#Edith would teach gardening

[crossover-enthusiast]

I know very little about that school AU and yet I've already thought of what my funny little SM OCs would be in it

[d-targaryenshoe]

Blooming Love - Anthony Bridgerton

Word count: 1610

Summary: Having a picknick in a garden, together with your children, truly is a treat, is it not?

As the sun slowly crept across the sky, casting its warm, golden light upon the emerald green grass, Anthony and you, laid out a cozy picnic blanket in the Bridgerton's family garden. 

Your two daughters, Edith and Florence, giggled as they chased each other through the lush foliage, their delicate dresses billowing behind them like the sails of a ship. 

Little Gerald, meanwhile, sat contentedly in front of his father, absorbed in a game of peekaboo. 

The air was filled with the sweet scent of roses as if nature itself was conspiring to create a perfect, idyllic scene.

Your hands were full with a basket of freshly baked treats, and you paused for a moment to admire the view.

 "Anthony," you said, your voice tinged with wonder, "isn't it simply marvelous?"

 You glanced over at your husband, his strong, handsome features etched with a look of contentment that seemed to radiate from within. 

You couldn't help but feel a surge of love and gratitude for him, for your children, for this life you had built together.

Anthony smiled, his eyes twinkling with affection. 

"Yes, my dear," he said, taking your hand in his. "It is indeed marvelous. And it's all the more so because we're sharing it with those we love most."

 He leaned in to kiss your forehead, his lips lingering for a moment before pulling away.

 The tenderness of the gesture was not lost on either of you. 

You knew that soon enough, your lives would change irrevocably with the arrival of your newest child. 

But for now, you were basking in the quiet, peaceful joy of this perfect moment.

As if on cue, little Edith skipped over, her brown curls bouncing, her blue eyes shining with excitement. 

"Papa, Mama, look what I found!" she exclaimed, holding up a particularly beautiful flower.

 Anthony and you exchanged amused glances before thanking her and admiring the flower. 

"That's a lovely bloom, Edith," Anthony said, his voice full of pride. 

"Why don't you put it in your hair?" You suggested, helping your daughter pin the flower behind her ear.

You placed the basket down on the blanket as you tried your best to sit down on the blanket with the round bump in the way, but Anthony held out his hand and helped you settle down gently. 

"There you go, dearest," he said with a warm smile. "You're going to make quite a beautiful picture sitting there like that."

 He couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness, knowing that soon enough, your lives would change forever. 

But for now, you could just enjoy this moment, this time together as a family.

As Edith ran back to her game with her sister, Gerald started crawling towards the picnic basket, his curiosity getting the better of him.

 "Oh, let me get that for you, young man," Anthony said, scooping up his son and setting him down next to him. "You're just a bit too small to reach it quite yet."

 Gerald giggled, his tiny hands flailing in the air as if to prove his point, and Anthony couldn't help but laugh.

The sun continued to climb higher in the sky, casting long shadows across the lawn, but you all didn't seem to mind. 

You were content, for now, just to be together, to soak up the last moments of this idyllic, peaceful life before your world was turned upside down.

 And as you sat there, surrounded by the beauty of the garden and the love that bound you together, Anthony couldn't help but feel a deep sense of gratitude for everything you had.

You broke the silence, your voice barely above a whisper.

 "Do you ever wonder what kind of life they'll have, Anthony?" you asked, gesturing toward your daughters. "What kind of world will they grow up in?"

 He looked at you, his expression thoughtful. 

"I don't know," he admitted. "But I do know that we'll give them love, and we'll give them strength. And we'll teach them to always be true to themselves." 

You smiled at him, a tear trickling down your cheek.

Your conversation was interrupted by a sudden burst of laughter from your daughters. Edith and Florence had found a game of tag and were chasing each other around the garden, their giggles filling the air.

 Anthony's heart swelled with love for them, for the joy they brought to his life, and for the promise of the future they represented. 

He couldn't help but wonder what kind of young women they would grow up to be.

As if sensing his thoughts, you reached out and took his hand in yours.

 "They'll be fine, Anthony," you said, your voice steady and reassuring. "Everything shall be fine."

Gerald, meanwhile, had managed to crawl his way over to the picnic basket and was now sitting up, his tiny hands reaching for a cookie that he had spotted.

 "Careful there," Anthony said, gently pushing Gerald's hands away from the cookie. "We haven't had lunch yet. We should wait until Mama says it's time to eat." Gerald pouted, but reluctantly let his hands drop to the blanket.

Time seemed to slow down as you sat there, watching your children play. 

The warmth of the sun, the smell of the flowers, and the sound of laughter all blended to create a perfect moment that you knew you would cherish forever. 

But Anthony knew that this idyllic scene would soon change. 

He was about to become a father again, and with that came new responsibilities, new challenges, and a new sense of vulnerability.

"Do you ever think about the past, Anthony?" you asked, your voice barely audible over the sound of your children's giggles.

He turned to look at you, surprised by the question. "Of course I do," he replied. "But the past is gone. We must focus on the present and prepare for the future."

You nodded, your expression thoughtful. "Yes, you're right. But I mean, do you not ever have a single thought about what would have been different if we didn't wed one another?"

Anthony considered your question for a moment. It was true that you could have ended up in vastly different places if you hadn't met and fallen in love. 

Perhaps he would have married someone else, or you would have found someone else who could give you the life you deserved. 

The possibilities were endless. But as he looked at your happy family now, he knew without a doubt that he wouldn't change a thing.

"I suppose I do think about it sometimes," he finally said, "but only because it helps me appreciate what we have now. We could have easily been apart, and yet here we are, stronger than ever. Whatever it was, I'm grateful for it."

"No, no, I am grateful for you, for your family, all the lot."

Your conversation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching from behind.

 You turned to see Violet Bridgerton making her way toward you, a smile on her face.

"Oh my-, Violet," you said, rising to your feet. "What a lovely surprise."

"It surely is" Violet replied, hugging you. "I couldn't resist the opportunity to see my favorite little ones." 

Violet leaned over to plant a kiss on each of your daughters' heads, eliciting giggles from both Edith and Florence.

Anthony smiled at his mother. "And how are you feeling, Mama? How has life changed with Eloise getting married?"

Violet considered the question, her eyes drifting toward the garden. 

"Well, it's certainly different, Anthony. I never thought I'd see the day Eloise would be wed. But, she's grown into herself so beautifully, and she and Philip are so very much in love. It's hard not to feel happy for them."

She paused, her gaze returning to the two youngest girls, who were now running around the blanket, their laughter filling the air.

 "Of course, I do miss having her around as much. She was always such a bright light, even when she was at her most mischievous. But children grow up, and they move on to their own lives."

You reached over and took Violet's hand in yours. "You know we'll always be here for you. And you must remember that Eloise will always be your daughter, no matter where she is or what she does."

Anthony nodded in agreement. "And who knows? Perhaps one day we'll have grandchildren running around the manor."

Violet smiled at the thought, her eyes shining with happiness. "Oh, I hope so," she said wistfully. "It's such a wonderful thing, watching your children grow up and start their own families."

You sat together in silence for a moment, lost in your thoughts until the sound of the children's giggles grew fainter. 

Realizing that they were getting hungry, Violet spoke up, offering her hand to her grandchildren. "Shall we go inside for some tea?"

Gerald accepted her hand. "That sounds lovely, doesn't it?" she replied. "I'm sure you all would love some freshly baked scones."

You watched the kids go inside the house with Violet and you let out a content sigh, leaning back on your hands.

"It's amazing how much they've grown, isn't it?" you said, looking at your husband. 

Anthony nodded in agreement, his gaze following your daughters as they disappeared into the house. "They are the lights of our lives."

As you sat there, lost in your thoughts, the sounds of laughter and clinking teacups drifted out from the house, reminding you of the life you had built together.

 It was a life that had started so uncertain, with so many obstacles in your way, but you had managed to overcome them all. 

[rabbidlover343]

A while ago, before the Rayman DLC for Mario+Rabbids Sparks of Hope was announced, I created a story set to continue the adventures of the limbless legend. One of the things I tried to somewhat start up is giving the Nymphs more of a personality, which, while I didn’t show off to its full extent in said story, I will list right now. (Constructive criticism on the Nymphs personalities is very appreciated.):

I’ll start with Edith Up. She has a stereotypical high pitched “Valley Girl” voice. She, of course, loves to eat. A connoisseur, you could call her. At the same time, she exercises a lot. She prides herself on her looks, her tan especially. She’s also a Kung Foot *fanatic!*

Annetta Fish is someone who I would consider to be easily stressed. The waters of the Sea of Serendipity are one of the few things that manage to keep her consistently calm. That, and cuddling the living stuffed animals that are Rabbids. She is generally tense when on land, unless she’s around her sisters or friends. She enjoys reading quite a bit. Before The Magician was turned to a Teensie, he used to be good friends with Annetta. When talking to others, friends or otherwise, Annetta refers to people formally in a high pitched, sheepish tone of voice.

Next up is Holly Luya. I like to think of her as the Glade’s #1 Party Planner! She constantly knows just what every setting needs for the perfect shindig! Just…make sure she has her coffee first… While she isn’t party planning, she can be seen with a surprisingly laid back demeanor at times, singing and soaring gracefully through the Desert of Didgeridoos, teaching the children of the Glade how to sing and dance, or tending to a local flock of birds! Her voice would be one with a higher pitched Australian accent!

Helena Handbasket is a woman of gossip. She has scarily good hearing. Once she hears something the slightest bit interesting, she takes the topic, and morphs it into a web of rumor insanity. She also has a tendency to fall asleep really easily (The mountain life is very calming.) Helena can also be found making an assortment of clothes and furniture at lightning speed. She’s also scared of lightning. Her voice-which is slightly deeper than most other Nymphs-sounds, as if she was from Sweden.

Now for who I like to imagine as the youngest of the sisters: Voodoo Mamma! She is what I consider to be a loner. Aside from Betilla, none of the other Nymphs like to be around her, save for an important meeting. Because of this, Mamma tends to hang around in the Land of the Livid Dead, alone.

Mamma has tried to fill the void of having little friends by taking up many hobbies. Aside from rocking out and making voodoo dolls, her hobbies include:

Stage Acting

Performing ballet in front of her stuffed animals

Being a bit of a gymnast

Her voice is that of a deeper, sultry kind of voice.

To round out the personalities, Betilla, being the oldest, is the most mature. She’s very perky, but plenty caring of her friends. She can be seen hosting meetings with her sisters in the Fairy Council, relaxing by waterfalls in Jibberish Jungle, tending to a garden, and frequently being an emotional therapist. She doesn’t really mind the last thing that much, as she really loves helping people. This also connects to her being the only Nymph who hangs around Voodoo Mamma. Her voice sounds like it does in Rayman Origins: High pitch, and happy!

Note that none of the fairies are meant to be brain dead. They know a lot about the world, and the areas of the Glade in which they reside.

Like I said before, constructive criticism is highly appreciated.

[legends-of-time]

The Journey of Living at Downton

Chapter 50: September to December 1925

Masterlist

A/N: Chapter 50!! 🎉🎉🎉

——

Ivy, George, Sybbie, Michael, Marigold and Teo are running along through the grounds of Downton. Emma watches blissfully as she pushes along Patrick, who's nearing 3 months old now, in his pram along with everyone else as they all take a walk together.

Emma and Tom walk by each other, taking turns pushing their son. Edith, Cora, Isobel, Tom, Henry and Mary, the latter two arm in arm and with Mary carrying a parasol, walk along by them as Robert, Billy and the nannies, Jean and Margaret, follow after the children who play Pooh sticks when they reach a bridge.

A moment later, Robert and Billy have rejoined the other adults as they continue their walk. The nannies and children are still running around in the background.

"Put Marigold into a school in London?" Robert questions in disbelief in response to Edith's announcement.

"People do send girls to school, you know. Nowadays it isn't all governesses teaching quadrilles." Edith retorts.

"Exactly, she'll have a better chance to do what she desires in life." Emma adds, agreeing.

"Does she have any relations who ought to be kept informed?" Isobel innocently asks.

"None that we're aware of." Robert replies, exchanging a look with Cora.

Christ. Isobel is actually the only one that doesn't know? Wait, actually, Henry probably doesn't know either.

"You'd live in London for term time?" Cora asks Edith.

"I think so. The magazine's going better than ever, and I enjoy working with Miss Edmunds."

"'A life change for Lady Edith Crawley is announced as the family take a morning stroll'." Tom remarks, dissipating the tension simmering in the background as they all laugh.

"I think it's a good idea. Meet new people, get around a bit." Henry says.

"I just think it's a bit hasty," Robert complains. Of course, you would say that.

"Hasty? I think I've been about as hasty as a glacier." Edith retorts.

"And you'd be happy to live alone?"

"I'll have Marigold." Edith says, her tone becoming a somewhat harsher tone than before. "Anyway, I'm a spinster, aren't I? And spinsters live alone."

Emma and Tom exchange a look this time.

"Well, er, Mary, any further plans for George's birthday?" Billy asks.

With how awkward the conversation had gotten, Mary is all too happy to fall into this new topic while Isobel eagerly pipes up now and again with excitement over her grandson turning four.

A little later, they have all sat down at a garden table and on deck chairs prepared for them near the water's edge, attended by Mr Molesley, Thomas – back on duty – and Andy. Tom, Edith and Cora are in deck chairs together, with Mary standing by them. Emma also sits with them, gently rocking Patrick's pram as the baby snoozes. Isobel and Robert sit at their own table, chatting. Thomas pours red wine for them - straight from the bottle, not from a decanter. Mr Carson's standards are indeed slipping!

A little further off, on the low stone railing of the bridge, Henry sits alone, smoking a cigarette, looking thoughtful and not quite happy. Mary walks up to her solitary husband. Emma watches as they talk quietly Mary puts a comforting hand on his shoulder.

——

To continue taking advantage of the last moments of the summer, they all gather outside for pre-dinner drinks in the garden. Billy, Robert, Tom and Henry, are in black tie and Emma and Cora are dressed for dinner in their gowns though Emma keeps hers a simpler style. Robert has Teo on his lap, playing with the puppy. Henry is employing a cocktail shaker, pouring some into the cocktail glasses lined up on the table. Emma watches as he makes the cocktails eagerly, siping one herself. In the future, her brother had worked for a bit in a bar, making cocktails and he'd sometimes made some at home for the family. She smiles sadly as she thinks of how much her mom had enjoyed her piña coladas.

"What a cheering sound." Edith remarks as she approaches them.

"Rather a break with tradition." Cora comments.

"Well, can't it be a new tradition?" Henry quips.

"Let's hope so." Emma says happily.

"I spoke to Laura Edmunds today. I'm going to go up to London tomorrow." Edith says.

"Oh, I might drive you, if you like." Henry offers.

"I thought you had some time off." Tom reminds him.

"Well, I have a few things to do." He hands Edith a glass.

——

They're assembled at the dinner table for their meal with the addition of Isobel.

Robert is addressing them all, "I thought we might call on Mama tomorrow afternoon."

"I'm sure she'd love that." Isobel says.

Violet has recently been ill with an infection but is now thankfully recovering but still needs rest which is why she hasn't joined them this evening.

"That's no good for me. I have a meeting at the Hospital." Cora says regretfully.

"Can't you get out of it?" Robert says, almost sounding like a whining child.

"I don't want to get out of it." Cora retorts calmly. "We're in the middle of a whole reorganisation. I'm very involved."

"Better not tell Granny that." Edith quips.

Mr Carson, trying to pour wine for Robert, suddenly his hand shakes and he spills wine all over the tablecloth.

"Oh, good God!" Robert exclaims in surprise.

"I'm sorry, M'lord, I do apologise." Mr Carson apologises quickly.

"No, never mind." Robert dismisses, dabbling at the wine with his napkin.

"I can't think what came over me." Mr Carson continues, still distressed.

"It's nothing, it doesn't matter."

Emma notes how Andy and Mr Molesley exchange a puzzled look. Interesting...

Robert is clearly over the mishap, turning to Cora and, in a rather displeased tone, retorts, "I'll go and see Mama without you."

"Be my guest."

She's not going to back down. Mr Carson resumes his station, but he's mastering himself with difficulty, heaving a heavy sigh. This doesn't escape Emma.

——

Emma is just leaving her room, dressed in her coat and hat and carrying her gloves and handbag, ready to head out with Mary and Robert to go visit Violet. She starts heading towards the Nursery before going down the stairs, hoping to catch the Nanny to suggest maybe a picnic for the children considering it's still good weather today instead of a sit-down lunch.

"Emma?"

Emma turns at her name and sees Thomas approaching her. She stops and smiles. "Thomas, how are you today?"

"Er, I'm well. I'm glad I caught you. I, um, have some news." He says, smiling slightly.

It's then that Emma notices a letter he holds. A pit begins to form in her stomach.

"Yes?" She prompts hesitantly.

He waves the letter. "I've found a job."

"A job?" Her voice a whisper. She stands there completely still.

"Well, aren't you happy for me?" Thomas urges, frowning slightly.

Emma shakes her head and laughs slightly. "Oh no, I am. I'm just going to miss you."

"You as well, but it's time to draw a curtain over the past few months." He tells her.

Emma nods. "Will you be working nearby?"

"Not far. The other side of York."

Not too far. That's good.

"Well, I wish you luck for the rest of your time here then." Emma says pleasantly.

Thomas thanks her softly before walking away to carry on with his day. She presses a smile on her face until he's turned the corner. She hates how selfish this is but she knows she can't stop him but she will miss not seeing him as often as she's used to.

——

Emma, Mary and Robert are shown into the Dowager House's Drawing room by Denker.

"M'lady." The lady's maid announces.

"Granny." Mary greets as her grandmother stands to do the same.

"There, I was beginning to forget what you looked like." Violet quips scathingly as she and Mary kiss each other's cheek

Emma rolls her eyes fondly. "As if we could ever." She steps forward to kiss her as well.

"I'm glad you're back on your feet." Robert tells her also sharing a kiss.

"Shall I make some tea, M'lady?" Denker asks.

"Will you be here long enough to drink it?" Violet asks them.

"Don't be spiky, Granny, of course we will." Mary quips. Denker leaves and they sit down.

"Edith sends love. She's gone to London." Robert informs her.

"Not to see Bertie, I assume."

Emma sighs, shaking her head. "Afraid not."

"Oh, sad. Of course, I see his point. But I bet he regrets it." Violet says with her own sigh.

"He's painted himself into a corner." Robert agrees.

"I know, why can't men ever paint themselves out of a corner? It's such a waste, for both of them." Violet retorts, glancing over to where Mary sits next to Emma. "You're very quiet, Mary. What are you thinking?"

Emma looks over to Mary frowning in thought before shrugging. "It's just an idea you've given me. That's all. Nothing to trouble you with."

Right...

"I'm afraid Cora couldn't come today." Robert says still looking slightly miffed about it.

"Why not?" Robert stays quiet at his mother's question. "Oh, don't be mysterious. It's the last resort of people with no secrets."

"She's chairing a Hospital meeting." Emma says. Might as well just rip the plaster off.

"I see."

"Swallow it, Granny." Mary tells her. "It's stuck in your craw long enough."

"Oh, don't worry about me. I gobbled it up long ago. It's your father who seems to have difficulty swallowing these days." Violet quips.

From Robert's expression, this is quite true.

——

It's when they get back to Downton that Mary informs her of her plan to get Bertie and Edith back together. Step one is getting Rosamund and Bertie in on the plan. The next part is to have Bertie book a table at the Ritz where Rosamund will lead Edith to under the pretence of them having dinner together. Emma's glad Mary is doing this considering it's largely her fault they split to begin with. She lies some blame at Robert's feet also since he had been the most vocal on keeping Bertie in the dark.

The less exciting news is that not five minutes after announcing he has a new job, Thomas is now saying he'll be leaving this Sunday and starting his new job Monday. Emma hates that he'll be leaving so soon.

Emma is reading in bed that night after dinner when Tom bursts in, bouncing on the balls of his feet like an excited puppy. "You're not going to believe it!"

Emma blinks up at him. "What?"

"Edith just called! She's back with Bertie and Robert and Cora are going up with them to Brancaster to meet Mrs Pelham and announce the engagement!" Tom practically word vomits.

Emma gasps then laughs happily. Christ, Mary’s plan had really worked. "When is this?"

"Friday. They want to get on with it." Tom answers, moving around the room and changing for bed as he talks.

"Robert will be pleased."

Tom chuckles. "Oh he is, trust me."

But then a thought crosses her mind...

"Does she know about Marigold?" Emma asks.

"No. Bertie's said that they shouldn't." Tom replies.

Emma frowns. Considering what she's heard of the woman, it's probably for the best.

——

Friday – the day of Robert and Cora's departure for Brancaster Castle to meet Edith, Bertie and his mother and announce the engagement.

Two cars wait outside the front door when they emerge from the house to see Robert and Cora off. Andy and the chauffeur are busy strapping suitcases onto the back of the first one, while Mr Molesley and Albert do the same thing at the back of the second car. Thomas stands by holding a clipboard.

"Tell Henry we're sorry to miss him. I hope he's all right." Robert says to Mary.

"Why do you say that?"

Robert gives Teo, whom he carries on his arm, a kiss, then hands her over to Tom. Emma smiles at the puppy and gives her a scratch behind the ears to which she receives a lick.

"No reason, but I have been a bit worried about him since the crash." Robert says during this.

"Darling Papa, you are cleverer than you look, aren't you?" Mary quips. She kisses him on the cheek.

"That's a relief."

He shares a kiss on the cheek with Emma and shakes Tom's hand warmly. Billy's at work but they had said their goodbyes then.

Cora has spotted Thomas, who stands at attention by the cars and tries to draw Robert's attention to him. "Darling..."

"Ah, Barrow." Robert calls.

Thomas approaches them. "Your Lordship, Your Ladyship, I wanted to thank you for everything."

"You're not going now." Mary almost argues.

"On Sunday morning, M'lady."

"Which is much too soon." Emma quips gently which brings a slight smile out of the under butler.

"We've known some adventures during your time with us, Barrow." Robert says.

"I've learnt a great deal while I've been here, My Lord."

"I'm afraid I've rather lectured you at times. Not too harshly, I hope." Robert says apologetically.

"On the contrary. I will begin my new position with a new spirit, and I have you to thank for that." If there are sarcastic undertones here, Thomas hides it extremely well.

"I'm glad if, on balance, it's been rewarding for you." Robert responds.

"I arrived here as a boy, I leave as a man." It almost makes Emma teary to think back to how young they all were at the beginning. "Please will you give my best wishes to Lady Edith?"

"We'll always be so grateful to you for saving her from the fire." Cora speaks.

"And it turns out I saved her for better things."

"Very good luck to you, Barrow." Robert holds out his hand. Thomas takes it.

"Thank you, M'lord."

"And now, I'm afraid, we must get started." Robert declares apologetically.

Thomas walks off to take up his position next to Mr Carson by the front door, while Mr Molesley and Andy hold the car doors for the departing travellers.

"I hate goodbyes." Tom pouts, stroking Teo's fur.

"There seem to be so many of them these days." Mary replies.

"Tell me about it." Emma grumbles as they watch the cars drive off towards the station.

——

A diminished company for dinner that evening only Emma, Mary, Henry (who'd arrived back from London earlier), Billy and Tom, attended by Mr Carson, Andy and Mr Molesley.

"And you're sure you won't miss it?" Billy asks Henry.

That's why Henry was up in London, he's officially given up racing. A shock but not completely surprising.

"D'you know, I don't think so. In fact, I feel lighter already, really." Henry replies.

"Well, I'm thrilled and I can't pretend otherwise." Mary quips happily.

"But you still love cars?" Tom sounds almost concerned when he asks this causing Emma to share an amused smile with Billy.

"Don't worry, I still love cars." Henry retorts. "You're not alone in that, I just... I don't want to race any more."

"Thank god for that. Tom'll be devastated if you gave it all up." Emma says only half-jokingly. The table chuckles while Tom rolls his eyes fondly. "You'll have to find another way to express your love."

"More to the point, I have to find a job."

While Mr Carson pours wine for Billy, his hand starts shaking again causing everyone to look at him with surprise and concern.

"Mr Carson, are you all right?" Billy asks him.

"Yah..." He has to stop pouring. "I can't think how I—"

Mr Molesley hurries to his side. "Let me help you, Mr Carson."

Emma and Mary rise from their seats and walk over to him, concerned.

"Are your feeling hot, Mr Carson? How does your heart feel?" Emma rattles off, her brain going into nurse mode.

"Urgh, no Ma'am."

"You must rest, Mr Carson. Do you want to sit here or go downstairs?" Mary questions.

"I'll go down, I think, M'lady, with permission. I'll go down."

"Don't worry about a thing. Molesley will take care of us." Mary reassures him. She turns to Andy. "Andrew, could you help Mr Carson, and find Mrs Hughes?"

Andy walks over and all but puts his arm around Mr Carson's back, but he holds up his hand. "That's all right, thank you."

They walk off. Emma, Tom, Henry, Billy and Mary exchange worried looks.

"I'll go and check on him later." Mary says.

They resume their seats and continue with dinner. Emma looks toward where Mr Carson and Andy had left, still worried.

——

Mary and Emma knock on Mrs Hughes' Sitting room later that evening and enter to find husband and wife sitting together drinking tea. Mr Carson instantly rises to his feet, and Mrs Hughes follows a little more slowly.

"We came to see how you were." Mary tells them.

"I'll leave you to it, M'lady, Ma'am." Mrs Hughes says. She walks out and closes the door.

"I'm not ill." Mr Carson insists.

Emma frowns. "If you're sure?"

"I am."

Emma and Mary share a look before they sit down in the spare chairs in the room while Mr Carson retakes his.

"But you may be tired, and there's no shame in that." Mary says.

"Please don't concern yourself, M'lady, Ma'am." Mr Carson persists. "You have more important things to worry about."

Emma almost scoffs at that. "Considering I'm a nurse and you've been good to me during my time here as well as you being very dear to Lady Mary, you must let us help you. We won't hear anything to the contrary."

"Exactly." Mary agrees. "If there are changes that need to be made, we mustn't be afraid to face them."

Mr Carson nods, but he looks like he'd rather this weren't true.

——

It's Sunday morning, which is the day Thomas will be leaving for his new job. Emma walks into the Kitchen with Ivy and Michael. Mary's behind her with George and Sybbie. Nanny Jean follows with Marigold on her arm. Patrick, still being only a baby, has stayed in the Nursery with Nanny Margaret.

Thomas, out of uniform, is saying goodbye to his remaining co-workers – Mr Carson, Mrs Hughes, Mrs Patmore, Anna who's now in her last few months of pregnancy, Andy, Daisy, Mr Molesley, Albert the hall boy and the housemaids Lucy and Jane.

"Mr Barrow!" Ivy calls from the doorway, drawing attention to the new arrivals.

Emma smiles slightly in greeting but she doesn’t think it really works. "They wanted to say goodbye and so did I."

"You've just caught me." Thomas replies. He puts aside the hat he was just going to put on. He walks forward and Emma wraps him up in a tight tearful hug that makes Thomas chuckle and Mr Carson grumble.

Thomas gives her a warm smile as he steps back and turns to the children and picks up George. "Oh, well, Master George, I hope you'll be good when I'm gone."

"No, we won't!" Sybbie retorts causing everyone to laugh. Emma rather thinks hers comes out a bit watery.

"Please don't go." George pleads.

Thomas takes George's hand into his and stroking it gently with his thumb. "Oh, I must go, Master George, but remember I will always be your friend, wherever I am. All right?" George nods. Thomas sniffs, blinking back tears. "Good lad."

He puts George down. Sybbie, Ivy and Michael move in and surround him in around his middle. Thomas laughs, deeply touched.

"Oh! Thank you." Thomas ruffles their heads affectionately. "Right, that's it."

"Come along." Mary urges the children before turning to Thomas. "Goodbye, Barrow, and good luck."

"Goodbye, Mr Barrow!" Michael calls over his shoulder as Emma, Mary and Nanny Jean guide them out of the room. Emma lets out a little sniffle as she walks away.

——

It had been a busy run-up to Christmas.

Edith returned with Robert and Cora a couple of days later with the happy announcement she and Bertie are going to have their wedding on New Year's Eve.

Mr Mosesley has now become a teacher. Mr Trewin was retiring so Mr Dawes offered the man's cottage and a full-time teaching job to Mr Molesley. Emma can't think of anyone more deserving. Though, he is coming back to help with Edith's wedding.

Isobel Crawley is now Isobel Grey, Baroness Merton. That had been a happy surprise as well as a speedy wedding tinged with a small sad note. Dickie Merton has pernicious anaemia and, considering the era they live in, there's no cure for it. Emma rather liked the story of how they got engaged this time compared to the last. It seems rather entertaining and romantic as well as funny to hear how Violet and Isobel had charged into Cavenham where Amelia and Larry had kept him locked up after his diagnosis and the latter declaring she's determined to marry him.

They also receive news that Rose has given birth to a baby girl called Victoria Rachel Cora Aldridge and they'll be travelling from New York to visit for Edith's wedding.

The next thing involves Emma and Mary going to the Hospital for an appointment.

"Well," Emma begins as she and Mary leave the Hospital and begin their walk through the Village towards Downton, "I think that's a rather lovely Christmas present for Henry there."

Mary rolls her eyes but there's no heat. "You mustn't tell anyone, not even Tom."

"But Mary!" Emma whines. " A baby!"

Just the day before, a few days before Rose and Atticus' arrival and after Christmas, Mary had pulled Emma aside to explain her own suspicions that she may be pregnant and had asked if Emma could come with her to her appointment. They had left under the ploy of wedding planning. Edith had given them a suspicious look but, as she's currently on cloud nine because of her immanent wedding, she covered for them in front of the others and Emma and Mary were off. It is their only chance as tomorrow is going to be filled with wedding decorating as well as Rose and Atticus' arrival.

Mary shoots her a look, indicating she's being a tad loud.

Emma huffs. "Fine."

——

The next day, Emma is in the Library with Edith, Billy, Mary and Henry when they hear a commotion coming from the Great Hall. They exit to find Mr Carson, Andy and Albert taking Rose and Atticus' coats. Emma beams at the sight of the couple.

"Rose! Atticus! We weren't expecting you for another hour at least." Cora happily exclaims as she walks over with Edith and Emma hot over heels.

"Cora!" Rose cries. They embrace.

"The crew were very efficient getting our bags off," Atticus explains as he kisses Cora on the cheek in greeting.

"I should think they were eager to be rid of us," Rose remarks as she steps away from her hug with Edith.

"They always are yet they take their time when boarding." Emma quips.

"Hello Emma." Rose responds. They embrace and Emma does the same to Atticus as they share greetings as well.

Billy, Mary and Henry walk up then. Mary and Rose embrace and Henry and Billy shake hands with Atticus.

"And where's the baby?" Cora questions. Emma lights up at the mention of Victoria as well as giving a side eye to Mary who narrows her eyes in warning.

"Oh, I'm afraid we didn't bring her. Nanny wouldn't let us." Rose answers with a sigh.

"And you have to do what Nanny says." Tom quips, arriving from upstairs and embracing Rose.

"They're always such tyrants." Mary half-jokes.

"She kept on about the diseases awaiting her on board and all the germs she'd bring back from England." Rose explains.

"But she missed Christmas with you. Her first as well." Emma responds, aghast.

"I know. The poor captain made such an effort with flags and Christmas trees everywhere on board, but I just wept every day of the voyage." Rose says.

Atticus puts an arm around Rose. "She wouldn't know if it was Christmas or Tuesday."

Rose turns to him in mock outrage. "What a man thing to say!"

"She's only three months old." Atticus retorts.

"But such a clever three months." Rose declares causing them all to laugh. "I've got masses of pictures. Where's Daddy? I'm dying to see him."

"He was hoping to be here for dinner, but he telephoned to say he'd be a little bit late." Cora says apologetically.

Robert and Rosamund arrive on the scene and there's another round of hugs, kisses and handshakes.

Rose turns back to her husband. "Wasn't he cunning to get the time off work? He's actually got lots to do for them in London, but we're pretending were just here for fun."

"Let's start the fun by having tea in the Library." Mary quips. "Carson?"

"M'lady." Mr Carson nods and moves to do so.

"Oh, in a moment. I must run down and say hello to the servants." Rose literally runs towards the green baize door and the back stairs, followed by Andy. Emma grins as she follows her with her eyes.

"I know she's a wife and mother now, but she seems quite unchanged to me." Rosamund remarks.

"A sign of your care of her." Cora says to Atticus.

"Or my weakness." Atticus quips. Everyone laughs again.

——

It's a busy table that evening with the addition of Rose and Atticus along with Isobel, though without Dickie joining them, and Rosmund who's been staying with them during the lead-up to the wedding.

"I was so happy to hear about you and Lord Merton." Rose says to Isobel, talking across Mary and Billy who sit between them.

"Thank you. I hope I wrote enough about your wedding present, it was too kind. Books are Dickie's favourite thing." Isobel says gratefully.

"Why isn't he here tonight?" Roberts asks from her left.

"He wanted to be, but I'm always anxious he shouldn't get over-tired. He's not well, you see. I say that but, funnily enough, he's a picture of health. He'll certainly be at the wedding."

"And we shan't complain about that." Emma quips to which she receives a few chuckles.

"I have to preside over a meeting at the Hospital tomorrow afternoon." Emma hears Cora inform Edith.

"Fine." Edith accepts.

"What sort of meeting?" Atticus asks from between them.

"We invite the public in. Our financial supporters, but ordinary people, too. We feel it's important they understand what we're doing." Cora explains. "Emma suggested it."

"It only makes sense given they're also receiving treatment." Emma explains.

"You're attending a meeting the day before Edith's wedding?" Robert responds in a displeased tone.

"It'll be two hours at the most." Cora retorts.

"We can help here, Atticus and me." Rose says, trying to dispense the tension.

"And I'll be there for moral support." Billy adds.

"That's not the point." Robert retorts.

"What is the point?" Rosamund asks pointedly next to him.

"Tom, Emma, Mary and I have an errand in York tomorrow, too. Informs them from where he sits next to Emma." Henry cuts in from where he sits next to Emma.

Emma blinks in surprise, casting a suspicious look in her husband's direction from the other end of the table but he avoids her gaze, innocently taking a sip of wine. Emma shares a suspicious look with Mary.

"I can manage. It's only the flowers, and they've already been chosen." Edith declares to her father.

"Cora, surely you want to be here for that?" Robert persists.

God, Emma really wants to roll her eyes at him.

"Drop it, Robert." Rosamund instructs.

"What errand is this?" Mary asks her husband suspiciously.

"Oh, you'll see." Henry and Tom smirk at each other across the table.

"Now I'm scared." Emma murmurs causing Henry to grin cheekily at her.

"Carson, could I have a bit more of the claret?" Robert asks the butler.

But Mr Carson doesn't move and instead prompts, "Andrew?"

Robert indicates the decanter, which is just behind Mr Carson on a sideboard. "It's just there."

"Andrew will pour it, My Lord."

Andy goes to do as he's told. Emma knows something going on, Mr Carson's odd behaviour hasn't stopped in the last few months in fact they've gotten worse but he refuses to talk about it.

Rose quickly moves on from the awkward moment. "Well, isn't it thrilling? It was in all the papers, even in New York. 'Lady Edith and her millionaire marquess.'"

"He wasn't either when he first proposed." Edith corrects.

"But he was when you accepted." Mary reminds her.

Emma laughs. "Which we all know has nothing to do with her acceptance."

Mary shrugs amusedly while Edith smiles and shakes her head.

——

After dinner as well as Shrimpie's arrival, Emma Robert and Mary go to visit Mr Carson in his Pantry. He stands in front of them as they sit, explaining what's wrong though there was reluctance at first.

It's a hereditary condition, he explains. 'The palsy' or just simply put, shaky hands.

"There is no treatment, there is no cure." Mr Carson continues to explain. "But I'm sorry if Mrs Branson and Lady Mary saw fit to trouble you with it, My Lord."

"They didn't. I was puzzled by that business at dinner." Robert responds.

"I see. Well, perhaps it's for the best. Because clearly I have no option but to offer my resignation." Mr Carson declares to which they are all shocked.

"What?! Mr Carson, surely not..." Emma vocalises.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but I cannot stay if I cannot perform my duties. I should have been more honest with you and Lady Mary." Mr Carson apologises.

The door opens and it's Mrs Hughes. She sees Emma, Robert and Mary and hesitates. "Oh. Oh, I didn't know you were in here."

Robert rises. "Please come in, Mrs Hughes, and talk some sense into your husband."

She closes the door and comes in. "So he's told you, My Lord?"

"When the wedding is over, I will place an advertisement and I will do the preliminary interviews myself. I could not give this house or this family into hands that I do not trust." Mr Carson continues to steamroll ahead.

"This is very drastic." Robert argues.

"But you'll stay in our lives, Carson? You'll stay on the estate, keep a seeing eye on things, help manage grand events and so on?" Mary asks, pleadingly.

"I would like to say yes to that, My Lady, but I doubt that the new butler would accept the job under such terms. I know that I wouldn't." Mr Carson argues.

Emma nods. "Of course, we understand." She exchanges thoughtful looks with Mary and Robert.

——

The next day, Emma and Mary follow their husbands suspiciously into York for this 'surprise' especially when they walk through a very narrow alleyway

"I wish you'd just tell us." Mary huffs as they walk through, single file.

"No, it's a surprise." Henry retorts.

"I hate surprises." Mary quips.

"Well, they make me nervous," Emma remarks, narrowing her eyes at the two men over her shoulder as they exit the alleyway and onto a busy street. A double-decker bus passes them, then a tram.

"We're there now, anyway," Tom reassures as they come to a stop with Emma and Mary in the middle and Henry and Tom on either side as they look out onto the street lined with brick buildings housing various shops and businesses opposite them.

Emma looks around, confused. "Well, what are we looking at exactly?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Henry quips. He points at the building on the other side of the road. A large sign on the roof says 'Talbot & Branson Motors' with 'Repairs / Garage' as a subheading.

Emma's jaw drops in surprise, blinking gormlessly. She turns to her husband, who chuckles at her expression.

"But it looks like a going concern." Mary says, linking arms with Henry.

"And so it is." Tom says as they cross the road. "A real live business, even if the cars on show are the only stock, but we'll get more in."

Henry holds the door open for Tom, Emma and Mary to walk into what appears to be a showroom containing two cars.

"So, how will it work?" Emma queries as she and Mary move through the room, looking at it all.

"For now, I'll go between the estate office and here. Henry will be here full-time." Tom explains.

"I'll still have cars in my life, but not racing, and eventually we'll build the business between us." Henry adds.

"All of which means you are second-hand car salesmen." Mary says.

"Well, we will be once we've sold one." Henry chuckles.

"Mary, now's not the time to be snobbish." Tom reprimands, smiling. "We'll set up a dealership for new cars when we can, and in time we'll go into production. There's nothing wrong with being married to Mr Rolls or Mr Royce."

Emma huffs a laugh. "Aiming rather high there."

Tom shrugs. "Nothing wrong with ambition."

Emma laughs, coming up to him and kissing him. She steps back to see Mary looking at them all with a rather blank face for a moment. Henry approaches her, concerned.

"Have I miscalculated? Are you ashamed of me? Of us?"

"Are you mad?" Mary remarks, a smile beginning to form on her face.

"Why?"

"I'm as proud as anyone living." Mary says.

Henry sighs in relief. "Thank God!" They start laughing, and kiss. "I'll never ask for another thing again, I swear."

"Yes, you will, and you're going to get it, too." Mary says, anxiously which gets Emma's attention. Tom looks at her confused as Emma starts to almost bounce on her feet excitedly. Is she really telling him?

Mary leans in and whispers to him.

"What? You're sure?" Henry asks in disbelief.

"I'm quite sure. But you mustn't tell a soul, I don't want to steal Edith's thunder." Mary says smiling.

"Which is, in itself, a sign of happy times to come." Tom remarks.

Emma grins. "It is."

Tom chuckles, wrapping an arm around her as they watch the happy couple.

——

Today is finally the day, Edith is getting married to Bertie. Emma almost squeals in excitement as she gets ready to the amusement of Tom, who just chuckles at her.

The whole thing is magical. The Church itself is covered and surrounded by snow which glistens in the sunlight. Emma is cradling Patrick in her arms as she sits in the pew but rises along with everyone else as the organ starts playing. Bertie and his best man get in position at the front of the Church and Robert walks Edith down the aisle. They're followed by Ivy, Michael, George, Marigold and Sybbie who are acting as flower children and are all dressed in white.

They arrive before the altar and Ivy takes Edith's bouquet. Edith stands next to Bertie. Mr Travis, the vicar, speaks up.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God and in the face of this congregation to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is an honourable estate instituted of God in the time of man's innocency, and is therefore not by any to be enterprised nor taken in hand, unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God. If any man can show any just cause why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him speak or else hereafter for ever hold his peace."

Needless to say, no one speaks up.

——

The Drawing room is teeming with people attending the wedding reception. George and Michael are running around with Teo while Patrick is down for the count in the Nursery. At a small table, Mrs Pelham sits with Sybbie, Marigold, Nanny Jean and Ivy. Mrs Pelham and Marigold seem to be absorbed in a little game. Marigold points at some small objects in Mrs Pelham's hand. Maybe Mrs Pelham is teaching her to count. Emma walks past them, smiling at the little scene.

In the Hall, Emma chats with Mrs Hughes and Thomas, who'd thankfully been able to take the time off to attend the wedding, when they suddenly hear Mr Carson cry out loudly, "Ah! God! I cannot pour the bloody stuff!"

Emma looks over to where Mr Carson has been presiding over the table with the champagne glasses to see champagne spilt everywhere on the table. Mrs Hughes hurries over to him as does Robert while Mary is already standing at the table.

"Carson, are you all right?" Robert asks him.

"I... I do beg your pardon, My Lord." The butler apologises as Emma approaches the table along with Thomas and Henry with George on his arm.

"Don't be silly." Robert tells him.

"I can pour it for you." Henry offers.

Thomas steps in. "No, I can do it, Sir."

"Mr Barrow, you are here as a guest." Mr Carson insists.

"I'm happy to help, Mr Carson."

At this, Emma shares a look with Robert and Mary as all three of them come to the same realisation.

"Carson, I know the answer. You and Mrs Hughes will stay in your cottage, but what if we were to ask Barrow to be the new butler?" Robert suggests. "Carson, the elder statesman, would steer things as he's always done. What do you think, Carson? You'll have a pension from the estate."

"You can't pretend he isn't sufficiently experienced." Emma eagerly points out.

"No, I wouldn't say that, Ma'am. I trained him." Mr Carson replies. This makes Thomas smile faintly.

"Well, Barrow? Would you like to be butler here?" Mary asks.

Thomas, after a moment, during which he seems to be torn between 'hell yes' and 'please God no', replies with, "Certainly, My Lady."

"That's settled." Robert declares. He turns to Mr Carson. "Barrow will work out his notice and start at Downton on a date that suits you both." He claps Mr Carson on the shoulder, and then he and Mary walk off. Emma shares a small smile with Thomas before doing the same.

——

Henry quite literally crashes into Emma as he comes careering down the stairs. Emma yelps in surprise and, as a knock-on effect, knocks into Billy who rights her.

"Henry?!" Billy exclaims in surprise at the man who's eyes are darting everywhere, looking for someone.

"Sorry, sorry. Have any of you seen Bates?" He asks quickly.

"Er, I think he went down to the Kitchen?" Emma replies though it comes out as a question. "Why?"

"Anna's in labour. Mary's room." He answers before running off.

What?! Emma knew she should've put her feet up.

She shoves her champagne into Billy's hand before bolting up the stairs to find Anna and Mary (presumably).

Emma barges in to find Anna in her underthings with Mary hoping her into one of her nightgowns. Well, there's a sight you don't see every day.

She shakes off her surprise and immediately starts helping them as well as getting Anna into Mary's bed despite the maid's protests. Dr Clarkson soon arrives, Mrs Hughes turns up with fresh towels along with Mr Bates and it soon all becomes a blur though Emma does remember Henry arriving with glasses of champagne for her and Mary.

——

Anna sits in bed, with her newborn child, wrapped in a white woollen cloth, in her arms. Mr Bates sits on the edge of the bed next to them in his shirtsleeves. Mary and Emma on the foot of the bed. It looks like a very cosy and very modern little conference indeed.

"I'd like to go on working, M'lady, if we can sort out the baby." Anna says to Mary.

"We'll have him here in the Nursery during the day. To be followed by a young Talbot in due course. And then we'll see." Mary reassures her.

"I think Patrick would rather enjoy the company." Emma adds warmly.

The door opens. It's Cora and Robert, with champagne on a tray. "Oh, I've come to summon Lady Mary and Mrs Branson downstairs to see the New Year in with us." The latter says. "This is for you." He places the champagne on the side table. Mary and Emma rise from their seats.

"Thank you, My Lord, that's very kind." Mr Bates responds.

"Is it that time already?" Emma questions. "Did Edith get off all right?"

"Oh, yes, hours ago." Cora says, going over to Anna and Mr Bates, who has got to his feet, too. "Is this the new arrival?"

"It is, My Lady. I'm a father, and I have a son." Mr Bates says proudly.

"We have a son, John." Anna says to him softly. Emma's heart melts as the baby mewls softly.

"Congratulations to you both." Robert says to them.

"I'm ever so sorry to be in here." Anna says apologetically.

"We'll be gone as soon as she's able." Mr Bates adds.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Mary insists. "We ought to go down. Happy New Year."

They all walk out, leaving the new family to themselves.

——

In the Hall, more glasses are filled with champagne for the remaining guests, this time by Tom. Cora and Robert, Billy, Violet, the Mertons, the Talbots, the Aldridges, Shrimpie and Rosamund are now the only people left.

Tom grins as he hands Emma her glass. They still have a couple of minutes to go so everyone mills around, waiting.

"You know I was thinking about something." Emma tries to remark conversationally, drawing her husband's attention. "Why go back to nursing?"

Tom's furrows his brows. "You're giving up nursing?"

"Not exactly." Emma corrects. "I hear that there's women studying to become Doctors and I thought—"

She gets cut off by Tom kissing her. "Proud of you."

Emma laughs, blushing. "Hold your horse's, I haven't looked into it properly yet and they may not let me in considering I'm a married mother."

Tom grins. "I'm still proud of you."

They stare at each other warmly before being interrupted by the clock chiming twelve. Everyone raises their glasses.

"Happy New Year!" They all cry.

"Happy New Year." Tom murmurs softly.

"Happy New Year." Emma echoes before they then kiss.

There are hugs and kisses all around them as they celebrate the new year.

——

A/N: The end of season 6!!!!

Not quite the end of the story quite yet as I plan to do the films as well.

Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.

[awesomeforever]

One day in mid-to-late May, a gardener in Liberty Twp. was surprised to find a cucumber vine growing in an unsuspecting spot — it was coming up through a crack in a concrete patio. Now, the vine has three, big cucumbers on it. “The patio was poured in two different sections, and where the two pieces connect, a cucumber came up in that crack, and it’s just spreading out on the concrete. It’s a beautiful vine,” said Edith Miller, 82, of Allen Estates. She said the last section of the patio was poured at least 10 years ago. So, it’s not a new patio. This is the first year that the cucumber vine cropped up. “It just came up out of the blue sky. I don’t know how the seed got there. I don’t know if I could have dropped it when I planted other cucumbers. I have no idea how the seed got there,” Miller said. She continued, “I went out there one day, and here were these cucumber vines. I just left them alone. I turn the water on, let it run down, and it runs into the crack and waters them. It’s unbelievable to see them. I have planted cucumbers and they are doing much better than the one’s I planted.” Miller has lived in Liberty Twp. for 61 years. She lived on Cincinnati-Dayton Road for 40 years, prior to moving to her current home about 16 years ago. She has three children and seven grandchildren, three granddaughters and four grandsons. Miller is a retired schoolteacher. She taught for 10 years at Lakota and retired from Fairfield City School District, where she taught for over 23 years. In all, she taught for more than 33 years, teaching elementary and learning disabilities. She was also a reading specialist. Miller has been retired for 24 years. In retirement, she enjoys making quilts, quilted Christmas stockings and double-sided, holiday placemats. She also loves to garden and raise flowers. Miller grows cucumbers, sweet peppers and tomatoes along her backyard fence line. She gardens every summer. Credit: Nick Graham Credit: Nick Graham Credit: Nick Graham Credit: Nick Graham Miller was raised on a farm in Kentucky. Her dad, Newton Lovitt, was a farmer and her husband, Charles, loved farming. So, they taught her a lot of gardening skills. She had a cherry tomato plant last year that was eight ft. tall. “This year, I’ve got one cherry tomato, I bet it has100 tomatoes on it. You wouldn’t believe it. It’s a lot,” she said. As far as the cucumber vine in the crack of the patio, Miller said she knew it was cucumbers from the start, because she knows the leaf of a cucumber. “One of the cucumbers is seven inches long, and there are two more that are three or four inches long. They’re beautiful cucumbers. They grow very fast,” she said. Credit: Nick Graham Credit: Nick Graham Credit: Nick Graham Credit: Nick Graham She said one of the things that surprised her the most is that the cucumber vine doesn’t have any soil around it. It’s growing right in the middle of the back patio. “The fact that it’s coming out of the concrete is the most unusual thing about it,” Miller said. “With the hot sun landing on the concrete, you would think the vine would wilt. It’s never wilted. It’s just amazing. That’s all I can say.” Miller describes the vine as being three-and-a-half ft. to four ft. long. Right now, there are three cucumbers, and it’s still in full bloom, so she believes there will be more cucumbers. “I watch that thing every day. It’s so unusual to have a cucumber growing out of the cement,” Miller said. “Everybody thinks it’s funny. My friends get the biggest kick out of it.” Miller said she’s kept the cucumber vine watered every day, and she’s been a little worried about it with the heat. With the heat, if it doesn’t have enough water it will wilt, but it’s never wilted. Her other cucumbers have wilted, but this one hasn’t wilted. She’s also taken plenty of pictures to document her amazing story and to share it with friends and family. “It’s growing normal. It’s just on the concrete. That’s all I can say,” Miller said. “I baby that thing.”

[professorthaddeus]

soften every edge

Luc doesn’t remember a lot about his early childhood.

He knows it wasn’t exactly the most normal of upbringings. He knows that most kids didn’t grow up with crossbow practice, magic books, and a dog that could blink in and out of existence. He knows he moved around a lot. He knows that Mom is a hero, and that she couldn’t be at home for a while.

He knows that at one point, he died.

Sometimes he’ll get flashes that he’ll try to make sense of. Frantic shouts in the air and splinters of wood at his feet as he runs alone to Old Edith’s. The twittering of a hummingbird on one shoulder and the steady hand of a man with a shock of white hair on the other. People rushing around him to a looming tower in the distance. A heat so intense it fills his lungs and makes his eyes water, a blaze of light, an explosion that turns everything to static and pain. Darkness.

Hands on his chest, gentle, but with a power that sends warmth pulsing from his heart to the tips of his fingers. Uncle Ducey, even paler than usual, his tired smile the first thing Luc sees when his eyes flutter open.

(They’ve always had a connection. It took a while for him to wrap his head around it, but he recognizes now that it was Uncle Ducey who brought him back to the land of the living. And at times it feels like Luc is only truly tethered here when he reaches up to tuck his hand into Uncle Ducey’s, when the two of them sit side by side in a garden, planting seeds in a peaceful silence interspersed by the occasional toot.)

Mom and Dad, hugging him between them, a tangle of arms and legs as they hold him close. Fabric damp from tears, a thick smell of smoke, but the familiar scent of Dad’s chemicals and Mom’s black powder as well.

(People might find it strange that such things are comforting to him, but they’re his reminders that Mom and Dad will always be his protectors. Not that they’d let him forget it anyway—they’ve always been a little overbearing. He gets it, and he can’t blame them when they want to keep an eye on him everywhere he goes or set up traps on all the windows of their home. At least Beau—not Auntie Beau, she always insists, and Luc agrees; Beau’s as much his aunt as anyone, but she’s also TJ’s sister and the label would be so weird—she teaches him how to sneak around the traps and makes him a master at coming up with excuses to get away when he needs it.)

Uncle Caleb’s face appears a lot too, screwed up in a haunted expression Luc doesn’t understand as Frumpkin is sent over to nuzzle in his arms.

(He understands a little, now. Regret, sadness, a weight of guilt that hunches thin shoulders and darkens blue eyes. He still sees it, sometimes, when he asks too many questions about Uncle Caleb’s adventures, about his scars, about how he picked up all the cool spells he’s teaching Luc now. Uncle Caleb always answers with a smile, as patient and warm as his bedtime stories and lessons in magic. But Luc’s learned that some things are difficult to talk about, and he’s learned to be careful not to push too much.)

There’s also Auntie Jester’s voice in his ear, always loud and lively, but occasionally with a wobble that makes him want to go back in time and give her a hug.

(It’s weird to think about Auntie Jester sounding scared. She’s the most badass blue lady in all of Exandria, and whenever she visits, they skip along the beaches of Nicodranas together and play pranks on grumpy shopkeepers. She’s always got a spring in her step and a pastry in hand, and she talks about things like pirates and sea serpents without missing a beat. Luc doesn’t know what could make her afraid. He doesn’t like thinking about it.)

He doesn’t think Uncle Fjord, Auntie Yasha, or Beau were there that night. But he can picture them surrounding him afterwards, a wall between him and any danger that would dare try to take him again.

(And of course, they’ve etched themselves into his history as much as the others since then. Uncle Fjord taught him how to swim, and the two of them have taken countless dives along miles of sparkling coral. Auntie Yasha is lessons in swordfighting and piggyback rides through the sky, and also lazy afternoons in the sun with notes from a harp drifting in the background. Beau’s the one Luc can tell anything without fear of being tattled on, the one who teaches him to use his fists, but only in defense of himself and his friends. Luc just hopes they don’t feel like they have to make up for that one moment they were gone.)

Sometimes it’s all a bit too much. Sometimes he’ll wake up clammy, his pajamas drenched in a cold sweat, with noises crawling into his ears and crowding in his head, and he has to reach for his copper wire and call for Mom or Dad to stay with him until he falls asleep again. He’s probably too old for that now.

They never ever judge him for it, though, or tell him he needs to grow up and face the nightmares alone. Uncle Ducey says it’s okay, too, that Luc’s worries of being annoying or a baby are just lies from his brain that he can recognize and shut down. There’s no shame in getting support from the people who love you. In fact, it’s one of the most precious gifts that nature can offer.

So he doesn’t remember a lot. But he knows he has the coolest parents in the world, even if they can be overprotective. And he knows he has six aunts and uncles who would do absolutely anything for him. It’s something he’s never going to take for granted.

(He’d be lying if he said he never takes advantage of it, though. But hey, he’s totally just using the resources the Wildmother gave him when he asks eight different adults for something until he gets an answer he wants. It would be wasteful not to.)

—————

also on ao3

[bonhughbon]

Oooh! #20 and Parenting OR Pregnancy Headcanon with both Robert & Cora (you decide).

You know what? I'll do both, because why not? And also I just woke up by the time I made this, so bear with me 😅

20. Free Topic (Pregnancy/Parenting Headcanon)

Pregnancy Headcanons

Robert

When Cora was pregnant with all of their children, he always had the same expression: he's surprised. Like...this man managed to have his first two children within a year or so, and he's still surprised by it

Pregnant Cora over everything else. He prioritize her more than anything and will do everything to make her safe and comfortable

With that in mind, he kind of learned how to cook. Emphasis on kind of. When Cora was pregnant with Sybil, she said she wanted him to cook her breakfast...and he did

That is, after multiple mishaps and with Mrs. Patmore in the background trying not to scold him every now and then. He did managed to cook her an edible one, and has vowed never to do it again after

And contrary to popular belief, he wasn't quite scared in not having an heir. Sure, he was kind of pressured by the his circle to have an heir of his own. A mini Robert running around. But he always assured Cora that no matter what gender the baby would be, he would always love them no matter what

Cried when he held all of his girls for the first time. Like there were absolute waterworks from this man before he faced his family who was waiting downstairs for his announcement

Cora

When Cora was pregnant with Mary, she felt very anxious and pressured over giving her husband an heir. After all, that is their purpose: to have an heir

But with Robert's assurance, she relaxes a little. But outside their room, she always stayed quiet whenever discussions of her unborn baby's gender were brought up

She loves it when she and Robert goes on walks around the estate, away from everything and discuss whatever future things they would do once their babies were born

She also loves it when Robert dotes over her pregnant belly. Gentle rubs and showering of kisses may tickle her, but she loves it anyway and knows Robert loves it too

Parenting Headcanons

Robert

An absolute girl dad. He loves all of them very much (although Sybil was a secret favorite) and would do anything for them just to make them happy

With that also in mind, he wouldn't mind playing tea and princess with them, as well as have his hair fixed by the girls...even if he was caught by his mother once sitting in a small chair with a few dolls beside him having tea in the library

Remember the attic in ANE? Long before the roof leaking and all, tat's where the family played princess (and the knight...because Robert has to have a role since Cora took over his role as the eldest princess at that time)

And remember those puppets that Bertie and Tom were playing at in s6? Robert made those long ago for the first for the girls. He can entrain the girls with his funny stories through his puppet shows

Matches his outfits to his girls' outfits because he saw all four of them (yes, including Cora) play dress up one time and thought maybe "I should match them up, too" and bought colored match neckties and handkerchiefs after

Cora

Basically the mastermind of "let the children spend the entire afternoon in the library with them while the adults have tea" because that's what they do in America and also, why not?

Loves reading stories to the girls, especially before their bedtime. All three of them once went to their room and asks for their mother to read them, and that started a small tradition between all of them

Also, that small tradition was eventually passed down when Mary and Edith had children of their own

She also goes out to the garden with the girls, and loves picking flowers and teaching them all the different types of flowers as well

Plays dress up with them as well. Had bought matching outfits with them when they were all young, especially during summer

Headcanon Asks!

[eddysocs]

Downton Abbey OC Masterlist

Name: Amaris DuPont

Face Claim: Kate Winslet

Love Interest: Edith Crawley

Fic Title: Brush & Quill

Plot Summary: Sometimes Amaris DuPont feels like her life is stifling her. Full of energy and creativity, Amaris longs to break free from the shackles of polite society and just let loose. Painting is her outlet and after a visit to Downton Abbey with her father and three brothers, she finds herself painting Edith Crawley. Desperate to see her again and further explore her own fascination with the quiet woman, Amaris is prepared to do just about anything in order for them to cross paths.

Name: Camilla Bussington

Face Claim: Elizabeth Debicki

Love Interest: Joseph Molesley

Fic Title: Where The Heart Lies

Plot Summary: Being wed to a suitable man had never been in Camilla's plans. She has enough money to live comfortably on her own well into her twilight years should she so choose. She swore the only reason she'd ever marry was for love. Many men had tried to woo her, but none had ever succeeded in winning her over. Trying too hard had been their downfall. But when she quite literally bumps into Downton Abbey's footman one day, something just clicks. She knows very well that such a match would cause a scandal for her and her family, but a love like this could never come again, so shouldn't she take the risk?

Name: Eleanora Finch

Face Claim: Clemence Poesy

Love Interest: Mary Crawley

Fic Title: Rags To Riches

Plot Summary: Raised by a poor mother, Eleanora was never told much about her father, only that he had left them the moment her mother had confessed that she was with child. Now, at the ripe age of twenty four, Eleanora has steady employment as a maid at Downton Abbey and is happy with her life. But then a letter comes in the post. Her father has reached out after all these years. He’s sick and wishes Eleanora to have the inheritance she’s rightly owed. Her transition into society is hardly smooth, but Lady Mary is kind enough to teach her what she knows, and Eleanora might just be falling in love for the first time in her life.

Name: Ethan Lambert

Face Claim: Jonah Hauer King

Love Interest: Thomas Barrow

Fic Title: Home & Garden

Plot Summary: Thomas can’t seem to figure out why he's so irked by Downton Abbey's new gardener. Perhaps because he’s Thomas’ exact opposite. He’s cheerful, outgoing and entirely selfless and he’s so kind to Thomas that all he wants to do is shove him against a wall. One day, he finally snaps and does it, but when he’s face to face with Ethan Lambert, it’s not anger or irritation he feels, but something that scares him far more. Ethan, wide eyed and frightened, has captured his heart without him even knowing it.

Name: Evangeline Fitzgerald

Face Claim: Carey Mulligan

Love Interest: Cora Crawley

Fic Title: So Close

Plot Summary: Evangeline Fitzgerald was brought up a lady, but she’s never lost her curious and playful spirit. She’s a breath of fresh air to the Crawleys when her family pays a visit to Downton. And she finds a reason to return time and time again.

[glaciernps]

Jim Whilt, "Poet of the Rockies"

Sometimes known as the “Poet of the Rockies,” Jim Whilt (1878-1967) was a colorful person in Glacier’s history. He spent over 30 years in the park, working as a trapper, guide, and camptender.

As a guide for horseback trips, Whilt took part in the tradition of telling tall tales and spinning yarns about the park to entertain the “dudes” under his charge. One of these dudes, Edith Smejkal from Chicago, must have enjoyed his tales because she married him in 1928 after he had guided her horseback outing in Glacier. Whilt gathered some of his musings (many of which we might call “dad jokes” today) into a volume called “Giggles from Glacier Guides,” published in 1935. Here are some excerpts from that work:

“In the spring my work starts as the snows are leaving, having to set out wild flowers over five miles of trails to Grinnell Glacier; various waterfalls have to be turned on and several rock gardens have to be planted. Some plants have to be put in where it is impossible to climb. For this I have two trained monkeys.”

“[At the end of the summer,] we have to go over the entire park, shut off all the waterfalls, fold up the switchbacks, brand all the young sheep and goats, dig all the dens for the bears, teach the little fish to swim and plant them in different lakes and streams.”

“Speaking of sheep, we have the usual bighorn. Some old rams have horns so large they are unable to carry them naturally. They have conceived the idea of putting two small wheels under their chins so as to support the weight of their horns. In winter they substitute runners in place of the wheels. We have two kinds of sheep, the bighorn that I have just told you about, and the other is called the iron sheep. Every spring we have to round up the latter and shear them, for it is the iron sheep that furnishes the steel wool.”

“Besides the rides, there are wonderful walks [in the park] for the hikers. One especially is the walk from Many Glacier around Swift Current Lake. If the walk is too long for tired city folks to walk around the lake, they can walk half way around and then walk back.”

In a 1938 issue of the park’s “Glacial Drift” naturalist newsletter, ranger H.E. Bailey wrote this about Whilt:

“Living in the park region for a great many years, one of the best known guides working for the Saddle Horse Company is Jim Whilt, who was assigned the trip to Grinnell Glacier five years ago. Jim claims this was done because it would be no loss to the company if he fell into a crevasse ‘whereas if another guide met the same fate, it would be a severe loss.’ Jim delights his audience with his formula for coffee which he calls ‘the real arbuckle mud.’ His formula is simple: merely place a horseshoe in the bottom of the coffee pot; when it rises to the surface the coffee is done. He advises those who have never ridden a horse before to inform him of the fact in advance so that he can pick out a horse that has never been ridden, and the two can learn together.”

Whilt wrote several other volumes of prose and verse, including Mountain Echoes, Animal Friends of the Wild, and Mountain Memories.

This photo, taken by John Kabel in the early 1940s, shows Whilt on horseback next to Josephine Lake with Grinnell Glacier in the background.

[edxrogers]

Intro ~

Name: Edith ‘Ed’ Rogers // The Techie 

Faceclaim: Maddie Hasson Age: 18

Birthday: August 5th Hometown: Houston, Texas

Family: Sabrina Rogers (mother) Emily Dalton (aunt) Jack Dalton (uncle) 

Gender: non-binary 

Pronouns: they/she/he 

Sexuality: Bisexual 

Traits: passionate, gullible, adaptable, perfectionist, short tempered, loyal

Occupation: Darden student, barista at the Garden Cafe

Major: Screenwriting & Film 

Aesthetic: baggy t-shirts and short skirts, lots of piercings, shaky hands after one too many cups of coffee, studying in the back room at work, a heavily scribbled in daily planner, late nights in the library, discussing hot campus topics between prog rock tracks on student radio, ‘oh I know an app for that’, reminders scribbled on her arm, giving themselves a new haircut every other week in the dorm bathroom 

Ed was raised by a single mother- her father was never in the picture, and from what Sabrina has had to say about him, that’s no huge loss.

Their mother had an ‘I won’t let you make the same mistakes I did’ attitude, prompting Eddie to make mistakes entirely of her own… For some reason, this didn’t make Sabrina any happier.

The two were always struggling to get along, and as a result Ed spent a lot of her time down the street at her aunt and uncle’s house, practically living with them during Summer break to avoid spending too much time with their mom.

Despite all their fighting Ed tried their best to impress her as a child, but the injustices present in the halls of their highschool proved to be a more worthy outlet for her passion. They’d often get into fights, defending themselves or some poor underdog, and would forget that their mouth was a lot faster than their fists.

The best thing Sabrina ever did for their child was teach her how to throw a punch the very first time Ed came home from school with a fat lip.

When it came time to talk about college, they toured quite a few places close to home- her mom wanted her to go to the University of Texas and study journalism, but Ed also secretly applied to a few places further away. The furthest? Darden College of the Arts, in California.

When their mother found the acceptance letter, their ensuing fight was the biggest they’d ever had, and the longest lasting. One night Ed packed as much of her stuff as she could into her car and took off for California before school started, leaving a note in their room for their mother to find.

Ed got a job in a coffee shop, and lived mostly out of her car. So it was a relief when the school year began and she had a proper bed again.

Their mother has called a few times since she left home, and the distance helped them both cool off. Sabrina has said she will help pay for college, but Ed shouldn’t plan to come back home after. That is fine by them. Graduation is a few years away yet, they’ve got time to figure it out. Right?

PINTEREST https://pin.it/1hrRNcO

[abcreationsbyana]

Letters from Henford-on-Bagley (Letter 2)

Hello Grandma,

I did not talk about dad or mom in the last letter, it completely left my mind when writing to you. They are well I haven't had much time with them lately since I have been studying and working on the yards until I am ready for bed. And don't get me started with school taking half my day to just sit in a classroom but I am grateful for the rest I get to have while there.

You know your daughter loves her cooking and she manages to make everything taste amazing even the neighbor have been making request for her to make them some stuff for parties and gathering. She is thinking of creating all sorts of recipes and sell them around town. That should take some time since she refuses to take anyone's money until she perfects the recipes. It has only been a week since my last letter we haven't knocked the wall down but soon though.

Dad has been taking lots of focus to his plants and is teaching me too we are going to keep growing the garden until there is no place to fit any plant. But for now our little garden is thriving and our chickens are good too they have grown since we bought them definitely going to send pictures soon got to remember to take my camera out to the cook and snap some for you. Little Edith is a mischievous little girl she is sweet though loves to draw and hang out with me and Cillian she loves her older siblings. She helps out around the gardens too just watering the plants but she is becoming better and better by the day. Cillian has been reading a lot and that is how he spends much of his time outside of choirs. He is thinking of working with a writer in town after he is done with school.

Will be waiting for your letter they always make me smile. And I want let you know I miss you dearly. You are always in my prayers, I will write to you soon

Love Always,

Soeirsa

NEXT LETTER

Feedback is always welcomed; I would love know what you all think - so feel free to comment, send in an ask, or just message me if you want to chat! A/N This gameplay has been one I have played since Cottage Living came out and the photo I took randomly throughout playing so there is no reason or rime to these photo but working a story around them is really fun so more episodes to come this week. I have found that although I did take tumblr for granted for many years taking a quick snips of content on Ig or twitter I have found my way back to sweet old tumblr. It is a much better way to release creative energy specially because I get to do it from my computer not my phone. I am limiting my social media time to my computer except my tumblr posts because I mostly just read on here Anyways if you would like to be added to the tags list let me know

[mydearsaddiary]

Neil Season 3- Chapter 1: 1933

Little curiosity notes: Every chapter will have one. One in the beginning, one at the end. The last name I chose for the Speakeasy Tonight MC is Granger. I wish I could be inclusive with all the last names you guys must’ve chosen but I’ll keep that one for the story (Generic English, I always had the vibes she had English ancestry since it’s never mentioned what her nationality is but we know it’s some sort of European but not Italian, Irish or French and her family had predominantly English names (I think her parents are Edward and Frances, but we have Charles, Edith and Hazel). However, I found a little way to be inclusive of the first name. I named the main character here Mary Catherine Granger, but almost every time everyone will call her by the nickname MC (Also works for Main Character) or Ice Box Flapper, unless it’d look weird (like her parents wouldn’t call her by her nickname). I hope when MC appears you guys can at least imagine what you decided to name her in the game! Hope this helps!

Author notes: It took me a while to write this but I finally did so here’s the first episode! I really hope you guys enjoy my imagination, I miss Speakeasy Tonight as much as you guys do! Please reblog, share, like it and don’t hold back on sending me opinions or criticism in here or in my private messages! It’s a long chapter and it starts with a future look, the next chapters will focus completely on 1926, with only a few occasional scenes in the future but not like this! Thank you, enjoy!

-Candy, My Dear Diary.

——

Fanfic: Speakeasy Tonight (originally by Lovestruck Voltage Games)

Neil Season 3

Chapter 1: 1933

1933

My ways had taken me to live in one of the famous bungalows in Chicago, it’s not what I would’ve imagined for myself, but it was more than I could ask for during these times. The now bankrupt city was once the source of vitality of my not so misspent youth.

The Chicago bootlegging scene was a world I discovered and would come to love when I was just nineteen. The youthfulness and freeness and excitement of the Prohibition life and running a speakeasy had turned into something completely different. I was twenty-six, I was still relatively young but I wasn’t nineteen anymore. The thrill of the illegal drinking had died once it was back to being legal. Gangsters were still alive, but the risk wasn’t worth it anymore, now vileness was the only reason to remain in a life of crime

Needless to say the location of the Ice Box had closed its doors, but the Ice Box itself remained alive in the family we had created. Cliff Conway had opened the Conway Diner. He was the owner along with still using his talents as a bartender there (and working in the kitchen sometimes making the best strawberry pie in the country). The place focused more on food, but drinking, dancing and music was still all part of it.

Uncle Charlie was a stubborn old man who wasn’t going to sit at home if his life depended on it. After being shot he was never the same, he had considerable health problems that weren’t huge if he watched himself. After being in the hospital countless times for not doing so (and after Neil yelled at him some) he finally got that into his head. Charlie’s appliances stayed open and things were going fine somehow, so during the day he stayed there and worked. It didn’t require him to do much and it still brought revenue. Later he’d come to the diner and spend time with everybody, Cliff would let him help sometimes. On top of everything, Uncle Charlie still had his Neighborhood Association. Crime was still part of life in Chicago and he still put in time to make sure people were safe.

Cleo, Julius and Sophia still provided entertainment there. Andrew was no longer needed as a bouncer or to keep people out, so even though it seemed like the last thing we’d imagine him doing, Cleo and Cliff both convinced him to take some culinary classes and work as a cook (and occasionally send away a rude client or somebody who drank too much).

Elliot was away much of the time in Hollywood. Since the Wall Market crashed a few years back, movies were everybody’s distraction. He got deal after deal, but he couldn’t stay away from us for too long, we’d always see him back here, playing poker and still always winning against some patrons (and Vince, who still always lost).

Donovan was in love. Everyone knew that the reason the flatfoot still hanged around us even though the Conway Diner didn’t need protection from the coppers was because he was still completely in love with Cliff’s whiskey. So at night after his work he’d always be there. He missed Elliot most of the time but still found ways to entertain himself.

Even Gerald O’Fallon was still in some ways involved with us. He opened up a ritzy restaurant he named The Broiler after his joint back in the Prohibition days. He still worked a deal with Cliff so Vince would supply his restaurant like before and they were still competitors. Funny to think it’s still the same. He sometimes comes by to dine with us and get into an argument with Vince as usual, which brings us to our Italian friend.

Vince was sometimes still involved with the crime life, Mad Dog Moretti’s reputation followed him until the end of prohibition and after. He helped out bringing supplies, food and doing the same he did with Liquor at the Ice Box. However Vince was still a hot head with a gun who had no other gangsters to fight. Sometimes he still let it get the best of him, he would get in trouble with some criminals, exchange shots and ended up the diner at night when it was empty with some different wound. Because of that Neil was still needed to patch him up.

Doc Dresner. Besides fixing Vince up and taking care of my uncle, well, he still sat at the bar and drank his bourbon at the diner. However, a few things had changed for the doc who sat down at the Ice Box and gave everyone the cold treatment. He still had his sarcasm in his voice and the cynicism in his personality, alright. Everyone still got treated the same, but since 1926 somethings had softened this man.

First he carried a little more of a tired look in his eyes from having to deal with children and a wife (although I like to pretend the latter one isn’t much to deal with). The responsibilities that came with being a father showed through. Me and the kids, we kept him less dark and bleak. Although his personality would always be there, he smiled, that warm smile, more often when we were around. Then sometimes when he was mad at one of us he’d put up the façade he built for everyone else, but that didn’t last long.

I think Neil was also happy now that our oldest, Alton, was old enough he had just started teaching him how to play chess. Charlotte and Lucius (or as everyone called him little Luke) had some years ahead of them. But besides his family life there was something else that improved his mood.

About two years ago, Neil had sent an application to the State Medical Board to reapply for his license, he went to hearings and it was a long process. I didn’t take much part in it but I understood that Charlie and the doctors that took care of him throughout his withdrawal processes downstate testified as witnesses that he had overcome his morphine problem and the court approved.

Neil joined the legal side of things along with the rest of us and was able to practice legally again. Being at a hospital took too much time away from everything so everybody helped out to reform the infirmary he had before into a nice doctor’s office not too far from the appliance store. He helped out the neighborhood like he did before, took care of some emergency situations and sometimes went to people’s houses if they were too incapacitated.

I believe that only leaves me. The Ice Box Flapper. Well, flapper no longer. Not me and not any other girl either. I still liked the red hair as an added charm of mine and my curls didn’t go nowhere but they were more organized like romantic waves and you’d find my hair a little longer these days. I didn’t spent a lot of time at Menken’s anymore but I still loved fashion. Although nothing was as extravagant as what I used to wear, even the calf-long dresses or skirts still had a belt with a glimmering accessory attached to it, or the delicate tilted hats had a bow. I always found my ways.

The question is, what exactly was I doing? The day I normally spent at the house with the kids, Neil would come home and we’d spend some time together and then he’d give me a ride to work and stay there. Where? Well, the Conway diner still needed a chippie with a way of the words as a host, and what better than this former flapper with a way for numbers too? I helped Cliff out with the clientele and worked on the accounting side of the business. Some days Cliff would lend me to Uncle Charlie when he needed help. I’d bring the kids over and Alton and Charlotte would help (or try to).

Even if things did change, it seemed one way or the other we all found our place. There was really a life after prohibition.

I was coming back from the market. It was a little solemn watching people have to count and put back things they could no longer afford, but there was no way to avoid buying food. It was Friday morning, last day of work for this week. Neil and I decided we’d save the weekends for us and the kids. I gave the taxi driver his dime and climbed out of the cab to meet the front of the bungalow we’d bought after we found out I was pregnant with my second child.

It met the sidewalk with a nice little white fence, and once you were past it a clean little garden decorated the front along with one small tree facing the street. Everything contrasted the neighbor’s porch who had given up on the positive and hid behind tall, uncared for, grass. The white stairs led to a small but still nice-sized porch. I had made a point of making it a place to spend summer mornings at. I had placed a wooden bench and on the other side of the blue door there was a table and five metal chairs surrounded it, I always liked to people watch, Neil liked to read more than anyone, so when it was hot outside we’d lose ourselves in our activities and small talk.

I walked inside to meet the living room, mostly in shades of blue. The wall paper also had shades of white and Victorian patterns on it. The sofa and the loveseat surrounded a coffee table and where by the fireplace, which on top resided the house’s radio. Further back by the window there was a dining area with wooden tables and chairs. Only a half wall and an open doorway separated the room from the kitchen. I liked it that way, it eased the conversation. The kitchen was well-lit and mainly white.

A corridor was by the front door. It led to a nice bathroom right in the middle, in which I took longer-than-necessary baths and right after it on the same side two doors led to two bedrooms. One was ours and the other the kids’.

Our bedroom looked like a mixture of Neil’s old room in his apartment and mine in Uncle Charlie’s house. My vanity table and mirror were still where I got ready in the morning, one-third of the closet was Neil’s and the rest was mine, but it was still all fair and square since he occupied most of the drawers. The bed I brought in from Uncle Charlie’s house, but the blankets were a cool shade of green instead of the more feminine colors I had before.

The children’s room we kept light. They had to share so sometimes things got messy, but their beds were separated enough that they didn’t feel suffocated. Luke slept with us half of the nights too, so that helped. They were all a close pack, even if they were very different from one another.

Alton Hasting Dresner had just turned six. Named after Neil’s best friend, he was the spitting image of his father with icy blue eyes and golden slightly curled locks. On top of it, he was (for sure) a daddy’s boy. He imitated Neil in everything. His favorite toy was the doctor’s set, he spent hours asking Neil about chess and moving paws across the board. Sometimes he’d get Neil’s philosophy books and talk about arguments and keep saying the word “rhetoric” and talk about Plato and Aristotle even though he had no idea what he was talking about. Once I caught him drinking orange juice out of one of the whiskey glasses we kept for Neil’s bourbon. He sat right where Neil sits and looked just as pensive as he would. Alton says when he grows up he wants to be a combat medic in the army (Neil is very against it) and then after he wants to be a doctor. If we had told him about the morphine problem Neil had I bet he would want to be a morphine fiend.

Charlotte Granger Dresner was named after my uncle and Charlie came to be her nickname too. That for sure made her his favorite. We both loved Uncle Charlie, so choosing her name was a piece of cake. She sported light brown curls like Shirley Temple and bright hazel eyes. She was a little blabbermouth and her manners reminded me of Edith, it also made her my parent’s favorite. She enjoyed playing Momma and being the perfect pretend wife taking care of the house and dolls just as much as Edith liked doing as a kid.

She was also too preoccupied to make sure she looked good, too much at five if you ask me. I let her play and so did Neil, but she did end up being the biggest target of his sarcastic comments. She’d come into the living room with enough powder on her face to fluff up a sugar cookie into a cake, Neil proceeded to giggle, she’d look at him and say “What are you laughing at?” to which he’d reply with something along the lines of “Didn’t know the circus came to town”, which would promptly get her in a lather and she’d stomp away into her bedroom.

However, she was the one Neil was most protective of, after all she was his little girl. Neil almost passed out when she came out declaring she had a new boyfriend called Rick whom she met at the playground that afternoon. Neil gave a piece of his mind to Little Rickie and his parents the next day and let’s just say they haven’t been there since.

Lucius Edward Dresner was our youngest. Everyone, called him Luke or Little Luke. He was named after Neil’s sister Lucille. She had been bending Neil’s ear as soon as she found out I was pregnant and Neil probably felt he should since she named the now 7-year-old Cornelia after him. He was just one year and seven months old. Luke had hazel eyes like mine and blonde hair like Neil’s. In appearance, Luke was the one who resembled me the most. Even though he could barely walk his personality shined through. He was a shy and quiet kid, didn’t make much of a fuss as a newborn and he only cried out of pain, being scared or if he was really tired.

I have to say I never imagined myself as a mother. Alton was an accident, I had a lot of doubts. Having Neil by my side made things easier, he was responsible and he took care of me, always reassuring me everything was going to be okay. When he was born I had a lot of growing up and adjusting to the situation to do, but I got there. Eventually I found out I loved my little family with Neil. I loved everything about it even if it was hard. Our little chaos in our house added the sense of adventure I enjoyed, so we planned Charlotte. We decided we were done then, until the year before when we tried for Luke. Then we promised ourselves we were done for good.

-Helen?- I asked going into the house. Helen was an older nanny we’d pay to watch the kids at night. That morning I asked if she could watch them as I ran some errands and she came to help out. She was a bigger woman and taking care of kids was a joy for her, so I knew she’d take care of them well.

She came out of the room into the kitchen happier than ever- Mrs. Dresner, you’re quick, you got everything you needed?

-I told you MC is fine, or even Mary, Helen- I mentioned it again, but the woman wasn’t fond of nicknames or being on a first-name basis. She was very traditional. She called me “Mrs. Neil Dresner” for months. I finally convinced her to shorten it, but something told me I wouldn’t be able to do much more than that- But thanks for asking, everything is just fine.

-That’s good Mrs. Dresner, Little Luke is taking his nap- she ignored my first comment with a friendly smile on her face- The kids are playing in their room so if you don’t mind I put him in the crib you have in your room.

I let her know I didn’t mind one bit and she said she’d come back later at night and watch them. I thanked her and she was on her way. I still wasn’t much of a cook but being a mother required me to be at least a little better than what I was before. I fixed up lunch for the three of them. I usually ate later with Neil when he got home.

I could hear Alton’s loud laughs and Charlie’s mad little screams and it was sure a good time to break them up- Hey, you guys, lunch is ready!- I poked my head out the corridor to call for them- Now!- I said when they took long, Alton came running and Charlotte came out still mad by whatever her brother did, but soon enough they were both sitting at the table

-Where did you go Momma, you didn’t go to Robbie’s did you?-Alton looked up while he ate. A fella named Robert had this toy store and it was betrayal for Alton if we went in there without him

-Wouldn’t want you to take any more money from me by going there- I joked around with him

-Yeah, Alton- Charlie said staring him down- She doesn’t want to spend all of her money on your silly toys!

-Hey missy, you spend all of my money too using all of my makeup- I pointed at her, but that didn’t stop the both of them from going at each other like Vince and Donovan

-Alright, stop it you too. Eat now- I put the rest of the groceries away- If you don’t behave there’s no ice cream after- I said and they both started making good progress with their lunch. I stepped out taking my apron off once I heard Little Luke’s noises from the bedroom. I came back, lectured Alton about eating too fast and sat at the table helping the youngest one eat his baby food while the others finished up

They were well into their ice cream when Luke pointed and kept saying “Ishe crean”, and those big pleading eyes of his convinced me to give him a little bit of it.

Neil chose that moment to walk into the door, taking his shoes out and sighing like he had the most stressful day at work and was happy to be home. Alton abandoned his ice cream to go running to the door yelling “daddy!” all excited. Neil smiled to him and lowered himself to pick him up and walk him back to the dining table

-Have you been behaving while I was gone? - He asked putting him to sit down to eat ice cream again

-Of course I have!- He lowered his voice to seem manly and then went back to eating

Charlie didn’t stop eating and with her spoon in her mouth she opened her arms to Neil who hugged her and kissed her forehead- Hi daddy!- She greeted him, while Luke who had made a mess out his ice cream on his hands and mouth kept pointing at him saying “Dada”.

Neil asked how she was doing to which she replied “Great, because she had tea with her kids and her teddy bear and it was the classiest tea ever”, and Neil pretended it was the most interesting thing in the world

-Dada!- Luke said it louder this time since in the other three times he didn’t get the attention he wanted

-Seems like someone’s needy- I said looking at him on my lap while he anxiously waited for his Poppa to come.

-What has your mother been doing to you?- He lowered himself in front of us and before I could give him a snappy comeback he started cleaning his mouth and fingers with a paper towel. His attention to it and his calm hands over him showed his doctor steadiness. It put me in a trance when he acted so carefully, and I smiled to myself thinking of how something so small as cleaning his little flingers made me think of how much I was in love with Neil Dresner. Being there with him, watching the family we created together, gave me this warm fuzzy feeling in my belly. Happiness. I had settled down and this was my life and I didn’t mind one bit.

After, Neil picked Luke up giving him the attention he wanted. I got up collecting the ice cream bowls and washing them while Neil sat down where I was and caught up with the kids who fought for his attention talking about their day. He glanced at me in the kitchen, giving me a small smile, the one letting me know he was coming to greet me in a second. I watched their exchange from the sink for a little bit. Then, Neil gave Luke for Alton to hold and walked in my direction

I giggled lowly when he held my face giving me a long kiss, a kiss I was longing for since he walked out the door that morning

He looked at me, face still close to mine, hands still resting on my face-I love you-He whispered, like it was a precious secret between the both of us

-I love you, Neil- I answered in the same tone, leaning towards him for another kiss- How was your day?

-Oh, you know, desperate people thinking they’re going to get pneumonia and tuberculosis and scared they won’t have the money to pay for it because their husbands got laid off.

-What do you tell them?-I hugged him around his waist, looking up

Neil responded with one arm hugging me around my waist-That if they’re worried about their money they shouldn’t be coming to the doctor’s perfectly healthy

-Not very sweet with the words are you?

-When have you ever known me to be sweet with words?-He looked down giving me that sarcastic glance

-Hmm… You can give me a toothache sometimes- I smiled kissing him once more

-Not if you’re giving me a headache-He snapped back and let me go- I haven’t achieved my perfect bourbon levels to handle the rest of the day yet- He said walking over to his bourbon cabinet pouring him a drink- Want one? - I replied not right this second and he poured it in his cup two more times before putting the drink away

-Hey daddy-Charlotte looked at him from the couch while playing with her dolls- Can you and mommy tell me that story again?

-Your mother is better at talking than I am- He pointed at me, still with the bourbon glass in his hand

I walked over sitting by her- Which story this time?

-How you and daddy met- She said while Neil sat by her other side, interlacing my fingers in his, holding my hand firmly

-No, Charlie!- Alton complained- We hear that one all the time. Poppa worked with Uncle Charlie- “Great uncle Charlie” was too long for everyone- And then Momma came to Chicago and to live with Uncle Charlie and that’s how they met!

-Oh and how mommy was working at Uncle Charlie’s store so hard she fainted and daddy had to take care of her- she sighed- So romantic!

Me and Neil just giggled between ourselves at their silliness.

-Stop it, Charlie!- Alton declared- We already heard that one SO MANY TIMES- He put a huge emphasis on that phrase- I want to hear a different story

-Alright Alton-I said- What story do you want to hear?

-How did you and Poppa get married?- He looked up from the ground where he was sitting

-Oh yea!- Charlie seemed just as excited- Did he kneel in front of you? Did he say that you were the love of his life? Did you wear a beaaautiful gown? Did you guys go to a really romantic honeymoon in Paris?

-If you keep asking we can’t answer- Neil said, making she just look at us excitedly waiting to hear what we had to say. Neil then looked at me since he declared I was the best storyteller

-We decided to get married over a chess game. I told Neil that if I won we had to get married

-And then what happened?- Alton asked, this time sitting on the couch himself

-Well, I won!

1926

More than a few times I’ve heard from Poppa that my actions were comparable to a gal who’s on a fast track to hell. I must think he convinced himself that was the path I was on, which is why he sent me to Chicago to live with uncle Charlie, whom he thought was even a stricter blue nose than he is. By my father’s standard I was going to hell, alright. Until half a year ago I would have cared. Besides my escapades to have fun in the middle of nowhere in Ohio, I would’ve still cared some. I didn’t want to be a complete disappointment.

Funny thing is my attention changed. I no longer sought the approval of Poppa, but of the father figure that had come into my life since I’ve been here: Uncle Charlie. He didn’t judge me for being who I was and he welcomed me into his little Ice Box family which I soon figured out was where I belonged.

Uncle Charlie was back home for good and he was very pleased when Neil asked for my hand in marriage to him. It was a little too traditional for me but he insisted in talking to Charlie and getting his blessing. Uncle Charlie was indeed pleased. For the sake of keeping up with the traditional standards for the older people we said Neil was the one who popped the question.

Then, Uncle Charlie gave us a two-week vacation from the Ice Box. After Vera Peters was no longer a threat, things had been a little more pacific at the speakeasy. The occasion was that since we had made it official we couldn’t delay any longer meeting each other’s families. We had to go to Columbus and to Boston.

I didn’t know if I was ready to see my folks yet, but Neil seemed more prepared than I did. He had gotten invited for Lucille’s baby shower for his niece Cornelia and with a little push from me he had decided to become close to her again. Neil was ready to go back to Boston. He then finished up his letter to his sister. I didn’t read it but I know it mentioned some apology to never answering her letters, catching up with what’s going in his life, letting her know that he was soon to be married to little old me and that I would be coming along with him to attend her baby shower.

I also sent a letter to Momma mentioning our visit but it was shorter and to the point.

The next day, Neil picked me up from Uncle Charlie’s house. Charlie gave me a letter for Poppa and to let him know he was expecting him in Chicago. I made sure to tell him I’d let them know.

We made our way to La Salle Station and soon enough we were in a fast-moving train, I was going back the same way I’d come and the anticipation of showing a new self that my parents expected made my heart pulse a little faster. Neil must have noticed my agitation because he held my hand tight

-Everything will be okay, MC- He smiled at me- I’ll be there the whole time.

——

Little Curiosity notes: MC and Neil will be visiting first Columbus then Boston in the next two chapters. Both their families will show up. There’ll be a little drama in Columbus but Boston will be very eventful, lots of drama! After that the two will go back to Chicago where the main setting will be the Ice Box and follow the original story of Gangster and Prohibition drama + The growth in Neil and MC’s relationship until the wedding.

Author’s note: My chapters do run a little long! Let me know if you guys want it shorter, but normally they’ll be about this length! This chapter focused more on the future but from now on we’ll be focusing our story on 1926 on and what happened directly after Neil Season 2. I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter! Thank you!

-Candy, My Dear Diary

[screamingatanemptyroom]

I Can’t Eat Love Side Part 2- Rig

Sorry for the long delay, I just started a new job and I’ve been really busy! Here’s is the next side part, from Rig’s perspective. Next will be a quick part with Edith, and then Hallers and finally the Queen. 

Master post Linked Here

Enjoy!

___________________________

In a previous life...

I was always a simple man, with a simple wish. I had secrets, more than most, but this fundamental thing about me never changed. Even in the underground world of spies and intrigue, my heart always yearned for one simple thing to be happy:

A family.

When I first met Helda, I didn’t know she was the daughter of the Lord of the estate I lived on. I came across her one day, standing in the gardens, a beautiful girl with a bright, kind smile. I felt nervous, having never seen such a pretty girl before.

“Do you like flowers?” I asked her, my heart in my throat. Around her I felt foolish, tongue tied.

“I love them!” She laughed at my question, and I couldn’t help but smile.

We met frequently after that, despite the differences in our statuses. We spoke of many things, gradually learning about each other, our lives, of our hopes and dreams.

___________________________

“What do you want most in life?” She asked me one day, stroking the blue flower I had given her earlier.

“I want to be happy.” I grinned at her. “Family, friends… if I had people who truly cared for me, I wouldn’t want for anything else.”

“A family… what about your father?”

Her question dampened my mood, and I frowned as I thought of the overly serious man working in the stables.

“He doesn’t care about me much.” I tried to keep my tone light. Truthfully, my father hated me. He often complained about being stuck with me after my mother had died, and about how useless I was. I didn’t say that, however. I didn’t want her to think less of me. I just wanted her to smile at me like she always did.

“…”  Despite my efforts, an awkward silence stretched between us. I looked down at my lap, only to be shocked when a small delicate hand reached over and grabbed my own.

“I care about you.” Her soft words stuck a chord in my heart, shaking me to my core. I looked up at her, unable to hide the emotions in my eyes.

I loved her.

Even without a mother or father, perhaps I could build a new family. One that I loved and loved me in return. I smiled at Helda, blinking back tears.

My dream was coming true.

___________________________

SLAP! 

“You brat! You were sniffing around the Lord’s daughter!” My father’s hand struck my face with force, knocking me to the ground. I spat out blood, having bit my tongue in the impact, and shakily climbed to my feet. The flowers in my hands were trampled on the ground, and I stared at the ruined blossoms in dismay.  

“I love her.”

“She’s beyond your reach, fool. Stop dreaming!” His sneering words made me angry, but before I could retort he through a small bag at me.

“The lord has already given his order. You are to leave today, and never return.”

I clutched the pack, stunned. My father was turning me out without hesitation, just because the Lord had seen me bringing flowers to his daughter?

What would they do if they knew how close we truly are? Suppressing this thought, I took the bag and left, writing to Helda what had happened.

___________________________

A few weeks went by, but she didn’t respond, causing me to panic. I sent letter after letter until finally her maid sent me a message, describing her condition.

“You’re pregnant?”

I went to see her, sneaking into the estate and finding her alone.

“Run away with me, we’ll make a life together.” I was nervous, excited, my hands shaking as I tried to reach out to hold hers. “I may not have much, but I will love you and our child with all of my heart. 

My hands grasped nothing but air. She stepped away, out of my reach, shaking her head. I felt pain in my chest, my blood freezing in my veins at her distant expression.

“You can’t give me what I want.” Her voice was cold, unfamiliar. Was this the same girl who held my hand and told me she loved me? What had happened?

“What do you want?” I begged her. “I’ll do anything to make you happy.” I was fired up, ready to go to the edge of the world and back for her. I would make this work. I would make a life for us. I could already see a wonderful future, with her and our children...

“A title. Can you give me that?” Those two words crushed my spirit, extinguishing my naïve dreams. No matter how hard I worked, I couldn’t make my blood more noble. It was not a true request. It was a rejection. 

“But… our child…” My words cracked.

“Will be raised as the child of a noble. It has nothing to do with you.” She stepped even further away. “So please stop approaching me. Stop writing me. Pretend you don’t know me. Don’t ruin my chance at happiness.”

She walked away, leaving me broken hearted behind her. I couldn’t speak, could barely leave. The feelings we shared, the dream of a family… were worthless to her in the end.

I snuck back out of the estate, never to return home again.

___________________________

 Starting a new life wasn’t easy. 

I found that there was money in secrets, and although it required some dark deeds in the shadows, obtaining and selling those secrets soon made me a force to be reckoned with in the underworld of the Capital. I gathered a team, infiltrating all areas of society. The little white lies, the darkest secrets, I knew them all and would sell them for a price.

But no matter how hard I worked, how much money or power I gained, it didn’t change the fact that I was alone.

Helda married right away, and was given a title and a position in society just like she always wanted. She gave birth to a daughter… our daughter. I gathered all the information I could on her, watching the young girl who seemed to love flowers, just like her mother. 

Raewynn. My daughter. 

I passed the years by, watching my child from the shadows, despairing of the remnants of a dream that still haunted my heart. But it was too late, I had lost my chance at family.

Or so I thought. Until I met her.

___________________________

The first time I saw that girl, I couldn’t help but reach out a hand towards her. I was walking to a meeting, and happened to pass by a young beggar on the streets. I had seen countless before, I knew I couldn’t save them all, so I tried to look away, hardening my heart. But after once glimpse, I already found that she was impossible to ignore. 

Despite the dirt that covered her, the fatigue that clearly showed on her face, and the too-thin frame, her eyes stared right at me, studying me curiously. They were bright, intelligent, but buried within her gaze was a sense of anger and grief incomparable with her age.  I paused, despite myself, and looked down.

“Poor thing, you starving?” I spoke up softly, and her eyes narrowed, watching me more closely. She seemed to be in good health besides being malnourished, and seemed smart enough to be able to be useful. I made up my mind instantly, holding out a hand to help her to her feet. “You can work for me, get back on your feet.”

She studied my hand, distrust clearly written on her face. Something flickered behind her eyes, and I couldn’t help but wondered what had happened too a young woman to cause such a sad look. 

“Why would you help me?”

I shrugged. I wasn’t completely sure myself. “Who know? Maybe in another life you can pay me back.”

A silly joke, one that meant nothing. How could a young girl ever help me out, even if we met again in a different life?

___________________________

“Again.”

The girl glared at me, the expression vicious. “I’ve already done it a thousand times.” 

“Can you even count to a thousand?” I handed her back the throwing knife with a grin.

“Easily.”

I laughed. Her words were forced through gritted teeth, I had a feeling that if I kept pushing her, the next target for the throwing knife might be me. Every day she was louder, more self-assured. Watching her actions and expressions slowly match the brightness I had initially seen in her eyes made me feel happy. The girl was quicker than I had expected, picking up skills and knowledge at a speed that left me amazed.

THUD

The knife flew from her hand with practiced ease, striking the center of the target with a solid sound. The girl let out a cheer, jumping up and down .

“Good job!” I complimented her without thinking, and she froze in place, her eyes wide with shock. I laughed at her expression.

“Why are you acting so surprised at a simple compliment? You worked hard. You deserve it.”

She shook her head. “I’ve always worked hard. That doesn’t mean people will care.” The pain I sometimes saw hidden in her eyes was clearly visible. At the sight, I felt a slight tug in my heart. Forcing a smile, I reached out and ruffled her hair, ignoring her annoyed reaction.

“I care.” I paused, and stepped back. “Which is why it should be perfect. Do it again.” 

“…” She stared at me silently for a few moments, and I wondered if she would revolt. Instead a bright smile lit up her face, startling me.

For a moment I thought of my daughter Raewynn. Did she smile like that sometimes too? As I struggled with my thoughts, she had already gathered the throwing knifes and positioned herself farther away from the target.

“I’ll do it perfectly then.”

___________________________

Each day the girl grew more confident. I found myself struck by her intelligence and hard work. After only a few months, she was one of my most talented runners. The air around her changed, becoming less suppressed and angry to one more bright and cheerful. I watched her change day by day, amused at how such a thin, quiet girl had become so different.

One day I overheard two of my men talking:

“That girl keeps taking all the best jobs. Should I teach her a lesson?” 

“Idiot! She’s Rig’s daughter! If you mess with her, he’ll kill you!” 

“Ugh, I’m glad you said something, I’ll steer clear.”

I watched the man run off, a smile tugging at my lips.

My daughter?

I had investigated Lenora when I first picked her up, of course. Her story wasn’t pretty. To start so high up, a valued and treasured daughter of the duke, only to be thrown away and lose everything. She must still be hurting, even if she never brought up her family or her old home. The more time I spent with her, the more I felt a kindred spirit from her, a special kind of loneliness that searched for a family.

A daughter like her… wouldn’t be bad. 

I treated her with special interest from then on, teaching her everything I knew. She learned things quickly, especially when it came to business negotiations and threats… even I was scared of how talented in that regard. She stayed by my side more and more, and I couldn’t help but feel proud of her as my adopted daughter.

Finally, one day, I took her to see Raewynn.

We sat in a tree, watching the smiling girl in a flower garden. In a quiet voice, I explained my history with her mother, and the girl’s identity. Lenora seemed to stare at her with great interest, almost falling out of the tree in her haste. I reached out to hold her in place, but was barely spared a glance by her before her attention was focused on Raewynn once more.

When we came back home that evening, she was still smiling. “You should tell her!” She jumped up and down with excitement.

I frowned, shaking my head. “I’m not sure, she might not be happy to hear the truth.” In my heart I still remembered how her mother looked at me the day I asked her to come with me… like I was disgusting, worthless. I felt a brief moment of fear, at the thought of Raewynn looking at me like that as well.

“But you’re amazing, much better than any silly earl! She should know who her real father is!” Lenora smiled warmly, pulling on my sleeve. “I know I would want to know.”

Really? The dream I thought I had abandoned so long ago stirred to life in my chest at her few words. Would it really all work out so neatly? What if it did?

I made up my mind, sending a letter to my young daughter. In it I explained the truth of who I was. The moment it left my hands, I felt panicked. What if she was too young to understand, she was only thirteen… I agonized over it for days, until finally a reply was sent my way.

Both she and her mother wanted to see me.

I was overwhelmed. The letter seemed to imply that if the meeting went well, they would consider running away, starting a new life together. 

Had Helda regretted her decision that day? She wanted to be a family again? Part of me was hurt and angry after her betrayal, but I couldn’t contain the yearning that sprouted deep within me.

A family.

Was it really within my reach?

I left Lenora behind, telling her that if we left, I wanted her to come with us. She may be grown, but I had come to regard her as my daughter. I didn’t want to leave her behind. 

“You can be part of the family, have a younger sister…” I smiled as I told her, “I can’t run off without both of my daughters, now can I?”

She cried into my shoulder, promising to wait for me to return. My spirits raised, I headed towards the meeting point, happy.

My family.

My dream was coming true.

___________________________

Once I arrived at the promised spot, however, there was no one else there.

Was I too early? I felt uneasy. I had honed my instincts on the streets these past years, my gut told me something was wrong. I knew, I should get out of here, quickly.

 But if I turn and run away, what if I miss them?  I hesitated, unwilling to lose this chance…

But I hesitated just a moment too long.

A blade pierced my chest, the sound reaching my ears before the pain hit. I grunted, shocked, slumping to the ground, a weak hand lightly clutching at the handle protruding from me, my fingers slipping on the surface slick with blood.

“Is it done?” A voice I knew better than any other, even after all these years spoke up. I closed my eyes briefly, not wanting to open them, not wanting to see the person in front of me.

“Yes.” A stranger, a man, answered her.

“Finally.” She let out a sigh of relief, and unwittingly I opened my eyes and saw her.

Helda.

She knelt down, looking at me with a cold expression. “You should have just let the past go, Rig. You’re lucky I found the letter first. I can’t risk what you know getting back to my husband. Did you tell anyone else?”

Lenora. I shook my head resolutely, denying her question.

“Hmph.” She stood up, studying me closely. “To be safe, track down his people, and kill them.”

The man who had stabbed me shook his head. “That wasn’t part of the deal…”

“I’ll triple the amount.” She shook her head slowly. “Just get rid of them.”

Helda walked away, never once looking back at me.

The masked man stared at me with a frown. “Sorry friend, at least your friends will join you in the afterlife.” He reached down, pulling out the knife. I felt my entire chest become soaked with blood, my vision going dark as he left me behind too.

I just wanted to be happy. I wanted a family. 

I thought of their words, tears filling my vision as I realized that Lenora might be harmed. The bright girl, who had just learned to laugh again. Who just started to smile after so much pain. Who was so lonely that she cried at the thought of being a part of my family… What would happen to her?

“Lenora.” I whispered the name, feeling pain, feeling regret. 

My daughter. I’m sorry. I have to leave first.

Please be happy, find a new family.

Please…

“RIG!”

___________________________

In another life…

 “RIG!” 

I opened my eyes, having fallen asleep by the window, startled awake at the sound of my name. Blinking, my thoughts scattered, I looked around, only to stop my gaze on the young woman standing before me, my breath catching within my chest.

“You look beautiful.” 

Lenora stood there, her hands on hips, a smile tugging at her lips as she rolled her eyes at the compliment.

“I would hope so, given all the work Marile and Erica have put into this!” 

She turned around, showing off the flowing white gown, the golden trim shining in the sunlight pouring through the window. She was always lovely, her appearance bright and confident, but today she was stunning. Her clothes and hair were carefully styled, an excited blush coloring her cheeks.

A beautiful bride.

I stood up, giving her a tight hug. “Nate is a lucky man.”

She grinned. “You two gave him a hard enough time when we first got engaged.” 

“How else is he going to know how precious you are to us?” I shrugged. “If I didn’t like him, he wouldn’t still be standing, prince or no.”

“I know.” She reached out, touching my face gently. “You and Hallers both defended him against his parents. It meant a lot to him.”

I looked away. “They should know they have a good son.” I muttered. It’s true that Hallers and I both had many long “talks” with Nate after the engagement, which he took in good spirit. But the moment we saw his father make a disparaging remark against him… Hallers was the first to crack.

“Prince Nathaniel is the finest young man of his generation, you are foolish if you don’t recognize how lucky you are to have him as your son!” The words the normally stoic butler shouted out that day still shocked everyone.  I had stepped up as well, agreeing loudly.

Nate, his eyes teary, had simply hugged us both, thanking us quietly. A good man, a little quiet, but he was kind and intelligent. More importantly, he made Lenora happy. He was accepted into our odd group without issue after that day. 

“Thank you, Rig. For everything.” Lenora’s words brought me back from my thoughts. I looked at her for a few moments, feeling I had to ask one last time.

“Are you sure you don’t want your father to give you away?” 

At my question her face grew cold, her normally cheerful gaze growing harsh. “The old duke? He is not my father. Not in any way that matters.” She shook her head. “Rig, in both lifetimes I’ve lived… you’ve always been there for me. You won’t leave me now, deny me having my father with me on my wedding day, would you?”

I smiled.  She often spoke about a past lifetime, one that I never remembered. It was strange to hear about. I knew from what she had told me that I had cared for her like a daughter then as well. It seemed almost too much to believe, but no matter my thoughts, I couldn’t help but be grateful that it caused her to seek me out in this lifetime.

“Of course not, girl. We’ll take care of you.” 

“Good!” Lenora clapped, “Before the ceremony, I have a surprise for you!”  She leaned out the window, looking outside while chuckling. “And it looks like it’s just arriving!” 

“A surprise?” I was a spymaster… I didn’t get surprised. Curious, I turned as she walked past me, opening the door to her rooms with a flourish. 

I paused, completely shocked.

“Hello… father.” A young girl, thirteen or fourteen years old, stood in the doorway, watching me with a shy expression. I knew her… how could I not? I had spent years watching her grow up, hidden in the shadows of the garden.

“Raewynn?” I choked out the name, barely able to speak, then turned to Lenora. “How…?”

She answered my unfinished question with a smile. “You hadn’t had a chance to see her since coming to Tilendria with me. I know that you said you would be fine, just hearing reports on her wellbeing, but how could I ignore the sacrifice you made to help me?”

She stepped forward, taking Raewynn’s hand with  a smile. “Due to some… arranged circumstances, I have been able to correspond with Rae regularly, and as we got to know each other, I invited her here to come to my wedding… And see our father.”

Father. The word repeated in my head over and over, I could barely breathe.

“Arranged circumstance?” I didn’t recognize my own voice, my mind was racing.

“You know how much Raewynn loves flowers, and learning about their uses?” Lenora waited for me to nod, before continuing with a satisfied grin. “Well, I arranged for her to learn under a master gardener.”

“Hello cousin.” the new Duke of Armeny, stepped into the room behind the girl, smiling. “I brought my apprentice, as you asked.”

“Henry!” Lenora hugged him tightly, then stepped back to show him her gown. “What do you think?” 

“Hmm… we’re missing something.” He looked her up and down with a serious expression.

“Roses?” Raewynn tugged on Henry’s sleeve with a grin.

“Too traditional. How about lilies?” 

“Not enough color.” Both of them were excited, getting into a lively debate before deciding on peonies. Henry ran out to grab a potted plant from the carriage while Raewynn inched closer to me, a curious expression on her face.

“You both are ridiculous.” Lenora smiled while watching her.

Raewynn shrugged, still staring at me. “Flowers are amazing, you just don’t appreciate them enough.”

“I don’t think it’s possible to appreciate them as much as you and Henry.” She patted Raewynn on the head. “Now talk with our father for a bit, he’s still in shock.” Looking around, she sighed. “I have to go get Hallers. He’s been crying ever since he saw me in my wedding dress.”

“Hallers?” I couldn’t help but be skeptical. That stone faced man could cry?”

She grinned. “Take your time, you two.” I realized just how much effort she must have made to arrange to bring Raewynn here without raising suspicion, and felt a warmth in my chest. I stepped closer, hugging Lenora tightly.

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” She whispered back. “We’re family.”

Family.

I sat down to talk to my daughter, waiting for the wedding to begin. A smile stretched across my face and for the first time in a long time, a weight seemed gone from my shoulders.

___________________________

The time for the wedding to begin arrived. Hallers finally calmed down, taking his place to the other side of Lenora as we brought her to the wedding hall. The Queen, a beautiful smile on her face, wiped tears from her eyes as she hugged Lenora tightly.

“Mother.” Lenora’s voice sounded muffled, as if she were holding back tears.

“I’m so happy for you, dear. My daughter’s wedding day.” 

I agreed with the Queen, looking down the hall where a nervous but clearly happy Nate stood, shifting in place as he tried to catch a glimpse of his bride. Henry patted him on the shoulder, pointing at some of the wedding decorations, obviously complaining about the flowers.  We walked Lenora towards them, Raewynn scattering petals ahead of us, Erica and Marile supporting the bride’s train behind her, both grinning from ear to ear. 

Hallers, the Queen and I all took turns kissing our daughter for good fortune, before placing her hand in Nate’s. I stood off to the side, watching the couple speak their vows of love, my heart full.

The bride and groom kissed, and I cheered with the rest.

This strange group that gathered around Lenora, we were more than simple friends, people brought about by chance. We looked out for one another, cared for one another.

A family.

What more could a man ask for?

[timetrickster]

Aloha Oe X Edith Nox Crossover Special Ep. The Wedding Of Edith Nox Part 1

So... I kept this a secret for over a while now... I didn’t tell anyone because wanted it to be a surprise and... I did sneaky beaky lying... but it was all to make this fun little thing. 

@cometworks Surprise! I hope you like it!

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT CANON! I REPEAT NOT CANON! THIS IS A FUN COLLAB WRITING AMONG FRIENDS!

FADE IN:

EXT. ABRICOT

Three years have passed since The Battle Of Abricot. There was no new threat, no new Black Beast. All was at peace with the world, in this universe.

INT. ABRICOT LIBRARY

Gathered around the Story Time Area, were children surrounding a woman. Holding a book in her hands. The woman was EDITH reading a story to them.

EDITH (V.O)

And there came a day, unlike any other, where the kingdom’s unlikely heroes came together and united against The Shadow Goddess. The Ice Warrior, The Dark Angel and their leader, The Savior. Her fellow warriors stood back to back against the Shadow Goddess and her army of malevolence. There stood the fourth warrior, The Hero, not of this world. A man who walked in eternity and left stardust in his wake.

He aided the three warriors in their battle against the Shadow Goddess. In the final moments of the battle, The Savior had reached out her hands, sending a wave of love out to both deities. Where they had found peace with each other. Thus ending the battle, in the end, the three warriors were celebrated for bringing peace to the kingdom. The Hero had eventually gone home as his mission to help was over now.

The End.

CHILD

Ms. Nox! (She raised her hand)

EDITH

Yes, dear.

CHILD

Where’s The Hero now?

EDITH had smiled at the thought, having not seen JUSTIN in three years.

EDITH

I’d like to think he’s still out there. Traveling the stars on his ship. Protecting and defending like all heroes do.

CUT TO: EXT. UNIVERSE 727

INT. SPACESHIP

Surrounded by alien soldiers pointing laser rifles at an unknown figure. His hands were up waiting for one of them to speak.

ALIEN SOLIDER 1

You are surrounded! State who you are!

The unknown figure looks up at the speaking soldier and smirks. It was JUSTIN...

JUSTIN

The name’s Justin Oras, also known as...

ALIEN SOLIDER

The Time Trickster?!

There was fear among the soldiers, a sudden explosion was heard.

ALIEN SOLDIER 1

What was that?!

ENOCH (V.O)

That was an explosion.

JUSTIN

Thank you, Enoch.

ENOCH (V.O)

Your ship is going to lose its artificial gravity. After the firing of my photon torpedo at the central mainframe of your ship. So I suggest you let my Captain go.

ALIEN SOLDIER 1

You are not in the position to negotiate!

ENOCH

Ooh, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you let him go.

The artificial gravity of the ship disappears as the soldiers instantly hit the ceiling. Except for JUSTIN, his hand still up and still smirking. He was still on the standing on the ground.

ALIEN SOLDIER 1

How are you?!

JUSTIN

Gravity boots. Never leave the ship without them.

He walked off with his hands in his pocket.

ALIEN SOLDIER 1

WE WILL HAVE OUR REVENGE TIME TRICKSTER!

JUSTIN

I’ll hold you to it. Everyone says that.

JUSTIN disappears in a flash of light. Having been teleported to the bridge of The Eternity.

JUSTIN

Enoch, status report.

ENOCH

I’ve contacted the nearest Galactic Police Department. They’re sending units on their way now.

JUSTIN

Good, let’s return home.

CUT TO: UNIVERSE 528

2 DAYS BEFORE THE WEDDING

INT. EDITH’S HOUSE

She was home after a long day, reading to children, working at Maple Brews Coffee House, and now she has to plan a wedding.

EDITH

Come in!

The door slowly swings open and his head popped from the side.

NOEMI

Hey, hey!

EDITH

Hey Noemi! (She says with excitement)

NOEMI

Guess who I brought as well.

On his side was his little sister, PERIWINKLE she instantly smiled seeing EDITH

EDITH

MY BABY ANGEL! Come here!

Running into EDITH’S arms, they gave each other a hug. She rubbed her face on PERIWINKLE’S head and caressed her baby angel.

EDITH (Cont’d)

How are you, my baby angel?

PERIWINKLE

I’m good.

EDITH

That’s good to hear. I saw you at the library today with all the other kids. Did you like the story I told?

PERIWINKLE

I did! But it’s not fair, you didn’t mention me.

EDITH

Sorry my baby angel, but I was really busy today sweetie.

PERIWINKLE

I know, you and Violet are getting married.

She said the last syllable in a sing-songy voice

EDITH

You’re so adorable.

NOEMI steps into the conversation

NOEMI

How are the wedding plans?

EDITH looked at him with stress on her face.

NOEMI (Cont’d)

Stressful?

EDITH

Is it noticeable?

NOEMI

Very much.

She groans and covers her face with a pillow. NOEMI sits beside her and comforts her.

NOEMI (Cont’d)

Hey, don’t worry everything is going to be fine.

EDITH

I’m just scared you know? I’m marrying the love of my life in a couple days and I’m scared! How are you so calm about this?!

NOEMI

Because I’ve been where you are. When I married Argento, I was terrified. You’ve known me for the longest time, I’m extremely nervous. But when I’m with her, everything feels okay and better. I love Argento so much, and I know you love Violet so much as well. It’s okay to feel this way.

EDITH

You’re right... I’m terrified but I do love her... so much. (She laughed a little) I trust you, probably just freaking out over nothing.

NOEMI

That’s the spirit.

EDITH

I’m tired...

NOEMI

Well, you should get some sleep.

EDITH

But the wedding plans... I have to work on it.

NOEMI

I’ll handle them for now. You sleep, I know what you both like.

CUT TO: UNIVERSE 727

EXT. ALOHA OE

After saving the day once again, the heroic time traveler returns to his house on the planet Aloha Oe. Leaving the ship, Justin walks to his beach chairs to look at the setting sun.

JUSTIN

What a day...

Suddenly he hears the call of his name

MYSTERIOUS VOICE

Justin

It was whispered his name, turning his head to see if anyone was around. There was no one. He walked back to his house when the whisper had gotten louder near the garden. His concern was growing greatly rushing to find the source of the voice. Stepping closer to the source it was a flower.

But not just any flower, a flower from another universe.

JUSTIN

The Comet flower...

Suddenly a burst of light had shown an animal before him. Instantly recognizing the being.

JUSTIN (Cont’d)

Owl?

He was concerned, as his presence meant something big was happening.

OWL

Time Walker. A danger hath come. Destruction shall be brought. The cords of death have been strummed.

OWL vanishes then along comes to the FOX

JUSTIN

Fox?!

FOX

Time Walker, a request for your help is needed, as much as I think this will go horribly wrong.

FOX vanished as well then CAT appears.

CAT

Time Walker, someone dangerous returns. A forgotten being, his strings cut by us so long ago. We can feel him returning.

JUSTIN

Cat, I don’t know what you’re talking about?! What’s happening?!

CAT

He walks in dreams of The Savior. He shall appear on the day of strings intertwined. Love shall blossom but shall soon be crushed as he means to destroy her string and us. Save her.

JUSTIN

Edith?! Cat, what is going on?!

CAT vanishes leaving JUSTIN in a bit of confusion.

JUSTIN

I have to get back.

He reacts quickly, digging up the Comet.

CUT TO: UNIVERSE 528

INT. EDITH’S HOUSE

EDITH having fallen asleep while NOEMI helps out with the wedding plans.

CUT TO: INT. EDITH’S MIND

Within her mind, she wandered in her dream. She imagined walking through Lapis Forest. Walking with VIOLET holding hands together, happy and smiling. The skies were clear and the sun would shine.

MYSTERIOUS VOICE (V.O)

Edith Nox...

EDITH turns around, hearing the voice. Dream VIOLET noticed her stopping.

VIOLET (Dream)

What’s wrong?

EDITH

I thought I heard something.

Turning back to face her, she was gone. Everything started to feel ominous, the skies darkened and the winds began to getting rougher. A shadowy figure stood before her, laughing. Afraid, she takes a couple steps back.

MYSTERIOUS MAN

So you are the one. The Savior.

His voice was creepy, sounding raspy and rough. He stood tall, confident in stature which made him quite menacing. Drawing a sword, slowly walking toward EDITH. The forest now on ablaze in fiery destruction.

EDITH

Who are you?!

MYSTERIOUS MAN

The Savior shall beat a Beast, make peace with a Shadow, Now strings will intertwine to set me free. 

 The nightmare had frightened her enough to wake up.

INT. THE LIVING ROOM

EDITH had screamed, when she had awoken. NOEMI concerned rushed over to her side.

NOEMI

What’s wrong?!

EDITH

I had a nightmare... I with V and we were walking in the Lapis Forest. There was a man with a sword and I couldn’t see his face and then the forest was on fire. What does that mean?!

NOEMI hugs her tightly

NOEMI

It means you were having a bad dream.

He rubs her back to comfort her.

NOEMI (Cont’d)

It’s okay. It’s okay.

He repeatedly says.

CUT TO: THE CHRONAL ZONE

INT. THE ETERNITY. THE BRIDGE.

Ready for the trip to the EDITH’S Universe. The Eternity was ready to take off.

JUSTIN

All system’s up and ready Enoch?

He turned a couple knobs, twisted a few levers and pressed a couple buttons.

ENOCH

The Interdimensional Generator charged and ready to open a gateway.

Sitting back down in his Captain’s chair. He placed his hand on one last lever.

JUSTIN

We ready?

ENOCH

Ready, Captain.

JUSTIN

It’s gonna be a very, very bumpy ride.

Pulling the lever down, The Eternity blasts off instantly. A portal opens ahead and the ship charges through.

CUT TO: UNIVERSE 528 - ABRICOT

1 DAY BEFORE THE WEDDING

It was already the next day, after the nightmare she tries to take her mind off of the thought.

EXT. THE CASTLE

EDITH had walked onto the castle’s training grounds. Where VIOLET had practice sparing and teaching the other soldiers in the army. With her proficiency in ice magic and hand-to-hand combat. She performed an exercise without fail. Thereby impressing the trainees of the army.

VIOLET

Thank you, cadets. You are dismissed.

They all stood to their feet, salute and walked off. Removing her protective gear, EDITH snuck up on her, reacting quickly VIOLET grabbed on to her arm and flipped her. EDITH quicker on her feet now, she flipped and landed on her feet.

VIOLET

Honey?!

Realizing that it was her lovely girlfriend.

EDITH

Sweetie, you’re gonna have to be quicker than that to flip me.

VIOLET smiled at her and hugged her tightly. Kissed her face multiple times.

VIOLET I missed you!

EDITH

I missed you too! You’ve been so busy.

VIOLET

Sorry, honey. (She frowned) Things have been hectic lately.

EDITH

I know, you’re a General of the army and Princess of the kingdom. The most important roles in your life.

VIOLET

They are, but not as important as you. You ready for the wedding?

She asked her eagerly. EDITH gave back a smile of excitement.

EDITH

Of course! I was so tired last night! Luckily Noemi was there to help me out before I knocked out.

VIOLET

It’s a good thing he was there.

EDITH

Wanna go to Maple Brews?

VIOLET

Please?

EDITH smiles and the two venture off to Maple Brews.

CUT TO. EXT. THE IN-BETWEEN

Stuck between the walls of the multiverse, JUSTIN piloted The Eternity navigating throughout the world of white.

INT. THE ETERNITY - THE BRIDGE

ENOCH (V.O)

Captain, we seem to have a problem.

JUSTIN

What is it, Enoch?

ENOCH (V.O)

The entrance to Edith’s Universe is blocked by a magical barrier.

JUSTIN steps away from the Captain’s Seat. Looking at The Comet Flower in a pot in Captain’s room. He touches the diamond-shaped stamen as if it were a mic.

JUSTIN

Owl? Fox? Cat? I need some help here.

A projection of CAT appears.

CAT

Time Walker, have you entered our universe yet?

JUSTIN

There is a magical barrier blocking the entrance portal.

CAT

Impossible. We allowed the entrance to be open upon your arrival.

JUSTIN

Well, it’s blocked. I can’t enter.

CAT

This must be his work... it will take some time to undo his magic.

CAT’s projection vanishes leaving JUSTIN & ENOCH to wait.

CUT TO. UNIVERSE 528

INT. THE TEMPLE OF FATES - MORNING

THE DAY OF THE WEDDING

Today is the day of the wedding. A lovely ceremony being held at the Temple Of Fates. A big public event as the Princess of the kingdom has finally met someone who she truly loved. Surrounded by family and friends, and the nerve-racking view of the rest of the kingdom. EDITH was in her dressing room, the day had finally arrived. 

Her heartstrings were constantly tugged and butterflies kept flying in her stomach. She looked at herself in the mirror, noticing the little things. A gemstone embellished on her forehead. Representing her empath magic. Surrounding her head was a crown of flowers, her favorite flower; The Comet.

Her dress was a pastel green, embedded with diamonds and a sea of cherry blossoms that falling from the bodice down. She twirled around, having such a beautiful dress. A knock was heard at the door. It was her parents, ROBYN & UMI.

UMI

My baby sprout! 

She was clearly excited.

EDITH

Hi Mom! Hi Momma!

ROBYN 

Sweetheart you look amazing!

She exclaimed with her hands. Tears and smiles were on both her parent’s eyes. As the sight of seeing their beautiful daughter on her wedding day.

EDITH

Thank you, Momma!

She goes to hug them both.

UMI

I promised myself I wouldn’t cry

EDITH

Awww, Mom.

She rubs UMI’S back to comfort her. 

ROBYN

We’re both walking you down the aisle!

EDITH

I’d love that very much,

Another knock was at the door. The door swung open, NOEMI and ARGENTO peaked her head.

NOEMI & ARGENTO

Hey!

His hair was tied back and his suit all black. ARGENTO in an all-black lace dress that touched the ground with a slit in her dress. Matching their affinity with Necromancy.

EDITH

Hey you guys! You guys look amazing! You’re matching!

PERIWINKLE brushes through them and gives EDITH a big hug.

EDITH (cont’d)

Hi, my baby angel Peri!

PERIWINKLE had worn a pastel blue dress, layers upon layers of translucent silk edges frayed like feathers. With sleeves that hang off the arms like fairy wings. Her magenta hair sparkled and fashioned into a ponytail with flowers.

NOEMI

The ceremony is about to start, Peri and Argento will be waiting on your side. I’ll be waiting on Violet’s side.

The three of them leave for their places.

EDITH reacts quickly immediately rushing to make finishing touches. Her mother’s stand at the ready to take their daughter’s hands and walk it down the aisle.

CUT TO: The TEMPLE OF THE FATES. - THE WEDDING CEREMONY

The crowds filled with family and friends and heck, nearly the whole town. VIOLET stood there nervous as she waited for everything to begin. NOEMI had walked onto the altar and stood behind her.

VIOLET had worn a lacey white accented with light blue. A bodice that leaves the collarbones exposed with a dainty blue skirt, ribboning from the waist. Her bust covered by chest armor and pauldrons on both shoulders. Gauntlets up to her elbows and Armored shoes to her knees. 

VIOLET

Noemi...

NOEMI

You okay? Nervous.

VIOLET

Greatly! (She held her teeth together)

NOEMI

Oh, here we go again, you’ll be fine.

VIOLET 

But what if...

NOEMI

Edith would never do anything you’re thinking right now. Again, V you’ll be fine.

Music starts to play, The tune of a song, given to them by JUSTIN. Monday Loop - Tomppabeats begins to play. EDITH begins walking down the aisle, at the same time the lyric “This is that once in a lifetime” Slowly but surely she made her way to the altar. Seeing friends and family and townsfolk alike, smiling and seeing her move forward. EDITH had reached the altar, now face to face with VIOLET.

A ROYAL PRIEST stand in between the two of them.

ROYAL PRIEST

We are gathered here today for the union of our Princess Violet Choi and Savior Edith Nox.

The crowd cheers for the moment and falls back silent.

ROYAL PRIEST (Cont’d)

We thank The Fates for these two great heroes of our home. Coming together in this union of true love. (He looked to both EDITH & VIOLET) WIll you two face me?

They do so standing side-by-side. 

ROYAL PRIEST (Cont’d)

Violet and Edith, as the great gods hath created us so. Do you promise to make a string so strong, strengthened by the love you have for each other? Provide honesty and loyalty and bring happiness to the life you are about to enter?

EDITH & VIOLET

We do.

ROYAL PRIEST

Hold out your dominant hand.

They do so, their palms opened. EDITH’s left hand and VIOLET’s right. The ROYAL PRIEST holding a string in both hands. Place it in their palms, They close their hand and hold on the string. He waved his hand, over theirs and the string wraps around their wrists, symbolically connecting them.

ROYAL PRIEST (Cont’d)

You may now say your vows.

Looking at their hands and then into each other’s eyes. They smile, VIOLET goes first.

VIOLET

Edith, I love you. The journey I have had with you, made me realize that you were the one I wanted to be with... forever. You found me at my darkest moment when I lost Clementine... and I was so bitter and depressed. Then you came along, you shined this aura over me and it was my guide. You guided me out of my darkest place and you made me happy. And now, we’re here... on our wedding day... I promise I will protect you, fight for you... love you. Till the end of time.

EDITH visibly touched by the words of her true love. She had tears of joy in her eyes. She composes herself for a few minutes then begins to speak.

EDITH

Violet, when we first met... we were not the best of friends. Eventually, and now, we became more. You became, everything to me. Everything. The way you’re willing to go so far to protect the ones you love. 

The way you smile at me when I’m asleep in your arms. The how you show me you love me every time, I feel like I messed up. You are always there for me when I need you. I love you, Violet Choi.

VIOLET didn’t show it but she was happy, her lip trembling as she wanted to smile at her soon to be a beautiful wife. 

ROYAL PRIEST

With the power given to me by the great Fates. I grant your strings intertwined together.

His hand glowed, waving it over the tied string.

ROYAL PRIEST (Cont’d)

Let the Fates tie you together in love, harmony, and happiness. Should there be any reason they should not be together, speak now or forever hold thy peace.

There was a small silence, suddenly, rushing through the temple doors. His long coat flapped on the wind as he rushed in. Nearly out of breath, he caught everyone’s attention. It was JUSTIN.

JUSTIN 

STOP THIS WEDDING NOW!

Shock and exclaim were heard from the crowd. The confusion was everywhere, EDITH, VIOLET, & NOEMI take notice of JUSTIN’S return.

EDITH, VIOLET, NOEMI

Justin?!

Mysterious and evil laughter was heard,

MYSTERIOUS MAN (V.O)

I’m finally free!

The statues of OWL, FOX, and CAT are broken into pieces. A dark and ominous fog slowly filling the air, coming together forming a man. Tall in stature, and clad in armor. JUSTIN runs to the side of his old friends.

JUSTIN I’m too late.

EDITH, VIOLET & NOEMI look toward him with great worry.

FADE TO BLACK

END OF PART 1

TO BE CONTINUED... IN PART 2

[starberry-cupcake]

19, 25 and 49, please! Hope you have a good day!

Awww ♥ thank you! You too! 

19. got a random fact you’ve been holding on to?  

In the early 1900s in Philadelphia, three female artists who met as students of Howard Pyle formed a group known as the Red Rose Girls. The group was formed by Jessie Wilcox Smith, Elizabeth Shippen Green and Violet Oakley, and they incorporated Henrietta Cozens, who moved in with them and took care of the tasks of the house, gardening and overall housekeeping. They were all prolific artists at a time when female artists were not supported fairly and were relegated to “smaller commercial forms of art” like postcards (predecessors like Eleanor Vere Boyle hadn’t been allowed to sell their art, for example). 

The Red Rose Girls were intending to build a supporting environment for female artists, providing a platform for a “modern woman” in their careers. This led them to work as illustrators of children’s books, magazines and have showcases, later diversifying also into other forms of art. Some of their illustrations of literature (like of fairy tales or novels, some by female authors like Alcott) are still famously recognized. 

The group disbanded in 1911 after Elizabeth married. Violet moved in with Edith Emerson, an art student she met, and dedicated herself to murals and teaching as well while living with Edith (what male historians call “roommates”, you know). Jessie would live alongside Henrietta for the rest of her days (they were also referred to as “roommates” by male historians), also accompanied later by Henrietta’s niece who became a nurse. All three were inducted to the Society of Illustrators after their deaths, Jessie being the second woman in history to be included. 

Violet was included in the first gay-themed tour of Green-Wood Cemetery and Jessie left her entire estate to Henrietta before passing away in 1935, Henrietta died 5 years later. 

To say we, as a society, deserve a biopic is an understatement. 

25. name three songs that stir up the deepest emotions.

These are, of course, personal choices, from the top of my head: Beauty and the Beast sang by Angela Lansbury, Dust and Ashes from Great Comet and Mad Girl by Emilie Autumn. 

49. describe your aesthetic.

This is a simplification but

[plotwholls]

Hilda, Edith and Jan weren’t actually witches, despite what the town thought. They’re just immortal warriors who were trying to take their vacation in peace. Sure, their vacation has so far lasted much longer than other people’s, but considering that they had worked for nearly five centuries to keep the peace, Jan felt justified (if a little petty) in their unanimous decision to take a mental-health decade.

Jan sighed as she, once more, caught sight of the kid. They just would not quit, would they?

“Go away, kid!” She called. “If you keep coming here the town’s gonna think we’re teaching you witch-y things or something.”

The kid huffed, all dark curls and puffed cheeks. “No they won’t.”

Jan rolled her eyes. “Men fear what they don’t understand,” She pulled off her thick gardening gloves as she hauled herself up. “They fear us, and so they will fear you, too. Go home.”

“No!” They protest stubbornly. “I want to stay!”

Jan groaned— why did her sisters have to go out today? It wasn’t like Jan didn’t already grow plenty of crops for them to eat. This is Hilda and her lamb obsession’s fault. “Fine! But you do as I say, understand?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Jan had quite a bit to do today. She was trying to stock up on potions, and it was hard to do when you were trying to deal with five hundred years of PTSD and unresolved trauma. “Don’t touch that,” She snapped, batting away the child’s hand. She chopped up the root and swept it into the cauldron, moving on to prepping the next ingredient.

“What’s that?”

Jan sighed. “The skin of a basilisk.”

“What are you doing with it?”

“Prepping it.”

“For what?”

“The potion.”

“What kind of potion?”

Patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue...

“It’s a delayed paralysis.”

“Why would you need delayed pur-ale-isis?”

Jan sighed again. “Paralysis. I mainly use it when I’m trying to do a delicate medical procedure in concert with an anesthetic.”

“What?”

Jan put down the knife and braces herself on the table with one hand. She turns to face the kid. “Okay, say your leg got really hurt. Nasty infection. I need to cut it off, but you’re being squirmy. I need you to not be. In fact, I need you perfectly still. Even a twitch and something could go wrong and you could die. So can I risk that you don’t move in your sleep?”

“No?”

“No,” Jan agreed. “So, I give you something to stop that and then I knock you out and dull the pain so it isn’t scary for you and you don’t die anyway.”

“Why would I die anyway?”

Jan paused, considering how to explain this. “Y’know how when you’re scared your heart starts to beat so fast you can hear it in your ears?”

“Yes.”

“Well, your blood is moving super fast, so if you were bleeding, you’d bleed even more.”

“But what if they naturally bleed a lot?”

Jan blinked in surprise, then grinned. “See, now you’re asking the right questions. If they bleed a lot, what is it that you want?”

“I want them to bleed slower.”

“Bingo, so when you’re knocking them out and giving them a pain killer, you’re gonna want to make sure none of the ingredients also act as a blood thinner, especially if you’re adding in a coagulant.”

“Coal-ag-u-ant?”

“Coagulant. Think clog, you, lant.”

“Clog, you... so it makes you scab faster?”

Jan grinned. “That’s right! You’re gonna be a great healer if you pick up this fast!”

The child seemed to vibrate with joy at this statement, loudly blurting, “Really?!”

Jan was a bit taken aback, but laughed. “Well, yeah! I’ve known plenty of healers, and you’ve picked up stuff that they certainly wouldn’t have at your pipsqueak age.”

“I’m not a pipsqueak!”

“Kid, you reach my waist, and I’m the shortest of my extremely-short sisters. You’re a pipsqueak.”

After dinner (for which the kid stayed, and Hilda and Edith relentlessly teased her about), the kid was getting ready to head home when they paused. “Ms. Witch?”

“Not a witch.”

“Ms. Not-A-Witch, can I come back tomorrow?”

Edith and Hilda’s surprised looks bore into Jan’s back. Jan ignored them. She stared down at the child with purses lips then drooped, sighing as she ran a hand through her hair. “Yeah. Sure. Fine. Be ready to help with the chores, squirt.”

The kid beamed so bright Jan was sure she should be blind. “Thank you Ms. Not-A-Witch!” They ran off down the path, Jan weakly calling, “It’s Jan!”

She turned only to be faced with her gaping sisters. Jan groaned and headed inside to try avoiding the coming interrogation.

Keyword: try.

A trio of witches who live on the outskirts of town as outcasts befriend a neighbor child. They are annoyed at first by them but after their persistence realize they are genuine. One day they don’t show up as usual so the witches look for them and learn the town has been taken over by soldiers.