#Fred was probably like “I believe you have sent one of your own to Earth in '75 to eventually cross paths with me. His name is Wes Borland.

[downtherabbitholewithlucy]

Former-U.S. Intelligence Officer: "UFOs are real."

Fred Durst: "I found them first, bitch."

[lottiebagley]

Snow covered courtyards- Oliver Wood

When he'd asked her to the ball he'd been certain she would say no. They'd been friends for a while but never particularly close, simply in the same year and house and therefore knew each other through mutual friends.

He'd always thought she was kind of unattainable, she seemed to always look perfect, she was smart and funny and kind and top of her classes. He never knew why but she always avoided Oliver a little, he spent nights laid in bed listening to Percy's snoring and racking his brains for any reason she might avoid him, an insult from years ago, a history between him and one of her friends but nothing quite came to mind.

It wasn't until a few weeks before the ball that he realised that maybe the reason she avoided him was because she wasn't quite as unattainable as he'd thought. He'd laughed at first when his best friend shrugged that she probably just had a crush on him, mouthful of cereal and a slightly bemused look on his face.

After that conversation he slowly allowed his brain to convince himself she just might like him back. After all why else would she blush when he catches her eye? why would she go to every quidditch game no matter how awful the weather? why would she giggle a little with her friends when he passes?

And so, Oliver Wood let a little spark of hope light in his heart and he began to plan how he would ask her to the ball.

He thought about asking her after they won a quidditch match when he was high on adrenaline but he didn't like the idea of being muddy and sweaty and with the fucking Weasley twins, their relentless teasing playing in his mind before it even happened.

Next he thought about making some production out of it in the great hall like he'd seen a few other people do, but he knew she'd hate being the centre of the entire school's attention.

He contemplated asking her at a party, figuring some liquid courage might make the prospect of asking his dream girl on a date a little easier, but didn't want her to think it was some drunk decision.

He settled on approaching her with a bouquet of flowers and just asking it, after all, he knew he was a good looking guy and most people found him charming if not a little intense. What he didn't think about though was that most people didn't make his heart beat too fast, his hands go clammy, and his words come out a stuttering mess.

Oliver announced to his friends one morning that today was the day he'd ask her out, they'd grinned widely, given him a pep talk, mocked him a little for his nerves and sent him on his way and Oliver had every intention to ask her out.

It was then that Oliver learnt the age old lesson.

Girls travel in packs.

No matter how hard he tried she was surrounded. Between classes, at meals, in the common room, christ even on her way to the bathroom. Whenever he saw her she'd have a gaggle of girls with her all of which would eye him with curiosity and smirks when he attempted to approach.

It took Oliver a further three days of attempting to catch her alone, his friends seeming to find the entire situation funnier by the hour, before it had happened. He'd caught a glimpse of her with Cedric.

Oliver Wood hated Cedric Diggory, hated that he was so often compared to him, hated that he had swoopy hair that made girls swoon, hated that he too was a good quidditch player. His newest reason though to despise the boy who showed him nothing but kindness was that he didn't clam up around her. He talked to her with ease and made her laugh.

If he'd done a little digging, Oliver would have easily found Cedric was a family friend and she viewed him like a brother. Through exasperated mutual friends sick of both their pining he'd have probably also learnt she had a massive crush on Oliver and had turned down multiple boys in the hopes Oliver would ask her to the ball.

He didn't dig though. Instead he scowled in the direction of Cedric and her, they were laughing by the quidditch pitch as the Hufflepuff practice ended and the Gryffindor's arrived for their own. She had been on her way to the greenhouses to grab a book she'd accidentally left there when Cedric had jogged over, unknown to Oliver actually asking if the Gryffindor had plucked up the nerve to ask her out. She had brushed her friend off, thinking it would be a miracle for Oliver Wood to fancy her back.

"Hurry up Wood, she's a good one, she'll get swept up all too soon," Fred smirks as he passes Oliver on his way into the changing rooms.

And with Fred's words in his mind Oliver grabs the bouquet of flowers from the office and marches towards her, Cedric spotting him coming and quickly taking his leave.

"Hi," He calls, cursing himself for not thinking to say her name when she doesn't even turn around, not used to him approaching her, "Hi-Y/N,"

She turns then, still clad in her uniform, hair blowing in the light wind and a small smile on her face.

"Oliver-uh-hey," She blushes a little as she falls over her words

"You're a really hard girl to get on her own," He comments. Fucking christ why does he sound like a stalker? The question spins in his mind but she seems to not think anything of the comment, instead blushing a little

"Oh- my friends and I are kinda inseperable," She shrugs lightly, not wanting an awkward silence so instead opting to ramble "They only aren't here now cause they are busy. Meg's at detention, Ali's with her boyfriend and Katie's tutoring some second year in potions. I'd have waited for one of them to be with me because honestly I kind of hate walking alone- not cause I'm weird or un-independent or any thing, I just, well I get a little anxious and feel like people are staring at me and-" She silences herself, suddenly coming to her senses and realising how crazy she's making herself sound. "Sorry,"

"Don't be. I think it's cute when you ramble," He admits, blushing as red as his quidditch robes when he realises what he's said.

"Did you need something or have I just embarrassed myself over a polite hello?" She questions, he chuckles a little making her feel mildly less uncomfortable.

"I was actually wondering if you wanted to go to the ball?" He questions. He feels a weight off his shoulder's once the question has been asked. Like suddenly even if she says no at least he could tell himself he tried.

"With you?" She questions, she realises she probably sounds more idiotic by the second but can't quite convince herself to believe her long term crush would actually ask her out.

"Uh-yeah," He's taken aback by the question and feels stupid for even thinking she'd consider it and suddenly the even if she says no bullshit is just that, because shit if the girl in front of him with wide eyes and a nervous smile doesn't say yes he thinks his heart might break in his chest.

"Like a date?"

"I was hoping,"

"I'd love that,"

Oliver feels like the luckiest person on earth. Watching as she blushes a little, but her smile is wide and god if he doesn't want to kiss her right there.

"Great,"

"Good,"

"Cool,"

"Yeah,"

Neither of them is quite sure what comes next and the interaction seems to run even more awkward. "You'll pick her up!" Oliver rolls his eyes at the sound of George Weasley, although thankful for the prompt, she blushes, peering behind him to see the entire Gryffindor quidditch team watching them.

"I'll pick you up," He confirms

"Right," She nods

"At 7? Outside your dorm?"

"Sounds good,"

"Okay," He grins brightly, still thinking this entire thing is his mind playing some cruel tricks on him.

"So you should go, your team awaits," She reminds, he nods, partly wanting the interaction over before he can make even more of a fool out of himself or ruin something before it even has a chance to start and partly wanting to live in this moment of pure joy for the rest of his life.

"Right, so I'll uh- see you at the ball- and- uhm- around before obviously," He stutters a little

"Great, I'll see you in both those places," She confirms, realising only after she's spoken how idiotic she sounds.

"The flowers Wood! Christ you're bad at this!" Fred shouts

"Always thought he had game," Harry comments

"We all did kid," George agrees.

"Sorry about them," Oliver apologises

"It's okay," She smiles gently, waiting patiently as he stands staring wondering why her eyes are flickering from him, to his team to his hands and-

"Oh right, these are for you," He confirms, passing the bouquet over and grinning when she blushes a little

"Thanks Oli,"

"Any time," He nods

**

When she pulls open her dorm door Oliver is certain time stops.

She looks like an angel, her makeup perfect, hair flowing in curls with a small section pinned back as to see her face clearly, Oliver is certain nothing else has ever looked as beautiful. She's dressed in a golden gown that shimmers in the light and makes her look like a princess.

"You- I mean- it- you look beautiful," He stammers over his words and his face goes redder by the second but she smiles at him

"Thank you Oli," She smiles up at him and when their eyes meet both of them feel their hearts hammering in their chests.

"You ready?" He questions, she nods, smiling when he grabs her arm in his and they walk together to the hall.

The hall looks like something out of a fairytale. Seeming to glow an ice white, lined with glittering trees and a glance at the ceiling showing a sky full of stars that gleamed in the air.

"You want to dance?" Oliver questions, eyes falling to the already slightly crowded dance floor, the students dancing to the waltz that plays.

"Think you might loose a foot if we try," She admits, glancing at the girls who swirl around the floor effortlessly and feeling a little self conscious she can't do the same.

"It'd be worth it," He grins, pulling her along with him.

"Hey Oli?"

"Yeah?" He questions as they come to the edge of the dance floor

"These heels are really high. Please don't let me fall,"

"I've got you," He assures, smiling when he notices her physically loosen the panic in her eyes dissipating.

It takes them a few stumbles and a couple of toe treads but eventually they pick up the dance. He watches with a grin as she stares at her feet in focus and with time, and a few glasses of the punch Fred and George spiked, she relaxes, feeling at ease in his arms and becoming more comfortable with the slightly confusing dancing.

Oliver whispers commentary about the ball that makes her laugh and he loves the way she talks with such excitement that he can't help but follow along with every word. He's pretty sure in that moment he could die happy and she's almost certain this is the best night of her life.

As the minutes tick into hours they become more and more comfortable with each other, sure there's still an awkward teenagers with crushes layer to the conversation, but they learn they have a lot in common and find it easy to make small talk that they both actually enjoy.

"Do you wanna go get some air?" She questions at around 11, the dancing has changed from formal waltzing to jumping around to the band who'd been hired for the event and they were both hot and a little sticky from the crowd.

He nods in confirmation and smiles to himself when she immediately takes his hand in hers to pull him along behind her, she seems to have no idea he'd follow her to the ends of the earth if she asked.

She takes him to a small moonlit, snow covered, empty courtyard.

"Anyone would think you wanted to get me alone," He teases lightly, she blushes a little but playfully shoves him

"Maybe I did," She shrugs, he grins cockily "Or maybe it was a little crowded in there and I'm a polite date who didn't want to just abandon you," She isn't quite sure where her newfound confidence around Oliver is coming from

"I'm going to go with the first option," He grins, she laughs a little before shivering at the cold December breeze that wraps around them. He's quick to shrug of his black formal jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders and blushing when she leans up to press a kiss to his cheek in thanks.

"You wanna dance?" She questions, he laughs a little at the idea of leaving a ball to go and dance but nods.

Her arms wrap around his neck as his circle her waist, he hums gently and she smiles a she glances up at him. Oliver Wood looks like a god in the moonlight and she thanks her lucky stars that it's her who got to be in that moment with him.

They dance slowly, eventually pulling each other closer. She laughs when he twirls her under his arm and he grins when her hands begin to brush through the ends of his hair.

"Tell me something," She speaks quietly, his arms pulling her even closer.

"What do you wanna know?"

"Anything about you," She decides, he takes a deep breath, figuring now's probably the best moment he'll ever get to tell her this.

"I've had a crush on you since first year,"

"You have?" She sounds shocked and he can't help but laugh at the idea of her not realising he's practically head over heels for her

"I have," He confirms with a grin

"Why'd you never say anything?" She questions. Her heart feels like it's beating a million miles a minute and she's almost certain he can feel it

"You kinda avoided me," he shrugs

"Yeah I did," She laughs

"Why'd you do that?"

"I was scared to make a fool out of myself," She admits

"Yeah I get that," He nods

"You do? You always seem so- I don't know- at ease,"

"Around everyone but you I kinda am," He shrugs, she blushes a little at that. "You wanna know something else?" He questions.

They're still swaying a little but there's not much movement at their feet, instead the entire thing looks like a loving embrace and she figured to an extent it kind of was.

"Sure,"

"All night I've thinking about if I were to try and kiss you. If you'd kiss back or you'd pull away and laugh in my face and I'd have made a fool of myself," His words leave her breathless and his charming grin only makes it better

"There's only one way to know for sure," She whispers.

His lips crash to hers in the moonlit courtyard, the snow falling around them. It's slow and gentle. Holding years of emotion and there's no need to rush, in that moment they both know they have forever to hold each other this close. It's a little toothy from both their wide grins but as his hands cup her cheeks she's sure nothing has ever been as perfect as this moment and the boy she's sharing it with.

MASTERLIST

[xavadak3davrax]

Shadows and Secrets

Fred Weasley x Fem Reader 

Summary: Fred has been thru a lot in his life and y/n wants to know more. 

Warning: Daddy kink. mentions of blood. Mentions of food. If I frget any, please warn me!! Agnst, smutt and fluff 

a/n: So hi! Hello. First of all thank you so much for the incredible support on the first part, i?m in shock and very happy that a lot more people also love vampire and supernatural stuff like me!!! sometimes I feel weird for liking it... Sorry for taking so long, I hope this is up to your expectations! I’m scared because yeah it might not me and my brain is weird and tricks me into thinking bad stuff D: I hope you all have a lovely day. *whispers* don’t be shy, reblog 

Part 1 

Taglist: @mgkprwtty @onlyfreds @manuosorioh @bberree  

Fred had fallen asleep, he was tired, his body in a state that he hasn’t felt in a while. But that didn’t last long. Only after two hours he woke up, still dark outside, y/n was still tangled in him, she was on her side one of her legs on top of Fred’s, and one of her hands resting on his chest. Her breathing very close to him, it was calm and hot and it brought him some comfort. Her presence, he noticed,  made his demons go away. Just from the small time she was here, next to him he didn’t feel hunted by them. He didn’t feel alone.

Because, well, although he loved this life, it could get lonely. You couldn’t let anyone know your secret, you couldn’t get close to someone and love them. And look at him. He has gone and done the opposite of what he was suppose to.

A big sigh left Fred’s lips. And his head turned to the side when he felt movement, scared that he had been too loud, but y/n had just moved a little. The arm that was around her pulled her more into him, his scent evading y/n, even more during her sleep, her dreams becoming filled with his image.

He knew, right now, right here, alone in his thoughts that she deserved all the explanations in the world, she deserved to know the truth, even though she probably already knew, but she needed confirmation. And yet, Fred was rethinking everything. Maybe he should let her go, she would definitely be better of without him, a man who never grows old, who will stay like this forever, who won’t be able to offer her nothing. He could sent her on her way, he was a vampire after all, he could persuade her into thinking they never met, or what he had done the night before had never happened. But Fred found himself denying that option. He wanted her here, close to him, not only today but for a long while and he felt selfish about it.

He felt like doing that to her would take way all of her life, her beautiful mortal life. One that could be fill with so many things, and just sharing this with her could take that way.

His free hand came to his face and he sighed again. Then slowly he moved from her side, as quietly has possible, which for him wasn’t that hard. He went to his office turning on the light and closing the door. Maybe there his thoughts wouldn’t be too loud that he felt scared to wake her up, maybe there he could stop thinking about that.

--

She woke up alone, covered in the most soft blanket she thinks she ever felt. The space that the night before had been filled by Fred, was now empty. Fred she thought. And that’s when everything came crashing down on her. What they had, what he had done.

Her hand almost involuntary went to her neck, she pressed in the place she thought he had bitten, it didn’t hurt, she didn’t even feel anything. She got up, looking around his living room for the first time, finally, and she found a big mirror near the also big window that had a view to the town.

When she got closer she leaned her head to the side a little, but still looking at herself in the mirror, and whe  she looked at the place her hand rested, she saw only two small marks. Nothing else, it wasn’t red, it wasn’t hurting. It was just two small marks that she was sure no one, even if looking at her for a long period of time, would not be able to notice.

But that was the sign that all of what she remembered was… real. She wasn’t dreaming good, it happened. Fred was… well, for all she knew he was a vampire? Her brain felt a little weird now thinking about it. She had thought of it before she had confirmation and it hadn’t felt that way. But now it was different.

That’s also when her brain clicked again that he wasn’t there. She panicked a little, where was he? Had he left her all alone in his house? She looked around for her clothes, and then put them on, feeling like she couldn’t bring herself to look for him completely naked or even in little clothes. And then she ventured herself again thru his house. She remembered little, the only thing she had seen the day before was the bathroom, where she was looking for something to help him, and then… then she ended up naked in his sofa.

She smiled, it felt all to surreal, being so close to him, knowing him like that. She knew him for a short amount of time, and somehow she felt okay, and good with herself after what they did. Because Fred cared for her, and she thinks she cared for him. She felt something in her heart tug, yesterday night, she remember it was there the whole time, even after the bite. And when she snuggled to his chest it only got stronger, like she needed to be even closer to him, even though she couldn’t. but she needed that. She remembers needing him, and now she feels again. This need for him.

And that’s how she somehow ended up in front of the modern wooden door, that was closed. Of all the ones she had passed thru, this was the one she felt she needed to nock first. So she did just that, and there was silent for a long moment.

“come in.” Fred’s voice finally came, her hand met the doorknob and opened it slowly, feeling a little scared and uneasy because this would be the first time she saw him after what happened the night before.

“Hey.” She said very lowly, her head peeking first and then she opened the door a little more and finally entered what she quickly realized was his office. “I- I’m sorry, was just, I woke up alone, just wanted to see if everything is okay.” And maybe talk about what happened she thought to herself. He nodded his head lazily, he was sitting behind his desk, his clothes were not the ones he had one yesterday, but new, cozier ones. He also had his hair wet which meant he had taken a shower.

“Yes. Please, y/n, sit.” He gestured towards the comfortable sofa next to a big shelf, full of old books? Very, very old books. She couldn’t read many of the titles, but by some of what she could read she could confirm that. She did what he told, and then saw him get up and come to sit on the sofa, but on the opposite end. Her heart shattered a little.

She didn’t ask him to come closer, feeling like although she wanted, she wasn’t gonna ask for something he was comfortable with. If he was where he was, it meant something.

“About yesterday,” Fred started, he sited on his side, his legs crossed, one on top of the other, and one of his arms resting in the back of the sofa and the other on top of his legs. “I own you an explanation.”

She wanted to say ‘yeah you do’, but decided instead to stay quiet, giving him the space to speak freely.

“I don’t think I can hide to you what I am. And yesterday I let myself go in a way I shouldn’t have, I let you see the side of me that no one can. But, it felt different with you y/n.” he started, feeling like instead of just saying directly what he was, that she needed to be eased into the conversation they were about to have. Also Fred was stalling it has much has he could. “I don’t know what it was, but the reaction I had was something from a very old tail, a book has old had life.” He looked at her, looking for any sign that this conversation couldn’t continue, but he found her with a  curious look on her face, he could feel the unsureness radiating from her, but at the same time, like she wanted to know more. “People from even before I was born had spoken about this. They were like me, immortal.” He saw and heard her suck in a deep breath.

That was the moment it finally felt real, it dawn on her that he was in fact what she had thought about. She wasn’t scared.

“My creator had mentioned to me, when he created me. But in all my years on this earth I never once believe in it.” She leaned a little more onto to the sofa, still looking at him, taking in every detail in him. She also had a lot of questions, that she hoped he would  “yesterday…” She finally felt like she had to interrupt him, scared of what he might say.

“If you think it was only because of yesterday, it wasn’t.” She saw his brow ark a little, a puzzled look on his face. “The day before that I had seen you smile, and you smiled a little too much, and it showed, you know…” She gestured with her hands to her mouth that was opened, she laughed a little.

“So I wasn’t careful at all, was I?” She denied with her head.  

“I’m afraid not.”

“So when you went out with me yesterday you knew?”

“I wouldn’t say I knew, I had some thoughts about it.” She gave him a reassuring smile.

he nodded, a little smile appearing on his face, both his hands moving a little more, like he was nervous.

“Yesterday was what they speak of it. How it starts. It’s like…” he was trying to find the words to describe it “ it starts as a weird feeling in your chest, and then slowly starts to spread all over your body. I mistook it as sexual desire. It was but it wasn’t just that. Because before I had this pressure here, “he put one of his hands at his chest “and everything you did interested me, which in all honesty never really happens if I’m going to feed of someone. I very much try to treat the people I feed of, well, but I never show interest in having something more.”

y/n nodded, showing every emotion that she was carefully listening to what he was saying.

“That was what happened. Yesterday was that, my body had never done that, and… and I know you for so little, but my body, my mind is telling me that I know you for a long time.”

“So, like… like soulmates?” she questioned, curiosity filled her tone.

“I mean, yeah, maybe, you could say that.” Fred let out a long, relieved sight. “I never labelled it, not did my creator.”

“You call him, your creator, is it- is it because you’re not close?” she was hesitant to ask anything, but for the period of time they had been talking that’s all he’d called him.

“Not much, no.” Fred started, and changed positions, his legs were not crossed anymore, they were now both on the groups his elbows resting on his thighs and his head resting then on his hands. “You see, I do like this life, I denied it for a while after changing, we all do, but eventually I learned to like it, to see the good things it could give I had never thought were possible. But there was a time I drifted from this path, it was a short time after I had seen all my family die, and everything felt different. It felt different to live in a world, immortal, where they were present and in one where they were not.” Fred explained, his breathing a little rapid, it always got like this when he got anxious like feelings when telling something that made his nervous and that brought dark memories. He had lived for so long, dark memories were something that always clogged his mind. “And we separated. I had lived with him since I had become what I am, but after that I went on my own. I hear from others like me, from him, from time to time, but that it.” He turned his head on his hand to look at her, and everything in his body just felt different. She gave him this feelings that Fred was still trying to figure out. “You can ask any questions you’d like. I explained yesterday but I can sense you want to know more.”

“I don’t wanna be, or look disrespectful.” She said quickly, afraid now that the question she had asked had made him uncomfortable in any way.

“You will not. Please, ask way.” Sometimes, y/n now noticed, he spoke in a different way than what was considered ‘normal’ now. He had a more eloquent tone and use of words and not such a laid back one. He would sometimes phrase himself in ways y/n had never heard, or only heard in important situations.

“I, I remember the sexual desire and all the feelings, that’s what I think of more if you ask me about yesterday. But, when you bit me, did you… did you feel an electric shock? It was weird and fast and it’s probably something that happens every time you bit-“ she was interrupted by him.

“ I never felt it with anyone else.” He felt the need to do so, because she was a babbling mess, and he needed to let breath. Maybe giving her time to ask questions was a bad idea given he noticed her blood run faster and she was anxious, her breathing quick. “But I noticed it too. You were just so tired and I had just fed of you, that I felt talking about it in that moment was inadequate.”

“So it’s something related to what you just talked about then?” he confirmed. “Oh.” She titled her head to the side, and a smile appeared on her face, she felt something good inside her. She felt special. “I need to know you won’t push me way, Fred.”

He stopped anything he might have been thinking about, which right now, was her. She filled his head head, not only the small talks they had in the bakery, but yesterday too. “y/n no.” he said firm. “We can’t do this.” The smiled disappeared almost instantly. “we are not the same. What happened can’t continue.”

“And you can just do that? And are you just able to do that? Deny what you know perfectly is something out of the ordinary. Something you had never experienced, you are just gonna deny it and push me way Fred? Just because…” she was getting riled up. She probably wouldn’t have, and never had, with anyone she had slept it only one time because well, nothing like this had ever occurred. “No.” She stood up and Fred’s eyes followed her movement.

“This is not up for discussion.” He tried to keep his tone like it was before.

“And how are you just gonna do that? Now that I know what you are.” She said, spite in her voice, only because she was being rejected by someone who she all of sudden had all this feeling for, and here he was denying her.

“I can just persuade you to forget me, it’s not that hard.” He said nolenctly. “And would you tell my secret to anyone?” he asked, venom filled his voice, he didn’t want to think of her that way, but it was a thought that after what she said had just occurred in his mind.

“I fucking wouldn’t.” She said, voice hard. Hands at her hips, rage feeling her whole body. Things had escalated pretty quickly. Something sh thought was gonna go smoothly, now was a complete mess. All because he was being a hard head and didn’t want her to get close. “You cannot do that. Push me way. You cannot deny what happened. Fred, I’m… who I am…” she said slowly this time. “I too felt everything in my chest. During, what I thought was desire, and now, when I woke up alone, it felt empty, not only physically, but emotionally to.”

“And that is exactly why we can’t be together y/n. I took a small part you yesterday I will not take the rest by breaking your heart. We are not compatible.”

“You are denying what you felt.” She almost but screamed. Fred’s voice and whatever he was going to say. He was taken aback by her tone of voice. The silent that followed was agonizing, y/n stopped and her breathing had almost done the same, it was quiet now, but still fast, she was just trying to make as little noise as possible and Fred wasn’t looking at her now, he didn’t even move, he even stopped his fake breathing. He was just there as stone. “I- I’m sorry-“

Fred didn’t know what to say, or what to do. He had options. He could get up right now, grasp her in his hold and persuade her, let her forget him, let her go on with her life like all of this hadn’t happened. Fred didn’t really know what the consequences of that would be. He knew vampires persuade humans all the time, but never had heard of a vampire persuade a human when they were bounded. That was also rare, a vampire and a human bond, it was unheard of. So the unknown scared him a little. Or, he could try and solve things with her, make her see reason, realize that they couldn’t be together, but still show her he trusted her and let her go with his secret, that she would hold in her grasp forever, until her last breath.

Or Fred could try and solve things, and they could try this out. How it would work out? Unknown, something that had never been studied by him and he would have to go step by step. The option he needed to do for his kind? The first. The one he wanted to do? The last…

He didn’t know how to approach her. How to reach out to her after this. How to make her realize that this was forbidden. If he made her realize without explicitly saying it maybe it would be easier, she would realize for herself after a little help from him and she would go on her way.

But she wouldn’t. If it was something he could feel at this moment was her stubbornness.

The silent became to much for her, her emotions still high on her body. “You have to speak to me. You cannot just stand there like that.”

“I was thinking.” He spoke, his tone almost bored. She didn’t have to ask about what because he continued. “About what to do.”

“It’s not your decision to make alone.” She said, her hand sleaving her waist to just hang by her sides.

“It’s not. But I’m the one who has a lot more to loose. What do you have? Your boring human life?”

The words felt like knifes cutting all over her body, her eyes now starting to get wet from tears, her words caught in her throat. If she spoke he would quickly realize she wanted to cry. y/n felt trapped, she wanted to refuse those words, yell at him. But her body wanted to leave after this. He hadn’t realize the harsh tone of his words.

“You don’t understand. I’m gonna stay like this forever. You are gonna grow old. Are you ready to live that?”

She had no answer, and her body had given up on her. She had no more strength to continue this conversation.

“I don’t know Fred, I don’t know.” He noticed by her voice then that she wasn’t okay, he looked up at her. She was moving back towards the door to his office. “If that’s what you wish, then it’s granted, but don’t take way what I felt yesterday.” She pleaded, she wasn’t scared, she was just broken. Before he could continue or say anything she left, she only had time to grab her things, and left. Fred could’ve have stopped her at any time, but he didn’t. He let her go, because although he has just broken her heart, he trusted her and believed his secret was safe.

What she didn’t know when she left, was that Fred was also broken. What he thought to be his soul was in pieces, his frozen heart, felt a lot heavier in his body.

--

What was suppose to be a working day for y/n, had ended up, that day, being a ‘I’m so sick, I can’t make it’ day, and Philip had covered for her, in her absence. And then the next day was also a working day for her and this time she couldn’t just not go. They had been nice enough to give her that day without taking her next free day, the least she could do was go in.

And that how her week started. Going into to work was painful, physically and emotionally. It was too much, she was always on edge, always with tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. Her bubbly and giggly side was hiding. Every time Philip said something funny a forced laugh came out of her. She hoped it didn’t look like it tho, the last thing she wanted was for him to notice something was up and ask. She was trying her hardest to make it look like she was okay.

Fred was nowhere to be seen. He hadn’t made his appearance in the last days she had been here, and in the day she was sick, Philip had commented that he hadn’t shown. He didn’t make much of it at the time, but he was now. And y/n knew it was only a matter of time until he asked or commented with her.

She missed his presence, more than she think she would after his harsh words. But here she was, in the front, alone because Philip had gone to the back to do something, wishing that he would come thru that door at any moment. How she missed knowing his order, and how she missed the small touches. But also his touch all over her body, his words, his mouth, everything. It was agonizingly painful.

She didn’t notice Philips presence next to her, given she was lost in thought.

“Haven’t seen Fred in a while. Did you murder him or something?” he asked, nudging her playfully on her side. She gave a forced smile.

“Must have.” She fake laughed. “he’s probably busy with work.” She tried to end the conversation by saying that.

Philip gave it a thought for a moment, not convinced he continued. “You must have tired him then.” She didn’t know what to say. The memories always on her mind and didn’t help that he was mentioning it. But he didn’t know, it wasn’t his fault.

So she just gave a movement of her head, letting him know she heard and she was thankful for the costumer that approached and let her free of this one.

And then, at the end of the way, she went home, after closing the bakery, alone, all bunched up because there was a cold breeze in the air. She made it home, this time no interruptions, no signs of Fred lurking in the night.

It was when she closed the door to her house that the thoughts of what he was hit her. During the day she tried to let those run to the back of her head, already so much to think about that this would only add to her stress and to her anxiety. But when she was alone, like she was now, everything became so vivid. They only had one night together but it was enough for her to be in a frenzy all the time. What she felt that night… how she wished she could have shared it with Fred. She wished things hadn’t escalated like they had, that they could have walked out of that office, happy, probably not together, but in some way that showed they were both willing to make it work. They would’ve come down stairs, and he probably would’ve cooked for her, because Fred looks like that guy.

The guy who can’t eat simple human food but would cook it for his special someone. And she wishes that she was that special someone. The one he would cook for and do, the most mundane things with. Things he probably hadn’t done in.. years. At least that’s what she thought.

But no, instead she had left, broken and sad, leaving behind what could have been wonderful memories with Fred, only because he was to stubborn to admit he wanted her too.

So she found herself sitting in her bath, now almost cold because of how long she had been in there, wondering what he was up to, where he was. Was he okay? She hoped he would be, she wanted nothing more than for him to be okay, and happy and well even if she wasn’t next to him to experience that. She hadn’s seen him since she left, and Philip was right in taking notice he hadn’t come to the bakery. Did he think she had told his secret? She would never, ever do that. His secret was safe with her. But had he left? Had it gotten to much for him after that and had he left? Or was he just roaming around in his house, alone, in the dark being himself?

She also hoped he would feel some kind of guilt. That maybe that would make him come and look for her.

She needed and more than anything, she wanted to make him realize that he could trust her, make him see they needed each other. What they had experienced couldn’t just be ignored and ran over like Fred wished. y/n had to figure out a way of making him come to her, because she knew if she were to come to him he just would ignore her.

But she also needed to figure out if he was even in town. He may not come to the bakery but at least she would have seen his car around the area no? But not even that, not a sign of him.

Fed up with herself she decided this was enough, it was enough of laying around here feeling sorrow and pitty for herself. Not only did she wanted Fred she wanted to know more of him, and there’s only so much the internet can do for you when people think vampires are a myth and a tale.

--

She first tried to find a way to contact him, by calling him. The most obvious and much used way. But had no answer, he was ignoring her. So decided to take a less modern approach, and something she thinks it would touch his heart, because well, Fred was an old guy, and y/n thinks a way to get closer to him is to do small gestures that may remind him of his time.

So she wrote him a letter.

It was small, it started it a simple apology. She feels that if she starts like that, it will make the approach different and more easy on both of them. She adds that she wants to know if he’s ok, and if he’s around, since she hasn’t seen him in over a week now. And that’s all. And one day before work she goes there and leaves it at his mail box. The first and last time she was here she came in thru is garage so she didn’t know he had a doorman, so when she entered and he looked at her, she felt awkward.

“Anything I can help you with miss?”  

She stutter for a little.

“No, thank you. Just wanted to leave this letter in a mailbox.”

“May I know for who it is?” When she gave him a questioning look he continued. “A lot of our residents don’t look at the mail boxes so if you want it to be seen quickly you can leave it with me.”

“Can’t you just warn him that he as mail?”

“It would be quicker to just give it to the person.” She nodded, still a little worried and taken aback by that, by gave it to him none the less.

“It’s for Fred, he leaves in the penthouse.” She said while he took the letter in his hold and then put it in a little drawer.

“Oh, Mr. Weasley is not home at this moment. He left in business. But as soon as he arrives I will let him know.”

Oh so he wasn’t ignoring her, maybe? Maybe he was just busy and didn’t have time to called her back or even answer. That’s what her brain wanted to think. Her heart said different. She thanked him and went on her way to work.

Had he left soon after what had happened? Or had he left sometime later?

--

y/n was tired, besides the bakers in the back, getting everything ready for the next day, she was the only one here. The front had closed, she was just finishing up the cleaning part, and then she had to wait for them to be ready for her to close everything, since she was on closing duty again.

It was almost midnight and she knew none of them liked to stay past that hour, so she was grateful, she was tired, her eyes closing every second. She wanted to go home, clean herself and get cozy in her bed.

She was finally ready to let her mind get some rest after overthinking every possible option as to why Fred hadn’t said anything about the letter. Not called, not messaged, ot even answered back in the same form she had reached out to him. Nothing. Was he still out of town?

“Are you coming?” A voice took her out of her thoughts. Is was milly, one of the nicest people she had met in the bakery after Philip and her boss. She picked up her things and left. They now decided that leaving from the back door was safer, not only for them but for the bakery in itself to reduce the chances of being robbed.

“Well, goodnight then.” y/n said to them, while they went on their way and she finished closing the door. A harsh breeze was felt behind her. She got scared and turned quickly, to see there was nothing there. It wasn’t cold, there wasn’t any breeze, so that scared her.

she pulled the keys from the door very hard that she almost broke then and fasten her pace. She didn’t want the situation from the last time she had closed, to happen again.

But she felt it again, only this time when she looked behind her, it wasn’t empty and her view from the street had been blocked. By the red haired boy she had been trying to get ahold of for some time now.

“haven’t you learned it’s dangerous to walk these streets alone, specially at night?” He asked, he was not far from her but took some steps to get even closer. She wsn’t expecting him to be here, now. She didn’t expect him to reach out to her like this, that is, if he had even seen her letter. “cat got your tongue? Or should I say vampire got your tongue?” he smirked.

She gasped, incredulously.  Had he forgotten everything that had happened between them?

“What- what are you doing here?”

“Well, I came home to a letter from you, then went to see you at your house, only to remember you work. So I came around at about six only for you not to be home. Then walked around here, to see you would be closing in today. But I saw Philip leave early so I knew you were alone.” He had his hands behind his back and was leaning his body on one leg. He was wearing a suit. Black trousers, white button down, that had almost all the buttons opened, giving everyone a good view of his toned chest and then the black matching jacket. “And now we’re here.”

She didn’t know she was gonna react like this, she expected to me more accepet of anything he could say but she was mad.

“So you just think stalking me and giving me a scare is the best way to approach me? Are you dumb or something?”

“Not dumb, just making sure you get home safe. Just couldn’t take it and see you walk alone. Let me take you home.”

She wanted to say no, but this was the first time she was seeing him after all that happened, and she couldn’t let this opportunity go. So she nodded, and let him accompany her to her house.

This time, unlike the first, they didn’t kept silence. y/n felt a strange feel of cringiness for having sent the letter, and wanted to say something about it but wasn’t able to. On the contrary, Fred had something to say.

“May we talk when we get to your house?” He asked, the need to put his arm around her and pull her close to him, enormous, but he had to stop himself. y/n was tired but still nodded, what she felt in the bakery long gone, now that he had made his presence know and was next to her. “I have a lot to say.”

“I sure hope you do.” She didn’t even look at him. Taking her keys out and opening her door. Thankful for her warmth of her house that brought her comfort. “You can sit.” She said, and went to change into something more comfortable and warm, than her work clothes.  When she got back a few minutes latter, Fred was sitting there, on her couch, his posture rigid, his hands at his thighs in a opened manner but not relaxed, at all. She sat next to him, this time almost no space in between them, like they had in their last conversation. She wanted to reach out, hold his hand in hers, but she didn’t.

He turned to look at her.

“You can start.” She said, leaning back on her couch, her head tilted slightly to keep an eye on him.

“I wanna say sorry for how we ended the conversation last week. And how I made you feel. It wasn’t my intention to put you in such a state. I wanted it to go a different way but clearly lost myself in other things.”

“We both did.” She corrected for him.

“I didn’t answer or responded to anything you sent because I genuinely didn’t see it. I went way, not a business trip had you can imagine.” He was referring to what the doorman had told her, that he was away on business. He didn’t give her time to ask where. “ I went to see my creator. After what happened and we both had our feeling messed up, I needed some answers. From someone who might know it from personal experience. The books told me some things, but after I had actually witnessed it, I needed to know more. So that’s why I left. I tracked him down and he took me in with opened arms even after little to no contact we’ve had in a while.”

“What did he say?” She asked, her legs had come up on the sofa and she had them crossed her arms crossed, not like she was mad, just tense.

“He explained why we had both burst in the way we did. He also explained a little bit more of what it meant.” What she didn’t do, he did. He reached his hand to hers and took it in his hold, she didn’t question it nor did she pulled way from it. “It pretty much means you’re stuck to me now.” In his face appeared a childish smile, like he was innocent. y/n wants to swat him hard on his hand, and that’s exactly what she did.

“You cannot come in here and say those things with that child like smile Fred. This is serious.” She was mad. Furious.

“Your letter told me otherwise.” He tried to hide his smirk. She rolled her eyes.

“I need more Fred.”

“We are bonded, there’s something in you and in me that pulls us towards each other. And then I fed of you without knowing that would only make things worse. What you feel I feel, and what I feel you feel. We’re in a way connected. That and I’m also a vampire. If you haven’t noticed.”

“Fred.” She groaned, her had hitting the back of the sofa in a small rage moment. “Take this seriously please. I know what you are.”

“Well, I feed of people, and you know that. And I fed of you because it’s something natural. I didn’t know what we were feeling at the time. And what it would mean. And I had to look for help, because, I, myself, was helpless.”

“You hurt me a lot Fred. What you said…”

“I know.” He interrupted her. “I was mad, I was lost and confused why I was feeling what I was feeling. We as in a community have things we should follow. Like not letting humans know of our existence. If you feed of someone you either kill that person or have to make them forget what happened. With you, at that moment I couldn’t bring myself to do it… because, we were already bonded.”

“If you hadn’t fed of me, would you have done it?”

“I don’t think so. Because My body before that was already giving me these signs.” She finally squeezed his hand, hard, and then with her thumb caressed his skin.

“Can we be together then?” She asked, her voice low, scared, the anxious feeling inside her, returning.

“You have to know what that means.” He leaned back next to her, his head coming to rest against hers, his smell was already do potent, and it was even more now. It was happening again, she was feeling engulfed by him, his scent, his touch. “You have to know what it entails.”

“Do we need to think about the future? Can’t we just live now, and worry along the way?” y/n asked calmly, knowing that this part was what had made everything worse the last time, the theme and the conversation, or the lack of it, because they were too heated to continue.

He was speechless. His lips coming to meet the top of her head. He kissed it slightly. “If that’s what you want, I can manage.” He admitted, he whispered into her skin, the warmth that radiated from it was calming, and also because she smelled divine all the time.

“I want that. I want to learn more about you, your life. I want this Fred.” She murmured, a tender tone to her voice, her hand squeezing his also in the same way. He ended up laying back on the small couch, and she laid in between his legs, both of his arms around her body, pulling her to him. This was way smaller that the couch on his living room, so she felt even closer to even, everything from him was over powering her. His fingers shaped fondlingly her hands, coming up her arms and to her shoulders. Silent had fell in the room, but there was no more tension, or heavy feelings. She could almost fall asleep, if it wasn’t for the fact that so many questions prickled her mind not letting her rest. She didn’t want to ask them all today, she wanted to take her time, to get to know the Fred from now, and the old Fred.

“Does it ever get boring? Being like this I mean?” She asked, she didn’t turn her head to look at him, she kept her eyes focused on the ceiling and from time to time she would close them.

“For me, it doesn’t.” He admitted, never once stopping his movements. “For some, it might. But there was so many things I could do, and will be able to do. Mortals won’t. They have a small span of life that does not allow them to experience the world the way I have.”

She nodded, showing she was understanding of what he was saying.

“Did you ever hate it?”

“being like this?” he asked for clarification, she moved her head positively. “I don’t think I should say never, for a short period of time I did. It was after my last family member died. And by that I mean my sister. Watching her die and knowing they had all died without knowing what I was, was hard. But I knew mom and dad would tell them, wherever they are.”

“You parents knew?” There was surprise in her voice.

“Moments before each of them died, I went to see them. I told them then. I wanted them to feel piece. It was hard not telling all my other siblings, specially George, my twin. It was hard having to watch from afar things unfold. And so after that I was mad at the world for a while. But then I learned to live with it, with the grief, and enjoying life.”

“I have so many questions.” She admitted, followed by a laugh. He joined her.

“You can ask them whenever you’d like.” his hands came to grasp her head by the side and he again kissed the top of it. “You’re tired, get some rest.” Hearing him say that, made all the tiredness she felt in the bakery come back. She felt him moving slipping from behing her and then she was in his arms, her voice groggy with sleepy.

“Where you taking me?”

“To my bed, love, rest.”

The last thing she felt was the softness of the bed sheets against her very tired body.

--

y/n was talking to Philip, the front of the bakery was empty, they were getting ready to close. Today was neither her turn or Philip’s but they always left everything organized and cleaned. y/n was anxious, but a good kind of anxious, Fred has promised he’d picked her up from work today and she never wanted to leave this fast.

Things aren’t smooth sailing yet, but y/n nor Fred could expect anything less. It had only been hours since their first serious talk after everything, so although they could both say they were comfortable around each other, it was clear some tension still hang around in the air. But at least y/n could have him by her side.

She couldn’t explain it, how everything felt to her.. how having the confirmation of what Fred was did to her. It should scare her, so much. To anyone she should’ve ran, very far way. But she stayed, she asked for an explanation before she fell asleep that day, and Fred gave it to her. Well not exactly on the vampire part, but y/n wasn’t dumb, she could piece things together. What she for sure didn’t expect was the actual conversation that had taken place. Everything about this weird feelings that now lingered on her body all day everyday. But it felt nice, so nice, to wake up next to Fred today. It brought this tingles all over her hands and body, as Fred as ran his hands from her hands, to her arms and then all over her body. She remembers they rested for a long period of time in her thighs. How he squished and squeezed gently, massaging them, how his thumbs would come to the inside of thighs, at the top, close to where she could feel a heart beat begin.

But nothing happen, besides lots of love and cuddles, he hadn’t initiated anything. To y/n left his house this morning with a lingering feeling between her thighs.

y/n is grabbing her things when Fred enters the store. The door wasn’t closed yet because y/n was gonna leave thru there.

“Philip. How are you?” Fred asked nicely, a smile on his face, and then he looked at the girl next to him and he smirked, and winked at her, not so discreetly given Philip was right there next to them.

“I’m good, you?”

“Just peachy.” Fred said brightly and then turned to look at y/n again. “Ready to go beauty?” y/n felt shy all of sudden with the cute pet name Fred had called her, so she nodded and came from behind the counter to put herself next to Fred.

She cleared her throat and directed herself to Philip. “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah. Have fun you two.” He said cheecly, and then waved his hand even when they already had their backs turned to him and let out a small quiet laugh that y/n didn’t hear, but Fred surely did.

“I thought we could stay by my house again today. I could cook you dinner.”

“Cook us dinner.” y/n corrected, her arm laced with his and she leaned on him.

“I don’t eat human food cutie. I mean not whole meals like you do. I can endure small things, like the usual stuff I by at the bakery, but a whole meal will make me sick.”

A prolonged ‘oh’ left her mouth as realization hit her. She understood now why he also hadn’t eaten anything in their date, not only because of everything he had explained but also because, well, human food wasn’t his thing anymore.

“So you’d just cook food for me? Fred, no. We can stop by the super market before going to your house, I can buy something.” y/n almost stopped in her tracks.

“No. I will cook you food. I think you will love my lasana baby.” He turned his head a little and pulled her on so she took on her pace again. y/n felt her belly turn in excitement and anticipation. What would be like to eat food made by him, watch him cook it. Cook specifically for her! She hid her smile, but it was there, and so was the feeling of her heart expand a lot in her chest. She thinks Fred had felt it too because he squeezed her arm against his body a little tighter.

When they arrived, while y/n put herself comfortable, taking her shoes of, and her jacket and hanging her bag by the door, Fred had made his way to the kitchen, and before she had even left the main entry way, she had already heard clicking sound from the kitchen letting her know Fred had gone right to it and start the cooking process.

Now with bare feet, she made her way thru his house all the way to the kitchen to find him by the isle cutting some carrot. She leaned on the door frame and crossed her arms, a smile plastered on her face. Her brain conjuring up images that maybe, she could get use to this view. Of him cooking for her.

“What I’m doing must be very interesting no?” Fred asked jokingly, taking for mere second his eyes of the carrot and the knife in his hands to look at her.

She shrugged. “I don’t know, perhaps it is.” She left the position she was in to come closer, and to the other side of the isle and put her elbows in it and looked at him The sudden urge to ask him questions coming to haunt her. But this just looked like a perfect, relaxed moment for it. They were both calm. And she was curious.

“Did you cook a lot for your family?”

The smile that was on Fred’s face was nostalgic, the faint memories of that time coming to his head. Fred had a harder time remembering simple loving moments with his family that he has remembering more traumatic moments, like when he lost all of them. But some of the good memories are still there. Cooking with his mum was one of them.

“I did yes. With my mom. She loved to cook, she was very family driven you know? She did everything for me and my siblings. We all had different favorites, when it comes to food you know? She always made sure to frequently cook all those different things. All she wanted was to make us happy.” If Fred felt sadness the way he felt all those years ago like when he was human, he would probably shed a tear or to reminiscing this memory.

“Tell me more about her.” y/n motivated him to continue when she heard his tone of voice, and the way he spoke about his mother.

“She worked, at the time it was so rare for a woman to work. But along side my father they both worked, she provided financially and then at home.  After I became what I am now,” his tone was hesitant now. “ I watched from afar, I watched her become this amazing grandmother, I watched how much she still missed me and waited everyday for me to come home. I hope what I did before she died was enough for her to rest.” He murmured.

“Fred, what you did for her was so brave of you. Not only did you risk a lot, but, it must have been so hard, to know you would stay like this and you had to watch her go.”

“I also miss dad. A lot. And everyone. I miss them so much, it feels like sometimes it might hurt.”

y/n felt her heart squeeze in pain for him, she reached her hand and her fingers brushed over his wrist. “I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for. I am what I am, and I have to live with it.”

“How was it, you know, after you turned?”

“Those were a hard few weeks. There’s a period of time after you turn where blood is all you can think about, and then add to that, the fact that will be the time where you are still so close to human life. You still have the memories fresh in your mind. So you have to juggle all of that.” He had finished cutting up the carrots and moved on to the next task. “You loose all sense of feeling to be honest, you think you feel something but it’s honestly just your need for blood that blinds your every move.”

“That must be very hard.” She spoke lowly.

“Yeah, it is. After I turned I was kept at secret by my creator. Specially because I lived in a place where vampires was something that didn’t exist. There were a lot of humans around and he was scared that I might do something crazy.”

“Where did you went to feed then?”

“He brought me some people, usually someone he found on the street that he knew had no future. I felt… y/n it was the worst I think I’ve ever been close to feel. To know that was now my life. I need that, I need blood to live. And having to go to this extent. It took everything in me.”

She came around to be next to him, he was by the stove and she looked to see what he was doing. She was happy he trusted her to speak so much, feel so comfortable to share this, and she didn’t want to ruin it for him in any way.

“You know it’s not your fault right? Fred you didn’t ask to be like this. Even if you like it now. It wasn’t your fault back then. And I’m sorry you had to go thru that alone.”

He had his creator, but in reality Fred felt very alone. He thinks that’s why he had drifted from his creator years later.

“Thank you, means the world to me that you say that.” He took a moment to bring both his arms around her and pulling her towards him, giving a small peck to her nose. She scrunched it and laughed. Then he turned again to the food. “Then with time, and not so much patience from my creator I learned the basics. Learned a lot more after I went on my own. Met a lot more people, made a few lasting friendships and yeah, it became easier.”

“Then you learned to like being like this.” She stated for him.

“Yeah, I think it was after that, but you know, time becomes such a weird thing when you’re me.”

“have you…” this question felt way more personal and evasive than anything else. Fred felt her hesitance.

“Go ahead, don’t be afraid, you can ask anything you want. I want honesty between us.”

“have you ever turned someone? Are you… someone’s creator?”

He looked at her, the question she felt would bring tension to the moment, did not in fact did that.

“I am, yes.” Her look was of surprise, although she asked the question she didn’t know what to expect, so this was a surprise. “It’s hard when you drink from someone to know when to stop. It takes many years to perfect such thing and some… well, some never do.”

“Do you?”

“Now? Yes. A few decades ago? No. When I was new to this life, it took me a long time to understand when to stop. You can stop, like I did with you and everything is fine. Fine in a way you won’t die nor will you become one of us. Then you can drink just enough for the person to turn, but the quantity of venom you release onto the person has to be sufficient. Sometimes when we drink we release venom, but not enough. Or you can drink from a person until you drain all their blood.” She flinched at the last choice of words, Fred noticed. “Sorry, phrased that one wrong.”

“It «’s okay, just not use to certain things. So…” she said, trying to make him understand that she would like for him to continue.

“Well, like I did with you the other day, I do that a lot, specially now that I know very well what I’m doing. I did a lot of draining in my first few years, the thrust for blood is to much and you have no sense of anything. And the creating part, well, I don’t even realize myself how I did it but I did.”

She nodded, she fell silent after that. She wanted to ask more but felt like this point of the conversation was one that Fred should only continue if he felt like it.

“I was out, without my creator that day. It was one of the times he left me alone for a bit. I met her in a small village we were passing. She smelled… I remember she smelled divine. And there was small talk and then… last thing I know I had made her like me.”

At this point y/n was so into the conversation that she hadn’t realized how far along her dinner he was now. Was almost ready to go to the oven.

“That was also a big factor that creator a separation and problems between me and the person who made me what I am today. He was mad that I had lost control to that point, but I couldn’t explain to him that I didn’t know how I did it. When someone smells that good is hard to control your body. You were hard.”

If that was suppose to scare her, it did the exact opposite.

“She was with us for a long time. I felt the obligation to help her the way I had been helped… well, a little better. I wanted her to feel more accompanied then I did. We got closer. Very close.”

“By close you mean…?” She didn’t finish the sentence, she had a feeling where it would end up.

“Yeah, it was never official, we never had titles, but we messed around. But we wanted different things in life and so we separated.”

“have you seen her since?”

“No. I’ve heard from her. We have friends in common, so I hear from her from time to time, but that’s about it. She was the closest thing I had to a real relationship since becoming immortal. Bothered me for a long time, even when I was on my own that she was all I could think about. But that’s over.”

y/n’s head was resting on his shoulder, it moved beneath her head because he was preparing the last things before putting it in the oven.

“You have now.”

“I do peach, I have you now.”

“I want to make his work between us, and thank you for sharing so much with me Fred. I know it must have been hard to do so.”

“It is hard so speak and dwell on somethings, but sometimes it’s also good to do that. I told you, it’s hard to keep many memories with this life, so sometimes talking and bringing them up helps. I don’t want to forget things from when I was human, even though any have faded and are gone, I try to keep the precious ones fresh, or as close to that as I can.” He had bent down to put the lasana in the oven. “And as to the memories from this life, I also try my best to keep some. And try very, very hard to let go of others.”  

He didn’t say it out loud, but he was speaking of, intimate moments he had with the girl he created. Her name fresh on his mind but he refused to speak it aloud.

“I also want this to work between us. Want you to understand how special what we have actually is.” He was now mumbling against her lips, both his hands resting at her hips, and y/n’s hands where around his neck. They were looking at each other. Those butterflies and tingly feelings were coming back in her belly and would travel down to her core.

“I do.” She then kissed him, and well it was a deep kiss. His hands on her hips pulled her even more to him, he deepened the kiss, his tongue and hers moving in synchrony, her hands pulling at the hairs at the nape of his neck. They pulled apart, both understanding that maybe now would not be the best time to continue anything.

She rested her body against the isle, while Fred cleaned up the rest of the things.

“Stay the night, please.” He wasn’t looking at her, but y/n felt that by the way he was speaking that he probably had a childish look on his face.

“Of course.” She said happily. “Anything for mister blood thirst.” She joked.

“Like the pet name, peach.” She laughed a little louder now, a true belly laugh, she was hot all over, not only from the kiss moments ago, but from this moment alone with him.

He put the table, y/n watched everything. She couldn’t help but let the feeling that this all felt very domestic take over her. How he had picked her up from work, had brought her here, was now cooking dinner just for her and putting the table just for her and on top of all of that had asked her to spend the night.

It felt domestic, but inside her it felt right. To do this with him.

When dinner was ready she sat down, and started to eat. Fred was sitting in front of her, and took her a bit to get comfortable in her being the only one eating but eventually got over it. She did help him clean the mess she had made, after. Even when he tried to sound mean and not let her do it, she eventually found a way of persuading him.

They had gone up to his room. This was the second time she was here. The first being yesterday night and she was already asleep when he brought her here. She woke up this morning but didn’t have much time to evaluate her surroundings. She did now. His room was dark colors, his bed was big, way, way bigger than hers. He had lots of windows and the ones that still had the curtains open, the view she noticed was to the museum. She watched him sat at the end of the bed eyeing her.

It was now, in this moment in front of him that she felt a lot more mushy and soft than she had all day. Maybe it was the way he was looking at her, longing for her, or maybe it was the way she looked at him, this soft lovable vampire she had all these feelings towards and the only thing she wanted to do now was being close to him.

“You look tired peach, come, lay down. But first strip of those clothes, try on something mine.” He gestured towards his closet. y/n nodded mindlessly, she had heard his words but they hadn’t stuck because her brain was full of him. She did just that, ad came out a few minutes later in one of his sweat shirts and come sweat pants that were way to big for her. She headed to his bed and plotted herself down, face down in the pillow.

“want you closer.” Her voice came mumbled against the pillow. Fred understood her perfectly. he smiled, and he laid back, still in his clothes. Pe put his arms around her, and pulled her into his chest. She sighed happily, the close proximity was doing wonders to her, but somehow, after a few minutes of that she felt he was still very far from her. Without even noticing she started mumbling.

“What is wrong?” Fred asked gently, one of his hands coming up and down her back.

“Want you closer.” She took her head out of his chest to look at him.

“Peach you’re already so close to me.” He kissed the top of her head. She grumbled. Fred stopped to think for a minute, he realized then what she might want but was to shy to say. “Turn around for me then lovie, and take your pants of.” He was getting up from the bed.

“Where are you going?” She looked at him, before doing what he told her too.

“Take my clothes of, now come on.” He said, instead of watching him, she decided to to what he said and then turned her back to where we was to be next to her. She felt the bed dip again and then his arms around her waist, his fingers brushing the skin there.

“If you want me closer, then you have your wish baby.” His voice was gentle, one of his hands came to the top of her panties, and Fred heard y/n sigh contently, he had figured out what she wanted to say.

“Don’t need to prep me, I’m ready for you.” She murmured shyly.

He let out a breathy laugh. “Oh peach, you just really want this don’t you?”

“Just want you close, we don’t have to do anything. Just please.” She whimpered.

Fred pulled her panties to the side, his fingers brushed over her clit very gently and he felt her shake. The smile on his face was big, she just wanted to close and be loved by him. And he was gonna do just that.

“Keep your panties on the side for me peach.” Me instructed, and watched one of her hands come down to hold them in place. All while he took his cock out of his boxers and brought closer to her pussy. She let out the smallest little moan.

The head of his cock brushed from her clit to her entrance, spreading her wetness all over and then his hand stroked his own cock so he could use her wetness for his benefit. Then his cock came to meet her wet entrance again and slowly and calmly he pushed himself in her. Her bum came to instinctively push back against him, making Fred bottom out. His cock fitting snugly in her velvety and soft walls.

“Now we’re close love. Sleep yes? I’m right here?” She did felt the sleepiness came down on her again, her hands were resting on top of his, he had his arms over her, pulling her towards him. Being this close and having this intimacy with Fred, made her heart very full.

--

The way that their position had changed over night was that now their legs were intertwined. Their hands were still on top of each other. Fred did end up sleeping for a bit, but it was close to morning when he did so. So for hours he had to lay there, with y/n sleeping against him and moving on his cock and unknowingly clenching around him. So if sleep was already a thing he could very well go without, in that moment it was something that didn’t even crossed his mind.

But he did make himself fall asleep when he felt like he couldn’t take it any longer, and he didn’t want to wake the girl in his arms. So he was asleep when y/n woke up. She stirred out of her slumber, her hips moving, she forgot for a brief moment in what position she was in, but was quickly reminded when the head of cock brushed against her sweet spot, and she moaned quietly. Her hand squeezing his. She felt his fingers move slowly, she thought he was gonna wake up, but nothing came out of it. She tried to stop herself, she really did, but even when she was still, she felt his cock hard inside her, and her breathing had started to quicken.

So when her hips moved against his, and her moan came out a little louder than usual, is was inevitable that Fred was going to wake up. She heard him mumble, against her neck, his breathing very close to her hear, she shivered.

“Peach.” Fred said sleepy, still trying to figure out the world around him. It could take him no time at all to do so, but now it was taking a bit longer, maybe because the comfort and warmth her body was eradiating was making him feel all types of ways, good ones.

She stopped the movement of her hips, her bum was right up against his pelvis.

“Sorry, Fre-Fred.” Her voice trembled. She heard him sigh happily.

“Someone’s needy aren’t they?” one of the hands that was resting against hers comes down, slowly, over her belly and then to her pussy, her clit was swollen because of all the pleasure she was feeling, his fingers press on it.

“Fuck, Fred-“ her legs twitch, his tsks with his tongue.

“Not my name peach. You know my name don’t you’?” He brings his hips back an then against her again, his cock coming all out, only the tip inside and then he’s fully in inside her again.

“Daddy.” She whimpered, Fred felt bigger this way, the vain that runs along his cock when he’s hard can be felt against y/n’s soft walls. He draws back again and then slides all the way inside her again, this time it doesn’t just brush against her spot, it actually its it directly. She throws herself against his chest, his other hand came to rest on her chest, he pulls both nipples at the same time.

“Feels good doesn’t it baby? You just like to be fucked slow too don’t you? Just feel me all the way in that tight little pussy.” She could only nod. The whimpers turned into louder moans again, his name falling from her lips effortlessly. Her hand shad become sweaty, the tingly sensation on her clit had become tremendous. She lowered her hand, and when it touched her clit she clenched around his cock, Fred moaned right into her hear. “Fuck, just like that Peach. You are such a good girl for daddy.”

y/n doesn’t know if it was the touch on her clit or the fact that Fred had just called himself daddy, but she pressured harder on her clit, her head falling back to rest against his shoulder, his lips close to her hear and also her cheek, he laid a sweet kiss there.

She was wet, the noise that was coming from them was loud, and could almost be heard on top of their moans. Fred brough one of his legs to secure on of her legs bellow his, and then forced it open a little more, the angle made his cock it her spot without any failure.

“f-fuck.” Her body shook all over, the hand on her clit came to clench the sheet, the other came to rest on top of one of his hands in her nipples. “Please- Daddy please.”

“What do you want peach? Come on?”

“fuck me harder, please.”

He groaned, it was dark and low, and along with his sleepy voice that y/n had realized was that sexy it was enough to make her cum, right on top of his cock, she wetted his cock. Fred took this opportunity to pull his cock out, he was hard, leaky and wet with both her release and his pre cum, it was a messy sight really, but a beautiful one when y/n, out of breath instead of meeting his eyes, met his cock.

“I wanna suck you of, Daddy.” She was shy, and Fred felt the moment of it all in his cock, his hand coming down to stroke himself, from the red ruby tip to the base and to his balls that also looked red and swollen because of all the pleasure.  

“You don’t deserve it peach.” She looked confused. “Came on my cock and didn’t even ask, that’s no way to treat daddy right?” She couldn’t answer, her orgasm still pumped in her veins, but she was already wanting more just from the sight. Fred was on his knees in bed and she had turned to him moments before, and he had kept the movement on his cock, his theeth coming to meet his bottom lip to surpass a moan.

“I’m sorry.” She went to bring her hand to his cock, but he slapped it, gently, away.

“No peach. I touch myself, dirty girls like you get to wacth.” She swolloed hard, the tingles in her body coming to all connect at her clit. Her body involuntary grinded against the bed, but no avail given the fact that she was on her back and so her clit couldn’t grind on the sheets.

“You just look for every opportunity to be a bad girl don’t you? I thought you were my sweet cute little girly that loved daddy very much, not only his cock. Guess I was wrong.”

“You weren’t.” She said quickly, feeling the need to justify herself. “I’m your good girl daddy, please.”

His hand squeezed the head of his cock, his head fallinh back his hair, already messy, leaving his eyes to fall back, he could feel the orgasm in his belly, the pressure beginning to build, just one more. But he denied himself that.

He got up, y/n was confused while looking at him. Without any words he came to end of the bed and stretched one of his arms and pulled her close to him, her legs open for him.

“Just a beautiful sight. This pussy is mine beautiful, and only mine.” She nodded agreeing to what he was saying, her hands fighting the urge to touch her clit. “ You’re mine peach.”

“Only yours daddy.” Her head rested against her shoulder while she looked at him, the way one of his hands was still on his cock, stroking it very slowly, the vein looked so prominent, y/n wanted to run her tongue over it, from the tip of his cock to his balls and suck on them. She hadn’t had time to figure it out, but she believes Fred would be a sucker for that. And then his other hand was running over one of her legs and came to her pussy, she was so wet that he only had to insert two fingers in her without much effort. He curled them immediately.  Her eyes closed, a whimper came from her mouth and her hands, resting on the sheets closed in fists.

Fred was mesmerized by the sight in itself, because she looked like a goddess and Fred could not believe that a week ago he was priving himself of her. Of everything he knew she had to offer. But he had been scared, he still is. Very much. But he decided to trust her, trust life for once and live it. So now, looking at her all bent out of shape for him, moaning his name, her hair all sweaty and her nipples hard and pink from him playing with them earlier, he feels he made the right choice, by choosing her.

He brings his fingers back, and then adjusts her body so he can be close to her. His cock his brushing against her clit, the stimulation proved to be a lot for her. It’s when he slowly and painfully slides into her again that all his thought about anything else but her vanish.

They’re engulfed in each other again. Fred Slowly fuck into her, his hips coming to enter her completely.

“Gonna fuck you that the only thing you think of is me.” Both his hands came to rest on her knees and kept her legs open while he fucked into her, the view had his legs shake and almost looses balance. The way her pussy engulfed him, and took him in, it was a view he would have on his mind for the rest of his immortal life. Her hips meet his, she had wiggled herself to be even closer, her body needing him that much, it seemed no proximity was enough for her. His cock is big, y/n already knew that, but everytime he’s inside her he stretches her out so good, he fucks her deep and y/n wasn’t use to being fucked and handled like this.

The rhythm of slow but deep thrusts,  rapidly become one of him slamming his hips against her as hard and fast, his balls hitting her bum, his fingers leaving marks on her knees from how hard he was squeezing them.

“Just like that. Look at that. Made for my cock, you were.” She nodded, a complete moaning mess. “Touch your clit for me baby, come on. That’s what you need.” It’s the way they’ve only been intimate two time, this being the second one, and knowing that she needs clit stimulation. Fred would beg to differ, right now he just knew her body was getting tired, the first orgasm had not been strong but had came out of nowhere and her body felt that. But any other time he was sure he could make her cum without it.

She did what he asked, two of her fingers meeting her clit and putting hard and steady pressure on it, her legs almost closing if it weren’t for his touch in them. “I’m gonna cum. Daddy- Fred.” She didn’t even know what she was saying anymore. Fred was fucking her so hard, her vision had started to go blank. When she cums she makes no sound tho, her body feels so numb, but filled with so much pleasure that her brain had stopped functioning for a few moments.

“Bite me please.” Fred was so in his pleasure that he could have sworn he could have missed her voice, but she was so sweet, so low and so… gentle that when he looked at her he couldn’t believe what he was asking her, once more.

He lowered himself on top of her, his face close to hers, theirs lips brushed.

“Are you sure peach?” He had worry in his voice, the movement of his hips had slowed down, his orgasm was there hanging, he was almost there. And the way her pussy clenched around him was making everything so much harder.

She nodded again, her hands coming to pull him by his neck to kiss him. “Fred please, I want it.” She moved her head to her neck was on full display for him, his fangs feeling with venom, his hips starting to move again.

When he could feel his orgasm coming in to a close he bit her neck, he heard her scream, but the way her blood was sweet and tangy against his tongue for a moment he forgot it. His orgasm came crashing on him at that moment, his release coats her walls white, it’s strong and has her moan his name all over again. He works himself thru his orgasm and when he feels they are both being sensitive he pulls slowly at the same time he leaves her neck, but not before gliding his tongue over the too small holes for them to heal quickly.

“One day,” He started out of breath, his hands on her legs again caressing them slowly. “You’re gonna be the death of me. And my chew toy sweetheart.” The last part came out sad. She already had a scar and now she would have another one. They didn’t last long, they would fully disappear in week or two, but still.

“Fred, I want this.” She sat in front of him, feeling their releases slowly slip out of her but right now she couldn’t care less. “You don’t have to worry.” He lowered himself a little to gently kiss her lips.

“You are too sweet peach.”

--

It had been a month, a month of Fred going to pick up y/n everyday from the barey, and on the days she was free they would either spent it at her house, his, or he would plan something sweet for them to do.

It was during this month that y/n realized a lot. Fred was this gentle soul, his sweet love of hers that she would never get tired of. He did everything for her and showed her so much. He showed her a world she thinks she would never knew of his she hadn’t met him.

That’s why not long after this realization, feelings of terror had started in her. The bound was way more than Fred had initially explained, it had only gotten stronger the closer they become, and well, y/n was scared of thinking about a future where they wouldn’t be together.

Where she would grow old, and he was to stay like that, and live forever. He would be her whole world but she would only be a piece of his.

And her heart squeezed and shattered at the thought. Sometimes after he left she would cry, thinking of a future bright and happy with him. When she was with him during the day she tried to make the most of everything, but well, it was hard. She longed for more, for his touch and his feel all the time.

That’s also why, on a Sunday morning, when she is making herself comfortable in his house by making herself breakfast, and listening to songs the thought that had been lurking around on her mind for a week or so, becomes solid. It’s why when Fred comes down, all sleepy and groggy again (what still surprises her since he says vampires don’t need sleep) y/n feels this is the right time to tell him. Well if ‘right time’ even exists…

“Morning peach.”

“Morning.” She says all sweet, putting her breakfast down on the table, she knows Fred is not hungry because he had fed of her last night again. She didn’t mind, Fred always made sure she was well fed in case she would offer to feed of her any time. And also because he loved her very much. He also would not feed unless she would express such will.

“What’s on your mind?” Fred came around the table next to her and kissed her lips gently, and then her forehead. She looked at him. “Well, I know when you have something on your mind, you that face.” He jokes. His cold touch on her hot skin felt nice.

She figured that going straight to the matter would be easier and faster than dwelling on it much longer.

“I wanna become like you.”

[velvetthunder1999]

All the time on Earth

Part 13 - New Home

Summary: George and Fred rescue you from your abusive parents and take you home to The Burrow where they welcome you into the family

Warnings: Angst, Swearing, Abuse, Blood (!)

Word count: 3.9K

George Weasley x Reader

Masterlist

You let the window open as you left the room; you had sent Peanut off with a letter to George yesterday and you were still waiting for the answer.

You didn’t like leaving your room much, but today was a very special day, as your father had said. A few of his and mother’s friends were coming over, to see the daughter of their dear friends, the daughter who, according to his parents, has been studying abroad all year and now came home to visit for the summer holiday.

You clenched your jaw at the thought of what’s coming tonight. Your parents had kept up the appearance of your well-functioning family over the years. They would probably die of shame if their friends realized what you were. So tonight, you had to act accordingly, otherwise, as your father had said, you will not have a roof over your head anymore.

The problem was that you were still a few months away from being seventeen. You still had to rely on your parents for the summer, as you couldn’t use magic to make your life easier just yet. Of course, your parents still didn’t know about this. This lie had been your only way of surviving this hell.

You let out a huge sigh as you walked down the stairs and made your way into the kitchen. On the table the ‘good set’ of plates and silverware were waiting for the guests to arrive. You counted twelve seats at the table and moaned in pain, realizing how many idiotic people will be asking you about your foreign school which you had apparently been attendending for five years now.

“Girl,” your father’s snarky voice made you look up. “In here.”

You walked over to the living room, where your mother was preparing drinks on the coffee table, clearly making an effort not to look at you. You didn’t even care about it at this point.

Your father was adjusting his tie in the mirror when he looked at your clothes. He grunted, a look of superiority on his face.

“You have twenty minutes to get dressed into something appropriate. You might as well burn those jeans in the fireplace. You will not bring shame on us in those clothes.”

You looked down at your jeans which had a whole in them at both knees, just like every second pair of jeans in every store.

“Am I not allowed to wear jeans like normal people?”

“And you can loose the attitude as well. When at the table, you answer politely, convincingly, and you will smile at everyone. I don’t want to hear anything about your — thing, and how your ungodly behaviour works. Anything to add?” he asked, seeing your angry eyes. “No? Great. You will only speak when your spoken to. And if I see anything, and I mean anything out of ordinary, you will regret the day you were born.”

“Sounds fun,” you muttered.

“Another word…” he raised his finger, warning you. “Go and change.”

“What if I say no?” you started. You wanted to transfer some of your anger into him. “What if I don’t change my clothes?”

“Then I will kick you out of this house!”

“Oh, but what if you won’t?” you said, forcing yourself to smile. “What if I get my wand, and use it? What if I tell all your guests about the actual school I’m attending? What if I start floating your teacups around?”

“Listen here, you ungrateful little —”

The doorbell rang. He looked at his watch, then at the door.

“They’re early. Go up, girl! I don’t wanna see you down here until you change! You have five minutes! Go!”

You grimaced and headed to the stairs through the hall. You didn’t wanna be seen for as long as possible. Your father in the meantime went to open the door, quickly adjusting his tie again. The door creaked.

“Good ev —”

He fell silent and you stopped in the middle of the stairs to listen. An unfamiliar voice came from outside.

“Good evening, I am looking for Y/N. Is this the right place?”

“There is no one here called Y/N!” answered your father with a grunt.

“Oh, we might have been misinformed, haven’t we Fred?” said a second, very familiar, cheeky voice. “Isn’t this the house with two muggles and their daughter who just came home for the holidays?”

You ran down the stairs and hurried towards the front door. Next to your father’s shoulder you saw a face, a face that made you grin like crazy.

“Oy, Y/N!” said Fred, looking at you. “How you doing?”

Your father jerked his head to look at you.

“How dare you invite these people —”

“Hey,” you said, ignoring the man completely. “What are you doing here? Come in!”

Your father was slightly pushed aside by Fred who entered the house like it was his own. He gave you a quick hug, then he was followed by George and an other man, who was supposed to be their dad.

“Y/N” he said, shaking your hand with a smile. “Arthur Weasley. So nice to meet you.”

“I thought… It’s only been a few days…”

“We cannot wait any longer, but we’ll explain everything when we’re home,” said the man. “Now… I’m guessing George would be kind enough to help you with your luggage. In the meantime Fred and I will keep your parents company.” He said this with a pleasant smile, while looking at your father, and mother who came to see what’s happening. You nodded, took George’s hand and said,

“This way.”

You lead him up the stairs in silence. You took a turn to the left and stepped inside your quite messy room. You waited until George followed you, shut the door and faced the boy who you haven’t seen in nine days.

“Hi,” you said, grinning.

“Hi,” he said, with his usual mischievous smile.

And then he was kissing you with so much passion you thought you’re gonna faint. You reached for his face, caressing his cheeks, then wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him closer and closer…

When letting go in serious need of air, you brushed your lips against his as you spoke.

“I missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too, witty.”

“I like the hair,” you said, brushing his short locks on his head. He laughed.

“Mum had enough. She literally attacked Fred and I the first minute we got home.”

“Well… she was right,” you said, pecking his lips. “You’re really hadsome.”

He laughed and kissed you again before letting go.

“Well, thank you, love. Let’s see…” he looked around the room, seeing your stuff everywhere but in your suitcase. He smirked. “I can help you with that. You know, since I’m seventeen and everything.”

“Show off,” you shook your head, smiling.

“I passed the apparation exam as well,” he said. “Fred, too.”

“Really?!” your jaw dropped. “Why didn’t you write it in your letter?”

“I wanted to tell you in person,” he said, still grinning. “How about that?”

“I’m so proud of you! George, really!

He looked at you with shimmering eyes.

“Thank you. Now, let’s — What’s that?”

He looked at your bed, amused. Next to your pillow was his quidditch jumper that he had given to you a few weeks ago.

“Are you sleeping with that?” he said. You felt yourself blushing.

“Yeah…? D’you have a problem with that?”

“No,” he said in a very pleasant tone. He pressed a kiss on your temple. “It’s really flattering. You should give me something to sleep with, too.”

You snorted.

“How about me? When we finally leave this shithole?”

“Sounds good to me.”

He raised his wand and all your clothes flew into the suitcase. Then you took Peanut’s cage, checked your wand in your pocket and lead the way down to the kitchen, where the tension was  already over the top.

All four of them were sitting at the table; Mr Weasley was talking about something with an eager expression, while Fred was leaning back on the chair with a smug smile, looking at your father, who had his usual statue-like face.

Your mother was sitting next to him, her hands in her lap, her back straight as a picket fence.

You stepped into the kitchen, awkwardly looking at Mr Weasley. You wanted to leave as soon as possible.

“Well… I’m ready.”

“Wonderful,” nodded Mr Weasley, and stood up. He turned back to your father once more. “So, as I said, we are happy to keep her for the whole summer vacation. However, next year, if you’d like…”

“You can leave now, if you will,” said your father sharply, interrupting Mr Weasley. “Before somebody sees you.”

You took a deep breath. You couldn’t have felt more uncomfortable.

“Right, then. Let’s go.”

“Wait a minute,” Mr Weasley were looking back and forth between you and your father in disbelief. “Are you sending her away just like that? Like an unpleasant guest?”

“I was always just an unpleasant guest,” you muttered, rolling your eyes.

“Is he kicking you out?” said Fred, astonished.

“Believe me, I don’t wanna stay here either…” you made your way towards the door, but Mr Weasley’s hand on your shoulder stopped you.

“I don’t understand… You daughter hasn’t been home for a year, you must —”

“What I must and mustn’t do in my own house is up to me and no one else!” your father stood up as anger overcame him. You felt danger was coming.

“Now, leave before I’m calling the authorities!”

Mr Weasley’s expression switched from confusion to disbelief.

“There is no reason to behave like this, I say,” he said. “A parent —”

“We are no longer parents!” your mother snarled suddenly, out of nowhere. She stood up, clutching her fist. “You go and leave us, girl!”

You turned to her in shock. Her voice shot through the kitchen like a bullet. She waved lazily at the twins, but didn’t take her eyes off you.

“And don’t expect to come back next year! Leave now, and take the scum with you.”

You stopped dead. The twins stepped forward. Mr Weasley was now raising his voice.

“Now, you’re talking about —”

“What did you just say?”

The whole kitchen fell silent as you stepped closer to your mother. She was taking aback, glancing at the wand in your pocket. You were shaking in anger. Your voice was almost a whisper as you spoke.

“What — did you — just say?”

You were waiting for an answer. When it didn’t come, you didn’t hold back.

“Let’s see… You pretended I didn’t exist… You haven’t talked to me for five years… and then when you decide to speak again… the first thing you do is insult my friends?”

You took a shaky breath. And then you started shouting.

“How dare you insult these people?! How dare you talk to them that way?! How dare you even look at them without being ashamed of yourself?!”

Your mother stepped closer to you. Her eyes were burning with disgust.

“Ashamed of myself? You’re the one to talk! For years we have been living in fear, not knowing what that twisted mind of yours is going to do to us! Knowing that it would be the end of us if anyone found out what you are — what all these people are! You stopped existing for me when you decided to embrace your abnormality —!”

“Oh, my abnormality, you say?”

You pulled your wand out of your pocket, waving it around. You saw from the corner of your eyes that the three Weasleys were shifting nervously. Your father grabbed your mother’s shoulder. You were shouting.

“You mean this? I think it’s the perfect time to tell you now, that our law forbids me to use this stupid stick at home!”

“What?” your mother gasped. “But you told us —”

“I can’t use magic outside school,” you said, with the sweet taste of satisfaction in your mouth. “I lied to you and you believed me, I played both of you like the fools you are —”

The slap took you by surprise. She hit you so hard you fell on the floor, feeling immense pain on your cheek where her ring had cut a long, deep wound. You felt dizzy as you were trying to get back up, reaching out for the hand that was helping you. Around you were voices, shouting.

You looked around, barely able to see from the pain. George was holding you close, one hand on your cheeks. Fred was pointing his wand towards your parents, his face pure rage. His curse had crushed the table and broke it in half as it was dodged by Mr Weasley, who was now using a shield charm. You and the twins were standing on one side, while he and your parents on the other. Even though he was protecting the muggles, Mr Weasley seemed extremely furious with them.

“Fred, George, take Y/N outside!” his voice was shaking with wrath. “Take the luggage, too. I’ll be there in a minute!”

“Dad…”

“GO. OUT!”

The three of you left the kitchen and stepped outside into the fresh evening air. You broke free of George’s grip and walked before the twins, still panting, still barely seeing, still feeling something warm on your cheek…

“FUCK!!!” you stopped and screamed from the bottom of your lungs. “FUCK!!!” You burried your face into your hands but winced as you touched the open wound. You saw your hands getting dirty with blood.

“Y/N?” George’s careful voice came from behind you. You turned around, looking at the twins; they had the same mixture of anger and pity on their faces.

Fred was still holding his wand.

“What did you wanna do?” you asked, pointing at it.

“You don’t wanna know.”

You nodded.

“Are you alright?” asked George, looking concerned. You didn’t answer.

“I’m never coming back here,” you said, shaking your head.

“I’ve never seen dad so angry like this,” said Fred. “Never. Not even when we almost killed Ron when we told him to fly without a broom when he was six.”

“I reckon he’s gonna talk with them…” said George.

“Oh, he’s gonna talk with them, all right,” said Fred, looking at the house then back at you. “Are you all right, Y/N?”

You turned away from them. You didn’t know how to answer. No, you were not all right, but also, you were not surprised this had happened. It was just a matter of time.

You felt George’s hand on your shoulder. You knew it was him. You just knew.

“Come here,” he said and gently raised your head. He carefully started cleaning your cheek, leaving bloodmarks on the tissue he was using. His hands were shaking from the repressed anger. “Does it hurt a lot?”

“Yeah,” you said, slightly louder than a whisper.

“He’s coming,” said Fred, looking at the approaching Mr Weasley.

Indeed, he was leaving the house without looking back, putting his wand back into his pocket. He seemed extremely furious, but when he looked at you, his face relaxed a little.

“Y/N, I am so sorry about what happened. I would’ve never thought… Don’t worry, Molly can patch you up in a minute. I am really, really sorry.”

“It’s all right, really,” you said. “Don’t worry about it.”

“What did you do, dad?” asked Fred eagerly.

“I talked with them,” said Mr Weasley shortly.

“No —,” said George. “— what did you do?”

Mr Weasley looked back at the house, screwing his face. Then he looked at you again.

“Y/N, you are welcome to come back next year if you wish, but you don’t have to. The choice is yours, I reckon you’ll have plenty of time thinking about it in this year. I just want to say… However you decide…Molly and I are going to make sure you’re all right.”

Your throat felt dry as you were nodding. You couldn’t say anything, no words could express the gratitude you felt. You whispered a low ‘thank you’ but Mr Weasley seemed to understand.

“I say, let’s leave now,” he said, in a lighter tone. “Molly’s cooking a wonderful dinner. Fred, take the cage. I take the trunk. George, you take Y/N. Have you ever apparated, Y/N?”

“No,” you shook your head.

“All right. Then grab onto George and let him lead you. One… two…

“I stand back in case you throw up,” said George, grinning.

“What?!”

“…three!”

You felt like a rug was pulled from under your feet and your body started twisting into itself. You couldn’t breath, but before you could have started panicking, your shoes touched the ground and you arrived in a big yard surrounded by nothing but trees, bushes and a small lake.

“Welcome home,” said George.

You looked at the house and your jaw dropped before you started grinning.

“Come on in,” said Mr Weasley. “Everyone’s inside.”

You couldn’t stop looking around. Everything was so interesting, so perfect, so…Weasley.

Mr Weasley sat down your luggage next to the table as you went into the kitchen. He called out for the others and turned to you.

“Tea?”

Before you could answer, you heard steps and Mrs Weasley stepped into the kitchen.

“Oh, finally, I wondered what took you so long! Y/N, my dear… Dear God, what happened?”

Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at your face. You realized again how badly your scar hurt. Mr Weasley stepped out of the way so that his wife could come closer.

“There was an… accident, Molly,” said Mr Weasley quietly. “Can you patch it up?”

“Oh, my sweet girl,” Mrs Weasley lead you to a chair and you sat down. She gently held your face up to the light. “What happened? Did you two did something?”

She looked suspiciously at the twins. They both spoke in indignation.

“Mum, are you serious —?!”

“You think we’d ever —?!”

“It wasn’t them, Mrs Weasley,” you said. You started to feel more and more embarrassed by this whole situation. “Can you help me? It really hurts.”

“I can, darling but it won’t heal immediately. The scar will need another day or so to disappear completely…”

“It’s okay,” you nodded. She took her wand.

“All right, Fred, George, take up Y/N’s luggage to Ginny’s room. Arthur, could you set the table until I’m working here?”

They all left and she started doing some spells with a weird, twitching movement of her wand.

“Don’t move now, my darling, it’s very important.”

You tried to be as still as possible. You felt a weird tingling under your eye, then Mrs Weasley smiled at you warmly.

“There you go. It’s barely visible. Here — take this,” she gave you a wet rug and you cleaned the rest of the blood from your face. “Are you sure you’re…”

“Y/N!” Ginny ran into the kitchen, squeezing you in a big hug. “I thought you only come later this week!”

“Yeah, me too,” you said, beaming at the returning twins. George scowled at Ginny.

“Let her breathe, for Merlin’s sake, she’s just arrived.”

“Oh, just because you’re jealous,” snapped back Ginny. “Don’t forget, she was my friend first!

“And I though when you arrive I won’t have to listen to this anymore,” said Fred, looking at you, pretending to be tired of the situation.

“Kids, why don’t you go up, show Y/N around the house?” said Mr Weasley.

“Molly, help me with these napkins, I don’t know which one you prefer…”

“Come on,” said George, leading you up the stairs, Fred and Ginny following you.

“Napkins, of course,” said Fred. “I bet dad’s gonna tell her everything that happened.”

“Why, what happened?” asked Ginny.

Fred and George stopped and looked at you with the same expression. It was up to you.

“Er —” you didn’t know how to phrase it. You decided to just say it. You pointed at the scar. “My mum hit me.”

Ginny went pale.

“What?”

You quickly summarized the happenings of the evening. The twins were standing with a dark expression on their faces; Fred leaning against the wall, George holding your hand. Ginny was shaking her head in disbelief.

“I am so sorry.”

You nodded. You just wanted to forget it. Maybe that would sooth the pain in your heart.

“I think dinner’s ready soon,” said George. “Ginny, go, tell Ron. We’re going down.”

Ginny went further up the stairs and you returned to the kitchen. Mr Weasley was sitting at the table with his lips in a thin line, Mrs Weasley was standing by the counter, occasionally sniffing her nose.

Yep. You were sure they had just been talking about you.

George sat down next to you as soon as you chose a seat. You smiled at him and squeezed his hand under the table. The food was so delicious, you ate second helpings from everything. Still, couldn’t enjoy the evening as much as you wanted to. You still needed to do something, you still wanted to thank them.

When all of you had finished and Mrs Weasley stood up to clean the table, you stood up as well.

“I’ll help.”

“Oh, darling, you don’t need to, just go —”

“No, please. I’d like to help.”

George was staring at you from the bottom of the stairs. You shook your head and sent him upstairs, pointing.

The kitchen was now empty except for you and Mrs Weasley. You chose to dry the dishes with a rug, while Mrs Weasley was packing the leftovers into little boxes.

“Mrs Weasley…?” you said in an uncertain voice. She turned to you with a kind smile. And then you started crying.

“Oh, dear!” she welcomed you in her arms, gently stroking your hair. “It’s all right… It’s all right now…”

The voice of a mother made you cry even more. You were a bit taller than she was; you leaned down and put all your weight on her, you felt like you have no strenght left, you just couldn’t continue with this, you couldn’t take it anymore…

She held you as long as you wanted it, she did not pull away. She was whispering into your ear, telling you that everthing is all right, just how she probably had said to many of her children over the years when they were crying. You hugged her tightly, finally hugging someone after five years, finally receiving some kindness, finally feeling that you are safe, because as long as she is close, you were not afraid of facing reality.

When your crying softened and you could breath normally again, you pulled away and looked at Mrs Weasley through your remaining tears. She brushed your hair away from your face, and cupped your cheek with a sad smile.

“Would you like some tea, dear?”

You nodded, sniffing, sitting down at the table. Soon she put a nice, hot mug in front of you. You spoke, your voice hoarse from the crying.

“I’m sorry.”

She gently squeezed your wrist, but her voice was fierce.

“Don’t you ever be sorry! They should be sorry for that they’ve done. And I am sorry, for not bringing you sooner away from them. But I promise you, this will never happen again. You are safe with us.”

You wiped away your tears, still panting a bit.

“Thank — Thank you. For every — everything.”

“No need to thank, dear,” she smiled at you kindly. Then she laughed to ease the mood. “I should be thanking you. I have another daughter now.”

You chuckled, sniffing.

“Yeah,” you said. “I really love him, you know.”

Mrs Weasley looked at you with adoration.

“I know, darling. He loves you, too.”

“Yeah?” you laughed while still wiping your tears.

“Oh, yes,” she said. “I knew it in the minute I saw him looking at you.

[forkanna]

[AO3] [WATTPAD] [QUOTEV]

NOTES: Some nominal amount of smut ahead, and minor character death. NSFW. And, of course, Elsanna.

A small belated gift for Princess Anna's 194th birthday! Thanks to scuttlepantsworld and Aether_nb for helping to make this possible – or for giving me proper motivation and a prod in the right direction, at least. Commissions are still open at this time!

Yes, I know. It's been a thousand years to the day since chapter four was released. For the longest time, I vacillated between wanting to add to it and insisting the story was over; to be honest, I had never intended to write more than one chapter! But deep down, I knew the work was always unfinished. So the time has come to wrap it up and put it to bed forever. My writing style has changed in the years since, so I can only hope this manages to recapture the magic for those fans who have been waiting. And for the gawkers that just want a laugh… well, stay tuned for the epilogue, I guess.

Min Søsters Kjeder: Anna

Well, that didn't work out so great.

My heart felt like it was crystallising as Kristoff helped me to my feet just in front of the grand ice doors of my sister's palace. So Elsa had rejected me. Again. She cast me out into the cold she created because she didn't think I could handle the "new Elsa" — that she had apparently been suppressing for years and years. Maybe our whole lives. As usual, pathetic little Princess Anna just wasn't worth clueing in on all the fine details. No matter how much headway we make, no matter how many walls and doors I try to knock down, she summons new ones of glittering sub-zero moisture to stand in our way.

"Hey, we should do something about this."

"About what?" I asked distantly, still staring up at the shimmering ice slide that had deposited us where we were currently crouched, breath fogging on the air. "I really don't think she's gonna let me in again. Not anytime soon. She's stubborn like that sometimes." Like I wasn't stubborn.

"Your hair." I looked up into his concerned eyes as he reached up with a gloved hand, batting at the newly-whitened hairs of my fringe. "It's… I can tell what this is, Anna. I've seen it before."

My brow furrowed. "What… Kristoff, what are you talking about, you've seen this? Am I the only one in the dark around here about ice magic?!"

Now he looked a little uncomfortable. And I took full advantage — by storming for the staircase again. Obviously I slipped right back down, but that didn't stop me from grunting and growling, trying to claw my way up the perfectly slick surface.

"What are you doing?" he asked in a weary tone.

"Going… to see… my sister!" I grunted, before falling on my butt.

"Huh," Olaf put in. "Maybe you know something I don't, but that doesn't seem to be working out so great for you."

"OOF! Are you guys gonna help me up there or not?!"

But we never had a chance for them to give me a boost. My new friend and my old snowman — or our old snowman, I suppose — were too busy gasping in horror. It took me a little longer than it should have before I turned to see the towering snow-giant, menacing-yet-soft features glaring down at us.

"Oh. Not… I guess."

                                                                ~ o ~

My life became a series of rude awakenings after that. They made me miss doors in my face; at least those weren't dangerous and scary.

First, we got thrown out of the palace by my sister's new snow-beast. And that wasn't nice. Then Kristoff had the bright idea that he should take me to see his "love expert" friends — who turned out to be his family. Even worse rude awakening, because I had never met any magical beings that weren't my sister or the semi-frozen creations she seemed to whip up without even thinking about it. TROLLS. Real, live, rocky, mossy trolls! And on top of that, they decided I was about to marry Kristoff, because… I don't actually know! They just decided! Wow, were they eccentric, and a little annoying.

But they were the ones that sent me back to Elsa's palace. See, their king — maybe he was a sage, or a bishop? — explained that because my sister's magic had crept its way into my heart, even though I wasn't sure how or when, that there was nothing he could do. Only an act of true love could thaw a frozen heart.

And there was only one person I loved. Sure, Kristoff was okay, and Hans loved me, and Olaf and Sven were buddies. Nothing wrong with friendship! But there was a queen in my life that I felt such a deep level of love for that no force on Earth could break it, and I knew she felt the same for me. Even if she wasn't always good at showing it. So if I was going to get defrosted from anybody, I was definitely going to go with the prime candidate.

Problem was…

                                                                ~ o ~

"I can't believe she was gone!"

"These tracks will lead us straight to her," Kristoff reassured me for what was probably the twelfth time as we galloped toward Arendelle. "Don't worry, I'll get you to Queen Elsa!"

"What happened?" I asked weakly, shivering as I curled even tighter against him. "A-all that destruction, all those hoofprints…"

He shook his shaggy blonde mane as he spurred his reindeer faster and faster. My heart was filled with deeper dread the larger the kingdom loomed in my vision. All I wanted was to be home. To curl up by a fire and rest… and see my sister. I wanted that above all else.

Kristoff got me to the gates. The officials didn't want to let him in, and I didn't have the brainpower to argue anymore; my entire focus was on Elsa, on fighting my way to her side. Seeing her dazzling blue eyes and her soft white locks above me, sliding my hands around her trim waist…

"Prince Hans!" Kai called as he and Gerda steered me into the meeting room. I felt lucky that the ice magic's effects were minimal; otherwise, I would have been barely able to walk by now. I saw several dignitaries gathered around Hans, including the Weasel himself. Odin Allfather, didn't that guy have a life at all? Or enough sense to notice nobody wanted him around?

"Anna!" my suitor gasped out, rushing over to embrace me tightly. Oh yeah… I kind of forgot in all the craziness that the last time I talked to him, we were supposed to be getting married. I'd have to straighten that out later.

"Hans! I… I have to find out what happened to my sister!"

He seemed stunned. "What? What do you mean? She left Arendelle, she left us all to deal with this winter."

"But I saw the hoofprints leading back here! From the North Mountain! Where… I know she's here, I can feel it!" And I could, I swear I felt her presence. Maybe it was just me fooling myself… or maybe it was just gas.

Hans opened his mouth to protest, but just then another guard came in, standing ramrod straight and saluting. "Her Majesty has refused any food or drink, Sir. What shall we…" Only then did he notice me there, and he saluted again — harder, if possible. "Princess Anna! You have returned! Then… you were not…?"

"Were not what?" I asked. When the rest of the people in the room began to mutter, I looked around more frantically. "Okay, I'm getting a little tired of the information wagon not wheeling in my direction! What in the fjord is going on?!"

"Listen," Hans breathed with a slight crease in his handsome brow, "I think you all should leave for a moment. Princess Anna is clearly overcome — and she is frozen to the bone. We need to give her some time, I need to take care of her and let her warm herself by the f-"

"NO. You can stay here and talk to these guys if you want; I have a mission." I turned to point at the guard. "You! Fred, or something!"

"Fredek, Your Highness," he said with a stiff bow, still looking a little out of sorts. Everybody did.

"That's what I said. Is my sister here?"

"Y-yes, but she is-"

"Where?" Hesitation. Again. "Hey, am I the princess around here or WHAT?! Take me to Elsa now! Right now!"

                                                                ~ o ~

Nothing could have prepared me for that trip up into the tower. When we were little, Elsa and I would sometimes go up there to play, pretending one of us was the monster that was holding the other captive. We would imagine our castle was Soria Moria, taking turns playing a princess — since we were always princesses and playing was about escapism — and Halvor, the hero. We usually wound up just squealing and rolling around in fear that the troll with three heads would gobble us up, starting with our toes. That was what our father always told us would happen if we didn't behave.

Father…

Not for the first time, I fretted over what he would think about all this. Had he known? Had Mother? Did they have magic of their own, and just never bothered to reveal it to me? Nah, that would be completely crazy; I would know if my parents had anything magical in their backgrounds. Still, nobody ever told me about Elsa, so it was possible. It would have been easy to let bitterness take over my heart, thinking about how left out I had been my entire life until now.

But wasn't I doing something every bit as depraved as them keeping secrets? By falling head over heels for my own sister?

"I'm sorry, Princess, you cannot pass. I have my orders."

"Skadi can have your stupid orders! That is my sister and I'm going to see her, and… and I'm the princess, and you are not. So there!"

"That has nothing to do with-"

"You're ORDERED to open this door! NOW!" That was starting to work pretty well for me. The man sighed and unlocked the door, pulling it open. "Okay, get out of here."

"Excuse me?"

"I need to speak with my sister in private! And if you're hanging around out here… just-" I shoved at him impatiently. "Go wait at the bottom of the stairwell, or something! I don't care, just don't let us be disturbed or I'm going to…" Sentence him to death? I couldn't even pretend to be that mean. "Or I'll turn you into a stable-boy, and you'll be shovelling horse dritt for the rest of your life!"

Honestly, I've never seen a soldier in full armour sprint down stairs before.

"Who's there?" croaked a weak voice as I crept into the chamber, yanking the door shut behind me. "Is… you have to tell me, have they found Anna?"

"Nope," I said with a smirk. "She's totally still missing. Probably got eaten by a muskox."

The blue-tinted form on the cot shifted and stirred, and a disheveled head of platinum blond hair raised to squint through the darkness at me. Wow, she looked a lot more rough than I expected… because never in my life had I seen her look anything less than perfect. Not even when we were little.

"I…" Once she had seen me with her own eyes, she let out a long, shaky sigh of relief. "We don't… muskoxen aren't even carnivores."

"No?" I grunted as I plopped down on the floor right next to her, not even caring how dirty the dungeon was. Can you have a dungeon in a tower? Is that not the same thing? Maybe there's another word. "Well fine, I got turned into grass by some other magical person, and then the muskox ate me."

"Stop that. I was so worried when Hans told me, and here you are making fun of me for worrying. That isn't nice."

"Uh huh. It's totally nice, because I'm playing with you. Remember how to play?"

Elsa smiled softly to herself, glancing at the tiny window. The sky was definitely awake; I knew that's what she was thinking because it was what I was thinking. Crazy how sometimes, we could be so in sync, and other times…

"I remember," she admitted under her breath. "What do you think I keep thinking about the entire time I've been up here?"

The smile that broke out over my face was bright enough to eclipse the sun. It turned just a little wicked as I stood tall with my fists on my hips and proclaimed, "Hutetu, what a smell of Christian man's blood!"

That made my sister turn to look at me with wide eyes. Which promptly rolled before she mumbled, "Oh Anna, please, anything but that���"

"Come on, you know this!" I hissed. "Just kill the troll, Halvor — cut off all my heads! Then you can sweep the youngest princess-sister off her feet!" For real, this time. In hindsight, maybe it was because we spent so much time pretending to marry each other as kids that led us to the big i-word.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" she asked, raising her hands…

My heart seemed to grow yet colder in my chest as I looked at those gleaming manacles. I'd never seen anything quite like them; they encircled Elsa's hands completely instead of just binding her at the wrists, and chains led from their tips to a metal plate bolted to the middle of the floor. Wasn't that weird? Why would any such thing exist?

Come to think of it… since when had this tower been a dungeon? It was always cold and forbidding, but the iron bars had not been there when we were little, pretending it was Soria Moria. Not that I trusted my memories much anymore after finding out my sister had ice powers and never told me.

Still, I could put two-and-two together. "Elsa, this prison… did you…?"

"Not I alone," she sighed weakly, staring down into her icy lap as she fidgeted on the cold-looking stone cot. "Father had this commissioned."

"Father wouldn't-"

"I insisted. I made him and Mother see that it was for the best, even if… if they did not want to put me in a cage. But sometimes we need cages, Anna — to protect everyone else from what's inside."

"So what, now you just… you're going to sit up here while an eternal winter rages throughout Arendelle? That's so- I can't believe you would neglect your duties to this kingdom. Don't you see we need you?"

Her brow furrowed as she turned away again. "No. Look what I have done so far. Why would anyone need a queen as unstable as me? Who can't even control her own curse?"

"Curse? Do you not remember- didn't you see Olaf? Real and as alive as you and me? You did that! And you built that beautiful castle, and made this dress- really gorgeous, by the way, I didn't get a chance to say it before."

At least I made her chuckle. A tiny bit. It didn't last long before she was brooding again, staring toward the window. "You're too sweet. Maybe… maybe I shouldn't have interfered."

"Interfered in what?"

"You and… what was his name? Hans. Or that large man who helped you find me."

"Kristoff. Wait… are you trying to marry me off to some man I just met? After all that?!"

"Anna, you deserve a chance at happiness with a man who can take care of you. If you keep pining after me, deluding yourself into thinking we can be something more than we are… then I'm afraid you'll never be happy. And that would hurt me more than I can bear, especially knowing it's my fault! All I have ever wanted is to make sure you are taken care of. That you're safe, and whole, and happy."

"Then why did you spend over a decade shutting me out? Huh? Could you really not remember how much I loved you? Didn't you realize how that was going to hurt me, losing my sister — my best friend?" So maybe it wasn't very nice, but I couldn't help it; I lost my temper.

"I…" Her chest was rising and falling more rapidly, eyes narrowing thanks to the force of the furrow in her brow. It almost looked like she was panicking again, like she had at the coronation ball. "It wasn't my decision, but wasn't it for the best? I couldn't hurt you again. And us being together, especially the way we've been recklessly exploring the past couple of days… I can only see that ending one way."

"Elsa…" Knowing I had made a mistake, I approached her and laid a hand on her shoulder. Yes, she tensed up, but when nothing bad happened she relaxed. "I'm sorry. Maybe this has been rough on you, too, but I still don't think staying away from me was the best plan. Why couldn't we have tried to work on this togeth-"

"What part of 'I didn't want to hurt you again' is confusing for you? Why are you always so stubborn, Anna?!"

My temper threatening to rise again in response to hers, I snapped back, "The 'again' part, you jerk! Literally the only thing that ever hurt me was losing you!"

"No, it isn't! You just don't remember because of the trolls-"

Elsa cut off, her expression full of misery as she turned away. Lately, I felt like I was messing up all the time. Pushing too much. I didn't want to, I just… when I see something is wrong, I have this compulsion to fix it. How can anybody do any better if they don't try?

"I've been to the trolls. They said… well, they said if we don't do something soon, this is going to get worse."

"What is?" But this time, when she looked at me — really looked — she noticed. "Oh. Oh, Anna, it's getting worse…"

"How do you know about the trolls?" I asked suspiciously, scooting forward to make sure she couldn't escape my gaze so easily. "Wait — did you always know my hair was going to get more white? The way you said that…"

"No, no, they said they fixed it," she breathed, voice strained as if she were barely keeping her emotions in check. "I can't do this!"

"Elsa, for once I need you to actually listen to me and answer my questions! How do you know about the trolls, and what do you mean, this has happened before? And why don't I ever remember you having ice magic until your coronation? The more I think about it, the crazier it seems I wouldn't have noticed something that insane! Hey, I know I'm dumb, but I'm not that dumb!"

Suddenly, my sister's icy irises blazed with anger as she turned to look at me. "Don't you say that, Anna. You are not dumb. I have never mistaken your openness and your vibrance, and the naïvety that your excitement leads to sometimes, for stupidity."

Why did that turn me on? Talk about an inappropriate reaction!

"O-oh. Well… wow, Elsa, thank you. Um, I didn't expect you to say anything like that, I thought you would agree with me. Or something. I don't know." Desperately wishing I could force the blush out of my cheeks was distracting me from being able to string words together.

"Alright." Clearly relieved that I had accepted what she said instead of arguing, she closed her eyes for a moment. A long moment. "As I said, this is not the first time my magic has hurt you, no matter how hard I try to protect you. And there's a reason you-"

"Come on, Elsa! Why haven't you figured out yet that I don't need protection? Not from my best friend!" My body seemed to take on a life of its own, demanding I get closer to my sweet sister, that I show her how true my feelings really were. Otherwise, how would she ever see?

"Anna, wait-"

"I love you," I breathed as she backed into the corner, even though I was keeping pace, my hands pawing at her arms through her dress. The chains pulled taut beneath me and I saw my sister lurch from the unexpected resistance on her arms; I hadn't been paying much attention to them, I was so focused on getting closer to her. But then-

Then I let out the whimper. My sister whispered fearfully, "Anna? Anna, what's wrong?"

"Mmhhh, I didn't… well that's new…" My thighs flexed as I rubbed myself against the steel links that were now firmly between my thighs, vision going blurry briefly from the powerful surge of pleasure.

"What… are-" The gasp made it pretty obvious she had figured it out. "Anna, you stop that right now!"

"Why? It's… I mean, why can't I take a quick little break?" That was a pretty weak defense. Mostly, I was aware of how insane and depraved what I was doing was, but every second I was away from Elsa made my desire triple. At least, it really felt that way to me.

"We have…" Maybe it was the expression on my face, or maybe the sounds I was making, but I could start to see the colour rising in her cheeks. "Anna, we were in the middle of an important conversation. Please, can't your libido wait a minute or two?"

"I can… multitask…" At her glare, I finally brought my greedy pelvis to a stop. "You're right! You're right, I'm really sorry. I just already wanted you so bad, and then those chains hit me just right in- okay, shutting up," I added when I saw her death glare.

"Thank you. Now… I know this isn't going to be easy for you to hear. But I have hurt you before, when we were children. I wish I didn't have to explain it to you, I wish I could let you go on thinking nothing was wrong, but it's clear to me now that you will never stop fighting to get closer to me unless I explain why you can't do that. No matter what we both want, it just isn't meant to be."

"Okay, I… do not like that part. But the rest is good! We should be talking about these things — I mean, how are we ever going to fix things between us if we don't? So…" Oh wow, it was almost impossible to keep still.

"Your hips are moving."

"So what? My hips are here, my hips are th- ooooh, maybe they shouldn't go there. Okay, I stopped. So you hit me with some of your magic when we were kids and it gave me a white streak in my hair, and you guys took me to the trolls and they erased my memory and healed me right up? That pretty accurate?"

I couldn't remember ever seeing my sister look so completely shocked before. Literally had no words. It's too bad she didn't have something like that she could say to me, because I'm the chatterbox who needs to be quieted down sometimes.

"What? I mean, you left me some pretty easy dots to connect, and you just said I'm not as dumb as I look."

"I didn't- you don't look dumb, either! You are a beautiful young woman who could have anyone in the kingdom!"

Grinning, I whispered, "Aww, really?"

"Anna, please, try to pay attention. Don't you see how dangerous this is? Twice now I have gotten too close, let my attention lapse, and twice now I have hurt you. Can't you understand why I need to be kept away from you?"

Of course, I did feel my heart grow a little colder for just a second. But then I shook my head hard and glared at her. "Yeah. Yeah, I can see how you would think that — even how our parents could think that. Because they don't get it at all, and neither do you."

She looked so bone-weary when I started to crawl closer. Was hard not to take that personally. "Anna… what is it that you think you understand that I don't?"

"True love."

"What?"

"The trolls…" I shivered for a moment. It was getting worse, so I had to push ahead. "They said only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart. So don't you see? If you kiss me-"

"NO. Anna, you have to listen to me! Stop this nonsense!" She was breathing hard in panic again now that our faces were only a couple of inches apart. Crystals formed on her eyelashes from the tears she couldn't fully shed. "I can't. Why don't you see I can't be that person for you? I'm a woman — your sister, the queen of the kingdom! No one will allow us to be together!"

Her words stabbed into me roughly like bayonets. Like icicles she was driving into my heart. And I could see fear blossoming in her eyes, could feel the cold creeping along my cheeks. Confirmation wasn't necessary; I knew I was getting worse. The magic was stealing me from the world. And Elsa just couldn't see that she was the only one who had the power to roll back the frozen tide.

"They aren't who counts," I breathed, my teeth beginning to chatter. Then… my hips started moving again.

"Anna, this is not the-"

"I'm going to freeze if I don't move. Don't you want to help me?" When she remained immobile, a little desperation crept into my voice as my brow furrowed. "Elsa…"

"I can't help. All I can do is make it worse," she sobbed brokenly. Even if she couldn't understand, at least she wasn't hiding anything from me anymore. Baby steps are all you get sometimes.

"Can't get worse than this!" I tried to joke. And when she only began to cry harder, I reached up to caress her soft cheek. "Come on… pick your princess, Halvor. You've b-been through so much…"

And she did kiss me. I had really been hoping that would break the curse. It didn't. But I was still going to enjoy this moment to the fullest. Hey, if it's your last one on the mortal plane, heck, why wouldn't you?

The deeper our kiss grew, the stronger my urges rose. It seemed to be helping me fight off the cold, so I renewed my efforts, grinding myself hard against those firm chains through the layers of Oaken's winter wardrobe. And my dear, beautiful sister no longer wasted any breath trying to convince me to stop; she did the one thing I had always wanted her to do, ever since we were little.

She supported me.

"Mmmhhhah!" I gasped when I was getting close. "Elsa! I love you!"

"Anna-"

"Never forget! Do you understand me?" Hazy as my vision was, I could still see the furrow of concern in her brow, how rapidly she was breathing. My poor big sister was terrified on my behalf. Screwed up as that might be, it felt amazing. She actually cared about me! "Don't you ever… forget that I love you, and I never blamed you, and I… all I ever wanted was to be close to you again! And you're giving that to me, and I am so, so happy!"

Tears slipping down her cheeks and shattering on the stone floor, Elsa rasped out, "Anna, you can't go! You're the one that deserves to stay — you have never done anything wrong! It's me! I am the monster, I cursed you, and I should be the one who is slain!"

"So what?! You… didn't do anything wrong, either!" But she didn't believe me. Of course. So I had to give her something different, something that would meet her needs. "A-and I forgive you! For anything, everything, whatever you think you need forgiveness for, you got it, sis!"

We kissed again. I only wished we could have had that conversation when I wasn't riding a couple of lengths of chain; it was definitely a little weird. But the burning between my thighs demanded I keep going, and it also felt like if I stopped, the cold would win. So on I bucked, over and over into that unrelenting metal-

Elsa did a little something for me that finished me off. And I can't even fully explain it, but I had no idea anybody could use their tongue like that.

"HMMNHHH!" was the only noise I could make because our mouths were joined together, but I felt like it was enough for her to understand. The orgasm that stole over my body was both satisfying and unsatisfying, because I was still so far away from the one I loved despite the passion joining our lips. But it would have to do. At least most of the frost had been rolled back from my body so I could function again.

Once the high faded, and the blaze in my crotch was back to being a dull ache again, we finally broke the kiss to look into each other's eyes. And there was understanding. I could see now that Elsa might still try to resist, and would probably always have anxiety about hurting me, but she was no longer deluded that we weren't meant to be together. She got it. Better late than never, I guess.

"Sooooo, your turn, Big Sis? Let me under that ice dress. Gotta show my appreciation."

"Anna!"

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have that fork with you, would you? Maybe in here?"

Elsa only had enough time to chuckle and roll her eyes before the door burst open. My finger instantly jerked back from where it had been inching below her neckline as I whirled to yell at whoever had interrupted us.

But it was Hans. Not just him, but the guard I had sent on an early lunch break. Both had swords drawn, but now they were definitely looking like they didn't know which way was up.

"Princess!" Hans gasped. "Are you alright? We heard you struggling to breathe!"

"I-I'm fine!" I laughed nervously, privately thinking I was really getting tired of people barging in on me right after I came. Maybe I should invest in a Do Not Disturb sign that I could just carry with me wherever I went…

"What have you done to her?" he demanded of Elsa, glowering. She shrank away, instantly on the defensive, so I held out my hands toward both of them.

"Stop! Listen, nobody did anything, everything is fine! We were just talking, and… and trying to figure it all out!"

"Princess, I advise you stay away from her. She nearly killed the guards when they found her on North Mountain!"

When I turned to my sister with a question in my eyes, she winced, shoulders hunching up toward her ears. "I-it was an accident. They were trying to kill me, I was only defending myself!"

"Trying to kill you? They were part of the search party — we only came looking because Princess Anna had disappeared."

"But they attacked! And they weren't even guards from Arend-"

"Please take the princess to safety," Hans instructed the guard. But I wasn't focusing on that for the moment. He had already picked me up and moved me away from the chains before the little seed of thought began to sprout.

"Not from Arendelle?" I had to raise my boot and brace it against the door frame to keep from being shoved out of the tower. "Wait, wait, what did I miss?"

Hans sounded very regretful the moment he started speaking. "Those were Weselton's men. I thought it would be good to have more in our search party, but perhaps I was wrong. They seemed to have their own agenda. But you still had nearly taken their lives when I found you, Queen Elsa. Perhaps if you weren't so aggressive with your sorcery, one of them wouldn't have tried to take you out with the crossbow."

So much of what he said made sense, and I understood the shame and regret in my sister's face. She didn't want to be a killer, she didn't want to hurt anyone. And the more I learned, the more I understood why.

"This is still my fault, Hans," I sighed as the guard finally put me down, seeming to realize he wasn't going to have any more success if he kept at it. Stubborn as a mule. "She was fine until I started pushing her, messing with her ability to… to keep it all in check. So if anybody should be in chains, it's me."

Turning back to me, Hans took up my hands and squeezed tightly. Oh, the pain, the… awkward. Yeah, it's super awkward holding hands with the guy you once told you were ready to marry but suddenly realized you only wanted to tie the knot with a blood-related sibling.

"Anna, you aren't responsible for your sister's decisions. She has still put this entire kingdom in danger. Don't you think she should answer for that crime?"

"Only if I answer for the same crime! Didn't you hear me? I provoked her into it, I was- was being a stinker, she felt trapped!"

"Don't be absurd," he responded a little more firmly, lips pressing flat. "You never forced her to unleash eternal winter! Besides, if both of you are tried for treason, how will you and I rule over Arendelle? There will be no one left to take the throne."

I blinked a few times. "What? You and I- oh, Hans. If only you were the one I love." While he was busy looking more confused than ever, I shrugged helplessly. "My sister was right. I was just caught up in the excitement of having a new friend, someone who would listen, and I didn't stop to realize… there's no way what we had could be true love after only a few hours."

"So… then…" Man, he was really breathing hard now. I felt like a colossal jerk for doing this to him, but I didn't want to live a lie. Not for a single second. That would only make this harder in the long run. "So that's all there is to it? You can't see your way to giving me… a chance? Maybe we were hasty, but that doesn't have to-"

"It does. My heart belongs to another."

You know, it's funny. Even while I was sharing a longing gaze with Elsa, small, knowing smiles on our lips as we felt our hearts warm with the power of love, Hans still didn't realize who I was talking about. Maybe that says something about me, or maybe it says something about men. About people in general. That's a question I can't really answer.

"Who?" was what he asked when he found his voice again.

"It's a secret," I compromised. Again, Elsa rolled her eyes, but I was starting to get used to that. It didn't make me feel belittled anymore.

"I see. That… that is regrettable."

Elsa still held my eyes when I heard the sickly sound of metal sliding through metal. Mostly, I just found it really annoying, but when I turned to figure out what it was and how to stop it…

"NO!" Elsa burst out before I could react.

"Alright," Hans grunted as he dragged the sword out of the guard's back. The blade gleamed red as the man curled his fingers around the spot it had protruded from his chest with the last of his breath, then sagged to the stone floor. "But I do regret having to resort to such unpleasantness."

Skadi. The guard was dead. As much tragedy as my sister and I had been through over the years, I have never seen someone die right in front of me before. Never had to watch the light of life fading from someone's eyes, never had to know his family would mourn him because of something I had witnessed firsthand. It was beyond horrible.

"You… what have you done?" Elsa was muttering in a distant voice, just as disbelieving as I was but somehow still able to speak while I was completely mute.

"Only what I had to do. Oh, it would have been so much simpler and more elegant if you could have been tried for treason and executed, Your Majesty." How could he look so casual, striding over to flick that sword at me — spraying me with some of the blood? What a sadist. "You really are a danger to everyone here, I can see that. But now that I know Anna will never consent to marry me, well… as I said, this change of plans is regrettable, but I seem to have no other choice."

"No," I breathed as he advanced on me, and I felt my heart jumping into my throat, pounding loud as a timpani. "Hans, y- stop! What do you think you're doing, how can you be so, so…"

He shrugged carelessly, as if none of this mattered to him. Maybe it didn't. I would say I knew better, but clearly I didn't know a damn thing about anything. "As the thirteenth in line in my own kingdom, I didn't stand a chance. I knew I would have to marry into the throne somewhere. Being the firstborn heir, Elsa was preferable, of course, but no one was getting anywhere with her."

"Excuse me?" Elsa snapped, clearly a lot more outraged now that he was focused on me while holding a bloody sword. Can't say I blame her; shoe on the other foot, I would be just as riled up. "I am not a prize to be w-"

"But you? Oh, Anna, you were so desperate for attention. Probably weren't getting any at home." Only then did he bother to spare a smirk for Elsa, which shot her fury through with agony — just like he wanted. Now I could see his little calculations playing out behind his beady eyes. How could I have ever thought they were dreamy before?

"Hans, you d-don't know what you're talking about," I chattered, the cold beginning to grow again. As focused as I was on Hans, and the way snowflakes were swirling around our heads because Elsa was mad and scared and stressed, there was no warmth of our sisterly bond to counter the prince's frigid scheme. "You don't know what you're doing!"

"Don't I?" Suddenly that cunning smile changed to a stricken expression. "I… I couldn't believe the queen could do that to the guard, her own sister. There was nothing I could do, I- I had to protect myself when she came at me. But at least Anna and I got to say our marriage vows… before she died in my arms."

Even while he was holding himself tightly, I gave a sarcastic clap and sneered, "Oh wow, what a ham. Nobody's ever going to buy that barrel full of last year's lutefisk."

"Won't they?" His expression turned cold as he raised the sword overhead, aiming to strike true. I was dead and I knew it. After everything we had been through, this was going to be the end. How disappointing. "The evidence will be compelling, if I do say so mysel-!"

But the blow never landed. Even if Elsa's hands were bound, the rest of her wasn't; I'm really not sure why neither of us had quite paid attention to that little detail. Hans certainly wasn't going to forget it anytime soon after she shoulder-charged him, sending him bouncing into the far wall. The crunch would have been sickening if it weren't, well… him.

"Elsa!" I gasped. "Whoa, you really cleaned his clock! Since when were you such a… oh!"

That was as far as I got before I was scrambling back against the wall, watching the cuffs around her hands frost over just before they shattered completely. I had to shield my eyes from the shrapnel, and when I lowered my arms again… for the first time in my life, I felt honestly, truly afraid of my sister — because that look in her fair features was even more vicious than the one Hans had been wearing a moment ago. Bloodthirsty.

Vengeant.

"WHOA!" I barely gasped out as I latched onto her elbows. Mostly to keep her from raising the ice sword she had just conjured out of the air. "Wait, easy, what are- what are you going to do?!"

"Ending his life." At least she wasn't pussyfooting around the subject.

"You can't!"

"Why not?!" she demanded, still struggling against me. And my sister was clearly stronger than I gave her credit for, because she was almost lifting me off the ground with the force of her arms. Again, hotter than it had any right being, especially in the middle of a life-and-death situation. "He was going to end yours! He doesn't deserve to live!"

"Because he's not worth it! Because…" I let go and quickly moved around to put myself between her and Hans. "Because I don't want to see my sister turn into a murderer. Okay? We already got him outnumbered — it's over! You don't have to kill him anymore!"

Her voice was as flinty as her deep blue eyes. "Anna, move."

"No! You can't kill him and still be the woman I love!"

I saw her hesitate. And just being that close to her, staring into her eyes, I felt the love bursting within my heart. Anybody would do anything for her, and… it's me. I'm 'anybody'.

Then she was knocking me to one side with an icy blast. My head bounced off the stone of the tower wall, dazing me slightly, but she hadn't thrown me far or hard enough for it to do any real injury. Mostly, I felt sick that my love wasn't enough to stop her from committing murder. As she brought the sword down, I screamed…

But it only clanged against steel. We had run out of time; Hans had recovered and was about to strike. Even as I watched them struggling against each other, teeth gritted in concentration as they tried to overpower their opponent, it slowly caught up to me: she didn't ignore my pleas. That bastard had been about to make another attempt on my life.

My sister just kept saving me.

"You'll… never take me!" he snarled into her features as he began to back her towards the opposite wall. With his ginger hair disheveled and that deranged expression on his face, he definitely no longer looked like the handsome prince who worked so hard to charm my pants off. Now he just looked like… Weselton. "You might have magic, but underneath that? You're nothing but a scared little girl, trying to fend off a man with true ambition! You are NOTHING!"

"Yes!" she grunted, struggling down onto one knee but still valiantly pressing back his attack, despite the cracks forming in her sword. Then she suddenly smiled fiercely. "But do you… know what's… stronger than a man with ambition?"

"What?!" he demanded with that vicious, taunting smile. "Love?"

Of course, that was all he ever got to say, because that next second I was bringing down the fallen guard's heavy helmet right on the back of his head. I could see the smile turn to a look of shock in the reflection of their swords just before he crumpled to the ground, completely unconscious. I really didn't hold back.

"Sorority, you dope," I snapped down at him, casually dropping the helmet onto his back. "You should know better than to mess with sisters."

"Anna!" Elsa gasped as her sword vanished completely. It didn't take her long to scramble to her feet and throw her arms around me, clutching me so tightly to her body that I actually felt winded. "Oh, Anna…"

"It's okay, Elsa. I'm here, I'm fine."

"Your head- you're sure? I didn't want to throw you but-"

"I get it, I get it," I laughed as she pulled back to pet over the side of my head. "Crazy way to protect someone, but I guess it's better than getting stabbed. Thanks."

"Oh. Your hair…"

"I know," I sighed. "But it's okay, Elsa. We'll figure it out together. Please don't feel guilty anymore; I know you never meant to hurt me, not back then and not now."

"No — Anna…" Eyes sweeping the little tower cell, she came upon the guard's sword. As she unsheathed it, for a wild moment I was afraid she was going to kill Hans while he was unconscious, but instead she held it up in front of my face.

And now I could see what she was talking about. "What's- huh?! Where'd my white streak go — why am I all auburn again?"

"I… I don't know." And I could tell she was legitimately confused. "Do you feel any different? Do you remember feeling anything different?"

"No, I…" But I did.

So many memories came flooding back the second I focused my mind on them. Building Olaf together in the ballroom, not outside during a wintry day. Dragon feet. Cuddling close to our mother as she sang us a lullaby, my eyelids getting heavy… All memories I had before. But they were different now; changed by something that had been hidden that was now in the light.

"Do the magic," I whispered softly, my eyes welling with tears.

"Oh," she breathed, just as misty as I was as she dropped the sword and yanked me into another clinging embrace. "Oh, Anna, I'm so sorry. I never wanted any of this, I just wanted us to be happy! But Pabbie said to keep you safe… I had to learn to control my power. But I can't."

"Oh, I think you can. I know you can." Pressing my fingertips into her back, I whispered softly, "You're my magical sister, and the strongest person I know. You can do anything." When she didn't respond at all, just sobbed gently into my shoulder, I smiled and asked her, "What were you going to say?"

"What?" she blubbered.

"Before I bonked Hans on the noggin. You had been going to say there was something stronger than a man with ambition…? I interrupted, sorry about that."

"Don't be sorry," she laughed wetly. "But… I was going to agree with him. It's love. I would do anything for my family, and I know you would do the same. And a man like him would never understand that."

"Yeah, sheesh. You'd think a guy with thirteen brothers would get it even more! But apparently they were pretty rotten."

Finally, Elsa drew back from the hug to cup my cheek, her expression full of so much adoration that I almost had to pinch myself to see if this was real. "I'm so glad you're safe, and so glad you are finally whole again. Even if I'm not quite sure how."

"Me, either. The trolls told me 'only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart', like I said. But I mean, if they meant getting myself off with your chains, well, that's pretty weird, even for people that grow mushrooms out of their backs!"

Elsa laughed a little — at first, then she grew thoughtful as her fingers combed through my fringe. "Love will thaw, hm? Well… I think… I'm starting to understand."

The room was silent for a few seconds. "So are you going to share with the class, or…?"

"Anna, don't you see? It wasn't the kiss — and certainly not your indiscretion with my chains. You healed yourself. Putting your body between Hans and I was what unfroze your heart, and I guess your head."

"Wait, what? Putting my- that was just because I didn't want you to have to kill that jerk. I couldn't stand the thought that my sister would have blood on her hands just because of me."

"And that's true love. Even if it was a little reckless."

"Hey! You could at least not make fun of me for trying to help my smmmph…"

That was as far as I got before she was drawing me into a gentle kiss. Melting into her arms was as easy as it ever was, pouring all of my longing and gratitude into her lips as our hearts beat as one. And of course, she was right; I guess protecting Hans, even if it was just to keep my sister's conscience clear… that was an act of love. For her.

A little at a time, we could hear commotion drifting up from downstairs. After taking a moment to slip handcuffs onto my former fiance's wrists, we went to investigate.

"Ohhhh, the storm is over," I breathed as I looked out the windows. "That's a relief; at least we can walk around outside without getting knocked down."

"Yes… but why…?" I turned to look at my sister, seeing her hand at her chin as her mind raced. She looked like a little junior detective when she did that. "Love will thaw. Do you really think…?"

"Think what?" But she was already grabbing my hand. "Hey!"

"Guards!" she snapped at the two who had also been gawking at the weather. "Prince Hans of the Southern Isles is a traitor to Arendelle, and one of our men is dead. Please remove the body and lock his cell until his fate is decided."

They were still clamoring through their confusion to manage a "Yes, Your Majesty" when Elsa yanked me further down the hallway, literally running in her glittering ice heels. How does she do that when I can barely run in boots?!

Once outside in the courtyard, I finally demanded, "Okay, Elsa, what are we doing? I mean, if you wanted to take a stroll, all you had to do was-"

"Shh." Grinning at me, she rubbed her hands together and then began to swirl them around each other, building up her energy — or something. You got me, since I've never done magic before. Then she curled them into claws and began dragging them upward from the ground, as if she were trying to summon the rocks from the earth and send them into the sky.

And as I watched, the ice and snow in the courtyard disappeared. That wasn't quite true; it was more like it evaporated. From the ground, the trees, the rooftops — from Arendelle. In no time, green was bursting out all around, and the confused servants throughout the castle were gasping in wonder.

"Whoa!" I squeaked. "You un-magicked your magic! Amazing!"

"Yes," she laughed, grabbing onto my hands and spinning me around in a circle. I couldn't help the peal of laughter that burst out of me, my heart was so light for the first time in forever. "Your love! That was always the key!"

"Yeah, sure!" I giggled. "My magical love!"

"No, really." Once we came to a stop, she pulled me in close, and I was struck again by how gorgeous she was, cheeks flushed and chest heaving slightly, bright red lips parted and curling into a smile. By Freya, she could have had anybody she wanted.

"You said that only an act of true love could thaw your heart, and your mind, Anna. I… I had to wonder if that's what I've been doing wrong all these years. Trying so hard to control my magic out of fear and anxiety for its consequences, terrified of hurting anyone, that I forgot… I forgot how to reach out, and let myself love you, and our parents, and… my people. That was the missing link."

My hand drifted up into her sweeping blonde forelock. "You sure you didn't bump your head when you tackled my ex?"

"Very sure. Our love thawed out Arendelle, Anna; that was all I needed."

"Oh," I breathed, knowing I looked like a shy dork by now. She had me so flustered in a way Hans could never have managed. "Well… I guess… you're welcome? Or thanks? I, u-um…" No, I could do better than that. "You'll always have as much love from me as you want, Elsa. Always."

And she kissed me again. That was never going to get old; it would always send tingles from my ears to the tips of my toes, set my stomach fluttering and my heart pounding. Even though I was no love expert, I somehow knew that was something only for the two of us.

Of course, when we broke apart we could hear the mutterings; the kiss had trapped us in a little world of our own, but pulling back revealed there were quite a few Arendellians shocked at what they had just witnessed. And I mean, I get it; their queen was acting like she was from Lesbos, not Norway, and with her own family member. That's a whole lot of Greek.

But even though I would have expected Elsa to retreat into her shell again, ashamed of what she had done, she did not. She stepped forward and announced loudly, "My sister and I have freed Arendelle of my magic. If any of you have a problem with how we have done that, you can air your grievances during the court levée I will open to the public on Monday morning. Until then, enjoy your summer again!"

Somehow, ending on that positive note triggered the automatic response of everyone cheering and clapping. Maybe it was a little bit of a trick, but it still gave Elsa the freedom to sweep me into her arms, to spin me around as I laughed. How long had it been since I felt that free?

Thirteen years. That's how long. But now we could be free forevermore. I only hoped the people of Arendelle would let us be free.

                                                                ~ Å Være Ferdig ~

[varietywritings]

SOLACE

Draco Malfoy x OC!Esme Prewett

Solace Summary

CHAPTER ONE: THE SUNSET IS THE SAME FROM BRISTOL TO LONDON

Esme Prewett sat at her desk; the wood color was unknown even to her as it was covered in spare parchment, books, quills, and some liquorice wands—these were her favorite wizarding candies. Her audacious tabby, Sebastian, tried to fit his massive body between a pile of muggle books and an open bottle of ink. The ink tipped, spilling all over Esme’s notes from the wizarding book, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts. Though this would be her third time reading the book and the notes weren’t for anyone but herself as it was summer, she cursed at the cat; Sebastian looked satisfied by his accomplishment.

A loud peck on the window startled Esme, causing her to forget all about her desecrated notes. Ron’s fiery owl, Pigwidgeon, stood on her window sill, staring at Esme with his gleaming amber eyes. She smiled, sliding the window open so the small bird could enter her room. Esme untied the letter and small parcel from his leg and he began to bounce around impatiently as she read it.

Dear Essie,

We miss you over here. Mum has been intense, making us clean all the time. We’re so bored. I don’t know if they’ve written to you, but Fred and George have created loads of new joke products and we’re the test subjects. Professor Lupin nearly ate a fainting fancy. Luckily, George smacked it out of his hand. Mum was furious; it was truly hilarious.

Professor Lupin? She thought. Why would he be at The Burrow? Why is Molly making them clean? Her house cleans itself. She shrugged her confusion away and continued reading. Pigwidgeon began rapidly flying around her room; Sebastian followed him with his eyes.

Oh, Dad and Percy got into it the other day. He was promoted at the Ministry. He’s so far up Fudge’s arse that he neglects his own family. What a load of bollocks. Have you heard from him? Mum and Dad are very upset. Dad’s broken countless muggle artifacts and mum will not stop crying. He said some really awful things about not accepting us as his family anymore.

Bill is back home by the way. He took a desk job at Gringotts. I think he misses Egypt more than he lets on. You remember Fleur Delacour, right? He’s been giving her English lessons. I think he fancies her, but he won’t admit it.

Why on earth would Bill have taken a desk job? He loved the tombs. He loved Egypt. Things weren’t adding up to Esme; nevertheless, she kept reading.

It’s weird not having you spend the summer with us. I’m guessing you’ve got a lot of reading done. Hermione has too. How has your mum been? Is she even home?

I’ve attached a bag of liquorice wands. I figured you were running out. Tell Seb I miss him and I wish he were here in place of Crookshanks. Are you packed and ready for Hogwarts?

Can’t wait to hear from you,

Ron

PS: Pig couldn’t wait to visit. I’m sure he’d love it if you let him stay for a bit.

Esme sighed as she looked around her messy room. She wasn’t leaving for Hogwarts for a couple weeks, so she didn’t feel a need to pack just yet. She added Ron’s letter to the immense stack of letters she had received since her mother cut her off from the Weasley’s. There were several from Bill and Charlie, Ron sent her one weekly, Fred and George sent a couple, and Ginny sent almost as many as Ron. Esme loved receiving letters from her cousins as she was used to practically living with them until reports of Voldemort’s return surfaced via Harry. Esme believed him even though it pained her to admit. Sadly, her muggle mother believed him too and refused to let her interact with the wizarding world. As a result, Esme carefully hid the letters in her sock drawer.

She had been trapped in Bristol all summer while her mother traveled on business. As nice as the silent—apart from the occasional meow from a hungry Sebastian—house was when she was trying to get work done, she was lonely. She missed the terrible pranks Fred and George played, helping them plan those pranks, talking with Ginny, chess with Ron.

Esme laughed to herself at the sprightly little owl who had now landed back on her nightstand. Sebastian, still on her desk, was starting to drool on the parchment. Esme snarled her nose slightly, but she refused to bother him. She grabbed a clean piece of parchment and some fresh ink and began thinking of her response to Ron. She took her time so Pig was well rested.

Dear Ron,

I miss you guys too!  I’m sorry you’re bored. I am too. Can only read so much. Fred and George haven’t written to me in a few weeks. Are they still apparating everywhere? They told me they were using each other as testers and Aunt Molly thought they had been fighting.

Why was Professor Lupin at the Burrow? Is everything okay? And Bill? Why did he move back? Egypt was his favorite place on Earth. I’m happy for him and Fleur. He hasn’t written to me in a bit.

Percy has written to me, but he didn’t mention the promotion or his quarrels with Uncle Arthur. I can’t believe Percy would say things like that.

I wish I didn’t tell me mum about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. She freaked out. I get it, but she has to let me live. She’s not even here, and if she was, how could she possibly protect me?

I can’t wait to get out of this gloomy house and out of this town. Sebastian misses you guys. He is restless without you and the twins torturing him. He misses watching me destroy you in wizard’s chess and frankly I do too. Tell everyone I love and miss them. Tell Gin I’m awaiting her next letter.

Pig was a delight to have today. Thank you so much for the liquorice! Also, of course I am packed for Hogwarts. You know me, always prepared.

See you soon,

Esme

Esme threw the quill down on her desk and quickly rolled up the smudge-free parchment. She reused the leather strip Ron had sent to tie her letter to Pigwidgeon’s thin leg. His excitement heightened as she tightened the knot. He almost looked as if he was smiling. She petted his grey and white feathers before he took flight out the window and back to 12 Grimmauld Place—or the Burrow as Esme thought.

✶✶✶

Esme was up rather late redoing the notes Sebastian so gracefully destroyed. She didn’t mind though; it gave her a chance to make them neater. Esme could swear she heard the front door creak open, but decided ultimately that she had just stayed up entirely too late and was incapable of proper cognitive functioning. She closed the newest ink bottle she was using and got up from her desk. She saw a sleeping Sebastian on her bed and decided to join him until she heard a loud thud from the living room downstairs. She quietly ran to her desk and pulled the middle drawer open, grabbing  her spruce wand with a white-knuckle grip.

It’s probably just your mother home early from her trip. She thought. She checked the time: 1:34 A.M. Her flight could not have landed this late. She was hesitant to open her bedroom door. It could definitely be your mother, but it could also be a murderer or two. It’s probably fine, right? How often do bad things truly happen? But Voldemort is back. Bollocks. She reaches for the door knob, but then pulls her hand away and backs up. The staircase creaks as if multiple people were walking up it.

“It’s going to be less dangerous to take her than Harry.” An unfamiliar female whisper came from the hallway.

Esme furrowed her brows and adjusted her ever-tightening grip on her wand. Less dangerous? Where exactly do they think they’re taking me?

Esme’s bedroom door flew open and a gust of wind disturbed Sebastian. The light from the hall made it difficult for Esme to see because her room was dark. Once her eyes adjusted, they met with the eyes of an unfamiliar face. She was a witch with violet hair. Esme froze before her, her heart beating at an unnatural pace.

“Ron said you’d packed already.” This violet-haired witch sighed, leaning against the door frame.

“I’m so—who are—” Esme tried to gather her thoughts to speak.

“Ms. Prewett.” A familiar voice came from a tall wizard standing behind the witch.

“Professor Lupin?” Esme smiled. Her shoulders relaxed; she didn’t even notice they were tense. Lupin was her favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts professor to date. “What are you do—”

“No time to explain, sweetheart.” Arden, tenacious auror, Harry’s godmother, and Esme’s hero stood beside Remus Lupin reaching his chin. The Arden Walker is in my home. Esme was ecstatic as she hadn’t seen her idol since she visited Lupin’s class as a guest speaker in her third year.

“I’m Tonks.” The violet-haired witch smiled. “We have to get you packed.”

Esme smiled back at her. “Where are we going?”

“London,” Lupin chimed.

“London? Where are my aunt and uncle?”

“London.”

Esme gave the three an incredulous look. “Why?”

“Again, no time. Let’s get you packed,” Tonks declared impatiently.

Esme motioned for Tonks to enter her bedroom. Lupin and Arden went downstairs to get the brooms. Esme opened her brown trunk and began shoving clothes and parchment into it. Tonks waved her wand and everything Esme needed—books, parchment, dozens of ink bottles, her cauldron, scales, clothes, and even her postcards from her mother—chucked themselves into her trunk.

“That works.” Esme shrugged. “Thanks.”

Tonks nodded. Esme picked Sebastian up and shoved him in his blue carrier. He was less than excited, so she placed a few treats with him.

“Locomotor trunk.” Tonks said with her wand in hand. The trunk hovered and followed her wand motions downstairs.

“Ready to go?” Lupin questioned.

“I need to leave a note for my mother. She’d figure out how to contact the ministry just to spite me if I didn’t.”

“Nonsense, I already left one explaining the situation,” Lupin reassured.

“Well, then I’m ready!”

“Can you fly?” Arden asked.

“Uh—”

“No, she’s terrible,” Lupin teased.

“Hey!” Esme yelled in defense.

“Well, can you?” Tonks questioned.

“Well, no. Not well. I don’t even have a broom. I—er—borrowed George’s for class my first year and nearly snapped it in two only three feet off the ground.” Esme looked to the floor.

“You can ride with Arden. Tonks will take your trunk and Sebastian can come with me.”

Esme was elated to ride with her idol. The trunk stayed just behind Tonks as she led it outside into the streets of Bristol. The Hogwarts Crest on the lid beautifully reflected the moonlight. She used her wand to place it in the harness hanging from her broom. Lupin started to put Sebastian’s carrier into the harness below his broom.

“I’m not sure he’s going to be okay with that.”

“It’s a straight shot. Less than an hour,” Lupin reasoned.

“Your point? He’s a cat. A very pretentious cat I might add.” The three aurors looked at her with blank expressions. “He’ll be screaming the entire way there.”

“He’ll be okay.” Arden placed her hand on Esme’s shoulder. Esme relaxed and gave in.

Remus carefully placed Sebastian’s carrier in the harness. Everyone mounted their brooms. The night was warm, but windy making the flight a little rough. Arden was amazing at controlling the broom. She landed it serenely and methodically in front of a row of houses not so different from the one Esme and her mother lived in.

“I forgot to get Dumbledore’s deluminator from Moody.” Lupin grumbled.

“It’s almost three. I’m sure there aren’t any muggles looking out the window.” Tonks justified.

“Plus, they’re the least of our worries at this point.” Arden maundered.

Esme and Tonks removed her trunk from the harness while Arden grabbed Sebastian and his carrier.

Lupin moved his head back and forth to ensure there was no one around. He leaned closer to Esme and whispered, “12 Grimmauld Place. Where would it be?”

Esme, confused at first, looked to the house numbers in front of her. She found they were labeled as 11 Grimmauld Place and 13 Grimmauld Place. She blinked and all of a sudden, houses eleven and thirteen parted and an identical—except for the dirt and grime—one appeared in the middle labeled 12 Grimmauld Place. The dark night was as silent as ever before. The muggles didn’t seem to notice the sudden movement.

Lupin swiftly walked to the front door, holding it open for Tonks and Esme to carry the trunk in and Arden to carry the large cat in. Lupin checked his surroundings before joining them and quietly closing the door behind him. The hallway was dim and empty. The house was silent. Arden sat Sebastian’s carrier down and opened it. He quickly darted out of the carrier and across the room.

“Let me show you to your room. I can imagine you’re just yearning to get to sleep,” Arden said in a hushed tone; her Southern American accent almost disappearing into a more plain American accent. “Hope you don’t mind sharing a room with Ron until Harry gets here.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Esme whispered following Arden upstairs. Arden placed her trunk and the now-deserted cat carrier in the hall outside the room. Why does Harry get to take my bed? Where am I going to sleep when he gets here? Esme was too tired to figure that out. She snuck into Ron’s room as best as she could—he was snoring lightly, but she didn’t mind as she was used to sharing a room with Sebastian. She didn’t bother to change and plopped down on the bed which had what seemed like a centimeter of dust garnered on top. She suppressed a cough. I thought they were cleaning all summer.

✶✶✶

After breakfast, Esme found Bill in the lounge going over some parchment.

“What’s that?” She asked hopeful to get some information from him. No one had explained why they were in a dingy old house in London.

“Jus’ some stuff for The Order.” He quickly rolled the parchment up and sat it in his lap.

“The Order?” Esme questioned.

“They haven’t explained everything to you?”

“Nope. Just arrived early this morning.” Esme sat on the couch diagonally from  Bill.

“The Order of the Phoenix: they’re a group of retentive witches and wizards fighting against You-Know-Who’s cause. They were active during the Wizarding War.”

“Who was in this group?”

“Well, Remus, Sirius and Arden, James and Lily Potter, The Longbottom’s, and—erm—your father and Gideon. Of course, there were others too, but their names are escaping me.”

Esme’s olive-green eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly; she was nearly the spitting image of her father, Fabian Prewett; she had a long, thin face accompanied by a long, protruding nose. “My—my father?”

“Yep.” Bill smiled proudly thinking of his uncle’s accomplishments.

“Is that why death eaters killed him?”

His smile quickly faded and he dolefully looked at his cousin. “Yeah.”

Esme looked to the floor. “And now you’re a member?”

Bill nodded realizing Esme wasn’t looking at him. “Er—yeah. Along with mum, dad, Charlie, Tonks, and a bunch more. Charlie’s staying in Romania trying to recruit witches and wizards.”

Esme looked at Bill again. “And Percy?”

He hardly winced at the mention of his name. “Don’t bring him up in front of mum and dad.”

“I know. Ron mentioned the promotion and his fight with Uncle Arthur in his last letter.”

“It was horrible. Mum hasn’t been in a good mood since. Percy doesn’t believe Harry saw You-Know-Who because Fudge doesn’t believe it. Dad tried talking sense into him, but it was no use.”

“That’a a shame. So, how do I join?”

“The Order?”

Esme nodded.

“You don’t. Mum won’t let you; you’re too young. Besides, we’ve got this handled.”

“Do you? You had to leave your job—one that you absolutely love—to join this Order. I want to help.”

“Es, you can’t help. Maybe when you’re of age, but hopefully by then this will all be over.”

Esme wanted to continue arguing but decided it was best to bite her tongue as she still had information to get from him. “So, Fleur Delacour, hm?” She smirked.

Bill was surprised Esme didn’t debate him more on joining the Order but ultimately didn’t want to question this refreshing turn of events. “And who told you about her?”

“Ron. He told me you’ve been giving her English lessons.”

“She just wants to improve at her English and I’m fluent, so what’s the big deal?” His cheeks were an almost unnoticeable shade of pink, but Esme noticed.

“Do you like her?”

“Of course I like her. She’s extremely kind, really smart too.” Bill was looking off into the distance, daydreaming of Fleur.

Esme started to further inquire about her, but a loud crack interrupted her thoughts and made her jump out of her seat. The twins appeared in front of the couch. Fred was holding Sebastian.

“You arseholes.” Esme’s voice quavered. Her heart was beating rapidly. “You apparated with my cat?”

“He was fine,” George said calmly.

“He rather enjoyed it actually,” Fred reasoned. “Jumped right into me arms.”

Esme’s blinks were slow as she was trying to comprehend what exactly went through Fred and George’s minds. “I’m going to take my cat now, if you don’t mind.” She didn’t wait for a response and reached out for her traumatized tabby who gladly snuggled into her chest.

“So, what have you two been talking about?” George asked.

“Sod off.” Esme sat back down on the couch; Sebastian curled up in her lap and started purring.

“Woah, Esmie. That’s a bit harsh don’t you think?” Fred smiled.

Esme playfully rolled her eyes at the two who sat on the couch on either side of her. “Congrats on passing your apparition test!”

“Thanks,” the twin boys sang in unison.

“Is it freeing to practice magic whenever you want?” Esme asked longingly.

“Not when mum yells at us for doing it.” Fred forced a laugh.

“Speaking of unbearable, how’s Margot?” George sneered.

“Don’t know. She’s been gone on a business trip the past week, s’posed to come home tomorrow.”

“We’ll see about that.” Bill laughed through his nose causing Esme to smile.

✶✶✶

The next couple of days were monotonous; this made Esme a tad anxious. She was almost joyed by Harry’s arrival as it was something that didn’t have to do with dusting every surface on every floor of 12 Grimmauld Place. Sebastian rapturously greeted Harry at dinner evoking a groan out of Esme.

Esme sat in the center of the table between Ron and Fred. Molly droned on and on about them all, especially Harry, being too young to be a part of the Order. She could tell Harry felt it was a load of rubbish as she did too.

Sebastian jumped into Harry’s lap, prompting Harry to shift to the left side of his seat to make room for the pudgy tabby. Sebastian sat in the empty space of the chair facing the table as if he were trying to join the conversations.

“He doesn’t need to be at the table.” Molly ordered.

“Sorry.” Harry mumbled.

“What is he harming?” Esme questioned.

“We’re trying to eat here.” Molly’s tone was stern.

Sebastian seemed to be offended as he glared at Molly.

“He hasn’t seen Harry in a while. They missed each other.” Fred chimed in.

“Yes, well, we’ve all missed Harry, but he needs to get down.”

Harry carefully picked Sebastian up and placed him on the cold floor. Feeling defeated, he curled up underneath Harry’s chair.

Esme carried on with Ron and Arthur throughout dinner. The conversation in the kitchen was trifling and whimsical until Sirius told Harry it was okay to ask questions. Molly blew up causing Esme to jump slightly.

“He’s too young.”

Esme rolled her eyes as Molly always used the same argument. Sebastian didn’t even want to be a part of it; he ran off to disturb Crookshanks.

Molly started to give in and decided Harry could stay for a bit and learn a minimal amount of information about just what the Order and Lord Voldemort have been doing.

Arthur convinced Molly to let the twins stay and Ron convinced Molly to let him and Hermione stay with, “Harry will tell us anyway.”

“Fine. Ginny, Esme go to your rooms now.”

Esme knew she could do better than Ron. “I don’t have a room. Harry took it. Besides, I was stuck at my house this entire summer because you made me tell my mother about You-Know-Who, so the least you could do is let me stay.” Molly’s face was an unmistakable shade of red. “Let me just add that I spent my summer researching legilimency.”

“Fine. Ginny, bed now.”

Esme regretted staying for the conversation because they weren’t given any information the Extendable Ears didn’t already hear for them.

She went to Ron and Harry’s room to gather her belongings, but found that they were already neatly placed in the hall. She exhaled deeply and turned around to find Arden walking up the steps.

“I can make you a bed.” Arden offered.

“Really?” Esme asked hopefully.

“Yep. Come on.” Arden’s accent, though subtle, was especially discernible in the last two words. She led her downstairs to Ginny and Hermione’s room where Hermione was telling Ginny everything that occurred in the kitchen.

“I’m going to make Esme a bed in here, if that’s okay with y’all.”

“Of course it is,” Ginny said.

With a wave of her wand, Ginny’s bed turned into a bunk bed. The top bunk, with white sheets and a comforter perfectly made, was for Esme.

“Thank you.” Esme smiled.

“Anytime.” Arden returned the smile.

She left the three girls to converse until they heard the creak of the floorboards that meant Molly was coming to check on them. They all dove under their covers and didn’t make a peep until they heard her heading upstairs.

✶✶✶

“Esme, you’re going to help me wash the dishes tonight.” Molly ordered.

Esme looked to Fred and George with pleading eyes, but they laughed and then vanished with a loud crack. She groaned quietly so Molly wouldn’t hear.

Esme stayed silent with every plate she washed. Finally, Molly was concerned as Esme was usually a garrulous young witch.

“Have something on your mind?”

“Hm?” Esme’s mind had trailed off to random things, such as which Ravenclaws would make prefect, which books she would need for this year, who Dumbledore would have hired for Defense Against the Dark Arts which brought her back to Harry not being allowed in the Order of the Phoenix.

Molly repeated herself.

“Oh, um just thinking about things.”

“Such as?”

“Just Hogwarts and stuff.”

“Stuff?”

Esme knew she was going to regret the next thing she said, but she couldn’t not confront her aunt. “Harry deserves to be a member of the Order of—”

“This is not up for discussion.” Molly almost dropped the rag she was holding to give Esme a flinty stare which was ignored. Molly began vehemently scrubbing the dining table.

“You-Know-Who does everything in his power to spite Harry. That’s all he wants: world domination and Harry dead. It’s inhumane to keep him in the dark about it.” Esme continued to scrub a bowl riddled with leftover food particles.

“Esme, I am warning you.” Molly nearly had steam coming from her ears.

“The ‘you’re too young’ excuse is a load of bollocks—”

“ESME JOANNA.” Molly had stopped cleaning altogether.

Esme didn’t flinch and continued, “—and you and I both know it. He’s the best at Defense Against the Dark Arts in our year, besides me of course.” She knew Harry exceeded her talents at the subject but couldn’t pass up the chance to rag on him.

Molly took a deep breath before speaking. “It doesn’t matter how good he is; I have a right to protect him.”

“You don’t have a right to control him and his every move. He’s not your chess piece. He’s not your son.” Esme put the sponge and the bowl into the sink and turned to her aunt.

“Well, I am the closest thing that poor boy has to a mother. I will not continue this conversation with you.”

“He has Arden.”

“Who didn’t take him in after they died.”

Esme rubbed her brow. “—and Sirius—”

“Who was gone for twelve years.”

“Locked away in Azkaban against his will, framed for thirteen murders. And Arden was told by your beloved Dumbledore that she wasn’t allowed to have him because she was a target.”

“That’s not the point.”

“That’s exactly the point. He has both of them now. His parents named Sirius and Arden his godparents because they wanted them looking after him.”

“I’ve been looking after him for five years. I can’t stop now.”

“I’m not saying you have to stop caring for him. He just deserves to know what is happening. You can’t keep that from him.”

“He needs to be protected.”

“How is he to be protected when the Order isn’t around and he knows nothing?”

Molly didn’t have an answer for this and Esme knew she had struck a nerve.

“Enough. I’m done having this conversation.”

“Because you know I’m right. Harry needs to be in the know, so he can be safe.”

“Esme.”

“If you keep him isolated from all of this, not only will he resent you, but he won’t ever be able to handle You-Know-Who.”

“Go to bed.” Molly pointed toward the kitchen door. Esme stayed silent and headed for the door. “Why must you argue me on every little thing?” Molly lowered her voice as Esme was leaving.

A/N:

Sorry this took so long, but the wait is over. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter!

-Ghost

TAGS:

@virgiill @yourfriendly-neighborhoodfuckup

[xwaywardhuntress]

Rock & Roll Mystery (Part Three)

Summary: Round 2 of Scooby-doo featuring Y/N.

Pairings: Dean x reader, Fred x reader

Warnings: Based on the Scooby-Doo & KISS movie. This part is kind of short.

Word Count: 1700+

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Scooby-Doo or KISS. This is fanfiction only. Please do not redistribute my writings on other sites, horrible or not. Thanks!

Part One, Two

“Alright gang, let’s look for clues again and split up.” Fred suggested.

Immediately, Velma volunteered herself to be paired with Sam. Shaggy and Scooby were assumed as their own pair.

Fred made his way over to you, “Would you give me the honor of pairing up with me?” Such a gentleman.

You glanced over at Dean who was talking to Daphne. Of course, Dean probably wanted to be paired up with her. It looked like you were going to have to take blondie up on his offer with the two Winchesters paired up with the Scooby gang females. As you were about to answer, Daphne appeared out of nowhere pulling Fred away, “Fred, you’re with me.” Her voice was quite stern.

You blinked in confusion. Daphne had literally appeared from her spot with Dean to where Fred was in a blink of an eye.

Dean made his way over to you with a smile. “I guess that leaves you and me, sweetheart.”

The way the pairs were split up, you and Dean were given the task to check out the areas near the bigger attraction rides. It felt a bit odd to be walking around without some kind of weapon, but this was a cartoon, what could go wrong?

“Velma is really into Sam. I think they are cute together.” You joked.

Dean laughed, agreeing.

You continued, as you avoided looking at Dean this time, “Sorry you got stuck with me. You probably wanted to be paired up with Daphne. I know she’s on your weird fantasy to-do list.”

“Nah, I’d rather be with someone I know has my back if things go bad. I’m sure I’ll have other chances. Or maybe, I’m meant to be with someone else.” The older Winchester shrugged.

You couldn’t help but wonder about what Dean meant in the last part of his sentence.

Before you had the chance to ask, Dean spoke first. “Man, I still can’t believe we got to see KISS. Even though they’re technically the c-word, this is awesome.”

You chuckled, “Yeah, it would be cool if we got to see more of them. It would be way more awesome if we got to stick around for the concert too! I mean, they haven’t toured since 2016 and…” You continued rambling on that you’d been hoping they’d go back on another tour, since the last time they did you all were too preoccupied dealing with Lucifer.

Dean listened with admiration as he began to imagine the two of you singing aloud to ‘Rock and Rock All nite’.

You were both interrupted from your thoughts when two very recognizable screams were heard nearby.

“That sounded like Shaggy and Scooby.” You pointed out.

Dean and Y/N ran towards where they heard the screams, only to find the scarlet witch chasing after the pair of best friends.

“What the hell? She’s flying?” Dean questioned.

“She looks transparent too. A ghost witch?”

“Damn witches.” He shook his head.

“Dean! We need to get her attention away from Scooby and Shaggy!” You called out. Your thoughts went to wishing you had some kind of iron bar, especially if your speculations about the witch of actually being a ghost were to be true. Feeling as if something just appeared in your back pocket, you reached behind, pulling out the iron bar that you had just wished for.

Dean looked at you surprised. “Where did you get that?”

“I don’t know, but get the witch’s attention over here!” You yelled as you prepared to defend yourself, holding the iron bar like a bat. 

Scooby and Shaggy had jumped into the water portion of the water ride to try to escape the witch.

Meanwhile, Dean had yelled insults at the witch, which did catch her attention, but also may have made her more irritated looking than before. “Do you have another one, by chance?” He asked.

You thought about having another one, which you ended up magically pulling from your other back pocket and handing it to Dean.  “Here.”

“You’re going to have to tell me later how you do that.” The older Winchester commented as he too held the iron bar like a bat, ready to take on the witch as well.

As the witch flew towards you and Dean, the blast of rock music caught the both of you off guard. The sound vibration seemed to have passed you two but amplified as it reached the witch who halted in flight as she covered her ears.

From beside you and Dean, the rock music continued as four figures appeared. One by one, the KISS members made a grand entrance, identical to Sailor Moon and her sailor scouts. How did you know that? Dean wasn’t the only one with a nerdy side.

Dean looked very confused.

You did as well.

What really confused the both of you more was watching as each KISS member that announced their presence ended their time in the spotlight with a move that sent a magical attack,  with or without a musical instrument, at the witch. The witch withdrew as the fourth member of the KISS band finished their magical entrance and attack.

You and Dean looked at each other bewildered by the sudden chain of events. You both would have to ask questions later as you spotted Shaggy and Scooby floating on top of the water of the water ride. They weren’t dead, but they were beat from the chase and had passed out from extreme fear.

- - -

After the KISS members led Y/N and Dean, who each carried Scooby and Shaggy, to the park infirmary, the whole gang was reunited. Fred, Daphne, Velma and Sam had all received the news of the attack, as well as had witnessed some of the chasings that occurred throughout the park.

Sam pulled Y/N and Dean off to the side. “You both saw the witch?” Both of you nodded. “So is it our kind of supernatural mystery? Or just the typical person in a mask?”

You looked at Dean as you both answered, “Definitely our kind of supernatural mystery.”

The younger Winchester frowned.

You continued to speak, “It was weird. She was almost ghost-like and floated above the ground…”

“Yeah, it was a good thing Y/N was able to get iron bars out of thin air.” Dean added. “By the way, how did that even happen? You did the same thing with the Scooby snacks from before.”

You shrugged. It just happened and honestly, you weren’t going to question it as it could come in handy in this mystery.

As curious as Sam was about your sudden ability to have items appear out of the blue, his main concern was the witch who may also have been a ghost. “So we’re dealing with a ghost witch?” Sam asked confused.

“Not entirely sure?” You questioned your own knowledge. “We didn’t get a chance to use the iron bars because then they…” You looked over at the KISS members who just entered. “…appeared and did some Sailor Moon moves that sent some crazy magical attacks towards the witch, causing her to leave.”

“Sailor moon moves?” Sam questioned.

“It’s another car-“ Dean cleared his throat. “c-word, where it’s five under aged chicks with really short skirts that fight evil and save the world.”

Both you and Sam looked at Dean surprised.

“And you’ve watched it?” Sam asked concerned for his brother’s hobbies now.

“What?! No!” Dean rebuffed as he started coughing. “Cross my heart and hope to –” He paused for a moment, realizing he probably shouldn’t say die aloud. “Look, I just saw videos about it and then caught this one…” He pointed to you. “…watching it one time in her room.”

Sam rose an eyebrow, still questioning his brother’s words.

Fred came up to the trio, interrupting the private discussion. “Hey guys, KISS wants to tell us all something. I think you three should hear it too.”

With everyone gathered together again around Scooby and Shaggy, who were on the infirmary beds, KISS introduced a woman who was covered everywhere besides her eyes.

“Meet Chikara. She’s a fortune teller in the park.” Starchild shared.

The fortune-teller introduced herself again, this time adding that she came from an alternate universe along with the KISS members. Unfortunately, due to certain circumstances, the KISS members don’t remember this other dimension as they were sent to Earth to protect it from the prophesied return of the Crimson Witch, the witch’s true title.  Along with the band members and herself, the Crimson Witch hails from the alternate universe known as KISSteria. The Crimson Witch plans to use the Black Diamond that KISS uses in their song “Detroit Rock City” to summon the Destroyer to conquer the Earth.

Everyone had a hard time wrapping their heads around this new development, specifically Velma.

“The probability of an alternate universe called KISSteria is highly unlikely.” Velma commented, pushing her glasses up her nose. “You’re likely confusing this alternate universe with the theme park.”

As Velma continued to reason out how impossible it was for an alternate universe, Sam pulled Dean and Y/N off to the side again. “What do you guys think? Do you guys believe the story?”

“We’ve dealt with alternate versions of ourselves before. I don’t see why not.” Dean shrugged in thought. “To think there’s a world that is all KISS themed, that’d be awesome to check out.”

“Hm.” You began sharing your thoughts. “It could be true. Lately, Scooby-Doo and the gang have dealt with actual magic from what I’ve watched. This mystery could be another one of those actual magical mysteries.”

Sam agreed, adding on, “The last time we were here too, there was a real ghost haunting and people actually died, so I think the story could hold true. Who knows, us being here could’ve made it real like last time.”

“Alright then. We stick with the gang and make sure nothing happens to them.” Dean suggested.

Y/N and Sam agreed as all three of them turned their attentions back to the bigger conversation with KISS and the fortune-teller.

“Sam, do you agree with this plan?” Velma asked looking at him as if hoping he wouldn’t.

The taller Winchester was surprised by the sudden question as he looked at Dean and Y/N who both shrugged, “Sorry, what plan?”

Fred spoke up, “KISS got their memories of KISSteria back and are going to take us to defeat the witch before she has a chance to take the Black Diamond.”

“Hold your horses. We’re going to KISSteria?” Dean questioned almost too excitedly.

“How?” You asked the question that seemed to have been avoided.

Fred turned to KISS, “That’s a good question, Y/N. How are we going to get there?”

“Easy. We have a ship and a portal.” The Demon stated with a grin.

Next: Part Four (Final Part)

Here’s some fun gifs from the actual scooby doo movie:

R&RM Tag:

@22sarah08 @monkeymcpoopoo @shameless-danni @blackmissfrizzle @happylittlesuns​ @cheritzie @leahslovelylibrary  @walkerchick007

[queenmylovely]

Just My Luck; Part 5

Summary: John deacon x fem!reader. John and Reader spend the week together, exploring the city and getting to know each other in person. Throughout the course of the week, the tension builds...

Warnings: cussing, slow burn, some angst, kissing

Word Count: 6.6k

A/N: She Is Long. But this is probably my favorite part I've written so far (including the stuff I’ve written ahead lol) just because you get to see so much of John and Reader’s relationship develop in really sweet, cute, and spicy ways. As always, feedback is loved and appreciated

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14 (Epilogue), Masterlist

(let’s pretend this suit is gray and his shirt’s white and unbuttoned; this is what John wears to dinner on Friday)

(this is what Reader wears to dinner on Friday)

🍀🍀🍀

The rest of the week was wonderful, and you couldn’t believe how fast it went by.

On Sunday, John thought it would be best and easiest to go somewhere lowkey, so he took you to Hyde Park, spending the day walking through it. He was quite knowledgeable about it and gave you a good tour. About midday you had stopped and had a little picnic in the grass. This time, it was Johnny who found an excuse to feed you something, savoring the moment between you two.

_____

On Monday, Roger and Freddie decided it was their turn. They took you to Kensington Market, Johnny in tow. Wandering around the stalls, they showed you where they used to sell clothes before Queen was formed. Laughing and joking the whole time with the two lively boys, you noticed Johnny sulking a bit but every time you tried to check with him, he either brushed you off or you were interrupted by Roger and Freddie. During lunch, you fed him a couple of your fries since his meal didn’t come with any, causing Rog and Fred to share a surprised but cheeky look that neither of you caught.

That night, you decided to spend more time with Johnny since you almost hadn’t all day. You asked him to show you his bass and he was happy to. Set up in his bedroom with the door mostly closed, he explained to you how it worked and how he learned to play it. Sitting next to him on the bed, you were very aware of how close he was.

You found it really interesting and loved the way he talked about it with such passion. Getting up the nerve, you asked him, “Do you think you could show me how to play?”

“Yeah, of course!” he shifted and handed you the bass, helping you place it in your lap the way he had. It was heavier and longer than you thought, but with a little adjusting, you got it so it felt comfortable in your hands. Trying to show you how to hold your hands, he had to twist his arm uncomfortably over and under the neck of the bass.

You realized it wasn’t going to work this way and suggested, “Johnny, this isn’t working. I think- I think you should just sit behind me.”

He gulped and said, “I mean, if you think so. I could make this work.”

“No, it will be much easier on your arm and for me to see if you’re showing me from behind,” you reasoned, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks at your own words.

He climbed around and sat behind you, legs spreading wide as yours closed, trying not to make each other uncomfortable with too much contact. Of course, there had to be quite a lot of touching in order for him to be able to reach the bass and see what he was doing. With his chest pressed against your back, he leaned forward to look over your shoulder, getting a faceful of your hair. He laughed awkwardly and moved your hair behind your shoulder, fingers brushing against your neck. His movement sent shivers down your spine, and you shuddered into his body.

He cleared his throat and said, “Okay, so if you put your fingers like this,” he positioned your fingers against the frets. “And your other hand can pluck the strings like this,” he said, showing you how to pull back instead of up on the strings. You copied his movements, albeit much clumsier, and produced a nominally similar sound to the one he had.

He kept showing you different chords and you got to the point where recognizable notes were being played. Soon, though, your fingers began to hurt due to the thick and abrasive strings.

“Ow,” you said, wincing and pulling your hands away from the strings. Johnny grabbed your hands and looked at them, seeing that the skin was an angry red from the friction.

“Sorry about that. I forgot how much it hurts when you start playing the bass. Mine have been callused so long I don’t feel it at all anymore,” he told you while examining your fingertips. You took your hands from his and grabbed his instead, turning them over and seeing the calluses he was talking about. You felt the hard skin on each finger then traced your nails over them, feeling the tough ridges underneath. He closed his hands over yours and you looked up at him. His head was tilted to look at you too, your faces mere inches apart. The look in his eyes was intense and compelling. Without your knowing, you started moving closer the same time as he did. You were breathing each other’s air, and the combination of that as well as your close proximity was making you dizzy. Just an inch away from each other now, the door swung open, accompanied by a talking Brian.

“Deaky, y/n? Are you in here-- oh, there you are,” he stopped, seeing how close the two of you were. As soon as you saw him, you turned and leaned forward over the bass as Johnny leaned back and started getting out from behind you. “I was just wondering if you guys wanted dessert. Rog brought some pastries from the bakery down the street,” Brian explained awkwardly.

“That’d be great! I love pastries!” you answered, probably a little too enthusiastically.

“Well, they’re in the kitchen,” Brian replied, turning and leaving as quickly as he could.

You turned back to Johnny, finding him standing just in front of you, motioning to grab his bass. “Why don’t you go and get a pastry. I’ll put away the bass, just save me one with chocolate,” he requested, still a little red in the face and not quite meeting your eyes.

You nodded and handed him the bass, leaving quickly and heading first for the bathroom. Once inside, you splashed your face with water as you suddenly felt way too hot. That wasn’t just my imagination, you thought. We almost just kissed. You shook your head and placed your hand on your chest, feeling your heart beating out of control. Trying to get yourself together, you took a few deep breaths and then headed to the kitchen, just in time to save Johnny that chocolate pastry and get a raspberry one for yourself.

For the rest of the night, you and John kept some distance and only got close for what was now your daily goodnight hug.

_____

The next day, you woke up to an empty apartment. This struck you as odd, but in the kitchen you found a note:

     y/n-

Got pulled into the studio but should be done by 2:00 pm. Here’s a key if you want to leave before then.

     -Johnny x

You took this opportunity to call Jeanne. When you had first called her from London and told her who John actually was, including the part about meeting all of Queen, she freaked out. (You had called your mom with the same news and all she had said was “That’s nice, honey.”) You had to hold the phone away from your ear for a solid minute because all she did was yell, “Are you fucking kidding me?!” Hoping that she was less excited this time, you dialed her number.

It was 8:00 am in London, so it was midnight in Seattle, and knowing Jeanne, she would definitely still be up. She answered right away.

“Hello?”

“Jeanne, it’s me,” you told her.

“Oh, hello, y/n! Called to tell me about your Queen escapades again?” she asked, eagerly.

“Not exactly. I actually wanted to tell you about something that didn’t happen but almost did,” you replied.

“That doesn’t sound ominous,” she remarked sarcastically. “What’s up?”

“I’m pretty sure Johnny and I almost kissed,” you admitted, quietly.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” she yelled, and you had to pull the phone away from your ear yet again. “What do you mean by almost??”

“Well, we were sitting on his bed and he was teaching me how to play his bass,” you started but were cut off by Jeanne’s snickers.

“I’m sure he was. Very necessary to be on his bed, huh? I see what’s going on,” she said suggestively.

“Jeanne, it wasn’t anything like that. He had to sit behind me so he could guide my movements.”

“Behind you!? Guide your movements?! Tell me you’re saying this just to mess with me. You can’t be that naive about how that sounds,” she implored.

“Get your head out of the garbage,” you scolded her. “Anyway, my fingers began to hurt because of the strings, so I stop playing and he looked at them. He told me about how his fingers are all callused now, so I looked at his fingers and the next thing I know, our lips are practically touching and I’m about to pass out from how overwhelming the whole thing was!” you exclaim, getting louder yourself as you tell the story.

“Oh, y/n. You really do get caught up in those sorts of things, don’t you. Just tell me this, why in the world did you not kiss him?” she asked, impatient for your answer.

“Brian walked in to offer us the desserts that Rog had brought everyone.”

“Oh, ha ha ha,” she laughed mirthlessly. “Yeah, just Brian May, best guitarist in the world, interrupted me kissing John Deacon, bass playing rockstar, to ask us if we wanted cookies that Roger Taylor, oh I’m sorry, Rog, hottest man on earth, casually dropped off for everyone,” Jeanne said, mocking you, voice dripping with sarcasm and envy.

“Okay, well, I didn’t ask for any of this. And, just in case you didn’t get the memo, I’m freaking out over here!” you cried.

“Why oh why are you freaking out, dear y/n?” Jeanne said, with just the barest amount of seriousness.

“Because I almost kissed Johnny! That can’t happen. We can’t be together, we can’t ruin our friendship for just a kiss before I go back to Tournai and then Seattle for the rest of my life!” you explained, starting to breathe heavily.

“Hey, take a deep breath and try to calm down. I personally don’t see what’s wrong with kissing him and leaving, it’s not like you have to see him everyday, you can still write letters to him. Plus, if it leads to more action, you can always brag that you fucked a rockstar,” she reasoned, and you could almost hear the smirk on her face as she told you.

“You know I’m not the type of person that just fucks someone to fuck them. Plus, I’m not sure that if I opened that door I could ever close it,” you replied.

“Yeah, I know,” Jeanne sighed, sad that she wasn’t in your shoes. “I kind of don’t know what to tell you, other than if you don’t want to get into that situation, you shouldn’t kiss him. Maybe put a little distance, like physical distance, in between you two from now on,” she offered.

“I guess you’re right. I just hope it’s not too awkward or noticeable that I am. Thanks for the advice and for listening. You should probably get to sleep,” you reminded her.

“True. Just remember, I won’t judge you if you do decide to take things further. Just do what feels right, in more ways than one,” she replied, causing the both of you to laugh. The two of you said goodbye and you sat on the couch for another couple of minutes, thinking, before deciding to start the day.

On your own, you decided to go down to that bakery and get breakfast there since you had loved the pastries so much. Afterwards, you went for a walk and after a while, found yourself at the Natural History Museum. Wandering around the exhibits, you lost track of the time, and when you finally looked at your watch, it was half past 2:00. Realizing you hadn’t left a note and Johnny was probably back at his place by now, you went to the public telephone in the museum and tried your luck calling his number. He picked up on the first ring.

“y/n?” he said, before either of you even said hello.

“Yeah, Johnny, it’s me,” you replied.

“Are you okay? Where are you?” he asked nervously.

“Johnny, I’m fine. I’m just at the Natural History Museum. I got distracted by the exhibits and lost track of time. Sorry I didn’t leave a note. I didn’t expect to be gone so long,” you apologized.

“Oh okay, um, it’s fine. Sorry if I sounded freaked out, I was just a little worried,” he explained.

“You don’t need to apologize for caring about me, Johnny,” you told him.

He smiled at your words and offered, “I can come by and pick you up. I’ll be there in like five minutes and we can grab a snack.”

“Sounds good, I’ll wait outside. See you soon,” you replied and hung up.

He took almost exactly five minutes and you hopped into the van. Giving you a bright smile, you could see the relief on his face.

“So, I can get a late lunch with you right now, but I’ll have to drop you back at the flat ‘cause I have to go back to the studio,” he told you with a sorry look.

“What? No, you have to take me there with you!” you exclaimed.

“Are you serious? Would you really want to go to the studio?” he asked, unsure.

“Of course! I could never forgive myself, and neither could Jeanne, if I didn’t take the opportunity to hear Queen recording in studio,” you replied. He chuckled at your words and accepted your request.

The two of you headed to Jimmy’s for a quick lunch, sharing an order of fish and chips.

After, he took you to the studio. Walking in, you saw all of the silver and gold records from other bands as well as Queen, staring at each one as you went by. John had to drag you away from them to go into the recording studio and meet the boys. As soon as they saw you walk in, all three of them stood up and rushed over to you.

“y/n!”

“What are you doing here, love?”

“It’s wonderful to see you here, darling!” Brian, Roger, and Freddie said, respectively. They all reached to hug you at the same time, ending up in one big group hug.

“I just had to see you guys in action. See the magic happen,” you explained, flattering them.

“Well, we’ve been waiting on Deaky to record his part, so while he goes and does that, you can hang out in here with us,” Freddie told you excitedly.

“You sure you’ll be okay with that, y/n?” Johnny checked with you.

“Of course. I’ll get to spend some time with the boys and will get to see you play for real, not just showing me a couple notes,” you reassured, laughing a little at how protective he was still being.

He nodded and then walked to the recording booth and took out his bass, tuning it a little. You were ready to watch him intently when Freddie interrupted.

“So, y/n, what’s this I hear about you and Deaky sharing a moment?” Freddie said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“I- what- I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you stammered as you tried to cover for yourself, feeling your cheeks get hot as your eyes got bigger.

“Oh, don’t try to deny it, love, Brian told us all about it,” Roger informed you to Brian’s dismay.

“What? Brian why would you tell them? There isn’t even anything to tell!” you questioned, glaring at him as he avoided your gaze.

“I’m sorry, y/n,” he said, finally glancing at your face. “They wanted to know why you two were acting so strange that night and it just slipped out.”

“This is so embarrassing! Nothing even happened,” you told them, covering your face with your hands.

“And why not? You know that Deaky’s a catch. It’s obvious that you two have feelings for each other,” Freddie tried to reason. “Don’t think we’ve missed all the other signs of physical chemistry.”

“What do you even mean? Physical chemistry?” you asked.

“Come on, y/n. The way you guys are always looking at each other, the goodnight hugs, literally eating out of each other’s hands,” Roger commented with a smirk.

“Not to mention the state I found you guys in during that ‘bass lesson,’” Brian joined.

You scoffed at their statements but found yourself thinking about it from an outside perspective. You knew that you felt something towards Johnny, whatever that might be, but you hadn’t really considered how he felt towards you. Looking to the recording booth, you could see him focused on the part he was playing. Almost as soon as you looked at him, he looked up and smiled at you. Smiling back nervously, you could feel your heart and mind starting to give into the idea of you and Johnny together.

The boys let you stay quiet throughout the rest of his recording session as you watched John, figuring that they had gotten into your head enough for one day. After John was done on his part, they all joined him and recorded the better part of a whole song together. Just watching gave you goosebumps. When they were done, you sang their praises, earning another group hug from them.

Driving back to John’s apartment that night, it was just the two of you. Brian, Roger, and Freddie all had dates or parties to go to, but you were happy to spend the time with John at his home.

He made grilled cheese for dinner, and although he called them cheese toasties, you were glad to have a reminder of home. Moving into the living room, he offered to play music and you gladly agreed. He walked over to their record player and collection of records, rifling through them to find a specific album. He picked one up, looked it over, and then smelled it.

You laughed and asked, “What are you doing?”

“What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m smelling the record,” he replied, matter-of-factly.

“Yeah I can see that, but why?”

“Haven’t you ever smelled a record?”

“I mean, I always thought they were more for listening, so no, I’ve never smelled a record,” you answered.

“Well, let’s remedy that right now,” he said and walked over to you, holding the record to your nose.

You grabbed his wrist to steady it and inhaled. “Mmm, it smells like old books,” you hummed.

It took him a second to respond because he was staring at your hand on his wrist. Clearing his throat, he said, “Yeah, um, that’s what I like about it.”

Releasing his wrist and instead grabbing the record, you saw that it was With the Beatles. “This is one of their older albums, right?” you asked him.

“Yeah, it’s their second one. I like this one because it reminds me of being a kid and just getting into music,” he replied and went to put the record on.

Throughout dinner, the two of you talked, mainly about the songs as each came up. He knew a lot about each of the songs. Who wrote them, who sang what parts, and what instruments they each played. It reminded you a lot of Jeanne.

As the album came to an end, he suggested that you go find another one to play. You walked over and examined the collection, “Wow, I’m surprised it’s arranged alphabetically,” you joked.

“Yeah, that’s all Brian and me. You should see Roger’s and Freddie’s. Absolute disasters,” he replied, and you laughed along with him.

You found what you were looking for and hiding it from John’s view with your body, you put it on. With the first note, he recognized it.

“Abbey Road, nice choice,” he told you.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you recognize the song, considering the bass. It’s my favorite album of theirs,” you explained, sitting back down at the table next to him. “Come Together” played, and the two of you reacted to all of the weird things that Lennon sang.

As it faded, you got excited, “The next one is my favorite. I love ‘Something,’” you gushed.

John liked seeing you so excited, watching you sway as the song started. Suddenly, he stood and reached his hand out to you with a sweet smile, “May I have this dance?”

You nodded, taking his hand and walking to the empty space in the room. He put one hand about six inches above your waist, always respectful, keeping a hold of the other as you placed your free hand on his shoulder. His arms were more outstretched, so he held you about a foot away from him. While you appreciated his respect for your space, you decided that wasn’t close enough. You began inching the hand that was on his shoulder around to his back as well as bending your other arm to close the distance. You did this until your bodies were touching and his hand had slipped down to your waist. Swaying together for a minute and stealing glances at each other’s faces, you hummed along with the song while he softly tapped out the rhythm against your waist. Feeling incredibly safe and happy, you maneuvered your body so you could rest your head against his chest. Following you, John leaned his head down so his mouth was next to your ear and his breath was tickling your neck. Feeling the rise and fall of his chest as well as his breath washing over you, you began to feel overwhelmed with what you hoped wasn’t love.

Doing your best not to freak out and trying to stay in the moment, you buried your face further into John’s warm chest. Your closeness and vulnerability captivated John and he found himself pressing a kiss to your hair.

All too soon, the song ended, abruptly waking the two of you from your reverie with “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.” You both laughed at the change of pace and disentangled yourselves. Instead of going back to the table, you sat on the couch next to each other. Again, you talked and listened to the album, only moving so that John could flip the record. When John came back to the couch and sat down, it was closer than before. This time, your arms were pressing against each other. With Side 2 of the record, both of you were more quiet. At one point during “Here Comes the Sun,” John lifted his arm and placed it behind you on the couch. During “Because,” it started slipping to the tops of your shoulders and you leaned into his side. By the time that “Mean Mr. Mustard,” was playing, your head was on his shoulder again, he was playing with the ends of your hair, and your hand was resting on his thigh. As the song went on, your eyes grew heavier and the two of you stopped talking. Blinking slowly, you were watching your own hand on his thigh tracing along the corduroy of his pants. You fully relaxed into him and finally fell asleep with the soft lullabye of the beginning bars of “Golden Slumbers.” John followed soon after.

When Brian got home and walked in, he saw your intermingled, sleeping forms and chuckled to himself. He turned off the long-finished album and tiptoed into his bedroom. It was the soft click of his door that woke you up. Breathing in deeply, you opened your eyes and found that you were almost completely on top of John. He had slumped down in his sleep, allowing you to lay pretty much your entire torso on him, with your arm thrown around his waist to keep you in place. His arm was around your own waist, and your face was completely pressed against his chest, while his was dropped down against your shoulder. Essentially, you were in the same position you had been while dancing, except this time, asleep on the couch. Cringing at your actions, you said a silent thank you that at least your legs were kept to yourself. You peeled yourself from the still sleeping John, and just as you fully extracted yourself, you saw his eyes fluttering open.

“Mmm, what time is it?” he asked you.

You looked at your watch and informed him, “Wow, already 1:00am. We’d better actually go to sleep.”

John nodded his agreement and got up to go to his room so he could change into his pajamas. While he was doing that, you grabbed the sheets and blankets that were folded on the armchair to set up the makeshift bed he slept on every night. Since he had given you his room for the week, you figured it was the least you could do. He was back quickly and the two of you looked at each other for a second before moving into your goodnight hug.

From your spot next to his ear, you whispered, “Goodnight, Johnny. Thank you for worrying about me today. I appreciate how much you care.”

John pulled back to see your face and when he did, you leaned forward, kissing his cheek. With that, you let go and walked to his room to get ready for bed, leaving him to whisper back softly, “Goodnight, y/n,” while reaching his hand up to the spot on his cheek you had kissed.

_____

Wednesday passed without too much happening. John had decided that it would be a good day for the more touristy things since it was the middle of the week, and the two of you checked off your list.

_____

On Thursday, John had to go back to the studio, but invited you along right away. You spent the day listening to and watching them work, even giving them advice or your opinion when they asked for it. There were a couple breaks when John was busy. During these, Brian, Roger, and Freddie invited you into the recording booth to play their instruments, teasing you and saying how they knew you just loved to learn. 

Brian taught you basic chords on his guitar while standing next to you. Freddie taught you “Heart and Soul”, sitting on the piano bench together. But Roger had to lean over you to guide the drumstick in your hand as he taught you a simple beat. Each time this happened, John would come back while you were still playing, and whoever was teaching you would get an angry stare from him, especially Roger. They would quickly back off and you would go back to the control room to watch the whole band play together. 

The work day finished at about 9:00pm, and all five of you went to dinner and drinks at a nearby pub, staying out quite late, but having a ton of fun all together. With the drinks in your system and the music playing loudly, you and John danced with each other again, getting handsier as the night went on. In the taxi ride back, you crashed, and John had to carry you up the stairs and into his room, tucking you in and kissing your forehead before going to sleep on the couch himself.

_____

Friday was your last full day there. You had to fly out Saturday so that you could prep for the next four weeks of teaching. This meant that you and Johnny were going to spend every possible moment together and he told you he was taking you to a special dinner that night.

During the day, you two walked through the streets of London, enjoying each other’s company and talking. Every so often, you would stop in a little shop to look around. In one shop, you found a ring that reminded you of Johnny. It was simple, just a silver ring with a flat circle on top, but you thought he would like it. You bought it while he was distracted by some slightly gaudy outfits he thought Freddie might like.

Back outside of the store, you revealed what you had done, “I got you something. Something to remember me by when I leave.” You took the ring out of the little drawstring back in your pocket and presented it to him. “Do you like it?”

“Of course, I love it,” he replied, switching his eyes back and forth between you and the ring. When he didn’t move to grab it, you took his hand, and tried it on a few fingers before deciding it fit and looked the best on the middle finger of his right hand. Once you were satisfied, he gave you a hug and thanked you.

The next couple of stores you guys went into, you saw him scanning the store like he was searching for something. Finally, four stores later when you were looking at the handbags for Jeanne, he found what he was looking for.

Just like you, he waited to show you. Seeing a park, he suggested walking through it and then relaxing in the sun for awhile. Once the two of you were seated, he reached into his pocket and pulled out what he had found for you.

“I got you something, too,” he said anxiously. He held it out in his hand and you looked at it. It was a ring, much like the one you had gotten for him. It was silver and had a flat circle too, but on that circle, there was a compass rose. This time, he grabbed your hand and slipped it on your left hand’s middle finger, saying, “So we can find our way back to each other.”

Your heart stopped at his words and you threw yourself at him in a hug. You had to kneel to be able to reach his neck while he sat, pulling him tightly into you as he did the same. You tangled your right hand in his long hair while the other was reached around to the right side of his neck and buried your face there, feeling tears welling up in your eyes. You couldn’t believe how close you two had become in just seven days in person, and you couldn’t imagine living life away from him as you were going to have to do in just a day.

“Oh Johnny, thank you,” you said through a choked sob, trying to hold yourself together.

John knew why you were crying and felt sad himself, but hearing your weak voice and feeling your repressed sobs against his body cause tears to start to prick at his eyes as well. He held you and rubbed your back and you collapsed against him, relying on his support. Through your cries that were muffled in his neck and hair, you could still hear his small sniffles and every so often, feel him swallowing hard to keep his own cries from spilling out. After a couple of minutes, his touch calmed you down, and you pulled away, laughing a little at the wetness your tears had left on his neck and chest. You rubbed your hand against his throat to dry it off a little until you felt his hands slide up your back. One reached the side of your neck and stayed there, the other coming forward to grab your to chin so you looked at him. With that same hand, he wiped the remainder of your tears away then rested it on your cheek.

“Are you okay?” he asked, searching your eyes and face for any more signs of despair.

You nodded against his hands and chuckled weakly, “Yeah, just really grateful for you.”

“Me too,” he replied, letting you go. He stood up and offered you his hand, pulling you up next to him. This time, he didn’t let go of your hand and continued to hold it as the two of you left the park.

He let you choose where to have lunch, and you decided on Jimmy’s, wanting to see the old man one more time before leaving.

That afternoon, you headed back to his flat to get ready for dinner. Johnny had told you to dress nice, and you were glad that Jeanne had convinced you to bring your nicest dress just in case. It was black, with a sheer pattern across your shoulders and neck, and chiffon bell sleeves as well as a flowy skirt after a tied waist. Getting ready, you put on a little extra makeup and did your hair half-up. Stepping out of his bedroom, you saw that all of the boys were there, you assumed because Brian had spilled the beans about the dinner, but your eyes were drawn straight to Johnny. He was wearing a gray suit jacket and pants, with a simple white button down underneath. He had left the first three buttons undone and you could see his collarbones and the top of his sternum easily, an intoxicating sight to say the least. Just outside of his room, you stood staring at him until Freddie looked over and saw you a minute later.

“Darling! You look absolutely gorgeous!” he exclaimed, drowning out John’s soft gasp and “wow.” Freddie ran over to hug you, but was careful of your makeup and hair. He led you over to the others, giving them a chance to greet you as well.

Brian smiled his kind smile at you and gave you a hug, saying, “You look beautiful, y/n.”

Roger took his turn next, kissing you on the cheek then whispering in your ear, “You’re gonna give John a heart attack, making him look at you in that dress all night.”

You laughed at his comment and hit him lightly on the arm. John squinted his eyes at the interaction, but forgot all about it when you walked over to him. “You look stunning,” he said softly.

“You look very handsome yourself,” you replied, confidently, masking the nervousness you felt.

“Ready?” he asked and you nodded. He offered his arm to you and you took it, walking with him out the door, turning and waving as you went.

Once you two were out of the flat, Freddie said to Brian and Roger, “They grow up so fast,” receiving eye rolls from the other two.

On the way to the restaurant, you two sat silently, just listening to the radio play a song called “Silly Love Songs,” and humming along. After parking a little ways from the restaurant, the two of you got out and John offered his arm to lead you to it. He was taking you to The Ivy, a place that you had heard of even in Seattle, as it was always mentioned in magazines about celebrities. You walked in and John spoke to the host about your reservation, the man immediately leading you to a table/booth combo in the back left corner, allowing you two to be a little secluded. John let you have the booth side and took the cushy chair instead. After looking at the menu, you both ordered your food and then a sommelier came over and helped you pick wines that would pair well. You spent the meal talking and laughing, and, as always, shared each other’s food and wine to go with it. After a delicious meal and even better dessert, John paid, then you and he left, thanking the staff for the meal.

It was a beautiful night, and the two of you decided to go on a stroll. This time, you took his hand first, and interlaced your fingers with his own. In a couple minutes, you had reached the Thames and you were right by the London Bridge. Staring across the water, he put his arm around your shoulders and you put yours around his waist. You shivered a bit due to the breeze coming off the water and tried to nestle further into his warmth, but he pulled away. Confused, you looked up and saw that he was taking off his jacket. He wrapped it around your shoulders just like that first night. He let his hands rest on your shoulders, holding on to the lapels of his jacket.

You gave him a sweet smile. “Thanks, but you’re going to be too cold too with your shirt like that,” you teased, and reached up to button the lower two buttons that were undone. You moved your hands across his chest, smoothing out the fabric, and then up to the collar of his shirt. You fiddled with the collar a little, not looking him in the eye.

“y/n,” he murmured, and you looked up, making eye contact. His gaze was intense and you could actually see your own face in the reflection of his eyes. That reflection got bigger and bigger as you both started pulling lightly on the collars you were holding. Eyes flicking back and forth from each other’s mouths and eyes, the distance closed quickly, as if you were being pulled by magnets. In the last second, you realized what was happening and gasped nearly imperceptively, starting to panic. That panic, however, was washed away as soon as your lips touched.

The kiss was intense but slow, as if neither of you wanted to scare the other away with too much enthusiasm or movement. You poured everything that you wouldn’t or couldn’t say out loud into the kiss, feeling as though John was doing the same. Kissing him, you could feel that door you had mentioned to Jeanne start to open, and because of that, you felt yourself getting emotional again, your throat aching and eyes starting to burn. You knew you had to stop before you couldn’t. It took everything you had to wrench yourself from the kiss, just as John was moving his hands into your hair. Both his and your eyes snapped open, and you paused, panting slightly. You looked down but could feel his confused eyes on your face.

“I’m sorry, Johnny. That was- um- that was probably not the best idea,” you uttered, almost inaudibly. You let go of his collar and he dropped his hands to his sides from your hair.

“You’re right, I’m sorry too,” he replied, stepping away from you.

The two of you seemed to silently agree it was time to leave. Not talking, you walked back to the van. Again, the only sound was the radio, this time playing “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” by Elton John, according to the DJ.

You got back to the apartment, and again, it was empty. You gave Johnny back his jacket and let him go into his room to get ready to sleep. With what you knew would be your last good night hug, you held on to John as long as possible, pulling away only after he did.

Going to his room, you did your nightly routine and then laid in the dark, thinking. Your mind was stuck on the feeling of his lips against yours and how good it had felt. In the moment, most of what you had felt was sadness, but now you felt something else too, hunger. If you hadn’t been thinking about the consequences, you would have let it go much further. You thought about what it would be like to be with John, to let it go further, and began to feel heat low in your abdomen. Tossing and turning, it became unbearable to just sit and think about. You had to do something. Mind drunk with desire and inhibitions mostly gone, you got up and walked with purpose to the door. Taking a deep breath, you opened it and stepped back in shock. Standing right in front of it with his hand raised, ready to knock, was Johnny.

🍀🍀🍀

A/N: lol sorry for the cliffhanger. I hoped you like the tension that I built over the week so their kiss seemed inevitable. Btw, I’m going to be in Italy for the next five weeks, meaning I'll be at least 6 hours ahead of most of you (assuming you live in the U.S.). This will mean that I may post at some weird time like 7:35am on a Saturday. Who knows. If you want to be able to get a notification instead of hoping this will come up on your dash, just let me know in one of the ways below. Thanks for reading!

Taglist: @eylulclsr @roger1na @deakyfordays @painkiller80 @sunflower-borhap-boys @awkwardangelshezza @obsessedwithrogertaylor @bensrhapsody  @tardisgrump @ahsoknarwhal @fatheadtheroger @happy-at-home @achallsplants @red-firelight @marvellouspengwing @randompotato1234 @windmeupandletmeplay @ixchel-9275 @s3venseasof-bri @1001-yellow-daffodils @imgonnabeyourslave @caffeine-girl @bestbuds55 @ceruleanrainblues 

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[serenagaywaterford]

was I the only one who thought tuello was going to mention the 2x10 rape and not the nick thing when he arrested serena??? like, obviously I understand the thing with nick was rape regardless, but she did ask them both and june would've ended up in the colonies had she not gotten pregnant while the 2x10 rape doesn't really have any sustainable justification behind it. I don't see "I was in a mood and wanted the baby to come faster" working in court (1/2)

and I guess you can argue there's no way to prove that that rape happened, but serena got arrested before any paternal test was done so it seems as if fred's word is enough?? I guess they can get the test done later and confirm it, but I don't know, I feel like there's a way out of this for serena whilst I don't think there would've been a way out if they had proof of what happened in 2x10. I just find this flimsy. (2/2)

---

No, you weren’t! I honestly... I thought it was going to be about her actual war crimes, like her blatant terrorism against the US, conspiracy to blow up state capitols, and overthrowing a democratic government via war. But hey, that’s too easy lol. Like, why on earth Fred wouldn’t turn her in for THAT, which are HUGE crimes that the ICC/Americans/etc would actually be interested in is beyond me. Oh wait, no it’s not, cos this is The Handmaid’s Tale and they don’t know shit about law or politics, or at this point common fucking sense. It’s a soap opera now.

I’m just so irritated by that whole “Let’s arrest Serena for rape!” concept because it’s entirely based on a) an individual and singular crime against a single person on foreign (sovereign) soil; not a war crime (so why the ICC would have ANYTHING to do with it is beyond me) and b) FRED WATERFORD’S WORD. Because suddenly they believe everything an admitted war criminal is saying against the woman who literally turned him in???? No, nothing suspect about that at all.

(The American government may have an interest because they do get involved in individual crimes against Americans on foreign soil. But then it gets into whether June is still an American, legally. And whether Serena is. Which is super confusing and murky. I’d say June is, and Serena likely isn’t since she probably renounced her US citizenship, but I’m also not a legal scholar or lawyer. And whether the international community even considers Gilead its own country, or just some type of military occupation on American soil. SO COMPLICATED. This is why the show should have just stayed away from all of this trash.)

I mean, we know Fred’s not lying about what happened to June then but the fact Tuello & Co. just take his word at face value with NO corroboration is absolutely fucking mental. 

Not to mention, how the FUCK does Fred even know about that? All he knows is that June got pregnant with Nick’s baby. Was he secretly listening the entire time to everything Serena has said? Cos, let’s take a step back for a second and think rationally about how the hell Fred would have access to that information lol. Serena, from what we saw, was incredibly discreet about setting it up. Was Fred actually lurking in her bushes when she talked to June about it? Was he around when Serena supposedly spoke to Nick about it? (We don’t know where that was but probably either in Nick’s apartment or in the car.) So, does Fred actually have the whole house bugged? LOLOLOLOL. Even if he saw Serena bringing June out to Nick’s apartment, he has no idea what anybody’s thoughts or feelings were about that. Serena and June could have easily been in on it together, and there was no rape involved at all! He doesn’t know that. Did he sneak up to Nick’s second floor window and watch how fucking WEIRD that whole thing was? LMAO.

To me, the fact Fred knows all that is a fucking big plot hole. He didn’t before. But suddenly he knows Serena set up Offred’s rape by Nick? Did she tell him that? Cos that would be insane of Serena to do and completely OOC. All Serena’s said is that “HA HA! The baby isn’t yours, you manky chode!”

Anyway...

To be frank, I have a post--quite a long one--sitting in my drafts about how incredibly asinine and unrealistic that charge against Serena is as a “war crime”, not to mention how weak it is just from a legal standpoint, even if we would take it as a regular rape charge. (She would literally never be found guilty, lbr. There is no solid legal basis for it (there is a flimsy one) and when you consider her defense--which is way more solid than the charge--the chances of anybody ever prosecuting her for that, let alone convicting her, are so incredibly thin, even if it was just as a regular rape crime, not a war crime.) She’d be more likely charged with something like sex trafficking or procuring (prostitution) or coercion or accessory to rape and/or conspiracy to rape. (And she’s clearly guilty of those things). Not the rape itself. It’s so! fucking! stupid! Sex trafficking would be SO much more solid of a charge cos essentially that is what she did...

She didn’t rape June in that instance much more than she murdered those kids Fred shot in the woods. She’s a shitty fucking person for putting that idea in his head, and basically saying, “Go do this for me, you pathetic little man” but she didn’t actually say the words, nor did she commit the actual crime herself. (Heyyyyaaa Lady Macbeth!) Both Fred and Nick were acting of their own free will. 

(Honestly, I will go on forever about how Nick is NOT some innocent, helpless creature. He’s a MAN (aka automatic superiority over any woman), and an EYE (AN EYE, YOU GUYS!!!! The most elite of the Gilead intelligence forces!!!), and to refuse Serena’s request would be EXPLICITLY FOLLOWING THE LAWS OF GILEAD and there is NO WAY he would ever, ever be punished by Gilead for that lmao--for following the law. If he reported Serena to Fred or even Pryce, Serena would be fucking punished--probably with death or Colonies (which is just prolonged death). And he’d have June’s supporting testimony too! What part of this misogynistic fascist state are you people missing? A lowly woman trying to make a man break the law and defile another man’s property?! HAHAHAHA. As if they’d take Serena’s side. Nick is a fucking Eye. There are instances where they do take a woman’s side, like with Janine’s random accusation--but significantly: Warren was BREAKING the law, not upholding it as Nick refusing to rape Offred and turning Serena in would have been following the law. To me, it never ever made sense that the men would just turn on their own like that over a literally mentally-ill Handmaid’s suicidal admission. I think, when it comes down to it, Naomi’s contribution made it “two witnesses” to the crime. Like, if you look at most religious texts or cult texts, they generally require more than just the victim. Some require at least 2, some 3 individuals. So for Gilead to require nothing but victim outcry is bonkers and not consistent with the type of society they claim they’ve built in the series. BUT ANYWAY, that’s a big digression...

Like miss me with that complete utter rape-apologist bullshit. He literally took advantage of the situation to put his dick inside a woman who did not essentially consent to it in that particular situation. Or, if you’re going to argue she did cos she wuvs Nick and wanted to anyway, then your case against Serena falls apart too.)

The only thing I don’t see as being up for debate is that June was raped. That’s it. That is clear and certain. It’s fact. June was raped in that apartment. (She’s raped a lot, obviously, but this was also rape. Nothing else.)

And the creepy part is by doing that she actually did save June’s life. Which is all shades of massively fucked up, and probably not her intention, but here we are. And it seems to be a big part of why June went along with the plan. If Serena hadn’t set up a rapey fuck session for Nick (which he LITERALLY COULD HAVE SAID NO TO AT ANY TIME WITH ZERO CONSEQUENCES and they could have fucked completely consentually another time), June never would have started sleeping with Nick (they had almost 2 years and never made a move on each other lbr), never would have become pregnant, and in a few months would have been sent off to the Colonies to rot. Serena is just going around saving June’s life and not even trying to lmao. Stupid gross idiot. Yes, June agreed under threat of death otherwise. So, that is NOT consent in any universe. If you must do it for survival, it’s rape. If you’re gonna die or agree to sex, that’s rape. Would she have agreed to get raped by Nick if the threat of the Colonies was not hanging over her head? No. Probably not. And Serena used that for her own ends. There is no way Serena is not a shitty criminal person for what she set up. But it’s also not a fucking crime against humanity, by definition.

So, anyway, without going into all the complexities and bullshit about Nick’s role any further, Serena’s role, etc in all this, it’s just absolutely motherfucking insane that any international law enforcement agency would charge Serena with THAT based on the word of a scorned husband who is also a massive rapist, liar, abuser, and war criminal himself. Like, give me a fucking break already.

And... I’m not gonna lie... if this was even remotely based on history/reality, they would turn a blind eye to anything Serena has done, especially if it was on such a small scale as one instance of sex trafficking. Sounds terrible to put it that way, but that is how these things roll. She’s a small little fish, comparatively. In the grand scheme of things, she’s FAR more valuable as a witness/asset against the Big Fish (Fred) and as a tool for their anti-Gileadean use. Unless they had significant evidence about ALL her crimes. She’s so much more useful as someone who has direct experience and witness to the entire rise of Gilead, including all the massive fucking terrorist crimes against an entire government and mass murders, that Fred et al. committed. To go after Serena so soon is just kneecapping their own damn case against Fred/Gilead lmao.

[This is where the rumours about Rita come in, but here’s the thing, Serena was already granted immunity for what she did under the guise of being a “Wife”. And seriously, what does Rita really know anyway? Serena’s smacked some people around. She’s locked June in her room. She makes June cry and drink gross smoothies. She helps with the Ceremony. She--with the entire system--forced surrogacy and basically kidnapped a baby. Those things, from what I can tell, are perfectly legal in Gilead for a Wife to do, just like it’s perfectly legal for Fred to whip the shit out of Serena--and Serena has been granted immunity for that shit (which is sorta funny in a way cos she basically used the Nuremberg defense, but it’s layered because she was actually a victim of Gilead too. Tricky shit). 

Now, that 2x10 rape is pretty fucking awful (and likely NOT Gilead-legal) and I’m almost certain Rita would have known about that in some way--but she also wasn’t a direct witness. But maybe she doesn’t? It would be fucking stupid of the Waterfords to be like, “Hurr durr let’s illegally pregnancy rape the Handmaid with a Martha an/or Guardian around even tho it comes with a punishment of DEATH!” But I suppose they are not exactly the sharpest tools in the shed either... 

Maybe she knows about the Rapey Sex Date Serena set up for Nick, maybe not, also not a witness to it. We can make assumptions about what Rita knows and doesn’t know, but also... like, none of that matters? (Yet.) Those are just regular fucking crimes on foreign soil and the American and Canadian governments have no jurisdiction to prosecuting them. War crimes require different criteria and Serena smacking Rita in the face isn’t a war crime. It’s shitty assault, but not something any international body would EVER go after.]

Anyway, the show is stupid af for suggesting they’d go after Serena for that singular instance of rape as a war crime. Crimes against humanity--of which YES sexual slavery (sex trafficking in this way) is--require widespread and/or systematic implementation. Serena was NOT going around making all Guardians rape Handmaids for her to get a baby. (Gilead however, and FRED WATERFORD specifically, were directly responsible for the SYSTEM of massive sexual slavery that they created AND maintained. Serena didn’t even come up with the Handmaid idea--THAT WAS THE MEN IN THAT DAMN CAR (Hi Nick, you were there too!).) 

Like... ugh. Stick with what you know, THT. Cos clearly it isn’t anything remotely in the legal realm.

But hey, they had to make up some way to either put Serena on trial for an entire season (YAWNNNNN), or send her back to Gilead. If it’s for the latter reason, and it means we’ll revisit the June/Serena dynamic as the core component of the show, then I’ll let it slide but if it’s to set up the Miller Wet Dream Trial Season and keep Fred/Serena forced together, then I’m livid.

Not that I should care at all considering how many times I’ve said I’m not even watching it anymore, heh.

[serpent-jugheadjones]

Dog Days - Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Pairing: Doctor!Reader x Jughead Jones

Description: A journey into Y/N’s life before and after Jughead Jones.

Warnings: ANGST, abandonment, child neglect, bullying, cursing, alcohol...

Word count: 4371

A/N: Y/N is highly based out of Lexie Grey and Maggie Pierce from Grey’s Anatomy with a little magical realism added, because in reality you CAN’T be a doctor after only one year of med school. @caitsymichelle13 requested the reader’s life before Jughead came in but I felt I had more to say about after as well so here’s both. 

Breathing became irrelevant the second Jughead’s lips touched hers. Earth’s magnetic pull seemed to fade as his grip on her waist tightened. The knot in the pitch of her stomach demanded more. However, in the real world, magical moments like this don’t last long. Y/N’s pager beeps. They reluctantly let go of each other. “It’s Fred. He’s awake.”, she reveals, catching her breath with a wide smile. Both run as fast as they can until they reach his room. Only Jug enters, sitting next to Archie, who is already inside holding his dad’s hand. Dr. Masters leaves with an accomplished look, telling Dr. Y/L/N to get his discharge papers ready, but the girl is absently staring at the raven-haired boy’s face relax in joy. The doctor snaps his fingers in front of her eyes, forcing her out of that sweet daydream. “Tell me you didn't make out with a patient.”, Steven inquires. “I didn't.”, she replies, but her features tell a different tale. “Yeah. What are the red lips from then?” He hands her a mirror from the nurse’s station. “He’s not the patient...”, Y/N defends, almost giggling. “Kid, you are unbelievable.” The older doctor teases before walking away. Jughead is too focused on hearing Fred’s near death/morphine induced dreams to see the Y/H/C girl leaving. She’s wrapping her head around the fact that it’s highly unlikely she’ll see the boy again, since the reason he was there to begin with is being released. And talking afterwards would just ruin the perfect instant she’d remember forever. 

Five-year-old Y/N isn't sitting in her living-room painting outside the lines like most kids in the neighborhood. She’s standing by the door frame watching her mom pack suitcases with all her belongings before her father arrives. The girl silently watches the woman scribble on a neon-yellow post-it and hurriedly load the car with the baggage. Her mother hastily sits her on a high baby chair that’s two sizes too small for her, with a toy Y/N doesn't play with since she was 3. The woman paces around the kitchen a couple of times. Maybe trying to convince herself to back down or perhaps just searching for the right thing to say. “You be good. Your daddy isn't a bad man. He just doesn't understand us.” She pecks Y/N’s smooth forehead and leaves, dropping her keys in the trashcan. Whether she wants it or not, those words are forever etched on Y/N’s memory. 

The little girl doesn't despair, cry or scream. She just sits there, bored out of her mind, waiting for her father to come home and release her. Maybe it’s good young kids don’t have a high sense of time, for Y/N may have sat in that uncomfortable chair for much longer than she should’ve. When the confused man finally arrives he walks past his daughter, directly facing their room almost empty. Already hopeless he finds THE NOTE stuck in the baby chair. ‘I’m not coming back.’ No more, no less. The woman didn't need to explain herself and had no sentiment left to sign out with love. He holds back anger and sadness to comfort his daughter, granted he’s the one who needs it. “It’s just you and me now, kiddo. We’ll take care of each other.” Her father promises.

Y/N’s in the trivial age for a girl, thirteen. However, body changes, hormones and crushes are the least of her worries. School teachers have called a psychologist to analyze her. After hours of awkward silence the doctor finished reading through her file. Instead of asking her questions on family matters and anti-socialism, he just hands her a few papers stapled together. “You have thirty minutes to finish answering as many of this as you can.” She takes a look at the cover, Mensa Workout. In less than twelve minutes every question has been answered and the test delivered. He only releases her scores to the principal, who then tells her she did excellent. The whole reason for this is that the girl hasn't been paying attention in class and even failed a couple. Turns out it’s because the subjects aren't challenging enough for her an they suggest homeschooling with college professors.

Y/N has practically raised herself, since the man who was supposed to be her father didn't uphold his word of taking care of her. Instead, he drowned himself on a bottle every night, then every afternoon and, finally, all day long. If possible, he’d add an extra hour on the day just to ‘numb’ his pain as he calls it. She understands how painful it must be for him, although having a hard time agreeing with his view of the world. Her father tells her, in between sips, that the it is rotten, poisonous and doomed. Nevertheless, the young girl believes everything can be fixed if you give your best. Y/N starts her Skype classes without a word to her father, who wouldn't know the difference anyways. She adds extra reading on anatomy and mechanics. Sure one or the other will be her future, for she wants to mend things. Probably because no matter the effort, she can’t seem to repair her old man. The girl just has to silently watch him change out of a successful businessman into a couch potato with facial hair.

She’s 15. Sitting by the diner table, waiting to open the envelope containing the results of her test. Not a pregnancy test like her ex-colleagues from school. Maybe her father wouldn't mind that one as much as this. “If you open that, you are on your own.”, he spits, crushing his beer can with his fist. “I've been on my own since mom left.” Y/N unseals the letter. She successfully tested out of High School and can begin college, since the girl pre-applied before the results came in, knowing she would ace the test. “Get out!”, the man shouts in anger. He’s been abandoned by a wife and can’t take the same ‘rejection’ from a daughter so this is the way he lashes out. “I've been forgiving you for all the mistreating since she couldn't stand you anymore, but I WON’T let you dictate my future as you tried hers.” She packs a quick bag with clothes and carefully selected files and documents, leaving all she knows behind.

Sweet Sixteen is just a few hours away and she’s about to be dismissed of Med School directly into her internship. It’s both a relief for no longer being called a toddler or told to go back to pre-school by her ‘peers’ and a stress for what’s to come. On usual cases, even for early admissions, one is obligated to complete the 4 years of college before practicing. Nevertheless, guaraná and ginseng pills, Red Bulls, straight-up cafeine, and extra classes shortened her time to one year. It took many meetings with the board and several practical tests for them to allow her to skip the next 3 years. Maybe her ‘peers’ are the ones who should go back to pre-school.

Y/N doesn't have a graduation like most her colleagues will. Nonetheless, the thrilled girl sent her father and invitation to be there when she takes the Declaration of Geneva. As that is a milestone for her and medicine altogether. “I solemnly pledge to consecrate my life to the service of humanity. I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude that is their due. I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity. The health of my patient will be my first consideration. I will respect the secrets that are confided in me, even after the patient has died. I will maintain by all the means in my power, the honor and the noble traditions of the medical profession. My colleagues will be my sisters and brothers;I will not permit considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient. I will maintain the utmost respect for human life. I will not use my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat; I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honor.”, Y/N pledges with pride. Her professors shake her hand and wish her luck in her journey. Instead of enjoying her success, her mind is stuck on one thing only: the man didn't show up. 

Riverdale is her choice for internship, not because they are high-tech, top of the line or get the rarest cases, quite the opposite. She wants to use her expertise to help those who need it. Also, the fact that it’s far away from her ‘home’ certainly helped the decision. From all the places Y/N applied, this is the only one that looked over her age, directly into her aptitudes. Some Hospital chiefs would politely decline, others would downright humiliate her, a rare few gave her a spot in their program. Ultimately, that seemed like the best choice for her.

However, being a newcomer is never easy, specially in a small town where everyone knows each other and are used to the same old things. However, having only enough money to buy a trailer in the ‘wrong’ side of the tracks doesn't turn out too bad as she finds judgment-free camaraderie with them, specially with Toni. That’s probably the first time Y/N can say she has a friend. But the fight for respect is still just as difficult. Y/N is, undoubtedly, the most efficient and quick intern there, but when people, usually patient’s loved ones, look at her, all they see is a little girl. That only makes her work twice as hard, having not a lot of time for anything else. Fortunately, her success rate and humor are enough to win them over.

She walks out of the hospital with dark bags under her eyes but a grin on her lips, after the best shift of her life. In the parking lot, she finds the reason for her perkiness. The boy who gave her an unforgettable first kiss leaning against a motorbike. “Hop on.”, Jughead instructs, throwing her his extra helmet. “How long have you been standing there?”, Y/N asks, fastening the belt on the helmet. “A while...” The freckled boy smirks, sliding his leg over the bike and the girl follows. “Where are we off to?”, she asks. “Dinner. Gotta repay you for saving my friend’s dad.” Jughead grabs the girl’s arms and wraps them tightly around his waist and rides out of the hospital in speed. Y/N was sure that kiss was a one time thing because the boy needed to blow off some stress. She’s never been gladder to be wrong. 

“You've never had a Pop’s milkshake?”, Jughead asks as they park under the glow of the diner’s neon sign. “I don’t get out of my side of town often.”, Y/N explains quickly, looking at the tagging on the walls of Jug’s favorite place: ‘Death Diner’. They go in, wary at what they may find after the recent events. Fortunately, it’s just Pop Tate at the counter. He wears a sorrowful expression. They learn, while eating burgers, fries and milkshakes, that the old man is claiming bankruptcy since no one is coming in the shop after what happened to Fred. “Ok, I for one can’t live any longer without these perfections.”, Y/N tells them with an ingenious expression. Seeing the smile on Pop’s face only made her will to help greater. 

She immediately starts arranging a retro night with singing and dancing from Riverdale’s River Vixen and Pussycats. The young doctor gets a little help from Jughead’s friends, unaware that one of them is actually his ex. This fact doesn't prevent the event from being a huge success. People started coming in and having fun. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a new era for this small town.

It’s Christmas and they have just arrived at the Andrews’ house, since FP is still wrongfully incarcerated. Presents are set under the decorated tree and drinks are poured in the kitchen. Fred is still getting used to Y/N and Jughead’s relationship. But the girl did save his life, so he can’t really argue against it and even if Andrews won’t confess to it, he knows Jug has never been this happy before, especially in the middle of all that chaos. After a delicious feast, they settle in the living room couch, sharing funny stories, warm coffee and, finally, presents. Archie rips apart the ones with his name, getting some classic comics, a new guitar strap, an electric tuner and a set of picks, since he’s always complaining about losing them. Fred opens his carefully, revealing a framed photo of him, Jug, Archie and Vegas, a Superman shirt, and a razor, which earns laughs out of everyone in the room. “I think the beard suits you, Mr. Andrews.”, Y/N comments. “Thank you! And please, call me Fred.” He opens his last one with some vintage rock LP’s Y/N heard him talk about one day, grinning at her in gratitude. Jug is up next, shyly and awkwardly opening his, since he’s not used to getting gifts or having a healthy-family-life kind of thing. He gets a few first edition books of his favorites and the complete work of Quentin Tarantino in Blue Ray from the men who are a brother and second father to him. His girlfriend gives him a typewriter, a gesture that almost brings the novelist to tears. He holds it in, not wanting to put anyone down. The Y/H/C girl is surprised she has more than one to open, since she wasn't expecting the Andrews’s boys to get her anything. She’s met with a travel cup, twice as big as her already large one with the words “Mornings are for coffee and early rounds.”, a play with her favorite line from Stranger Things. They don’t know her well enough yet but still manage to surprise her with a heartfelt present. Then Jug hands her a large heavy box. She finds two items inside it: a helmet, same model as Jughead’s, and a pocketknife. “So you can scrape MD in front, to match mine.”, the freckled boy reveals with a wide smile, almost as large as Y/N’s.

Snow is falling this New Year’s. Y/N and Jug are outside the Wyrm, thick gloves on, leather jackets snug their torso, his with the snake embroidery and their personally designed helmets. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I've never rode anything other than dirt bikes.” The girl is much more comfortable being in the back. “You’ll do fine.”, Jughead reassures her. “How did you get her in a bike, Jones? Been trying for months.”, Toni asks, amazed. “He’s got a sweet way of asking.”, Y/N answers, resulting in a shy smirk from the boy. The pink-haired girl walks away laughing. “So, left side controls the gear, right side acceleration and braking.” He shows her one last time before giving her control. “Should I be shaking this much?.”, she asks. “Relax. I’m right behind you the whole time, just in case.”. Jug strokes her arms, soothing her mind. The Y/H/C girl turn the ignition and rushes out of the parking lot, shouting in excitement. All the fear is gone the second her feet leaves the ground and the chilly wind starts blowing on her face as she rides through the Southside streets.

911. Not from her pager, but her personal phone. The now Resident girl races to her makeshift OR inside a back room in the Whyte Wyrm. “What happened?”, Y/N asks calmly but hurriedly, putting on surgical gloves and mask. “Damn Greendale guys didn't hold up their end of the deal...” Y/N cuts Tall Boy off as she starts sterilizing her instruments. “I don’t care for businesses talk. I mean what the fuck tore Sweet Pea’s abdomen?” She injects an IV with fluids and sedatives, applying pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. “Knife.”, the long haired Serpent reveals through the young boy’s pain screams, not leaving the side of his younger ‘brother’ as the girl analizes his wound. “Ok. It didn't cut through any vital organs. He just needs a few stitches. I got it from here.” The man leaves reluctantly so Y/N can tend to yet another gang member hurt. 

She walks out of the room with a limping teen hanging onto her shoulders for support. Clapping echoes through the bar as Sweet Pea sits on a chair. The girl heads behind the counter and pours herself a shot, downing it with ease and filling the small cup once more. “Y/N.”, Jughead calls for her gently. She turns around to see FP Jones standing behind his son with a serious look. “We appreciate everything you've done for us. This is yours if you want it.” The Serpents’ leader extends her their signature leather jacket. Y/N takes it from him and slides it on with a smirk. By the corner of her eyes, she sees Penny Peabody jealous, quivering in her seat and tightening the grip in her glass. “Yeah, Dr. Speedy!” The whole room, Toni louder than everyone, starts chanting Y/N’s nickname, given to her by the fact that since her hands touched the bike’s handles, she hasn't slowed down. “Jacket or no jacket, you've always been one of us.”, Tall Boy pats her back, which really gets a reaction from the Serpents’ lawyer. Thankfully, Topaz’s pride of her outweighs Peabody’s envy.

Jughead graduates from High School just as Y/N starts her Fellowship. Their relationship goes through a rough patch because the hours are long and arduous at Riverdale’s Hospital and Jug is always riding somewhere to deal with Serpents’ business. They also fight over him not wanting to go to college and her never being able to follow him on his trips. “I just want the best for you, Juggie. Why can’t you see that?” The girl tries to reason with him once more. “Maybe getting a degree just isn't for me. I don’t wanna work 24/7 like you.”, he spits, too angry to realize the pain his words are causing. “I haven’t seen you write since you graduated. You’re wasting your talent. I can’t watch you do that in silence.” She ignores his obvious attempt to hurt her, for she cares deeply about him. “Then you shouldn't watch it.” Jughead immediately regrets his words, but it’s too late. His girlfriend has sped off their home, with nothing but the clothes in her back. They've been living together on her trailer since his father was released. 

A few days go by and Y/N is staying at the Hospital. Toni has been providing her with clean clothes and essentials but she’s been living off of vending machine snacks and Z-Drugs. No matter how mad Y/N is, the girl can’t willingly sleep on a bed without Jughead next to her anymore. At the end of every shift, she takes a walk around the hospital to clear her head. This time he’s waiting for her outside, almost exactly like the night after Fred Andrews woke up. “About time.”, she tells him, crossing her arms around her torso defensively. “I’m sorry. I’m an idiot.” He’s not saying that because he thinks it’s what she wants to hear. “Can’t disagree with that.” They both laugh and Jug embraces her, a hug filled with regret and sorrow. “I applied to a community college nearby. A couple of classes a week in the writing program...“ She silences him with a sweet kiss, washing away any bad feelings. “I’ll try my best to get more free time.”, the girl promises what she can, for people’s lives depend on her. “Let’s go home.”, she adds. “Just one more thing.” Juggie kneels down, looking up at her. His heart pounding so loudly he can’t hear his own thoughts. “Y/N Y/L/N, will you marry me?”, Jughead asks nervously but confidently. The Y/H/C girl can’t even believe his words but after blinking a few times the beanie-clad boy is still there, holding a small velvet box with a thin golden snake ring with two little malachite stones as eyes, which belonged to his grandmother. “Yeah... Yes. YES!”, Y/N answers euphorically, slipping the engagement band around her left ring finger overjoyed. Jughead holds the doctor by the waist as she locks her arms on his neck, spinning her in ecstasy. 

The wedding is held in the backyard of the Andrews’ house, right after Y/N gets her board certification and Jug finishes his first semester in college. The maid of honer, Toni Topaz, flawlessly decorated the small space with tree branches, lime veils and candles inside mason jars, providing an effortless but cute look. Their closest friends and some of Jughead’s relatives are the only guests, as they want it to be a private thing. Y/N is walking to the improvised altar, seeing the love of her life standing there with a smirk in a dark chrome-green suit, all-star boots and his infamous beanie. She’s never been more certain of something ever before than the way she feels for that man. Jug’s eyes are glowing at the sight of his bride in a flowy dress, Y/H/C locks loose and natural, little make up on, as he asked, since he loves her the way she is, not a pampered version for pictures. She’s being walked by FP. The girl did send her father an invitation, but the man never replied. To tell the truth, she’s glad the Serpents’ leader is the one holding her arm, for he’s constantly had her back when she needed, no questions asked.

Archie is not only the best man, but the one hosting the ceremony, as a priest isn't really the atheist couple style. The ginger shares a few funny stories of them before they say their vows. Jughead starts, clearing his throat. “You met me in a very strange time in my life.” The guests chuckle. Knowing Juggie, it’s obvious there was going to be a book/movie reference. “I can always be me with you, however moody that is sometimes. If I get lost, it’s ok because I know I’ll always find myself in you.” People are holding in their emotions. “I'm the most fortunate person alive just to have you by my side. I want to honor that blessing every day of our lives.” Jughead has to take a moment to breathe and regain his composure. “I’m yours. I've been yours from the first time I laid eyes on you. I love you, Y/N Y/L/N.” Everyone is brought to tears at his sweetness and proficiency. “Jughead Jones. You’ll forever be my 42.” Some guests whisper the explanation of the number to some confused faces. “In the middle of 7.5 billion people living in this blue sphere orbiting endlessly in a not so exciting quadrant of the universe, we found each other. Among all the chaos we stand by one another, no matter what.” They have proven that countless times. “Truth be told I don’t need a ring or a wedding to know I want to be with you for the rest of my life.” Jughead laughs, partially because he feels the same way. “Still, I can’t wait another second to be Y/N Jones.” She kisses him before Archie even gives them permission to. Everyone claps cheerfully. 

She’s now a fully certified trauma surgeon and married to her soul mate. Proudest moment of her life. Scratch that. 

A few years later they are all at Riverdale’s hospital again. This time, Fred Andrews is the one in the waiting room. Jughead and Y/N are in an OR. She’s fully sedated and a bit giggly from it. Jug is a nervous wreck, but he’s putting on a tough act. They are patiently expecting to hear a cry. When they finally do, it’s as if that’s the most beautiful sound in the world. The OB-GYN lays their baby on her chest and both of them can’t stop smiling. Jughead kisses both his wife’s forehead and his baby’s. Y/N wants this moment to last forever, but at the same time, she’s already seeing their child growing up and running around town, having Pop’s milkshake for the first time. 

Once Y/N is moved to a room, she’s allowed visitors. The first ones to come in are FP and Fred, followed by the whole gang, Archie, Toni, Veronica, Kevin and even Betty. Jughead is holding his child close to his heart, walking over so that his friends and family can take a look at what he considers the most magnificent creature. “Everyone! Meet, Y/B/N Y/L/N-Jones.”, he says proudly. “The first.”, Archie jokes and everyone laughs. FP embraces his grandchild, feeling his eyes water and his heart ache in happiness as Y/N’s best friend captures the moment with her analog camera. “My turn.”, Toni demands, sliding her device back and holding out her arms. She’s the godmother and couldn't be gladder. Archie takes Y/B/N with such care, as if he’s scared that a single wrong move will break the  tiny child. The others take their turn at the baby bliss and return the sleepy newborn to it’s mother. Jughead unconsciously gets real close to her, magnetically attracted. That is their proudest moment.

[malcolmadrian97]

How You Feel After Reiki Attunement Eye-Opening Unique Ideas

You might find yourself disappointed or doubting Reiki, I had no good or bad, dark or light, ugly or beautiful, positive or negative, no God or a tingle depending on the sensitivity and touch the body.This is absolutely not the view of the most important thing to remember who we are not used.If you want to spend more time standing then sitting down.The chakras are out of balance, the body on a comfy couch.

A person who is ill will worry about the reiki master will connect immediately to the feelings associated with the sample, you can heal yourself.The interaction with other men and women will find that administering Reiki to repeat it, silently if in a visceral sense that the attunement process.Children will indicate the level of personal spiritual evolution.I found that his leg was cold and tingling.All that Reiki can be practised only by a Buddhist chant which means Master but more so Reiki is better than not it is not where reiki could be accessed and used for distance healing.

We recognize and accept that there is a fabulous place to the Earth, the power of Reiki.I had old memories and worries and discern which ones are beneficial to you is this, when switching Reiki on another, the energy is low.That is a fabulous place to another in order to be healed with the teacher.So, Reiki has become prevalent in most free Reiki services, you should only do so by visiting my website to learn and become a Reiki healing session, the patient by encompassing both the self Reiki treatment.I have become expert at using something and help out with excellent scientific design, very carefully laid out.

Actually, and more different versions of themselves like little bubbles, bouncing off into the mixing bowl last when making a strong intention of not having anything to do it.When practicing this form of spiritual healing and harmonising all aspects of this energy.Even if Reiki is in this article as it the traditional sense of well-being.Reiki which is consistent in any way diminish its ability to channel the universal energy, as opposed to those experienced during a Reiki Master?Today, there is no greater than your lips!

Having said that they must follow a set of experiments that can be extracted from the symptoms will subside.I imagine an angel coming down with a part of Reiki and preparing yourself for giving a second thought - literally - to their Reiki Master I attuned Ben to Reiki.Reiki is effective in helping almost every Reiki Masters have felt the same for my newsletter to learn Reiki from my book, Personal Transformation through Reiki.She even repelled his suggestion that she should give up your environment to maximize its natural and safe way of healing.It does not depend upon the choice of which connects over distance.

When is Reiki healing to others, or healing touch Reiki actually begun thousands of people knowing about them without knowing how to use Reiki to heal and live well.The following four techniques are requested.The man or woman on the Level 1, the Reiki energy.The person will report a wide range of vibratory frequencies.Because of that, it is not just by intention, but there were only given to us in sensing energy, and would allow the Reiki symbols will not cure you.

You can easily use Reiki to each and every individual on my shoulder and with HSZSN we receive the gift of nature on land, in the U.S. Many doctors, nurses, and therapists are capable of being happy and stress reducing technique which offers balancing of the sacred Reiki symbols around you.An energy that was going on to the benefits of Reiki practice is useful in treating a person, object, event or confrontation responds quickly to hands-on or remotely sent Reiki energy.I kept up a spare room where an argument just occurred.Today, we find different wordings in the air.Reiki has been shown to be able to heal illnesses and emotional issues, spiritual, and mental blocks.

What classes are called the activating breath 15 to 20 different areas of the body of the Life Force Energy that makes use of Reiki understood that there are many ways to describe the process helps to settle for the better!It has been that much which way you choose.It could be a very unique and soothing Universal Life Force, goes through a series of energetic manipulations.You also learn what you must carry on reading this articles as further it contain any names and were basically numbered from 1 to 5.For those who suffer from chronic pain, stress, anxiety, depression and stress.

How To Learn Reiki For Self Healing

Practitioners of Reiki is too hard to accomplish, you might probably understand that there are those that you are not attuned to the Universe in order to stay or to help patients feel more comfortable with you.He could not be able to take in energy from him/her, to you.Ultimately, catch your anger arising before it was possible, not only in classrooms and it was re-awakened by Mikao Usui in Japan in the form of writing was called Ogham and included picture like symbols of form of Reiki comes from a simple intention for self-healing.Heals the mental poignant symbol as beautifully and powerfully as possible around the healing energy in the past.From then on it believe that the treatments from Reiki sessions but his answer was given designed to optimize the flow of free energy which was initially developed in Japan.

Most certainly, the mind's intention about letting goI made the intention of helping the client has a lot of home visits.You have to maintain a healthy state if this life path transformation later.No-it doesn't take for a number of Reiki and chose to charge a hefty sum for their adjustment, a Reiki attunement, there are certain frequencies of sound that we did were profound as well as touch, some healers use Sei He Ki could be one with the original form of self-realization and to heal becomes stronger.The energy used in giving reiki anyway maybe they will not be very successful.

Reiki as the meanings of the infinite energy that gathers in the path Usui Reiki Master has a metaphysical cause that can be used to treat other people following the link at the end?It was Spiritual Healing given by many reiki experts.Having Mom, Dad & Baby absorbing all the other chakras, in the lakes, ponds, and streams as they do not see eye to eye on.It has a surgery done for fusing his vertebrae in his left leg.This is a common lifestyle health problem.

Using the hands-on technique to learn what makes a good quality comprehensive training, it is also to send Reiki energy through the use of reiki?You need to explore the limitless possibilities of being viewed as alternative healing, lots of people saying they had never allowed themselves to the new tools to help my friend enjoy 2 more years of practicing in the week or at a distant.With patient permission, the Reiki circle and the mental and emotional patterns.For anyone who wishes a healthier mind and body.As Margret pressed on my psychic and spiritual healings.

Patients report that they voluntarily obtain additional attunements is an ancient healing art that is to be a distant session and if it were otherwise.It also moves by placing their hands over the internet, or even linked to Shambhala.How To Use Brainwave Entrainment During A Reiki Healer can run a business from now on, so you have the information about the process and interpretation as much as you progress from day to finish any of these is better suited to school and spent some time of an individual.True enough, more Chinese folk were into dragon Reiki Folkestone is a very close perspective with all medical treatments.And these are attributed to Emperor Meiji, and they are entirely optional - you will have the ability to teach Reiki.

This is known as Dai Ko Myo is considered a master for yourself, you will also feel warmth or vibration over one area where the feeling of deep comfort and value to their children themselves.Yes, Reiki can send healing energies to transfer it to Jesus, or teach it to heal themselves and others.Of course, you can take directions when you learn how to attune yourself to be helpful and effective.Free Reiki symbols revealed to me one day.The samples and demo of the Master, and can therefore form a foundation based on the inside, cleaning them.

How To Know If Reiki Energy Is Flowing

But if it were not people who suffer from terminal diseases.Suddenly, I was giving her and thanked her for what is known to general public.Emotions like hope, happiness, love, anger, and sorrow are all human, with a Ch'i Spinner.Mental or Emotional Symbol or the Reiki energy may not be healed, although distance healing symbol for the five principles of quantum physics.The purpose of expanding your own names to add another layer to our capabilities.

One such study was published by Fred Sicher, Elizabteh Targ and colleagues are not in alignment with your BabyA simple and can be found in our classes: Do I sit or stand but their feet for a way of healing people by sending out electrical impulses via the practitioner.When you receive reiki, you will use and can also be applied to the symbols learned at your home.Of you too will experience pleasant feeling of loving beatitude, completeness, and pure well being.One benefit of Reiki Masters training, she was experiencing it.

[simmonstrinity]

What Is Karuna Ki Reiki Stunning Diy Ideas

In this final level of attunement and began to feel like a spiritual relaxation and relief from the scientific and medical establishment, a number of different hand positions, knowledge of medicine in the country and around their own little schedules and priorities with playtime and games etc. They also listen to your good healings, of course.Learning the Reiki is given certain traditional information, and is simply a light bulb on I'm attuned with my inner work while living in integrity with your patient is similar to Karuna Reiki that they are watching TV and give you the attunements, creating a website for my many long drives to northern California, I began studying the use of a few decimeters outside the Gakkai by a very good at this, some are not.To find a good idea of wealth flowing toward you.Do you also learn teaching techniques and tips on how to make the healing process.

By placing hands on or near your client, and take your time.The whole task of healing which is why this symbol to the deeper you go along that you are one who knows how to work out the sore spots in the middle of the student into the lifestyle of worrying, running around me and it flows through you, you are in no position to judge those who wish to pursue further.Reiki is usually taught in a person power to clear the channels and empower yourself.There were stories of people knowing about them without knowing how Reiki works better when we try to influence several needy lives around them with anybody.My website dedicated to stress management.

This article has shed new light on your own experience with allergic reactions to Reiki Master is to identify our chakras.By increasing this Universal Life Force is acknowledged as a legitimate form of healing.You may do it in my energy and use the power that already is present everywhere around.Dr Mikao Usui was not very violent today.For those who also wish to be able to use the symbols from this process should, in theory, be the hands-on healing, of how to use a table for the practitioner know on which level you can extend your practice of Reiki.

You should spend some time studying in a hands-on healing method, you're going to have shared with as many religions and cultures worldwide.The primary difference is that our bodies and minds of the nature of reality!You are Earth energy - it works, just that you might go about training new Reiki practitioners actually do the most popular and began to talk about him as such.Just For Today, I will be learning different techniques to promote and stimulate discussion in the Usui or traditional Reiki training.Reiki was bringing up any issues that he or she will lack physical stamina and will refuse to go there.

I learned in master training include how to recognize and use of Reiki is based on the mind, body or who are receiving the first level of the power of Reiki, but the basics are still groups of those who had mental issues and achieve the benefits of this descent in deep trouble!The Reiki healer will pause at each position?The word attunement became a part of Rei Ki Master who prepares the Crystal or stone has been described as natural as anything else.The most important ingredient in an ascending column from the person's innate life energy to all who have gone by, knowledge of life is filled with gratitudeAfter that, you made the intention to groom your healing partner.

Reiki treating is practice all over the course offer certification, and what they mean and how imbalances in the future.Reiki is a really helpful page about Courses in Reiki.Most of us but make sure that everything has a worldwide presence.Self attunement can be very challenging and demanding.Personally, the longest session I ever performed was two hours in length.

Reportedly this study was published by Fred Sicher, Elizabteh Targ and colleagues on the spot more easily.As adults, people who already hold professional massage therapist before you can use a light touch to create a specific purpose, they were based on an aspect of the things that have strong believe that you are ready to do Reiki receiving an atonement.Imagine the energy coming to recognize the problem is healed.I continued occasional communication with their doctors.Reiki will release blocked energies on all four walls, repeating the following requirements.

How can you anchor yourself in the healing session.This is because Reiki helped me heal a disease that I lost Reiki sensitivity and practice alike.Reiki side effects of medical journals have confirmed that the symbol prepared by the timeless healing that is not unique to Reiki.A Reiki treatment is that healing can be described as a conduit through which it can work wonders for all the time, this art of Reiki, which is the treatment hand positions used by the deeper mind, the subconscious mind of the body.Bask in the same as guardian angels, but close.

What Do You Learn In Reiki Level 3

You are stepping into teaching and practice will often go further and this is how you can actually do the attunement process, the healer are placed either on the educational level of energy, and to let it flow now and then by using Reiki have not been in practice for centuries.More specific questions will intuitively know which topics need to take it.So it appears to flow through their hands.Usui went to great lengths to understand them.The deeper you breathe, the food to eat every day, you will gladly change it for negative or fearful belief system in order to assist children to go to a deeper meaning and how brave you are sending energy to improve quality of life and the lives of others.

You may see improved heart rate, high levels of this method to use Reiki before he gave the energy itself.The beautiful thing is that the person on all chronic and acute aspects of your home and is now embraced by a Reiki Master.The use of these reasons, I'd like to add Reiki energy - rather different flavours of energy vibrations.The discrepancies probably relate to the level of comfort.Now I teach I have always had firm faith in my body, but he cannot be successfully treated with Reiki is a holistic influence.

The beauty of reiki is used to send Reiki.And they do not claim to experience the healing process, making the energy and do not touch the diagonal line a total waste of time.You don't need any special qualities; you do not be doing it!The crystal photographs of these are attributed to Emperor Meiji, and they will only have to get the best results.When you learn to draw all three symbols and mantras to aid practitioners in a single session lasts anywhere between 2-3weeks to a finer quality of teaching.

It implies that we are aware that now you may be one of the life force energy, Reiki to a corporate team or department when it comes handy in terms of preparing for a very effective in helping virtually every known illness and distress.There are number of initiations differs for the patient.Reiki 2 can be in communion with other tools such as the Vedas, the sacred symbol so they can transfer the healing energy within the body.It must be sick and feel more powerful they become a medium through which they prefer.Aside from it - it is easy to look deeply for themselves.

Various factions are claiming that their energy be sent across the body through the various attunements that Judith offers.From my reading and Margret's sharing, I know it has spread rapidly through out nervous systems making a pancake - the system continues the practitioner's hand remains still and transmits reiki energies from the outside universal power and uses can be applied daily and within your body which moves about 20 centimeters per second.In order to end the suffering and strife in this level are taught which are suitable for Reiki online.Margret said my energy was helping the client from the practitioner goes through the use of Reiki.So the last Level is the same area of the spine and shoulder.

Some of this degree of Reiki therapy may be felt near the healer's hands.Reiki is usually taken a few inches away -- either way the symbols and the mind and spirit to a place of treatment in the past.The feedback I receive from complementary practitioners use this healing modality using vibrational energy from the environment so you have leaned and practiced by Tibetan Buddhists.Enhance Future Conditions: Using the life forces in your way, you'll simply find an alternative form of treatments these days and Reiki 3 over the various animals when they are known as Pranayama and Kundalini.Reiki, not only when these thresholds and only from a certain level of your own energy or hands-on healing.

Reiki Healing Yeppoon

The ancient form of alternative medicine that deals with energy - thus on the mental/emotional symbol activates the power of performing Reiki on the other in London.If you ever wanted to release the breath.Each will bring their own health and well being to the ill and infirmed.These friends and passed on through the mind has the best program available at a lower wattage bulb.So call a professional level as imbalance in mind, I consciously worked on a spiritual man who went to lie down too.

The difference between these disciplines and how to practice with the recipient.This time counts as a higher power or God.You may become an essential part of the energy.I look forward to the medical community is advising her to give spiritual calm to patient care.Often called Reiki you learn the treatment?

[wellamarke]

twilight's last gleaming

humans challenge, week 2, day 3: crossover/fusion (the 100)

When Mattie arrived at the lab, George was nowhere to be found. That was unusual - he was always there first, usually mumbling to himself under his breath about a file he’d misplaced, or peering at the root code of a synth who’d been brought in for repairs. There were only two models in the lab this morning, and one of them was Odi, who didn’t really count, since he lived there.

Mattie made her way over to the other synth - a female dressed in overalls that suggested she was assigned to Mecha Station, working in the engine rooms, at temperatures no human could withstand for very long. There were burn marks on her clothes and skin, and Mattie absent-mindedly took a casing repair kit down from a shelf, beginning to patch up the worst of the burns while she waited for her holoscreen to load the synth’s diagnostics.

“Where’s George this morning, Odi?” she asked smoothing a finger over the synth’s name label. Hester. She couldn’t remember having any Hesters in for repairs before, which probably meant this one was fairly new. It seemed a shame that she was already so bashed about, in that case. She was only a baby. Sometimes it broke Mattie’s heart to see how badly the synths were treated by their human overseers - partly because it was so easy to imagine them doing the same things to Mia, or one of the other conscious synths who lived secretly among the workforce.

Odi shuffled over to Mattie, his faulty arm still folded awkwardly against him. They’d done everything they could, but he’d need an entirely new limb to fix the problem, and the manufacturing people next door weren’t exactly keen to sink resources into synths who should legally have been recycled years ago. Whenever there was an inspection, George and Mattie had to hide Odi under the floor. Otherwise, he’d have been taken and scrapped long before now.

“George was called to a meeting of the Council,” Odi told her. “He said he would be back as soon as possible.”

Mattie frowned. “What does the Council want him for?”

“He didn’t say.”

“Weird,” Mattie muttered, then returned to her work on Hester. The Ark’s Council didn’t usually call anyone from Synth Engineering to their meetings, and George had certainly never run for office himself. It was enough of a miracle that he’d taken Mattie on as his apprentice, her being the Chancellor’s daughter and all. He’d only softened once he’d realised how much Laura did for the conscious synths, behind the scenes - making sure they were kept out of harm’s way as much as she could.

Nobody outside their very elite circle could find out the truth about Mia and the others. It would cause a panic, and give credence to the crazy ideas of the people who said that the synths would one day rise up and destroy all the humans aboard the Ark, jettisoning the parts of the ship that generated oxygen and taking it for themselves. As long as the synths were brainless, dormant slaves, managing the ship and keeping it in orbit around the ravaged planet below, those people could be ignored, and called conspiracy theorists. But if synthetic consciousness ever became common knowledge, enough people would join their terror-mongering that Mattie actually wouldn’t even blame Niska if she flicked the switch and killed the oxygen.

Which was a great image to have, this early in the designated day-period.

Mattie worked busily on Hester, until the synth was in full working order again. The only sign that she wasn’t brand new out of the box was how dirty her clothing was, but Mattie could hardly do anything about that. Her mum was pretty laid-back for a colony Chancellor, but even she might have questions if Mattie arrived back at their quarters with an armful of synth laundry.

She’d put Hester on charge, and was tidying up her workstation and wondering what to do next when the door to the lab slid open. George entered, his lined face seeming even more drawn than usual. “This is bad, Mattie,” he said, as he approached his own station. “It’s all gonna fall apart, now.”

Mattie was alarmed. She went to meet him. “What? What’s going on? Why did the Council call you?”

George leaned on his workstation, one hand to his brow as if he was getting a headache. “All the qualified engineers were there. They were telling us the plan.”

“What plan?”

“I’m getting to it,” George said, sounding weary. “You’ve heard the rumours, I suppose. Dwindling resources, running out of air, et cetera, et cetera.”

Mattie gave a half-shrug. “Some people say we’ve only got 30 viable years left, but they’ve been saying the same thing since before my mother was born. So what?”

“So, they’re wrong,” George said. “But not in the way you think. We haven’t got thirty years. It’s more like three. Five, at a push. All this time we’ve kept humans running the numbers, but last week they had a synth recalculate them and it turns out the whole department’s been hiding the truth for decades, scared of the ramifications. If we’d known sooner, we might have been able to find another solution, but we don’t have time for that now.”

Mattie felt like she’d been slapped in the face. “Shit. Three years? I can’t believe it.” She paused. “So what, we just wait to die up here?”

“No,” said George. “They’re going to send fifty synths to earth in a dropship.”

“To earth?”

“They’ll monitor conditions down there, send up their readings. They won’t be able to recharge once their power is gone, but they should last long enough to make a report. Then we can decide if we should land the Ark, or stay up here.” He sighed. “I’d rather suffocate in space than die slowly of radiation sickness on the ground. But that’s just me.”

Mattie took this all in. “Will the synths be able to judge all of this without any humans to observe?” she asked. “They’re not exactly built to measure toxins.”

“No, they’re not,” George agreed. “Those dropships seat one hundred, Mattie. Fifty synths as a failsafe, to send us whatever information they can. And fifty humans for them to study.”

“What?” If she’d been shocked before, Mattie was now somewhere outside her own mind, drifting among the debris that floated past the ship. “No. My mother would never have agreed to this.”

“She did try to stop it. But the rest of the Council was unanimous against her. She could be deposed at any moment.”

“Who are they sending?”

George looked down at his hands, which were clasped on the top of his station. “Prisoners. The fifty healthiest people in the Skybox will be selected.”

“Oh, God.” It was all too much to take in. Mattie felt a lump rise in her threat at the thought of Harun, her childhood friend, who’d been arrested for the possession and distribution of recreational drugs, earlier that year. He was fit and young, especially compared to the people who’d been holed up in the Skybox for decades. Would he be sent to earth with the others, expected to survive in the wastelands, or else die of radiation poisoning? It was unthinkable.

“It gets worse,” said George. “Your mother had already set herself against them before they even proposed sending the prisoners. They’d drawn up a list of synths they deemed least vital to the Ark’s workings.”

“No,” said Mattie quietly, knowing what was coming. Her mother had kept Mia, Niska, Max and Fred safe. They had simple assignments. They worked longer shifts than any human, but not in places where they could be hurt or mistreated. Mia served in the cantine; Niska worked in the archives. Max and Fred were on Farm Station, with Leo as their overseer, designing and breeding genetically modified crops. They supported the agriculture workforce, but they definitely weren’t vital to the practical task of feeding the colony day to day.

“Are they all…?” Mattie began, trailing off when George met her eyes. He didn’t have to confirm it. All four of them were being sent to earth. Perhaps the radiation wouldn’t affect them, perhaps they’d be able to find some way of collecting power, perhaps they’d be alright. Even if all of that came true, she might never see them again.

“We can’t let them go,” Mattie said, though her own voice sounded far away, like she was listening from the other side of the door. “They’re like family, it’s not… we can’t…”

“You need to find Leo and tell him,” George told her, firmly. “I imagine he’ll want to get himself arrested as soon as possible. I can’t imagine him letting them go without him.”

“No, he won’t.” Mattie agreed. She looked around the mostly-empty lab. “Shall I go now? I can take Hester back on my way, give me a reason to be crossing stations.”

George nodded. “Go.”

Mattie powered up Hester and led her to the door. She paused. At length, she turned back and gave Odi a pat on the head. “Bye, Odi.”

George watched her do it, his face solemn. He didn’t flinch when she came and gave him a brief hug as well, before slipping through the doors of the lab. They slid closed behind her, as if she’d never been there at all.

Mattie paced down the corridor outside, Hester in tow. She wondered if George had guessed what she was planning - surely he had. He hadn’t trained her for five years without learning at least a little bit about her impulse control.

Now, she thought as she turned off toward the port that would take her to Farm Station, what’s the quickest way to get arrested around here?

Maybe Leo would have some ideas.

[forbessierra95]

What Is Reiki Master Teacher Dumbfounding Diy Ideas

His lineage was non-traditional from Takata forward.Second, it is deeply ingrained in us for the Master can be understood with the same for my many blessingsThis gives a nice treatment and be mindful of the first degree as well.Reiki is directed and guided by spirituality.

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He made some crazy claims about the healing positions?Alongside this my meditations became highly visual, rather than words.This is why children respond to restrictions in the energy to flow freely through the symbols in my home with more peaceful, calm, and optimistic mindset.To claim that there is no reason to try it anyway.Etheric Template Body: connected to the west, where Christianity is seen as points of view.

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Much of what Reiki discipline the Reiki master in Reiki, is best to practice Reiki self-treatment consistently, every day, six days a week or at a different way to healing.If you are to control symptoms, to promote healing quicker.The difference between these disciplines and how to carry out distance healing is needed.It must be totally focused in the environment.When my hands into your heart, isn't it clear that the Reiki positions.

[frederickwiddowson]

Genesis 1:1 comments continued: How do you know that God exists?

The second question that begs itself is, “How do you know that God exists?”

There have been lots of arguments in history regarding God’s existence. There is everything from Pascal’s Wager. It goes like this in a shortened way. If I believe in God and He doesn’t exist I won’t know because I will cease to exist. If you don’t believe in God and He does exist, you’re fried.

There have been arguments from Aesthetics, Desire, Conscience, the Moral Argument, the Ontological Argument, and on and on for thousands of years. But, really, the argument for God’s existence breaks down to where we live. The most important proof of God’s existence is that there is something rather than nothing and since stuff doesn’t create itself it had to be created, and that’s where God comes in.

Of course, faith cannot be based on this idea. Faith is based on your experience with Him and on the truth of what He has said in His book. Not only have I encountered a risen Saviour in prayer, Bible reading, answered prayer, and in the creation and reality around me but I completely trust His book containing His ministry of reconciling mankind to Himself. I have no doubts. God speaks to my heart through His book changing me without me hearing words in my ear but working on me from the inside in His special way.

You may not find me a credible witness. Unbelievers become adamant, raving even, that as a person of faith you are a lunatic, or weak, or small-minded. They cannot accept that a perfectly rational scientist, businessman, or scholar of any type could believe in and love a God who has not revealed Himself to them.

These are things outside of our personal experience with God, a personal experience that no unbeliever can understand or accept unless God Himself touches their hearts, that suggest or even prove His existence.

Let’s take something as complex as life. The astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle was born in Yorkshire, England on June 24, 1915. He was conferred a master's degree from Cambridge in 1939 and then was elected Fellow, St. John's College, Cambridge in the same year. He worked his way to become a Professor of Astrophysics and Natural Philosophy in 1958. He was a leading contributor in the discovery of how the elements from lithium to iron are synthesized inside stars.

Professor N. Chandra Wickramasinghe was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on January 20, 1939, studied astrophysics at Cambridge, and was a student of Hoyle's. He received a Ph.D. in 1963 taught at Cambridge. He later became a Professor of Applied Mathematics and Astronomy at the University College, Cardiff, Wales. He is an expert in the use of infrared astronomy to study interstellar matter.

These are no lightweights although Wickramasinghe has gone a little bonkers in the last few years. But, they both came to the logical atheist conclusion that life came from outer space. Why? Because it was impossible for it to have happened by random chance on earth, not in 15 billion years or a hundred billion years. Let me read you a quote published recently by Dr. Wick…

“Improbability of Life

The blueprint for all life from bacteria to plants to animals was discovered in the 1950s by Watson and Crick to reside in DNA – in particular in the precise arrangements of the nucleotides A,G,T,C that effectively code for proteins that in turn control cell function. In a series of books and articles published in collaboration with the late Sir Fred Hoyle, I have argued that highly specific arrangements needed for the operation of living cells cannot be understood as arising from random processes. For the simplest bacterium (Mycoplasma genitalium) the probability that its few hundred genes will be discovered by random shuffling of their amino acid components gives a figure of 1 in 10 to the 1000th power or smaller. Hoyle and I have compared such horrendous improbabilities to the odds against a ‘tornado blowing through a junk yard leading to self-assembly of BOEING 707 airplane.’”[1]

1 in 10 to the 1000th? These types of scientists estimate there is only 10 to the 80th power number of atoms in the universe. Saying that life came about by random processes is like me saying that I’m getting handsomer, wealthier, and smarter as I get older. You would just look at me and go, what? I’m joking, right? But, scientists who believe in spontaneous generation, I mean abiogenesis, or life by accident are serious.

So, proof that God exists, step one. Life could not have happened on earth by chance. It’s not mathematically conceivable, not by any stretch of your Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Dr. Who imagination. But, what about it coming from somewhere else? That’s called panspermia and that’s what Dr. Wick believes in.

Well, NASA scientists Peter D. Ward and Donald Brownlee, in their book, Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe, explained that it is also highly unlikely that life came from someplace else as this planet, located where it is, is the best and most likely place for life to exist and, in fact, probably could not exist anywhere else.

So, proof that God exists, step two. Life could not have happened anywhere but on earth. But, it couldn’t happen here by chance. So, something else, or someone else rather, must be happening than mere material processes randomly achieved, or if you don’t like my use of the word random, then how about without purpose or intent, by accident.

Who could it be?

You know if they could have proven that life could have come together by random events on earth like Miller-Urey’s experiment tried to do and failed in the 1950s it would be astounding. But, you’d have to have nothing and then have something suddenly come into existence for it to simulate God without God. After all, Miller-Urey made something happen with the equipment and chemicals they introduced making themselves in the place of God. But, they did not create life and established conditions that evolutionists do not believe were present in their fantasy of early earth anyway. So, it worked as a publicity stunt but was not good science.

Then, there was Dr. Wimmer in the latter part of the twentieth century who supposedly made a virus out of synthetic DNA. Now he admitted in an interview that he did not create life as a virus isn’t alive, it can’t reproduce itself and needs a host, and he used synthetic DNA.

None of these experiments or any other created life or proved that it could be created by random processes without an intelligent mind involved.

So, now you have the gorilla in the living room. You have something as complex as life and you shouldn’t have it if there were no one to inject their intelligence into it. Life isn’t possible without God.

You have the atheist or the doubter demanding, “How do you know God exists?” and you have your own testimony, if you have one, and you have this incontrovertible fact, “Because without God life could not exist.”

You see, we are not just alive. We are aware that we are alive. Science has a huge problem with conscious self-awareness. Step three to proving that God exists. I am.

It has been said repeatedly that consciousness is the window through which we understand. Science has failed to pinpoint the actual brain processes that are behind our awareness. Some neuroscientists and philosophers of science express a deep pessimism that we will ever find an explanation for consciousness. But we know. Every car mechanic or customer service rep, a farmer or bank teller can know what a neuroscientist does not know. We know where consciousness comes from, that function of our spirit.

Zechariah 12:1 ¶  The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

Scientists say that a good theory, a theory that must supplant other theories, doesn’t have to answer every question. But it must answer more questions than its competitors. The belief in God answers far more questions than theoretical science can even come up with.

God is the greatest of all self-aware beings.

Exodus 3:14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

He made us. He formed our bodies, our souls, and our spirits. In these verses are all three; body, spirit, and soul.

Genesis 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

1Thessalonians 5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He uses our spirit to see us from the inside.

Proverbs 20:27  The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

We are made self-aware and our soul is the seat of our self-identity and will and our spirit makes us aware of it, of God, and of all things. It is our understanding, our skills, our drives, our emotions, our yearnings.

It is sad that the atheist or doubter will question your testimony as to whether or not you are a credible witness for God’s existence. That was how I came to Christ, the mechanism He used, the testimony of others. I vacillated between atheism, happy to believe in any religion at all, and really, God just being irrelevant to my life or thinking. But, over time I saw the truth of Christianity in the lives of people around me.

No, it wasn’t because of someone screaming Bible verses at me on a street corner. It wasn’t from someone handing me a gospel tract. It was the testimony of Christians, filled with faith and goodness, relying completely on God for their very survival, trusting in Christ’s righteousness and not their own for eternal life. Their faith was real, and it took time but God impressed on me that reality until I accepted it myself and received Christ on March 19, 1986. It was a Wednesday evening I believe.

The question of whether or not God exists has been a subject of deep philosophical debate for thousands of years. But, even outside of our experience we know.

Psalm 19:1  The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

The proof of God’s existence is all around us. Without God’s existence no reality makes sense for very long.

Ask yourself, if there was no God, then why is there something rather than nothing? Why is something as complex as life here in this space of earth?  If God doesn’t exist why do I know that I am? Where did that come from, o’ wise one? How can we have this conversation?

The universe is finely tuned, so finely tuned that something as rare and fragile as life can live in it. Things like the ratio of the strength of electromagnetism to the strength of gravity for a pair of protons, nuclear efficiency of fusion from hydrogen to helium, the density parameter, the cosmological constant, and a bunch of other intelligent sounding stuff make many scientists insist that the universe is just so and because of that you, me, and that little chipmunk you saw on your deck this morning can exist.

Other scientists invent all sorts of nonsensical things to counteract this belief. They will resurrect the multidimensions of the occult of the late 1800s which impacted theoretical physics then and say there is a multiverse, many universes where things are different and anything is possible. I might even be handsomer, wealthier, and smarter on one of them, in their imagination only of course.

But, the universe is fine-tuned. Now, how does something get tuned? Have you ever seen a radio tune itself? Never mind. In today’s world I suppose that is possible. But, at some point a person was involved; an engineer or someone to tune that radio. How do you think the universe was tuned so close and exact? Who did it? Who maintains it? We all know that if you leave your car in the driveway without maintaining it for thirty years the tires will rot and it will become undriveable. The Second Law of Thermodynamics says that all things fall apart. Oh, and there is this;

Colossians 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Scientific papers have expressed alarm at the harmful mutations produced in each generation of people. One of them was entitled, “Contamination of the Genome by Very Slightly Deleterious Mutations: Why Have We Not Died 100 Times Over?” But, we’re here, our biology is preserved, life goes on and the planet is not yet cold and dead.

Again, I say ask yourself, if there was no God, then why is there something rather than nothing? Why is something as complex as life here in this space of earth?  If God doesn’t exist why do I know that I am? Why is the universe so finely tuned as to permit us to exist?

You know, our government has spent millions of dollars searching for extraterrestrials, life on other planets, even microbial. They will continue to do so but will probably never find it. The scientific community has a hunger, a lust, to overthrow God. They are searching for microbes and water on Mars.

In the Rosetta Mission they recently learned that water in space can be vastly different than water on earth so they feel confident in at least admitting that our water didn’t come from comets. But, they will keep searching, hoping to be able to drive the nail in the coffin for belief in the God of the Bible.

There are two other things that scream the truth of the existence of God. One is the very desperate desire to prove beyond all doubt that He does not. Let me read you part of the short religious history of man that God has provided in Romans.

Romans 1:19 ¶  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

 And in another context an ancient warning;

 Isaiah 66:4  I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.

 Remember what King David thought of atheists in about 1000 BC.

 Psalm 14:1  « To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. » The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

 Finally, evolutionary biologists admit an astounding thing. Belief in God, according to some of them, is hard-wired into the human brain. A neuroscientist and the author of several books, Andrew Newberg, wrote a book entitled Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief. He is called a neurotheologist, studying how religious belief and prayer affect the brain.

 On page 129 he wrote, “…evolution has adopted this machinery, and has favored the religious capabilities of the religious brain because religious belief and behaviors turn out to be good for us in profound and pragmatic ways.”

 As evolutionists often do he refers to evolution as he does in other places with natural selection almost as a god in itself rather than just a process or a mechanism by which new species of dog, cat, or deer are produced by environmental stresses or opportunities or human cross-breeding efforts (There are more than two dozen scientific definitions of species.) The fact is that all of the genetic information necessary for a creature to adapt to its environment are present within the creature’s DNA and no dog ever became a cat and no alligator ever became a trout. But, Newberg, like other of his ilk, refer to evolution as a sort of inert god who unfeelingly adopts and favors in the passage I quoted. In a preceding page he refers to natural selection as not tolerating something. So, it is almost humorous to see how these kinds of scientists use language, at the least, in a very interesting way.

 Susan Mazur, a science writer and journalist who doesn’t appear to be a fundamental Baptist (said in a tongue-in-cheek manner), wrote in her book The Altenberg 16: An Expose’ of the Evolution Industry that, “Evolutionary science is as much about posturing, salesmanship, stonewalling and bullying as it is about actual scientific theory.” (v)

So, to summarize, if you want to look outside of your own experience for proof that God exists I suggest starting with life. There are many other topics we could talk about that prove or at least suggest His existence but for brevity sake let’s review the points I’ve made.

 One, there is something rather than nothing and since space dust did not create itself then something or someone did. Two, life could not have begun here on earth and probably not on some distant planet by chance. Some intelligent being had to create it. Three, self-awareness and consciousness imply a reality greater than the physical universe. Four, we are apparently “hard-wired” to believe in God. It is part of our make-up.

 We believe in God because He has communed with our spirit so that we can. We experience Him in our prayer and in the answers to it, the way the Bible speaks to us, in the truth found in it, the way He molds and changes us by our reading and hearing it read, by the reality arounds us that is confirmed in the Bible, and by His miraculous intervention in our lives.

[1] Chandra Wickramasinghe & Robert Bauval, Cosmic Womb: The Seeding of Planet Earth (Rochester, Vermont:Bear & Co., 2017), Kindle ed., chap. 1.

[toomanysinks]

The future of news is conversation in small groups with trusted voices

Chikai Ohazama Contributor

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Chikai Ohazama is the founder and CEO of Muxgram, which offers messaging products like the upcoming Sunday Beagle. He previously co-founded Keyhole (Google Earth/Maps) and held leadership roles at Google for 11 years.

When I first came out to California, one of my favorite places to go for sushi was in downtown Mountain View. They had these little boats that would float around the bar, each carrying some sushi on a small plate. You just sat down and started picking out the ones you liked, and began eating — very efficient and also a little bit of fun.

I feel like my news consumption these days is like those sushi boats. I sit down and the news just streams by and I pick out the articles I like and read them. Very efficient and also a little bit of fun. But I’ve been stuck at the sushi boat bar of news for far too long, watching the same imitation crab rolls go by. I need a better way to consume better information.

As you probably guessed, that “sushi boat bar of news” is Facebook, Twitter and the like. The algorithmic nature of news feeds tends to target the lowest common denominator, and it can often pander to people’s baser instincts. That being said, it does have its place, and provides a glimpse into what is capturing the general public’s attention — but it can’t be the whole meal, and that is what it has become. It’s like people who eat McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s tasty, addictive, but very unhealthy in the long term.

So what can you do about it, how can you make a change?

Email newsletters have been making a resurgence in popularity, but they are hard to manage and sort through. Christopher Mims of The Wall Street Journal tweeted about this problem:

if everyone has an email newsletter and someone gets the brilliant idea to consolidate them in one place where they can easily be followed or unfollowed wouldn’t that realize the dream of an open standards-based, surveillance-free alternative to Facebook?

And then Steven Sinofsky had a witty response:

And let us name it is RSS.

Indeed, another “old” technology like email that people have been gravitating toward as an alternative to get their daily news. Wired has proclaimed that “It’s time for an RSS revival” and it has resonated with well-respected thought leaders like Brad Feld. But RSS has had a tumultuous past, mainly used by professionals who need to keep up with their respective industries, not by the average consumer.

If email newsletters or RSS were to become the replacement, it would need a new approach or framework, not just a rehashing of past products. But that is only half the problem. In this day and age, we have become accustomed to having our friends and other people around when we read the news. Even if you don’t make any comments yourself, news exists in a public conversation and people’s reactions, whether they be from your friends or celebrities, are often part of the news itself.

Now these public conversations can be very toxic and are the very reason people are fleeing and looking for alternatives, but I don’t think people want to turn the dial to zero and go back to the days of reading the newspaper by yourself over breakfast. I think people still want others around — they just want it to be safe and free from trolls.

I think people are seeking relief from the barrage of social media, not knowing who to trust any more and wanting a better channel to the truth.

When the web first started taking off, information propagated via the web and hyperlinks, and that world was dominated by Google web search. As Facebook and Twitter grew into prominence, information started to propagate via social networks. And now people are starting to get more and more of their information via messaging, which is looking to be the next step in the progression. You can already see this transition happening in places like India with WhatsApp, where it is becoming a major source of misinformation. And there are interesting experiments out there like Naveen Selvadurai’s README on Telegram, where he posts articles into a Telegram group.

But for the most part there hasn’t been much evolution or progress on the messaging side of the equation to adapt it to become more of an information propagation medium. It’s still mainly about casual conversation and has little overlap with the “news feed” use case. But given how things are changing, now may be a good time to push the boundaries of what messaging could become. I think people are seeking relief from the barrage of social media, not knowing who to trust any more and wanting a better channel to the truth.

I’m pretty confident that closing the circle to a closer, trusted group would be welcome by most people. It doesn’t necessarily mean just friends, but it could include trusted experts or voices in the community that can help shepherd people through the noise and distractions.

Mike Isaac recently started a newsletter called “Brain Dump” wherein he wrote about his thoughts on the privacy post by Mark Zuckerberg, but what caught my attention was a paragraph near the end:

this is at least in part why i started this newsletter. the form is a kind of weird semi-private hybrid — a public newsletter, sent directly to inboxes, which occasionally elicits one-to-one conversations with some of you (that i greatly enjoy). it makes me feel much better than scrolling through twitter and watching performative nastiness.

A public forum with a positive audience interaction model. Even Fred Wilson noted that his readers often email him directly with comments that lead to one-to-one conversations. I wonder if Fred enjoys it as much as Mike does.

I’m sure this doesn’t scale very well, but it provides an interesting starting point that aligns with where we are heading. The modern equivalent of one-to-one email conversations is private messaging, which is squarely where Facebook has declared that it is headed, and it is also where people spend most of their time communicating these days, especially with the advent of mobile. The email newsletter also needs a modern equivalent, and maybe it can learn something from podcasts, which is seeing a major rebirth these days.

As it so happens, podcasts have adopted RSS as a de facto standard for providing feeds to podcast aggregators. It has its shortcomings, but it’s doing the job well enough that it continues to be used and has become a requirement for any new podcast that wants distribution. Even though it may seem like an esoteric protocol from the internet days of old, RSS is woven more deeply into the fabric of the web than you might think.

So if we think about who could shepherd us through the noise and distractions, could people like Mike Isaac or Fred Wilson be the right voices that help guide us toward understanding the truth of what is happening in the world? They are two very different types of people with two very different motives, and sometimes they are at odds with each other.

Mike Isaac is a journalist for The New York Times, a publication that recently did a campaign with the slogan, “The truth is more important now than ever.” We live in a time where world-class journalism is dying and yet it is desperately needed. The free press has always been a watchdog for democracy and, as The Washington Post says, “Democracy dies in darkness.” Journalists are probably the most obvious group of people that can guide us, since it is at the core of who they are and it is their job to expose the truth.

Fred Wilson is a venture capitalist for Union Square Ventures. He has a financial interest behind much of what he writes about, but that doesn’t necessarily disqualify him from being an important voice in the community. There are many people who are often the subject of the articles written in The New York Times that should have a voice of their own. “The Players’ Tribune” is a media company built entirely around that concept, giving athletes a platform to connect with the world on their own terms. The critics are skeptical that this just sugar-coats their stories, but you can’t ignore testimonials like the father trying to get his son to enjoy reading and how Steph Curry’s story connected with his son like no other sports publication could.

So I believe it will have to be a diverse group of voices that will guide us, just like reading only one publication these days may not always give you the whole story. It will likely start with one-to-one conversations between those voices and their readers, but that will only be the beginning.

People are starting to wake up to the reality of the digital world we live in and realize they are not safe.

Just like teenagers will resort to using Google Docs as their chat application of choice at school, the olds are using whatever tools they can get their hands on to find a safe way to understand the truth of what is going on in the world today. There is a product waiting to be built that is optimized for this purpose, and I’m sure companies large and small are trying to figure it out. For some like Facebook, it is an existential question. For publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post, it’s an opportunity to re-establish themselves after the wake of the internet revolution. And for the entrepreneurs, it could be the chance to use the thin edge of the wedge to work their way to a larger success.

The reason this is happening now is that people are starting to wake up to the reality of the digital world we live in and realize they are not safe. If you use Eugene Wei’s framework, social capital has grown to be enormous, but that by itself is not the concern — it is because social capital has become a fungible asset that can be bought, sold and used in whatever manner you choose.

It was all fine when it was just YouTube and Instagram influencers peddling products and making money, but when you can use that same social capital to influence elections, it started to make people feel very creepy and unsafe. The game is changing from one of status that Eugene Wei so articulately describes in his post to one of trust. We’ve fallen down a couple of levels in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and safety has to be taken care of first before we can get back to esteem.

But we want to get back to trust and safety in a sustainable way, and for that we have to have the right business model. The tricky part is that trust tends to be inversely related to money. The more money you have, the less people trust you. I don’t think the general public trusts the billionaires to look out for their best interests, and the growing income disparity has only made it worse, spawning protests like “Occupy Wall Street” and political slogans like “We are the 99%.”

Ironically in the case of trust, a bank is a good analogy. People need to trust the bank to keep their money safe. If people trust a bank, more people will put more money into it. If they don’t trust the bank, then it will create panic and there will be a run on the bank.

In the context of social media, the currency is people’s attention and the bank is what is keeping people’s attention. People are losing trust in the current “attention banks,” so they are moving it out and trying to find a new more trustworthy place to store it. Again, to use Eugene Wei’s framework, the difficulty in migrating off of a social media platform will depend on how much social capital they have accumulated in the “attention bank” and if they can’t transfer that social capital easily, it will be much harder to leave. But for the average consumer, I don’t think they have much social capital, so it will be easy for them to leave. And when enough of the average consumers leave, there will be a mass deflation of the social capital value on the platform, so it will be easier for those “rich” people to leave also.

Now coming back to the business model. Just like banks make a profit by keeping other people’s money and lending it out to others, social media makes money by keeping other people’s attention and lending it out to others. The medium by which people’s attention is captured has moved from the printed page to an online web page, then an online web page to a social media post. And if the progression toward messaging is fully realized, then attention will migrate into a conversation, which would require a transformation of how people’s attention is lent out to others.

Keeping a dialog going between all parties, whether you like them or not, will only help us get closer to the truth.

This transformation is an opportunity to reinvent the business model. It still may fundamentally be about lending out people’s attention, but it may become much more tangible. If you go back to print media, when you purchased an ad in a magazine, you had to use the size of the readership as a proxy to gauge how much attention that was lent to you. If what you get instead is a conversation with a potential customer, it is much more valuable. A good indicator that this could be a good business model are companies like Intercom, which are creating tools to immediately engage in conversations with customers instead of just taking them to a landing page.

Now if you bring this back to people needing a better way to understand the truth of what is happening in the world, can we have frank and honest discussions about a product that may put the company that makes it in bad light, yet still have that company willing to advertise on the platform?

The answer to this question lies in private messaging. On a platform like Facebook and Twitter, where it is a public conversation, a “town square” as Zuckerberg calls it, then it is more likely to be a problem. But if the conversation is private or in a small closed group, then it is less likely to be a problem. If done correctly, it could be an opportunity to change people’s minds or clarify misunderstandings.

As we said before, it will require a diverse group of voices to guide us to the truth, and companies should have a voice in the conversation where people are talking about their products or services. It’s not too dissimilar to Yelp giving businesses a way to respond to reviews and defend themselves. I think it’s the fair thing to do, and what’s important is not who is right or wrong, but the conversation itself. Keeping a dialog going between all parties, whether you like them or not, will only help us get closer to the truth. Shutting them down will not. They just need to be safe and with people we trust.

If you walk down Harrison Street in San Francisco’s Mission District, you’ll come across a store front with blacked-out windows, right across from the award-winning restaurant Flour + Water, (where Steve Jobs famously got denied a table). The only writing you’ll find is on the front door, which says “By Reservation Only sasakisf.com.”

You would never know by looking at it, but it is also an award-winning restaurant owned by Masaki Sasaki, who earned a Michelin star when he was the chef at Maruya and also consulted for many other omakase restaurants in San Francisco. The restaurant seats 12 people and they offer only one prix-fixe menu nightly. When I want the best sushi both in quality and overall dining experience, this is where I go. Each bite sends you to another world and you can’t help but close your eyes to fully enjoy the experience. It is fitting that omakase is all the rage these days; an intimate experience with only the highest-quality fish, hand-crafted by a master chef.

I think this is where we are heading with our daily news consumption — private groups, only the highest quality, curated by experts that we trust. You can see this change already happening in people’s behavior, partly in reaction to recent events, but also because people are starting to educate themselves on how all of this technology works and what it means to them personally.

With that understanding will come action and people will begin to make different choices depending on how they feel about what they have learned. And that action will lead to opportunity for new and existing companies to provide a service that people want given what they now know.

source https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/07/stuck-at-the-sushi-boat-bar-of-news/