#Family Picture Studio Aurora

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[emjayewrites]

Private Landing (Lewis Hamilton) (12/15) - Part I

SUMMARY: In the high-speed world of Formula One, Lewis Hamilton subtly introduces a mysterious partner via Instagram after a slight mishap during an interview. Sparking media intrigue, everyone wants to know: who is the enigmatic figure that calls herself Mrs. Hamilton?

INSPO: this post

PAIRINGS: Sir Lewis Hamilton x Aurora "Rorie" Phillips-Hamilton (faceclaim is Justine Skye)

WARNINGS: drama, angst, sexual content, formula one b.s., pre-established relationship (with flashbacks). RATED M (18+)

TAGLIST: @queenshikongo3 @cocobutterqwueen @mauvecherie-writes @a-moment-captured @yeea-nah @lovebittenbyevans @alika-4466 @saintslewis @cherry2stems @liamundi @trinitoldyouso @scorpiobleue @certifiedlesbianbaddie @httpsserene @motheroffae @perfecttrashface @xoscar03 @saturnville @weetjy @pinkcatcus @lewlewlemon44 @cranberryjulce @chaoticcoffeequeen @vile-harlot @periodjosh @melanin-queen369 @destinyg237 @niahxo @purplelewlew @queenshikongo3

A/N: Please let me know if you want to be added/removed from the taglist. The headers/dividers are by @inklore

The flash of cameras filled the studio, each click capturing a moment in time. Lewis stood before the backdrop, his posture relaxed yet commanding, the very essence of the man GQ had dubbed a "global creative force."

"That's it, Lewis! Give us that winning smile," the photographer called out, and Lewis obliged, though his mind was miles away.

As he shifted poses, he couldn't help but think of Rorie. Her decision to step back from social media had been a breath of fresh air for both of them, even if it meant she was juggling her sponsorship duties more carefully. But lately, with Martin's increased attempts at contact and the whole Athena situation, he'd noticed a familiar tension creeping back into her shoulders.

"Alright, let's take five," the photographer announced, and Lewis gratefully stepped away from the lights.

He fished out his phone, smiling at the lock screen - a candid shot of Rorie and Lyric laughing at a beach in Brazil. No new messages. He debated calling her but decided against it. She was probably in the middle of her individual therapy session.

Their decision to return to both individual and couples therapy had been mutual. After Bahrain and the whirlwind that was Saudi Arabia, they'd both felt the need for a neutral space to unpack everything. The races so far had been a mixed bag - P7 in Bahrain, and a frustrating P9 in Jeddah. But it was the off-track drama that was really taking its toll.

"Alright, Lewis, let's try something a bit more serious for this shot," the photographer instructed, and Lewis complied. His brow furrowed naturally as he considered the complexity of their current situation.

The lawsuit with Deja...and Martin.

The man was persistent, he'd give him that, but after years of absence, what right did Martin have to suddenly play the doting father? And now, with Athena in the picture, it all felt like some elaborately orchestrated play.

"Perfect! That's the look we want," the photographer exclaimed, clearly misinterpreting Lewis's brooding expression as artistic intensity.

As the shoot continued, Lewis found himself longing for the simplicity of the racetrack. There, at least, he knew the rules, understood the game. Off-track, in the messy world of family drama and public scrutiny, the lines were far less clear.

His phone buzzed in his pocket - a text from Rorie:

"Session went well. Lot to talk about. See you at couples therapy later?"

A smile tugged at his lips as he quickly typed back:

"Wouldn't miss it. Love you."

As he pocketed his phone and returned to the shoot, Lewis felt a renewed sense of determination. It was going to be one hell of a season, both on and off the track. But then again, when had they ever done things the easy way?

________________________________________________

Lewis hurried into the modern building in central London, its glass facade reflecting the bustling city around it. He took the elevator to the fifth floor, tapping his foot impatiently as it ascended. The corridor was sleek and minimalist, leading to a door marked - Dr. James Bokinni and Dr. Alisha Williams - Family Therapy.

He pushed open the door, immediately spotting Rorie on the plush sofa. Dr. Alisha and Dr. James, the husband-wife team that had been guiding them through their individual and couples therapy, looked up with welcoming smiles.

"Sorry I'm late," Lewis said, slightly out of breath. He crossed the room, bending down to kiss Rorie on the lips. "Traffic was a nightmare. How's Lyric? Everything okay with my mum and Nina?"

Rorie squeezed his hand reassuringly. "He's fine, babe. Your mum said he went down for his nap without a fuss. Nina's got everything under control."

Dr. Alisha, her American accent a stark contrast to her husband's British tones, gestured for Lewis to take a seat. "No worries, Lewis. We were just catching up. Shall we begin?"

As Lewis settled in next to Rorie, he took in the familiar surroundings. The office was a blend of professional and homey, with warm colors and comfortable furnishings that put them at ease. Photos of their doctors' travels adorned the walls, a subtle reminder of their own cross-cultural relationship.

"So," Dr. James began, his deep voice carrying a hint of amusement, "it seems like you've had quite an eventful few months since our last session. Where would you like to start?"

Lewis and Rorie exchanged glances. There was so much to unpack - Martin's increased attempts at contact, the sudden appearance of Athena, the ongoing stress of the lawsuit against The Sun and Deja, not to mention their plans to try IVF again.

Rorie took a deep breath. "I guess we should start with the Athena situation. It's... complicated things with Martin."

Lewis nodded, adding, "And it's not just that. It's the timing of it all, you know? With the lawsuit and everything else going on..."

Dr. Alisha leaned forward, her expression thoughtful. "It sounds like you're feeling overwhelmed by all these sudden changes. Let's break it down, piece by piece. Rorie, how are you feeling about Athena's appearance in your life?"

Rorie took a deep breath, her fingers intertwining with Lewis's for support. "Honestly? It's a whirlwind of emotions. On one hand, I'm curious. There's a part of me that wants to know my siblings, to understand that side of my family. But on the other hand, it feels... I don't know, calculated?"

Dr. James nodded, his pen moving across his notepad. "And Lewis, how do you feel about this situation?"

Lewis shifted in his seat. "I'm worried about Rorie. I want to support her, but I can't shake this feeling that there's more to it than just a coincidental meeting. With the lawsuit and Martin suddenly pushing for contact, it all feels like too much at once."

Dr. Alisha leaned back, her gaze moving between the couple. "It's natural to feel overwhelmed and suspicious given the circumstances. Let's talk about boundaries. Have you discussed how you want to proceed with Athena and Martin?"

Rorie shook her head. "We've talked about it, but we haven't really come to a decision. I'm torn between my curiosity and my need to protect our family."

"And the lawsuit," Lewis added. "We can't ignore the fact that any new relationship could potentially complicate things legally."

Dr. James nodded. "That's a valid concern. How do you both feel about seeking legal advice before making any decisions about contact with Athena or Martin?"

The conversation flowed, touching on the complexities of family dynamics, trust issues, and the stress of public scrutiny. As they delved into the topic of trying IVF again, both Lewis and Rorie's voices softened.

"It feels like we're juggling so much," Rorie admitted.

Lewis squeezed her hand. "But it's also something we both want. We can't put our lives on hold because of external pressures."

Dr. Alisha smiled gently. "It sounds like you both have a lot to consider. Remember, there's no rush to make decisions on any of these fronts. Take the time you need to process and communicate with each other."

As the session wound down, Lewis and Rorie felt a mix of exhaustion and relief. They had a long road ahead, but they were facing it together.

"Before we end," Dr. James said, "I want you both to remember something. Despite all these challenges, you're here, working together. That's a strength not every couple has."

Rorie's mind still reeling from the therapy sessions. The individual session had been intense, digging deep into her feelings about Martin, Athena, and the constant pressure of public life. Dr. Alisha had helped her unpack some of the complex emotions swirling around her newfound family, but Rorie still felt unsettled.

The couples therapy had been different - a united front with Lewis, tackling their challenges together. It was comforting, knowing they were on the same page about most things. The IVF discussion had been particularly emotional, but Rorie felt a renewed sense of hope about their future.

The days in London with Lewis's family had been a welcome distraction. Watching Lyric play with his cousins, carefree and giggling, had reminded Rorie of what really mattered.

Now, in Sydney for the Australian Grand Prix, Rorie found herself sitting outside the bathroom door, scrolling through emails while Lyric insisted on "privacy" for his potty time.

"You all done in there, baby?" Rorie called out, peeking her head around the door.

"No, Mama!" came Lyric's determined little voice.

Rorie chuckled, settling back to wait. Suddenly, the hotel room door opened, and Lewis walked in with Spinz and Miles.

Miles grinned at the sight of Rorie camped outside the bathroom. "What's going on here?" Before Rorie could answer, they heard a flush. Miles's smile widened knowingly. "Little man using the potty?"

The bathroom door swung open, revealing a proud Lyric. "Me big," he declared, pulling up his pants.

"Oh wow…sorry, big man," Miles laughed, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

"Uh…wash your hands, Mr. Big Man," Rorie reminded, pointing to the bathroom sink.

Lyric climbed his little stairs, enthusiastically "washing" his hands - which mostly involved playing with soap and water.

Spinz shook his head, amused. "He needs to stop growing."

Lewis chuckled, peeking into the bathroom to check Lyric's handiwork. His eyes widened slightly as he took in the scene. The toilet seat was adorned with a scattering of tiny droplets, evidence of Lyric's still-developing aim, and a small puddle had formed on the floor in front of the toilet. It was clear their little boy had given it his best effort, but precision was still a work in progress.

"Oh my goodness, this is going to be a thing, huh?" Rorie joked, grabbing a Clorox wipe to clean the seat and floor.

"Yeah…boys do that," Lewis admitted. "But at least he used it the correct way this time."

"True," Rorie nodded. "Should we put Cheerios or something in the bowl - to help with his aim?"

Lewis looked perplexed. "Cheerios? That's what you have to use?"

"Or one of those pee-pee buddies I saw on Amazon." Lewis gave her an incredulous look. "What?" Rorie chuckled. "Didn't you read that potty training book I sent you?"

"No…between the photoshoot and race stuff, I didn't have time to look it over. But I don't think Cheerios is a good pick; you know he loves them. What if he eats them out of the toilet?"

Rorie scoffed. "Our child is smart enough to not eat some nasty Cheerios out of the toilet."

"But our other child still drinks water there from time to time," Lewis said, obviously referring to Roscoe.

"Ugh, don't remind me." Rorie's eyes cut to Lyric, still playing in the sink. "Can you handle that please?"

Lewis nodded, eyebrows knitting together as he realized what a mess his son was making. He sighed, rolling up his sleeves as he approached the sink. Lyric had managed to create a miniature water park, with soap suds covering most of the counter and water splashed up the mirror. The boy himself was soaked from chest to knees, his shirt clinging to his little body.

"Alright, big man," Lewis said, grabbing a towel. "Let's get you dried off."

As Lewis dealt with the bathroom situation, Rorie made her way to the kitchenette, washing her hands at the sink there. Miles leaned against the counter, a bemused expression on his face.

"So," Rorie started, glancing at Miles. "How are things with you and KiKi?"

Miles nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "Yeah, we're getting there. It's not easy with our schedules, but she's been making an effort to come to some of my Olympic trials."

Rorie raised an eyebrow. "That's great, Miles. I'm glad she's showing up for you."

"Me too," Miles agreed. "It means a lot, you know? Seeing her in the stands, knowing she's there to support me."

Their conversation drifted to other topics - Miles' training regimen, Rorie's latest projects, the upcoming race. The comfortable banter was a welcome distraction from the chaos of the past few weeks.

A few minutes later, Lewis emerged from the bathroom with a freshly dried and changed Lyric.

Lyric's face lit up at the sight of Miles and Spinz. He toddled over, his little hand raised for a high five. "Up top, big man!" Miles grinned, meeting Lyric's hand with his own.

Spinz crouched down to Lyric's level. "Looking fresh, little dude. Give me some love," he said, holding out his fist.

Lyric, with all the seriousness a toddler could muster, bumped his tiny fist against Spinz's. The adults couldn't help but laugh at the adorable display.

As Lyric basked in the attention of his uncles, Rorie caught Lewis's eye. They shared a smile, a silent acknowledgment of the joy these moments brought amidst the whirlwind of their lives. Despite the challenges they faced, moments like these - surrounded by love and laughter - made it all worthwhile.

Lewis stepped out of the car, carefully unbuckling Lyric from his car seat, and settling him on the ground before they made their way towards the paddock, the familiar buzz of media day already in full swing.

"Alright, big man," Lewis said, settling Lyric on his hip. "Ready to see Daddy's work?"

Lyric nodded enthusiastically, his braids - a miniature version of Lewis's own - bouncing with the movement. Lewis couldn't help but smile at the sight. They were quite the pair today, both sporting Tommy Hilfiger-designed Mercedes team shirts and jeans. Even Lyric's tiny feet were encased in toddler-sized Timberlands, a near-perfect match to Lewis's.

As they walked, Lewis found his mind drifting to the therapy sessions back in London. The weight of everything - Martin, Athena, the lawsuit, their IVF plans - still pressed on him, but he felt more equipped to handle it all. Talking things through with Rorie and their therapists had been cathartic, reminding him of the strength they had as a couple.

"Dada, fast car?" Lyric asked, pointing towards the garage area.

Lewis chuckled. "That's right, buddy. We'll see the fast cars soon."

He savored these moments with Lyric; and treasured this one-on-one time with his son. It was so different from his own upbringing. Where his father had been stern and focused solely on racing, Lewis made a conscious effort to be open, to show Lyric that it was okay to have feelings, to be himself.

"You know, Lyric," Lewis said softly, "it's okay if you don't want to dress like Daddy all the time. You can wear whatever makes you happy."

Lyric looked at him, brown eyes wide with toddler seriousness. "Like Dada," he said firmly, tugging at his shirt that matched Lewis's.

Lewis laughed, pressing a kiss to Lyric's forehead. "Alright, big man. Like Dada it is."

As they approached the Mercedes garage, team members called out greetings, many stopping to coo over Lyric. The toddler basked in the attention, his shy smile growing more confident with each interaction.

"Lewis!" a familiar voice called out. Toto approached, a warm smile on his face. "And look who we have here. Hello, Lyric!"

"Toto!" Lyric exclaimed, reaching out his little fist for a bump, which Toto happily obliged.

As they chatted, Lewis felt a surge of pride. This was his world, and being able to share it with Lyric, to show him that success could come in many forms, meant everything to him.

"Dada race?" Lyric asked, pointing at the car being wheeled into the garage.

"Not today, buddy," Lewis explained patiently. "Today we talk to people about racing. But soon, yeah?"

Lyric nodded, seemingly satisfied with the explanation. As they continued their tour of the paddock, Lewis answering Lyric's constant stream of questions as best he could, he realized something profound. In teaching his son about the world, about racing, about life, he was learning too. Learning to see things through fresh eyes, to appreciate the small moments, to balance his passion for racing with his love for his family. It wasn't always easy, juggling fatherhood with his career and the constant pressure of public life. But moments like these, with Lyric's little hand in his, matching outfits and all, made every challenge worth it.

As they rounded the corner near the Communications building, Lyric suddenly perked up, his eyes lighting with recognition. There, zipping along on her scooter, was Kevin Magnussen's daughter, Laura.

"L'waura!" Lyric shouted, his little legs carrying him forward before Lewis could react. Arms outstretched, the toddler made a beeline for his friend.

Lewis couldn't help but smile, remembering how Kevin had started bringing his kids to some of the races last year. Lyric and Laura had hit it off immediately, forming an adorable friendship that had become a source of both joy and mild embarrassment for their parents.

The Bahrain incident flashed through Lewis's mind - Lyric planting a kiss on Laura's cheek, a sweet gesture that had prompted a necessary but largely ignored conversation about boundaries and not kissing other kids without permission.

As if on cue, history repeated itself. Before Lewis could intervene, Lyric had reached Laura and planted another kiss on her cheek.

"Lyric! Big man, please don't do that!" Lewis called out, jogging towards the children. He shot an apologetic look at Kevin, who was watching the scene unfold with amusement.

Kevin chuckled, shaking his head. "Every time, Hamilton."

"I know, it's becoming a recurring thing. Sorry, man," Lewis said, reaching the kids.

Lyric and Laura looked up at their parents, their faces beaming with innocent joy.

"Lyric's my boyfriend," Laura announced proudly, her three-year-old vocabulary tackling the concept with endearing simplicity.

Lewis and Kevin exchanged shocked glances, both fathers clearly unprepared for this development.

"Sweetheart, what are you talking about 'boyfriend'? We agreed no boyfriends until you're fifty," Kevin said, his tone a mix of jest and genuine concern.

"But he's nice," Laura insisted. "He gave me a cookie!"

"Here, L'waura," Lyric chimed in, digging into his pocket and producing a fidget spinner toy.

Lewis couldn't help but chuckle at the situation. Here they were, two Formula 1 drivers, completely out of their depth in the face of toddler romance. As the two fathers shared a laugh, Lyric and Laura had already moved on, engrossed in the workings of the fidget spinner. Lewis watched them, marveling at the simplicity of childhood friendships and the unexpected challenges of parenthood.

"You know," Lewis said to Kevin, "I think I'd rather face a wet track at Monaco than navigate this whole parenting thing sometimes."

Kevin grinned. "Agreed. But it's worth it, isn't it?"

Lewis nodded, watching Lyric's face light up as he played with Laura. "Every single moment."

Rosa then approached Lewis. "Lewis, it's time for your panel. We need to head inside," she said, gesturing towards the building.

Lewis nodded, turning to Lyric. "Alright, big man, Daddy's got to go inside now. Can you say bye to me?" Lyric, still engrossed in showing Laura how to use the fidget spinner, didn't seem to hear his father. Lewis tried again, but the toddler remained oblivious.

Finally, Lewis used his stern 'dad' voice. "Lyric Apollo."

The use of his full name made Lyric's head snap up, his eyes wide.

"I'm going inside now," Lewis repeated. "Remember, no kissing, okay?"

Lyric gave his father a mischievous grin. "Yes, Dada," he said, in a tone that made Lewis wonder if he'd actually been heard.

"Rosa will watch you," Lewis added, ruffling Lyric's braids. "Be good, okay?"

As Lewis turned to leave, Kevin spoke to Laura in Danish, then fell into step beside him.

"Listen, mate," Lewis started as they walked. "I'm sorry about Lyric kissing Laura again. We've been trying to teach him about boundaries, but you know how kids are..."

Kevin waved off the apology with a good-natured chuckle. "Don't worry about it. They're kids. To be honest, it's kind of cute." Lewis raised an eyebrow, surprised by Kevin's relaxed attitude. Kevin shrugged. "I'm just happy Laura has a friend here. It can be a lonely life for our kids sometimes, you know?"

Lewis nodded, understanding all too well. "Yeah, I get that. It's not exactly a normal childhood, is it?"

As they entered the building, the buzz of media day enveloped them. Lewis took his place at the panel, fielding questions about the upcoming race, his expectations for the season.

____________________________________________________

Later that evening, as they settled around the table in their hotel suite, the Melbourne skyline twinkling through the windows, Lewis began recounting the day's events to Rorie. Her fork paused midway to her mouth, eyes widening comically as he got to the part about Laura calling Lyric her boyfriend.

"A girlfriend?" Rorie sputtered, her voice a mix of disbelief and amusement. "He's barely even two years old and he has a girlfriend?" Her gaze darted to Lyric, who was blissfully unaware of the conversation, happily munching on his dinner.

Lewis shrugged, a hint of pride mixed with sheepishness playing across his features. "That's what happened, baby. Our boy's got game, apparently."

Rorie's brow furrowed, her mind clearly racing. "Is this going to become an issue? Do I have to call Louise again," she paused, giving a mock glare to Lyric, who had the wherewithal to flash a toothy grin, "and explain to her that we tried to talk to our sweet boy about boundaries?" The exasperation in her voice was palpable.

"Kevin's cool with it," Lewis chimed in, his tone reassuring.

"Still... I'm going to send Louise a text. Never hurts to have another side of the story."

"Rorie, you're putting too much focus on it," he said gently. "They're kids, it's cute."

"Lewis, our son is Black and he's—"

"I know that, Aurora," Lewis interjected, his tone suddenly stern. Rorie reared back slightly, blinking in surprise, Lewis's face softened. "Sorry for the tone, okay? But I know; hell, I even experienced it myself. I spoke to Kevin, and he's cool, understanding for the most part. I'm sure he spoke to Louise about it. If things get wild, I'll step in, alright? For now, it sounds wrong to try and stop them from being friends, especially since he'll probably see Laura whenever he's at a race weekend."

Rorie's expression wavered between concern and acceptance. "But a girlfriend though?" she repeated, her voice softer this time.

"I know, I know," Lewis conceded, then turned to their son. "Lyric, any words on this? Like what's going on, buddy?"

Lyric looked up from his plate, his little face the picture of innocence. "L'waura nice," he said nonchalantly, then picked up his fork to eat another little tree of broccoli.

Rorie couldn't help but smile at his simple response. "Nice... okay, well that settles everything. No more kissing, okay?" she pressed, trying to keep her tone light.

"Okay, mama," Lyric replied, his voice carrying the same mischievous undertone he'd used with Lewis on the paddock.

Rorie glanced at her husband, one eyebrow raised. "He's gonna kiss her again, isn't he?"

"Oh, you know it," Lewis chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "He's a charmer."

"Just like his father," Rorie added, a mix of exasperation and fondness in her voice as she took a sip of her wine.

The conversation lulled for a moment as they all focused on their meals. Rorie couldn't help but steal glances at Lyric, marveling at how quickly he was growing up. It seemed like just yesterday he was a tiny baby in her arms, and now he was making friends and apparently finding "girlfriends" at the track.

Lewis reached over and squeezed her hand, his thumb tracing soothing circles on her skin. His eyes met hers, full of understanding. "He's going to be fine, babe. We're here to guide him, but we've got to let him figure some things out on his own too."

Rorie nodded, returning the gentle pressure of his hand. "I know," she said softly, her gaze drifting back to Lyric. "It's just... it all happens so fast, doesn't it?"

One thing Rorie didn't fuck around with was anything that involved her son.

The journey to motherhood had been a long and arduous one, filled with heartbreak and disappointment before Lyric finally came into their lives. She remembered the endless doctor's appointments, the hormone treatments, the tears shed in quiet moments when she thought Lewis wasn't looking. When Lyric was finally born, it felt like a miracle.

Raising him in the limelight brought its own set of challenges. Every milestone was scrutinized, every decision questioned by strangers who felt entitled to an opinion on their family life. The recent media circus with The Sun had only intensified Rorie's protective instincts. And now, this situation with Lyric and his "girlfriend" Laura had her on edge.

Rorie found herself pacing in the paddock, phone pressed to her ear as she spoke with Louise, Kevin's wife.

"Really, Rorie, it's fine," Louise's voice came through, her Danish accent softening the words. "They're just kids being kids."

Rorie sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I know, I know. I just... I worry, you know?"

"Of course you do," Louise chuckled. "That's what mothers do. But trust me, it's harmless. And I appreciate you talking to Lyric about boundaries."

As she ended the call, Rorie felt some of the tension leave her shoulders.

Maybe I was overreacting a bit?

Race day, as usual, was a flurry of activity. Rorie watched as Lewis prepared, his focus sharpening as he slipped into race mode. Lyric bounced around excitedly, decked out in his mini Mercedes gear.

As Lewis donned his helmet, Rorie's phone buzzed insistently. A quick glance showed a barrage of texts from Martin. She felt a familiar twist in her stomach but pushed it aside. Today was about Lewis and the race.

Instead, she fired off a quick text to C.J.:

"Can you send over Athena's contact info?"

Within seconds, her PA responded with the information. Rorie couldn't help but marvel at C.J.'s efficiency. Hiring him had been one of her better decisions lately.

As she contemplated her next move, an unknown number popped up on her screen:

"Can we talk?"

Now, who the fuck was this? Rorie's fingers hovered over the keyboard, a response forming in her mind. But before she could hit send, Lewis's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Ror?" he called, beckoning her over.

She pocketed her phone, the unsent message forgotten for now. As she approached, Lewis pulled her close for an embrace.

"You've got this," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his helmet.

With a final nod, Lewis climbed into his car. Rorie scooped up Lyric, moving to their spot in the garage. As the engines roared to life, she felt the familiar mix of excitement and anxiety that came with every race.

"Dada!" Lyric cheered as Lewis's car pulled out, his little hands clapping enthusiastically. Rorie held him close, grateful for this moment of normalcy amidst the chaos of their lives.

As Lewis's Mercedes lined up in its grid position, the air in the garage crackled with tension. The rumble of engines filled the air, a symphony of power and precision. Rorie could feel the vibrations in her chest, matching the rapid beat of her heart.

Toto's voice crackled over the headset, his Austrian accent clipped and focused as he delivered last-minute instructions to the team. In the car, Bono's calm tones filtered through to Lewis, a familiar ritual of encouragement and strategy.

"Okay, Lewis, we're looking good. Remember, it's a long race. Let's bring it home," Bono said, his voice steady and reassuring.

Rorie watched the giant screens, her grip on Lyric tightening slightly as the start sequence began. The red lights blinked on one by one, the tension in the air building with each passing second.

"Lights out and away we go!" the commentator's voice boomed through the speakers.

In an instant, the track erupted into controlled chaos. Twenty cars launched forward in a breathtaking display of speed and skill. Lewis's Mercedes shot off the line, jockeying for position as they hurtled towards the first corner.

Lyric squealed with delight, his eyes wide with wonder as he watched his father's car disappear into the distance. Rorie found herself holding her breath, as she always did in these first crucial moments of the race.

As the cars navigated the chicane, weaving through with millimeter precision, Rorie felt the familiar mix of pride and anxiety wash over her. The race unfolded like a high-speed chess match, with Lewis showcasing his unparalleled skill at every turn. He executed a brilliant overtake on the outside of turn three, threading the needle between two rivals with breathtaking precision. Lap after lap, he chipped away at the lead, his Mercedes dancing on the edge of adhesion as he pushed it to its limits.

In a heart-stopping moment, Lewis's car collided with George's, sending both spinning off the track in a shower of carbon fiber and rubber.

"Fuck!" Toto's voice boomed through the garage, his frustration palpable.

"Fuck!" Lyric parroted innocently, causing Toto to shake his head.

"Lyric, no," Toto said, his expression softening. "That's a bad word. Don't repeat that."

Rorie's heart raced as she watched the aftermath, relief washing over her as Lewis climbed out of the car unharmed. She was disappointed about the DNF, but grateful he was safe. As Lewis and George were driven back to the garage in the medical car, Rorie's phone rang - Lil Yachty.

"Hey, Boat," Rorie answered, "I may have to call you back. Lewis needs me."

"Oh, for sure, but I'll be quick, if that's okay?" he said.

Lyric, hearing the familiar voice, chimed in with a "What's up, Boat?" in his adorable toddler voice.

"Hey, lil' bro, what's up?"

"A lot," Rorie scoffed with an eyeroll. "Apparently, he's got a girlfriend now."

"Oh? That's what's up." Yachty's tone shifted slightly. "So, Ror, you got any free time in the next few weeks?"

Rorie's eyebrow arched. "Yes…?" she replied, curiosity coloring her voice.

"How'd you feel about performing at Coachella with me?"

Rorie's eyes widened, a mix of excitement and surprise flooding through her. "No freaking way."

"Way. Listen, I'll let you handle your stuff with your hubby, but I'll reach out to you and your people with more details, alright?"

"Yeah...of course. Wow, this is nuts."

"You got it, Rorie. Love ya, big sis."

"See ya, Boat."

When she hung up, she felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. This was insane - first, she performed at Austin City Limits, and now performing at Coachella was an option.

Rorie took a few deep breaths to calm herself, then stood up as Lewis came back into the garage. He immediately found them and took Lyric from her arms, kissing her temple. From his flat expression and silence, she knew he was furious. But he kept his composure, his posture never revealing his true feelings. Rorie wrapped her arms around him, enjoying the warmth and security of his body.

"Lean on me," she said, her words meaning much more than him shifting some of his weight onto her.

And so he did—literally and figuratively—allowing her to be his rock.

"I love you, Aurora Borealis," he whispered in her hair.

"I love you too, LewLew Bear," she replied.

The late afternoon sun filtered through the blinds of the downtown Los Angeles law office, casting long shadows across the polished conference table. Deja sat rigidly in her chair next to her lawyer, her jaw set in defiance as she faced Julian across the gleaming expanse of wood.

The air was thick with tension, the proposed settlement papers lying untouched between them. Deja's lawyer, a formidable Black woman named Tanya, pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"Deja, I strongly advise you to consider this offer," Tanya said, her voice strained with barely contained exasperation. "It's more than fair, given the circumstances."

Deja shook her head vehemently. "No. I'm not backing down. We can win this."

Julian leaned back in his chair, his expression a mixture of pity and annoyance. "Ms. Barnes, I urge you to listen to your counsel. This offer won't be on the table indefinitely."

Tanya turned to Deja, her patience clearly wearing thin. "You need to understand the reality of your situation. With Luisa's testimony now supporting the Hamiltons, your position is significantly weakened."

"I don't care," Deja snapped. "I know what happened. I'm not letting them silence me."

Tanya's eyes flashed with anger. "If you're not going to value my expertise, then I don't see how I can continue to represent you."

The meeting ended in a stalemate, with Deja storming out of the office. As she stepped onto the busy LA street, she pulled out her phone, dialing Alexander's number for what felt like the hundredth time.

Straight to voicemail.

Again.

This motherfucker.

Since the Hamiltons were acting on business about the lawsuit, Alexander slowly but surely began to distance himself from her. And she couldn't blame him, yet he was just as involved in this as she was, so playing innocent wasn't going to work.

Frustrated, she ducked into a nearby alley, fishing a vape pen from her purse. She didn't usually smoke, but the stress was getting to her. As she inhaled, the sweet vapor filling her lungs, Deja leaned against the cool brick wall, closing her eyes.

Everything was falling apart. Her supporters were abandoning her one by one, brand deals had dried up, and now even her lawyer was threatening to jump ship. The trial loomed in May, and she felt increasingly alone.

With shaky fingers, she pulled out her phone again, opening one of her text apps. She typed out a message to Rorie's old number: "Can we talk?"

Her thumb hovered over the send button, a mix of hope and desperation coursing through her. As the LA traffic roared by at the end of the alley, Deja pressed send, clinging to the slim chance that Rorie's number hadn't changed after all these years. It felt like a Hail Mary, but at this point, what did she have to lose?

TO BE CONTINUED.....

[aylacavebear]

Dimensional Shift - Chapter 3 S4E1

Story Summary: Maria was just a regular girl, worked at a gas station, wrote fanfic, and loved Supernatural. She even created her own supernatural creature for her writings. When the aurora borealis comes to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, one Halloween night, everything changes for her in ways she never expected. Will she be able to navigate this new world she's thrown into?

Word Count: 2930

Please don't take my work. I'll post warnings for each chapter. Will eventually be 18+!

Warnings: Angst, some Fluff/Comfort.

----------------------------------------- Chapter 3 - S4E1

When the morning rays came peaking in through her window around six, she fought waking up, as she had been in the middle of a very wonderful dream involving Dean and the back seat of his Impala, but finally groaned before stretching and opening her eyes. 

“Maybe I’ll ask some of my customers today if they got that aurora borealis on camera,” she mused.

Maria talked out loud to herself often, as she lived alone with no pets. She always felt like she got too involved in work and writing to give an animal of any kind the attention she felt it deserved. She followed her typical morning routine: making coffee, getting dressed, putting her hair up in a braid, and, of course, getting on her laptop. She had noticed a few small things that were different, but still felt like herself. 

As she sat in front of her laptop, sipping her coffee, she glanced around her small studio apartment. It had never been anything fancy: a couch that pulled out to a bed, a few bookshelves with various books and nicknacks, a coffee table, the small dining table she currently sat at with two chairs where her wallet, laptop, and car keys sat, a small kitchen, and of course, there was the small dresser that held the clothes she owned. 

This was when she noticed that all of her pictures of her and her family were gone from where they had been around her apartment. She picked up her coffee and began looking around, noticing that there wasn’t even an imprint in the small amount of dust on her bookshelves where the pictures had been, like they had never been there at all.

“I’ve spent too much time in my fanfics,” she mumbled out loud to herself as she sipped her coffee before moving to look out the window. 

Everything “looked” the same. It wasn’t terribly cold in Sioux Falls in September, at least not during the day. The nights would be chilly since it was September, according to the date on her laptop. Maria’s shift at the corner store didn’t start until ten, so she had time to do as she pleased. In the last year, she had begun thinking more like a hunter. 

Anything odd that happened she always blamed on the supernatural, even if for her, in her world, it didn’t exist, not like it did in the show Supernatural. She knew this, of course; she was well-educated, smart, and twenty-four, but that didn’t stop her from her daydreams. Reality for her had been what she considered boring. Wake up, go to work, go home, write fanfic, go to bed, just to wake up the next day and do it all over again. In a way, she had appreciated it, but at the same time, she always wanted something to happen, almost to be in her favorite fics.

Around nine, she got a phone call, which pulled her from her laptop and her thoughts. She didn’t recognize the number, but the name that appeared threw her for a complete loop: Bobby. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She didn’t know anyone in real life by that name. The only “Bobby” she knew was from Supernatural and the fanfics that she had written.

“It’s not possible…” her voice shaky, in disbelief at what she was seeing, but eventually picked up the phone and answered it, “Hello…”

“Maria, I need your help with some research. Can you swing by?” Bobby asked in the most natural yet urgent way.

“Umm… yeah… I can be there…” she answered, her voice still shaking. 

It was Bobby Singer from Supernatural. Goosebumps tickled their way down her body, lingering uncomfortably as her heart pounded. There’s no way; the phrase again ran through her mind.

“Don’t worry, Maria, we’ll get Dean back.” Bobby attempted to reassure her.

There were those goosebumps again, and she quickly looked down at her laptop, that bottom right corner, and the date, 9/17/2008. This only increased her anxiety at the moment as the entire show of Supernatural went through her mind, searching for dates. Her memory was almost photogenic.

“Bobby, I’ll be there in a few,” she told him quickly, then hung up the phone.

“There’s no fucking way…” her voice trailed off, her heart pounding, those damned goosebumps just hanging out on every inch of her body.

She grabbed her keys and threw her phone in her back pocket, along with her wallet in the other, and that was when she noticed her keys and a smile grew on her face. Maria grabbed her jacket hanging by the front door before heading outside, and there it was, parked right out front. Her Baby from her fanfics, and god, was she even more beautiful seeing her. A 91’ F350 XLT Lariat, crew cab, 2-inch lift, four-wheel drive, with 1500-pound leaf springs. Black with blue flames, the same shade as her eyes. The front and back seats were bench seats. The interior was the same shade as her eyes, only slightly greyer. 

“No fucking way,” she said somewhat happily.

Maria got into ‘her’ truck and drove to Bobby’s, knowing the way. It was like she just knew but then stopped a mile away. Her mind had been going non-stop since Bobby had called her. She pulled off the side of the road for a moment, then looked down at her hands, again feeling that anxiety, before she flexed her hands, and within seconds, five-inch claws extended from the cuticles of her fingernails, and her eyes widened. She quickly flexed her hands again, retracting them. Maria swallowed hard as she got back on the road, driving to Bobby’s, that last mile going quickly. She didn’t have time even to process what she was experiencing.

As she parked out front and turned off the engine, she took a deep breath. How the hell was she going to explain anything to him as to what was going on? He’d think she’d lost her mind or something, wouldn’t he? She nervously walked up to his front door and knocked, waiting for him to answer, but he didn’t, just hollered.

“Just open the damn door, Maria.” she heard Bobby say, which made her realize what part of her fanfic was real.

In her fanfic, she had written that she had been raised by a hunter, William Winter, a legend among not only hunters but also the Men of Letters, as was her grandfather. Her father had kept her hidden, even erased her existence from all records when she was three months old, due to having received a rare gift, the Touch of Bastet, giving her cat-like abilities as well as her blood being able to heal her and others.

There were only a select few who even knew about her and her secrets, Bobby, John, Dean, and Sam being those few. When her father was killed when she was ten, Bobby became her surrogate father, and that was when she met Dean and Sam, as well as their father, John Winchester. Bobby continued her hunter training, also teaching her how to use her abilities to be a better hunter and keep herself safe.

That’s right, he’s practically my father, her mind raced again.

Maria opened the door and went inside, going over to Bobby and hugging him, like she did in her fanfic. Now she had an interesting perspective, though; she knew the things that happened in the show, at least where she was from. That’s when it hit her: the date, 9/17/2008. Dean was in hell, the hellhound having killed him after that year he had to live when he had made the Crossroads deal to bring Sam back to life. But in two days, he’d be pulled from hell by Castiel, digging his way out of his shallow grave, alone in that field. How could she tell Bobby that she even knows that information?

“Did you get lost on the way here?” Bobby asked with a slight chuckle.

“Sorry, Bobby, I’ve been a little distracted today,” Maria replied, still trying to figure out how to even tell him anything.

“Have a seat, kid. What’s on your mind?” he told her as he sat down behind his desk, looking up at her, then watched as she walked over to his couch and sat down.

“Not sure you’d believe me if I told you honestly,” Maria almost chuckled nervously, but Bobby had been like a father to her, at least in her fanfic.

“Try me; I believe all kinds of weird stuff,” he laughed.

This made Maria smile as she looked over at him from the couch. What’s the worst that could happen, she thought to herself, then proceeded to explain to Bobby what had happened in her world. She watched all of his expression, also realizing she could hear his heartbeat and breathing. He had similar reactions to her when it had all hit her; only he was more concerned that she was perhaps a demon or something; that was when the holy water hit her.

“Thanks, Bobby,” she said as she wiped it off her face with her hand, “I’m not a demon.” “Okay, kid, but that is one hell of a story,” he replied, still in a state of wanting to believe her but also having a hard time.

“What if I could prove it to you, something at least? I mean, I know things, things I shouldn’t know.” Maria was almost begging at this point. She also hoped that her one idea wouldn’t backfire on her either.

“If everything has been erased, how are you gonna do that?” he was curious but, at the same time, reserved. She was like a daughter to him, and there had been things in the past that she’d known that had always panned out to be true, and he trusted her.

“I know that an angel named Castiel is going to pull Dean out of the pit tomorrow. We have to get to where he was buried and dig him up,” she explained, attempting to remain calm, even if her heart was pounding, for more than just being in the world of Supernatural. She was going to actually see Dean Winchester, who had been her best friend since she was ten and he was twelve; over the years, she’d even fallen in love with him, in her fanfic, but also in her world as well.

Bobby had that thinking face on as Maria spoke. Still, it only took him a minute before he finally spoke, “Alright. If all else fails and it doesn’t happen, we can always just cover the coffin back up.” he stated, then looked at the clock before looking back at over her, “Is your bag still in your truck? If so, we can head out in a half hour. Just need to pack a couple of things.”

“Yup, it’s always in the back seat, just in case,” she replied, smiling, and her heart soared. Thank god he’d at least go with her, “Should we call Sam?” she asked as a quick afterthought, knowing that Sam would want to know.

“Not until after. Don’t want to give him false hope,” Bobby replied as he got up and grabbed his gear.

Maria understood. Sam had been just as heartbroken as she had when he had died, not only in her fanfic but also in real life. She didn’t want to give Sam false hope. Still, she had the information from her other reality, where Supernatural was just a show where actors played her favorite characters, and she wrote fanfic involving them.

The drive was long, or at least felt that way, even if it really was only a couple states over just outside of Pontiac, Illinois, Bobby following Maria some of it, and other times she followed him. All her favorite music was there, on tapes that Dean had made for her, which brought that small smile out. Sam had been running around with Ruby, a demon who had been a witch when she was alive. 

She did at least have some time to contemplate some things, like the fact that she was her character, a Touched of Bastet. It was so strange to her to hear all the things that humans couldn’t. Part of her felt like a giddy fangirl getting to meet a movie star or getting cast as an extra in their favorite show. The other part of her, though, worried. Her character in her fanfic had been hardened by the traumas that had happened to her, losing both her parents to Azazel. At this point in her fanfic, her character and Dean had been fighting, even if her character had been devastated by his death.

Maria almost hated knowing how things were going to play out, or at least mostly, as she had already changed it, so part of this was unfamiliar territory to her. Bobby got a room with two beds at the local motel, which was where Sam was staying at the moment, with Ruby. Neither of them saw him, at least not yet, but he’d know her truck anywhere and then just look up what room she was in.

Maria was nervous, in all new ways now. She wanted to go and find Sam, throw her arms around him, and just hug him like a sister would, as well as slap the shit out of him for not listening to Dean before he died. She was older than him by two years, at least in her fanfic, but she was only twenty-four in her reality, making them the same age at this point, perhaps her even being a year younger.

Within an hour, there was a knock on their motel room door, which she’d recognized anywhere. She smiled and ran over to open it, seeing Sam, who was a foot and a half taller than her, and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him a bit. Sam was surprised but hugged her back, smiling as well. Maria also felt somewhat giddy. It was Sam Winchester, after all, who wouldn’t be giddy.

“So, what brings the two of you down here?” Sam asked, curious and suspicious.

Bobby spoke, not wanting Maria to say anything that would give Sam false hope, not after the story she told. If she were right, he’d let her tell both Sam and Dean everything afterward, “Just wanted to go pay our respects. She misses him,” Bobby’s tone was soft, but he managed to convince Sam.

Maria hadn’t said anything to Bobby about Sam being hyped up on demon blood. She knew that Bobby would have had a fit and figured she’d just yell at Sam later for it. When Dean had been killed by the hellhound at Lilith’s command, Sam had been angry with Maria, at least in her fanfic. Mostly because her blood couldn’t save him, but Lilith had seen to that, making sure to keep Maria at bay long enough for Dean’s soul to get pulled down to hell, to the Pit. She could even see a slight bit of that resentment in his eyes as he looked at her, but since it had been four months, most of it had faded.

The three of them spent a couple of hours just catching up, Maria pulling her information from her fanfic since she couldn’t precisely tell Sam the truth, at least not yet, and Bobby had asked her not to. They shared a few drinks and some laughs, and then Sam bid them farewell for the night. Not much was said between Bobby and Maria. She was nervous, fidgety, and could only think of how her entire world had changed.

“Hey, kiddo, we’ll figure this all out,” Bobby told her softly as he sat down next to her on the bed, putting his arm around her shoulder to comfort her like he had so many times in her fanfic.

“I’m nervous, Bobby,” she told him quietly before she looked up at him, “I always wanted something to happen in my world. My life was boring, and now I’m here. I’m actually going to see Dean.” 

Bobby was the only one in her fanfic who knew that she had fallen in love with that idgit, in his words at least, and thought Dean was an idgit for not even noticing.

“It’s alright. We’ll figure everything out tomorrow. You need to try to get some sleep,” his tone was still soft. She was like a daughter to him. Bobby pulled her in for a hug, to which she hugged him back, sighing.

It took Maria hours to fall asleep that night, her mind and emotions racing on how tomorrow was going to go. In the show from her reality, Dean digs himself out of the grave and is alone, walking to a gas station where he calls Bobby, to which Bobby doesn’t believe it was him. Even after Dean drove to Bobby’s, Bobby still didn’t believe it was him, throwing holy water on him and wanting to test out a silver blade on his skin.

Maria was changing things, and she knew it, but she couldn’t just act like everything was normal. Her dreams were of Dean and her fanfic. In her fanfic, Dean did care for her, but only in a little sister sort of way. It wouldn’t be for another couple of years before he could admit his feelings for her to even himself, then another year before he could even tell her.

----------------------------------------- Chapter 4 - S4E1 (pt 2)

Dimensional Shift Master List

Main Master List

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

✯✯✯ NEW RELEASE ✯✯✯

His Broken Ballerina by Shyla Colt

Victoria Escaping the clutches of the man who sought to control me, I started a new life. Dancing has always been my salvation. After an injury, opening a studio lets me share my passion with others. When the monster who tried to break me sets his sights on ruining the life of someone I care about, I’ll do the one thing I swore I’d never do again: marry a millionaire. Huck I never expected my ex-wife to abandon our daughter and take up with my former friend. With her new husband running for town mayor, she’s seeking full custody of our daughter to present a picture-perfect family. I’ll die before I subject her to their cruelty. Risking exposing my obsession with her ballerina teacher is a small price to pay to keep them both safe.

@ShylaColt

Hosted by @LadyAmbersReviewsPR

#NewRelease #NowLive #ContemporaryRomance #HisBrokenBallerina #Romance #MustRead #ShylaColt #LadyAmbersPR #Bookstagram #BookBlogger #Bookish

[joyffree]

His Broken Ballerina (Aurora Springs) Contemporary Romance by Shyla Colt

Victoria Escaping the clutches of the man who sought to control me, I started a new life. Dancing has always been my salvation. After an injury, opening a studio lets me share my passion with others. When the monster who tried to break me sets his sights on ruining the life of someone I care about, I’ll do the one thing I swore I’d never do again: marry a millionaire.

Huck I never expected my ex-wife to abandon our daughter and take up with my former friend. With her new husband running for town mayor, she’s seeking full custody of our daughter to present a picture-perfect family. I’ll die before I subject her to their cruelty. Risking exposing my obsession with her ballerina teacher is a small price to pay to keep them both safe.

[san-fics]

Slowly but Surely

Felinette, Felix/Marinette, Felix/Ladybug

Ao3

Part 12. Social collisions

[NOTE: I dedicate this chapter to @studyywithmee, who inspired me to take care of Adrien in this story dedicated to Felinette]

Adrien was beaming, and everyone in the class noticed it, especially compared to the sour face he wore all week after spending a night at Felix's.

Perhaps Felix was the only one who knew the reason for his cousin’s joy and supported him. Both because it really made his cousin happy, and because this reason happened at the right time and removed the issue of Adrien's sudden jealousy. As well as it dismissed Felix's anxiety, who didn’t want to further spoil relations with his cousin.

To be honest, Felix was very impressed with Adrien.

If his hunch that the young Agreste was jumping across the roofs of Paris in a leather suit was true, and Felix had no doubt about it, then perhaps he agreed with the choice of the one who handed Adrien his miraculous.

And here's what happened.

A couple of days ago, Felix was present at the studio where Adrien's photo shoot took place. The model begged to be saved from the boredom that awaited him at a long photo session, and since this time the shooting took place in the TV studio building, Adrien couldn’t invite any of his friends.

Felix's family connections left no doubt that this restriction would not apply to him.

The photo shoot involved media decorations that were used on the set of various shows, and the cousins ​​arrived at the television building, where one of said shows was being filmed in the next room.

Felix was already starting to get bored with the endless ‘Your mama has made spaghetti!’, “You love Mama’s spaghetti” and “Show me your noodle-eating face!” – which Vincent was constantly exclaiming while snapping pictures, when a noise was heard from the next room.

The photographer interrupted the session, annoyed by the interference, refusing to work in ‘such conditions.’

Both Felix and Adrien went to see what was happening there.

There was a huge scandal on the show, and the boys entered the premises just at the moment when Aurore Beauréal, who was filmed in the show, fell into a pre-akumatization trance and was already having a dialogue with Shadow Moth.

Adrien was not taken aback and rushed to the girl immediately, grabbing her by the hand.

“Aurore, listen to me!” He called. “It’s me, Adrien. We’re friends, right?” He placed his other hand on her shoulder. “I know the pressure you feel from everyone, I know it’s hard to keep yourself together under the cameras.”

Adrien was speaking, peering hopefully into the girl’s face, over which a translucent figure of a butterfly loomed.

“I know how easy it can be to lose yourself to what the public expects from you!” He continued, squeezing her shoulder slightly. “Remember, how we talked about it? But you are not alone! I’m right here, with you. I share your feelings. We can support each other. Together people are not afraid of anything!” He placed her hand on his chest and gently stroked her shoulder. “Don’t give up to his power. Don’t let another person control your life! You’re stronger than that!”

“Adrien...” Aurora whispered.

And to everyone's amazement, she severed the connection with Shadow Moth by an effort of will, and went limp in the model's arms, who readily picked her up.

As Adrien himself later told Felix, he and Aurora had chatted at media events many times before. They both understood the complexities of celebrity life and the impossibility of standing up for your own opinion when you're a teenager in a big industry.

Adrien treated the girl warmly, but until that day their communication was only friendly.

Felix sighed and got lost in thought again.

He knew that Adrien had his first official date with Aurora today, and he wasn't sure how Marinette would react to that.

Would she be sad because she still has feelings for Adrien? What would this mean for Felix? Should he continue to play friends and support her without talking about his feelings, or point-blank the question?

But he wasn't ready to leave her if Marinette rejected him...

For the last week they didn’t have to meet for the project anymore, but they met after school almost every day anyway.

Monday they spent a lot of time together, when Felix was playing Ladybug’s role, and then they went for a walk to discuss the fight and ended up in Marinette’s room.

Tuesday Marinette came to see his mother for some measurements for the dresses, and then Amelie managed somehow to involve Felix into the conversation of the dresses — not that he was particularly against it — and when, an hour later, they awoke from their conversation, Felix’s mother disappeared a long time ago.

On Wednesday, surprisingly, Alya and Nino took the initiative by calling Adrien, Felix and Marinette to help Nino decide on the cut of music for the competition that the DJ had prepared. Felix didn't see how they could help in this matter, but judging by the sly look on the fox's face, it didn't really matter.

Adrien was busy that day (and Felix wasn't sure Alya didn't know about it beforehand), so the situation looked more like a double date. Although Felix had a strong feeling that Marinette was completely unaware of it.

On Thursday, Felix walked Marinette home, which happened somehow by itself while they were carried away by a conversation at the school. Marinette ended up finding out that he had never played Megastrike and told him she wouldn't let him go until he tried at least once.

It ended with a three-hour run, and, to Felix's great amazement, was joined by Marinette's father at the second hour. And by the end of the third hour, Felix was beating him pretty well. He didn’t succeed in beating Marinette though.

For now…

Finally, Sabine joined them and flatly refused to let Felix go home and left him for dinner, which Amelie didn’t mind at all.

Marinette was right, their mothers did have similarities, including subtle hints that Marinette spent all her free time with Felix, how well they complemented each other, and so on.

Only on Friday Felix didn’t spend time with Marinette after school, since he promised to be present at Adrien’s shootings, where the whole thing with Aurora took place.

Felix sighed again and fixed his eyes on the back of the girl in front of him. The girl who, without knowing it, turned his whole life upside down.

*

Felix stood and looked at Marinette, who froze on the threshold of the school, watching her old crush.

Adrien solemnly handed Aurora a red rose and the girl kissed him on the cheek, answering the model with a warm smile. Adrien blushed slightly and opened the car door for her. Aurora curtsied theatrically and they both laughed, got into the car and left.

Felix walked over and stood next to Marinette, not exactly knowing what his role was here, but, against his own better judgment, wanting to be by her side even if he had to comfort this girl as a friend while she was pining after his cousin.

‘Pathetic’, – Felix thought about himself and sighed.

He glanced at Marinette's face, which looked thoughtful.

“They are a really beautiful couple.” The girl pronounced slowly without taking her eyes off the direction the car had gone. “They probably have a lot in common too, you know, with their social life and all.” She added thoughtfully.

“That is what I've been told.” Felix answered cautiously.

Marinette stood silently for some time.

“Good.” She said finally and turned to Felix. “Wanna rematch at Megastrike?” She asked with a smile – not a trace of the thoughtful mood that she had just had.

*

Instead, they gathered fruit and croissants and went for an impromptu picnic in the closest to the bakery park.

“There is this place.” Marinette said in a conspiratory voice. “No one knows about it.” She led Felix away from the paved paths, making her way through the bushes, which appeared more and more around them. “When I was little, I used to hide here from my dad when he was calling me home and I still wanted to play outside.”

Felix was trying to keep up with her, dodging branches flying in his face, bended by Marinette, who was walking in front of him.

“I always joked that if anyone found out about this place, I would have to kill him.” She added, looking back at him with a sly grin.

Felix followed her out into a small glade, thickly surrounded on all sides by bushes.

“But seeing you already know my biggest secret,” Marinette continued, turning to him, “I decided why not go all the way?”

Marinette smiled happily as she said this, apparently completely unaware of the duality of her words. That could not be said about Felix, who froze, looking at her in amazement, feeling a handful of hot thorns crumble in his chest – hurting a little, but warming at the same time.

The smile slowly faded from Marinette's face and her eyes widened as a blush broke out on her cheeks.

They both seemed to be frozen in indecision, and Felix barely realized that maybe this was the right moment, and maybe she was waiting for him to make the first move, and he was just about to say something – although he had not yet decided what – a few subtle voices rustled all around at the same time.

Felix turned around, surprised that there was anyone else in such a remote part of the park where they were making their way through the wilds, and to his surprise he saw a whole swarm of multi-colored small creatures hovering around them in the air.

“Finally we are here!” Said a green animal that looked like a turtle.

“How boring it is to travel on foot when you can cut through space!” Another creature, horse-like, was indignant.

“We know what happens when you cut through space!” Growled a tiny flying snake. “Then I have to return the time back to fix it!”

“Hey guys!” Marinette called them with the voice of a kindergarten teacher. “Didn’t we agree to introduce ourselves first?” She turned back to Felix. “You could scare our guest.”

Felix blinked and turned to Tikki, who was floating a little apart from the others.

“Friends of yours, I assume.” He asked, smirking.

“You could say so.” Tikki smiled at him and turned to Marinette. “I don’t think that he is one of those who can be so easily scared away.”

“So, no one knows about it, huh?” Felix asked, smiling at Marinette slyly.

“Not counting the dozen of magical creatures that I sometimes bring here for a walk.” Marinette replied guiltily.

“I don't mind a good company.” Felix smiled and unfolded the blanket Sabine had given him along with the picnic basket.

Marinette sighed and sat down on the blanket.

“I'm glad you don't mind.” She said, stretching and laying on her back. “They are noisy fidgets, but they are very sweet too. And they get bored of hiding in my house all the time.”

Felix put down the basket and sat down on the other side of the blanket. He looked around at a flock of qwami scurrying around in the bushes, oblivious to the existence of humans.

It was a very unusual sight. But everything that he felt next to this girl was unusual for Felix. So one more item on this list didn’t change the essence of things.

Felix lay down on the blanket, resting his head at the same level as Marinette's, so that their legs were pointing in opposite directions.

“Thank you for sharing them with me.” He said as he watched the qwami. “And this place too. I…” How do you express your feelings to a girl without expressing them when she acts with you almost like you are dating, except that you are not dating and she doesn’t give you a clear sign that she has changed her attitude towards you? “I'm glad you trust me.”

Marinette turned her head to him, and their eyes were facing each other upside down now.

“Sometimes they drive me crazy.” Marinette sighed. “Sometimes I don’t know what they really want from me. Sometimes I'm not sure if I can handle it all.”

Felix sighed too.

“Some of these feelings are familiar to me, except…” He made a serious expression on his face. “Never doubt yourself, Marinette. You are the best guardian they could ever wish for. I’m sure of it.”

“You know,” Marinette said, turning slightly and looking at the qwami dreamily. “When you say it, I really start to believe it.” She turned back to him. “Believe in myself. How do you do that?”

“Well,” Felix smirked. “ If I tell you that secret, I’ll have to kill you, and poor qwami will be left all alone.”

“Then let it stay a secret.” Marinette smiled at him softly. “For now.”

And looking into her eyes Felix felt that they weren’t talking about the qwami any more.

Chapter 13 is available on my Patreon

Preview:

“But then…” Adrien shifted his gaze to Felix. “How long have you known?!”

“About you?” Felix asked, crossing his arms over his chest with a smug smile. “Or about her?” He nodded at Marinette.

[master-list]

[11. Illusions of perception] ... [13. Stolen life]

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[aurora-daily]

WHEN ASKJELL HEARD ABOUT THE EIGHT-YEAR-OLD WITH CANCER, HE GOT AURORA TO JOIN HIM FOR A SPECIAL GIFT

An article from bt.no by Frank Johnsen, translated by Amroth (May 20th, 2021)

Askjell Solstrand is the invisible sound man behind stars like Aurora and Sigrid. At Festspillene, it is he himself that is going to shine. Askjell Solstrand (27) from Askøy has always thought that being a music producer is enough. – I have never imagined that I had anything more to contribute than that I am good and hardworking. It’s easy to see yourself in the mirror and just see a nerd without a story – at least compared to the artists I usually work with, Solstrand says and smiles.

AN INCREDIBLY SAD STORY

The respected producer sits in the legendary studio Lydriket by Dikkedokken. With the hoodie placed over his cap, he is working on the sound on the artist Iris’ upcoming album.

Now he himself is going to be on stage. During a concert in Håkonshallen on May 31, Askjell Solstrand and a number of “special guests” will perform music from his upcoming solo album “Everything will be ok”. The first single, “Sofia”, is a song that means a lot to him. The idea originated in a chat community on Discord for people who like Askjell’s music. – I met an Australian fan who had an eight-year-old cousin, Sofia, who had cancer. An incredibly sad story that inspired me to write a piano piece that I was going to send to the cousins, says Solstrand.

GOT TO HEAR THE SONG BEFORE SHE DIED

He knew that the girls liked both Aurora and iris – and both vocalists were happy to perform when Askjell decided to make it a proper song.

– Sofia got to hear the first version of the song before she died. Unfortunately, I never met her myself, Askjell says.

The eight-year-old girl [Sofia] had a big dream: to become an artist. Now her family has sent over her paintings and drawings to Bergen. – I’m going to make a video to promote the song internationally. There we are using Sofia’s pictures in an exhibition at Gyldenpris art gallery, Solstrand says. In the same video, there are scenes where one of her paintings is hung up in the art museum Louvre in Paris. This is organized by another member on Discord – one who liked the idea and has good contacts at the museum. – So Sofia gets her place among the biggest [artists], if only for a short while.

ABSOLUTELY EXCEPTIONAL

The 27-year-old has for the last seven years worked for Made Management both as a producer and artist, and has more or less been at stand-by at the mixing desk in Lydriket to produce everything from Aurora, Sigrid, Emilie Nicolas to dePresno and Kjartan Lauritzen.

– There have been few holidays, to put it that way. I work all hours of the day, and there is little social life. But something must be sacrificed, Solstrand says while drinking strong coffee.

He remembers when a young and unknown Sigrid Raabe came into the studio in 2015 to make a demo. That became the piano ballad “Dynamite”, which was on Sigrid’s first EP in 2017.

– Could you immediately see that Sigrid would be the next big thing?

– I think she was absolutely exceptional, but I do not know if I could have said it with certainty. Because that is a muscle that must be trained, to understand what is good, Solstrand says.

WAS DISCOVERED AT VERFTET

Solstrand’s job as a producer is to bring out visions and ideas – and then use his musical expertise to make the songs sound as good as possible.

– I have been happy with my life as a behind-the-scenes guy. It was never important to be known to the outside world. It has all been about the music, I have been more concerned with gaining recognition and acceptance within the industry, Solstrand says.

A songwriting camp at USF Verftet in 2017 got him on a new track. Francisca Gonçalve, who then worked in Universal Music’s creative department, Globe, in London, also took part.

The two had met earlier in connection with Aurora’s release of Oasis’ “Half the World Away”.

– She asked if I wanted to try to make some neoclassical music. So I pitched an idea, Solstrand says.

This was, surprisingly for him, sent around to many in the record company Decca, who also releases Aurora’s music.

This set a number of processes in motion. Every night, after having worked as a producer, he sat down at the piano and made music. The songs were put together into an EP.

The record contract was quickly signed. And on the single “To Be Loved” he got Aurora onboard as vocalist.

– I have been good friends with her since 2014. When I told her that I had started writing my own music, she supported me one hundred percent, and we agreed to do a song together, Solstrand says.

A POWERFUL EXPERIENCE

The good friendship led to Askjell warming up for Aurora on her tour in the autumn of 2018.

– I got a very good response from the audience. We were a good match, I think. So I’ve got a lot of Aurora fans listening to my music. They are incredibly dedicated. If she breathes on something, they are there, Solstrand says and smiles.

In the last “pandemic year”, he has produced a lot of music, including songs on Sigrid’s and Aurora’s upcoming albums, Kobe’s solo album, dePresno, SKAAR and iris’ new albums. Solstrand has also had time to write music and lyrics for the upcoming solo album, which will be performed for the very first time in Håkonshallen.

– It’s going to be a powerful experience. Many of those I usually play with are joining the band. This will, in a way, be my first real concert, where people come to experience just me, Solstrand says.

Several secret guests will be joining him on stage. But he does not want reveal their names.

– There will be a lot of crying, guaranteed. It is special to have a concert like this with those I have worked most closely with.

[pictureitstudiosincorporated]

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[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

JILL WAGNER AND KRISTOFFER POLAHA SEARCH FOR A MISSING RELATIVE IN ‘MYSTERY 101: DEADLY HISTORY,’ A NEW ORIGINAL PREMIERING, AUGUST 1, ON HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES

STUDIO CITY, CA – July 19, 2021 – Jill Wagner (“Hearts of Winter,” “Christmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses”) and Kristoffer Polaha (Wonder Woman 1984, “Double Holiday”) search for a missing relative in “Mystery 101: Deadly History,” a new original premiering Sunday, August 1, (8 p.m. ET/PT), on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

The day after the events of “Killer Timing,” a concerned Amy (Wagner), Travis (Polaha) and Graham (Robin Thomas, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) travel to Ithaca, New York to find Amy’s Uncle Alastair (Peter Benson, “Aurora Teagarden Mysteries”), a history professor at the local college who is missing. Also gone is all of Alastair’s research on the accidental death of a prominent family heir 50 years year ago – a death he believed may have been murder. Amy and Travis join forces with the local sheriff as they work their way through a maze of clues and suspects, including an acerbic corporate CEO, an eccentric patriarch and Alastair’s estranged wife – a literature professor who, like Amy, specializes in crime fiction.

“Mystery 101: Deadly History” is a Lighthouse Pictures Inc. production. Kristofer McNeeley is the executive producers. Jamie Goehring, Shawn Williamson and John MacCarthy are producers. Stacey N. Harding directed from a script by John Christian Plummer. 

LINK

[silent-era-of-cinema]

Kathryn McGuire (December 6, 1903 – October 10, 1978) was an American dancer and actress.

Born in Peoria, Illinois, McGuire was said to be recognized by critics and fans alike as one of the rising stars in film. Selected one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1922, she came from a family who had never had a member partake in the acting profession.

At an early age, McGuire's family moved to Aurora, Illinois, and then to Chicago. McGuire received her education from the Jennings Seminary in Aurora, and remained there even after her parents left that city. By the time she graduated at about the age of fourteen, her parents were ready to move to California.

McGuire was highly interested in dancing, and took classes under the leading ballet masters when she arrived in California. Even after her film career kicked off and she became deeply interested in this new employment, she continued to keep up her dancing.

While studying at the Hollywood High School, as well as her dancing, McGuire participated in a program exhibition at the Maryland Hotel in Pasadena.

She was seen by Thomas H. Ince, who immediately offered McGuire a solo number in an upcoming film. Her dancing skills led her not only to find jobs at Ince, but also at Universal and Mack Sennett. It was Sennett who realized that McGuire had genuine acting capabilities along the lines of her talent for dance after she performed a number in a comedy being produced by Sennett. She went on to become featured in Sennett's comedies.

McGuire's first serious role came as the "only girl" in The Silent Call (1921). She also starred with Gladys Walton as a second lead in Playing with Fire (1921) for Universal Pictures, as well as in The Flame of Life (1923) with Priscilla Dean.

McGuire did not advance to leading-lady status in dramas, because of her height (about 5 feet tall). However, this circumstance made her an ideal foil for the era's comedy stars, themselves slight in stature. She is probably best remembered today for her ingenue roles opposite Buster Keaton in Sherlock Jr. and The Navigator (both 1924). By the late 1920s she was working steadily for Educational Pictures in two-reel comedies, opposite Charley Bowers or Lupino Lane. She left Educational in 1930, as did Lane.

On September 18, 1927, McGuire married George W. Landy, a studio publicity director, in Hollywood. Their marriage ended in 1955 upon his death. They had a daughter, born July 14, 1936. After her husband's death, McGuire returned briefly to acting, playing character roles on television.

McGuire died of cancer in 1978, at age 74, in Los Angeles, California. She was survived by a daughter and a sister.

[feverinfeveroutfic]

chapter one: double deuces

chapter one of book three, of course ;)

"tell me a story (will ya, will ya) a real good story (I won't leave till ya) spill your guts old man; leave out any secrets, hiding in the... any skeletons, and all your other sins any skeletons, in the closet! any skeletons, any misfortunes any skeletons, hiding in the closet! any skeletons, any skeletons in the closet!"

“Happy birthday, my dear friend.”

Aurora had taken Sam out to that Vietnamese restaurant for lunch on her birthday. Twenty two years old and she could feel the very essence of age over her head. In New York for two years and it all felt like a blur and the clear real thing all at the same time. In a year's time, she would be on the brink of her mid twenties: it all felt so ephemeral and so quick at the same time. It felt so odd to think that not even four years ago she was still in high school and she had gone into a strange brand new place in the meantime.

Four years felt like a lifetime ago, especially since she looked on at her black hair and she swore it was growing lighter over her temples. It could have just been the reflection of the glass in the mirror for all she knew, but when she went to brush her hair, she swore there were some light tendrils near the crown. As long as it didn't turn into a striking pearly white silver color, she knew she would be fine.

Aurora raised her white china tea cup for a toast to her. The soft aroma of the green tea comforted her, and she followed suit with her own cup.

Ever since she and Emile had gotten together, and ever since she had gotten that dress for Kirk's wedding the next weekend, Aurora had been dressing up more nicely: at the moment, she had a rich deep purple velvet sweater wrapped around her body and a little red rose tucked behind her ear. Despite the bitter New York cold, she started wearing more floral print tights to go with her skirts; Sam had to take a second look at her face to make out the sight of the black eye liner about the smooth edges of her eyes.

Sam herself meanwhile found herself drawn more to black—Aurora said it was because of her hanging out with Testament the past couple of weekends as well as Joey on certain days after school.

“I think it could also be because I'm in the arts,” she told her the day before. “Marla wears a bunch of black and Belinda has been wearing a lot of it, too.”

“Hangin' around the arts and hangin' out with a bunch of heavy metal dudes,” Aurora chuckled.

The art scene seemed so far away from her given she was a student and she even began to struggle with classes in recent days. Indeed, the thought of forfeiting college itself to live down in the real bohemian side of New York City was more tempting than ever to her. But she had nestled in the Bronx, three floors over Frank and down the block from Charlie and Marla. It was either pick up and go live alone in another part of town or stay there and continue to do what felt like spinning her wheels day in, day out. Sam tried to not let her thoughts cast a shadow on her own birthday, but she couldn't help but look at her own reflection in her tea cup and frown.

“Maybe it's all the doing stuff after school that's getting to you,” Aurora told her. “We haven't really seen Marla in the past few weeks.”

“No, we haven't,” Sam confessed as she gazed out the window at the snow drifts along the sidewalk.

“Well, if it's any comfort, I've been getting antsy myself,” Aurora said. “Emile wants me to move in with him but it's gonna be hard to do it especially if it's just him who's helping me with the move.”

“And you're going from Long Island up to the Bronx, too,” Sam added, “it was bad enough for me to get my bed up the stairs in that building.”

“It was tricky for me, too,” Aurora continued. “And you and I also moved across country, too.”

“And how—from around the same area, no less. Well, San Diego is way further south in comparison to Lake Elsinore, but it's near the same range, though.”

“It's all within range of L.A., that's for sure. L.A. and Riverside.”

“Hey, if Greg, Eric, and Louie can talk nonsense while they're in the studio, we can, too,” Sam pointed.

“Makes sense—Southern California exiles, the both of us.” Aurora raised her cup again to her and they clinked them together before they took a sip in unison.

“When's your birthday, by the way?” Sam asked her as she held her cup close to her mouth. “I can't remember if you told me or not.”

“May twenty ninth.”

“Oh, I see. I kept thinking it was in October for some reason.”

Aurora chuckled at that. “Well, I haven't really made it much of a point because my parents always treated birthdays different in comparison to that of American culture. I always wanted an American style birthday party growing up in San Diego but that's probably the one thing they brought over from the Korean peninsula is the way birthdays are treated.”

“And how's that?”

“When we reach a certain age, they have different celebrations for them. Like your first birthday is 'dol' or three hundred sixty five days since you were born, and that came from the fact Korea didn't have as good of protection on their newborns as we do here: so when you made it to your first birthday, it was significant. The family says a prayer for the kid and then they eat rice, seaweed soup, and rice cakes—my mom has a photo of me from my 'dol', I'll have to show it to you if and when we go out to San Diego together. They have cake and candles just like Americans, but the cake is far different—it's a lot more savory than it is sweet. And on New Year's, they eat a soup so they can finish up the age they are for the certain year. So you're actually considerably older on the peninsula than you are here. If you're ten years old, in Korea, you're considered eleven or twelve.”

“Wow.”

“And when you reach fifteen years of age, and you're female, you're considered an adult. That said, I'm glad I'm a born American because I can't imagine coming to New York City as a fifteen year old.”

“I can,” Sam said.

“You can?”

“As a boy.” She thought about Alex right then.

“Now, boys have to wait 'til they're twenty before they're considered adults.”

“So Alex would still be considered a boy right now?” she asked her. “Being eighteen?”

“Yes!” Aurora then burst out laughing and clapped her hands at that. “Oh, god, I just pictured him in the traditional horse hair hat that boys have to wear on their twentieth birthday, and I also just pictured him picking up a giant rock and lifting it over his head, too.”

“How giant are we talking, exactly?”

“One that dwarfs his entire body.” Aurora raised an eyebrow at that.

“I dunno, Aurora,” Sam confessed with a shake of her head, “—he's pretty thin but he's also got that little bit of baby fat left on him. He looks pretty soft.”

“Bet you he's way stronger than he looks.”

“Joey is,” Sam continued as she brought her cup back up to her lips.

“Joey is!”

“Mr. Hockey Player—yeah, that boy's tougher than nails.”

“Well—we are going to be in the Bay Area next weekend,” Aurora pointed out. “A whole weekend of doing stuff while Kirk and—Rebecca, I think is his fiancée's name?—while they're getting married. We all can just hang out and be a bunch of genuine friends together for a couple of days.”

Sam squinted her eyes at that.

“What do you have in mind?” she asked her in a low voice.

“You'll see. And maybe Exodus and Death Angel will want in on the fun, too. Fun with the 'little four'.” She flashed Sam a wink as she sipped from her tea once again. Right then, the sole waitress in the restaurant showed up at their table with their bowls of pho: chicken for Sam, vegetarian for Aurora. One more toast and they both dipped into their bowls of fresh hot soup.

At least that night she was to have cupcakes courtesy of Marla, forty dollars courtesy of Belinda, and a jovial phone call from her parents that night. Nothing more, nothing less, but at the same time, she wished for more and she knew that her flight back out to California that next Friday was the start of something for her. Something big and grand, like that next weekend in the Bay Area. It would take place on a day that wasn't her birthday, but it would be something.

Since it was Wednesday, after lunch, she headed back to school for the rest of the day and then back to her place in the Bronx. She stepped in through the front door: the first thing she noticed was the vase of yellow tulips on the table. They had lasted so long, and for so long in the heart of the first winter following Cliff's passing, but she noticed the wilt as it began to settle in on the yellow petals.

She would keep them there on the table until the pure yellow color vanished and they lost their smell, much like with the black hat Cliff had given her.

Sam took her seat on the couch with her drawing pad rested upon her lap. She was an artist in New York City, and yet she lived so far from the actual art scene. The boots still on her feet and yet she had no means as to how to look for it outside of her school work. Marla and Belinda had their way, for sure, but there had to be something more. There had to be, especially since she began to put her head down and put more work into her art for her classes. The struggle still came down on her, even as she gave her fish tails more scales and her humans more of a shading around their heads. It all seemed to slip away from the in between her fingers.

Everyone seemed to be doing better: her classmates received more praise, even Belinda who, at one point, admitted that graphites were a challenge for her as well. And yet, when Sam drew a self portrait surrounded by roses and water lilies, one of the comments Miss Estes left for her on the back side of the heavy grained paper was “lots of effort.”

She was eager for the flight out to the Bay Area by the time that early Friday morning rolled around, and she and Zelda were seated next to each other. She had packed that copy of Siddhartha with her but she had no idea as to when she would get to crack it open over the weekend.

Zelda had put on a plain white T shirt and fitted black jeans, and she had combed her short bob of black hair back for the flight. Apparently all she had packed with her were white shirts and black jeans.

“Don't you wanna look nice like at Cliff's memorial?” Sam asked her with a chuckle.

“I've got some suspenders and a tie to go with them,” Zelda replied. “It's a wedding for a friend of ours, and he said that we can wear whatever we like. So I told him that I'm gonna be full punk chick there. I'm guessing you'll be the artist?”

“Of course,” Sam replied, “the full black, baby.”

Zelda raised a hand to her for a high five and the light for the seat belts flickered on right then.

“I'll tell you this, Zelda,” Sam began.

“What's that?”

She peered over her shoulder to make sure Marla and Charlie paid no attention to them, given they were right across the aisle from them. Sam then gestured for Zelda to move in closer to her: beyond her and outside the window, she noticed the first few flurries of snow against the pane. She hoped they would take off soon.

“I'm getting kind of bored of New York,” she whispered to her.

“Really?” Zelda raised her eyebrows at her.

“Yeah. It's just—falling into the whole 'same old, same old' thing. I'm an artist, I should be able to go places with it all.”

“Absolutely, absolutely.”

“And I just—” Sam shook her head. “It's a great big city but I feel like there's nothing for me there anymore. Two years there and I'm not feeling it anymore. I'm glad we're going back out to the Bay Area for just this one weekend because I feel myself slowly going insane.”

“And why are you telling me this in a whisper?” Zelda asked her in a soft voice.

“Because—I don't know how to break it to Marla yet, or Belinda for that matter. Aurora kind of knows, but not in that sense, though. I made note of it to her but she didn't really suggest anything to me.”

“You can come to Providence,” Zelda suggested, “there's tons to do in Providence. Narragansett and Natick, too.”

“I guess what I'm trying to say is I feel trapped. Two years ago, I came here to the Northeast for a change of pace and it feels like it's trapped me sideways. There's no way out unless I really genuinely leave. The downside of course is—leaving you ladies behind and leaving Anthrax behind.”

“Yeah, and—we kinda like you, Sam. I do, especially. And I know Aurora does, too. And Marla.”

“Aurora is one of my best friends. Her and Frankie. They're my best friends. I don't know how I would handle leaving them both behind for a change of pace. I feel me and Marla drifting, if I'm honest. Can't really blame her, though—school's getting hard on her.”

“Well—whatever you do, Sam,” Zelda started again, “I'll support you on it. If nothing, you'll get the full support from me.”

“Thank you, Zelda. That—that means a lot to me.” Sam showed her a friendly smile.

Zelda shrugged. “I'm from Rhode Island,” she replied. “Moreover, I'm a punk rocker from Rhode Island. We look out for each other more so than these metal boys.”

They touched down in the Bay Area at five in the morning, and right as the sun began to rise right behind them. The thick fog surrounded the airport and Sam thought about the one and only Christmas she and Cliff spent together.

“Looks like San Francisco,” she muttered. “Feels like it, too.” She closed her eyes as they rolled up to the gate. She and Zelda stepped out of the airport first and she breathed in that marine air. She swore that New York was in fact her one true home, but there was just something about California that brought her more so into that feeling. That feeling that she needed to be there. All the fleeting thoughts led up to that moment there on the sidewalk.

Cliff's remains were not very far away from there, either.

She, Zelda, Marla, Aurora, and Belinda all stood at the curb as Charlie and Emile fetched their rental cars. All those men awaited them not too far from there, and Sam was eager to see Joey again given he flew in from Syracuse. That morning in which he and Belinda woke up before her and flirted with each other went through her mind every now and again. She never realized how much she wanted him until he put his arms around her and they locked eyes with each other. She needed to at the very least see him again: he also promised her a birthday gift.

Within time, Emile showed up with the little black car for himself and Aurora, while Charlie rolled up to the curb in a short dark green van. The four remaining girls piled inside away from the damp cold; Sam wanted to refer to him and Marla in the front seat as “Mom and Dad” again but she decided not to as she shivered under her jacket.

It wasn't New York, but Sam had forgotten how cold San Francisco could feel once the winter time set in.

“Okay, so we're going to a place called Marin Heights,” Charlie told them. “I think that's where the guys—Metallica—got the loft for us.”

“I've heard of it,” said Belinda from the middle seat.

“Me, too,” Sam added from the way back; Zelda huddled next to her and shook her head about. Sam had no idea as to why she didn't bring a jacket with her given it was winter in California. But instead, she peered out the small notch of a window to the Bay itself. She remembered that Testament were to film a music video out in Alcatraz, and those cold yellow lights from the island itself pierced through the foggy darkness. She wondered if they had finally wrapped up the recording of their first album since she wasn't able to sit in with them over the past couple of weeks because of school. She also wondered if she would receive any credit on it like with Stormtroopers of Death.

Charlie wound through the city until they reached the freeway, which in turn brought them up to Marin Heights, nestled back in the hills on the north side of town: they reached a switch back on the hillside so Sam was able to see the very top of the Golden Gate Bridge as it rose through the fog. The clouds themselves split apart so as to let the first rays of sunlight through and the metal of the bridge shone that bright amber color with the sunrise.

No wonder Cliff loved it there.

She sighed through her nose and turned her attention back to the road ahead of her as it turned away into the hills. Within time, they reached the top, and a small villa of little brick two story houses nestled back in the trees. She wondered if the wedding was going to be there as Charlie pulled up to the gravel driveway and stopped before the one closest to the street.

“I think this is us,” he informed them. “Or it might just be check in, I dunno.” He climbed out and then Sam and Zelda followed suit. The latter raised her lanky arms over her head and closed her eyes. Meanwhile, the former spotted a tall lanky boy with long black hair perched on a stone post on the other side of the driveway. He faced the other way but she knew those rich jet black curls anywhere.

“Joey?” she called out.

“Hm?” Zelda asked.

“Joey's over there.”

Zelda peeked around the rear end of the van and she nodded at her.

“Yeah, he is! Go get 'em!”

Sam then ducked around the end of the van and hurried over to him.

“Joey!” she called out. “Joey!”

He turned to face her with his eyebrows raised. He had lost a little weight so his waist was rather slim like Joey's, and the black hair dye held up, but she knew those deep eyes anywhere.

“Oh, hi,” she greeted him as she skidded to a stop before him.

“Hi,” Alex replied back to her with a thoughtful look on his face. “What's happening?”

“I thought you were Joey for a second.”

“You thought I was Joey?” he laughed at that.

“You have similar hair to each other.”

“His has more of a pile, though. Like right on top of his head. That big pile of ringlets atop his head.” He gestured to the crown of his head. “Even though I'm sitting down, I think he's a little bit shorter than me, too?”

“I think so?” Sam shifted her weight right there. Stray strands of his black hair lifted off of his shoulders in the wind and he ran his hand over the back of his head. He shivered from the feeling over his skin.

“God, it's cold out here,” he muttered as he adjusted his jacket.

“Yeah, it's pretty nippy. Not New York, but it's that California cold, though.”

“You know, both my parents are from New York,” he said.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Both obscenely smart Ivy League professors. They came out here before I was born to teach over at Berkeley.”

“Is that why you had the gray streak?” she asked him.

“Nah, I have no idea where that came from.” He shifted his weight yet again on that post. He seemed uncomfortable sitting there but Sam had no idea where to go right then. Charlie's voice behind her caught her ear and she peered over her shoulder at his talking to James.

“Happy birthday, by the way,” Alex told her as he shifted his weight a fourth time. “Aurora told the five of us last week that it was her assistant's birthday and she didn't know what to get you.”

“Aw, thank you—it was back on the twenty first, though.”

“Happy belated,” he corrected himself, and she swore he winked at her. Someone called his name and he looked off to the distance.

“Hang on—” he said, and he darted past her towards Charlie.

“Sam?” Zelda called out to her, and she jogged back to her. Aurora had climbed out of Emile's car right next to them and she shivered inside of her windbreaker.

“What's up?”

“Apparently the wedding is today,” Aurora announced.

“Today?” Sam was stunned.

“Yeah. Three o'clock. I guess Kirk's lady couldn't wait for it a second longer so they're doing it today.”

“So we get a full weekend of good ol' fun,” Zelda added as she clasped her hands to her upper arms.

“Exactly!”

Sam turned her attention to Alex, who was talking to Charlie about something. His black hair twirled in the cold winter winds. Even from a distance, he had such a grave expression on his face that it made Sam think he was much older than in reality.

Belinda had the right idea: he was very precocious. But now she had a little bit of insight into the boy in that he was raised by intelligent parents. It was a start with Alex and she could only wonder from that point onward.

Aurora and Emile led her, Zelda, and Belinda into the cabin behind Charlie and Alex, and once they stepped inside of the cozy foyer, Zelda was eager to turn on the heater.

“Terrible idea not to pack a coat,” she muttered as she hurried down the front foyer in search of the thermostat, “terrible idea not to pack a coat!”

Sam and Belinda meanwhile took to the narrow stairwell in front of them, and they made their way up to that second level: to the right stood a couple of rooms, while to the left was the bathroom and two more rooms. The door at the far end stood slightly ajar, such that when they reached the top, they spotted that head of black curls outside the doorway.

“Hey, Joey,” Belinda greeted him. That lopsided grin and those big brown eyes returned the favor, and Sam's heart skipped a couple of beats at the sight of him. He didn't appear to be ready for a wedding at all with his plain white shirt, extra tight blue jeans, and ragged white socks.

“There are my girls,” he said as he padded closer to them.

“Oh deary me, you're gonna be down the hall from us?” Sam teased him.

“Yup, me, Frankie, and Charlie and Marla. We're gonna be all here at the end of the hall if you need anything.”

“You know the wedding is today right?” Belinda told him.

“Oh, shit, is it really?” Joey raised his eyebrows at that.

“Yeah, Aurora just told us,” Sam added, and her heart sank at the thought of him barely being in the know of these things. “Three o'clock. So Bel and I are gonna get settled in and get dressed.”

“Oh, damn, thank you,” he told her, and his brown eyes sparkled at the sight of her. Cold as the earth and as engulfing as venom. He doubled back to his room and Sam pushed open the door in front of her. Inside stood a small bunk bed and a heavy wooden dresser underneath the window.

“Top or bottom?” she asked Belinda.

“You're older and got way more inside, so top,” she replied as she lay her purse down on the faded blue comforter upon the bottom bed. Even though they had plenty of time before the wedding, Sam wanted to clean up, and change her clothes and look her best. She hadn't been to a wedding in what felt like forever: there was one from when she was three years old, but she had no memory of it and she had no clue as to who even got eloped then, either.

Belinda offered to curl her hair and do it up extra nice, but she promised her there was very little to actually do up given her hair sat flat on her head. If only she could make curls into a crown like with Joey, but she had what she had in the form of a red wine colored dress and a thin black sweater over the top: the dress was a bit snug around her hips but she need not obsess over something as trivial as that when she remembered what Joey wanted to give her.

She was about to head on back inside of their room when she spotted him on the other side of the hallway with the five men from Death Angel, if she recalled correctly. Once again with the quintets and she would learn all of their names in the meantime. But he had a box wrapped in old faded red wrapping paper tucked under his arm and she hoped it wasn't just a wedding gift, especially since he still hadn't gotten dressed.

He laughed at something one of them said and he turned around.

“Oh, there you are!” he called out to her, and he scurried towards her. The tape on the edges of the box and the crooked look of the paper itself told her he wrapped it in a hurry, but she didn't mind at all once she slid her fingers under the edge of the paper closest to her. Careful not to tear it, she unwrapped it and lifted the lid. Inside was a pair of black leather gloves and a red and white knit scarf, the latter of which she ran her fingers over to find it softer than anything she had felt before. It was as soft as a cat.

“It's your own pair of gloves plus a scarf,” he declared. “I just think about how cold you always get upstate.” He shrugged at that.

“I love it, Joey! It's so soft.”

“It's cashmere.”

Sam gaped at him. “Cashmere,” she echoed him.

“Yeah—it was marked down, though. But it's cashmere. I wanted to give you something nice and good and good and nice.”

She slipped the gloves on and they fit around her fingers as if they were made for her. Joey offered to put the scarf around her neck; he stood before her, a country boy in a plain white shirt before a California girl in a dark red dress, and he wrapped the scarf around her.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered to her. “Happy birthday. Double deuces as of ten days ago!”

“Thank you—” She put her arms around him and she held him close. His slender little body was as soft as that scarf, and he smelled of fresh baked bread, something she would be willing to experience as long as he didn't have a drop of alcohol on hand.

Maybe there was in fact something more to life than being in that groove all the time. Maybe she could find a way to break out of her shell, and she could owe it all to him.

And she still hadn't told her parents about him.

[atzbabyy]

scenario masterlist

kim hongjoong

Dada ~ fluff

Aurora saying ‘dada’ for the first time

Picture Perfect ~ fluff, slight angst, pregnant!reader

you try and hide your nine-month-pregnant stomach from Hongjoong

Daddy’s Boy ~ fluff

Hongjoong getting Pheonix dressed for a day with him in the studio

Far Away ~ fluff, pregnant!reader

telling Hongjoong you’re pregnant with Aurora

Play Date ~ fluff

Hongjoong and Yunho pick up Yoojin and Ophelia from daycare

park seonghwa

2AM ~ fluff

baby Nayeon waking up at 2am

Mama’s Boy ~ fluff, slight angst

Woohyun wanting you while spending the day with his dad

Interruptions ~ smut, fluff

Nayeon walking in on you and your husband having sex

Break-Up ~ slight angst, fluff

Nayeon hearing you and Seonghwa fighting and thinking the two of you will break-up

Mummy ~ fluff

Nayeon saying her first word

Room 194 ~ fluff

the birth process of Nayeon and Woohyun

Bed Rest ~ fluff, pregnant!reader

the first day of bed rest during pregnancy

Mini Us ~ fluff, pregnant!reader

Seonghwa thinking for the first time about what the twins will look like

jeong yunho

Yunho’s Son ~ fluff

the boys coming to meet Yunho’s new son, Yoojin

Baby Care ~ fluff

Yunho getting the opportunity to look after his baby properly with his third child, Seunghee

Taking Care ~ fluff, slight angst, pregnant!reader

Yunho coming home from practise for quality time with you and your first, unborn, son, Yoojin

Prince ~ fluff, slight angst, pregnant!reader

you and Yunho marvelling at Yoojin kicking for the first time

Second Baby ~ slight angst, fluff, pregnant!reader

telling Yunho and Yoojin that you’re pregnant with your second baby, Yeongjae

Older Brothers ~ fluff

Yoojin and Youngjae meeting Seunghee for the first time

Play Date ~ fluff

Hongjoong and Yunho pick up Yoojin and Ophelia from daycare

kang yeosang

Struggles of a Blessing ~ angst, fluff, pregnant!reader

the journey it took to have your daughter, Nari

Dad Talk ~ fluff

the boys talk about being dads at early morning practise, specifically new dad Yeosang

Toilet Stories ~ fluff, pregnant!reader

your unborn baby making it hard to do anything without leaving the bathroom, but Yeosang is there to support you

Clever Girl ~ fluff

Nari taking her first steps

Precious Little Girl ~ fluff

mornings with Nari

choi san

First Steps ~ fluff

Bora taking her first steps (feat. all her brothers)

Family Games ~ fluff

you and San playing a game for your YouTube channel (feat. all the boys)

Princess ~ fluff

San coming to visit you in the hospital after the birth of your fifth child, Bora

The Floor Is Lava ~ smut, fluff

Hana, Hae and Bok walking in on you and San after hearing strange noises

Good Morning ~ fluff

waking up Wook, feat. mornings with your crazy four sons, and San

First Word ~ fluff

Hana’s first word, as heard on V-Live

Our Daughter ~ fluff

the moment you and San met your daughter, Bora, for the first time (and the moments before)

Midnight Dinner ~ fluff

feeding time with Hana, in the middle of the night

First Birthdays ~ fluff

celebrating Hana’s first birthday with the members

Interrogation ~ fluff

Bora bringing her first boyfriend to meet her dad and her brothers

song mingi

Like Mother Like Son ~ fluff

a cute drabble feat. your son, Hyunsik

First Snow ~ fluff

your son, Hyunsik, seeing snow for the first time

For Me ~ fluff

Soobin takes his first steps in front of Mingi

Toy Truck ~ fluff

the story of how Soobin got the scar on his hand

Morning ~ fluff

mornings with your two princesses, Mingi and Hyunsik

Maknae ~ fluff, pregnant!reader

you and Mingi staying in the hospital before the birth of your youngest, Soobin

20 Weeks ~ angst, pregnant!reader

having a miscarriage scare while pregnant with Hyunsik

jung wooyoung

03:55 ~ fluff

going into labour with your second child, Kyunghwa

Meanie ~ fluff

your unborn daughter, Kyunghwa, being mean

Good Morning ~ fluff, slight angst

Dohwan being slightly jealous over thing being different now Kyunghwa’s here

choi jongho

Gherkins ~ fluff, pregnant!reader

realising you’re pregnant + having to telling your fiancé, Jongho

Guardian Angel ~ fluff

Jongho being a new dad, and not really knowing what to do with Jiyoung

My Little Boy ~ fluff

Jongho coming home from work and spending some time with Jiyoung

Precious ~ fluff

Jongho helping Jiyoung and Yoongi get to sleep, before helping you with Mijin

Little One ~ fluff, pregnant!reader

Jongho helping to calm down your unborn baby, Yoongi, by singing

The Sweetest ~ fluff, pregnant!reader

Jongho helping to satisfy your’s and Jiyoung’s cravings in the middle of the night

[let-me-write-shit]

Somebody To You: 15

Friendly reminder to please Like and/or Reblog. It helps more than you think! :)

Word Count: 2,616

Click Here For Previous Chapter & Other Completed Stories

PLEASE let me know what you think

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

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:

Work on Saturday night was anything but normal. Harry and Rory seemed to have put their differences aside because when she left they were smiling with each other. At first, she worried they had made up and maybe started dating again, but she couldn’t stop and ask because she was already running late for her shift at the bar as it was. It’s not that she wouldn’t have been happy for them if they did date, but it wasn’t something Zoey foresaw lasting. How messy would things get the second time around?

She didn’t even get a chance to put her things down or clock in before Brett bound up to her, puppy dog eyes in full effect. 

“Zoey, can we talk?” desperation thick in his Australian accent.

She snapped her head towards him, “Brett, I’m not in the mood.”

“Please. I know Rory told you, but I…”

“You nearly ruined everything!” she hissed at him, “How stupid are you?”

Andy sauntered in behind them, his smile vanishing as he heard the tail end of the conversation, “What happened?”

“Why don’t you tell him?” Zoey glared, punching her employee number into the computer and pushing past him.

She didn’t expect to be so angry. She wasn’t before she got there. But seeing his face filled her with such indignation that she didn’t even want to be in the same room as him. She wasn’t jealous. She wasn’t even mad at him for sleeping with Rory. But every time she looked at him all she could picture was Harry breaking down in the elevator. That was something she never wanted to experience again. If that’s how he handled being hurt by someone he ‘didn’t love’, she didn’t even want to think about how heart-wrenching it would be to see him lose someone that held even more meaning to him.

Zoey got to work, faking a smile, taking a shot or two with some of the patrons, and trying to constantly remind herself that everything was fine now before she finally let Brett talk to her when he cornered her by the storage closet. She hated being an empath sometimes. The true remorse in his eyes was enough for her to ease up on him. He explained how that night wasn’t planned. It was just supposed to be a hangout. He admitted that his attraction to Aurora had started a couple of weeks prior which was why he was being so distant from Zoey, but he had no intention of pursuing anything because he knew she was seeing Harry. But one thing led to another. 

He really liked her. Zoey could tell. When he spoke about Aurora his eyes lit up. His lips were always slightly turned upwards into a smile and he rambled. There was no hiding it. And the hopeless romantic in her turned to mush, listening. But at the end of the day, that was her friend. And if she had to see her cry over another boy being an idiot, she would lose her fucking mind. She made sure Brett knew that. Work went a lot easier after that. She was even able to forget about what happened and laugh and joke with Brett again, like old times before things got messy between them. Back when they were simply friends.

Harry, on the other hand, feeling relieved that he and Aurora were able to smooth things over, couldn’t just go back to England without properly saying goodbye to Zoey. That five-second hug in the parking garage of her condo wasn’t good enough. Not after how emotional she got. He knew it wouldn’t be long until he saw her again, but she didn’t. So, he decided he’d surprise her at work. Not the smartest idea he had, seeing how crowded it was when he pulled up. He sat in his car at the front of the bar trying to prepare himself to be noticed and debating whether or not he would rather go in or have her just meet him outside. At least it would be more private if she just came to him. 

He searched, looking through the windows of the establishment to find Zoey. When he spotted her, he smiled, watching her interact with everyone she was serving. He’d never seen her at work before, but she was really in her element, shaking the cocktail shaker, skillfully pouring the contents in several glasses, laughing with the strangers. She looked like a natural. He wondered what they were talking about to make her laugh and what it’d be like to be her customer. Harry watched as Brett came into view, placing a hand on her hip, making her spin in his direction and he said something which made her through her head back in laughter, draping an arm on his shoulder and hugging him before they parted ways. With another word from Zoey they laughed again and carried on.

Anger rose within him. Did Brett know that HE knew what he had done? How could he stand there, a smile on his face, and continue to flirt with Zoey after sleeping with his roommate? And how could she let him? 

Harry quickly sent her a quick text and he watched her through the window as she slipped her phone from her back pocket, seeing a notification from him and smiling as she read the text, and her head shot to her left, squinting through the front windows and spotting him. She put a finger up to signal that she needed a minute, walking over to Andy and whispering in his ear before she bounded her way towards the front door.

He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself watching her skip her way through the parking lot towards him. Zoey slipped into the car and instantly clung to Harry’s neck, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her torso, smiling and taking in the aroma that now filled his car. Clean, soft yet warm, and the slightest hint of the bitterness from the alcohol. 

“What are you doing here?” she exclaimed and, to his displeasure, pulling away.

“Didn’t think I was going to leave without saying goodbye, did you?”

“I mean, you usually do,” she retorted, earning and little push and continuing, “but I’m glad you came. I don’t know when you’ll be back out here again.”

“I’m sure I’ll visit one more time before summer ends,” Harry reassured her.

The two talked for nearly twenty minutes when she decided she needed to get back to work. So, with one last long hug and a quick kiss on the cheek from Harry, they said goodbye. He watched her walk back into the bar, smiling widely and tightening the ponytail on the top of her head, jumping right back into the swing of things, sad to be leaving her again. 

That was four days ago. Now he’s back in England spending time with his family. It’s been months since he’s seen his mother and sister. He missed them. Every time he came back he wondered why he didn’t visit more often. It was easy to let his life consume him when he was able to fly all over the world and visit anywhere he wanted to, but for some reason, home was always the last place on his mind and it always made him feel guilty. Especially when his older sister, Gemma, got on his case for not visiting as often as he should.

She wasn’t wrong. But it was annoying to hear about it every time he came back. The two of them, as close as they were, bickered a lot. It never lasted long, though. The subject would swiftly change and they’d be laughing about something stupid the other person said, or talk about old family trips together. This was home. And as much as he loved visiting other countries, this was his favorite place to be.

The three were sitting in his mother’s garden, drinking some tea, and having some snacks, talking about their plans to have family over this weekend. He looked forward to seeing some of his cousins and their little ones, playing some games, and catching up. 

“Will you be sticking around after the weekend? Or have you got more work to do in the studio?” his mother, Anne, asked him.

“I’m meeting up with Mitch and a few others from the studio tonight for dinner, but I’m heading out Monday on a surprise birthday trip for a friend for a week. Then I’ll be back.”

“Who’s birthday?” Gemma asked.

“Zoey.”

“The American girl?” his sister asked, putting her cup of tea on the table and earning a nod from the singer. “Are you two dating or something?” Harry shook his head, fluttering his eyelids. The gesture made Gemma laugh as she continued, “You’ve just talked about her a lot.”

He’s heard this way too often in the past few months. Enough to start making him feel a little self-conscious. He really needed to stop talking about her so much. He explained himself. “She’s just a really good friend. She’s helped out a lot when I start to lose it a little on tour. And she’s not afraid to put me in my place when I’m being an idiot, because, aside from you two, no one else does. She just makes me feel normal.”

He hadn’t realized he was smiling until he saw his mom mirroring his expression with an eyebrow slightly raised. He quickly cleared his throat and took a sip of his tea as his mom continued grinning, “Well she sounds lovely. I’d love to meet her.”

He shrugged his shoulders, “Maybe one day I can convince her to come out here.”

That evening, Harry had dinner with Mitch, Jeff, and a few others to chat about his next album. Things went smoothly and left him feeling excited about things to come, but he was also ready to take a little break and unwind after the long tour.

Harry, Mitch, and Jeff decided to keep the night going by heading back to Harry’s house for a few more drinks and chats, laughing at each other, and genuinely enjoying each other’s company. Eventually, they quieted down and began talking about the other boys’ significant others. Both were currently in long-term relationships and, from the looks of it, really happy. 

“I heard things with Rory didn’t work out,” Jeff turned to Harry, “Sorry about that, mate.”

Harry shrugged, “It’s alright. I don’t know if it would have lasted, anyway.”

“Isn’t that what I said?” Mitch raised an eyebrow.

“No,” Harry retorted, “You said it wouldn’t work out because you thought I liked Zoey.”

“Well, don’t you?” Mitch argued, turning to Jeff, “Do you know about Zoey?”

“Yeah, I know about her. But I don’t think she’s Harry’s type,” Jeff said, making Harry smile in victory as Jeff continued, “Isn’t she a bartender?”

Harry turned his head towards his friend and manager, “Just because she’s a bartender doesn’t mean she’s not my type.”

“Come on, mate. All you date are models,” Jeff pointed out.

Before he could counter, Harry heard his phone ring and he flipped it over to see Zoey attempting to facetime him.

“Speaking of the devil,” Mitch grinned.

“Answer it,” Jeff urged, “let’s meet her.”

Harry smirked, adjusting himself in the seat so that Mitch and Jeff weren’t in view. He answered the call and waited as Zoey popped up on the screen. He could hear the distant sounds of cars and wind whipping against the speaker and making her ponytail wag behind her. She had a little more makeup than she normally did and the warm LA afternoon sun shone on her face, contradicting the starry night sky in London. She smiled brightly when she saw him.

“I was hoping you’d still be up, you old man!” she teased.

“Old man? We’re the same age!”

“Not yet!”

He rolled his eyes, “Next week we will be!” he argued.

Zoey smiled wider, pressing a hand to her chest, “Harry, did you remember my birthday?”

“You can expect a little gift arriving at your doorstep next Wednesday,” Harry grinned, “I’ve got a couple of friends here that wanted to meet you.”

Harry turned so that both Mitch and Jeff were in view now. Zoey smiled and sang hello to them as he introduced her. Mitch was awkwardly shy, not speaking much at first, while Jeff did most of the talking.

“It’s nice to finally meet you!” Jeff exclaimed, “We’ve heard so much about you.”

“Whatever Harry told you, it’s a lie!” Zoey joked, making the boys laugh.

“It was all good things,” Jeff reassured, “So we overheard it’s your birthday next week. Have you got any plans?”

Zoey shook her head, “It’s my day off so I was thinking about just going to the beach with some friends. Thought that might be nice.”

“Why are you all dressed up?” Harry asked, noticing the jewelry around her neck which she only typically did before going out.

“Do you hear him?” Zoey ignored him, directing the question to Jeff and Mitch, “He swears he’s my handler or something. I’m going on a date, DAD,” she confessed. She saw the look in Harry’s eyes and softened her tone, reassuring him, “It’s a blind date with one of Nancy’s friends she wanted to set me up with. Apparently he’s super nice. I’m supposed to leave in, like, thirty minutes.”

Harry could feel Mitch and Jeff’s eyes on him and as he tried to act casual, but it was hard to hide that he was a little taken off guard by the news. The last time she went on a date, she said she needed a break from the dating scene for a while. Especially after the whole Rory and Brett situation, which still seemed to be going strong. 

“I didn’t know you were still going on dates,” Harry muttered, “What happened to ‘just having fun’? Bored of that already?”

Zoey pursed her lips, shrugging, “I don’t know. It’s been a while since I’ve been in a relationship. And we all know how well ‘just having fun’ turned out for me last time,” she chuckled, “I guess we’ll see.”

“Well, let me know how it goes afterward.”

“It’ll probably be super late…”

“I’ll be up,” Harry reassured.

The longer they talked, the more Zoey got Mitch to open up more, directing more questions at him and finding common interests that they went on tangents about. It was safe to say that by the time Zoey had to leave, Harry’s other friends had been won over by her. He shoved his phone back into his back pocket and turned to them with a raised eyebrow, grinning.

“See?” Harry’s tone matter-of-fact.

“Yeah, she’s pretty cool,” Mitch nodded, agreeing.

“You definitely like her,” Jeff added with a smirk.

Harry groaned, kicking his foot, “I do not! And she definitely doesn’t like me, either.”

“Dude, come on. You’re Harry. Everyone likes you.”

“Not everyone,” Harry mumbled.

The image of her on a date kept replaying in his mind. He remembered her clean, warm scent in the car and having that linger on the shirt of another Theo James look alike. Another cocky Australian who would let her down and sleep with her roommate. Why would Nancy set her up on a date? Couldn’t she see that Zoey didn’t need to go on a date? She was fine finding guys on her own at work? Why did she need to make it easier for her to find someone? Why did his friends always have to tease him about her? And why did he care?

KEEP READING

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

Taglist for Somebody To You:

@thurhomish​ , @stilljosiegrossie​ , @odetostep​ , @apples2019​ , @stylesmioamore​

[abundanceofsoph]

SkyFire 2: Chapter 2

Harry’s Birthday & Wedding Planning: February 2016

Word count: 2.4k

PART 1

SkyFire 2 MASTERLIST

>Instagram posts

Following her breakdown in the studio, Steve and Tony both accompanied Aurora to the hospital to get her hand x-rayed the next day. It turned out she had split open the most recent incision but given the fact that she would be back the following week for more surgery, Dr Walker opted to close the wound with steri-strips instead of more stitches. She got a small lecture about being more careful and as soon as they returned home, Sam was waiting for them. Aurora walked with him down the hall towards her private living room in silence.

“So, what happened yesterday?” Sam asked after the sat down.

“I’m sure you know already,” Aurora replied. “Dad would have told you everything.”

“He did but I was hoping to hear your side of it,” Sam said.

“I don’t know Sam.” She huffed out a breath, tucking her hair behind her ear as she collected her thoughts. “I finally went downstairs, and I started painting for the first time since the shooting…”

“That sounds like a good thing,” Sam said. “What went wrong?”

“I kept knocking the paint over,” Rori sighed. “And it just felt wrong, like I was off balance or something. I’m right handed so I didn’t really think I needed my left hand to paint but I guess I use it more than I realised. Any way I got frustrated and then I just lost all motivation for the work, so I left and went down the hall to the recording studio, but that was so much worse.”

“How so?” Sam prompted when she didn’t seem to want to continue.

“For as long as I can remember, music has been everything,” Rori tried to explain. “When I had nothing, I had music. When mum died, I wrote about it, and when I moved here, I wrote about it. Playing the piano, writing songs, it’s what I do. My art is all if have. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do with my life and yesterday I couldn’t do any of it. I got so angry Sam. I just got so angry and there was nothing I could do to channel that, so I just blew up.”

“And you trashed the studio,” Sam finished.

“I did,” Rori mumbled. “I don’t know what I do now Sam.”

“Would it help if we got a clearer picture from your surgeon?” he asked. “Maybe a firmer timeframe of when she excepts you to be able to do certain things again? We could work out a clear plan of what surgeries and physically therapies are needed to get you where you want to be. Maybe having some milestones to work towards will help.”

“I think I’d really like that,” Aurora agreed. “I’ve got another surgery next week when Harry and I get back from London and then I’ll have my check-up appointment 2 weeks after that. I could probably discuss the long term plan at the follow-up, but could you maybe come with me?”

“Of course, I’ll come with you,” Sam said. “When do you leave for London?”

“Tomorrow afternoon, but I can feel Dad gearing up to fight me on it. After yesterday I can’t really blame him for freaking out this time, but if I spend one more day moping around the tower, I’m going to lose it again.”

“Why don’t I talk to him about this trip being a good thing while you go for a run in the park to clear your head?”

“I would really appreciate you talking to him,” Aurora admitted, “and a run sounds perfect right now.

They both stood back up and Sam wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against him for a few long minutes, before he left to go talk to Tony. As he walked away, Rori went to change into her active wear.

xXx

It was late by the time Aurora’s flight arrived at Heathrow, and she ordered an uber for the 45 minute ride to Harry’s north London house. He was waiting up for her and the moment the car pulled up to the curb he was out the front door to grab her bag. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked into the house.

“How was your flight?” he asked while she kicked off her shoes and hung her coat in the hall closet.

“Exhausting,” Rori sighed. “Mind if we just go straight to bed?”

“Of course, love,” Harry replied, taking her hand in his as he carried her bag up the stairs towards the bedroom. She barely kept her eyes open long enough to change out of her clothes and brush her teeth before she collapsed into his bed and snuggled up against him.

xXx

Aurora woke up well before Harry given that she was still running on New York time. She quietly slipped from the bed and padded downstairs to the kitchen, starting a pot of coffee before pulling out what she needed from the fridge. She had an omelette in the skillet in front her and the smell of freshly brewed coffee was in the air when she heard Harry shuffle into the kitchen behind her.

“Morning,” he mumbled his voice low and gruff with sleep.

“Damn,” Rori chuckled. “Was trying to get this finished before you woke up so I could bring it up to you. Happy Birthday baby.” She skipped over to him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. Harry hummed into the kiss, his hands slipping lower as he licked at her lower lip and she opened her mouth to him. “Omelette’s gonna burn if you don’t stop groping my butt,” she murmured against his lips when they pulled apart.

“Let it burn,” Harry groaned, chasing after her lips as she pulled away from him. She giggled when he refused to let her go.

“Harry,” she whined. “At least move us over to the stove if you won’t let go.”

He did as he was told, shuffling them through the kitchen, turning her in his arms until he plastered along her back. She managed to salvage the omelette before it completely burned, sliding it onto a plate and bending over to pull the other one from the oven where she’d placed it to keep it warm. Harry chuckled darkly when she bent over, squeezing her hips when she pushed back against his pelvis.

“None of that mister,” she chided. “Breakfast first, then we can fool around.”

He pouted but took the plates she held out to him, moving over to the kitchen table as she made their coffees before joining him. The moment they’d finished eating Aurora squealed as she was scooped up into Harry’s arms and carried off towards the bedroom.

xXx

They headed into the city as it started to get dark, meeting Harry’s family and some of his friends at a little Chinese restaurant in SoHo. They were shown to a large round table and Aurora quickly hugged Louis, Niall and Liam before she sat down next to Harry with Gemma sitting on her left and Anne on Harry’s right. Conversation flowed easily as the food was brought out and Aurora swiped one of Harry’s spring rolls from his plate.

“Oi!” he gasped, jabbing his chopsticks at her, causing her to giggle and lean over to kiss his cheek. “You’re bloody lucky you’re so cute,” he told her.

After the meal, a waiter brought out a tray of cupcakes with candles lit and the table erupted into a terrible rendition of Happy Birthday. Aurora took a few photos with her phone before Harry blew out the candles and then divvied the cupcakes up around the table.

“How long are you in town for this time?” Gemma asked after they’d finished off the cupcakes.

“Just a few days,” Rori replied. “We’re meeting with our wedding planner to go over some things, but I need to be back in New York by the end of the week.”

“How’s the wedding planning going?”

“Really well, we’ve got the venue, caterer, photographer and the cake all organised already. I had a lot of spare time on my hands after the proposal, so I really got stuck into it all last year.”

“What are you getting done this week then?” Gemma asked.

“We’re doing another walk through at the venue to finalise layout and decide on decorations, colour schemes, all of that.”

“I know the boys have their suits sorted already but we’ll have to start shopping for dresses soon,” Gemma pointed out, an excited smile on her face. “I’m honestly so excited to be Harry’s Best Woman. I really wasn’t expecting him to ask me.”

“Are you kidding me Gem?” Rori laughed. “There’s no one else he would have asked. Especially after I called dibs on Louis being my Man of Honour.” The two girls burst out laughing, drawing Harry’s attention away from his conversion.

“Why am I suddenly nervous?” he asked, looking between his sister and fiancé who were both still giggling.

“Just discussing the bridal party,” Rori said, kissing Harry’s cheek.

“And the fact that you stole my best man?” Harry asked.

“I’m feeling so wanted,” Gemma joked. “And you’re not really that annoyed about it, admit it. You’d give her anything she asked for.”

“I really would,” Harry replied, leaning into kiss Aurora, his hand cupping her cheek as he smiled into the kiss.

“Oi! No snogging at the table!” Louis yelled from across the room, throwing a wadded up napkin at the pair, Niall laughing hysterically when he hit Harry in the side of the head.

“It’s my birthday so if I wanna kiss my fiancé, then I will,” Harry replied before returning to the kiss. Aurora broke away from the kiss in a fit of giggles as Liam and Louis started to boo them.

They all said their goodnights not too much later, and Aurora promised to call Gemma soon to organise a time to go dress shopping with Ella and Lottie soon.

xXx

After breakfast the following morning, they both pulled on their winter coats and walked from Harry’s Hampstead house across the Heath towards the Hill Gardens. They met their wedding planner Rebecca and a member of the grounds team at the Pergola and followed them inside. Even in winter, the place was absolutely beautiful, and Aurora was smiling brightly as they were shown around. Becca pointed out where they could have an arch placed for them to stand under and where the chairs would be placed.

“It’s perfect Harry,” Rori whispered after they had wandered the space for a little while. “I’m so glad we decided on here.”

“And just imagine it with the spring flowers,” he added, wrapping his arms around her as they gazed around the space.

“Well I think we’re good to go,” Becca said, walking back towards the couple after speaking with the staff. “Rori you’ve given me pretty clear design ideas, so I’ll get all the furnishings confirmed and send you through the photos for you to sign off on it, but I think we’re good for the ceremony. Let’s go talk reception.”

The three of them walked out of the gardens to where Becca had parked her car and, in a few minutes, they were back at Harry’s house where they had decided to hold the reception.

“The plan is to have the guests walk back here after the ceremony while we go into the Heath to take photos,” Harry explained as they walked into the house. “We’ve got a large back garden and we were thinking two long tables down either side, dance floor in the middle, bridal party at a table across the back.”

“I’d also like some lights strung up in the trees and maybe over the dance floor,” Rori added, walking Becca around the space.

“And colour scheme is still navy and creams?” the older woman confirmed while she took a few photos of the yard.

“Yes,” Rori agreed. “I don’t want to go too over the top, just something simple and tasteful.”

“Tasteful is definitely something we can do,” Becca promised.

They all headed back inside out of the cold and Harry set about making tea as the two women sat down at the kitchen table to discuss details. Becca had her laptop open and Aurora shared her the link to a Pinterest board where she’d been collecting images of details she liked. They spent a few hours discussing everything until Becca was satisfied, she fully understood what the young couple wanted.

“Thank you again Becca,” Rori said when they started to wrap up. “You’ve made this entire process so easy, and I honestly don’t know how we would have gotten anything done without you.”

“Just doing my job, darling,” Becca replied. “And I should be thanking both of you. I’m so used to dealing with Bridezillas that it’s so refreshing how laid back you’ve both been about everything.”

“There’s enough stress in our lives without letting this become another thing,” Harry said, his arm draped across the back of Rori’s seat. Becca smiled warmly at them.

“So, when are you going dress shopping?” she asked Rori.

“I’m hoping to fly back over next month or in April to go with the girls to get their bridesmaids dresses. They boys’ suits are already getting made, so that’s one more thing ticked off.”

“You’ve already got the suits sorted?” Becca asked in surprise. “You guys have really got this organisation thing down.”

“Harry’s getting his suit made by Gucci,” Rori explained, “and they offered to make the groomsmen’s suits as well, so we just decided to go for it.”

“You two are so down to earth I sometimes forget you’re famous,” Becca laughed, “but Gucci. Damn.”

“I know,” Aurora laughed as well. “I’m working with them to design my dress as well. Maybe we should have got them to sponsor the wedding.”

Becca stayed for a little while longer, chatting with the couple before heading out with promises to email Aurora soon.

“I really don’t know why people make planning a wedding into this super stressful thing,” Harry said when she left.

“Right?” Rori agreed. “I have complete faith in Becca. She knows the vibe I’m going for and I trust her to decide on all the finer details. I just don’t see the point in hyper-fixating on it all. I just want to be able to enjoy the day and have fun.”

“Me too,” Harry said. “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

NEXT CHAPTER

OR CONTINUE READING ON AO3

[julia-highstorms]

Last Night on Earth (Bryce x Rei (F!MC))

Summary: Infected by an unknown poison, Rei spends what could be her last night on earth with her most important person.

Author’s note: Open Heart is back which means BRYCE IS BACK and omg the angst in chapter 11 was on spot. As usual, I wanted to give a bit of more depth between Bryce and Rei’s relationship. Read more about them here

Song: Last Night On Earth - Green Day

Disclaimer: Characters and some dialogues belong to Pixelberry Studios.

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x Rei Sato (F!MC)

Word count: +2.8K

________________________________________

Rei left out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as she watched Ethan and June wheeling Rafael out through the decontamination room and down the hallway, solitary figures in a labyrinth of plastic. She had the sensation that her mentor took one last worried look over his shoulder to where she was. 

The silence that fell over was deafening, the pressure in her head felt too much. Now, all alone, she felt like she was the last person on Earth. She curled up on her bed and the tears came hard. She let them fall, hiding her face behind her hands, her frail and weak body quivering to the intensity of her weeping.

She cried for Danny, for Bobby, mourning the loss of those two souls. She cried for Rafael, scared of what could happen to him overnight. She cried for Kyra, fighting for her life at the O.R. She cried for herself. She felt scared of what fate had in store for her.

Working with medicine, she had to learn to endure that sometimes they were unable to save everyone. Death was part of life and a hospital staff dealt with it more often than most people would.

But she was scared either way. She was terrified. The feelings were overwhelming. Mourning, loneliness, anger, regret, helplessness, fear.

________________________________________

What it seemed to be much later, her friends and the diagnostics team arrived outside the window to her room. She felt tired, her eyes dry and puffy from crying so much.

She noticed Bryce standing behind Baz, staring at her with haunted eyes.

“How’s Kyra? The surgery must be over now…” “She’s fine. She’s resting. She, uh… we haven’t told her what’s happening with you yet.” - Rei nodded.

“Good idea.”

Sienna sniffed and buried her face in Jackie’s shoulder. The diagnostics team informed her that she had maitotoxin.

There was no cure for maitotoxin.

...She was going to die there.

Rei felt a wave of emotions all over again, feeling more helpless than she had ever felt. That was going to be her last night on earth.

Ethan told her to not give up yet. That was something so typical of her mentor to say and something she would usually be thankful for. If it hadn’t been for his tough love, she wouldn’t be the doctor she was today.

But today, right now, she wasn’t a doctor. She was just a dying being. He assured her that they’d synthesize an antidote overnight. Usually, she would believe and put faith in him. She trusted in Ethan Ramsey, and in June and Baz.

But that night she wasn’t feeling much hopeful. Even though Aurora came in with a group of doctors from Mass Kenmore. Even though Carrick affirmed that she wouldn’t die on their watch. Rei felt that she was already far from being saved.

Everyone said their goodbyes and followed June and Baz to the lab. Ethan stayed behind for a moment more, his pale blue eyes fixed on his favorite mentee, on the woman he was secretly in love, his face wrinkled with worry and something else. Fear. Regret. Longing.

“It isn’t over yet, Rookie.” - he said, and she smiled weakly at the nickname. - “You should try and get some rest.”

“What, are you my doctor now?” - she snapped back at him, good humouredly.

“Yes. I’m telling you as a doctor and...” - he hesitated, as if he tried to carefully choose his next words.

The head of the diagnostics team reminisced about the talk he had with Sienna on their way to a FBI field office earlier, where he confessed he had rather unprofessional feelings for Rei. But he didn’t tell Sienna the complete truth: although he had never really confessed to her, Rei knew about his feelings for her. At least, back then when she still was an intern. And Ethan was more than aware that her feelings for him weren’t mutual. She had rejected him. And he still pinned for her either way. And she could possibly die soon. Real soon.

He thought about throwing everything to the ceiling and fully confessing to her. How he still loved her. That might be his last chance.

...But that wouldn’t be fair. To Rei. A love confession from her boss and mentor was the least thing she needed right now. And it would be unfair to Dr. Lahela too. Whatever was the nature of their relationship, it was clear that Rei loved that scalpel jockey. And that, this time, the feelings were mutual.

The young surgeon was a few feet away, leaning against the wall, his hands buried inside his pockets, staring down at his feet, patiently waiting for his turn to talk to Rei. And Ethan was sure that he would possibly spend the rest of his night keeping her company. That was something she would want. 

“...as your friend.” - he finished his thought.

Rei nodded, smiling gratefully at Ethan, unaware of the storm of emotions he had inside him, and he left. 

She heard him exchanging a few words with someone who was behind the wall. Bryce came into view as he stepped to the side, lingering by the window. He forced a smile.

“It’s all gonna be okay, Rei. I promise. You heard Dr. Ramsey, they’re going to find a cure.”

“Bryce, you don’t have to pretend to be positive for my sake.”

The smile left his face.

“...I’m not. It’s for my sake. If I don’t stay optimistic, I’m gonna lose it. I can’t let myself do that. Not yet. Not while there’s still hope.”

“Okay. Whatever helps.” - she murmured, resting her head back into her pillow on her back. - “What did Ethan tell you?” “He asked me to take care of you.” - he frowned. - “You should try and sleep. You need to keep your strength up.”

“I don’t know if I can. I keep thinking about Raf… wondering how long he can hang on…”

Bryce looked down to his side, to the spare hazmat suit nearby, his brain working.

“...What if I stayed with you for a while? Would that help? There’s another hazmat suit out there.” - he smiled warmly at her. - “You know us scalpel jockeys. We’re beyond useless in the lab, anyway.”

That proposal seemed to bring a bit of life back into Rei, her eyes shining.

“Are you sure? What about Keiki? Will she be okay?”

“Keiki is a teenager, Rei, not a baby. She can take care of herself for a night. Besides, she forbade me of going home with you like this.” “Did you tell her…?” 

“Yeah. I said I’d be up late here. She told me to stay here with you. Keiki’s your number #1 fan, Rei.”

Rei chuckled softly and agreed on Bryce staying with her that night. A few minutes later, she heard the decontamination tent activating, and he entered her room.

“What do you think? Am I still handsome? Or am I somehow more handsome? Be honest.”

She laughed as Bryce strutted through the door in his bulky hazmat suit.

“It’s your best look yet. You should rock this every day.”

“Don’t tempt me, Rei.”

“I can’t believe you actually came in here.” - her voice dropped to a murmur.

“If I’m gonna be here for you, I’m gonna be here for you.” - he walked to her bed, standing up beside it and took her hand, squeezing it gently, as if to prove he was not a dream.

“I’m glad. I’m not doing so well in here on my own.”

“Not true, Rei. You’ve been incredible today.” “I haven't done anything but watch two good men die.”

He suddenly enveloped her in his arms. It was a good hug, even through the thick plastic suit.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” - he whispered into her ear and then Rei felt the tears back into her eyes.

She weakly circled her arms around him and sobbed. She looked so fragile.

“Bryce, I-- I’m scared.” - she confessed, hiding her face on his chest. He let her weep, his hands rubbing up and down her back in a comforting movement, saying nothing.

She was scared of not waking up in the morning. Of not being able to spend one more night at Donahue's with her friends. Of not knowing if Kyra had made it all after her surgery. Of not being able to see Bryce's smile ever again, or to feel his touch. She was scared that the last news their family would have of her was about her death.

“I know it wasn't my fault that this happened… but I still feel so full of regret. This might be last night on earth…”

“Hey, none of that. You need to stay positive.”

She brushed away her tears.

“Oh? Any suggestions on how to manage that?”

“I think we already established how incredible I look in this.” - he tried to give her a confident smirk. Rei smiled ruefully, her eyes red due to her crying.

“That’s… not quite doing it for me.”

“Fair. Then let’s focus on all the positive in you. What are you most proud of? What makes you happiest?”

“I definitely am most proud of my job.”

“As you should be. You’re a fantastic doctor, Dr. Sato.”

“And of working in the diagnostics team, although at first I didn’t intend to be part of it when we were interns.”

“I remember all the drama.” - it was almost funny how it seemed pettiless compared to what was happening now.

“And about what makes me the happiest… probably… You.” - she confessed, her cheeks blushing slightly.

“Now there’s a pleasant plot twist.” - Bryce grinned.

“Are you surprised?”

“Not really. I don’t want to make you feel like you’re not special, but I’m a lot of people’s reason for living.”

“You asked for my favorite thing, not my reason for living.” - she pointed out, smiling back at him. - “In light of the new framing, I’m changing my answer to ‘pictures of baby animals’.” - he laughed.

“That’s actually fair. I’ll allow it.”

They grinned at each other and, even filtered by the mask, the beauty of Bryce’s smile could still almost blow Rei away.

“Gosh, you’re pretty.” - she murmured, adoration in her eyes. But to her surprise, his smile faded. - “Bryce? Did I say something wrong?”

“No. I just… Rei, I really am trying to stay positive. We both have to. But…” - he hesitated.

“But what?”

The truth was that Bryce was desperately trying to keep his cool. He somehow managed to do it at the operating room, but now, seeing Rei so terrified, feeling so helpless…

And even though she was the one in that situation, unsure of her fate, Rei Sato still was able to comfort him. To check on him, to make him feel like the most amazing person in the whole world.

He loved her.

He felt his heart clutching inside his chest and out of breath, a lump in his throat.

“You mean a lot to me, Rei. More than you know, probably. The idea of losing you…” - he trailed off, shaking his head ruefully, unable to finish his sentence.

Rei could see a sadness in his eyes as he gazed back up at her, but also something more… that something that made her heartbeat speed up.

“Bryce, you mean a lot to me too. As a friend, and as more…” - she murmured, her cheeks turning a bit redder and less pale.

“Yeah?” - he asked, as if he couldn’t believe his own ears.

“Yeah. I don’t know what waits for me tomorrow… Hell, I don’t even know if I’ll get a tomorrow. But if tonight’s my last night on earth, then you’re the one I want to spend it with.”

“Well, damn, Rei. Talk about bittersweet.” - he smiled, his eyes glistening with the tears that threatened to fall.

“Let’s focus on the sweet part.”

She gently took his gloved hands and led him to the bed, too small for them both, especially with his suit, but they didn't care.

"Would you hold me?"

"I'd love to, Rei." - he curled around her, spooning her tightly from behind. She always felt safe whenever she was in his arms.

"I wish I could feel your skin."

"You will."

"I wish I could kiss you."

"Sorry, was I mumbling? You will, Rei. You're going to get through this." 

"It's nice."

"What?"

"Hearing a doctor tell you this. It almost makes you believe that it will really be okay." - Rei swallowed another fresh wave of fear.

"What is it?" - his voice sounded worried.

She turned to face him, the tears welling up on her eyes again.

"What if the inside of this hospital room is the last place I see? What if…"

"Hey, don't go there." - he said, brushing off the hair out of her face. She took a deep breath.

"I need a kiss." - he smiled, amused by her request.

"How do you want to manage that one?"

"With a lot of imagination, I guess?"

Smiling softly, he lifted her fingertips in his hand, bending over them to 'kiss' her through the mask. Rei couldn't feel the softness of his lips, but a tingle of warmth shot through her nonetheless.

"How was that?"

"Better than I expected, honestly."

"Good."

His arms tightened around her. She laid still, enjoying the strength of his embrace until, at last, sleep clouded the edges of her mind.

"I'm glad I at least got to hold you one last time…"

"It's not the last time, Rei. I promised." - she heard Bryce say as she drifted off to a restless sleep.

________________________________________

The hours passed slowly, but Bryce didn't dare to close his eyes, afraid of losing her. Rei's weak breathing was the only sound in the room. Her body would squirm occasionally and low whimpers would escape her lips as the pain would hit her. He would brush off a strand of hair away from her face, her skin feeling both clammy and cold through his glove.

Much later, when the sun was already up the next morning, Bryce still found himself with Rei. He was now in the chair right next to her bed.

She woke suddenly to a stabbing pain in her midsection. She clutched her stomach, gasping at the intensity.

"It's okay, Rei. You're okay." - he rubbed her back soothingly, his voice comforting.

She gave in, riding the wave of pain until it passed. When it was over, she lied back down the bed, feeling weaker than ever, breathing hard. She gazed listlessly at the window just as her friends hurried up.

"Rei! We did it!" - she heard Aurora's voice and blinked at the blurry shapes of people in the window.

"Huh?"

"Seriously? You guys found an antidote?" - Bryce asked, immediately standing up.

"Something like that." - Carrick smirked confidently. 

Rei took a shuddering breath, trying not to hope too hard. Ethan, June and Baz came swimming into focus as they entered her room. They looked exhausted, but there was a glint of hope in their eyes.

"How?"

Ethan explained, a smile on his tired face. They hoped it would keep the maitotoxin from progressing any further. They had already administered it to Rafael, but there hadn't been any change of his condition so far, neither for worse nor better. 

Well, it was better than nothing. It was the only shot she had anyway.

"Give me your arm, Rei." - she presented her arm, barely able to hold it up. Bryce promptly cradled her, holding her arm still as Ethan prepared the injection. - "Ready?"

She smiled back at him.

"Ready."

He smoothly inserted the needle into her vein and dispensed the serum.

"And now we wait… and hope." - June concluded.

________________________________________

The next several hours passed in a slow, anxious crawl. Bryce had to go back to work, as well as all of her friends. Every hour, June would come by to test Rei's blood.

Slowly, her blood pressure started to stabilize. Eventually, the nausea receded. The world swimmed back into shaper focus, until…

"It worked!" - Bryce announced, loud and clear.

"Seriously? I'm cured?"

The young surgeon strode through the decontamination tent on his scrubs, with a megawatt smile that told her everything she needed to know.

"I told you it was going to be okay. I told you-- Unf!" - she printed across the room and into his arms so hard it nearly bowled him over. - "Couldn't you wait for me to cross the room, huh?" - he asked, looking down at her, enjoying the sensation of her arms hugging him tightly, her body against his.

She shook her head, a broad smile on her lips, her dark eyes shining with happiness, full of life.

"Nope."

Rei grabbed the front of his scrubs and pulled him into a dizzyingly deep kiss. Bryce immediately responded, kissing her back as if there was no tomorrow. But today was tomorrow.

"Thank you." 

"For what?"

His arms wrapped around her, holding her close, both of them savouring the warmth and solidity of each other's body.

"For being alive." - he whispered, leaning down to kiss her temple.

Rei laughed, happy and feeling more alive than ever, and they held each other for a moment more. 

________________________________________

Tagging: @brightpinkpeppercorn @pixelburied @nyastarlight @endlessflame @awkwardalbatros @choicesarehard @strangelycami @stillafictosexual @queen-kass-the-writer @indiacater @worldofchoices @radlovedreamer @fairydustandsarcasm @choicesthot @blackreddish @lilyofchoices @fluffywhitehair @weaving-in-words @eileendannie @hellooliviaolivia @professorortegasstudent @bucket-harrington @god-save-the-keen @choices97 @camcantarella @sawyer0akleyscowboyhat @thequeenchoices @hellomynameisdevi @dreaming-of-movies @maria-lahela @zodiacsign1 @omgjasminesimone @miss-raleigh-carrera @lahellacute @soft-for-drake @raleighcarrera @simsvetements @wolverinesbeer @virtuallytakenby @anotherbeingsworld @teenytinytanya08 @srta-give-me-my-jax-rl @sitsoncornflake @jamesashtonisbae @lxdy-starfury @choicesficwriterscreations (if you would like to be tagged in upcoming Bryce x MC fanfics, tell me!)

[katherinewilliams221b]

I'm going to shoot some soldifying Qs at you as well, t'was my main intention to lure you on for a reblog at least 😂 Please choose anyone you feel like, Kate or Charlie or both...1 (bc K's father gives me some kinda vibes), 4 (bc BOTH grandpas are so different, and also her parents...), 5&6 (your Charlie??), 24 (!), 32 and 35. And 41 to cap it off. I'd ask every single one of them, so sorry abt it 🙏

Aaaaaaaa okay, okay, here it is! I've been out of business for a while, taking exams and such. Uni takes all my strength away. Thank you for asking💜💜💜😍 and OF COURSE I'm going to make you participate in every ask possible 😌🤷‍♀️😍

---

1. How does your character think of their father? What do they hate and love about him? What influence - literal or imagined - did the father have?

Joseph Williams is an interesting piece; he is the youngest son of Nicholas and Aurora Williams (for another conversation). He has two siblings: Evira (stop calling her Elvira or else), the oldest, and Erick, in the middle. He was raised in a typical purist family and it’s a miracle that he didn’t turn out like his father and grandfather.

The loss of Jacob shook him to the core, but his stoic demeanour never showed it. This is something that Kate demands of him, that he could show a little more emotion or at least share his opinions. The man just talks with facts.

Another thing that truly exasperates Kate is the fact that, seemingly, he doesn’t stand up to his father. What she doesn’t know, but will learn later in her life, is that her father is the only one of the three siblings that broke a lot, if not every, rule his father had. One of them: marrying a girl with mixed blood. Nicholas is a man with a plan, probably having a member of his blood in every important position that could exist. Kate’s father probably wouldn’t have chosen a Ministry career, but at the time, he thought he didn’t have much of a choice when he found out that his father arranged it all. He insisted in dragging Jacob and Kate along, both refusing fervently and, when his father started arranging their lives, he finally put an end to the situation. This made him somewhat of an outcast, no one messes with Nicholas Williams. He is a truly terrifying man. Although aware of her grandfather’s severity, Kate didn’t know he had made plans for her and that her father was opposed to the idea.

He is hard-working, tenacious and has a way with words that help him in his job (He works at Dpt. International Magical cooperation) and that Kate also admires. She knows that you must be very careful if you talk to him, for he could be manipulative if that makes him accomplish a purpose.

Probably the most interesting thing that Kate could have learnt from him is crisis management (see #35 for more info). She does not agree with his “the end justifies the means” policy that was the cause of many arguments, but she tries to be more pragmatic and keep a cool head when a new problem arises.

4. What type of discipline was your character subjected to at home? Strict? Lenient?

5. Were they overprotected as a child? Sheltered?

6. Did they feel rejection or affection as a child?

(I felt like these were together)

Kate was homeschooled before Hogwarts. Numerous tutors with the best qualifications were selected to prepare Jacob and Kate for school.

Jacob described the process as 'unnecessarily tough and strict', not very keen to rules, Jacob used to skip classes and wander around the grounds of the house.

Both siblings were extraordinarily brilliant and it was reflected in their studies, nevertheless, little Katie showed interest in learning new things, unlike her brother. Their schooling never included anything that had to do with learning magic. They were instructed in basic math, english, french (Kate doesn't remember much of it), music, biology and introduction to what muggles would call botanics. Kate was supposed to learn piano, but they had trouble finding a good teacher that was willing to go to the house. It is a bit scary.

There were strict rules that Kate had to follow; her grandparents respective studios were forbidden as well as the kitchen and the guest area and Kate never dared to go to the basement. Her room was situated on the far end of the house and although it had a decent size it lacked personality, it was just decorated with dark colours that suited the house but not her.

The remain space for living was the grounds of the place, big enough to explore at leisure and maybe find a hidden spot to spend the afternoon. Usually the siblings were allowed to disappear for hours without a word if that meant that they didn't annoy the family or the guests.

Kate remembers her only contact with magic before Hogwarts days, happening two times a week, when she was brought to Diagon Alley to play.

Kate remembers a lonely but happy childhood. Her parents lived in the house as well, petition of her father, that wanted to protect her half blood wife, Natalia. He used all the family name power to shelter her and her parents (Natalia's mother was a muggle and at the time, Voldemort killed and tortured muggles, probably half bloods and as well as blood traitors). The name of the family was never questioned because of all the influence they had in the Ministry, but the chances of a visit to her  grandparents were limited and very controlled.

She does not blame her parents for being away all the time, or her grandparents for ignoring her. She was happy just learning, playing and exploring.

24. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually?

-At Hogwarts, Kate participated in the Hogwarts gobstones club and she was very much like her grandfather Bernard when he plays chess. She rarely lost a game and she was known for her lack of compassion when playing. She quit after Hogwarts and its unusual to see her play.

- At the same time, she was a member of the Duelling Club, where she excelled. Flitwick said to Harry Potter that she could be the best duellist of the century. The club dissolved to be re-founded again several years later, but she managed to be one of the leaders for a year. A picture of her hangs in the duelling room.

- Later in her life, she takes French and Spanish classes, the last accompanied by her mother. She is not very fluid with languages but after a while, she starts to enjoy the bonding moments with her mother.

- As a mediwizard, she attends multiple conferences and symposiums, she usually goes as a guest. Later she would participate more actively, giving talks about the importance of international techniques around the world, promoting communication, sharing perspectives and open-minded politics.

Regarding medicine, she founds a small association of healers in St Mungo’s, that teaches basic healing magic and procedures when facing an emergency situation to children, teenagers and also adults.

Kate claims she is not a leader, probably out of modesty or lack of confidence. However, she likes to take the initiative in her projects and she eventually learns how to make herself respected. She finds that, after all, she likes taking the lead.

-Kate and Charlie made an effort to go to dancing classes, to spend some quality time together. Being both very private creatures, they hated it. Not wanting to hurt each other’s feelings they didn’t mention anything about it and kept going to class. After a year they became very elegant, not only in their dancing, but in their stance as well. Needless to say, they are the focus of all stares in whichever event they attend to.

After some years, they would reveal and laugh about how they despised those classes, and how they prefered to dance alone at home. They do not regret it.

32. How does your character react to stress situations? Defensively? Aggressively? Evasively?

Kate is a well balanced combination of all three.

If one thinks about stress because of work or studies, she doesn’t fear hard work she is very assertive with her goals.

While working for the Order, she was forced to face whoever wanted to hurt her, ad although she prefers the ‘run’ option, she knows how to stand and fight if necessary. While duelling, she prefers defense spells, which give her time to know her opponent and think of a strategy according to them.

Arguing with her can be difficult and oftentimes it ends in both parts hurt. She matures considerably in that aspect and learns that some things, even if they are true, are better left unsaid.

35. Do they always rationalize errors? How do they accept disasters and failures?

Kate’s father had a lot to do with her discipline in front of failure. He feared that her grandfather’s hard education would make Kate afraid of taking the wrong direction or ever scared of making decisions Through the years he taught her how to face mistakes, work around them and accept that one can’t change the past. Easier said than done, she is only human, and from time to time she needs reassurance that she is doing the right thing. She knows that she can count on her friends to help her fix any errors and give her support when needed.

This chances the day she loses a patient for the first time, and she has to reorganize her thoughts. It was a very philosophical and exhausting day.

41. Is your character aware of who they are? Strengths? Weaknesses? Idiosyncrasies? Capable of self-irony?

She knows perfectly who she is, thanks to long talks with Charlie about everything. She is not afraid to change an opinion if she realizes she is wrong. Kate’s way of living is an state of evolutiotion; she is not only hungry for academic knowledge, she likes to discover herself and others everyday. Talking with Charlie is somewhat therapeutic and she values how he is patient enough with her to participate in those deep conversations she loves to get lost into.

She is not scared to be herself because she knows that to be loved for who you are is more precious than pretending to be someone smarter, fancier or cooler.

Bill, Tonks and Charlie like to pick on her, of course without malice, because they enjoy the friendly banter that always follows.