#Ethan/Ava It's Been Too Long

[mrethanvaldez]

It's Been Too Long | Ethan & Ava

The day had been a rather uneventful one, but in that sort of way where he was almost exhausted by doing nothing. As if the toll of being bored as fuck was actually wearing him down. So, to remedy this, Ethan decided to make a trek from his place, and head further into the Island to the campus just to get out of the far too large, and empty house, and find something to do.

Dressed in black, long sleeve denim shirt, over ironed black-tee, and black jeans, broken up by some tan leather shoes, Ethan was dressed on his more casual as he slipped out of the coffee shop with his drink, trying to decide where to go next when he felt a strange, familiar ping in the back of his neck. HE recognized the pattern of the phone on his powers even before he saw her in the distance.

Grinning, Ethan moved immediately towards Ava upon seeing her, not realizing she'd been back, "Well now there's a face I haven't had the pleasure of seeing in far too long."

@ava-montgomery

[felicitysmoaksx]

Conner and Sarah fake dating for the holidays for x reason. But it becomes a little too real.

For the advent writing calendar

See, it started like this, Connor needed someone to go to the annual hospital charity event with him to get his father off of his back after the fallout with Robin and because Sarah was the only one single at the moment, Ava offered her up. It was one event, Sarah didn’t mind. In fact, the brunette probably owed him one. For everything he did for Robert. (The fact that he was a psychopath notwithstanding.) Then one event turned into two and two, three. You see where she was going with this. Until Sarah looked up and she was four months deep into fake dating Connor Rhodes. 

Sarah didn’t mind though. She wasn’t trying to date right now anyway and Connor kept everyone who hit on her away because the whole hospital, except for a few friends, thought they were together. As evidenced by Dr. Bardovi’s subtle mean-girl act last week when Sarah and Connor had been eating lunch in the cafeteria.

So that brought them to now, where she was leaning against the nurse’s station, as she bickered with everyone’s favorite charge nurse. 

“You worked last Christmas, Sarah.” Maggie shook her head as she sorted files and handed them off to various doctors and nurses. “You shouldn’t be on the roster to work this year. It’s a year-on, year-off basis. You know this.” 

The brunette sighed and she continued writing her notes on a surgical psych evaluation. “It usually is. But I volunteer to work it every year so someone who actually celebrates it can be with their families.” 

“Who actually celebrates it?” Maggie raised an incredulous eyebrow at her friend, “Sarah, you love Christmas! I’ve seen you the day after Thanksgiving practically with bells on and positively floating through the day! Even before Thanksgiving now that I think about it.”

Another holiday she offered to work every year. 

But the charge nurse wasn’t wrong. Sarah loved Christmas and celebrated it all season long. Though admittedly with the Robert situation, it was certainly more subdued this year. But wasn’t it ironic that a person who absolutely adored Christmas didn’t have anyone to spend it with?

Sarah shrugged while a smile that looked more like a grimace overtook her lips. “I’m just saying, I don’t have anyone to spend the holiday with because I don’t speak to my mother, I haven’t since I told her I went into psychiatry over two years ago. Not that I ever spent it with her, to begin with. So I volunteer to work because what else am I going to do on that day? Why not give it to someone who has a family to spend it with?” 

“But you could’ve had someone to spend it with if you told us. You know that if Will, Ethan, April, Ava, or I had known you were by yourself every Christmas, we would’ve offered for you to come with one of us to our celebrations.” Maggie argued, before the ED phone rang. An incoming trauma, which meant Connor rushed to meet the paramedics to take the case, before Maggie could assign it. 

It had been a slow day for him and Connor didn't idle well. Her cheeks warmed when he caught her eye and winked as he ran. Her friend caught the movement and nodded in the direction of the surgeon. “What is he doing for Christmas?” 

“Spending it with his dad and sister.” Sarah shrugged her shoulders. Maggie raised an eyebrow, “And you’re not spending it with him because?” 

“I didn’t want to intrude. And you know why that’s not exactly an option anyway because he and I aren’t actually together.” Sarah said, because Maggie was one of those few who knew it was all fake.

Just like the charge nurse knew how Connor looked at Sarah when he thought the brunette wasn’t looking. It may have started out fake but Maggie was willing to bet that’s not how he felt now. The brunette continued shaking her head, “Besides, I’m fine. I celebrate during the month and that’s enough.” 

It wasn’t fine though and it was sad that her friend thought or pretended like it was. The charge nurse pursed her lips together before she offered, “At least, come with me to my-”

“Maggie, no. Christmas is a family holiday and I don’t want any of your family to feel bad when I don’t have any gifts because you brought an extra person. I’m fine.” 

[LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] 

She was in the cafeteria line with a thought of splurging on another peppermint mocha, when strong arms snaked around her waist and drew her in close. Sarah tensed briefly before the warm citrus scent filled her nose. Then she relaxed in his grasp. 

“Getting lunch?” he mused quietly in her ear. She squirmed slightly at the fuzzy feeling that ran down her spine and made her shiver at his words. 

“No, I was thinking about another peppermint mocha.” She told him and was met with a disapproving look, “What exactly have you eaten today?”

“Pro-”

“And don’t you say just those protein bars you’re so fond of. They aren’t big enough to sustain you all day.” Connor shook his head at her. Before the brunette could say anything, the line was moving and his hand was placed on the small of her back to propel her forwards gently. 

After ordering her peppermint mocha, in addition to a coffee for Connor and two wraps, one vegetarian and the other chicken, (that Connor wouldn’t let her pay for and waved away any of her attempts of trying to pay him back)  fake boyfriend led them to a table. While she picked and munched on pieces of tortilla, Connor sipped on his own coffee and watched her. 

“What?” Sarah finally asked, raising her eyebrows. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you had nowhere to go for Christmas? That you work every year because of it and spend it by yourself?” 

“Maggie,” she grumbled more to herself than anything as she shook her head. Then she shrugged and told him quietly, “Because I didn’t want to intrude on anyone. Or anybody’s Christmas.”

“Can you get out of it?” He asked, shaking his head. 

“I’m not sure. I’d have to talk to Ms. Goodwin. Why?” 

“Because I’m making plans and it would be better if you didn’t work that day.” 

“Connor, I’m fine-”

“Sarah, you’re not spending another holiday by yourself. Especially not one you love so much. Not when you have me.”

But she didn’t have him, not really.

[mayybirds]

If you don’t mind, I’d love to hear more about the Winterses’ relationships to each other! Anything from little details and habits to just general explanations/rundowns would be treasured :D

Anon I always want to talk about the Winterses I 100% do not mind at all lol.

I think the family as a whole is simultaneously really closely bonded (partially due to the sheer trauma they experienced together) and also experience a lot of friction very easily. They love each other intensely but they weren't really Raised together and they all come from different backgrounds, be them religious, cultural, or socioeconomic. It leaves room for a lot of friction, especially between Delia and the kids. I think in the early years there was a lot of rapid oscillation between "You're not my mom, my mom is dead, fuck off and stop trying to parent me" and "Delia i'm so sorry i'm so scared please never leave me". Sometimes within the hour. She was a like 32 year old woman suddenly in charge of 3 teenagers, having no real childcare experience, and it was kind of a mess. She loves the kids though and they love her. As adults her relationships with Michael and Ethan are a lot more stable than they were when they were younger--though conversely, while Ava relied on her a lot as a traumatized kid desperate for a parental figure, Ava is a lot more stilted with her now as an adult. Delia has never pretended she knew what she was doing or that she was prepared for this, but she's always made sure the kids know she loves them and she didn't keep them with her just out of obligation. She wants to be in their lives--whether that's as their mom, their 'aunt', their guardian, or just their friend. They get to define who she is to them, and she's okay that sometimes that changes in the moment (see: Ethan's POV. He mixes up whether Delia is his 'aunt' or just 'Delia' in his thoughts a lot, while also very clearly viewing her as a mom even if he avoids calling her that most of the time).

Delia’s focus since RC has always been the kids. She’s so deeply embedded in survivor networks to this day because she was one of the first to go “look we need to figure out long term options for fake IDs and paperwork. I’ve got three kids who should be in school.” She worked a lot of odd jobs once they reached California to keep the lights on (yes they maybe squatted in a few places at first what about it). She was a mechanic in RC but after coming to California she ended up working primarily private security at first because it paid well and was mostly nights. She went back to being a mechanic when the kids got a little older and Michael and Ethan started helping with rent (despite her insistences otherwise. They were adults and they were gonna help Damn it). Michael keeps trying to get her to take it easy these days but she’s only 50 damn it! Don’t treat her like she’s old!!

Michael! Michael is the most well adjusted man in this house comparatively (which isn't a high bar but at least he cleared it. Ethan faceplanted tripping over it). He was the oldest when RC happened among the kids, and as an adult he still takes his role as 'big brother' pretty seriously. He loves his idiot siblings, and he loves Delia, too. When RC first happened he was pretty wary of Delia (fairly enough. the world is ending, your mom is dead, your dad is missing, everything's gone to hell in a handbasket, there's paramilitary weirdos running around, and this random white woman just fished you out of the river with this blood-spattered kid next to her? Nah), and in the months that followed he definitely better handled her treating him like a younger friend/ally ("I know you don't really need me, but Ethan and Ava need us both, so would you be willing to help me with them?" kind of vibe, even if Delia is also 'YOU ARE A CHILD' at Michael internally). He supported the ruse of passing them off as a family long before he saw them as one, but he grew attached to Ethan and Ava, and Delia, faster than he'd have ever copped to as a kid. And for all his grumbling about the stupidity of their various schemes and covers ("Sure Delia pass off three kids as half-siblings by three different fathers, one of which you'd have had to have as a teenager, that's believable" "DO YOU HAVE A BETTER IDEA MICHAEL IF I SAY YOU'RE ADOPTED OR FOSTER KIDS THAT WILL RAISE EVEN MORE QUESTIONS"), he's kind of glad Delia always insisted on passing them off as a family, one way or another (the Winterses changed aliases and cover stories a lot when running from Raccoon City to avoid a clear trail, before they settled down in Cali). These days, he's the kid most unashamed to call her mom. She's his mom! He had another mom, too, and that's okay. Delia is his mom and she's also just Delia and he loves her. Michael still lives with her in California. He's lived on his own a lot, of course, and dated around, but relationships aren't really for him (he's a scrupulously honest person and hates that any relationship would require lying), and he likes being at home. He does have a robust friend network, though, and he likes to volunteer coaching the swim team at the local Y. He works as a manager at a local goodwill center. He’d have liked to have gone into social work or a medical field, but he worried about any profession that would have required a lot of background checks. He did take some nursing classes in community college, though. He attended school late, like Ethan did—both for financial reasons and because they wanted longer for their identities to be settled before they braved college paperwork.

Michael gets along with both of his siblings really well. He’s Ethan’s best friend (and the person Ethan was on the phone with at the beginning of RE7 in TtVtL canon), and has always looked out for him, even when they were teenagers (it defo painted an entertaining picture to everyone else. Michael was Cool and Ethan was Not and every other ~17yr old was not sure why he let this weedy 15yr old with the thousand yard stare follow him around. There was a lot of “excuse you that’s my BROTHER” energy). Michael meanwhile is very much the grounding older brother presence for Ava. She’s not good at taking Advice from Ethan because they’re closer in age and she thinks those in glass-houses-of-pretending-nothing-happened should not throw stones, but she’s better at taking it from Michael. She’s his baby sister and he wants to protect her but he also knows lecturing her doesn’t get him anywhere. I think as the two POC of the family they also just have bonding points on issues Ethan and Delia just can’t get.

Ava...loves her family. But it's hard to be around them. She's just still so angry about everything that happened, and her family respects her anger, but Delia just wants to keep the kids safe and Michael just wants to live a normal life and Ethan wants to pretend nothing happened. It's frustrating for her to try to talk to them about it because Ethan Doesn't want to talk about it and Michael mostly just is like "Ava babe please consider therapy" and Delia understands her anger but is also like. Her Mom. she wants her to be careful and safe and Ava doesn't want to be careful she wants the world to answer for what happened!! She fights with Ethan about it the most. But they still love each other--and would do anything to protect each other. She lives far away from the rest of the family and can't contact them a lot, but calls when she can. She has...employment. Her employer is not her day job. Her day job does not know her name is Ava Winters. She does not enjoy her work, but she thinks it's necessary. But if she had to choose between her job and her family? Her family. Always. She won't lose anyone again.

[marvelsfavoriteuncle]

Is this the place that I've been dreaming of? - Marvel AU

Pairing: JJ & Elizabeth Stark, Howard & JJ, Rick & Luna, Ethan & Liane

Established niece & nephew: Tony & JJ

Extra characters: Pepper, Maria Hill, The Avengers, The Young Avengers and etc

Note: May 29th, happy birthday to iron man himself Tony Stark lol

———

A blonde walked up the sets of the tower, as if the light was shining through the window and the sky was clear as day. She entered the elevator wearing an elegant black vest with dress pants to match, her hair was lush and glimpses of blonde lights peaking through, bouncing off her shoulders. She held her suit jacket in hand.

JARVIS blinked on his bright blue light in the elevator wings, as if announcing her presence. It seemed like JARVIS glitched for a moment then reloaded to the mainframe, working in an orderly fashion like always.

“Good evening, Ms Underwood.” He said, in his trademark British accent.

“Heh, good evening, JARVIS.” She replied, with a light smile, “What’s on the agenda for tonight?”

“Well the young ones are in the main area, Ms Potts is out shopping as always. And one of your kids was supposed to go to a briefing but it was cancelled, so now he’s in his workshop.”

“As for my work wife?”

“Ah yes, Ms Hill is at a meeting for SHIELD and will be seen later. Dr Banner is on his way back home after a trip to the grocery store. How was your day, ma’am?”

“Decent enough, thanks for asking. However I will need to push back a little dinner with Mr. Smith about prices for his wife’s new jewelry shop.”

“And the kids?”

“Open the doors and find out.”

“You got some humor, Ms. Wood.”

—

As the doors opened to the main area, Jen walked out only to be treated to the sounds of yelling and screaming.

“Oh dear..” She muttered, squeezing her eyes shut then reopening them.

Her gaze fell on Rei and Rick who were standing in front of the shout shouting over one another over the stupidest thing.

“Yo, Thing 1 Thing 2, where’s the fire?” She asked, looking between them with her hands on her hips.

“Ask your grandson.” Rick remarked, narrowing his eyes that flashed an unusual tone.

“Oh real mature, Banner.” Rei exclaimed, rolling his eyes and pointed, “He decided to go ahead with the presentation for our meeting and now they went along with his stupid ideas.”

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

“Our presentation was supposed to be about telescopes like technology. But he decided to be all father-like and make it seem all child-friendly! It’s supposed to be for adults dimwit.”

“Oh I’m sorry that some of us rather not want a proud product that won’t blow up in their faces!”

“Again, it’s for adults not children!”

Jen held up her hand and curled it into fist waving it around, as she raised her tone a bit causing both young adults to pause. Doesn’t matter what age, kids tend to stop whatever they’re doing if a parent-like figure is near.

“Wow, surprise that still works…” Julie muttered then clear her throat and turned to face them, “First off, your project seems very promising. And secondly, you can reschedule this presentation to rematch your ideas.”

“Yeah sure, like that would work.” Rei murmured crossing his arms.

“We called them and they told us they were busy working, saying our stuff is in review.” Rick added.

Jen thought for a long second and flipped on the phone, pressing a button as the line rang quick.

She wondered and waited, as she spoke, “Hello, yes this is Mrs. Stark…or Ms.Woods, whichever you prefer dolly. Two young men wanted to reschedule for another chance at their presentation, I understand your concerns and revisions but—you do realize their work can bring you a lot grand success and rewards, right?”

Another a few more minutes of speaking on the phone, she handed the phone to both Rick and Rei, telling them to behavior. But most importantly, compromise on a decision. With that she moved on, pressing a kiss to Ava her first granddaughter and well behaved who was heading to band practice, right after dance class.

She headed to the kitchen, kicking off her heels and sled into across the floor finding crackers in the back shelf along with peanut butter. She hummed in delight at the sight before her eyes. Liane and Luna were still on the kitchen table with their eyes focused on watching Season 3 of Bridgerton.

She snorted and grinned as she asked, “Is the show good girls?”

Liane looks up, “Hell yeah! Anthony is a good husband and..”

Luna cut her softly, “Shhh don’t spoil anything! Someone might be listening..and hi, JJ.”

The blonde smiled, “Hi Luna. Well you girls, enjoy yourself.”

———-

She turned around opening the fridge, sneaking around behind a set of beer bottles, to find a small set of cupcakes she baked beforehand waiting for her arrival. She was surprised no one took a handful of them yet, nonetheless she sighed in relief.

She knew the rest of the cupcakes and the sheet cake she’d ordered to arrive later on were for the young heroes anyway.

Without a second to ponder this matter, Jennie took the first step of grabbing a cupcake and a candle, stuffing a lighter in her pocket and headed downstairs to the workshop.

She slid open the door, making sure to hush JARVIS before he spoil her mini surprise, trying to make little to none noise possible as she entered the room. She flicked the lighter as a tiny flame covered the candle that was placed on the cupcake as she started to humming the song ‘Happy Birthday’ to her first silly goose.

Tony turned around, removing his headset he was currently wearing at the sound of a certain blonde humming and singing softly that silly little song for May 29th. A smile lip up his face at the sight of his aunt, who looks damn younger than she should be, holding up a picture perfect cupcake and a candle placed right in the center.

He chuckled. Hell, he giggled and snorted.

Many years later and his aunt is still keeping up the same routine of a little candle placed on a cupcake. His favorite color frosting too for added warmth and comfort.

“Make a wish and blow out the candle.” She said, softly moving the candle near his face.

Tony closed his eyes making a joke about this is rather funny as he wished on a nice evening at the tower, without nothing blowing up in his face for the 3rd time this week. Hey, the man was getting older and wanted something simpler this year! He blew out the candle and grinned.

“What’d you wish for?” She asked, removing the candle and handing the cupcake over to her nephew.

Tony took a large bite, licking his lips and hummed, “Can’t tell ya. And thank you for the little treat.”

“It’s your birthday, of course I was gonna do something for you. I can’t believe, you’ve grown up and became someone kind and supportive. I did a decent job raising you.”

“You did a good job raising me, auntie. I don’t say it enough. Dad well…not so much. But you’re pretty great. So, am i getting a big bonus surprise tonight or what?”

“I did plan on having a movie night with the family, have some drinks, ordering pizza and a huge cake.”

“What, no confetti cannons or fireworks with my name in the sky?”

“I love you but I’m not going to explode your ego. You can do anything other day of the week, mister.”

Tony just laughed at that as he hugged his mother figure. She gave him a tight squeeze and a kiss on the forehead.

——

The rest of the evening went as follows, the heroes, agents and welcomed guests all gathered around the common room to watch movies, discuss and eat pizza.

It was rather nice to not have a grand slam party on Tony’s birthday for once. Especially since his birthday fell on a Wednesday, instead of a weekend like it always does. But knowing her kid, he would try to throw himself a party this weekend anyway and she wasn’t going to stop him.

Afterwards, everyone stood around the kitchen as a large sheet cake was brought out in front of Tony. Everyone sang and chanted as he blew out his candles, allowing for the young heroes to get their hands on the cake first before the older ones did.

They definitely enjoyed it more than expected. Especially when Rick found cupcakes in the freezer just sitting there and brought it as Bruce rolled his eyes. Natasha hushed the doctor and brought him to the dance floor with Maria Hill following behind them, as Natasha dragged her and Steve into the fun. Ethan and Liane were already there chatting and dancing with drinks in hand.

Luna and Rochelle were trying to finish the movie playing on the large screen tv, meanwhile Rei and the others were playing video games next door.

Jennie stood against a wall chuckling at the sight of it all.

“So, how are you holding up?”

She turned around to find Pepper holding a glass of champagne and smiling softly, handing the blonde one.

“Honestly not so bad.” She responded with a smile, taking a gulp of the champagne.

“Glad to see you smiling too.” Pepper added.

“Yeah, how was your shopping spree?”

‘Oh amazing! I got the best deals.”

Pepper went on and on about the things she brought, how she loved having the opportunity to get the day off to do so and etc. Jennie just smiled and nodded at her friend.

Yeah, today wasn’t so bad in her opinion.

~~~

~~~~~~

Ahh that’s all folks! And yup that’s auntie JJ, I hope you like her. Might even do a Q&A week for her 😉

Anyways let me know what you guys think!

Tags: Tags: @missstrawbs2001 @purpleprincessonfyre @meiramel @gcthvile @ask-starrk @rickb-chaos @gaminggirlsstuff @wizzzardofoz @cherrysft @luna-d-marsh

[manybcdthings]

the castle, during the storm

ethan jones and tammie jones @rviner

Ethan had captured a few memories of Ava Jones when she was a mother. Clutching tiny JJ. They were burned into his memory for many years. Even as his children grew older, he could swear he could hear the rock of a chair on the porch. Ava's voice singing a lullaby. Time gently swept those memories away, like it did with a lot of things. Slowly, they were no longer as vivid. Just glimpses instead. But, seeing Tammie holding a tiny bundle in her arms brought them all right back. The way long brown hair fell against her arm as she rocked Eden, it may as well have been Ava with JJ. He could see the same look beyond her eyes too. A concern, and almost worrying that everything she did might be wrong.

It was a bitter sweet vision, for many reasons, and not just the reminder of Ava. Ethan always wondered if any of his children would make him a grandfather, and he never thought it would be like this. But, he supposed, none of their lives were ever supposed to be like this. He plopped into the free seat beside his daughter, eyes gravitating to the sleeping baby. He could also recognize the tiredness in Tammie's eyes too. "This is the most they ever sleep." he gave that joyful wisdom to her with a smirk. "Gets worse, actually." Ethan laughed, waving a hand to where he'd just been with Nora. "You two figured out how to get outta the damn crib, too. Smart with it, as well. Threw things over that you could jump on and one of you gave the other the leg up, just rolled yourselves out. Then help the other one climb out next. That was damn stressful."

But even among the bitter-sweet, Ethan was bursting with pride for his daughters. Supply runs might become less likely to happen but, everything they did and were doing was admirable. He could see the way Tammie was assuming a lot of the duties, too. Just getting on with the past two weeks but Ethan knew his girls. He knew Tammie. She'd refuse something was too heavy to carry. "She's the pack baby, right? That's what you said before." he decided to use her words against her. "So, maybe I can watch our pack baby a few nights soon so you can get some sleep."

[sextonsharpwinhalstead]

Yeah, I was trying to say without saying and being more long-winded than I already was. That there are a lot of men in the Med writer's room. And that was the quickest thing they could do without completely damaging her character. But it was just enough that it would tack on to everything else they already had planned and I refuse to believe the writers and showrunners don't understand how negative storylines will also get a character trashed especially black and other nonblack poc characters. Because there's no way they thought their writing in 5 made sense. From her and Choi openly flirting in the ED for the first time in what 3 seasons. Then her random crush on Marcel, the kiss. Then her not exactly apologizing for it and being sort of callous when she's still working with CM and Ethans offended. And lord Ethan crying to Ms. Goodwin yeah that will really get to the fans, especially the anti-Chexton fans who want to make it clear they're not anti-the actress they're just so ToXiC. While forgetting that Halstead was a total asshat to Natalie in the beginning and they fought and broke up for dumb sxxt too. And all the people still crying over Ava and Rhodes all these years later as if it isn't weird that all Ava did was basically neg Connor and Robin in the beginning. How is that not toxic? And if April is a B like everyone claims then Choi needs to were an asshole hat too.

I search the tags when I can't sleep and the number of fans losing their shit here and on Twitter when April probably has been on the screen for longer than 30 minutes in the 2 episodes we've actually seen her face is insane. Many of them are mad because their fave isn't back, so that's one aspect. The others are laughing because her show was canceled and basically doing everything but calling her u---ty for daring to leave. And swearing that she's only back because of that when there is evidence to the contrary. We can't hold our breath but if the spoilers I've seen aren't OC trolling us with pictures from scrapped storylines, then these haters better prepare to be sick of me. Because I won't rest if Chexton gets the happy ending Brian wanted in 2020.

There are always too many men. That's it that's the thought lol. The way they play in our face like we don't notice is wild.

The more I thougut about it the more I think that they added Marcel because they remembered that April started the show with a fling with Kelly. Which meant that she was capable of that kind of fun hookup. The problem is they didn't do ANYTHING to further that in six seasons. Neither before or after Ethan. And they are capable of it because we've watched Will and Connor bone their way through Chicago. Like a common problem with One Chicago is they forget to write anyone who isn't white a love interest/personal lives. They forget that many fans find them desirable.

Back when they introduced the Marcel/April story and everyone was crying and whining in my f*cking inbox about poor Ethan I wanted to make a meme of Vicki sipping tea because ETHAN CHEATED ON HER WITH APRIL and NEVER came clean. It was just kiss for both of them but you'd think that April murdered his sister the way people act. Or that Ethan wasn't capable of the same. I guess because it was in service to Chexton no one cared. 🤷🏾‍♀️

I truly believe Chexton is going to get a hopeful ending. Yaya is on her way to joining the cast of The Lincoln Lawyer, it's Netflix which is about as bad as Fox so I hope it works out but I think Yaya was interested in giving her character the closure she deserved and Ethan too. I just like knowing April finished her program and works independently. Now she gets love too and folks can die mad about it.

You don't have to like Chexton but folks might wanna check why they are so bitter seeing these two characters happy in a farewell, KNOWING Ethan has grown is... telling.

And yes it's wild that ppl still bitch about Ava and Rhodes and Manst*ad. Those ships were toxic AF. You have to be an Ava apologist to pretend you didn't see how batshit she was the ENTIRE time, people are like "you ruined her" and I'm like, "Are yall okay?!" Natalie was snotty AF to Will and Will was misogynistic AF to Natalie. Everyone hated her and only cared about her in that ship. Mess.

[ofwrxth]

BASICS.

Name: Maren Jones 

Age & Birthday: 56, December 1, 1967

Gender/Pronouns: cis woman she/her

Birthplace: Concord, New Hampshire 

Time in Hollow Cove: Feb 2024

Species: Werewolf / Jones Pack

Role in Hollow Cove: Watch/ Registration, Farms, Stables  

Positive personality traits: energetic, generous, independent

Negative personality traits: emotional, flighty, spontaneous 

ABOUT.

1967 – 1992

Maren Sinclair ran away from home when she was just fourteen. She got a one way ticket to Boston and never looked back. Home hadn’t been home for a while. Not since she woke up one morning to find her mother gone at five years old. Not since her father remarried and they joined another pack when she was eight. Not since her half brother and sister were born, doted on by a mother who said Maren was too loud, too spirited, too emotional, too chaotic. Too much. Home hadn’t been home for a while. Not since her stepmother backhanded her for waking the baby. Not since her dad stood by and let it happen. 

So Maren decided to find her own home. Getting off the bus at Back Bay, she was determined to find a place she could belong. But the problem with searching for belonging is that you never quite know if you’ve found it. Maren would spend the next fourteen years jumping from place to place, calling each home for various periods of time. She was smart, good with her hands and a hard worker when she wanted to be. But there were times when she just couldn’t get herself out of bed. When darkness came and sunk it gnarled fingers in her, dragging her under. She always made it out the other side, but by the time she did, she’d often worn out her welcome. Or, sometimes, she felt too ashamed to stick around.

She wasn’t the sort to join packs until she made her way south. She loved the open spaces and the feeling of freedom they brought to her inner wolf. She joined a pack in Chattanooga, TN, and stayed there for two years. Rebecca Lewis, an elderly wolf, had taken her in, giving her a job at her shop. It was the first bit of maternal care she’d had in a long time, so when Rebecca revealed she was sick, something not even being a wolf could completely prevent, Maren panicked. The thought of losing Rebecca made her sick, but so did the thought of watching her die. So she did what she was good at and left before Rebecca could leave her. 

1992 – 2001

When she arrived in Georgia, life took another turn. She and Everett Jones weren’t exactly a match made in heaven, but they weren’t one made in hell either. Maren hadn’t been in a serious relationship before, never staying anywhere long enough to form attachments. But discovering she was pregnant at twenty-eight certainly changed things. A civil ceremony with a baby bump wasn’t something she ever foresaw for herself, but in the rush of the moment, in a bid for hope, Maren became a Jones. And a few months later, they welcomed Bodie into their lives. Full of uncertainty, but optimistic about their daughter, Maren found joy in the simple life she’d found for herself. Her relationship with Everett wasn’t the great romance of Ethan and Ava, but there was respect and they worked through things and Maren did love him, in her own way. When Hazel was born nearly three years later, Maren felt the downward spiral begin. Postpartum depression held for months and despite navigating her way through it, she felt something like a constant dread hanging over her. 

But she loved her girls and their love brought her peace. For a while anyway. But when Everett gave up being Alpha, and the pack dynamics shifted, it felt like something in their relationship had too. Respect and hard work weren’t enough to bridge the gap between what Maren needed and what Everett could give. Doubt began to slip in, and she began to question her place in his life, in their pack’s life, in their daughter’s lives.

She thought of how Ava had mothered JJ and Eli before passing, she thought of the other mothers in the pack, who’d probably had mothers themselves. But not Maren. Who was she to think she could have this life? She’d probably hurt her daughters. She’d probably ruin them. She didn’t know how to be a mother. Not really. It didn’t come naturally to her and when her moods swung low, it was impossible. She was impossible. She was no good at this. So Maren did what she was good at and left before her daughters were old enough to realize this themselves.

2001 – 2015

I'm so lazy stuff happened here, she traveled around for a while, thought about going back to Georgia and then guilt made her stay away. All over the states before making her way to Canada. Joined another two packs along the way (maybe one of your muses!) but never lasted long before feeling she was better off leaving/not belonging.

2015 – 2019

In 2015 she met Marley in Canada shortly after his husband died. He nearly blew her head off with a shot gun which is a great start to any friendship. She convinced him she could help around his property and he said bet and what was gonna be a short few weeks turned into years as they became besties even though he'd never admit it.

There were a few times when Maren left but when she came back, her room would be the same because he left it ready for her.

When news of supernaturals was revealed, she thought of her kids in Georgia (though she always thought of them) but stayed back because she didn't think she had a right to go after them.

2020 – 2023

They stayed in Marley's home until supplies became difficult and the war was all around them and they went into his bunker. But Maren being Maren felt stuck (it's a bunker girl, wdy expect?!?) and they got into a big ole fight and she left and he said dont let the door hit you on the way out. But he went after her anyway bc besties 4 life and saved her and after that she was like lol kk i'll stay put.

2024

When the storm at the end of January came through and rinsed their supplies, they were forced to find another shelter. Saying goodbye to their bunker (or bunky as Maren called it to annoy Marley), they found Hollow Cove and the family Maren hasn't stopped thinking about.

Things are hella awk now that her kids are grown ass adults and one has a baby of her own and basically it's gonna be super emo and angsty so stay tuned!

[ethanjxnes]

ETHAN JONES

Basics Age: 56 Birthday: April 22nd Occupation: Owner of Blue River Ranch Born: Lockwood Springs Resides: Blue River Ranch ✓   Selfless, Relaxed, Responsive ✗   Overprotective, Distrusting, Stubborn

Ethan's family have a long history in Lockwood Springs, primarily as ranchers. Harry and Emma Jones had several children, Ethan being the eldest and then somewhere down the line June arrived.

Blue River Ranch has always belonged to the Jones' now he owns the same ranch he was raised on and couldn't be prouder. He's a typical country man. He hunts, fishes, and enjoys a cold beer while watching the game.

He married is high school sweetheart Ava and they went on to have four kids together. Spencer, Tammie and then the twins, Nora and Elijah.

Sadly, when the twins were five years old, Ava passed away and Ethan was left trying to raise all four kids by himself.

A year after Ava's death and Nora was diagnosed with Leukemia so Ethan's life became constant stress with the ranch and going backwards and forwards to the hospital. Luckily, she has been cancer free for the past seven years.

Ethan is very protective of his family and could be described as overly protective. He doesn't want to miss a thing and tries to be involved in everything they do.

He's hoping to help his eldest son Spencer take over as foreman but he wants to make sure he can handle the responsibility.

Ethan is the treasurer for The Keepers and is very loyal to the club, however he doesn't like the idea of any of his kids getting too close to it.

Is a laid back guy but can be fearsome when needed. Is the typical man's man due to how he was raised. He takes on responsibility well, steps up when needed to but really, he's super stoked when he gets time to work on his train models.

Dad Jokes, Dad Snores. Is asleep within 5 minutes of any movie.

No we can't get a dog.

This dog is the cutest damn thing and the best idea we ever had.

[tammie--jones]

general:

Name: Tamara ‘Tammie’ Jones Age: 28 years old Birthdate: Jan. 3rd 1995                                       ☼ Capricorn                                       ☾ Aquarius                                       ↗ Aquarius Born: Lockwood Springs, CO Occupation: Ranch Hand @ Blue River Ranch Aesthetics: PINTEREST. Likes: Hunting, Fishing, Bonfires, Country rock, jump-scaring Spencer, being an aunt, moose, irish goodbyes Dislikes: Spencer jump-scaring her, being told to smile, her ex-fiance, anyone who her family dislikes Good Qualities: energetic, protective, head-strong Bad Qualities: stubborn, bossy, blunt Orientation: Straight

Tammie was born and raised in Lockwood Springs to Ava and Ethan Jones and she is the sister of Spencer, Elijah and Nora.

Blue River Ranch is the Jones’ livelihood and has been in the family for generations. Tammie was raised on the ranch so now she’s an outdoorsy type and doesn't mind getting her hands dirty.

When she was eight years old, Ava passed away which made Tammie try and put on her big sister boots for the twins. She can be bossy and tries to get people to do her bidding a lot, with a smile of course.

Growing up Tammie was a tomboy, and in a way she still is. She doesn’t wear dresses often and when she does, she complains about it.

She didn’t get into a bad amount of trouble at school but she was definitely competitive and didn’t have any issue speaking her mind. She was usually sticking up for the quieter kids.

As soon as she graduated, Tammie began working on the family ranch. There’s literally nothing else she wanted to do with her life as she loves her family and loves the ranch. She’s a happy gal just mucking out and breathing in the fresh air.

Tammie shocked everybody when she got engaged to her long time boyfriend because their relationship was known to be rocky by a lot of people. They squabbled over any little thing and Tammie’s stubbornness was definitely a big part of the problem. She was adamant that their relationship would work out and they even began the process of buying a house together.

Of course, it didn’t go to plan. Her fiance took off one night without even a note or goodbye. Since then, Tammie has been very sour when it comes to relationships.

She’s a family gal and will get rowdy if you give her siblings any problems.

Is affiliated to The Keepers due to family ties but isn’t within any ranks.

She listens to country unironically and even taught herself how to play the fiddle and she wears cowboy boots unironically.

Whatever her mouth doesn’t say, her face says it for her. Has been known to walk away from conversations randomly without a goodbye.

Goes to Neon Boots a lot and is usually trying to convince people to join in drinking games.

Can usually be found hassling her older brother, Spencer and also giving her father a heart attack because she's climbing up somewhere or driving too fast in her truck.

[jerzwriter]

I'm trying to get in touch with other Choices stories again - so this is perfect! Stealing this from @mvalentine. Didn't reblog because I KNOW this shit will be long.

I'm adding ratings - because I'm extra:

🔥Top Tier/Love them/ DO IT 💗 Really Good/ Worthy Choice 👍 Decent 💋 Just here for the sex... 🤷‍♀️ I mean- I had to pick someone....

A Very Scandalous Proposal - Simon/Ava Montjoy 🔥 Sure it's a single LI story, but they are so freaking awesome they get a shout-out. Both are equally amazing.

A Courtesan of Rome - Cassius Longinus 👍 (Though I dabbled in the Marc Anthony 💋 garden... and felt guilty but it was worth it) Aside: One of the most underrated stories in the Choices catalog. I need to replay.

Desire and Decorum - Ernest Sinclaire 🔥 Prob the best LI EVER, TBH

Foreign Affairs - Played all 3 - Blaine Hayes 👍 for the win

The Freshman Series - Zig Ortega 💗 to 🔥 I miss Zig, I need to play again. Honorable mention: Becca Davenport. 💗

Hot Couture - Marco di Vincenzo 👍

Laws of Attraction - Gabe Ricci 🤷‍♀️ By default, really not crazy about either.

LoveHacks - Mark Collins 👍

My First Two Loves - Noah Harris 🔥 I loved Noah. Loved Noah. If that was my HS boyfriend, I would have licked that, called it mine, and taken him off the market REAL soon. Just saying.

Open Heart - Ethan Ramsey🔥🔥 ... but you know I wanted Tobias 🔥🔥! I know, that comes as a shock to you. 🤣🤣🤣Also played Bryce 🔥 and some Jackie 💗. Quality LIs in this book!

Perfect Match - Damian Nazario 💗 but... I have a thing for Alana Kusuma 💗...

Platinum - Raleigh Carerra 💗I have not finished this book yet, will see if this changes.

Queen B - Ian Kinsgley 💗 to 🔥 Eff you - I loved him. DISCLAIMER: I have not plaid Book 2:

The Royal Romance - Drake Walker 🔥 Though I like Liam 🔥 too. If only Olivia 🔥were an option.

Rules of Engagement - It's been so long, I don't remember my final choice, but it was either William 👍or Leo 👍.

Slow Burn - Everett Flynt 👍 Have not finished this book.

The Unexpected Heiress - John Sommerset 💗

Wake the Dead - JUST STARTED so I can't say for sure, but I'm only playing because of my ista-crush on Eli Sipes, so... I'm giving him a 🔥 for now UPDATE: Eli and I, uh, my MC are officially in love.

TO BE DETERMINED:

BOLAS - I am going to try playing soon. Not typically my genre, but I'll try.

Crimes of Passion - If I can make it through WTD (I'm a wuss), I'll try COP. I believe it is a single LI? But I'm kind of sure I'll love Trystan.

Mother of the Year - Have not played yet. Finally emotionally able, so soon. They all look great, TBH.

Red Carpet Diaries - I May play this soon too - really curious to see who I will pick.

Ride or Die - I REALLY have wanted to play this forever. Fairly confident it will be Logan.

Veil of Secrets - All LIs seem appealing

I'm waiting on @icecoffee90 to tell me she hates ALL but maybe 2 of my choices. 😂😂😂 Hey, we agree on Jesse.

Tagging her and @jamespotterthefirst @liaromancewriter @a-crepusculo @peonyblossom @cariantha @storyofmychoices @lilyoffandoms @lucy-268 @genevievemd @trappedinfanfiction @annoyingmillenialnewbie @coffeeheartaddict2 @bex-la-get @quixoticdreamer16 @headoverheelsforramsey @forallthatitsworth @queencarb @crazy-loca-blog @heauxplesslydevoted @writer-ish @potionsprefect @danijimenezv @dr-colossal-pita @mydemonsdrivealimo and anyone else who wants to play! :)

[shelby-love]

SUMMARY: “All will be alright.“ You said, heavily pregnant, and did something close to begging for a little bit of peace. But then you went into labor. DATE: September 7th, 2021 (11PM CET)

SUMMARY: There is rarely a fine man that can get your panties in a twist, especially in the forever sunny Dallas. A simple fight for a taxi is what has you confused, and bothered. Among other things. DATE: September 8th, 2021 (11PM CET)

SUMMARY: There was a time before war when Tommy lost a woman. A time after the woman’s death when all it took for him to bed someone was a seductive quirk of a woman’s lips. A time after the war and the woman when he had a son: a son he watched from afar for 18 years. DATE: September 9th, 2021 (11PM CET)

SUMMARY: When one is the daughter of his grace, there are many things she has to accomplish, consequences she has to deal with and duties she has to fulfill. Only this daughter loves one too much to go through the pressure she was born into. DATE: September 10th, 2021 (11PM CET)

SUMMARY: There is rarely room for men in your life, especially with how busy you are, a dream in sight. But what there is, is room for girl company. Barely. After finding a place to live that’s close to her workplace, Leslie Shay wastes no time before dragging you after her to take a quick look. The usual is there: a couch, TV and a smoking-hot-like-he’s-from-a-magazine-hot lieutenant. Wait, that’s not right… DATE: September 11th, 2021 (11PM CET)

SUMMARY: One would think Tommy Shelby’s daughter was his identical copy. One would be proved wrong after encountering you and learning that your good heart and innocent nature was nothing like your father’s. You were good, but good in this world was a weakness. A weakness everyone liked to exploit. DATE: September 12th, 2021 (11PM CET)

SUMMARY: You love your job, and you believe that giving your all will help your patients more than anything else. Unfortunately for you, giving your all has to be followed even when tiredness seeps into your bones. Thank god you have Ethan Choi as a colleague, as no one was more invested in you than him. DATE: September 13th, 2021 (11PM CET)

SUMMARY: Finn Shelby makes you do things you usually regret in the end. But somehow, he managed to convince you to go out into the night world with him. It’s all fun and games until he leaves you to yourself for a second too long. DATE: September 14th, 2021 (11PM CET)

SUMMARY: After becoming car-less, you do the only sane thing you can. No, you don’t buy a new car. You do something else entirely. Turn your best friend into a personal chauffeur. One would think love will finally bloom between you, and while it might be true, you sure won’t get to find out because Ava Bekker makes it her damn business to get in the way. DATE: September 15th, 2021 (11PM CET)

SUMMARY: For over a century, you have been soundless in a casket. After being brought to temporary death at the hands of none other than the love of your life, you seek answers when you finally see the light of day. Only those answers are not what you wanted to hear. DATE: September 16th, 2021 (11PM CET)

SUMMARY: When you come home from a long day of work at Med, you expect to see your husband and son asleep on the couch, not wide awake and active in the kitchen. DATE: September 17th, 2021 (11PMCET)

[the-al-chemist]

When Stars Ignite - Chapter 59

HPHM Rockstar AU

A/N:

Song lyrics used in this chapter are all from Fleetwood Mac’s Songbird, written by Christine McVie. Talbott Winger’s bodyguard Talia Hayes belongs to @whatwouldvalerydo. I’ve been pretty nervous about publishing this specific chapter. Enjoy.

General Warning: This whole fic has a general warning of being NSFW / 18+. We will give specific warnings for every chapter in itself, but several adult themes will be more or less present in every chapter, may it be explicitly or in mention. These include sexual topics, drug abuse, (ab)use of alcohol, smoking and a whole lot of cursing.

Specific Warning: smoking (cigarettes), brief mentions of alcohol/drugs, language, and Artemis gone completely rogue…

~~~

Find the masterpost here, the previous chapter here and the next one here. The songs featured before every chapter can be found on this pretty badass playlist here.

~~~

This work is a collaboration with @lifeofkaze

Taglist: @slytherindisaster @night-rhea @carewyncromwell @thatravenpuffwitch @anthamariemayfair @whatwouldvalerydo

And the songbirds keep singing

Like they know the score

~ Fleetwood Mac - Songbird ~

Artemis wasn’t sure what to do with herself. She knew she couldn’t go back to the soundcheck, and she didn’t really want to go back, either. She left the wings of the Pyramid Stage, and kept walking, not knowing where she was going, or why.

She stepped outside and found the quietest spot she could, and stopped there, her breathing still shallow, her heart still racing. She lit a cigarette, and felt her chest move slower and more widely as the smoke burned its way through her lungs. While one hand held the cigarette, her other remained on her lighter, and she fiddled with it, watching the little flame bob about in the morning breeze.

With each inhalation and exhalation, she felt her anger start to dissipate, and give way to a sense of regret. What had she done? What the fuck was wrong with her? Why had Ethan’s words bothered her so much? Why the fuck had she been so stupid? In shouting at him, she had risked losing a job she had grown to love, with people she had grown to… enjoy the company of. Like. Trust. Why did she always have to ruin everything that was good in her life?

She had an overwhelming urge to get away from reality. Luckily, Glastonbury Festival was as good a place as any for her to lose herself in the crowds. After she finished her cigarette, and pulled herself together somewhat, she set off again. Lunchtime came and went - though Artemis felt too sick to eat - and still she was not ready to return to the yurts, or to spend time with anyone she knew. Instead, she spent the afternoon exploring the less mainstream areas, where she’d be less likely to bump into anyone who knew her.

Even in the quieter zones, crowds had gathered. There were families doing arts and crafts, a group of bohemian-looking people in their middle age doing yoga in the mud, and many teenagers barely out of sixth form already on the alcohol - or, more likely, stronger substances.

Unable to settle in body or in mind, she didn’t stay anywhere for long. The scents of stale alcohol and weed hung in the air, and a mixed cacophony of sounds swam past Artemis’ ears as she meandered past the various tents and stages: the strumming of acoustic guitars, heavy beats of drum and bass, a cheerful-sounding ukulele, the harmonising voices of a gospel choir, and Latin music that, at any other time, might have made her feel like dancing. But not today.

It wasn’t until the evening, when she heard a group of girls a few years younger than herself talking about going to the Pyramid Stage that she remembered that she still had to work that night, and that she had left her morning’s work unfinished. Not only that, she’d agreed to watch Talbott Winger perform with Charlie and his girlfriend. Ava.

Although she still wanted to put off seeing everyone for as long as possible, she had been looking forward to seeing Winger’s set. Frowning for a moment, she decided what she would do. She had a pass to get backstage, and there was bound to be plenty of crew around. No one would notice her in the wings if she kept herself to herself.

She took a route to the back of the Pyramid Stage that avoided the areas where any of the members of Equinox or their crew were likely to be, and flashed her pass to a security guard on the gate. Her head held high, as if she were meant to be there, she walked straight through the backstage areas to the sides of the stage itself. No one stopped her.

In the wings, Talbott Winger was preparing to start his set, taking deep breaths and smoothing his tawny brown hair back off his tanned, pointed face.

“You’re not meant to be here.”

The voice had come from directly behind Artemis. She turned around to see Winger’s red-haired security guard bearing down at her, her face passive but hardened. Artemis shrugged, and took out her pass.

“Not yet, but I’m allowed to be her,” she told the bodyguard, refusing to be intimidated by her cold stare.

“Most people prefer to watch from the crowds. Better view. Better company.”

“I don’t want company.”

Perhaps it was the tone of Artemis’ voice, or something in the expression on her face, but something made Talbott Winger’s bodyguard relent. Although her eyes remained narrowed, she nodded her head.

“Any trouble, and you’re out,” she told her. “I don’t give a shit about that pass.”

She backed away, and Artemis set herself up by a speaker from which she could see most of the stage, and a large section of the arena, trying to make herself as small as possible. The noise from the crowds echoed through to her as Talbott Winger walked out onto the stage, and started to sing a selection of his new songs.

Listening to the music, far from the crowds, hidden from everyone except the taciturn bodyguard, Artemis finally felt almost free from the niggling feeling at the back of her mind, and the tightness in her abdomen that had lingered with her all day. But, now that she was becoming relaxed, she felt a strange pricking sensation at the backs of her eyes. She blinked, and focused her sight on the wings that were embroidered on the back of Talbott’s jacket, watching the way the stitches caught the spotlight.

A scuffling noise from behind her pulled her attention away from the stage, and she turned her face to see what was going on. By the doorway, Winger’s bodyguard was having a hissed conversation with another person with red hair.

Artemis’ stomach flipped as Charlie and the bodyguard looked pointedly in her direction, and the bodyguard reluctantly waved Charlie towards her.

“I thought you might be here,” he whispered as he approached her. Not wanting to look at him, she turned her face back to the stage without saying a word. “Is he any good?”

“He’s okay.”

“Right. And you, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Artemis lied. She could feel Charlie’s eyes boring into the back of her head, but she didn’t look back.

“Artemis.”

“Yeah?”

“Look, I’m really sorry,” Charlie said, his voice soft. “I let you down earlier, I know. I’m sorry.”

Artemis said nothing. She had nothing to say. Charlie continued:

“I didn’t want to bail on you like that, I swear. And I’m sorry if you didn’t think the meeting went well. I’m sure it went better than you think.”

“The meeting went fine,” Artemis told him.

“Oh,” said Charlie, a note of surprise in his voice. “Oh, right. That’s good. I thought that maybe because you came back so upset that you might have… You know, it’s only natural that you’re nervous.”

“What?”

“About the display tomorrow. It’s a big deal, and a lot of pressure, I get it. It’s no wonder you’re feeling-”

“I’m not nervous.”

“Right. Yeah,” behind her, Artemis heard Charlie sigh before he started whispering again. “Well, about your cousin and the rest of your family, I’m sure they’ll be so happy to see you. You don’t have to be worried about this barbecue-”

“I’m not worried about the fucking barbecue, Charlie.”

Artemis hadn’t meant to raise her voice at all, but she heard Talbott’s bodyguard clear her throat, and turned to see her glaring at her. Charlie must have seen the threatening look in the woman’s eyes too, because he placed his hand on Artemis’ elbow and pulled her backwards, away from the stage and deeper into the wings.

“Alright. So what’s up?” he asked. They were standing face to face now, so Artemis couldn’t avoid eye contact. She shrugged, and shook her head. Charlie tilted his own. “Obviously something’s bothering you, the way you went off on one at Ethan and went AWOL all day. What’s the matter?”

Artemis closed her eyes and inhaled.

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I just… I really don’t know.”

“That makes it harder to find a way to help,” Charlie replied. Artemis opened her eyes and nodded slowly.

“Yeah. That’s the problem.”

Charlie frowned, silently thinking for a few moments.

“Have you eaten today?” he asked, eventually. Artemis blinked, staring at him incredulously, and he shrugged. “What?”

“For fuck’s sake, Charlie. I’m not just fucking hungry.”

“I just thought that maybe… I don’t know. Never mind.”

Artemis watched Charlie’s eyebrows furrow even deeper.

“You genuinely don’t know what to do now, do you?” she asked him, and he shook his head. In spite of herself, Artemis laughed, placing her hand over her face and lowering her gaze to the ground. She sighed. “I can’t believe that’s really your solution for everything.”

“In my defence, it usually works,” Charlie smiled sheepishly. “You know, I think you’re probably just more stressed about tomorrow night than you realise. It’s a massive gig, after all.”

Artemis frowned. She didn’t think that was it at all, but she nodded anyway. “Maybe. I dunno.”

“I bet you that’s what it is,” Charlie leant back against the speaker they were now standing behind. “Trust me, I know. I had my first solo run as a pyro on the Pyramid Stage.”

“You did?”

Charlie nodded, and Artemis turned to lean against the speaker next to him, tilting her head expectantly.

“Six years ago. Same year Equinox made their debut at the festival. I was shitting it,” he looked at Artemis out of the corner of his eye. “What are you grinning about?”

“Oh, nothing,” said Artemis. She hadn’t even realised that she had started smiling. “Sorry. Just… That was the summer I came to Glastonbury, just before I started training as a pyro. That’s all.”

“You were here?”

“Technically, I was out there,” she gestured in the direction of the arena, “but yeah. I would have seen your effects. I saw the band’s set, too. It was brilliant. Was a fan of Equinox from there on in.”

“Who would have thought that from the way you were when you first met them in person?” Charlie muttered, with a smirk. “What about my pyros? Did you like those, too?”

“Well, I decided to train as a pyrotechnician after watching them, so…”

“Really? I’m flattered.”

“Don’t be. I saw them and thought that I could do a much better job than that.”

Artemis raised her eyebrows at Charlie, who laughed and shook his head.

“I’d take offence, but it’s true,” he said. “You definitely could. And you will. So you don’t need to be all aggy, alright?”

“Alright.”

“No more shouting at Ethan or calling him a… see you next Tuesday?”

Artemis couldn’t help but laugh at that, but she nodded, “I’ll try.”

“Good enough for me,” Charlie smiled, and stood up straight. “Come on. Shall we go back and see the others before we have to be here to do actual work?”

“I was listening to the music,” Artemis said. Charlie looked in the direction of the exit with a hesitant expression on his face. Artemis tilted her head at him, her eyes wide.  “We were always going to come and watch Winger. And the set’s nearly over, there can only be a couple of songs left.”

Charlie sighed and nodded, and they both walked back around the right hand side of the speaker to where Artemis had been standing watching before. She got as close to the stage as she could without physically standing on it, and Charlie stood slightly behind her, the left side of his chest just touching her right shoulder blade.

It turned out that there was only one song left, and to perform it, Talbott Winger had picked up a semi-acoustic guitar. He plucked a few strings, checking the amplification, before speaking into the microphone.

“This is a song you might know,” he said, and his eyes flicked momentarily to the side of the stage where his red-haired bodyguard was watching, her arms folded across her chest, her face unreadable. “It’s a very special one to me.”

He looked down at his guitar and started to play a set of chords. Artemis smiled, and turned her head to the right.

“Told you we should stay until the end,” she whispered over her shoulder. “This is a great song.”

“I don’t think I know it,” Charlie replied, his voice equally low.

“You do. Everyone knows this song.”

As the intro finished, Artemis turned her face back to the stage. The sweetly melancholic tune had started to give her a very strange sensation, one that she couldn’t place, and the feeling only grew as Winger lifted his gaze from his guitar to sing into the microphone.

“For you, there'll be no more crying.”

All day, she had felt like she was about to cry, and now she was fighting back the tears once more. Don’t cry, she told herself. And she didn’t cry.

“For you, the sun will be shining.”

The sun was setting over the hills in the horizon, and in front of the Pyramid Stage a thousand people were waving lighters above their heads, the tiny flickering dots of light dancing in the dusk like fireflies.

“And I feel that when I'm with you…”

And here she was, with Charlie, again. But why did her feet want to carry her far, far away from him?

“…It's alright, I know it's right.”

She didn’t feel alright. She didn’t feel at all right, she felt… wrong. This was all wrong. She shook her head, trying to clear it of thoughts.

“To you, I'll give the world.”

Her head started to spin, though she stood stock still. Perhaps it wasn’t her head spinning, she wondered, vaguely. Perhaps her head was still, and she was feeling the world turning on its own axis, switching days into nights and nights into days as it rotated. It never stopped. She wished it would stop. It was making her dizzy.

“To you, I'll never be cold…”

She’d always been a cold-hearted bitch. She knew that. For fuck’s sake, she’d been told that. But recently, she’d felt the ice around her chest start to melt, and now she realised it had gone too far, that her heart was so warm it was burning, like something inside her had ignited in her very core. She barely dared to breathe.

“…'Cause I feel that when I'm with you. It's alright.”

Now she could feel the fire inside her heating her whole being, the warmth spreading through every inch of her, from her heart to her lungs, through her diaphragm, up to her collarbone, through the pit of her stomach, in her throat, in her groin, her mouth, her knees, head, feet, hands. The roots of her hair felt as if they were being lifted with it, and she could feel her fingertips tingling.

“I know it's right.”

And Charlie was still standing to her right, and she could feel him, too, and she didn’t know if he could tell what was going on inside of her. Did he know about the fire that was currently blazing, lighting her up, making her feel as if she were about to explode? She wanted the feeling to stop, but she couldn’t make it stop…

“And the songbirds are singing…”

…because the song on the stage was playing through the speakers just behind where she stood, and its lyrics were branding themselves on her brain; she couldn’t stop thinking about the music, and the quick beat of her heart, and the fact that she wanted to run, but somehow she knew that her feet wouldn’t carry her, even if she did manage to get past Charlie.

Charlie…

And just like that, the fire was extinguished, and the burning heat was replaced by an icy chill that sent a shiver all the way up her spine.

“…like they know the score.”

Oh, no.

“And I love you.”

No.

“I love you.”

No.

“I love you…”

Her heart dropped like a stone.

“…like never before.”

Never before had Artemis wanted so much to… Never before had she wanted so much, and yet, so little, all at once.

The soft guitar melody started to play the instrumental section, the gentle tune drifting through the air, wordlessly. Finally, the lyrics had stopped, and now that they had, Artemis couldn’t help but miss them. Her own thoughts were flying around her mind, too fast to catch hold of. And Charlie’s hand was so close to her own, and she couldn’t take hold of that, either. She couldn’t. But she wanted to. God, she wanted to.

“And I wish you all the love in the world…”

She did. She really did.

“…but most of all, I wish it from myself.”

But that was the problem, wasn’t it? She wasn’t the one who could reach out, touch him, love him, even.

“And the songbirds keep singing like they know the score.”

This was it. This was what she’d been trying to ignore all day. Maybe longer. How long had this feeling been there, stirring like a bird on a branch, just waiting to take flight? She didn’t know. All she knew for a fact was-

“And I love you.”

Fuck.

“I love you, I love you…”

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Like never before.”

Before she had thought her heart was racing, but that was nothing compared to now.

“Like never before.”

Before she couldn’t bring herself to breathe, and now she wasn’t sure if she even was able to breathe.

“Like never before.”

That was it. The song had ended. The crowd was cheering, clapping, roaring, and Artemis was soaring, and falling, both at the same time. She was weightless, and she was heavy, and she was whole, and broken, and tired, and yet she was alive, so very alive.

“We should go back.”

The sound of Charlie’s voice snapped Artemis back to where she stood to the left of him. She trembled at the feeling of his breath on the nape of her neck as he whispered in her ear.

Charlie must have mistaken her silence for her not having heard him, because he repeated himself, “Artemis? We really have to-”

“I know,” Artemis said, somehow. She was surprised by her own ability to speak; her throat was so dry that she hadn’t thought she’d be able to make a sound. Yet, her voice sounded distant and unfamiliar to her ears, with a hollow quality that she hated.

Her heart heavy in her chest, she closed her eyes and drew a shaky breath. When she opened them, the bright shine of the spotlights from the other side of the stage stung the backs of her eyes and made fuzzy white spots appear in her vision. Still, she kept looking at them as she brought herself to speak once more.

“Ava will be wondering where you are.”

[lacrimosathedark]

Who'd like some good old fashioned name analysis?

Okay, so, I been doing so much research for Resident Evil stuff and learning shit about fairy tales and timelines and genome editing and searching for impossible Romanian poetry I got overwhelmed and went, fuck it. Why not just look at their names? Maybe I'll learn something there.

So, here I have done it. Name meanings for characters of the Mold Saga so far aka 7 and 8 aka Biohazard and Village.

(Sorry I'm on mobile I'll put a cut here when I can)

Ethan: Firm, enduring, strong, impetuous, long-lived. An incredibly consistently common and popular name. E name just like Eveline, so could be a successor of sorts to the mold.

Mia: Derivative of numerous other names of many possibilities. Mia as a word means “mine” in Italian and Spanish. Mamma Mia is a well known Italian phrase, particularly due to the ABBA song and musical of the same name, and it being the catchphrase of the Nintendo character Mario. The phrase means “my mom”.

Winters: First and last season of the year where everything becomes dormant and cold and either dies or sleeps.

Eveline: Contains “Eve”, as in both the biblical first woman. Also means a night before an event, and the game takes place in the span of one night. The name Eve means “ life”, “living one”, “mother of life”, or “giver of life”. Another possible name origin is as a variant of Aveline, which is a diminutive of Ava, which is the same pronunciation as the name Eva as pronounced in Village.

Baker: Occupational surname. In older times consider an upper-middle class job, much like the family. Also adds the emphasis of the “food” and also how they essentially make more molded.

Jack: God is gracious, supplanter. A nickname for John and other related names, but also a name in itself. It is also a word with a couple meanings, including a heavy lifting tool, to steal something, to take control of something, or an everyman.

Margueritte: Pearl. French name for ox-eyed daisy. Derived from Margaret. Sounds like maggot.

Lucas: Light. Derived from Lucius which means “the bright one” or “the one born at dawn”. Luke is also an Apostle of Jesus and was a physician.

Zoe: Life. Came from the name Eve. Fitting as Zoe was practically pushed out of the family after Eveline’s arrival, replaced as the daughter of the family.

Joe: He will add. Was added as DLC. Short for Joseph. Joseph is the name of multiple biblical figures. One is a child of Jacob and Rachel and Jacob’s favorite son in Genesis (note: Jack is a nickname for Jacob) who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, but rose to become vizier, the most powerful position nest to the Pharoah, and forgave his family and brought them to Egypt. One is the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who loved and raised a child he knew was not his against social norms. Another is a disciple known as Joseph of Arimathea who notably took Jesus down from the cross for his burial and testified when he revived and was gone. 

Rosemary: Dew of the sea. Combination of Rose and Mary or the plant rosemary. Roses as a plant vary in meaning depending on color. Mary and its variations have many differing meanings, among them being, “beloved”, “love”, “bitter”, “rebellious”, “wished-for child”, and “drop of the sea”. There are also the allusions to Mary, mother of Jesus as she is sometimes worshipped with roses, and you say Hail Marys on your rosary which is only two letters from her name. In regards to the plant, it is relatively resistant to drought and cold, though some breeds are susceptible to frost and they don’t like too much water. They have fibrous roots, so they spread and fan out like we see with the mold. They thrive in more alkaline soils and seem to have been named by a taxonomist named Carl  Linnaeus. In stories, folklore, and tradition, the plants or flowers are often used for remembrance, specifically for the dead. It’s also been used as a spice and in medicine.

Miranda: Worthy of admiration. Latin in origin. Character in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and whether she is a strong female character or not is highly debated, as she frequently defies men like her father, but often when they expect and/or want her to. She is otherwise compassionate and naive. The titular character of a Polish novel in which everyone is a mage and Miranda is a medium connected to another character, Damayanti, who is portrayed as the ideal woman and has a romance with the male protagonist, yet sacrifices her body so her spirit can experience a higher state of consciousness. Miranda can contact her soul, and disappears when she dies. Miranda in the US refers to the required practice by police of reading suspects their rights before interrogation.

Eva: Latin form of “Eve” and meaning “life”, “mother of life”, or “giver of life”.

Duke: A ruler of a duchy. A title bestowed by royalty or passed through family, often given to royalty or nobility, but can be given to anyone. In France,  the peerage system was abolished in 1789 (vive la révolution), brought back in 1814, and finally perma-abolished in 1848. 

(Note: While the wife of a duke becomes a duchess, the husband of a duchess does not become a duke. At least, from what I gather. This shit is confusing.)

Alcina: Strong-willed. Greek origin. There are two operas using the same story about a sorceress named Alcina who lives on an island with her sister Morgana and seduces every knight who comes to the island, but turns them into plants, animals, or stones when she bores of them. When the source of her power is destroyed, she, her sister, and their palace crumble to dust. The Hungarian name for Alțâna, a commune in Sibiu County, Romania in the historical region of Transylvania.

Bela: Bela Lugosi was an actor who famously portrayed Dracula. His name is Hungarian and meant to be spelled Béla meaning “heart”, “insides”, or “intestines”, roughly translating to “having heart” or “having guts” in modern terminology, as in being brave. However it is considered a male name and as Bela is female there is also the possibility of the influence of the name Bella short an l, Bella an Italian name meaning “beautiful”.

Cassandra: The one who shines and excels over men. Name of a Trojan princess and priestess in Greek mythology. She was given her gift of prophecy by the god Apollo but, in most versions of the tale, he asks for sexual favors in return, and she initially agrees but then rejects him once she’s gotten her gift. In anger he cursed her to always tell true prophecies that no one would believe and was thus thought a madwoman. She served a temple of Athena, goddess of wisdom, handicraft, and warfare. When Cassandra was assaulted and possibly raped in Athena’s temple and dragged out while desperately clinging to Athena’s statue, Athena was so enraged by the damage done to her temple and/or her priestess that she enlisted the help of both Zeus and Poseiden to exact revenge on the Greeks for failing to punish the man who attacked Cassandra and caused the resulting damage. Zeus gave her one of his own bolts of lightning and she struck them down at sea. While Cassandra was never believed, she was always right.

Daniela: God is my judge. Feminine form of Daniel. Daniela is also a genus of moth with only one species in the genus, Daniela viridis. It is also another name for the Italian wine grape Prè blanc.

Dimitrescu: Child of Dimitri. -escu suffixes in Romanian are like -son suffixes in English, it derives from parentage (ex. Jackson is Jack’s son, Dimitrescu is Dimitri’s child). Dimitri means “devoted to Demeter”. Demeter is the Greek goddess of the harvest, agriculture, sacred law (i.e. cycle of life and death), fertility, and the earth. Like many Greek myths, she is repeatedly wronged, and rather severely, by multiple male figures. Demeter in particular is a mother who has her daughter Kore, later known as Persephone, stolen away from her and goes on a rampage searching for her and those responsible.

(Note: Considering the founders had these names it’s a bit dumb seeing as this trend of parentage -escu names supposedly came about mid 19th century (1800s for those who find that confusing cuz I do), long after the Village was founded)

Donna: Lady or lady of the home. Italian name and a title of respect. Derives from the Latin term Dominus. The Romanian form of the word (not the name) is Doamnã. The Atropa belladonna aka deadly nightshade have berries and foliage that contain tropane alkaloids including atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine which are extremely toxic and can cause hallucinations and delirium, but are also used in pharmaceutical anticholinergics. Throughout history people cluelessly used the berry juice as eye drops to cosmetically dilate their pupils, giving them a seductive doll-eyed appearance. Symptoms of belladonna poisoning are dilated pupils, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, tachycardia, loss of balance, staggering, headache, rash, flushing, severely dry mouth and throat, slurred speech, urinary retention, constipation, confusion, hallucinations, delirium, and convulsions. The plant's deadly symptoms are in atropine’s ability to disrupt the parasympathetic nervous system’s involuntary regulation like sweating, breathing, and heartbeat.

Angie: Diminutive of many names containing “angel”. Angels are messengers and warriors of Heaven, a realm souls go after death. Angel statues are also common grave markers. Children are also often told they have guardian angels, a being watching over them to protect them.

Claudia: No sure meaning has been found, but some think it comes from claudus, meaning “lame”, “limping”, or “crippled”, or clausus, which means “shut” or “closed”.

Beneviento: Good wind. Neapolitan spelling of Benevento, the name of both a province and its capital city, located in the Campania region of Italy.

Salvatore: Savior. Italian name. In the movie version (I specify as I have not read the book and the movie synopsis has more on the characters) of The Name of the Rose, the character Salvatore is hunch-backed and twisted, and has a history of not-really-acceptable religious beliefs. He was also tortured and falsely accused of witchcraft. He dies when a library is set on fire.

Moreau: Moorish, dark-skinned. French surname. Titular doctor in The Island of Doctor Moreau, in which said doctor performs disturbing and torturous experiments on people and animals, especially through vivisection, to make beastial humanoid creatures.

Karl: Free man, strong man, manly. Werner Karl Heisenberg was a German theoretical physicist who made notably important contributions to hydrodynamics, ferromagnetism, cosmic rays, and subatomic particles. Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, and socialist revolutionary who believed societies develop through class conflict, and in a capitalist society this is the “ruling” class (the bosses) having power over the working class. He believed people should have equal footing and should and would inevitably fight for it. Karl Jaspers was a German existentialist philosopher and psychiatrist. His humanist ideals had him dissatisfied with the medical community’s approach to mental health and worked to improve it, and philosophizing on it after.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: Since I’ve seen accusations of the RE character and his influences being so, I feel I must state it here. Karl Heisenberg is NOT a Nazi. Both Heisenberg and Jaspers lived through World War II and neither were Nazis. Jaspers was blackwalled because of his Jewish wife. Heisenberg was forcibly drafted into the Army Weapons Bureau, but pre-war he had been repeatedly slandered as a “white Jew” and his career held back, and post-war became more political, worked against traditional primacy in the education system, and actively protested the government considering equipping the army with American nuclear weapons. Capcom reps have also stated that Karl Heisenberg has nothing to do with Nazis.)

Heisenberg: Calling mountain (could not find a specific definition, “heisen” means “to call” and “berg” means “mountain or hill”). Reference to Werner Karl Heisenberg, (explained above). Likely unrelated, but another well-known (in the US at least) name thief of Heisenberg comes from the popular TV show Breaking Bad as the alias/street name for the main character Walter White who takes the name and starts selling drugs when he is unable to afford medical care for his in-need child, but grows more twisted throughout the series. Also place name.

Berengario: Italian form of Berengar, which is derived from Germanic root words meaning “bear” and “spear”.

Cesare: Italian form of the Latin word Caesar, which is an imperial title like an emperor or empress. The word Caesar itself may come from caesaries meaning “hairy”. 

Guglielmo: Italian form of the Germanic William, meaning “vehement protector” or “desired helmet”

Nichola: Anglicized form of the Greek Nikolaos meaning “victory of the people”. Also a variant of Nicholas (Considered a female variant but fuck gender roles and the description says he.). This character is also referred to as Father like a priest I looked into saints and while I found no notable Saint Nichola (meaning on Wikipedia) there are multiple Saint Nicholases, most notably Saint Nicholas of Myra, also known as the Wonderworker and the model of Santa Claus. Stories of him include gifting gold coins through a window of a home for three nights to prevent three girls from being forced into prostitution, calming a storm at sea, saving three soldiers from execution, and chopping down a possessed tree. More connected to where his treasure is found, there is also a tale of him resurrecting three children who had been murdered by a butcher who had had intended to sell their meat as “pork” during the famine.

*BONUS TIME*

By that I mean these are less important so I did slightly less research and/or didn’t  feel like typing all the research so there’s less info, but it’s still relevant, so here you go!

Chris: A rare name in its own right, often a shortened version of names like Christopher, meaning “Christ-bearer”, and Christian, as in the religion.

Redfield: Literally red field. Fitting for the trail of blood in his wake because have mercy on any of his enemies, but regrettably including many of his friends and allies (rip in peace Piers Nivans). 

Elena: Shining light. Greek origin.

Leonardo: Strong as a lion. Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese version of Leonard.

Lupu: Wolf. Romanian surname. Fitting as the surname of the man we saw become a lycan before our eyes. 

Luiza: Renowned warrior. Polish, Portuguese, and Romanian name.

Iulian: Romanian name from the Greek iulius meaning “youthful” or “juvenile”, or ioulos meaning “downy-bearded”.

Vasile: Romanian name from the Greek basileus meaning ”king”. Vasile Voiculescu wrote a poem called Schimnicul, The Recluse in English, about varcolacul.

(Note: For those who don’t recall or didn’t notice his name in Ethan’s diary, this is Luiza’s husband.)

Rolando: Famous throughout the land. Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese variant of Roland.

Elba: Spanish form of Alba, which can mean “dawn”, “white”, or “elf”, depending on origin.

Dion: Shorter form of Greek Dionysios meaning “of Zeus”.

Wilson: Lineage surname, “Will’s son”. Very common surname in English.

Charlie: A name in itself but often a nickname for names like Charles meaning “man” or “warrior”

Graham: Gravelly homestead. Habitational surname, apparently derived from Grantham in Lincolnshire, England.

John: God is gracious. The most common name ever with the most variations.

Perlman: Ashkenazi Jewish surname. Also literal, “perl” possibly meaning “pearl” thus being an occupational name, or Perl being a woman’s name making it mean “husband of Perl”.

Emily: Rival. Latin name. 

Berkoff: Could be Jewish, Dutch, or German surname. Definition not quite certain, but likely related to birch trees.

Josef: German, Czech, and Scandinavian version of Joseph.  

Simon: He has heard. From Hebrew Shim’on.

Roxana: Bright, dawn. Latin form of Greek Rhoxane and Persian Roshanak.

Anton: Priceless, praiseworthy, flower.

Sebastian: From the Latin name Sebastianus which meant “from Sebaste”. Sebaste is a town in Asia Minor and comes from the Greek word sebastos meaning “venerable”.

Eugen: Well-born.Romanian form of Eugene. From the Greek name Eugenios. 

(Note: This is the man who lived in the house with the red chimney.)

Ernest: Serious. Germanic name.

(Note: This man is noted to be missing in a letter to Luiza and his diary is found with the Cannibal’s Plunder in Otto’s Mill.)

[manybcdthings]

Name: Ethan Jones

Age & Birthday: 56 years old, April 22nd

Gender/Pronouns: Cis Male He/Him

Species: Werewolf

Birthplace: Atlanta, GA

Established Member: Head of Transport

Positive Personality Traits: selfless, relaxed, responsive

Negative Personality Traits: stubborn, protective, distrusting

ABOUT

The Jones wolves were a part of the Cross pack for many generations, all born and raised in Atlanta. It didn't take long into Ethan's childhood for him to realize he hated everything about how the pack was run and most of all how members were treated. Still, there was safety in numbers and Ethan knew better than to rock the boat especially when he met Ava and went on to become a father to four children, JJ, Elijah and Tammie and Nora.

Ava's death while giving birth to their daughters was an Earth shattering grief for Ethan, and he has never been the same since. However, he soldiered through every ounce of the pain in order to provide and cherish the four children she blessed him with.

Twelve years ago, when The Cross pack was driven out of Atlanta and attacked by hunters and another pack, Ethan's brother Everett was killed. It was all too natural for Ethan to treat Hazel and Bodie as his own from that point on, extending his already existing love and protection to his two nieces.

The pack arrived in New York, relying on allies with the Rose wolves that subsequently welcomed them into The Syndicate. Despite being wary of the dangers it imposed, Ethan's observant and organized personality meant he was a natural at logistics and he later became a head of transport.

The Jones' also run and own the autobody shop, and Ethan can be found there most days. While he doesn't love that his children and nieces now work with The Syndicate themselves, he knows he'd be a hypocrite if he tried to prevent it. Ethan, instead, ensures to support them in all of their wishes and hopes he has taught them well enough when it comes to protecting themselves. As always, he's there for all of them at a drop of a hat and just because he's an old Southern gent doesn't mean his methods aren't too far off from using a shotgun or bat to protect his family.

[headoverheelsforramsey]

May I Have This Dance?

Book : Open Heart (set post book 3)

Pairing : Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Meera Bose)

Summary : Ethan's daughter has a request and he has no way other than fulfilling it.

Category : Fluff

Warnings : None

Rating : General

Word Count : 1481

A/N : Look who is back from the dead. 🙈 Honestly I am so excited to post a fic after literally ages! Anyways this is just some pure fluff which was in my drafts forever and I could not take the time out to sit and edit. But it is finally here. This fic introduces Ethan and Meera's daughter, Avantika or Ava for short and also features their son Ishaan who was first seen in this edit.

Happy Reading Guys! ❤️✨

"Mom, I need to talk to you!," Meera's 11 year old daughter, Ava said sitting down on the breakfast table. "Yes sweetie, go ahead," Meera said, putting slices of toast on her plate. 

"You know about the dance on Friday right? And how Jacob has asked me to it," Ava looked down as her cheeks turned red. Meera took a few minutes to recall what her daughter was saying. 

Being the inquisitive, talkative and outspoken child that Ava is, she chatters away all day and to remember something out of the innumerous things she says was quite the task. 

"Ahh yes darling, I do remember, we bought the dress last week, didn't we?" It finally strikes Meera as she puts down a glass of milk beside her plate. 

"Yes. But mom, it's not about the dress."

"Then what is it Ava?" Meera sits down facing her daughter. 

"I don't know how to dance." 

"Ahh what rubbish! You do know how to dance, sweetheart, you looked so gorgeous when you danced back in the play last year." 

"No mom, not that dance! Grownup dance. How you and daddy danced in your wedding photos and videos." 

"Ohh I see. Hmm I feel you need a little bit of assistance," Meera said in her most serious tone. 

"Yes mom, I want to dance like you. Will you teach me when you come home from work?" Ava's blue eyes lighting up with excitement. 

"Oh honey," Meera kneels beside her, taking her face in her hands. "I have so much work at the hospital today. I'll be stuck there all day! Why don't you ask daddy to teach you instead? He has the day off."

"You sure he'll teach me how to dance like you?" Ava questioned scrunching her nose, and doubting her dad's skill. 

"I promise. Well after all daddy dances well too," Meera  said, placing a kiss on Ava's cheek. 

"Kind of, but not better than you," Ava giggles and Meera shakes her head.

"Moooooom we are late," Meera's older son Ishaan rushed down the stairs. 

"How many times do I have to tell you to wake up on time? You are not leaving without breakfast, young man." 

The next fifteen minutes passed away in a frenzy, as the three of them bustled about the house getting ready for school. Meera waved goodbye to the kids and kissed their foreheads for good luck. Ishaan scoffed but Ava went in for a hug. 

As soon as the kids left, Meera took a moment to herself, she let out a long sigh steading her mind and body.

"Damn being a mother was tough," she thought to herself, "but it was so rewarding." She picked up the family picture Ava had drawn from the coffee table and looked at it wistfully. 

Glancing at the clock Meera realised how late she was. She finished the rest of her coffee and got dressed to get to work. She woke Ethan up with a kiss, "Good morning handsome." 

"Good morning, Rookie," Ethan smiled. 

"How was the shift last night?" 

"Good and calm. Nothing interesting happened. You are off to the hospital, aren't you?" 

"Yes," Meera pressed her lips to his. "Goodbye Ethan," Meera said, getting up. 

Ethan clutched her arm, "stay please, Rookie," he said brushing away the loose strands of hair and kissing her once again. 

"It's been sixteen years Ethan and yet your reaction remains the same every time we have to work different shifts," Meera laughs, tracing her husband's features with her thumb. 

"It might become sixty years, yet it'll keep being the same." 

"So cheesy Ramsey," Meera said, making both of them laugh aloud. "I gotta go, you go ahead and get the much deserved rest, okay?" She pulled Ethan into a final kiss before getting up. 

"Text me when you reach?" 

"You got it boss," Meera does a little salute before heading out. 

Ethan sat on the couch with a book in his hand when his daughter walked into the living room. "Dad, I need a little help." 

"Yes baby, what's up?" Ethan said, promptly putting down his book and giving his undivided attention to Ava. 

"You know about the dance on Friday?" Ava continued to inform her dad about the grim problem she was facing at the moment. 

"Hmm that's a serious problem, I see," Ethan nodded in agreement. 

"So you'll teach me how to dance like mommy?" Ava's eyes glittering like the stars of the night. 

This made Ava smile and Ethan swore she had the same infectious smile like her mother. 

Ethan let out a laugh, "see mommy is the best in business, I am nowhere near her, but I'll try my best."

Ethan got down on one knee to get to Ava's height. "May I have this dance, Miss Ramsey?" he said, his blue eyes meeting the ones of his daughter. 

Meera came home after a busy day at the hospital, still on the phone with Dr. Rosario. She walked into the kitchen and got herself a glass of water. "I completely understand doctor. Let's continue the treatment and we'll circle back in three days?" 

Meera emptied the glass waiting for the response from the other side. "Yes, sure I'll keep you posted," she said and ended the call. 

Massaging her temples she put her phone down, the sudden silence of her home contrasted to the entirely chaotic day she had at the hospital. 

Moments later she heard one of Ethan's favourite classic waltz music from somewhere in the house. Meera couldn't help but follow it. 

What she saw through the little gap in the living room door overwhelmed her heart. Her husband and daughter : dancing. Ethan sure was having trouble crouching down to Ava's level but he didn't leave her hand. 

Tears formed in Meera's eyes as she saw them slow dancing and swaying to the music. Ava looking up to Ethan's tall figure with complete adoration and admiration in her eyes and Ethan looking into her mini version with so much love and warmth. Their orbs sharing the same hue of blue. 

She brought out her phone and captured this priceless moment. Ishaan walked into the room,"mom you are home." He hugged Meera from the back. 

"Shhh, look at them," Meera said in a low voice. "Oh my god, I swear I have never seen Ava so stressed about a school event," Ishaan giggled. 

Meera's eyes gleamed with mischief, "what do you say, we go in there and show them who the better dancing duo in the house is?" 

"Yes! That's going to be so cool" 

"So may I have this dance Mr. Ramsey?" Meera said, taking his hands in hers.  

"You got it."

As the music started building up towards a crescendo, Meera entered with her dance partner. As someone who takes dance classes, Ishaan danced impeccably compared to any other fourteen year old. They did a series of complicated steps, and twirls, and finally ended with a dip. 

As the music ended, the mother-son duo gave a dramatic bow, to Ethan's applause. Ava was not particularly pleased. 

"That's not fair mom. It's me who needs help and you are here showing off your moves with Ishaan!" 

"Listen little sis, see I told you are adopted, dance clearly runs in the fam." 

"Hey, hey that's enough banter for today," Ethan stepped in between the siblings. 

"Yes. Since I am here now you don't need to worry, get hold of your dance partner and follow my lead." Meera said, making the face of her daughter light up. 

"But before that I am very hungry," Ishaan declared, flopping down on the couch. 

"Ohh me too," Meera followed suit. 

"Me three," Ava joined in. The three of them looked at the head of the family. 

Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose, "I swear you all have inherited this from your mother. And I haven't been able to say no to that face for the past twenty years." 

"That's 'I am calling for pizza right about now' in dad's language," Ishaan smirked. 

The next few hours are spent blissfully as the Ramsey family continues dancing for the rest of the night.  

Later much into the night Meera comes out from the shower to find her shirtless husband sipping champagne on the bed. 

"Holy Moly," her jaw dropped on the ground. "You like this, Rookie?" Ethan said, handing her a flute of champagne. 

 "You bet I do," Meera smiled. "But are you asking me to drink on a work night? What has happened to you Ramsey?" 

"One flute won't hurt," Ethan got up and played yet another classical waltz from his phone. "So, may I have this dance, Dr. Ramsey-Bose?"

"Now? In a bathrobe?" Meera questioned. 

"Yes to now, no to bathrobe," Ethan cleverly twirled his wife out of the robe as the music mixed with Meera's infectious laugh filled the bedroom.  

Thank you so much if you have read till here, it means the world to me. Hope to see you go on other different adventures with me, Ethan and Meera, till then sending love and hugs your way! ❤️

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[anotheronechicagobog]

I think this season of Chicago Med has been good. I do miss Natalie and April, but I like the new doctors they brought in. They are giving really good friendships between all the characters and nice storyline. Some people do not like Crockett storyline this season, but others do. And the only comment I would make is for Ethan Choi to come back full time. I think you should watch this season or at least the first few episodes

Hey, sorry it took me so long to reply, life has been sucking much more than usual for me lately. Anyway, Med started going downhill for me when Reese left and I stopped watching completely after Ava's exit. I just find that the writing on all three shows has been steadily declining for years, and Med has always had the worst writing.

The writers rarely put in funny moments, they've minimized familial and platonic relationships in favour of maximizing romantic/sexual relationships (that are often toxic), and they've clearly forgotten what 'character development' actually means (especially when it comes to women, WOC, and POC).

Honestly, it just got too exhausting for me to watch. It felt more like a chore than something to be enjoyed. For everyone who still loves and watches Med, yay! Great, good for you. I'm happy that you enjoy it. I just can't do it anymore.