baby in early term. Should-Should I have told him the truth?"

"Did he say anything else?" Benedict asks with concern.

You look away from him, "He said he still loves me."

"Do you believe him?"

You look back up at your husband, "I don't know and, to be quite frank, I don't care. I've moved on. I'm happy and content," you cup his face with your hand and he leans into it, "with you and our cherub."

Benedict leans in and pecks your lips, "That's-That's very comforting to hear, honestly."

You look at him confused, "Why? Did you expect me to go running back to him?"

"No. Of course not. I-I suppose I thought there might have been a small part of you that still loves him."

You shake your head, "Benedict, my heart is completely yours. I don't care how Jeffrey feels. I love you."

"I love you. I just don't want to lose you."

"You won't," you take one of his hands and place it over your heart. With his other hand, you place it on your stomach, "You have us."

Benedict pulls you in for another kiss, murmuring against your lips, "I love you." Smooch. "I love you," Smooch. "I love you," he lays you onto your back, continuing to press kisses down your face, to your neck.

He truly loved you and he was going to show just how much.

[toriaurorawriter15]

What you're made of Chapter 5: Survive

A little surprise

When the Bridgerton family found out about Miss Thompson's vile plan of killing Lady Violet from a loyal servant, Lady Kate, with the help of the most clever woman in the world, Penelope Featherington, staged the death of Lady Violet Bridgeton. Her last day in England was on the day on which they had announced her death.

It was a ruse that allowed the family to keep the loving mother away from Marina's mind, and it worked. 

Secretly, Lady Kate had written to her youngest sister about Marina's scheme. No one knew about their correspondence except for Miss Penelope Featherington. 

The second daughter of Lady Mary Sharma was a marvelous host. 

Mrs. Edwina- last name must be unknown for various reasons- had made the matriarch of the Bridgerton family stay comfortable and safe on the outskirts of England before making their journey to India.

For safety reasons, Lady Violet had limited knowledge of what occurred after her disappearance. 

Everyone kept their lips shut tight about Coin's accident because they knew their mother would have gone to great lengths to be at his side.

Once Edwina's letter of acceptance arrived, Anthony brought his mother from Miss. Featherington's secret estate, which Benedict brought on behalf of youngest brother Colin as her birthday present, and traveled with both ladies to India. 

Viscount Anthony Bridgerton couldn't sleep a wink due to his concern about blinking his brown eyes and losing his mother.

Poor Lady Violet could see that her son was close to his grave with the stress of Colin's wife's troublesome decisions, and now their mother had to be removed from England. 

Lady Violet remembers him stating in remorse, "Mother, I should have stopped that wedding from happening." as they made their way out of the English border. 

Her heart was in agonizing pain when she heard him blaming himself for allowing Colin to request Miss Thompson's hand in marriage. 

Yet, she knows that her third son is just like his father. 

Empathic and Remorseful. 

Seeing her eldest son not sleep during their carriage ride did little to ease Lady Violet's mind. Therefore, she wrote one letter from the port and nothing more. 

Lady Violet had pleaded with Anthony's wife to take care of her son, for she knew that he needed to fight against Marina. 

After all, the Viscount is the only one with the power to obtain harmony within the Bridgerton household.

Luckily, Kate received the letter about Anthony's health before Marina saw the letter and assured her mother-in-law through correspondence that she would not need to fret. 

The memories of last year brush away from the lady of four and six minds while her caring brown eyes stare out the carriage window. She could not see the scenery of the vast lands that stretched out forever. Yet, she was in awe from seeing the light of day turning into night. 

Lady Violet Bridgeton thought India was a marvelous and adventurous place to live. But it is not her home, Mayfair. 

My goodness, the mother of eight misses her family and grandchildren dearly. And so when Edwina receives news of Marina being arrested from their county home, Lady Violet makes haste to come home. 

Traveling for a long time is difficult for her old age, but after hearing of Colin's fall from her youngest daughter Hyacinth. She had to know about his health. 

Within a second of entering her son's bed chamber, Lady Violet's heart broke as she looked into the room to find a young Irish lady of eight and twenty beside Colin. 

It had already been three months since the accident, and Colin hadn't awakened from his slumber. 

Silently, she watches Miss. Featherington cared for him with pride. 

Seeing the two reminded her of the times she cared for her beloved husband. 

It was like watching a mirror of their love.

"Oh!" Penelope states in shock from seeing her presence. "I didn't know you would be here." 

Lady Violet walks over to Penelope's side before giving her a welcoming hug. 

"My dear, don't concern yourself with my presence." Violet begins as she caresse Pen's cheek in a motherly way. "You have done so well, Penelope. Thank you for protecting us. Truly, you are meant to be a Bridgerton," 

The lovely peach color from the woman's face turns red, "Thank you, Lady Bridgeton. Though, I don't deserve such praise for my loyalty." 

Lady Violet removes her hand from her daughter-in-law's face to hold her left hand in comfort. 

"Please, Penelope, it is now Voliet or Mother, whichever you prefer. As for your loyalty, Daphane wouldn't be safe at home without you pursuing Colin to follow you into the gardens and witnessing Nigel Burbrook's true attention to Daphane. Especially when you sent Anthony that mysterious letter with the address of the maid who that vile man took advantage of and his legitimate heir." Lady Violet replies with warmth behind her kind eyes 

Penelope gasped at the realization that Lady Violet knew about the unknown warning letter she sent to Anthony after her first ball. "You are mistaken. I did not-" 

Lady Violet nods no before cutting the girl off, "Lady Danbury and I were once wallflowers. We knew that the only person who would gain this knowledge was through the gossip from servants at the balls. We are forever in your debt, my dear, which is why. I am thrilled to know that Colin has fallen for you." 

Penelope beams at Lady Violet's acknowledgment of Colin's secret proposal at the beginning of the off-season, "Lady Bridger-Violet, I have always wanted to be part of your family. All my life, I never thought that my fantasy of Colin falling for a girl in a citrus dress would become my reality. For, after all, I am no one special." Pen confesses with genuine gratitude before looking at Colin from her left shoulder. 

Lady Violet could see how much Marina destroyed her cousin's self-esteem. Yet she knew the right words to assure the brave woman in front of her. 

"My dear, you are to become a Bridgerton. You have always been one since Colin met you. There was no doubt from Lady Danbury and I that he would ask for your hand in marriage. Though I wished I could be there to hear the announcement. I do hope dear not to miss the news of you expecting." Lady Violet joyfully teases. 

Pen smirks at her question and responds in a tell-tale voice, "No new yet. But rest assured, Lady Violet, that Colin and I will let you know first." 

An awe smile forms on the matriarch's face from Pen's words, "Lady Portia Featherington has given you something that she never noticed due to society's high expectations. A trait which you had inherited from her. Intelligence." 

Pen returns her attention to Lady Violet with shock," Marian said that I am my mother's daughter." 

Lady Violet nods yes in agreement, "Penelope, your mother would be so proud to call you her daughter. 

Pen beams with pride, "Perhaps I more like her than I care to admit," 

Lady Violet removes her hand from Penelope's right hand to grab a piece of cloth from her dress to dap her teary eyes, "Your mother used her intelligence to survive her cruel faith. Yet, you used your intelligence to mold society for the better". 

Pen nods in agreement before returning to Colin's beside. 

"Colin has been asleep for some time. The physician says that the mind is tricky to predict. Yet, I fear he may wake up with a slip of memory about me." Pen confesses in fear. 

Lady Violet is thrilled to see how much Pen loves her son. So, she shifts the conversation to give a bit of wisdom.

"Penelope, I am certain. He will not lose sight of you. Nor your love. Colin once said that you are his purpose. Without you, he will never know how to live again." 

Pen smiles at Colin in adoration from hearing Lady Voilet's confession from her son's words as she holds onto his right hand. 

"Perhaps I can fall more in love with you, Colin Bridgerton," Pen whispers. 

Lady Violet takes the girl's love confession as a sign that Penelope's doubt diminishes and decides to see.

She gives a satisfied smile before saying "goodnight" and departs.

Notes: Did you think I would kill of my favorite mother in the show. I cannot

Previous Chapter

[bridgertonbabe]

Curse breaking sounds like a dangerous career! At risk of suffering the angst, can you give us a Drabble of Sophie getting hurt on the job and how the Bridgertons / Awesome Foursome react?

Sophie had actually successfully managed to go nearly whole two years before it came to light that her role required her to work in the field from time to time. Benedict, the Bridgertons, and her friends had been none the wiser until her fiance had received a letter informing him that she had been hospitalised. He had rushed to the hospital straight away and it was only then that he learnt that Sophie's position wasn't the entirely office-based job she had led him and everyone else to believe it was. Despite the fact her injury had been rather clumsily acquired (much to her mortification she had simply tripped up over a tree root and sprained her ankle), she still received the nth degree from her distraught fiance, then from her distressed friends, and then from her aggrieved father-in-law-to-be. She apologised for keeping the lengths of her job a secret from them, assured them that she was perfectly well (wounded pride aside), but also told them she wouldn't be giving up this part of the job anytime soon. As much as it bothered them, Sophie stubbornly stuck to her guns and to be fair to her she rarely encountered any issues when out in the field aside from the occasional cut or bruise.

However there was one incident that ended up changing all of that.

Colin had been visiting My Cottage and he and Benedict were taking great delight in watching a one year old Charlie zooming around the house on his little toy broomstick. There was sound and movement from the fireplace and when Benedict had torn his gaze away from his son he had expected to see his wife arriving home from work - but instead there was a ministry official standing in the middle of the living room.

"Mr. Bridgerton?"

A pit suddenly formed in his stomach from the stiff formality of it all, not to mention the serious air and the impassive look on the wizard's face.

"What's happened?" Benedict swallowed, his heart beating furiously with building dread as a whole host of awful possibilities began swirling around his head. "Where's Sophie?"

Right away he knew something was terribly wrong. When Sophie had injured herself previously he had merely been informed of her hospitalisation via letter, seeing as a sprained ankle didn't require an urgent cause for concern. For a ministry official to turn up out of the blue at the time when Sophie typically arrived home could only mean bad news. Really bad news. Tragic, grief-strickening, heart-breaking news that one would never recover from.

The whooshing noise of Charlie riding his broom stopped and Benedict was vaguely aware of Colin picking his nephew up as the atmosphere of the room shifted in the blink of an eye.

"Your wife has suffered an accident during the course of an assignment." the official explained and Benedict inhaled sharply, his mind launching into panic mode as he thought through very heart-wrenching thing that could have possibly happened to Sophie and what she might have suffered from as a result. "She's been taken to St. Mungo's-"

"Take me." Benedict uttered desperately, cutting the man off. "Take me to her now."

The ministry official gave him a curt nod without hesitation, understanding the inherent fear Benedict must be experiencing. Benedict moved to follow the official when he suddenly spun back around as he remembered; Charlie.

"Go to her." Colin said. "I'll take Charlie to Aubrey Hollow and tell them what's happened."

Benedict pulled his brother into a hug, knowing how equally scared he must be feeling hearing that his best friend had come into harm's way. He drew away, patting Colin on the back in thanks, giving Charlie a quick kiss, and then he left with the ministry official.

At St Mungo's Benedict was led to a private room, where just outside he was met by his uncle Dr. Nicholas Rokesby. He provided his nephew some relief by reassuring him that Sophie hadn't suffered any life-threatening or extensive injuries but that they wanted to keep her in overnight to monitor her. Nicholas said he'd be back in a short while to go through the results of some tests they had run before stepping aside to allow his nephew to enter Sophie's room.

Benedict couldn't have entered fast enough and when he did his heart skipped a beat at the sight of his wife laid up in bed. He was utterly relieved as she was awake but simultaneously inflicted with worry due to the injuries she had sustained. She had an arm in a sling tucked against her chest, a bandage across her head, a black eye, cuts across her arms, and glaring red marks that seemed to suggest she had been restrained across her wrists, her mouth, and most troubling of all her neck.

"It's worse than it looks, I swear." Sophie said and at the sound of her voice his eyes finally landed on hers, mossy-green eyes that sparkled as they always did whenever they met his gaze.

In an instant he had crossed the room to her bedside, wanting nothing more than to hold her close to him but resisting due to the pain he would surely cause from squashing her broken arm into his chest. Instead he cupped her cheek, threading a hand with her one that wasn't in the sling as his eyes trailed across her for a closer look at her wounds and abrasions.

"What on earth happened?" he breathed out as he tried to fathom how she had acquired all of her afflictions.

"I can't say much. Confidential and all that." Sophie replied. "But like I said it's worse than it looks." she insisted and squeezed his hand. "There's a gash on my head hence the bandage but it's fine, just precautionary. Arm's broken but they've already given me skele-gro - which tastes rancid, by the way - but it means my arm will be good as new by tomorrow morning. Black eye's quite embarrassing, actually. I picked up a telescope on this property but it turned out to be one from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes that bloody punches you. Wasn't my finest moment on the job."

"And the red marks?" Benedict asked as his thumb brushed against the one near her mouth.

Sophie grimaced slightly before she responded. "Devil's snare."

Benedict's eyes rounded, realising the life-endangering risk his wife had been under having to deal with such a deadly plant.

"Sophie." he gulped and he found himself growing short of breath as his imagination painted the awful picture of the devil's snare tightening it's tendrils around Sophie's hands, muffling her screams, constricting itself around her throat as it attempted to suffocate her...

"Ben. Sweetheart, look at me. Ben?" Sophie clasped his hand as the onset of a panic attack began to take a hold of him. "Ben, please breathe. Breathe for me. In, out. In and out."

He tried in vain to level his breathing, to listen to his wife's soothing encouragement but the panic attack was overwhelming him, unable to clear his mind of what might have happened had Sophie not survived the deadly plant, of how the ministry official would have arrived at My Cottage to inform him that his wife would never be coming home, how Charlie would grow up never knowing his mother...

Sophie then hauled him into her, her available arm clutching him around the neck as she held him to her, leaving his face shoved into her mane of curls. Though there was a whiff of the general sterilised smell of a hospital as well as an ointment that had been applied to her wounds, Benedict inhaled the abundantly sweeter scent of Sophie's hair and all at once felt his panic subside. He was reminded of the last time he had suffered a panic attack which had only been resolved by breathing in his dad's vial of amortentia, a love potion that had smelled reminiscently like Sophie. As his wife caressed the back of his head, keeping him close to her, Benedict continued to breathe her in to remind and assure him that she was here, she was safe and well, and she was alive.

"Sorry." his voice said in a wavering sigh when he eventually pulled back.

"No, my love. I'm sorry." Sophie swallowed and rested her hand across his heart. "I'm so sorry for upsetting you, for causing you any distress. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

He couldn't help noticing the tremor in her voice, as well as the tears pooling in her eyes.

"Are you in pain?" he asked her, worried her assurances that her injuries weren't as bad as they looked had only been said to placate him. "Do you want me to call for a doctor?"

"No, no, no. I'm fine. Really. I'm just... I'm just so glad you're okay. That you're safe and well."

Benedict was rather confused by her remark. "I'm not the one who's just had a near scrape though." he pointed out, wondering if perhaps the gash to her head had affected her more than she had realised.

"I know, I know." she nodded, diverting her gaze away from him as she poorly tried to stifle a sniffle.

"Soph?" he gently pressed her. "What's wrong?"

She initially shook her head and tried to avoid meeting his eye but he reached out and touching her chin got her to turn back to face him. As soon as her eyes landed on his a tear trickled down her cheek and she let out a wobbly exhale.

"It was awful." she uttered and he squeezed her hand tightly. "We thought the assignment wouldn't take us long. That we'd be back by lunchtime. But we were ambushed as soon as we got there." she began to explain and as she did Benedict stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "I got hit by a spell and when it knocked me down I hit my head. The next thing I knew I was in this empty room by myself... except... except for..."

More tears shot down her face and Benedict wiped them away, giving her the time and patience she needed before she continued.

"On the floor... I saw you." she said, much to Benedict's surprise. "You had your eyes closed and you weren't moving... you weren't breathing..." she shuddered out through tears. "And I thought... I thought somehow they had captured you and... and... I was screaming at you, shaking you to wake up but you didn't. And then it occurred to me maybe, just maybe it wasn't actually you but a boggart... I hoped with all my heart it was just a stupid boggart. And so I cast riddikulus and the next second you were gone - but Colin was there. And he was lying as still as you had been. So I did riddikulus again. And then it was Phillip. And when I tried it again it was Michael. Then Hyacinth. Then Posy. And it didn't matter how much I tried to cast the spell it didn't work well enough because it was never-ending." she sobbed.

Tears were pricking in Benedict's own eyes at the thought of Sophie's emotional upheaval from a boggart presenting itself as every incarnation of one of her loved one's in death. He couldn't begin to imagine what she had gone through and it made sense how she couldn't get the boggart-banishing spell to work, not when the depictions of deceased loved ones were laid out right in front of her. How could anyone possibly try to focus their mind on something funny to ward off such gut-wrenchingly awful images?

"It just kept going and going and then... and then... Charlie..." she just about got out before she crumbled and descended into tears and Benedict pulled her against him as gently as he could to comfort her, stroking her back as he held back his own tears.

The thought of their baby coming to any harm wasn't something he would even allow himself to entertain, his brain straight-up refusing to even try and imagine such a horrendous thing. For Sophie to have the very worst fear possible laid out right before her, even if it wasn't actually real...

"Is he okay?" she sobbed.

"He's fine. He's perfectly fine, Soph." he reassured her and pressed a kiss into her hair. "Colin took him to my parents. He's in the safest hands possible. And everyone else is safe and well too." he told her, preemptively knowing what her next question would be.

Sophie released a deep sigh of relief and her breathing steadied as she wiped away her tears.

"I don't even know what happened after that. I feel like I briefly lost my mind and somehow the room around me fell away. Someone on scene said I had imploded the room but I don't remember..." she explained with the shake of her head, still unsure of what to make of it herself. "I don't remember it at all. But once I was out of the room and got back to the others we were suddenly faced with dementors. I tried fending one off but after the boggart I couldn't produce a strong enough patronus and one of them tried... it tried to give me the dementor's kiss." she gulped and Benedict's blood ran cold at the thought of one of those awful creatures trying to rob her of her soul. "I really thought if one of the others didn't come to help me that I was done for... but then I thought about you and Charlie and how I wanted to come home to you and that this couldn't just be the end... so I focused all my energy on the day Charlie took his first steps and the patronus finally worked."

Benedict gave a watery smile, thankful that the unconditional and all-encompassing love between their little family was strong enough to revitalise Sophie's determination and help her to escape a terrible fate.

"And then after all that when we ran for back-up we managed to get caught up in the devil's snare. And god, I know the less you struggle the easier you can escape it, I know that; but I was just so," she gestured to her head and waved her hand about to imply she wasn't thinking clearly, "that it just got tighter and tighter and at that point I thought there was no way out. Luckily one of the others had freed themselves and managed to set fire to it to free the rest of us... but god, I've never felt so powerless in my entire life."

"You went through a lot, Soph. It just took a psychological toll on you, that's all." he said, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. "Don't feel bad for letting it get to you. Going through what you went through would have emotionally wrecked anybody."

Sophie gave a small little nod but her bottom lip trembled nevertheless. Benedict leaned in and kissed her softly to calm her nerves though when he drew back and leaned his head against hers, his wife let out a shaky breath.

"I can't do it anymore." she uttered.

"Do what?"

"Work assignments in the field. I don't want to do it anymore." she croaked.

"You don't have to, Soph."

"After today, when I thought I might never see you or Charlie ever again... I don't want to risk that. I don't want to risk never coming back home to you. To both of you. Those field missions used to awaken my sense of adventure but I don't feel that anymore. Not when my greatest adventure is my life with you." she said, her eyes shining with abundant love. "The life we have with Charlie and the family we're building. And I want more. So much more. I want another baby." she told him, squeezing his hand and he squeezed her back and his eyes welled up with tears. "I want Charlie to have a little brother or sister. Two, actually."

"Maybe even three?" Benedict gave a watery chuckle.

"As many as you want." Sophie nodded with a relieved smile. "I want a house full of children to come home to after working in the office all day. I want a life where no one's worrying if something's going to happen to me while I'm on the job. I want to live the most perfectly ordinary of lives and I want to live it right by your side always, Ben. I love you. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Soph. With everything that I am, I love you." he professed and met her lips with his.

Just then the door burst open and when they turned round they were met by Colin and Edmund's stricken faces which relaxed once they caught sight of Sophie awake in bed.

"Merlin's beard, Soph; what happened to you?" Colin asked and immediately powered over.

"It's worse than it looks I swear." she said with a watery laugh.

"Please don't tell me you were given an assignment to do on your own." Edmund fretted as he pulled up alongside his son.

"No, no. There was a team of us. They've all fared about as well as I have."

The door opened again and this time Phillip stared over at the sight of his roughed-up friend.

"Merlin wept, Soph." he swallowed and paced over. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Phil."

The door banged open yet again and this time they were met by the sight of Michael Stirling donned in feathery and leather stage apparel, his eyes wide with shock at the state of the patient.

"Fucking hell, Soph. What're you playing at? See this is the exact reason why we worry about you," he started as he marched over.

"I know, Michael. It's why I'm going to ask my head of department to keep my role desk-based from now on."

Michael opened his mouth as if to keep arguing his point but stopped short when he realised Sophie had actually stated her intention to take a step back from working in the field.

"Wait, really?" Phillip asked.

"It's not worth it." she replied, her eyes filling up with tears again.

"Oh, Sophie." Colin sympathised and rested a hand on her arm.

"I'm fine, really. I'm just... I'm just so happy to see you all." she exhaled.

Colin, Phillip, Michael, and Edmund all exchanged slightly confused looks but Benedict understood exactly why his wife was so emotional to see them all. One by one each of her visitors leaned in to give Sophie a kiss on the cheek and a gentle hug, expressing sentiments of love and friendship until Benedict's uncle entered the room to inform them of the results of the tests they had run on Sophie.

"Fortunately the minimal brain swelling has already gone down but we'll still keep an eye on it throughout the night just to make sure. A nurse will come in every two hours to apply more of that ointment to the marks left behind by the devil's snare but come morning it should have all died down. I'll come back in a few hours time to see how that arm's doing but in the meantime if you're in need of any pain relief just ask. All your blood work came back fine, no concerns there, and the pregnancy hasn't been encumbered at all, that's still running smoothly-"

"I'm sorry; what did you say?" Benedict cut in, his ears having picked up on something that was news to him.

"The blood work's fine, noting to worry about," his uncle Nicholas reiterated.

"No, no, no; after that."

"Oh, the pregnancy; your injuries haven't affected it at all." Dr. Rokesby addressed Sophie directly.

"I'm pregnant?"

Nicholas glanced up from his clipboard and only then noticed the way Sophie was staring at him, as was Benedict, his brother-in-law, his other nephew, and the other two visitors.

"Yes." he confirmed with a gentle smile. "You're pregnant. About ten weeks along."

"Oh." Sophie gasped, utterly shell-shocked by the news but when she turned to catch Benedict's gaze their faces instantly broke into the biggest smiles before Benedict squeezed her into a hug.

"Guess Charlie's going to be a big brother sooner than we expected." Benedict chuckled with joy as they settled in each other's embrace, ecstatically ebullient from the happy news that their little family of three was soon to become a family of four.

[bluerosejuliet]

So how do the Bridgertons meet their respective villains in this if Portia is trying to keep her kids and probably by extension, her friend's children away from the Bridgertons? I keep picturing them meeting at one of Lady Danbury's ball.

Just so there's no confusion this is the Villainess Portia Isekai AU that I'm working on with @daughter-of-sea-and-wisdom not the Modern Bridgerton Isekai AU.

Portia is very fortunate that her country house is located far from Aubrey Hall and that her friend's homes are all in the same area (though she does find it a bit ironic how most of the original villains live so close together). Even better is that Violet locates her family more permanently to London after Edmunds death.

Kate and Sophie make their debut in 1809 at the age of 21 and 18 respectively. Part of the reason Kaste waited so long was because her father died in 1805, two years before she had intended to debut. She had to deal with mourning her father's death and moving the family permanently to England as Bombay was where her father passed and the family needed a better space to grieve which was among their friends.

Portia then helps Kate take the reigns of her father's business, teaching her how to control things through the shadows. Simon volunteers to be the face of the company when really Kate is the one controlling things. Once things are settled though, Kate decides to debut so that there aren't any negative rumors swirling about her that could impact her family.

Originally Sophie intended to debut at 19 or 20 but she was insistent at not letting Kate go through her first season alone. The only downside is that Simon is not there as Kate and Mary finally convinced him to take his grand tour after he delayed it to look after his adopted family (Mary is like his second mother while Miles was the father he wished he had).

Kate and Anthony do cross paths during her first season at Lady Danbury's ball when Violet pushes him to ask Kate for a dance. Perhaps Kate would have found the Viscount more appealing had he not treated the dance like a chore (to be fair he'd been pushed to dance with so many young ladies that night that he lost count and just wants to go home).

So come the next ball Anthony and Kate are at, he once again is pushed by his mother to ask Kate to dance though this time his heads a bit more clear and he does note how pretty she is. Kate however, innocently comments that her dance card is full showing him her full card before excusing herself to check on Sophie. It's only later, when Anthony is riding home with his mother that he realizes that he hadn't seen Kate dance all night! And come to think of it, he didn't recognize any of the names on her dance card. She purposely lied to get out of dancing with him!

Kate's feeling pretty smug about the trick she pulled, not only because it ensured she could keep an eye of Sophie but also because it resulted in shocking the Viscount. No doubt the man was not used to being ignored. That smugness goes away when they arrive at the ball, only to find the Viscount is there surprisingly and the man triumphantly walks over to her to sign her dance card before she can write anyone in.

This goes on for the next few seasons, with some banter thrown in here and there. It's only towards the end of the 1812 season, when Anthony hears some men rudely calling Kate a spinster that he grows incensed and defends her her honor. It's also during this time that Anthony starts to think her might have stronger feelings for Kate but refuses to acknowledge them. Portia does notice however.

So imagine Anthony's surprise when come 1813, while supervising Daphne, that Kate is actually dancing with quite a few gentleman including the Duke of Hastings and there are whispers that the two have been close since childhood.

Benedict is off on his grand tour of Italy during 1809 so her doesn't really meet Sophie till 1811, when she's 20 and he is 25. Unfortunately, he happened to be a bit drunk that night so Sophie doesn't have the best impression of him.

Benedict does actually dance with her in 1812, during a masquerade ball and falls head over heels for her. Unfortunately, she takes a season off in 1813 when her adoptive brother George Crane and their best friend Michael decide to go on their grand tour, with Sophie being there to supervise her two trouble making friends.

As for the other Bridgertons, the two side actually fully meet during an outing at Hyde Park where Penelope nearly gets run over by Colin Bridgerton racing his brothers on horseback. Luckily Phillip manages to run over and pull Penelope away just in time as the two stumble to the ground. He's not to happy about Colin nearly running over his best friend and also the fact that the man seems to have no care for the foliage he destroyed!

Note: Colin got distracted from the race after seeing the lovely Miss Tilly Arnold (the original heroine of his story) laughing which causes him to not look where he is directing his horse and making the horse go faster.

Cue Anthony stepping in to apologize as Penelope's family and friends fuss over her, with the rest of the Bridgertons coming over to see what trouble Colin caused. Benedict thinks Sophie looks oddly familiar while Anthony wants to strangle Colin because Kate is looking at him very unhappily. Colin is apologetic but surprised to his charm not working on the young lady, who ignores him in favor of reassuring the young man next to her that she is fine. He's does note that she looks around Eloise's age, and her hair is a rather fascinating red color.

Of course Portia is freaking out about this and quickly hurries them away, thankful that they will be returning to the country in a couple days and Penelope will debut a few years later. Colin should be settled down with his original love by then leaving Portia to focus on her third daughter. She's not worried about her daughter finding a husband, as she is certain Philip and Penelope will end up together down the road given how close they are.

If only she knew that the one meeting in the park would alter the path she had planned for her family.

Cue 1813

Portia catches Anthony Bridgerton with his mouth somewhere it should not be.

As if that wasn't enough, Simon and Daphne are caught walking out of a maze together (unchaperoned!) with their clothes slightly rumpled which leads to both men challenging the other to a duel.

Eloise Bridgerton won't stop staring at Penelope, almost as if she's a puzzle she's trying to figure out (Portia doesn't want to think about how Eloise's gaze seems so sharp or how she looks at Penelope at times likes she's seen a ghost).

Colin has not made a move to start courting Miss Arnold.

And Violet is just sitting back and watching this unfold calmly, while Portia is panicking!

THIS WAS NOT HOW THINGS WERE SUPPOSED TO TURN OUT!!

Thanks for the ask!

[eemarose]

Page Two --- Apocalypse AU

I slowly come back to consciousness. The first thing I see is a fire. 

I look around and realize I’m under some sort of tent or canopy. 

I sit up then look around, “Hello?” 

Someone walks over to me, “Oh good, I was beginning to think you were dead” He crosses his arms, “I didn’t wanna clean up your body, I’m a gagger.”

The way he talks is familiar to me. He sounds friendly but there’s that guard that everyone else has here, the guard that protects them from making any friends or allies. 

I clench my jaw, “Do you.. Do you know who I am?” I ask slowly.

He walks to the fire and adds a log to it, “I know a lot of people, it’s hard to tell” He looks at me, “Should I?”

He has a mask covering his mouth, maybe to keep his identity a secret, Dan had one too. I should get one too just in case my suspicions were right and I am a bad guy. 

I shake my head, “No no, I’m just a nobody who thought they could save this town” I laugh a little. 

He snorts, “Good luck with that, this town has been a dump for thirteen years.”

Thirteen years? Wow, my son Benedict is thirteen here? Maybe I should try to find him next. 

I nod, “That’s what I’ve heard.. Do you know why? Or how?” I ask, looking at him.

He pokes at the fire and hums, “Hard to tell, there’s been a couple of natural disasters in the past years, but I think the main one was probably the blame.”

I squint, “What’s the main one? Did you get bombed?” I ask while examining the burnt trees. 

He sits down, “Something like that.”

I tilt my head, “What do you mean?”

He looks at me with a half glare, half snarl then back at the fire. 

I look down, “Sorry, I’m just curious, I’ve never seen a more miserable town like this before..” He nods, “I’ll explain later. Do you have a home I can take you too?”

I shake my head, “I wandered here before I could get one, it was strange, I felt like something was calling me to this forest.”

 His head tilts, “Called you? What did it sound like?”

I shrug, “It didn’t really sound like anything, just a feeling” I looked away.

The truth is, I think something inside me knew that Dan would be here. Of all people, I knew I could trust him to trust me, no matter if I was a villain or not. 

He stands up, “Welp, I should bring you back to the Fury before I get in trouble by the Collins.” 

I stand up too and brush the dirt off my clothes. 

His eyes stay focused on the building in the distance. His eyes are a goldy yellow. Then as I’m looking at them, I realize who he is. 

“You’re Robin, the barista at Hanna’s.” I say hushedly.

He looks at me, “You knew me? Gosh, that was a while ago, I haven’t seen Hanna in years” He hangs his head back as he thinks.

I nod, “I think I was here before everything happened, I remember you from the diner.” I lied. 

Back in my timeline or universe–whatever this place is–Robin and Dan just applied to work with Hanna. Dan needed the money, I don’t know Robin enough to know why he applied. 

Dan introduced me to him a few days after they got the job. He had another buddy named Joey Griffin, he’s a sweet kid, I hope he’s okay here. 

Robin sighs, “Those were the days.. You must know Dan then.”

I stare then shake my head, “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

He nods, “Makes sense, he stayed in the kitchen more. He actually hangs out in those woods a lot, I think he was there when you hit your head.”

I fake a laugh, “How convenient.”

He laughs too. We finally arrived at the building. Robin talks to Carrie Collins before she leads me to an apartment for me to stay. 

I don’t know how long I’ll be here but I guess me hitting my head proved that this isn’t a dream. Maybe I need to do something here before I can leave. Do I have any unfinished business? I don’t think so. Well, Whatever it is, I’ll figure it out. 

I have to.

[major2501]

Living in the Fray: Chapter Eleven

'Good morning Chase fans and welcome to day two of the Convict Chase with me Terry St. Vincent and Naoko Harada Walker! Thanks to Paul for covering the night shift and letting us get some rest so we can be with you for what we hope is another exciting day!'

Terry St. Vincent was an alarmingly happy and cheerful man today especially as he was fronting the Chase show for a change and wasn't in the shadow of Paul Adams. Naoko even got more screen time too which she relished in. Out of the three hosts, Naoko was an actual journalist and hosted many informative documentaries over the years as well as the New Edo ten o'clock news three nights a week. She enjoyed doing something different once in a while to give herself a break from the seriousness and the Chase was the perfect occasion to do so.

'We're coming up for the first twenty four hour mark, meaning we will have thirty hours, twenty three minutes and fifty seven seconds left of this years Chase. If you haven't been watching, here's a recap of the Chase so far.'

Naoko led the way in to a round up segment showing key moments that had happened. Krieger's first kill mere seconds after the Chase had begun, Daisuke Akiyama's disqualification by killing one of his contracts and not one of the cons, followed by Frank's harbour front shooting and then finishing off with Krieger's second kill of convict Andrea Toles by beheading her with her sword, Inazuma.

'So Captain Krieger is currently in the lead with two kills followed by Frank Da Costa with one. Freddie Wilson is yet to get on the scoreboard and Daisuke Akiyama has been disqualified.'

Michael had the right idea and cooked breakfast for everyone as and when they arrived on the Osiris instead of making everything beforehand. They weren't too late though which wasn't that bad. Instead of preparing the weird greasy breakfasts he was made to make at the café place he worked at before he joined the crew he made a wide array of easy dishes. Eggs benedict with fresh muffins from the bakery up the road, lean bacon and homemade hollandaise sauce, fluffy blueberry pancakes, BLT sandwiches on malted toasted bread and even some options for the body building Justin; of scrambled eggs and avocado on whole-wheat toast and protein pancakes made with bananas. Justin was impressed with Michael's cooking and made it clear that he was quite possibly his most favourite person in the galaxy as he knew what to make and make it well.

'Favourite person in the galaxy next to my wife and kids I should say. She'd kill me, if I didn't say that.' Justin cringed a little bit as he corrected himself.

The crew watched the Chase coverage on a small holoscreen mounted in the ships galley as they ate their breakfast. Funnily enough they were watching the Chase Hunters having breakfast. Freddie was in a typical American diner tucking in to what was essentially desert for breakfast; waffles and pancakes. Frank was in some very fancy French Bistro having coffee from a cafetiere with some very intricate pastries and a selection of fresh fruit and yoghurt.

Krieger however was in fact like she had planned, sat in the West End Breakfast Emporium. The English greasy spoon café owned by Ernie and Cindy Carter from good old London, was big enough to hold a fairly small proportion of the British residents of New Edo and coincidentally was the only place on the whole planet that knew what a full English breakfast was. So it got a lot of business; not only from its British regulars but from people who had heard from said Brits that a full English breakfast was the best thing for curing a hangover. And New Edo was the spiritual home of hangovers.

'What can I get you Cas? The usual?' Cindy asked as she wandered up to the table Krieger was just about to sit down at.

'Better make it a large pot of coffee Cindy I got a long day today ahead of me.' She smiled extra hard at Cindy as she saw she was wearing a Team Krieger badge on her apron.

'Sure thing. ERNIE! KRIEGER'S USUAL!' She screamed in the direction of the kitchen at her husband as she walked back behind the counter to fix a pot of coffee for Krieger. Ernie had briefly popped his head out but soon went back in as his wife was advancing.

Krieger's usual wasn't exactly a full English breakfast but it was what she could handle. She went for the standard breakfast but with a few things taken away and a few additions. She never had black pudding or baked beans but supplemented their removal with extra fried mushrooms and an extra hash brown. So on the serving platter sized plate that was eventually presented to her were two fried eggs, three rashers of back bacon, a few plum tomatoes, three hash browns, two pork sausages and a mound of fried button mushrooms with a side of buttered white bread and a huge pot of coffee to wash it all down.

The coffee was the first thing to go. Krieger downed it with an ample amount of milk and sugar that she dumped in to her mug. Cindy graciously brought her out another pot knowing that she would want another. Krieger delved in to her breakfast; shovelling everything in her mouth looking like she barely chewed anything on its way down. Ernie always cooked breakfasts to perfection and this was exactly what she needed right now. She ate everything that was on her plate, mopping up the residual yolky egg with the last piece of bread. Saving Cindy a trip back to her table, Krieger picked up her plate and took it up to the serving counter.

'As always, perfect breakfast.' Krieger said as she handed over her plate to Cindy. Ernie had finally come out of the kitchen in the back, wiping his hands on a blue and white striped tea towel. Krieger noticed Ernie was also wearing a Team Krieger badge on his apron. She approved. Krieger then placed her finger on the scanner on the counter to pay for her breakfast as Ernie began talking.

'Think you're gonna get another today?' Ernie asked while his wife tended to the plate Krieger had given her.

'I hope so, it's up in the air though there's only two cons left and three hunters.'

'Well we're cheering for you anyway Krieger.'

She grinned.

'How much you put down on me winning this year?'

'Five thousand creds.' Ernie chuckled.

'Well I'll do my best and make sure you score big. I better dash, I'll be winning fuck all if I don't get hunting.'

'Stay safe sweetheart.' Cindy called over as Krieger turned to leave. She smiled and waved as she made her way through the door, instantly getting on neural comms to Ronson as her feet hit the pavement.

'Morning babes, you got owt for me?'

'Nothing yet. New Edo's barely woken up and had its first ciggy yet I bet everybody's still hungover from last night, or they're at work already.'

Krieger sighed. She hated slow Chases. It meant a lot of waiting around for nothing to happen and the only time you'd ever really find a con was if you got lucky on your search or if they made the mistake of being pinged on one of the many CCTV cameras dotted around.

'Right.' Krieger squinted her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as if it would help her think better. 'Um, lets try some profiling see if that gets us anywhere. Get me some info on the cons we have left send it to my ocular.'

'Okay... two secs... There.'

Krieger's left eye HUD lit up with photos of one of the cons and some text showing some statistics; height, ages, weight and so on.

'Okay so this is Jax. Real name unknown but it was changed by deed poll years ago. Six foot two, two hundred and five pounds of what seems to be pure muscle, mixed race black and white. Associated with the Outer World Liberation Front as a mere foot soldier. That's all I got on him, seems like the OWLF are pretty good at getting rid of or fabricating information.'

'You don't think he could be one of their suicide bombers?

'Possibly, they tend to leave that up to the brainwashed underlings. They usually get them to assassinate difficult to reach targets without any regards to the consequences.'

'And is Jax one of them? You got his arrest record?' Krieger questioned. Knowing what some of the OLWF minions were like from previous attacks; if Jax was a disposable soldier then he was most likely going after somebody important or he was planning on bombing somewhere or a whole bunch of people during his time out of jail. Krieger was thinking the latter. The mission was never quite over for them and prison wouldn't stop them from finishing it.

'Ookay.' Ronson started. 'He was arrested a few times back on Earth when he was a member of an Animal Rights Group. Cut to the new galaxy and he's only had two arrests, one for punching a police officer during a supposedly peaceful protest and the second arrest is what landed him in prison. Bombed the trade docks on Moralis. They caught him shortly after about to set a bomb off on the Boston Swing Bridge from the mainland to the dock island.'

'He's not coming out any time soon. You get any breakfast yet?' Krieger asked.

'In a mo, they're replenishing to buffet table soon. Erik can't half put it away.'

Krieger smiled a little imagining Erik towering over the buffet table loading up on whatever he could fit on a plate. She brought herself back round to the real world and lit a cigarette as she walked through the streets. New Edo was wide awake by now and people were going about their business as normal. Of course a bunch of the pubs were already teaming with people watching the Chase on their holoscreens with a cheeky morning pint.

'So what about the last guy, Clements?'

'Sending info now.'

Krieger received the information again on her left eye HUD with more blurb about Clement and a few more pictures that cycled through on a slideshow. They were only shown a few photos of each con before the Chase started. Either way, none of them were good photos.

'Jesus Christ he looks like he fuck a warm muffin.'

Krieger could hear Ronson choking slightly at the comment she made. She could hear him giggle a bit then heard him drinking something, followed by a small cough as if he were trying to compose himself.

'Never mind fucking warm muffins, this sick bastard had a penchant for drunk women and little girls.'

'Oh this guys getting torn to pieces. I'd even let the others do it so long as he suffers.'

'Well nobody has seen him at all. I've had a look at some of his psyche reports and this guy is evil. Nine counts of rape on adult women, five of which were murdered and four counts of sexual abuse on minors; one he molested and raped on and off over 3 years and two of which he also killed. The last one committed suicide several years later when she was only thirteen.'

'He has a compulsion by the sound of it. How long has he been locked up for?'

'Three years and seven months.'

'And he's on the nonce wing?'

'Yep, far away from Gen Pop.'

Krieger's skin was crawling just thinking about this awful excuse for a human being. She figured Ronson was lousy at the thought of this guy too.

'So he's been in all that time, away from everybody else. Yeah he's either gonna keep his head down or he's out to get his jollies one last time before he gets slotted.'

'That's what I think he'd do.' Ronson sighed deeply.

'Ugh I hate when they send pedos for the Chase. I mean this is a fucked up planet but we have barely any of those sick fucks.' Krieger shook her head.

'Even New Edo resident pedos don't last five minutes when they get outed, the locals go after them.'

'Well one of us better get to him before they do. It's still a competition.'

'You better get cracking then. Last proper full day and night to search for these arseholes.'

Krieger could hear a slight sense of urgency in Ronson's voice, meaning he wanted her to wrap this up as soon as possible and get those final kills in. She knew damn well he had a shopping list with expensive things on it waiting to be checked off during a spree and the Chase win money Krieger would give him would pay for it all. He had the money to begin with but he never wanted to dip in to that. Krieger thought it was funny but to be honest, she was exactly the same. The pair of them came from backgrounds that never allowed treating themselves or excessive spending thanks to a disposable income. But now after amassing a huge amount of money they learned how to budget for their treats and daily living expenses; spend money coming to you, not what you already have saved. Krieger knew Ronson was eying up some designer clothing and a brand new kitchen for his apartment. Bespoke as well.

The crew of the Osiris were now busy milling about the ship after the fabulous breakfast Michael had prepared. While they were all enjoying the Chase so far, they were looking forward to the trades holiday that came directly after. The trades holiday happened every year directly after the Chase; three days of all factories on New Edo closing to allow all their staff time for rest and to allow deep cleaning crews and engineers to come in and make everything ship shape and Bristol fashion. But of course with this being New Edo, it meant that those three days would be spent drunk. The crew of the Osiris however like a lot of the people off during this time would spend most of the holiday down at the beach. Sometimes without Krieger if she had been seriously injured during the Chase and had to spend time in a tank of MediGel down at the local clinic. She tried to make sure that didn't happen though, she'd rather spend time with her crew at the beach than stark bollock naked in a tank of some mad perfluorocarbon-esq goop that felt and smelt like wallpaper paste.

'I don't think the boss is gonna get the next one.' Jess spoke up.

'I don't think she will either.' Faye added.

The other's looked at them both, wondering if this sudden outburst was some kind of psychic twin moment. Jess was already placing a bet on who she thought was get the next kill. Faye was doing the same on another betting site. Michael was wondering if they were all in on it, as if Krieger was not getting certain kills on purpose to benefit the crew who were betting on her. He thought against it, she did seem pretty pissed off when she didn't get to Frank's kill on time to steal it from him.

Michael then thought he'd stick a bet on his Boss to win. He had a few hundred credits going spare saved over from his last pay check so he decided to stick a hundred credits down on Krieger to win overall. He'd get a pretty decent return on that bet if she won so he'd have a bit more to stick in his savings pot.

The crew watched their Boss on screen as she walked through the streets of New Edo, stopping occasionally to chat to a few people and sign a few autographs. Eventually the cameras following her were lead to Hideki's bar. The footage then cut from Krieger to Freddie and Frank who were both still having an elongated breakfast. Freddie could be seen from outside Joe's Twenty Four Hour Diner which did an awesome burger and amazing fried chicken but served anything that could be considered dessert as breakfast. Frank however was doing the usual of sitting outside one of the nicer bistros enjoying a leisurely breakfast of pastries, fruit and coffee. And of course it being Frank, several good looking women were sat at his table flirting away with him.

Daytime was usually slow on the Chase. Most of the programme during the daytime and afternoon was filled with segments about greatest kills or spectacular fails from previous years; Krieger appearing many times in both and sometimes with Frank as their competition with each other sometimes came to a head. Frank and Krieger were kill stealers, especially with each other. Frank's most remembered steal from Krieger was when he got some of his big American Football/Rugby playing sports mates to literally tackle and carry her away from her target she was just about to shoot. Krieger's most remembered steal was when Frank was about to shoot his target, but she threw an egg and cress sandwich at his head and it smacked him straight in the face; the egg concoction clung to his face and slid down right on to his designer suede jacket. Frank lost his shit. Krieger lost her sandwich.

'What's the Boss doing at Hideki's' Michael asked his crew mates bar Zach who were all back in the rec room of the Osiris, watching the Chase day two on the big holoscreen. 'They got information for her?'

'Yep.' Devin answered. 'She has a bit of a network who relay info to the guys at Hideki's and Bab's at her bar.'

'Hunters are only allowed to communicate with their handlers via the neuromod, but they are allowed to collect info by other means.' Tony added as he sipped at a hot mug of coffee.

It dawned on Michael that he knew bugger all about the Chase. In fact he knew bugger all about what was going on in the rest of the galaxy. If it wasn't for his workmates he'd still be in the dark about everything.

'She's probably having a mid-morning pint too.' Tony chuckled.

Krieger was absolutely going to have a mid-morning pint. Hideki's bar was quite busy for this early time in the morning but it was also quiet due to some specific customers. There were a small group of Voxon males sat around one of the big tables, all looking at a pitcher of beer with empty glasses in front of them.

'Oh shit.' Krieger said over neurocomms to Ronson as she walked in to the bar. 'There's a bunch of Voxon in Hideki's.'

'Ooof, good luck with that.' Ronson replied.

Krieger sailed past the group and leant on the bar, looking up at Hideki who had been wiping down the counters with a pleading look in her eyes saying "pint now, I beg of you!" He complied instantly without saying a word.

'Oh! Look! That's Captain Cassandra Krieger of the Osiris! Hello Captain. Please come and join us in the drinking of alcoholic beverages.'

Hideki slid the fresh pint over to Krieger with a touch of a grin on his face at what one of the Voxon group who recognised her.

'Here's your alcoholic beverage Captain.' He said through his grin. Krieger picked up the glass and gave Hideki a look consisting of annoyance with a touch of venom. Time to be nice in the face of perfection.

[ladysharmaa]

My anchor

Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

summary: Y/n and Benedict had been best friends since they were born, blind to their feelings for each other. When Edmund Briedgerton dies, Y/n is there to comfort Benedict, leaving him to cry on her shoulder

requested: yes

warnings: mention of death

Y/n have always been close since childhood. Whenever one appeared, the other had to be behind. They were each other's shadow. It all started when Violet, pregnant with Benedict, attended a tea meeting with other ladies. Y / n's mother, despite having a lower social status than these, married to a Baron not important in society, participated in these meetings due to her kind nature and her famous advice.

That's how she and Violet became close. Y/n's mother supported the Bridgerton couple their entire pregnancy, often keeping Anthony company so the parents could get some rest and she could spend time with her "nephew". When Benedict was born, Y/n's mother was a huge support for them, and so she became family to the Bridgertons. Shortly thereafter, Y/n was born, the first daughter of the Baron and Baroness.

It didn't take much for her and Benedict, just one year apart, to become so close that their mothers gossiped about how they would marry in the future. Benedict developed a protective Y/n nature and this was the only thing that could make him smile when his day was going wrong.

He was her shoulder to cry on when she felt wronged that she couldn't go to university like them, do sports like fencing. He never judged her, just hugging her and trying to comfort her as best he could. Her presence was enough for her. In return, Y/n was the biggest supporter of his artwork, often having more trust in him than he was in himself. They were each other anchors and that would never change.

However, they were blind to each other's feelings. Their family noticed several times how their eyes held each other for too long, how a smile appeared on their faces whenever the other entered the room, how their hands touched under the table when they thought no one was watching.

Edmund had to hit Anthony on the head many times (gently so as not to hurt) to stop him from commenting on the love situation of his brother and the girl he considered a little sister.

The parents were happy to see the love story unfolding in front of them, knowing that in the future, they would have each other to accompany them in every moment of their lives. It gave them a sense of calm knowing that. Y/n's family were like Bridgerton, they may have a lower social status than the Bridgerton, but they were equally respected by society. Maybe because they knew that if they messed with one family, they messed with the other.

It was a sunny day in the countryside, Y/n's family deciding to enjoy and stroll by the lake before meeting up with the Bridgerton family as usual. The girl was especially excited because Benedict had promised her that he was going to show her a painting he had been working on for a few months.

However, everything changed when they got home, big smiles on their faces that quickly disappeared when they read a letter from Anthony that a maid urgently delivered to them. Her mother never demanded a ready carriage so fervently and quickly.

"My father is dead. Come quickly."

Y/n was frozen in place, her breath coming short as her hands shook. Tears filled her eyes but the girl knew she had to stay strong, their family needed them. She didn't even notice when, her body moving on her own to the carriage, quickly getting in with her mother as her father followed behind on horseback.

Everything happened so quickly, when they arrived, the Baroness and Baron ran to the back garden where Anthony informed them that his mother was with their dead father. It was too late, they had lost Edmund. Anthony himself was in shock, staring at the floor, not a single tear in his eye. Y/n hugged him with everything he had, she letting a few silent tears fall as he stood like a statue, still not having assimilated everything that had happened in the span of a few minutes.

He was in a trance as Y/n led him into the room where the rest of the Bridgertons were, the maids trying to keep them busy. The girl tried to calm them all, giving them little smiles that didn't reach their eyes, trying to put little Gregory to sleep, rocking him in her arms. Anthony ended up disappearing into some room, Y/n still trying to talk to him but to no avail.

Another person who was missing was Benedict. When her father walked into the room, promising to take care of the Bridgerton siblings while her mother was with Violet, Y/n set off in search of her best friend knowing exactly where he was. When she entered the art rooms, she found Benedict sitting on the couch, elbows on his knees and his face hidden in his hands. His body was shaking from the sobs running through his body.

As soon as he felt her presence, Benedict looked to the side, revealing his red, swollen eyes. Y/n's heart broke even more to see the state of the man she loved, rushing over to sit next to him. Gently, she pulled Benedict's head toward her, hiding it in the link between her shoulder and neck, feeling the tears touch her skin.

"I'm here, Benedict. I'm not going anywhere. I will always be here." Y/n continued to whisper in his ear, biting her lip until she tasted blood to stop the sobs that threatened to escape. Only tears that didn't seem to want to stop streamed down her cheeks.

Benedict ended up lying on the couch, head in Y/n's lap as she ran her hand through his hair in a comforting way. The Bridgerton's crying had subsided but he still held Y/n's hand like it was the only thing keeping him alive. And in fact, that was true. She was his anchor. As he was hers.

"Never leave me, Y/n." he muttered with a sniffle before finally giving in to sleep.

"Never." she said back, kissing his cheek and continuing to caress his head, her presence preventing him from being plagued by nightmares while he slept.

The next few months had been difficult for both families. Anthony had withdrawn more from them, being more serious and taking his post as the new Viscount with a heavy conscience. He was now responsible for his family and he just wanted to make his father proud. The other fears that consumed him didn't help either, everything made him question the dangers since even Edmund Bridgerton was defeated by a simple bee.

The rest of the siblings grieved in different ways, each dealing with their father's death in different ways but being supported by Y/n's family who basically moved into their mansion. Violet was the one who showed to be worse off, having lost her true love and pregnant with her youngest child who couldn't even meet her father was bringing her into a never-ending cycle of depression. Fortunately, the Baroness was there for her, bringing her food and letting Violet cry on her shoulder when the pain became too much.

She remembered how Violet had been there for her when she had had several miscarriages. Sometimes she didn't even speak, she just sat with her and kept her company. And that was the best thing they could have done. Y/n's mother wanted to do the same, being forever grateful to her best friend.

Y/n and Benedict became even more inseparable. When the anger of having lost their father became too much for the man, the two would go for a ride on a horse or even throw paint on a canvas, creating an abstract painting that showed the dark times they were going through.

A few nights ago, after Benedict had a nightmare and Y/n woke up to his scream, running to help him, she stayed with him in bed. She caressed his arm while the Bridgerton man seemed to be stuck in her eyes. That's when they had their first kiss. In each other's arms, in each other's comfort.

"Congratulations!" the midwife exclaimed, wrapping the little baby in a blanket and handing him to an extremely sweaty Y/n tired of having pushed a human out of her body. "It's a boy."

Y/n didn't even know if she was crying from happiness, relief that it was over, or pain. Her emotions were everywhere but as soon as she had her son in her chest, everything was forgotten. All that mattered was what she and Benedict had created. Y/n has never felt such love for anyone.

When Benedict was allowed into the room, his eyes immediately watered at the sight in front of him. His wife holding the most perfect baby he'd ever seen. His family him to protect and his to love.

Y/n moved his arm for Benedict, who was looking at them with the greatest adoration in his eyes, to be able to see his son better. "It's a boy."

"He's beautiful. I'm so proud of you, Y/n." he said, approaching her and kissing her head, then caressing the baby's cheek with the most care. "What's his name of it."

"Edmund." Y/n replied, her eyes fixed on the yawning baby in her arms. An adoring smile appeared on her face. "Edmund Bridgerton."

[inknopewetrust]

touch of nature // benedict bridgerton

Summary: You connect with Benedict at one of Henry Granville's parties and the rest is history.

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x Male!Reader (Bridgerton)

Word Count: 3.0k

Warnings: suggestive material.

Quick Links: Masterlist

Henry Granville's estate was intimidating.

The first time you had walked inside–nee–were invited to such an evening–your senses were ovwhelemed with the realization that this society existed; intertwined with Lord's and Lady's and the working class. No one truly batted an eye, no one cared in that space.

It was the first time you had felt a freedom that eclipsed the life you had lived comfortably in a castle-like building with maids, cooks, and everything to keep you happy.

However, happiness cannot always be bought, but built and gained.

Henry Granville's estate provided that.

First, the people.

The people Henry Granville invited to these "parties" were not only a diverse group of eclectic souls, but familiar and friendly–often times rather friendly. They embraced one another as society shunned away; building relationships under a roof with no judgement. Henry ensured it to be so–this so-called secret society. Men you had known all your life greeted you that first day with courteous smiles and a recognition that this has always been there.

Nothing was invalid between those walls.

Second, the culture inside the home brought creativity and exploration into beaming candlelight. The creatives stroked, the artists performed, and those who adored to watch did so elegantly with critiques and compliments dripping from their sleeves.

You had been attending Henry's parties for three months before he arrived; invited in passing by the man himself and looking frightened at every turn. You wouldn't have been surprised if Benedict Bridgerton paced for twenty minutes outside the door just to get the courage to walk inside.

The corner of your eye caught him as you studied your easel. The models before you chiseled in the low light, their lines near perfect as the charcoal sketch

before you–your hands outlined in the materials as they scraped the paper with each brush. 

His feet were soft against the soles of his shoes. Not even the kitchen mouse could have heard him making his rounds that evening, observing the scene around him. His eyes were vibrant–dark in a torrid fashion and eager to get his hands dirty in what the estate had to offer. The second Bridgerton’s son’s eyes fluttered with a nervousness alongside those intrigued emotions. The twist of his fingers, the way his stance was erect yet unbending. 

You had only known of such because the circle you kept included him in it. 

You had been friends. Now he’s here too. 

Each easel he passed was like reaching a milestone. Closer and closer and his footsteps were still light and silent. Benedict wanted not to disturb the art that was happening, nor the models who stood or sat stoically on the platform. But people watched on the sidelines. Some engaging in more savory behavior against the walls or lingering on the shoulder of an inspired artist just to view the residue a little closer–both on the paper and the hands. 

Your heart beat faster with each step. 

It was not the first time it had done so in the man’s presence. 

Benedict Bridgerton was an enigma. 

The second son of a wealthy Viscount who’s premature passing left his positon less clear that it should be. The square in which the two of you were raised primped fine gentlemen, crafting a societal expectation of what a man should be–how to provide, how to be a husband and manager of fine deeds. But against all of the fuss regarding adulthood, passions piqued the interests of each man and set them apart. Some boxing, some betting, some horse races, and some artistic ventures that bonded crafty souls in the duality of masculinity and art. Art called you, as did it Benedict and without realizing it, it drew you together in that room. 

As your eyes reclaimed the models in front of you, Benedict’s traced around the room looking for something that was calling. The nerves in his fingers calming, his heart pulsing the blood through every part of his body because he knew something called him to Henry’s home that night. 

That something was waiting, something ready to awaken against the twilight of the moon and the glinting smiles of two. 

His eyes found you focused. Your hand carefully whisking across the paper in a delicate passing creating the foundation of hands–the very thing he struggled the most with. It was only fitting that you be so brilliant at them. Benedict waltzed the room more confidently than he entered it, knowing that he knew the people, they did not care, that he was free to be himself and had found you along the way. 

Against the curtains, Benedict swept the area for a stool–something he could sit on and approach you without impeding on the work you were engrossed in. An artist himself, Benedict knew the concentration of such a craft. The least he could do was quietly observe until your attention was spared enough to allow him in. As if the room sensed his motion, the easel beside you had opened up and left a chair to be taken. Benedict swiftly lifted the chair and saddled it up to the side, just behind yours. 

“This is quite something, is it not?” You spoke first. Not giving Benedict time to adjust or take in the quality of your work but you sensed him–him and his soft-soled shoes and his loopy smile. 

You weren’t sure how the Ton did not have their daughters lining up to been wooed by the man. His tall stature and long arms; fingers that begged to be held and the hair that called to be tugged. Benedict Bridgerton awoken something deep within you that hadn’t always been there for him. As children you played, as adults… one look at him and you knew you wanted something more. But you held those feelings close to your chest. 

“The estate or this room? Perhaps those hands, hm?” Benedict responded, looking around the room from your lowered perspective before falling onto the paper in front of him. “Those are very good.” 

“Thank you.” You responded, continuing to sketch the lines over and over until you were satisfied and could wipe your hands off on the towel that rested easily against your leg. 

“There are few estates with lighting this good.” 

“It appears so.” Benedict watched with slated eyes your fingers twist and turn against the fabric. “Do you come to these often? I had no rhyme nor reason to believe something like this… existed.” 

“For the last few months, yes. I met Mr. Granville at an art auction in Bedford and he invited me out while he was in town. Perhaps this will become an annual soirée with each season.” You admitted, truly enjoying the time you’ve spent at the estate in this capacity and many others. 

“Bedford? I remember you speaking about it. That is where you purchased that fine Atlantic water color.”

“It is.” You turned your head to the side, gazing at him with a smile you couldn’t contain. Benedict Bridgerton keeping tabs on you and the things you do. A part of you wanted to read less into the signs; the happenstance that you both found yourselves in the company of one another in a house filled with options yet the air sent its wavelengths to connect you. 

“He has many of the same artist in this house. His… wife,” You spoke lowly, with an intention he did pick up on because he knew Henry’s passion laid elsewhere. “Is a fan of the artist’s work.” 

Benedict hummed as he watched the models turn over into a new position. The women were joined by men this time, standing in their most natural form and not blinking an eye as the people around him nodded in approval, objectifying the sculpted bodies they so readily offered. 

You grabbed your stick of charcoal and flipped a page over the easel that startled Benedict. He hadn’t realized he too had been staring, openly, and did not feel shameful about it. Benedict wondered if you had noticed his attention strayed and it was only confirmed by your small chuckle and smile. 

“It’s distracting. I know.”

“I’ve just never…” Benedict trailed off, his cheeks going a little red in the glow. 

“See it in the open?” You spoke his words as he thought them. You weren’t even looking at him. You were tracing bones of what would be a masculine figure and concentrating on doing so. 

“Yes.” 

“It certainly is a feeling, isn’t it?” You weren’t sure how Benedict would reply. You were certain in the way you felt. You had known for years that your meaning in life was to love a friend who masked himself well. A second son of a noble man, an artist at heart who loved to laugh and adored his family with every inch of himself. Benedict Bridgerton was the man you loved to love and in the deepest parts of your soul you knew he may have felt the same, but it was like cracking open a book for the first time with him. 

The possibility was there; the outline was near perfect but the words that filled the pages could deter the goal from being reached. A climax that wanted to be achieved but was hesitant to do so in the world beyond the walls. 

“A feeling it is… not so much strange, though.” Benedict quirked a brow at you as your stick stopped moving, curious that perhaps what he would say would change the course of his own thoughts about the possibilities of the evening. 

“What does it feel like then?” 

“Liberating.” 

You stopped drawing completely as the towel on your leg shifted, slowly and delicately being swept off your thigh with an intentional movement that made your heart race. 

Liberating, he said. Benedict found the environment liberating upon his first time in such a place. And he took that liberation and made a move, suddenly emboldened by the feeling that floated around the room and found it in his consciousness. It was slow, like a brush of wind on a cool day; savory and welcomed yet nervously optimistic that the action would be perceived in its proper intention. 

“Liberating.” You repeated, watching Benedict’s fingers gently curl against the fabric and pull it from your thigh. The tips of his fingers brushed the top of your thigh and it sent a chill from the top of your skull to the ends of your toes. You swore the goosebumps were the most charged feeling you had ever experienced. 

Benedict folded up the towel in his hands and shrugged, looking at every inch of you. Your eyes as they shone in the darkness, the way your lips parted for him, the strong neck he had admired more than once, and artist hands that had enticed him to make a move. Before holding the towel out to you, Benedict proposed a difference in scenery. 

“Perhaps you could show me where those water colors are, Lord L/n?” 

Your eyes flitted to his lips the same as they did yours. “I’d be delighted to, Mr. Bridgerton.” 

Benedict observed the water color with an intensity you had not expected. 

Much time had not gone by but as you ventured to the library in Henry Granville’s estate, Benedict’s closeness to your own person as you walked the simple halls filled with people who did not so much as whisper about such a man coming and joining the festivities of the evening brought your heart to beat faster, the palms of your hands to feel moister, and the hairs on the back of your neck to be more alert to every shift and movement. You could feel the effect Benedict had through every part of your body. 

It was like being hit by a tidal wave of the most wanted emotions you were often too afraid to express to anyone else. 

And he truly did take into consideration the beautiful nature of the scene before him. Not the books or the leather furniture, but the actual painting you that you had taken a liking to because the artist was familiar and a favorite of yours. Benedict wanted to know what you liked.

Considerate men were seldom in high society.  

Nee, they never truly let their colors show. Men such as Benedict’s brother, Anthony, who shielded himself away from the world for the sake of his title and role as headed of the family but rarely looked at what consequences his actions were making. Benedict was not like him.

He was considerate, kind, caring, and when the time called for it, passionate, compelling, and bold.

“I do believe you have fine taste in art, Y/n.” Benedict turned to look at you as you leaned an arm against the mantle of the fireplace that was emitting the only source of heat in the entire room—sans the less physical heat of your own perspiring hands. To Benedict, you looked as selflessly calm as ever. You always did in his eyes.

“Thank you.” You responded, watching him watch you and gallantly pace around the room in small lines. It was as though he was turning about it, a funny thing to do in the presence of someone you were not trying to impress. “I’d like to believe so.”

“And what other things do you find to be of good taste?” Benedict stopped, boldened by his taut need for something more. Deep down, he had the same motivations as you.

Just a step closer. One step and reach out your hand and the rest could be history. You could be united for the first time in an embrace of lustful romance that put those silly books Penelope Featherington reads to shame. Here, in the privacy of the library with no prying eyes but those that stood motionless and unblinking on the wall, could Benedict and yourself be exactly as you were born to be: not only friends, but lovers.

“What would you like to know?” You poised instead, playing the game for as long as you could. Benedict’s smile quirked upwards—an inkling that perhaps he too felt the electricity of devotion rushing through his veins.

“How about why a man with such good taste hasn’t be swept away by some lucky lady after years of making his debut?”

“A bit bold of an ask, don’t you think, Benedict?” You responded, fully aware of your response, just taken aback by the direction of the conversation. You had tried to make it less obvious, a puzzle, if you will, about how you felt and hoped he reciprocated.

“In an estate such as this? Never. There isn’t a secret these walls haven’t heard.”

That makes you think this wasn’t his first time here—just your first time seeing him there.

Odd thing, London. How you could live across the way from someone and not run into them at an exclusive party within similar social circles.

“Oh? And you feel as though my taste and the lack of commitment I have made to marriage to be a secret?”

Benedict shrugged. He walked around the room slowly but it felt as though with each step, he was inching closer and closer and closer. “A little… it’s a subject of curiosity to say the least. Do you care to respond?”

“I could ask the same as you.” You countered, not expecting him to answer but he surprised you and did.

“No lady I have been privileged enough to keep company with has sparked enough joy to warrant a lifelong commitment.”

“So the judgement falls onto me although you feel the same?” Benedict stopped pacing in the opposite direction and began making his way forward you as you remained beside the mantle.

“No…” He spoke lower than he did before. Looking at you with calculated eyes, Benedict sauntered over across from you. The reflective flames coloring the face of the man you admired closer than others. He looked at you the same—even if you were trying to not admit it.

It was mutual, what existed. Benedict was fascinated with you in a million different ways and the Lady’s his mother was trying to pawn him off to we’re always lacking in a major way—they were not you; the man Benedict had grown to love more than anyone else in the entire world. And he held that close to his aching heart.

“It falls on both of us… playing this game…” his hand reached above the mantle, playing with the edge of the clock opposite you. He was so close, yet so far.

“And this game, what do you call it?”

“Foolish.”

“Even a little selfish?”

“For our own benefit, I suppose.” In some ways, you had to be.

“And now?”

Benedict’s hand was inching closer. The clock ticked away as the flames draw higher and higher until you could see the very seams of his lapels. He was wearing that stupid bee waistcoat you both envied and adored.

Maybe he would give you one of his own one day.

Two lovers across the room wearing the same waistcoat? That would be a sight to behold.

“Still foolish, in my eyes. Though, a tad brighter when in the presence of someone who sparks enough joy.”

“Well…” You cleared your throat quietly. The tips of his shoes were meeting yours. Same maker, those stupid shoes. His hands were so close, his lips and eyes and nose were so close. “I suppose my life is quite bright right about now.”

He knew for certain you felt the same.

“I am quite certain we see the same spark.”

Benedict took the step, his hand resting on your check and barely grazing the sides of your hair as he pulled his lips to yours in a kiss that sent each brightly colored piece of your world into explosions of grand light.

The world was sunny. It was shining with delight and his lips were soft and confident. Water colors wept, his hands grasping the sides of your face with passion not diluted by fear or the people beyond the walls.

Benedict’s lips moved in sync with your own at a gradual, impassioned pace and when you finally sparked the realization that Benedict was kissing you, your hands grasped onto his lapels, touching the bee laden waistcoat with a yellow tint.

You never wanted this to end.

You didn’t want to pull away.

So you didn’t. 

You held it together because finally, in this space of absolute security, the man you had watched from afar from years, the one you had come to know as a stoic member of the ton, had finally revealed himself to you in the way you had always hoped. 

The artistic, beautiful, loving soul that was Benedict Bridgerton gave himself to you in the confines of a rich man’s estate and you knew, somewhere deep inside, that it would happen again. 

This was not a one-time happening. 

The kisses would be received, stolen, and embraced. You could hold him in lust and emotion while knowing that Benedict did not levy you to be a name in passing. Love transcended the room. It filled the bones and spines of the people and objects in each estate—Henry’s included—that Benedict Bridgerton loved you and his heart forever belonged to you.

[pagesfromthevoid]

I just re-read Whatever the Poets Say, and it gets better every time, it brings me so much comfort 🥺

Whatever the Poets Say | b.b. | 13

Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: None

Author’s Note: This gives me such joy to read truly 🥹🥹

Series Masterlist | Talk to Me!

Dearest readers,

Now that you have returned to the city, there is much to be done. Two weddings to be planned in the Bridgerton household, for example. This author is certain that Lady Bridgerton is thriving under these conditions, of course. But something certainly feels amiss. 

Miss Everly and Mr. Bridgerton have not been seen in public since their last outing in the park. This author has it under good authority that the two are thriving in their engagement bliss, however. One would wonder how her mother would feel if she knew Miss Everly was planning a wedding instead of mourning, though?

The Sheffield’s were seen arriving in London for the first time in years. No doubt they are here to celebrate the engagement of their granddaughter. Perhaps something scandalous will come from the families meeting.

Only time will tell.

Yours Truly,

Lady Whistledown

Wedding planning was going far better than expected, now that she had admitted her overwhelming guilt to Benedict. He reminded her regularly that it was okay to feel bad; it was okay to feel guilty. But he wanted her to remember that it was also okay to be happy. That she should be excited to pick out flowers, and her dress, and her veil. It made the process easier, and it helped that Benedict joined her at the cemetery to lay flowers for her mother.

By Friday, things had calmed down. Not a lot, truly, because nothing ever seemed calm in the Bridgerton home. But enough that she felt less guilty and a little more excited about everything happening. Unfortunately, while she was feeling better, Benedict was having a bit of an existential moment of weakness. He had not called on her that morning, which was unusual since she was supposed to go to dinner with the Bridgerton’s and Sharma’s. So she and her father made their way to the Bridgerton home themselves, calling on Benedict.

Anthony had been the one to greet them, directing them to the upstairs drawing room where Benedict and Collin were. Without much else to say, Anthony returned to his own office. Lord Everly watched Anthony for a moment as she made her way upstairs.

“Go on without me, darling. I need to have a word with Lord Bridgerton,” he said, waving her off.

She nodded, moving on without much of an argument as she reached the drawing room. As she was about to knock, however, she stopped to listen as Benedict was yelling at Collin.

“Everything I have thought of myself is a lie, brother,” Benedict insisted, and she could imagine he was pacing back and forth. 

“You have earned your keep at the academy –,” Collin tried to argue but Benedict cut him off.

“But I did not get in on my own merit; I got in because Anthony paid my way in,” he argued. Her brow furrowed as she pressed her ear closer to the door. “And somehow everyone there knew it but me. I am…I am an imposter. Pretending that I am an artist when I am nothing more than a member of the ton, who can throw money at whatever they want to get it.”

Hearing how hard he was on himself broke her heart, and she couldn’t help it as she pushed the door open. Benedict looked up at surprise as she slipped into the drawing room alone, though Collin didn’t seem terribly phased by her appearance. Her name slipped through his lips before Benedict could stop himself, and she could see the flush in his skin as he realized she had heard him.

“You should not be so hard on yourself,” she pointed out, shutting the door behind her. “Collin is correct; you have earned your keep there.”

“You do not understand,” Benedict argued, running his hands through his hair. “I was only there because of Anthony. I did not get in because I am good at my work.”

“Perhaps I don’t,” she admitted, crossing the room towards him. “What I do understand is that you are an artist as much as I am a writer. And Collin is right, love. You have done more than enough to prove yourself. Even if your placement was secured by your brother –you are not an imposter.”

“It certainly feels as though I am,” Benedict admitted, collapsing onto the couch. 

She looked to Collin, frowning deeply now as she sat beside him Collin sat across from the two. “I will not try to convince you otherwise, because you must figure that out on your own. Anything I say, you will argue against because I am soon to be your wife. But you will not get any pity from me; I have seen your work. I know how hard you work.”

Benedict stared up at her for a moment before he covered his face with his hands. She sighed and leaned back as Lord Everly slipped into the room himself now.

“I seem to be missing all the fun,” he announced, smiling brightly at the two Bridgerton sons. “Benedict, my boy, you look like you are about to jump from the window.”

“He found out Anthony paid for his spot at the academy,” Collin explained, leaning back in his seat. “Miss Everly and I are trying to convince him that how he got in does not matter.”

“Well of course it matters,” Lord Everly argued, sitting beside Collin. She looked to her father with a deep frown as he leaned forward. “You must use your connections in this world, or else you will not get far in life. It is the sad truth of the world. I have watched you paint, though, Benedict. I have watched you work in my gardens. You are an artist by birth, and we can all see that.”

“I tried to tell him the same thing,” she pointed out, looking at her father with a soft smile.

“Well, he will simply need to prove himself further then,” Lord Everly concluded, clapping his hands together. “You must relax, Benedict. You are young, and full of life. Find something to open your eyes and help you take a moment to find yourself.”

“Oh!” She exclaimed, pointing at Collin. “The powder that Eloise stole from you –that is what helped me release the burdens I was holding. Perhaps it would help Benedict.”

Collin blanched, looking at her in horror as Lord Everly looked at Collin now with his brow raised. “Ah, so it was you that they got it from.”

“No, no,” Collin argued, pointing at her. “Eloise and her stole it from my room.”

“Oh, please. Do I seem upset to you, Collin?” Lord Everly grinned, clearly teasing him. Then he turned to her. “Did it really help you, dear?”

She nodded, looking back at Benedict. “It did, and I think it would do you wonders. Just a little.”

Collin hesitated before he nodded, pulling the pouch out of his pocket. She reached for the tea on the table, pouring Benedict a cup with a soft smile. Benedict hesitated for a moment, looking over the powder. Collin and her both warned that he just needed a pinch –with her reminding him how out of it she was when she had a little more than that. But Benedict seemed to panic, instead dumping half the pouch into his tea before downing it.

The three stared at him in horror as he made a face.

“Dinner is going to be interesting,” Lord Everly murmured, covering his mouth to hide his smile.

She gave her father a wary look before looking at Benedict with a small frown.

                                       *****

Dinner was, in fact, interesting.

Though not simply because Benedict was completely intoxicated the entire time (however, that was certainly the best part of it).

The Sheffield’s were particularly rude people, she decided about halfway through dinner. When they were not outright ignoring Kate and her existence, they were making snide comments about her father and her lineage. When they commented that Lady Mary had taken away their chance of knowing their only grandchild, Mary had corrected them by saying they had two. Neither seemed terribly thrilled with her correction, reminding her that Kate was not their grandchild. Miss Everly was sipping her champagne, trying her best to keep Benedict under control in the middle of it all.

By the end of the night, she was growing tired of the Sheffield’s and their behavior. Kate seemed despondent, and it was clear that the tension in the room was not going to ease. On top of that, they made it very clear that Kate was the reason why Edwina and Anthony were going to marry; they were only willing to pay Edwina’s dowry if she married someone of nobility. It had come as a shock, truly, to everyone but Kate, though she seemed distraught that they had even brought it up.

Anthony, having decided enough was enough, snapped at the Sheffield’s in anger. They were offended, both standing and accusing Anthony of disrespect. But he did not seem to care as he ordered them out of the house. The silence was tangible as he informed them that they were no longer invited to the wedding, and that their behavior towards Kate was truly unacceptable. Anthony spent a bit too long explaining all the things about Kate that they didn’t seem to know. Then he reminded them that he did not need their money, and neither did Edwina nor Lady Mary once they joined the Bridgerton family.  

The Sheffield’s left in anger, and the rest of the evening was…tense, to say the least. Though, she learned something very important about Anthony Bridgerton.

                                            *****

“I do believe your brother is in love,” she commented idly, pushing her needle up through the cloth in her hand. She didn’t even look up.

“You’ll need to be more specific,” Eloise pointed out, glancing up from her book. “I have four brothers, and I am very aware that Benedict is in love.”

She grinned to herself, drawing the needle through the pattern before pushing it back to the other side. “Anthony. He’s in love.”

Eloise scoffed, dropping her book into her lap. “You think Anthony is in love with Edwina? He has made himself very clear that he does not intend to find a love match. He simply wants a wife to fulfill whatever duty he thinks he has –”

“I did not say he was in love with Edwina,” she corrected, glancing up finally. Her needlework rested in her lap as she grinned knowingly.

Eloise’s brows furrowed as she looked at her future sister-in-law with confusion. “Who else would he be in love with?”

“I can’t believe no one else in this family notices,” she huffed, throwing her hands in the air dramatically. “I bet Daphne and your mother have. My father certainly has. And there is certainly no way that Lady Danbury has not picked up on it.”

“Yes, yes, we are an unobservant bunch. If you are done insulting your future family, please elaborate on who my brother is so in love with.”

“Kate, of course.”

Eloise simply stared at her for a long time, as if trying to piece together what she had missed between her brother and Miss Sharma. Miss Everly watched Eloise, waiting for realization to finally strike. Slowly, she could see the gears turning in Eloise’s mind as she sat up, discarding her book entirely. Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth and finally turned to her soon to be sister.

“Oh my goodness, Anthony is in love with Kate!”

She nodded in agreement, grinning at Eloise smugly as she picked her needlework back up. “Your brother is a fool, because I do not think he sees it for himself.”

“Well someone needs to tell him –”

“Someone being Miss Kate Sharma, who is also in love with your brother,” she stated knowingly, poking the needle through the back of the fabric. 

“Why on earth are they not marrying each other then?”

“Truthfully, I do believe it is because your brother is blind,” she paused for a moment, humming to herself. “Or, if I am allowed to be quite frank, stupid.”

“I do believe both are acceptable reasons.”

“What are acceptable reasons?” Collin asked, striding into the sitting room with Benedict. Daphne, with her son in her arms, followed close behind.

“Being both blind and stupid,” Miss Everly repeated, smiling politely up at them. 

Daphne laughed, sitting down across from her and Eloise. “And what exactly are we describing as blind and stupid?”

“Anthony,” Eloise explained, kicking her feet back up on the couch so Collin couldn’t sit down. He swatted her legs though, moving her himself so he could. “Miss Everly is far more observant than we give her credit for.”

“I have never once doubted her observation skills,” Benedict quickly corrected, looking at her with a bright grin on his face. “She knows far more than she lets on.”

“I have the eyes and ears of a writer. I know all, and I see all,” she commented playfully, setting her needlework down one more time.

“A bit overconfident, are we not?” Collin teased, leaning back into the couch. “Then tell us, Miss Everly. What makes our elder brother so blind and stupid?”

She glanced at Eloise, who was snickering now. Daphne was watching her with curiosity and a smirk, as if she knew exactly what the young woman was going to say. She played off the smirk by bouncing her son on her knee, though. Of course Daphne knew; she knew what love looked like too. Collin and Benedict, however, seemed oblivious to the fact. 

“Your brother is in love with Kate,” she explained simply, resting her hands in her lap. “And Kate is in love with him.”

Collin opened his mouth to argue, but then clapped it shut with a quiet snap. Benedict leaned against the fireplace, contemplating what his fiancee had said. Both men sat quietly, much like Eloise did, as they pieced together everything they had seen between their brother and Kate Sharma. Benedict was the first to make a little sound of realization, covering his mouth. But Collin was the one who started laughing, shaking his head. 

“Oh hell,” he managed to get out through his laughs. “Anthony is blind and stupid, isn’t he?”

“I simply cannot believe none of you noticed before,” she pointed out, though she glanced at Daphne now. “You knew, though. Didn’t you?”

The Duchess of Hastings nodded, rolling her eyes. “I spoke to him about it, actually. I noticed at Aubrey Hall. Which prompted him to immediately propose to Edwina.”

“Why is he so against marrying Kate, then?” Eloise asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “They make a fine match.”

“Anthony does not believe marriage needs love to be successful,” Daphne reminded her sister, handing her son off to Collin now, who was reaching out for the baby. “You know how Anthony is. He thinks he must perform his duties as eldest as well as the viscount.”

“If I may,” Miss Everly spoke up, looking between her future family members. They nodded, waiting. “Lord Bridgerton is a bit of a hard-headed fool, and that will come back to bite him sooner rather than later.”

Eloise laughed, kicking her feet up. “Oh, I knew I liked you, Miss Everly.”

Benedict watched her with a mischievous gleam in his eye, grinning at her as she played with the lace of her skirt. He was lucky to have someone so keen and observant; and now comfortable enough to pick on his family like they all did. He couldn’t wait to marry her.

“Is that it then?” Eloise continued, frowning now as she looked between her siblings. “We simply let Anthony marry someone he does not love and make a fool of himself?”

Daphne sighed, nodding some. “I do believe we have to let Anthony figure it out on his own.”

“He cannot simply call off the engagement,” Benedict pointed out, pushing off the fireplace now and moving to lean over the back of the couch where his fiancee sat. “That will cause more of a scandal than anything else. Especially since this was the Queen’s choice in a match.”

“She would have to call it off, in order to ensure she would still be able to find a husband,” Daphne explained further, crossing her legs. “And I do not think Miss Edwina will do such a thing. She is quite smitten by Anthony.”

“Lord knows how,” Eloise mumbled, crossing her arms.

“I suppose the only thing we can do is remind Anthony every chance we get that he, in fact, is in love with Kate,” Miss Everly concluded, leaning back and looking up at Benedict. “If we all do it subtly,” she gave Eloise a knowing look before continuing, “He won’t be able to deny it much longer.”

“That still does not solve the issue of calling off the engagement.”

She hummed, unsure of what could be done about that. It would need to be done by Edwina, like Daphne said. And it certainly wouldn’t be an easy task to do. Edwina was very much in love with Anthony; she would not call off any engagement without a good reason. And the only good reason –him and Kate possibly getting caught together alone –would be heartbreaking for the poor girl. And Edwina was far too nice to hurt like that.

“Perhaps I will talk to her while we are getting fitted for our wedding gowns,” Miss Everly finally settled on, looking around the room. “Lady Mary and Lady Bridgerton thought it would be easier to do both fittings together at Madame Delacroix’s, since we are planning two weddings. I can always ask her about how she is feeling.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eloise look at Benedict with wide eyes. Benedict seemed confused, looking at his sister with his brow raised. 

“Plant seeds of doubt?” Collin pointed out, brow raised. “You are a bit diabolical, aren’t you?”

“That is not what I said,” she countered, giving him a pointed look. “All I am saying is that…sometimes, if we are not asked, we will bottle everything up until it is too late.”

“Diabolical,” Collin repeated, grinning at her. “That’s what you are.”

———

Taglist: @queensgirl718 @drowninginaseaofbooks @severewobblerlightdragon @wildflowerel

[thollandx]

My special nurse

Benedict Bridgerton x Reader

Fluffy and a little bit of angst

Summary: Y/n catch a cold and her husband is very scared to lose her because of the Cold

Thanks for the request : @dramanut98

Hope you like it 💜

Smiling, I looked at my sister-in-law Eloise and mother-in-law Violet Bridgerton.

I had joined them for tea in the afternoon, as my husband Benedict wanted to continue working on his new drawing in peace.

It was nice to meet Violet and Eloise again and have some girl talk.

Shortly before it got dark I said goodbye to the two women to go home.

My mother-in-law insisted that I take a carriage and drive home with Colin, but I refused. My common property with Benedict was not far away from the house of my mother-in-law. Even though I knew that Violet did not seem to like this at all, I still went home alone.

When I was on my way, it started to rain lightly and then suddenly it was pouring. I quickly took my skirt in my hands and ran.

Completely out of breath and soaked, I arrived in front of my property.I quickly knocked on the door and my husband opened the door for me and looked at me confused.

"Why are you so wet?" he asked me, immediately bringing me inside the house.

"Because it's raining like cats and dogs, have you looked out the window?", I asked him a counter question and hurried to get into my bedroom.

My husband, of course, followed me.

"Of course I noticed, but why are you so wet? Weren't you brought here in a carriage?" he asked me as I was about to get rid of my wet clothes.

"No...I came on foot and suddenly it started to rain. The rain took me totally by surprise," I explained to him.

Benedict just shook his head and then looked at me, stunned.

"Get changed and then straight to bed with you. You better not catch a cold! How many times have I told you to take the carriage, dear?" he explained to me firmly, but his look showed me that he was only worried about me.

"Nothing will happen to me. Don't worry about me," I answered him, but still lay down in bed with fresh clothes.

Suddenly, fatigue seized me as I lay in bed.

"Benedict...I am so tired",

"Sleep, my darling",

"Darling! Darling! Can you hear me? Damn it why won't the fever go down?!", I heard a voice call out vaguely.

I was so hot...so damn hot and everything hurt.

Weakly I opened my eyes and immediately I had to close my eyes again, the light in the room blinded me. After a few tries I managed to open my eyes again and get used to the light.

"Benedict?", I asked softly, my throat hurting terribly.

"Honey! You're finally awake! How are you feeling? You're all hot and I just can't get the fever down," Benedict spoke in a panic, looking at me with concern.

"Everything hurts and I'm so hot," I whispered as I was having a hard time speaking.

I tried to keep my eyes open, but once again I was seized by fatigue. Faintly, I felt something cool being placed on my forehead.

I felt as if I had slept for three days when I opened my eyes.

Confused, I looked around and then saw my husband holding my left hand tightly and his head resting on my stomach. Slowly I rose and a cloth fell down from my forehead, it was still slightly damp. I tried to stifle a sneeze but couldn't. Hopefully Benedict wouldn't wake up from it.

"Dearest! Oh finally you're awake!" exclaimed Benedict and immediately sat up straight.

"I'm sorry I woke you up...How long have I been asleep?", I asked him and my throat felt better than before.

"For almost two days, I was going crazy with anxiety...My mom was here helping me bring the fever down," my husband explained to me, sounding worried.

"Oh honey...I'm so sorry about that. But I'm going to be fine. Were you by my side the whole time?", I asked him gloomily, squeezing his hand that was still in mine tightly.

"Of course I have been. In good and bed Times, and in sickness, dearest," Benedict replied, smiling at me encouragingly.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Benedict gently leaned his forehead against mine, closing his eyes.

"I just want to make sure you really don't have a fever anymore," he spoke as he opened his eyes and looked at me.

I just smiled happily at him.

"You know I'm never going to let you go anywhere alone again? You won't go anywhere without me...I won't risk that again! If you had only listened to me, you wouldn't have gotten so sick! You won't leave this bed until I'm sure you're completely healthy!", Benedict now spoke clearly as he detached himself.

„Yes sir!", I spoke with a giggle and a cheeky salute.

"Well wait...get well then I'll show you", my husband said and grinned but didn't miss the chance to tickle me.

[redheadspark]

requesting twice bc your writing is amazing!

“you don't understand. i need you safe. not because i don't think you can handle yourself but because i can't focus on anything else if there's even the smallest possibility you're in danger.” and “you can't get all worked up every time something happens to me. that's just life. you're not always gonna be able to protect me from it.” with benedict?! he needs some love and im obsessed w him rn! 😍💗

Have Faith

Summary: Benedict has some fears for the safety of his pregnant wife and unborn child.

Warnings: A hint of angst but mostly fluff

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

“I’m telling you, darling,  There is nothing to worry about,”

“You said you’ve felt pain!  That seems like worry to me,”

You huffed and placed your stitching on the end table and eyed your husband as he was pacing back and forth in the parlor of your small cottage home, a lot of worry was etched on his face and in his stance.  In any other situation, your husband would laugh it off and calmly say it was nothing to fret or worry over.  

But not then, not when you were heavily pregnant and complaining on feeling some pains.

You two were married for two years before you found yourself pregnant. After getting married, both yourself and Benedict wanted to have children, but not right away.  Of course, it was a shock and a hint of a scandal amongst yoru two families, why you weren’t wishing for babies right away.  But for the pair of you, it was merely simple: you wanted to enjoy your time together as a newly married couple.  Benedict was finishing his time in art school and wanted to complete it before any children would come into the picture, and you supported that decision whole heartedly.  You did want children, even a big family, and with Benedict because you knew deep down he would be a fantastic father.  He was already an amazing Uncle to Anthony and Kate’s child, not to mention Simon and Daphne’s children too.  He doted on his niece and nephew, playing with him for hours on end and showing them the basic painting steps on his easel.  SO to picture him with one of his own children seemed like the best dream ever, and now it was going to be a reality.

But you never thought your aloof and adventurous husband was going to be a nervous wreck.

“Benedict, I assure you it is not time for our child to come yet,” You reassured him as you placed your hand on your swollen belly, rearranging the dress you were wearing since you were perched on your bed, “The doctor told us I have another month until our baby is due to arrive,”

“Babies can some sooner the expected,” Benedict countered back in a groan, his packing on the floor made you think of a caged animal or someone with worry in their bones.  This was not like your husband, not the fun and care are man you fell in love with at one of the balls.  He was such a light in the ballroom, admiring the artwork on the wall more than than the eligible ladies that were looking for suitors.  He spotted you when you were mingling with some of the other ladies in the corner of the room, the both of your eyes meeting.

It was needless to say that it was love at first sight.

“Darling, please come over and sit with me,” You urged him, holding out your hand to Benedict.  He sighed, seeing you perched on the bed and he reluctantly walked over to drop un ceremoniously on the edge of the bed, right next to you. There was worry all over his face, it was clearly evident as you sighed and gave him a sweet smile.  Benedict was someone who was never meant to have a scowl on his face, nor anger.  He was always a bright and shining star in your eyes and the eyes of his family.  You took his hand and placed it with yours on the top of your pregnant belly.  He looked at your stomach, his fingers tracing the surface there and your dress martial as you spoke.

“I am perfectly fine,” You said to him once more, sounding sure and careful in your tone as he looked from your belly to you,”Our baby is perfectly fine.  We are going to be parents within a months time, so we should enjoy this time now before our lives changed.  You worry me when you act like this,” 

“Oh my love,” he said in a sigh, bringing your joined hands up to kiss your hand soothingly, “I just get worried about you and how you’re doing with all of this.  I’ve only heard stories about childbirth and all that could do wrong.”

You’ve heard those stories too, and they were scary to think about.  Childbirth alone is scary to think about and to go through, and for this to be your first child, you were very nervous and scared yourself.  Your mother-in-law, Violet Bridgerton, gave you plenty of advice since she’s given birth to plenty of children.  You took her advice whole heartedly, already adoring her as your mother-in-law and loving that she admired you when Benedict starting courting you.  

“Those moments are rare,” You said calmly, “Childbirth is a risk, yes.  But they are beyond successful most of the time, Benedict.  I am in good health and nothing is hindering me or our baby,”

“There is still a possibility of something going wrong,” Benedict said to you, making you squeeze your hands together a nit tightly.  

“I have done well thus far,” You commented, “You make it sound like I can’t handle being with child,”

“It’s not that,” Benedict hummed, looking a bit defeated in what was hindering in his mind.  You didn’t wish to press him, Benedict was always one to say what was on his mind but he did it at his own pace.  He was always willing to be open with you and never leave you in the dark.  

“You don’t understand,” He said in a low tone,  “I need you safe, not because I don’t think you can handle yourself  but because I can’t focus on anything else if there’s even the small possibility of you being in danger,” 

You wondered where this was coming from, then it almost clicked with you.  Benedict’s father, Edmund Bridgerton, was someone you’ve heard great things about.  It was sad that you would never meet him, almost picturing him in your head and how he would almost be just like Benedict.  A thirst for life in his eyes, a smile that would brighten the room, and sound advice that would be taken seriously.  Benedict spoke highly of his father, and his sudden passing from a bee sting changed everything in his family.

“I promise you, my dear husband and the father of my child,” You vowed to Benedict as you stared at him intensely in the eyes, “That there is nothing that is going to bring harm to myself or our baby.  I have enough faith and strength within me to know that we’re going to be okay, and I need you to have that faith too,”

It felt sad that you had to ask your husband to have faith that you and your child were going to be okay.   Yet you knew where he was coming from: loosing his father so young and needing him when he was a young man.  Perhaps he was under the worrying assumption that he would loose you and have to deal with raising your child on his own.  If that were the case, which did haunt you from time to time, you knew deep down that Benedict would be the perfect father.  He already was, and within a month you were going to see it first hand.

“I’ll try,” He replied hummed to you, that small smirk back on his face as you beamed at him.  You knew those fears he had for you and the child, you saw it in the very beginning when you told him you were pregnant.  As excited and ecstatic that he was, he was almost worried for not just the baby but for you.   Benedict made sure you ate the right food, that you rested with your feet up when you were out of breath, and he would always stick by you in your earlier stages of pregnancy whilst you attended balls and gatherings. There was no doubt he was proud to be an expecting father, but he hid those fears from everyone else but you.  

The fact that he was willing to try was enough for you.

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

2 Months Later

“What a strong young lad you are, little one,” 

You watched with love and adoration as you were nursing your infant son in your bed, seeing him nestled against you and having his meal without a care or worry in the world.  He was merely 12 hours old, such a new little being in your world and brought you nothing just joy and happiness.  You were glad he was there, finally in your arms, and those hours of pushing and being in pain was worth it in your eyes.  Your son was perfect, beyond perfect.  He hd ten toes and ten fingers, a whisp of brown hair on the top of his head and exquisite cheeks to die for.

You loved your son: Patrick Bridgerton.

Benedict came into the room a few minutes into your nursing session with Patrick, closing the door right behind him and grinning from the site of his wife and son.  He walked over, a cock in his head and a pep in his step.  

“How is our son?” he asked, pulling a chair over to sit next to you in the bed and watch with utter fascination.  His eyes never left your son as soon as he was born, fresh tears in his eyes as his son was placed in his arms while you were recovering from pushing and going through the labor.  You saw him fall in love all over again with the baby in his arms, forever etching the image of his son in his mind for the rest of his life.  It was etched in your own mind then, even while you were recovering from giving birth.  

“He’s prefect in every way,” You hummed, keeping your son close as he was still nursing at your breast. Benedict leaned over to press a kiss against your cheek and then onto your son’s head.  You knew the whole time that you were in labor that Benedict was petrified.  He hated having to wait outside the room while you were in labor, at least in the beginning.  His family was there to help them, thankfully Anthony was giving him sound advice in keeping calm and collected.  It wasn’t until you let out a blood curdling scream as he barged his way into the room and stayed with you throughout the rest of the labor, the doctor not pushing him out at that point since he knew it would be hell.  Luckily for the pair of your, your son was born within a hour after Benedict came into the room.  

Now that it was just the three of you, you looked over at your husband who was peering down at your son with a wave of relief on his face and in his eyes.  With your spare hand, you leaned over to rest your hand on Benedict’s cheek, seeing his eyes go from your son to you.  Although you were covered in sweat and feeling beyond tired with fatigue, you felt so much love from your husband in how he was staring at you and gazing at you like you hung the very moon that was over your home.  

“We’re both fine, Benedict,” you reassured him, seeing him search your face and eyes as you grinned at him.  You couldn’t help but to think back months ago when you two had your spat about your safety and Benedict fearing that you would be in danger.  It pained you that he would think like that, that he would take his mind to such a place that seemed dark and dreadful, which was not like them at all. 

“You can’t get all worked up everytime something happens to me,” You reminded him, feeling him nuzzle into your hand on his cheek, “That’s just life.  You’re not always gonna be able to protect me from it.  Your son and I are here, alive and well.  Let’s enjoy this, shall we?”

Benedict kissed your palm soothingly, showing you that he understood as he looked down at your son. As you finished nursing Patrick, your wanted to freeze this moment there with the two men in your life.  All you wanted for Benedict was for him to take a breath, no longer have that fear of loosing you and your son forever.  You hated that he had that one with his late father, but you were glad it was not going to happen again to him.

Benedict and Patrick, the only men you’ll ever need in your life.  

“I can’t wait to show him how to paint,” he hummed as Patrick was slowing down in his feeding and nuzzling in your embrace.  You grinned widely at Benedict, feeing the wheels turning in his head and you had to chuckle.

“At least wait until he’s walking,” You urged him, though he chuckled and shook his head.

“When he can hold a brush, that’s when I’ll teach him,” He said in his light manner, that wicked grin was there as he touched the top of your son’s head with his artistic fingers, “He’s a painter, I just know it.”

“Darling, he’s merely 12 hours old,” You reasoned, “Give him a few months until you make such a statement,” 

Benedict just laughed, you joining him as well as you there had your first family moment together.  You knew from then on out that it will be the three of your against the world, and even if you added more children down the road, you were already happy that it was just you three.

Three was your magic number. 

The End.

[ilalos]

Worth it (Anthony Bridgerton x reader) Part 2/2

Summary: Your arranged marriage to Anthony seems fine, until it doesn’t.

Warnings: marriage, implied sex, angst-ish, fluff, pregnancy, crying, if you notice anything else let me know :)

Word count: 2.5k

The season passed in a blur with countless flowers and conversations that filled you with expectations about your marriage to the Viscount, you truly felt like love was around the corner for both of you and it was a matter of time for that corner to be turned. He was everything you had expected and more, you could tell he was wary about letting you in but didn’t want to push him so you let him open himself to you at his own pace. The had been some stolen looks, kisses on your knuckles that had lasted a little longer than they should and hand a bit lower than what was acceptable when you danced. To say the courting had been successful was the understatement of the season in your opinion, by the time the wedding day came you were counting down the minutes before you finally became Lady (y/n) Bridgeton.

Your wedding ceremony was short and the carriage ride to Anthony’s bachelor townhouse was even shorter. The wedding night had come with a surprisingly low amount of events, your virginity had been taken the sweetest of ways, with many kisses and whispered promises of pleasure that came true. By the end of the day, you were as happy as can be, laying on your husband's chest, feeling his heartbeat slowing down and smelling the sweet vanilla scent of his skin.

When you woke up the next morning the bed was empty and he had already left to work in his study back in the main Bridgerton home. He didn’t return until late in the evening and you were waiting for him so you could have dinner together.

“Thank you for waiting for me,” he said while taking a sip of his wine.

“It’s nothing, I like that we are finally spending some time together”

Anthony just nodded and continued eating in silence.

“How was your day?” You pushed for conversation, you had been alone all day and could really use some conversation with someone different than your maid, who was terrified of speaking freely.

“It was busy” he answered simply “how was your day?” He asked after seeing the face you made at his short answer.

“It was also very busy, I reorganized the books in the library, had the kitchen staff do an inventory on the pantry, and send the maids to the market to get some flowers for the table tops” you narrated proudly, hoping he might appreciate the way you ran the home.

“Good to see you’re settling in, darling” his small praise made you smile a little.

“You don’t mind that I changed some things?” You asked somewhat concerned by his silence.

“It is your home, you’re free to do whatever you please with it,” he said dismissively.

“It’s our home, Anthony, I want to make it perfect for you too”

After dinner, he walked you to the bedroom and after a couple of heated kisses you fell in his arms once again, the pleasure he gave you was addictive. Despite his cold attitude towards you in other aspects of your life, it was in the bedroom where you felt hopeful for a future where you both might learn to truly love each other, and then he would sneak out every morning making you feel like a worthless whore.

And so your days continued like this, every night was filled with passion and every day was lonely. You couldn’t even go to the Bridgerton home, you had been taught that a married lady was not to go out without her husband, so your heart slowly filled with sadness as you spent day after day alone in the townhouse. Anthony was none the wiser because he simply thought you enjoyed being by yourself, so it never occurred to him to invite you to his family’s home or anywhere else.

A month into your marriage you found out you were with child. You were extremely happy and Anthony had shown himself to be happy as well, but then that night he didn’t come home for dinner and didn’t make an appearance in your bedroom. He was more and more distant until four months had passed and he disappeared for two full weeks before you saw him again.

It was on the day of your birthday, and he had only gone to your room because the butler told him you had been very sick that day. When he entered the room he found you seating on the bed hugging your knees close to your chest, your eyes puffy from crying and silent tears still streaming down your face. You weren’t upset he had forgotten your birthday, you had never celebrated it so it didn’t matter he didn’t remember it.

“What happened? Is everything well? Is the baby-“

“Your child is quite well, Lord Bridgerton” you interrupted in the coldest tone he had ever heard from you “to what do I owe this joyous visit?”

“I apologize for my absence, I have been very busy” he answered measly.

“I figured out that much, husband” the word was said with venom.

“Are you upset with me?” He asked offended, you had never treated him so coldly.

“I am upset with myself” you started with a pained chuckle “I don’t need you to try and comfort me because you did nothing wrong, that is the reason for my anger” a small sob escaped your lips “I was taught to be a good wife, that my only job was to give my husband heirs and to keep the house running and I understood that and I didn’t fight it because at least I would have children to fill my life with love and a husband who at the very least would acknowledge me and my efforts”

“I-“

“I don’t want you to feel like you should change or apologize, this is not your fault, I feel miserable because I filled my heart with hopes and dreams of love but that’s just not how life is, at least not mine” you harshly wiped your eyes before finishing “I understand my place now, I’m nothing but a child-bearer for you and that’s fine because you didn’t even pick me in the first place” you got up from bed and opened the door for him “please leave me alone, I will be fine”

“I can’t just leave you here alone, have you even eaten today? In your condition-“

“Your child is perfectly well, my lord” your tone had turned icy once again “please go, I am tired and want to rest”

Unable to do anything else, Anthony left the room and went back to his family’s home. His mother had insisted for him to take you there that night, but seeing your state he didn’t even bother asking if you wanted to go. When he got there he was surprised to see the dining room fully decorated, his whole family dressed in their best clothes, even Daphne and Simon had paid a visit.

“Where is (y/n)?” Asked Violet.

“She’s not feeling very well” answered Anthony looking at the table that was filled with all his wife’s favorite food “What is happening? Why are you all here dressed as if you are attending a ball?”

“Anthony, please for the love of God almighty, tell me you didn’t forget your wife’s birthday!” Violet couldn’t keep his composure, how could Anthony be so clueless.

“I-I’ve been so busy lately supervising the building of the new house, it didn’t even occur to me that it was her birthday” Anthony felt terrible, as he should.

“It’s bad enough she doesn’t like us, son” Violet sighed, seating on the table “And now she thinks we don’t care for her birthday”

“Where did you get that idea, mother?” Daphne couldn’t help but ask “When she writes to us she says wonderful things about our family”

“Then why hasn’t she visited since the wedding?” This time it was Colin asking “Mother sent a tea invitation shortly after they got married and she never showed up, sent a poor letter apologizing but did not explain why she didn’t show”

“I might have an explanation for that” Simon spoke up “My aunt was a terribly strict mother, taught her that a wife was nothing more than a child-bearer and had no liberties like men do, for example: going out unaccompanied”

“Has she been out of the house since you married, brother?” asked Eloise, turning to face Anthony who was still frozen at the doorstep.

“I don’t believe so” he entered the room and sat defeated “I just thought she enjoyed being at home by herself, god!” he rubbed his hands down his face.

“I can’t believe it, the poor thing” lamented Violet.

“She hasn’t left the house in almost half a year” concluded Benedict.

“And here we were, refusing to visit thinking she had rejected mother,” said Colin.

“I would like to clarify, I never agreed with losing contact with her over one missed invitation” added Eloise, gaining the glares of everyone present.

“It matters not what we thought nor does it matter what has happened in the past” began Violet “right now I want you to go pick her up and bring her here, she deserves to be celebrated, especially after everything we put her through,” she told her eldest child, pushing him to stand and go to the door.

Anthony mounted the carriage and urged the coachman to hurry home and as soon as he got there he ran up the stairs to your room and burst through the door, jolting you awake.

“I am so sorry, love,” ha said kneeling on your bedside “I never knew you didn’t leave the house because you thought you couldn’t, you are free to do as you please, darling” he grabbed your hand and kissed your knuckles “I didn’t mean to make you feel trapped in your own home, and I am sorry if you felt like I abandoned you” he caressed your face and wiped some tears that had fallen without your notice.

“You did abandon us,” you said, trying to pull your hand from his grasp with your other hand protecting your belly.

“I was merely supervising the building of our new home, I was hoping I could surprise you before the baby arrived” he explained, now seating by your side “I can’t possibly ask my family to leave their home but I know how much you love that house, and so I chose to build a similar one not too far from here”

“You are building me a house?” You asked incredulously, hardly anything could justify his absence but this was in fact a reasonable explanation.

“Yes, love” he once again caressed your face “A home for our family” at that your eyes filled with tears, this time from happiness.

You sat up and wrapped your arms around his neck, crying with your face buried in his shirt. He wrapped his arms around you, kissing the top of your head and shushing you softly to calm down your cries. You spent a while holding each other until he suddenly broke you two apart, remembering his family that was still waiting for you both to show up.

“My beautiful wife, I must take you out of the comforts of your bed” he began, apologetic “My family is expecting you in their home to celebrate your birthday with a lavish dinner”

“Heavens! You should’ve started with that” you ran to your door and called out for your maid “I don’t think I have a dress for such occasion, non that would fit me now, that’s certain”

You opened your trunk and began taking out your chemise and all other items you had to wear under your dress in such cold weather. You took off your nightgown not caring Anthony was there, he had seen it all before, after you had put on your chemise your maid ran in and help you put on the rest of your garments and helped you squeeze your small baby bump in the dress you had worn for one of the first balls you attended when Anthony was courting you. She put your hair in a quick updo and even managed to coerce Anthony into putting on your stockings and your shoes while she did your hair. With all that rush and hard work, you managed to be ready in under an hour and still made it to the dinner at a reasonable hour (half past 9 is reasonable, right?).

At the Bridgerton home, you were welcomed with warm embraces and merry wishes on your special day. You all sat around the table and ate the feast that had sadly grown cold. Colin didn’t seem to mind as he devoured everything in sight, prompting Violet to chastise him softly. You, however, ate small bites because the pregnancy had caused your stomach to be upset easily and you didn’t wish to offend anyone by running out of the room to empty your stomach. Anthony watched you eat and held your hand atop the table, smiling as he watched you laugh and converse with his family.

“Is the food not good enough?” Asked Violet seeing your plate almost full.

“It is just perfect, my stomach has just been iffy since the start of the pregnancy” you answered smiling apologetically, Anthony choked on his wine because he realized at that very moment that he had forgotten to tell his family about your condition.

“You’re with child? Those are wonderful news!” Exclaimed Violet with a large smile “When did you found out?”

“Four months ago” you turned to glare at Anthony “I assumed your son had told you”

“How could you conceal such joyous information from your mother?” Violet then noticed her eldest daughter had become quiet, as well as her husband “Did you know, Daphne?”

“I was aware of it, yes” Daphne admitted ashamed “I too assumed Anthony had told you”

“You assumed my eldest son had told me about his wife’s pregnancy and I had decided not to mention any of it in our letters?”

“I-I’m, yes?” Benedict and Colin snorted with laughter hearing their sister’s answer.

Violet only shook her head with a small smile, her children were truly a wonder. Anthony was nervous that you’d get mad at him for not telling them, but one look at your laughing face told him he didn’t need to worry.

Later that evening you both laid in bed after yet another passion-filled encounter, your breathing slow and even making Anthony think you were asleep. He was caressing your naked back with feather-like touches, kissing your sweaty forehead every few minutes.

“I love you” you sighed, kissing his chest “You need not feel the same, I just want you to know how I feel”

He took a shaky breath before answering.

“I also am in love with you, darling” he placed a finger under your chin and tilted your head so you’d look at him “sometimes I’m scared of just how much I love you” he kissed you slow and deep, pouring all his love into the action.

The kiss was unlike any other you had shared before, this one was full of promise and hope. It filled you with love and certainty, you were now sure that no matter how difficult the road to Anthony’s heart had been, even if you didn’t want it at first, it had all been worth it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Hi! Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. If you like it let me know.

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[bridgertonbabe]

but what happens when benedict (and colin and michael and philip) does find out sophie became a curse breaker

So following their relationship coming to light (and after Colin had had made the furious discovery that his brother was sleeping with his best friend), Sophie is ecstatic to hear back from the jobs she applied for and that all of the curse-breaker positions want her to come in for an interview. She's over the moon at the possibility of her aspiration becoming a reality and divulges her hopes for securing one of the jobs with her boyfriend. As thrilled as he is for her, Benedict can't help but worry about his girlfriend working a job that would put her in harm's way. While he wants to voice his concern to her, he doesn't want her to feel discouraged or that he doesn't approve of the career path she so dearly wants to get into.

Instead he turns to both his father and Phillip to express the fretful thought of Sophie entering into a dangerous profession. He had just wanted to get it off his chest and be reassured by two people he knew loved and cared about Sophie as much as he did - but it turned out they were both equally as anxious as he was about Sophie securing a curse-breaker role. As they were all in the same boat along with Colin and Michael (both of whom also felt uneasy about Sophie possibly obtaining a curse-breaker position), Edmund proposed they hold a meeting of sorts with Sophie just to express their shared concerns and hopefully encourage her to take a position in the curse-breaking division that was office-based instead.

It had been arranged that Sophie would come over to Aubrey Hollow for dinner one evening following a day of interviews - though dinner wouldn't be served until after concerns regarding a career in curse-breaking were aired. Benedict arrived at the family home ahead of his girlfriend and when he entered the kitchen his dad, Colin, Phillip, and Michael were already sat waiting.

"What's he doing here?" Colin spat as Benedict sat down.

"She's my girlfriend?" Benedict shot back in response to his brother's childish remark. "I don't want her risking her life as a curse-breaker either."

"Oh so you're trying to dictate what she does with her life, huh?" Colin retorted, prompting the collective rolling of eyes from Edmund, Phillip, and Michael.

"We're on the same team here!" Benedict argued in the face of his brother's petulance.

"Alright, that's enough you two." Edmund called out. "We're all here because we've got Sophie's best interests at heart, okay? There's no need to be butting heads."

A few minutes later Sophie arrived via the fireplace and after wiping her feet on the mat she strode into the kitchen with a beaming smile, which then faltered as soon as she got a look at all the serious faces gathered around the table.

"Oh god. Please don't tell me this is an intervention." she groaned, dumping her bag on the table.

And much to her chagrin, it was, as she had to sit through a long thirty minutes of the five most important men in her life expressing their worry about the career field she wanted to get into. After they had all said their piece (as well as Colin and Benedict bickering between themselves several times), Sophie then said that while she appreciated their concerns, she had already been offered a role in the Ministry's curse-breaking division and that she had accepted it - though before any of the men could start to panic she quickly informed them that the position was primarily office-based so there was no need for any of them to worry.

Relieved to learn that the parameters of the role would mean she would be out of harm's way, the family dinner turned into a celebration for Sophie securing the job she wanted (though she did keep quiet that the position would give her the opportunity to occasionally go out into the field - but she figured whatever her loved ones didn't know wouldn't hurt them).

[stuckybarton]

Manifestation of A Happy Ending

SUMMARY: "Everyone deserves a happy ending, even you."

CHARACTERS: Stephen Strange x Reader;

WARNINGS: Brief Description of Child Birth.

WORDS: 2,022

MASTERLIST || Join the Taglist

~

Part 5 CANDLELIGHT

One of the few things you had learned since your past and your present had collided was the world was constantly moving. Everyone would try to move on, try to better themselves. A process the might look painful on one end, and easy for some. You had it easy. Having Stephen by your side all throughout was good, being able to find the good in the world in him, in your relationship and eventual marriage as well as the child you were carrying.

Things has been going well and you found yourself visiting the compound more on a regular basis now with Stephen constantly by your side. His sling ring a good tool to use to avoid dealing with New York traffic. Being able to reconnect with your friends had been hard at first having ghosted them for a hefty amount of time, but things had been good, especially with everyone just as excited about the baby coming in a few more months.

"Have you found out about the gender?" Nat had inquired as soon as you had arrived into the common room, your husband and Wong was dealing with a mission briefing with Steve and Tony while you waited.

"Not yet." You smiled at your friend before rubbing your growing bump. Sitting by the window with your friend, it was still weird for you to come back here, knowing everything that had happened. The way you just left and never looked back. "We still haven't decided if we're going to wait until the baby is born."

Nat smiled, asking your permission, had placed her hand against your stomach. The light thump had made the two of you jump, your baby's first kick.

"Still can't convince you to name the baby Natalie?" She teased making your burst out laughing.

"Tell that to Wanda and Thor, they're already bribing me with naming the baby after them too." You giggled remembering the multiple of times you had to deal with the two when you visit. "But I'll think about it." You assured knowing the name you had in mind would sound good with a second name added to it.

"We're not mad at you for what happened, Y/N." Nat had spoke all of a sudden, surprising you with the shift of your conversation. "We're surprised that everything happened the way that it did, but we understand why you did what you had to do."

You were left in silence, it was still something you tried your best to keep to yourself. A resentment they might have towards you because of your choice, how you turned your back on all of them when your relationship with Tony ended.

Before Nat could continue on with her words, FRIDAY had called for her to the briefing as well.

"We'll talk later, I'll find someone to keep you company for a while." Nat has said with a smile leaving you all alone to your own thoughts.

It would take a while to come to terms with your choice, but as long as you had Stephen and the baby, you had nothing more you had to worry about. Rubbing your stomach again, the thump had made you smile as you started to hum against the air, hoping to calm your restless baby.

Your eyes lingered onto the windows, the well manicured lawn and the vast land of the compound. You had remembered the time where you would sit in the middle of the grass, soaking into the sunlight after being in the confinement of your former room for days on end.

"I hope I am not intruding."

Turning your head away from the window, the sight of Loki had surprised you. For the most part, you had known about the team's hesitation towards the reformed God, and the other part of you still wary of him after the last time you've seen him in person--when he and his brother had made their way to Stephen's sanctum hoping to find you. The words that he spoke that became the push you needed to this life you now live.

"No you're not, Loki." You assured the God as he has come to approach you. "How's your stay since I've last seen you?" You inquired the man.

Unlike everyone in the team, you didn't have the same resentment towards the man--knowing from Thor what had happened to him, what he had to do to survive, you try your best not to put it against him if you could. And he is a good company to have while you do your research for your book.

"I'm afraid I've lost my library companion." He responded, a ghost of a smile resting on his face. "And I think an apology is long overdue after what I've said."

One brow rose waiting for him to continue his words.

"What I had called you in Strange's Sanctum is uncalled for and I never got the chance to apologize to you."

So he did know you were in the Sanctum. Blinking you didn't really know what to say.

"Why didn't you tell Thor or Tony?" You found yourself asking after a moment.

"What for? If you truly want to be found, you wouldn't have hidden, in such a poor excuse of curtains of all things. And I do not believe that you would be happy with Stark in the long run."

"So you're favoring Stephen over Tony?" You smiled knowing the vendetta still placed on Stephen's back for what he did to Loki all those years before.

"I have said no such thing." He brushed off finally sitting besides you on the couch. "But you're more tolerable compared to the rest of the people in this compound, so your happiness is something I'd champion for."

The biggest compliment you had received from Loki and somehow you find yourself blushing at it. You held onto the man's hand.

"I think I might just name my baby after you, Loki." You teased. "Is this your plan all along?"

"Is it working?" He smirked right back, mischief twinkling his eyes.

"You have Nat, Wanda, and your brother to fight for that right." You pointed out giggling at the antics that Loki was slowly showcasing you. A rare sight as the man chooses to keep to himself most of the time. "Want to feel the baby?" You offered looking up at the man.

"Are you sure?" The man sounded so uncertain and for a while you understood where he was coming from but knowing him, knowing he wouldn't hurt you, it doesn't sound too bad to have him feel the baby too.

Hand still holding onto his own, you placed his palm on top of your stomach. Smiling as soon as his palm rested, a sudden kick had made the two of your jump for a moment. Giving him a side glance, an amazed look that rested on his face placed you more at ease.

"They like you." You pointed out with a smile.

"A mistake they'd made before they're even born." Loki muttered pulling away.

"Loki--" You warned. "You don't contradict a pregnant woman." You warned with a pointed look now focus on him. A sheepish smile now resting on his face because of it.

Before Loki could further contradict himself, the sound of a few voices approaching had the two of you looking up and the sight of your husband and Wong coming to pick you up. But the sight of Tony and Steve also with them, the smile on your face had fallen. So much for trying to avoid the man.

"Hands off the wife, Laufeyson." Your husband warned, but you rolled your eyes and smiled towards the also much annoyed Loki.

"Loki's been keeping me company." You pointed out finally standing up and approaching your husband in the process.

"Fifty bucks he's also trying to convince you to name the baby after him."

"Keep your money to yourself, Strange." You snorted wrapping an arm around his waist. You smiled beamingly at your husband before winking knowingly at Loki and the conversation they had would only be theirs to keep from now on. "Loki's been nothing but nice to me and I'm staring to like the idea of Baby Loki."

At the grimace your husband had on you couldn't help but burst into as loud fits of laughter.  Resting your head against his chest, try as the man could, it was still hard for him to keep his emotions and his sass in check. You were fine with it, happy for his antics from time to time when he wasn't getting on your nerves.

"We'll talk about our child's life choices if you do that when we get home." He muttered cradling your head as you pull back to look at him. "Say goodbye to your friend before we go."

You smiled hugging Loki, taking the man by surprise before promising to catch up with Steve if Stephen ever stops by the compound again. But for a fraction of a second, you found your attention towards Tony, the longing look on his face as he looked at you and it scared you so much. You know you wouldn't leave Stephen, after everything you had been through, but it was just sad to see the playboy so broken--because of you.

"Bye, Tony." You finally whispered before joining your husband and Wong through the portal to bring you right home to the Sanctum.

~

"Benedict Vincent Strange."

The name had escaped your lips as soon as the baby was born. The past thirteen hours, Stephan had been besides himself. Everything he had learned from Med School was thrown in the trash when it comes to you. The doctors had tried their best to stay as far away from him while making sure you were well accommodated.

And everything was worth it as he now held on to his son. A blend of you and him. 

Even as the past few hours had been you sobbing to the high heavens while you pushed for the baby out while you pray for their safety. Stephen was relieved to know you and the baby were safe and healthy judging from the lungs capable of screaming up a storm from the both of you. The smile had somehow found their way onto his face.

He had watched the doctors begin to clean up his son before turning his attention back to you. Leaning back against the bed, even with the fatigue and pain still painting your face, you still had this big smile watching from the sides as the nurses swaddle your son.

"He's got your eyes." Stephen pointed out with a smirk and you were quick to roll your eyes. It was just a fun little debate the two of you had while you prepared for the baby, how such discussion span and become so meaningless as all the mattered was this very sight.

A life he never thought he would be allowed to have in his life. After everything he had done--the mistake he had made, he was still allowed to have his own happy ending in the form of you who had almost fallen face first in front of him in the cafe.

"Do you ever regret it?" Stephen asked after a moment of silence passed between the two of you. "Leaving Tony behind for someone like me?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Stephen." You smiled holding onto his hands, pulling him closer to where you laid to rest. "I've got everything I could have ever wanted in my life. A decent man that loves me more than the whole multiverse combined. I've got a child that I will give my life and soul to protect and love."

It was the truth, and the smile that lingered on his face made everything alright now. There would come a time that his life would be put on the line for the sake of the world, but it was alright. It was for you and it was for your son. His own little manifestation of a happy ending.

He would want nothing more in his life.

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Stephen Strange One-Shot / Series

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