#George Gibbs Chair

[rodgermalcolmmitchell]

Is it possible for one human being to get so much wrong about our economy?

Is it possible for one human being to get so much wrong about our economy?

If someone sets a world record, perhaps they could expect applause. In that vein, let’s give a massive round of applause to Veronique de Rugy, who has set a world record for economic myth dissemination. Her bio reads: Veronique de Rugy is the George Gibbs Chair in Political Economy and Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and a nationally syndicated…

[specialagentlokitty]

Hey, new follower here!! Just wondering if you could maybe do a Gibbs x fem!reader imagine, based on a song?

If you don't do requests like that it's totally okay, but if you do it's called The Chair, by George Strait.

Thanks so much! <3

Hiya I’m so sorry requests are closed at the moment 😅 they will be open soon don’t worry!

I’ve just started a new fandom so wanna get some works for it done is all!

I’m so glad to hear you’re a new follower though I hope you enjoy my works and if you ever need anything I’m here to listen 💜

[notasapleasure]

The Beaux' Stratagem, National Theatre (2016)

A performance of George Farquhar's 1707 play - there's song and dance, mischief and mayhem, a few tenuous jokes about the Irish, sumptuous costumes, feisty women and so so many Schemes. It's one of three plays Joplin's in that are on NTathome, and as you'll see, it's well worth the £9.99 for a month's subscription.

Two posh-boys, Tom Aimwell and Frank Archer, who've lost all their fortunes in London rock up in Lichfield to try to find a rich county girl to marry and share her fortune between them. They're pretty much immediately clocked as sus because Archer, playing Aimwell's footman, is terrible at pretending to be in service.

The keeper of the inn they're at, Boniface, and his daughter Cherry, believe they're highwayman. They're going to get their own tame highwayman to check them out...

Enter...Mr Gibbet! David Gibbet.

The coat. The boots. The unhinged shouting. The audience tittering in nervous delight every time he bellows something otherwise innocuous. GLORIOUS.

The treasures get drawn out of every conceivable pocket. Sorry, I had to combine some images because. So many.

There's no way to convey in images that he uses chairs Riker-style. But just. uh. jot that down, I guess?

Other highwaymen?? Muscling in on his patch?? Not happy.

He and Boniface decide to go...pump 'Mr Martin' (Archer) for info. Gibbet doesn't like being sauced...

No info there: on to try to get Aimwell to confess his sins over a spot of dinner!

"SIR! I...am....yours."

"'Tis more than I deserve, sir, for I don't know you."

Gibbet's about as good at playing captain as Archer is at playing footman.

[BOTH LAUGH POLITELY]

No info so...."Deploy the priest!"

Unfortunately, the priest and his wildly inconsistent French/Irish accent just scare off Aimwell.

Meanwhile many ~~strategies~~ come into play that essentially mean every single character will end up in the same house - committing robbery, getting into beds they oughtn't etc etc...

Scrub (aka Russell from Detectorists): "First, it must be a plot, because there's a woman in it. Secondly, it must be a plot because there's a priest in it. Thirdly, it must be a plot because there's French gold in it. And fourthly, it must be a plot because I don't know what to make of it."

Allegedly that last line alludes to getting someone drunk. The more you know!

While Gibb and Boniface are planning the theft, Gibb's goons get uppity about payment...

I LOVE how he swings between huge and menacing and...mincingly camp and menacing.

Cherry IS the goddess he adores

"But, it is a maxim that a man and wife should never have it in their power to hang one another."

Now bear with me: Mrs Sullen's husband the squire is a drunk and so not in bed with her at 4am. The Irish priest and the chambermaid took a bribe to let the French count, a prisoner of war, into Mrs Sullen's chamber (she was leading him along in the hope of making her husband jealous). But her footman, Scrub, overheard the plot and told Archer because he hates the priest for fornicating with his love, the chambermaid. Archer and Aimwell exposed the priest as a spy and blackmailed him into helping them instead. So Archer is in the bedchamber trying to seduce Mrs Sullen when Scrub comes in yelling "Thieves!"

So this is about the precise moment where I was murdered

In any case, form beyond the grave I can inform you that when he turns his back, the door clicks -

...and Scrub gets under the covers instead of Mrs Sullen.

I wish I could share with you the spectacular grunts he makes as he shrugs off his coat. Then he takes a whiff of his pits, realises he smells of the road, and helps himself to the lady's perfume. And for good measure:

Mrs Sullen doesn't want him killed at least

Pure and delightful chaos soundtracked by manic fiddles ensues <3

You'll be pleased to know that Archer flinches and shakes his sore fist when he tries punching Gibb in the abs. But then here comes Mrs Sullen with the chair!!!

In the end, things work out - no one dies! (yet) I tried to get some pictures of Gibbet dancing in the final ensemble piece, but you can judge my success for yourself. There's also a nice touch with the villains trying to go off stage different ways after the curtain call.

The End!

---

Rating

Dead? No, I'm sure he'll bribe his way out. The fact he managed to get himself untied before leaving the stage gives me hope!

Evil? Who cares, have you SEEN him??

Affects the plot? While in cahoots with others, yes!

God this is just. A solid, perfect 5/5. No criticism. The physicality! The delivery! The effortless switch between mincing and looming. He's a fucking delight, and so is the play.

[anklesalltheway]

💬+ Swann's wife was just another social climber marrying up for his money & influence

Meme: Send 💬 + a rumor and my muse will react to it. [accepting!]

“Mother’s love! Did I not always tell you, m’dear Julia, Swann is only the finest match for our daughter? and that the betrothed couple only needed time to realize it too now that they’ve warmed up to each other. -- Joshamee’s even managed to get a laugh out of him.” Captain Charles Gibbs proudly remarked to his wife, setting aside his navigational charts and leaning back in his chair. “Although, Margot has an excellent sense of humor, too.”

“Aye, she will need it.” Julia sighed contently, adjusting her spectacles before returning to her needlework for her daughter’s trousseau - equally proud, but not going to let facts remain unspoken, “Life in King George’s Court will have its own demands for her, different from the Admiralty life. Hosting balls, greeting foreign dignitaries… Margaret will not merely be in society. She will be among those leading it.”

“She is a gem, m’dear, we have prepared her quite well. They will have each other to rely on, too.”

~*~ some years later ~*~

“Marrying above one’s station is an art form indeed.”

-- CRASH.

“Swann's wife was just another social climber marrying up for his money & influence”

-- SMASH.

Of all things to insult her for - not her capability as a hostess, not her musicianship, not even her clothes, but her very person! When she was not only an asset to her husband, but also had blossomed into her own person. In merely a few words her entire being reduced to a degrading gold-digger. And even indirectly her own dear husband’s intelligence.

-- CRASH.

Preposterous provocations! The indignation and the venom those words were carried with made her blood boil...

They might as well have said it to her face — to be spoken at a soirée she herself was hosting no less — to ‘accidentally’ hear her own name dragged through the coals on biting tongues.

How dare they! And for what envious justification? Merely existing?

One vase, after another, was struck down, raining down her fury, crumbling before her wrath.

-- Another! CRASH.

Noblesse Oblige.

Talk less. Smile more. Smile and wave... smile and laugh...

When all was said and done — or really only done — she reclined on the sofa, her arm over her eyes, covering them.

Margaret heard the doors into the parlor open and a single pair of footsteps enter but did not remove her arm over her eyes.

“It is a new achievement, Harold, I have exhausted every vase in this room.”

“— Would you like for me to call for Harold, my dear?”

“Weatherby!?” After a long awkward period of silence, her fiery gaze now grew averted and downcast. Without so much as saying a word, she found her way to bury her face in the solace of Weatherby’s loving embrace.

@firstherofirstlove

[botanicallyinclinednerd]

NCIS season 16 episode 20 (spoilers!):

Torres. My man. You did not just ask "who?" George Lucas is. I'm not even an avid star wars fan and I know that. Do you live under a rock? My lord. Even Gibbs knows

I love that Gibbs has fostered this air of technological illiteracy over the years, and yet he actually does know basic technology. This is the second time this season he's stunned Jimmy with his knowledge of simple technology. I mean, im just stunned that he knew the DMV thing. I didn't know that.

O.O Gibbs. I'm shocked. She wasn't a red head.

I love Tim's attitude of "Gibbs voulenteers no information. We must gather the scraps that flutter our way and piece them together. Here is some of my 16 years worth of scrap collecting"

Omg. Torres didn't know about the ex wives

Tim is watching Gibbs

Ah. This might cause some hurt feelings. Because McGee has worked for Gibbs for 16 years. Has been close to him for over a decade. Gibbs is a father figure to him, a man he cares about and respects, a man he trusts with his life. Hes been through a lot with Gibbs. And yet Gibbs voulenteers nothing personal, did not even tell Tim that he was engaged to the victim. And that has to hurt.

Ellie will kill you Nick. You don't mess with a Nerd's comic con. Delilah will get you too, as will McGee. So you better hope you have some badges of your own to give away

Huh. What ever Tim just found, he put in his jacket. Intresting.

The sight of Gibbs on the other side of the table just looking around made me chuckle

Him getting annoyed at his chair and whipping out his knife to level it off

It panning across all of them was great. Them one by one expressing their desire to not die by Gibbs and therefore won't be questioning him, is even better. But Jack grabbing the file to do it herself because she works with children, thats the best.

"That is the whitest thing I have ever heard"

Oopp. What ever Tim found, it contradicts that. That head tilt indicates that Gibbs just lied. Tims angry.

Oh that took a lot out of him. I'm impressed tbh. He stood his ground, told Gibbs he was off the case and he meant it. And Gibbs listened. He went home. Not sure i saw amusement or pride in that smirk, but it was something

Oh wow, I was dead on. Its about Gibbs not trusting him after 16 years (for the record, I think Gibbs does trust him. Deeply)

Every basement conversation on this show is important and relevant. But I really like this one because Tim confronts Gibbs on his bull shit. And, Gibbs locked his door. He locked his door. He doesn't do that.

That's why he keeps them at arms length. Because it never ends well

"Im sorry, did you just compare yourself to a work of art?" "Yes. Yes I did"

End scene good scene

[oberlincollegearchives]

Early Black Graduates of Oberlin College

The Oberlin Collegiate Institute (later Oberlin College) was founded on groundbreaking values in 1833 when it became the first coeducational institution in the United States. Two years later in 1835, Oberlin cemented its progressive standards when the board of trustees adopted a policy allowing all students to receive an education “irrespective of color.”

George Boyer Vashon (1824-78,), born in Carlisle, PA, was Oberlin College’s first black graduate, receiving the A.B. degree in 1844. After finishing his studies, he returned to Pennsylvania to practice law, but was not allowed to be admitted to the bar because of his skin color. Vashon was admitted to the New York state bar in 1848, becoming New York’s first black lawyer. Vashon also had a notable career in education. He was a language teacher in Haiti, president of Avery College in Pittsburgh, PA, Howard University’s first black professor, and professor of mathematics and ancient and modern languages at Alcorn University.

Mary Jane Patterson (1840-94), was born in Raleigh, NC and later moved to Oberlin, OH with her family. She then attended Oberlin College and became the first black woman to ever receive an A.B. degree in 1862. After leaving Oberlin, Patterson dedicated her life to education. She was the assistant to fellow Oberlin graduate Fanny Jackson Coppin at Philadelphia’s Institute for Colored Youth (now the Cheyney University of Pennsylvania), and then taught at Washington D.C.’s Preparatory High School for Colored Youth (now Dunbar High School). She served as the school’s first black principal, and under her leadership the high school gained enrollment and added a teacher training program. Patterson continued to teach at the high school until her death. She also was very active in other organizations for people of color in D.C., including assisting the elderly, rescue work, and teaching organizations.

Three Trailblazing Oberlin Women

The Oberlin College Class of 1884 produced many talented and remarkable graduates. Included in this class are three black women: Mary Church Terrell, Anna Julia Cooper, and Ida Gibbs Hunt, who made their mark on the world in education, women’s rights, and became lifelong colleagues and friends.

Mary Eliza Church Terrell (1863-1954) was born in Memphis, TN and later moved to Oberlin, OH with her family, where she attended high school and then Oberlin College. After her education at Oberlin, she taught at Wilberforce University, and then studied in Europe for two years, becoming fluent in Italian, French, and German. When Terrell returned to the United States, she shifted her focus from her career in education to social activism. She became the first president of the National Association of Colored Women, fought for black women’s suffrage when the National American Women Suffrage Association was more focused on white women, and stood on picket lines to fight for the integration of businesses and schools. The Oberlin College main library is now named for Terrell, and her illustrious career and achievements can be studied at our digital exhibit.

Ida Alexander Gibbs Hunt (1862-1957) was born in Victoria, British Columbia, and later moved to Oberlin, OH. Hunt began her career after college as a teacher, but had to leave her position after her marriage in 1920, as married women were not seen as appropriate teachers for young people. She shifted her focus to worldwide peace issues and racial and gender equality. Hunt assisted W.E.B. DuBois organize Pan-African Congresses, and served as the primary French translator of the 1919 Paris Pan-African Congress, and co-chaired the 1923 London Pan-African Congress. She also organized the first black chapter of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) and served on the board of the Phyllis Wheatley YWCA.

Anna Julia Haywood Cooper (1858-1964) was born into slavery in Raleigh, NC. After completing her studies at Oberlin, Cooper moved to Washington, D.C. and taught Latin at the M Street High School. She left her position there due to her belief that black students should be able to have a classical education, instead of only being offered trade schooling, but later returned. Cooper was a speaker at the World’s Congress of Representative Women in 1893, and spoke at the first Pan-African Congress in 1900. She received a Ph.D. from the Sorbonne in 1924 (at the age of 65), which made her only the fourth black woman to hold a doctorate at that time. Cooper then became president of Frelinghuysen University, a school founded in D.C. to provide black students older than public school age access to schooling.

These are just brief glimpses into the fascinating lives of these Oberlin College alums. For further information on each of them, you can search the African American Registry, or contact us for holdings in the Oberlin College Archives.

[puppy-steve]

⭐️ connor’s 2019 fic rec ⭐️

total fic count: 60

also known as part three to my fic rec series! as usual, all fics are ordered alphabetically by title and all smut is marked with **. please let me know if any links are broken/linked to the wrong page!

and most importantly, please leave a comment and kudos on the fics you’ve enjoyed :)

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4

A Fortunately Unfortunate Afternoon - 4.5k, single chapter author(s): madlysanecatlady fandom(s): Good Omens pairing(s): Aziraphale/Crowley

Crowley doesn't startle easily, and he doesn't startle often, but when he does, there's an unfortunate side effect.

**All Eyes On You - 4.3k, single chapter author(s): Lacerta26 fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Harry Hart | Galahad/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

‘What’s this supposed to be teaching me Harry?’

‘That you can enjoy being looked at, that you can enjoy it when I take you out and show you off,’ Harry whispers in his ear, hand resting entirely too high on Eggsy’s thigh for this stage in the evening.

‘No one’s looking at us, Harry.’

Harry moves his hand to Eggsy’s hip, ‘aren’t they?’

*

Harry shows Eggsy how good it feels to be the centre of attention.

Breathe - 1.3k, single chapter author(s): telanaris fandom(S): The Arcana pairing(s): Julian Devorak/Reader

“Love…” Julian says, voice quiet and tender, comforting as he reaches for your hand, “my darling.” He interlaces your fingers and guides your hand, palm facing down, beneath the white gauze of his shirt to his chest, just over his heart.

You cannot choke back the gasp it wrests from your throats. Whether from the exhilaration of his reanimation, or the ferocity of your kisses, Julian’s heart is pounding, madly, in his chest. The strong rhythm of it is unmistakeable. And every beat of it confirms irrefutably: he is alive, alive, alive.

Bright Young Things - 2,3k, single chapter author(s): keepyourpantsongohan fandom(s): Naruto pairing(s): Hatake Kakashi & Namikaze Minato

Sighing, Minato leads his team into the light. When the man in the clearing gets a look at their faces, his whole body goes shock still. “Sensei?” he says uncertainly.

“Er, hi,” says Minato, with a sheepish wave.

**Bros Helping Bros - series, complete author(s): Tenebrosa fandom(s): Dream Daddy pairing(s): Craig Cahn/Robert Small

Craig needs to loosen the fuck up and damn if Robert isn't the King of Relaxation. How he does it might be a little...unorthodox, but really, who's gonna judge them all the way out here?

Care and Custody - multi-chapter, complete author(s): esama fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Harry Hart | Galahad/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

Eggsy takes out the medal in slightly worse circumstances, asking for a miracle.

**Couples Therapy - series, ongoing author(s): jane_x80 pairing(s): Anthony DiNozzo/Jethro Gibbs fandom(s): NCIS

A serial killer is targeting married gay couples. Gibbs and DiNozzo pose as one such couple, attending couples therapy, in order to flush out and hopefully capture the killer.

Crazy - 3.2k, single chapter author(s): wyvernwolf fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Merlin/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

It's Merlin's sixtieth birthday and he fears Eggsy will do something sappy and romantic. Eggsy does, but not in the way Merlin expects.

**Devour You - 1.7k, single chapter author(s): branewurms fandom(s): The Arcana pairing(s): Julian Devorak/Reader

You take a moment to savor the sight of him. Julian looks the perfect picture of debauched innocence. And isn’t that a ridiculous thought—but he does, with his white shirt still around his shoulders spread wide and baring everything, and that rosy flush spreading from his cheeks all the way down to his heaving chest, staining it a pretty pink.

**Easy Like Sunday Mornin’ - 3.2k, single chapter author(s): howdoyousleep pairing(s): James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers fandom(s): Marvel Cinematic Universe

Today is a Sunday and the universally-accepted laziness of the day may be why Steve finds himself wanting it slow and sweaty and deep. Bucky didn’t ask questions.

Efficient pictorial communication of complex ideas (the kids call it a meme) - multi-chapter, complete author(s): sorrens fandom(s): Good Omens pairing(s): Aziraphale/Crowley, Gabriel/Beelzebub

The one in which Aziraphale is forced headlong into millennial humour trying to work out what Crowley means when he says "Gabriel and Beelzebub are smashing".

Essentially Social Chameleons - 2.6k, single chapter author(s): Lolapola fandom(s): Good Omens pairing(s): Aziraphale/Crowley

In short, Aziraphale and Crowley are not as good at blending in with mortals as they think they are. There are better places to discover this than Newton and Anathema's baby's christening, but, well, we're here now.

Family is Family - 5.3k, single chapter author(s): hexicity fandom(s): Shadowhunters pairing(s): Magnus Bane/Alex Lightwood, Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago,Lydia Brandwell/Isabelle Lightwood

The ad is messily stapled against the public announcement board in the quad.

It looks like someone wrote it with their non-dominant hand in the first pen they found. Its sloppy red ink reads in giant letters: “FOUR BEDROOMS. ONE BATH. PASSABLE KITCHEN. WILLING TO DELAY PAYMENT ON RENT. PLEASE DON’T TRY TO LIVE WITH US IF YOU’RE WEIRD, WE ALREADY HAVE SIMON.”

(or, Alec lives with three strangers and starts to like them more than his actual family)

Feathers on the Bedroom Floor - 1.2k, single chapter author(s): dunk_on_em fandom(s): Good Omens pairing(s): Aziraphale/Crowley

Aziraphale looked to his right to see Crowley, struggling to keep his head aright.

His dear Crowley. The one who had sworn he would leave but ended up coming back. The one who drove a flaming car for hours, just so he could be there to help. The one who stopped the sands of time, just to give Aziraphale a chance to talk to the boy. It was no wonder he was tired. So, so much had been asked of him today. Aziraphale pushed his shoulder gently towards Crowley.

“I don’t mind,” the angel murmured, as gently as he could. “I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

Finding Home - 2.1k, single chapter author(s): roseforthethorns fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Harry Hart | Galahad/Merlin/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

Without realizing it, Eggsy started to fall in love.

What he didn't know is that Harry and Merlin were falling in love with him too.

flour in your hair, love in your heart - 4.1k, single chapter author(s): mirkandmidnight fandom(s): The Song of Achilles pairing(s): Achilles/Patroclus

Here is how it starts. Patroclus takes an opening shift one day in late September, because Briseis has gotten the stomach flu and swears that if she moves from her bed, she may vomit. So he ends up working with Odysseus and Iphigenia, who never does a damn thing but gets to keep her job because she's Fucking Agamemnon's kid, and can you spell nepotism? Patroclus can. That higher education isn't going to waste, oh no.

forever isn’t too long, when i’m right where i belong - multi-chapter, complete author(s): owilde fandom(s): Shadowhunters pairing(s): Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood

Raphael sat on the living room chair, the cup of tea Magnus had practically forced on him balanced on his knee, while Magnus himself was slouched on the sofa, laughing. "You," he wheezed in between hysterical fits of giggles, "are going to propose? To Simon?" Raphael pursed his lips, praying for strength from anyone.

**For Here Is Rest - multi-chapter, complete author(s): Nimravidae fandom(s): Turn: Washington’s Spies pairing(s): Benjamin Tallmadge/George Washington

After a devastating personal loss, Benjamin Tallmadge retreats from the life he knew in Connecticut. Seeking solace, he finds himself in rural Virginia fixing up a small house with only the company of the surrounding woods and his reclusive widower landlord, George Washington.

"Every spirit builds itself a house; and beyond its house a world; and beyond its world, a heaven. Know then, that the world exists for you. Build, therefore, your own world."

Foxes Are Vermin - 1.6k, single chapter author(s): sweetasamuffin fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Harry Hart | Galahad/Merlin/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

Daisy wants to meet her mom. Eggsy's there to help her.

Gold on Your Fingertips (Fingertips Against My Cheek) - 1.8k, single chapter author(s): ziracrow fandom(s): Good Omens pairing(s): Aziraphale/Crowley

Post-apocalypse oneshot after they decide to spend the night at Crowley's flat together.

His Sweet Kiss - 2.1k, single chapter author(s): Frozen Hearts pairing(s): Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier fandom(s): The Witcher

Geralt comes back to camp after hunting a monster only to find Jaskier entangled with....

... himself?

Human Incarnate - multi-chapter, complete author(s): nikkiRA fandom(s): Good Omens pairing(s): Aziraphale/Crowley

“They think I’m immune to demon fire, see,” Aziraphale said, in a slightly airy voice. “So they had to… get creative.”

“Aziraphale, what. Did. They. Do?”

“Can’t you tell?” Aziraphale gave a little laugh. This must be what shock felt like. “Can’t you sense it?” He grabbed Crowley’s hand and pressed it to his chest, so the demon could feel his rapidly beating, very human heart. “I’m a human now, my dear. Very, very mortal.”

Aziraphale is punished. Crowley refuses to accept it. Shenanigans, feelings, and plots ensue.

**I Found Myself With You - multi-chapter, complete author(s): bibliomaniac pairing(s): Jesper Johanssen/Klaus fandom(s): Klaus

After everything settles down, Jesper is trying very hard to not think about how he's developed feelings for Klaus.

Unfortunately, he's not very good at not thinking about it.

More fortunately, it actually doesn't matter that he's not good at it. He never needed to hide in the first place, after all.

If We’ve Got Nothing (We’ve Got Us) - multi-chapter, complete author(s): Kedreeva fandom(s): Good Omens pairing(s): Aziraphale/Crowley

Two months after the world didn't end, Aziraphale finds the first dark feather growing in his wings.

**Intelligent Design - 5.5k, single chapter author(s): manic_intent pairing(s): Alexios/Brasidas fandom(s): Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

“What are you doing here, sister?” Alexios scowled as he stalked through the sun-dappled olive grove. “Sparta is mine.”

“Don’t be so childish.” Kassandra was leaning in the shade of a tree, watching something in a glade beyond. She wore a golden cuirass hung with intricately patterned leather straps, gems, and purple strips. Her helmet was nowhere to be seen, her thick braid curled over one blue-cloaked shoulder. The Aegis was strapped to her back with her spear, though Medusa’s head was sealed out of the battlefield, visible only as a fine etching on shining brass.

**i see it, i like it, i want it, i got it - 2.7k, single chapter author(s): hellstrider pairing(s): Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier fandom(s): The Witcher

he's not entirely certain if it's sincere, when it starts.

I took heart from his eyes on mine - 3.3k, single chapter author(s): madeoutoflight fandom(s): The Song of Achilles pairing(s): Achilles/Patroclus

Achilles knows his destiny, has always known it—it has been written since before he was born. There is one detail the prophecies have left out, however, and it turns out to be the most important of all.

it was stolen (or exchanged) - 3.8k, single-chapter author(s): wolfiery fandom(s): Shadowhunters pairing(s): Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago

“Oh my god,” Simon baffles, sounding horrified as soon as he recognizes the song playing that’s echoing throughout the whole lounge. “Is this Mozart? Are you listening to Requiem Introitus?”

Raphael feels the annoying start of goosebumps when the fledgling starts speaking to him, interrupting a perfectly quiet evening to enjoy reading. It seems he was wrong.

“The Death Mass,” Simon explains with disbelief. “Even for an immortal, that’s incredibly morbid of you.”

**like gold - 1.8k, single chapter author(s): fernic fandom(s): The Song of Achilles pairing(s): Achilles/Patroclus

Patroclus answers by kissing his open palm, tracing along the very lines of fate that he desperately wants to change.

Look Both Ways (Before You Cross the Street) - 5.4k, single chapter author(s): ForevermoreNevermore pairing(s): Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier fandom(s): The Witcher

The forest is greener than Jaskier thinks he's ever seen it. Until it's suddenly not.

_____

Or, it's all fine and dandy until you get attacked by bandits.

love isn’t always magic (sometimes it’s just melting) - 3.3k, single chapter autor(s): mostlikelydefinitelymad fandom(s) Shadowhunters pairing(s): Simon Lewis/Raphael santiago

He can hear Simon's breath hitching (breathing, you must or the mundanes will notice) the closer he gets, can smell the hot blood in his veins and thinks:

Don't leave me in this heaven alone. Don't go.

A hand cups his cheek, lips against his ear. "I was an idiot, I'm sorry."

loving you’s a bloodsport - multi-chapter, ongoing author(s): tolvsmol fandom(s): One Direction pairing(s): Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

harry is a bratty prince, louis is a guard who works in his palace, and niall is the only who's got his life in control.

Magnets and Dust - 2.5k, single chapter author(s): graceling_in_a_suit fandom(s): One Direction pairing(s): Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Harry moved closer, ignoring the red flashing of his LED display and the ever-present announcement, foreign object, foreign object.

He wanted to read it. He wanted to understand it.

To his dismay, the only letters he could make out were, l o u i s, spaced far enough apart that Harry knew they weren’t supposed to form a word.

Or: the story of Roombrry and Tinouis.

**Of Coin and Candlelight - 2.2k, single chapter author(s): coffeeandcas pairing(s): Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier fandom(s): The Witcher

After getting caught in a rainstorm, Geralt and Jaskier find creative ways to warm each other up.

On the Road to East Flubria - 3k, single-chapter author(s): ant5b pairing(s): Guy Am-I/Sam I-Am fandom(s): Green Eggs and Ham

They’re 888,888,001 zilometers away, and it’s raining.

Pray For Us, Icarus - series, complete author(s): Atalan fandom(s): Good Omens pairing(s): Aziraphale/Crowley

For three centuries, Crowley has been reincarnated over and over as a human with no memory of his past. Aziraphale has tried to find a way to restore him to his true self, but all he seems to do is hurt them both. This time, he only means to steal a brief moment when he walks into Crowley's flower shop. But Crowley can't let it go...

Revelation - 2.7k, single chapter author(s): zebraljb fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Harry Hart | Galahad/Merlin/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

Alphas Merlin and Harry adore their omega Eggsy. They come home from work to a surprise dinner and an anxious scent coming from their lad.

Ring Around and All That Jazz - multi-chapter, complete author(s): Pemberley_Press fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Harry Hart | Galahad/Merlin/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

Eggsy Unwin knows the facts about soulmates just like everyone else,but it was still what he wished for and dreamt of.

He continues to dream even though he knows that a scentless beta like him has no hope of ever having one soulmate, let alone two.

But a boy can still dream yea?

**Runaway - multi-chapter, complete author(s): grumblebee fandom(s): Turn: Washington’s Spies pairing(s): Benjamin Tallmadge/George Washington

Benjamin Tallmadge, through unfortunate circumstance, can no longer go to Yale. With home life becoming unbearably toxic, he leaves home in the dead of night in search of a better life. His new life takes him to the Appalachian Trail, miles and miles of wilderness that stretch down the East Coast. Ben forages, hunts (pitifully) and pretends he is just another hiker doing the 6 month trek. But summer is waning, and the first cold snaps are rough in the mountains. Barely making shelter, Ben hunkers down for what might be his last night. But someone else is here. And well, what would you do if you were a runaway; cold and alone, when a tall man offers you a warm bed for the night...

Runaway Land - multi-chapter, complete author(s): daggerinrose fandom(s): One Direction pairing(s): Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Louis is sure he’s stumbled upon a secret, underground nightclub, though that is far from the truth. He’s also pretty sure he’s stumbled upon Apollo, which… isn’t very far from the truth, actually.

Modern Greek mythology AU.

**Save the Last Dance for Me - multi-chapter, ongoing author(s): Wonderdyke fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Harry Hart | Galahad/Merlin/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

Eggsy was used to being the ‘bit “o’ rough’. Used to being the pretty little omega that rich tits liked to pluck outta the gutter and promise the moon to. All “bond with me and you’ll never work again”. Since only ten percent of the population were omegas and forty alphas it was not surprising that those with money and power tried to buy them a pretty little piece like Eggsy to keep safe and pregnant… even if he were a bloke. ~ Harry turned, unbuttoning his cuffs and gently rolling them up to his elbows. Merlin's husband was a fucking menace, a temptation in a bespoke suit and he knew exactly what he was doing; what sort of intimations those slim fingers were making as they bared his forearms. Damn him for a fool but even after their many years together he was utterly besotted with the man. ~ Harry heard Merlin growl in his ear, rough and predatory but not jealous. Possessive. Harry was fairly sure the sound was meant for the boy, and not his husband. Harry would’ve happily teased the other alpha about it, except his blood was rushing in his ears and he was hard enough to hammer nails.

**Shutterbug - 2.4k, single chapter author(s): grumblebee fandom(s): Turn: Washington’s Spies pairing(s): Benjamin Tallmadge/George Washington

Ben is not excited about making a trip back to Setauket for Thanksgiving weekend. Dinners at home are tense, and awful, and he'd rather be at home in Virginia with George. In a moment of homesick fueled inspiration, Ben decides to snap a few naked pictures of George to take with him on his trip. George, in turn, asks for a little something on camera to keep for himself.

Sleepsong - 1.6k, single chapter author(s): QueenForADay pairing(s): Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier fandom(s): The Witcher

Some part of him wishes that people could see this – the man that they all fear so much, the Witcher, a hunter of the supernatural and evil, placated by his bard’s voice, melting into his arms. All he’s missing is hearing Geralt purr like a housecat. Every so often, Jaskier’s ears prick at the sound of a murmur of a hum leaving the other man, particularly when Jaskier presses a kiss to the crown of Geralt’s head, or runs his foot along the length of Geralt’s bared leg.

And at the same time, he would gladly pick up a sword and kill anyone who even thought of intruding on a moment like this.

**Slumber - 4k, single chapter author(s): howdoyousleep pairing(s): James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers fandom(s): Marvel Cinematic Universe

“Bucky, honey. Can’t get enough even when you’re sleepin’, huh?”

so cruelly you kissed me - 1.7k, single chapter author(s): litathesissy pairing(s): Geralt of Rivia/Jaskeir fandom(s): The Witcher

Jaskier is a soft thing. Delicate in all the ways Geralt is not. He supposes this is always true, always obvious.

**Sold My Soul To A Three Piece - multi-chapter, ongoing author(s): Comp_Lady fandom(s): Turn: Washington’s Spies pairing(s): Benjamin Tallmadge/George Washington

Love, as Paul told the Corinthians, is patient, and kind. It does not envy. It does not boast, it is not proud, it is not rude or self-seeking. Love is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. It does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Ben is a sub, his first long term contract with a Dom ended abruptly. Leaving him drifting in waters he’s never really explored before. After over a year of keeping his head down and subsisting on small scenes with different Doms Ben finds himself wanting more. Wanting something that will last.

George is a Dom with a long line training contracts and episodic scenes in his younger years. Now he wants something permanent. He wants a sub who he doesn’t have to train from the ground up. A sub he can build something good with.

They meet at a club.

**Speak Love - series, ongoing author(s): zebraljb fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Merlin/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

Eggsy is a shy young man rendered almost speechless by years of abuse by his ex-stepfather. He starts his first day at Merlin Software by getting stuck in an elevator with a handsome Scottish man.

stained glass variation of the truth - 1.5k, single chapter author(s): mostlikelydefinitelymad fandom(s): Shadowhunters pairing(s): Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago

"Why are you here?"

Raphael's carefully sewn stitches are coming undone after decades of holding himself together and he lets them.

Thunder cracks with a loud boom, Simon takes two steps forward.

"To be honest, I don't know. I started walking and every sidewalk kept leading me back here."

Take Me Home - 1.8k, single chapter author(s): Casey_Wolfe fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Harry Hart | Galahad/Merlin/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

There was a cough, and then a strained, “Harry? Eggsy?”

**Talk to Me - multi-chapter, complete author(s): zebraljb fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Merlin/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

Eggsy is a shy young man rendered almost speechless by years of abuse by his ex-stepfather. He starts his first day at Merlin Software by getting stuck in an elevator with a handsome Scottish man.

The Litmus Test - 5.5k, single chapter author(s): bokunoanime fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Harry Hart | Galahad/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

“Drop your fucking weapon now!” the man with the gun trained on the boy was shouting.

The boy spit blood and stretched his jaw as he watched Simon, frozen in place. “I don’t fink ‘e’s gonna listen, bruv,” the chav accent thick as it spilled from his bruised and swollen lips. “Leave the Princess out of this, an’ fight me like a man eh?” His sneer at his captor earned him another backhand across his cheek and Tilde screamed. Simon jumped at the action, watching as the man behind Tilde seemed to grow complacent.

Simon weighed his options.

OR:

The one where Merlin has a new final test for his new recruits. (Because shooting a dog was never a good judge of character.)

**The Man with Too Much Power - multi-chapter, complete author(s): CherryEmbly fandom(s): Junjou Romantica pairing(s): Takahashi Misaki/Usami Akihiko

Marukawa Publishing wishes to partner with the famed author Akihiko Usami for an interesting adaptation to his best selling novel, but he's left the entire decision up to his young boyfriend, much to the editor's dismay.

The Prime Minister and the Tea Boy - multi-chapter, complete author(s): LelithSugar, Paxdracona fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Harry Hart | Galahad/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

HART THROB IN NUMBER TEN proclaims The Sun’s front page the day Harry Hart takes up residence as Prime Minister. He can’t say he was really expecting to become a sex symbol at the age of fifty two and the peak of a divisive political career, but at this point, Britain was going to fancy pretty much anything.

**The Way You Kiss Me Will Work Each Time - multi-chapter, complete author(s): givemesumaurgravy pairing(s): Cal Price/Garrett Laughlin fandom(s): Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“Fuck, you’re cute,” Cal says, though it’s quiet and Garrett can’t really be sure he’s heard him right.

And just like that two things become really clear to Garrett: One (1) Cal Price is really fucking attractive Two (2) Garrett would really like to kiss him

the world is watching - 4k, single chapter author(s): spraycansoul pairing(s): Eric Bittle/Jack Zimmermann fandom(s): Check, Please!

Or: five times Jack Zimmermann accidentally interrupted a vlog, and one time it was deliberate

Umbrella Shotgun - multi-chapter, complete author(s): Stratisphyre fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Harry Hart | Galahad/Merlin/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

Less than forty-eight hours after the total destruction of Statesman, Agent Tequila, Ginger Ale, and a reluctant lepidopterist find themselves in a tailor shop in Savile Row.

whispers of earl grey - 2k, single chapter author(s): wildenessat221b fandom(s): Good Omens pairing(s): Aziraphale/Crowley

The apocalypse was supposed to change the universe.

It didn't.

A cup of Earl Grey tea came far, far closer.

(crowley struggles after the averted apocalypse, until he doesn't anymore.)

With Care - 2.3k, single chapter author(s): angel_ponders fandom(s): Good Omens pairing(s): Aziraphale/Crowley

After the apocalypse, Aziraphale finds a kitten outside of his shop.

you messed my life (it’s some kinda wonderful) - 2.6k, single chapter author(s): mostlikelydefinitelymad fandom(s): Shadowhunters pairing(s): Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood

"I love you," Simon murmurs. "More than coffee," he adds with a grin.

For him it's the ultimate declaration of love because yeah, frappés. Raphael hopes he never gets used to the awkward comic relief that is Simon Lewis, hopes he wakes up every night to eyes reflecting love back at him and argues with him for an eternity.

**you taste like the fourth of july - 5k, single chapter author(s): canniballatrix fandom(s): Kingsman pairing(s): Harry Hart | Galahad/Gary “Eggsy” Unwin

It isn't as if he's ever had the time or inclination for pursuits of the romantic sort before...before Eggsy came along, all smart mouth and vulnerable eyes that he tried so hard to hide behind squared shoulders and an insouciantly tilted chin, and Harry had been helpless to deny him anything: and here Eggsy is, handing him his most tightly locked away fantasy on a fucking platter, soft and pliant and fucking perfect for him.

He's never loved anyone more in his life.

[amphibious-thing]

Did Washington let Hamilton and Laurens share a cabin at Valley Forge?

A story I’ve seen floating around a lot is that Washington gave Hamilton and Laurens a cabin to share at Valley Forge, and that this is somehow evidence that Washington was accepting of homosexuality. I think this belief came from this article (that doesn’t properly source anything) which writes:

[Washington’s] concern for his male colleagues clearly extended to their personal lives. This was especially true of Hamilton, whom he brought with him to Valley Forge, giving Hamilton a cabin to share with his then-lover, John Laurens, to whom Hamilton had written passionate love letters that are still extant.

This makes it sound like Hamilton went to Washington and asked “can I share a cabin with my lover Laurens?” and Washington said something like “of course you can, you know how I love and support you and your relationship with Laurens.”

This seems really unlikely to me.

First off I’ve not seen any primary source evidence that confirms whether or not they shared a cabin at Valley Forge. If you visit the Potts house they have this room set up at the aide-de-camp room.

As you can see it’s a pretty small room. The Historic Furnishings Report places three folding camp beds in this room. As there was between 7-9 aide-de-camps there at certain times it seems unlikely they all slept in that one small room. It’s possible that one or two of the aides may have slept in the smaller bedroom when there wasn’t a guest however what did they do when there was a guest?.

It’s possible that the aides (or some of the aides) may have slept in the garret, as it’s said John Laurens hit his head on the ceiling there. However It’s thought that the servants probably slept in the garret and there wouldn't be enough room for the aides and the servants.

It’s speculated that they may have slept in a cabin built out the back of the Potts house. On the 7th of March Martha Washington wrote “the Generals apartment is very small he has had a log cabben built to dine in which has made our quarters much more tolerable than they were at first.” In his book George Washington's Indispensable Men, Arthur Lefkowitz speculates that this cabin “was probably used as an office and dining area during the day and provided additional sleeping quarters for the headquarters staff at night.” (p135) If we assume Lefkowitz is correct and the dining cabin was indeed also used as sleeping quarters for the aides we still have to wonder where the aides slept before it was built. Martha indicates that it was built after her arrival at Valley Forge which was “about the first of February”. Washingtons army had been at Valley forge since the 19 of December.

It’s said that Washington (and presumably his aides) slept in tents with the enlisted men until the huts were built. However in reality they moved into the Potts house on Christmas Eve and not all the huts were completed until sometime latter. This leaves at least 40 days between moving into the Potts house and the construction of the log cabin. So where did the aides sleep? The answer to that might indeed be the second bedroom.

Alexander Hamilton and Caleb Gibbs had been sent on a mission to Albany and neither arrived back until 20th of January and even after arriving at Valley Forge it’s possible that Gibbs slept with the Life Guard rather than the aides. James McHenry didn’t join staff until the 15th of May. And no one is quite sure whether Peter Presley Thornton was there at all. So between 24th of December and the 20th of January we’re looking at probably 5-6 men in the second bedroom, if we assume it was two to a bed while probably not the most comfortable it’s possible.

During the 1779-1780 winter encampment at Morristown Washingtons staff stayed at the Ford Mansion where “Washington had a large upstairs bedroom reserved for himself and his wife. The aides shared the remaining two bedrooms sleeping on their folding camp beds.” (Lefkowitz p197) Much like at Valley Forge at Morristown they had built a large log structure. At Morristown the log cabin “butted up against the side of the mansion and the new doorway to Washington's office ... A visitor typically entered the mansion through the log building. He was met by a headquarters officer of the day who was stationed there. This officer probably belonged to the Commander in Chief's Guard. He would determine the visitor's business and direct him accordingly. If someone had an appointment with His Excellency, the officer could take the visitor from the log building, through the doorway cut in the wall, directly into Washington's office.” (Lefkowitz p196) Lefkowitz speculates that the “arrival of important visitors probably required the aides to move their sleeping quarters out of the house to the log office building.” (p197) This is supported by McHenry’s poem which describes the aides waking up in a hut.

It’s quite plausible that the same happened at Valley Forge and that earlier on in the winter they slept in the second bedroom and latter moved to the log dining cabin to make room for guests. It’s also worth noting that Martha Washington had a sitting room at the Potts house which is described as being “near the small room” if you look at the floor plan this is clearly the ‘aides room’. So perhaps the aides were moved into the log cabin to make room for Mrs. Washington’s sitting room after her arrival.

So while it seems likely that Hamilton and Laurens did share a cabin at Valley Forge, they were probably sharing it with 4-7 other men. It’s hardly the sexy scenario the article seems to imply.

But wait you might be saying, if we don’t necessarily know where the aides slept is it possible that Hamilton and Laurens shared a cabin just the two of them? The answer to that is yes, it’s certainly possible. Lefkowitz writes that it has been “speculated that a number of temporary huts were also built near the house to further accommodate the large headquarters staff. Evidence for the construction of a log building onto the back of the Potts house comes from the fact that a soldier named Gideon Savage kept a diary, which mentions that he worked at Washington's quarters for several days during mid January 1778. Savage worked as a carpenter before joining the army.”

The huts at Valley Forge were “fourteen by sixteen each—sides, ends and roofs made with logs, and the roof made tight with split slabs—or in some other way—the sides made tight with clay—fire-place made of wood and secured with clay on the inside eighteen inches thick, this fire-place to be in the rear of the hut—the door to be in the end next the street—the doors to be made of split oak-slabs, unless boards can be procured—Side-walls to be six and a half-feet high—” It was 12 enlisted men to a hut but officers would have less people per hut. So it’s possible that Laurens slept in the second bedroom with the other aides until mid January when these huts were supposedly built. When Hamilton arrived on the 20th on Jan he may have joined Laurens in the hut.

However even if we assume this was the case, space was tight and platonic bed sharing was a normal thing in America at the time. It was not uncommon for complete strangers of the same sex to share a bed together at an Inn if there was little space. A custom that was not appreciated by many European visitors. In 1816 Lt. John Le Couteur, a British army officer and Captain George Thew Burke traveled through New York together, Le Couteur complained in his diary:

There was only one spare bed, a small one, which of course I insisted Burke should take. The Yankee Landlord wished me to take half of it as a matter of course but I said: "we Britishers were particular on that pint.' ''Then,'' said mine host, "I guess if you don't chuse to take half a bed with some one, you'll jist sleep in a cheer [chair] or by the kitchen fire'

Another example of this cultural difference can be found in this amusing anecdote from Pierre Du Ponceau’s autobiography:

One evening at an Inn in Virginia, a Frenchman and a Virginian were discussing about the manners of their respective countries. The American exclaimed violently against the horrid custom of the French of kissing one another at meeting and parting. The Frenchman made no answer, but as it was late, he took his candle and went up to bed. He was soon followed by the Virginian who after undressing came to take his place in the same bed with his companion "Stop, Sir," said the Frenchman, "that won't do—I shall kiss you as much as you please, but by Jupiter, I'll not sleep with you."

However bed sharing was not always merely an act of necessity, E. Anthony Rotundo explains in his article on romantic friendship:

Perhaps it is not too much to suggest that in an era before central heating, the body warmth of an already beloved bedmate may have been so welcome as to be a source of emotional as well as physical pleasure. This was, after all, a culture that fervently contrasted the secure and cozy warmth of home with the coldness of a cruel and heartless world outside... A bed, when shared with a special person, could become a nest of intimacy, a place of casual touch and confidential talk.

Once we recognize that this possibility of intimacy in bed could exist in an era when men slept together as a casual occurrence, then we can see the spectrum of meanings that attached to the act of sharing a bed - a spectrum that spread out from the incidental (and often annoying) contact of strange bedfellows, to the body warmth of fond brothers, to the embraces of Wyck Vanderhoef and James Blake, and on to the loving kisses of Albert Dodd and Anthony Halsey. 

So while sharing a bed may be an emotionally and even physically intimate experience for Hamilton and Laurens it’s unlikely anyone would have thought twice about Hamilton and Laurens sharing a bed let alone a cabin. In fact it’s likely they would have been required to share sleeping quarters (and possibly even a bed at times) due to lack of space.

So while it’s possible that Hamilton and Laurens may have shared a cabin a Valley Forge, and its certainly likely Washington would have been aware of his aides sleeping quarters, the idea that Washington gave them a cabin to share and that this is somehow proof of him being super gay friendly seems like a bit of a misapprehension to me.

TL;DR: It’s very likely Hamilton and Laurens shared sleeping quarters at Valley Forge, and Washington would have almost certainly been aware of that. However they probably did not have their own quarters (just the two of them) and even if they did it would not be considered unusual for them to share the same sleeping quarters or even the same bed. If Washington was aware of a sexual relationship between Hamilton and Laurens he (as far as I’m aware) left no evidence of that knowledge.

[theawkwardterrier]

things left behind and the things that are ahead, ch. 6

AO3 link here

They take the train up from Washington. They had driven down the first time - though they hadn’t left Howard’s until Bucky was healthy enough to travel, he was still breaking in some ways, wildly fragile. They needed to have no one else around, needed the time and ability to stop on the roadside so Bucky could gasp in fresh air and scream through clenched teeth because just sitting in a car with people he trusted made him feel closed-in and trapped.

Bucky sits between them at first, all of them pretending that it’s simply the order they entered the row rather than a supportive bracketing. He switches seats with Peggy after about an hour, trying to use the scenery rushing past the window as a distraction. His fingers, both sets, curl and uncurl in his lap. He had planned on leaving the arm behind - the one Howard made for him detaches fairly easily, and he figured that seeing him simply missing a limb would in some ways be easier than the blunt, inhuman metal - but changed his mind at the last minute. This is part of him now, whenever he wanted it to be, and he tries to convince himself it will be better for everyone to face that from that start.

Peggy puts her hand over his balled fists before he even registers exactly how tightly they are clenched.

They had tried at first to get him reacclimated in New York. Howard’s large house had been fine when that just meant finding his memories again, when it was only about having a quiet place where everyone understood nightmares and knew to step loudly and never to touch Bucky when he wasn’t ready for it. It had worked well enough when it was just Steve and Bucky, the quiet and caring Jarvises, Peggy on the weekends and Howard dashing in and out. And they all had thought that the city - large and anonymous, the site of so many remarkable things - would be the perfect place to start when it came time to take on somewhere more public; any scene Bucky caused would be forgotten by the time the witnesses reached the next block. But it was all too newly familiar, too overwhelming with strangers and crowded with memories, too much.

They hadn’t had a chance to visit Brooklyn. (If Steve were a bit more selfish, it would hurt that he still hasn’t seen those ever familiar streets, the place he still goes when he dreams. As it is, he doesn't even have time to think about it as more than a hope for his friend.) On Bucky’s hoarse, wild-eyed orders, they hadn’t even mentioned to his family that he had been found.

Peggy and Steve’s neighborhood in DC was easier. In the type of close-knit environment that they had thought best avoided, where everyone knew their names and no one forgot exactly who they had seen shatter one of the cafe’s mugs into an explosion of porcelain dust just from hearing old Mrs. Eissenmann’s accent, they found compassion. Al noticed the way Bucky flinched away from photos of Korea and East Berlin on the newspaper fronts, and tucked them away so that the covers of Life and The Saturday Evening Post were visible instead. Bucky learned to answer questions about his arm from the innocent, interested ones the kids asked before they were hushed by their parents. The ticket taker at the movie house, Eddy Carroll from two streets over, didn’t say anything as Steve and Bucky left in the middle of Annie Get Your Gun twice because the sound of even comical movie gunfire made Bucky flinch and go cold and grasp for a gun of his own.

There were other people in the neighborhood who had served. There was a look that Bucky recognized when they passed each other in the street, a certain shift to alertness at car horns sounded suddenly, and when they asked him to have a beer with them, he said yes. While Steve and Peggy went out on one of their evenings together, he sat on a barstool with these men who would become his friends and talked about favorite books and movies and radio programs, about the best ballgames they’d seen, about the particular, muffled punch of a bullet entering flesh and the strange, grim, necessary realization that you were the one to put it there.

“Why did you invite me tonight?” he asked, walking home with Charlie Gibbs in the place by his side that was usually Steve’s. “You don’t even know me, but you’ve probably guessed that I’m more of a handful than most.”

Charlie chewed his toothpick thoughtfully for a moment. He took it out and held it between his fingers as he said, “We all have brothers who didn’t come back. We have to be there for the ones that did, even if they left a piece of themselves behind. Code of war doesn’t end just because the treaty’s been signed.”

And when the cold came, not as bad there as in New York or the Alps or Russia or places that he can’t quite and might never remember, when the cold came and made Bucky shiver and wish for a hot drink but didn’t leave him paralyzed with the fear of what might come, he said that he was ready to go home.

They called ahead. Of course they did.

“Can you imagine, someone you love and thought was dead just turning up out of the sky as you’re trying to eat your breakfast?” Peggy asked, eyes wide in pretend shock.

“I thought it was a good surprise,” Steve said defensively.

“Oliver in the kitchen has taken a liking to me, as you well know. I think the extra treat I get with my order is all the surprise I need.” She gave his hand a fond touch on the tabletop, regardless of her words or her arch tone.

“Fine, everyone knows you’re adorable, you can quit showing it off,” Bucky said, and it was the joking eyeroll more than anything that convinced them that he was ready.

They can see Mrs. Barnes from down the block. She is wearing a navy dress with creamy lace trim - her church dress, Steve is sure, even if it is not the gray number with the big silver broach that he remembers from his childhood. She stands on her front steps, solid as a lighthouse. Bucky’s father is most likely inside; he had always gotten emotional easily and never liked to show it in public.

It’s a chilly, overcast Tuesday, the middle of a morning that threatens rain or snow or both. The street is empty of the usual schoolkids or housewives chatting to their neighbors with shopping in hand. It makes it easier: no one to double take and recognize them, catch them up in excited conversation. It makes it harder, the overly noticeable sound of their footsteps seeming a driving echo as they move closer.

“You remember back in ‘26, when I was sick from Halloween until New Year’s?” Steve asks, because Bucky is pulling sharp breaths through his nose and his shoulders are set with a statue’s rigidity.

The beginning of the familiar story seems to ease something. “They had the priest in for last rites twice that time, didn’t they?”

“Three times, I think,” Steve says with a casual shrug, at which Peggy looks vaguely horrified. “You kept trying to play truant, coming up the fire escape when no one was looking.”

“And I started getting escorted to school, but my ma couldn’t stay all day, so she told my cousin Frankie to sit on the street corner and scream if he saw me coming.” Bucky leans over and says conspiratorially to Peggy, “I would give Frankie a penny a week to keep his trap shut. He was a soft touch.”

“But then my mother asked Sister Mary Bernardus to sit with me while she went to work, and that nun almost kicked you out the window when she saw your face coming over the sill while she was just trying to pray the Rosary,” Steve finishes with a muted smile. He bumps Bucky’s shoulder with his. “If you could still face your mother after that, you can face her now.”

And then she is coming down to meet them, slow and careful even in her sensible, square-toed shoes. She holds onto the handrail, although there’s no ice on the steps. Bucky has stopped two houses away - the Green’s place, or it had been fifteen years ago. He seems as if he can’t move forward. Any shimmer of ease has gone out of him again.

Mrs. Barnes walks the rest of the way to him herself. Steve had forgotten how small and solid she looks beside her son. She reaches her hands up and holds his face between them, and doesn’t say anything for a long moment.

When she finally speaks, it is in that husky voice with its second-generation Irish tinge. Somewhere inside himself, Steve still expects to hear his mother’s bright call twining with hers, a harmony of care. “James. My boy, come back to me.”

Bucky stays very still. “Hi, Ma,” he manages, and lets her lead him inside.

Bucky’s family had always seemed enormous to Steve, though anything would have when compared with a pair of Rogerses. Winifred Barnes was the youngest of three sisters, George had four brothers, and most of the extended clan lived close enough to take the streetcar if they couldn’t walk. The Barnes place had always been so full.

Without it being mentioned, they haven’t asked anyone over today. George is sitting in his usual chair. Bucky’s sister Josephine stands over his shoulder, her body taut beneath her neat sweater. Rebecca paces the room, a baby in her arms, and Steve’s first thought is that she’s too young for that, just a baby herself, but that isn’t true anymore. The man who must be Becca’s husband sits looking more awkward than anyone - perhaps because he’s entirely a stranger to Bucky, perhaps because he’s all gangly limbs, too tall for the furniture.

“It looks the same,” Bucky says, taking in the faded wallpaper, once a patterned green now white, the heavy old General Electric wall clock which still has the crack across the face, the good lace cloth dressing up the table. The scent of coffee from the ever-boiling pot fills the place, and it is this that makes Steve remember how long it has truly been since he was last here: growing up, he would never have even noticed it.

Mrs. Barnes has set out a stack of saucers and one of her delectably heavy lemon pound cakes on the tabletop. As she leads Steve, Peggy and Bucky over to sit around it, she still hasn’t let go of her son’s hands.

Becca bursts into tears, which makes the baby start wailing too. George covers his eyes with his palms, the unknown husband looks entirely out of his depth, and Peggy stands again. “Let’s have a seat,” she says, guiding Becca over beside her husband. She gets her settled against the cushions, then passes the baby from his mother’s arms to his startled but silent father. Peggy strokes a soothing hand over the baby’s crown as she completes the transfer; it doesn’t help but does make Becca give a shaky little smile. The radio is over in the corner and Peggy walks over, snaps it on, and tunes it quickly until she finds an afternoon symphony program on WNYC. She adjusts the volume to midlevel and turns back.

“For the neighbors,” she explains as she comes over to rejoin Steve by the table. Once again, as always, Steve is impressed: the Barnes apartment is the entire first floor of the frame house, but that doesn’t entirely mean privacy. He hadn’t even considered that anyone else might be home, but now that he thinks about it, the water rushing through the pipes isn’t coming from anyone in this room.

“How did you get here?” Josie asks suddenly. She hasn’t so much as shifted through the outburst of chaos.

“The subway,” Bucky tells her promptly, and she snaps, “Don’t give me that, James Barnes,” in what must be her schoolteacher voice now. Steve’s already familiar with it: Josie was younger than Bucky by a bit less than a year, but she had always acted the big sister to the both of them. “We got an army notification half a decade ago that you’d been killed. We got a letter from—” She turns on Steve. “And you. What are you doing here looking ten years older than you should instead of dead from saving the world?”

“Josephine,” says Mrs. Barnes, warning in her tone, “they’re back. What does it matter where they’ve been?” But her husband lifts his face and says, mastering himself with clear effort, “No, Winifred, I would also like to know exactly what’s happened.”

“What’s wrong with your arm?” Becca asks, her voice very soft, as if it is being trapped in the needlepoint pillow she has pressed against her chest.

The version they tell is one they've practiced, a snipped and pasted version of the truth, but Steve still isn’t a particularly good liar. It's not that he doesn't trust these people who have been family to him - he knows that they would never go to the police or the press with anything he told them, that they wouldn’t gossip about it in the shops. But they have never seen a person explode in front of them in a blue flash, have known his transformation only as something already completed out of sight. Their lives have been so normal, untouched by direct contact with the strange and wonderful and terrible things with which Steve is familiar.

Unless he misses his guess, the baby Rebecca's husband is currently rocking back to sleep is Jimmy Proctor. Steve has met him as a sixty year old man, a former railroad engineer with a million stories of an entirely typical childhood sparkling with the little memories his mother would recall of her brother. He doesn't want to take that from all of them.

So, knowing his own abilities, he is careful with his contributions, letting Bucky and Peggy tell most of the story: of Steve suspended in the ice, the serum effecting him in unexpected ways, of his being found and coming to Washington, the information slipped to Peggy that made them go looking for Bucky in the first place. Bucky doesn’t remember many of the details of his time in captivity anyway; Peggy glosses over it with quick compassion that brings them past without the rest of the Barnes family asking for more information.

Watching Bucky now, Steve finds himself remembering more than ever his friend as he was. Buck had always been the one to tell the stories, to make excuses and conjure the sweet, sly smiles to get them out of trouble. Bucky now, Bucky as he once would have been, is quieter. Steve doesn't mind it, but it's more noticeable back in this familiar place.

There's a silence when the story has finished.

"And now you're fine?" Josie asks finally. She has begun to lean on the back of her father's chair, not softening as much as weakening when confronted with it all. "Now you're back?"

"For now," Bucky says.

His mother looks up from the hands she has clenched in her lap. "What do you mean by that? We've a room here for you while you get yourself settled. There's no reason to go anywhere. I’m sure your things can be sent up for you."

"Ma," Bucky says gently, "I don't think I'm ready yet."

"And why is that?" She draws herself up straight, some of the strict force coming back into her tone. "You're doing just fine, and what would you do somewhere else anyway?"

Steve opens his mouth, but Bucky says, "One day I might come to stay, but now there's a life I'm trying to make down in Washington. I'd like to see how it turns out."

"So I'm never to see you?" She turns to her husband with a cry. "Listen to this boy of yours, George."

"Mama." Steve knows that it's the way Bucky sighs it that makes the difference, that brings the tension from the room. "Of course you’ll see me. I'm going to come back."

"And when will that be?" George asks.

"It's three weeks until Christmas," Bucky points out. "I think I could use a good Brooklyn Christmas."

"All of you," Winifred commands, standing suddenly and clapping her hands together. She pulls the cake plate toward herself and begins to cut slices. "You'll all come for Christmas. Unless there's some other family I don't know of?" She looks askance at Peggy.

"We shall reserve tickets on our way back," Peggy says with equanimity.

"Home again for Christmas, then," says Winifred, satisfied enough as she begins handing out cake.

Later, Bucky will hold his namesake for the first time and Rebecca will cry again, and so will George. Later, Rebecca’s husband will be introduced and will not wince as his hand is shaken three times with a bit too much force to be strictly comfortable. Later, Mrs. Barnes will try to give her cake recipe to Peggy only to have it intercepted by Steve. Later, Steve will notice Bucky taking himself into the kitchen for a moment alone before they are pressed to stay the night. Later, they will lie in the preserved bedroom with its old Dodgers scorecards peeling from the walls, and Bucky will tease Steve for not daring to mention that there’s really no reason to have him and Peggy in separate rooms based on their sleeping arrangements back home. Later, they will lie awake for a long time before they are finally lulled by the familiar sounds outside the window. But for now:

"Home again," Steve agrees softly, and digs into his piece of cake.

Previous chapters here

[nemesisbinxartifactseries]

Artifact Series J

J. Allen Hynek's Telescope

J. Edgar Hoover's Tie

J. McCullough's Golf Ball

J. Templer's Wind-Up Tin Rooster *

J. C. Agajanian’s Stetson

J.T. Saylors's Overalls

J.M. Barrie’s Swiss Trychels

J.M.W. Turner's Rain, Steam and Speed-The Great Western Railway *

J.R.R. Tolken's Ring

Jack-in-the-Box

Jack's Magic Beanstalk

Jack Daniel's Original Whisky Bottle

Jack Dawson's Art Kit

Jack Duncan's Spur *

Jack Frost's Staff

Jack Kerouac's Typewriter

Jack Ketch's Axe

Jack LaLanne's Stationary Bike *

Jack London's Dog Collar

Jack Parson's Rocket Engine

Jack Sheppard's Hammer

Jack Sparrow's Compass

Jack Torrance's Croquet Mallet

Jack the Ripper's Lantern *

Jackie Robinson's Baseball

Jackson Pollock's "No. 5, 1948"

Jackson Pollock's Pack of Cigarettes

Jackson Pollock's Paint Cans

Jack's Regisword

Jack Vettriano's "The Singing Butler"

Jack's Wrench

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm's Kinder- und Hausmarchen

Jacob "Jack" Kevorkian's Otoscope

Jacob Kurtzberg's Belt *

Jacqueline Cochran's Brooch

Jacques Aymar-Vernay’s Dowsing Rod

Jacques Cousteau's Goggles

Jacques Cousteau's Diving Suit

Jacques-Louis David's Napoleon Crossing the Alps *

Jade Butterfly

Jadeite Cabbage

Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar's Smoke Pipe

Jamaica Ginger Bottle

Jaleel White's Hosting Chair

James Abbot McNeill Whistler's Whistler's Mother *

James Allen's Memoir

James Bartley's Britches

James Ben Ali Haggin's Leaky Fountain Pen

James Bert Garner’s Gas Mask

James Bett's Cupboard Handle

James Braid's Chair *

James Brown's Shoes

James Bulger's Sweater

James Buzzanell's Painting "Grief and Pain"

James Buzzanell’s Survey Books

James C. McReynolds’ Judicial Robe

James Chadwick's Nobel Prize

James Clerk Maxwell's Camera Lens

James Colnett's Otter Pelt

James Condliff's Skeleton Clock

James Cook's Mahiole and Feather Cloak

James Craik's Spring Lancet

James Dean's 1955 Prosche 550 Spyder, aka "Little Bastard"

James Dean's UCLA Varsity Jacket

James Dinsmoor's Dinner Bell

James Eads How’s Bindle

James Earl Ray's Rifle

James Fenimore Cooper's Arrow Heads

James Gandolfini's Jukebox

James Hadfield’s Glass Bottle of Water

James Hall III’s Shopping Bags

James Henry Atkinson's Mouse Trap

James Henry Pullen’s Mannequin

James Hoban's Drawing Utensils

James Holman’s Cane

James Hutton's Overcoat

James Joyce’s Eyepatch

James M. Barrie's Grandfather Clock

James M. Barrie's Suitcase

James Murrell's Witch Bottle

James Philip’s Riata

James Prescott Joule's Thermodynamic Generator

James Smithson's Money

James Tilly Matthews’ Air Loom

James Warren and Willoughby Monzani's Piece of Wood

James Watt's Steam Condenser

James Watt's Weather Vane

James W. Marshall’s Jar

Jan Baalsrud’s Stretcher

Jan Baptist van Helmont's Willow Tree

Jane Austen's Carriage

Jane Austen's Gloves

Jane Austen's Quill

Jane Bartholomew's "Lady Columbia" Torch

Jane Pierce's Veil

Janet Leigh's Shower Curtain

Janine Charrat's Ballet Slippers

Jan Janzoon's Boomerang *

Janis Joplin's Backstage Pass from Woodstock *

Jan Karski's Passport

Janus Coin *

Jan van Eyck’s Chaperon

Jan van Speyk's Flag of the Netherlands

Jan Wnęk's Angel Figurine

Jan Žižka's Wagenburg Wagons

The Japanese Nightingale

Jar of Dust from the Mount Asama Eruption

Jar of Greek Funeral Beans

Jar of Marbles

Jar of Molasses from The Boston Molasses Disaster

Jar of Sand

Jar of Semper Augustus Bulbs

Jar of Shiva

Jar of Sugar Plums

Jascha Heifetz's Violin Bow

Jason Voorhese's Machete

Javed Iqbal's Barrel of Acid

Jay Maynard's Tron Suit

Jean II Le Maingre's Gauntlets

Jean Baptiste Charbonneau’s Cradleboard

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin's Bubble Pipe

Jean Chastel's Silver Gun

Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin's Pocket Watch

Jean Fleury's Aztec Gold Coins

Jean-François Champollion’s Ideographic Dictionary

Jean Froissart's Mirror *

Jean-Frédéric Peugeot's Pepper Mill

Jean Hilliard’s Earmuffs

Jean Parisot de Valette’s Sword Sheath

Jean-Paul Marat's Bathtub

Jean Paul-Satre’s Paper Cutter

Jean-Pierre Christin's Thermometer

Jean Senebier's Bundle of Swiss Alpine Flowers

Jean Valnet's Aromatherapy Statue

Jean Vrolicq’s Scrimshaw

Jeanne Baret's Hat

Jeanne de Clisson's Black Fleet

Jeanne Villepreux-Power's Aquarium

Jeannette Piccard's Sandbag

Jeff Dunham's First Ventriloquist Box

Jefferson Davis' Boots

Jefferson Randolph Smith's Soap Bar

Jeffrey Dahmer's Handkerchief

Jeffrey Dahmer's Pick-Up Sticks

Jemmy Hirst's Carriage Wheel

Jenny Lind's Stage Makeup

Jeopardy! Contestant Podiums

Jerome Monroe Smucker's Canning Jars

Jerry Andrus’ Organ

Jerry Garcia's Blackbulb *

Jerry Siegel's Sketchbook

Jesse James' Saddle

Jesse James' Pistol

Jesse Owens' Hitler Oak

Jesse Owens' Running Shoes

Jesse Pomeroy's Ribbon and Spool

Jester's Mask

Jesus of Nazareth's Whip

Jesús García's Brake Wheel

Jet Engine from the Gimli Glider

Jet Glass Cicada Button

Jethro Tull's Hoe

Jeweled Scabbard of Sforza

Jiang Shunfu’s Mandarin Square

Jim Davis' Pet Carrier

Jim Fixx's Shorts

Jim Henson's Talking Food Muppets

Jim Jones' Sunglasses

Jim Londos' Overalls

Jim Robinson's Army Bag

Jim Thorpe's Shoulder Pads

Jim Ward's Piercing Samples

Jimi Hendrix's Bandana

Jimi Hendrix's Bong

Jimi Hendrix's Guitars *

Jimmie Rodgers Rail Brake

Jimmy Durante's Cigar

Jimmy Gibb Jr's Stock Car

Jimmy Hoffa's Comb

Jin Dynasty Chainwhip

Jingle Harness

Joan II, Duchess of Berry's Dress

Joan of Arc's Chain Mail

Joan of Arc's Helmet (canon)

Joan Feynman's Ski Pole

Joanna of Castile's Vase

Joan Rivers' Carpet Steamer

Joan Rivers' Red Carpet

Joe Ades's Potato Peeler

Joe Girard’s Keys

Joe Rosenthal's Camera Lens

Joel Brand's Playing Cards

Joséphine de Beauharnais' Engagement Ring

Johan Alfred Ander’s Piece of Porcelain

Johann Baptist Isenring’s Acacia Tree

Johann Bartholomaeus Adam Beringer's Lying Stones

Johann Blumhardt's Rosary

Johann Dzierzon’s Beehive Frame

Johann Georg Elser's Postcard

Johann Maelzel's Metronome *

Johann Rall's Poker Cards

Johann Tetzel's Indulgence

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Prism

Johannes Brahms' Coffee Creamer

Johannes Diderik van der Waals' Gloves

Johannes Fabricius' Camera Obscura

Johannes Gutenburg's Memory Paper *

Johannes Gutenburg's Printing Press *

Johannes Gutenberg's Printing Press Keys

Johannes Kepler's Planetary Model

Johannes Kepler's Telescope Lense

Johannes Kjarval’s Landscape Painting

John A. Macready's Ray-Bans *

John A. Roebling's Steel Cable

John A.F. Maitland's Musical Brainnumber *

John André’s Stocking

John Anthony Walker's Minox

John Axon's Footplate

John Babbacombe Lee’s Trapdoor

John Bardeen's Radio

John Bodkin Adams’ Stethoscope

John Brown's Body *

John Brown's Machete

John C. Koss SP3 Stereophones

John C. Lilly's Isolation Tank Valve

John Cabot's Map

John Carl Wilcke's Rug *

John Crawley's Painting

John Croghan's Limestone Brick

John Dalton's Weather Vane

John Dee's Golden Talisman

John Dee's Obsidian Crystal Ball

John Dee’s Seal of God

John DeLorean's Drawing Table

John Dickson Carr's Driving Gloves

John Dillinger's Pistol *

John D. Grady’s Satchel

John D. Rockefeller's Bible

John D. Rockefeller, Sr. and Jr.'s Top Hats

John Dwight's Hammer

John F. Kennedy's Coconut

John F. Kennedy's Presidental Limousine

John F. Kennedy's Tie Clip *

John Flaxman's Casting Molds

Sir John Franklin's Scarf

John Gay's Shilling

John Gillespie Magee, Jr.'s Pen

John H. Kellogg's Bowl

John H. Kellogg's Corn Flakes

John H. Lawrence's Pacifier

John Hancock's Quill

John Harrison’s Longcase Clock

John Hawkwood’s Lance

John Hendrix's Bible

John Henry Moore's White Banner

John Henry's Sledge Hammer

John Hetherington's Top Hat

John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter's Torture Rack

John Holmes Pump *

John Hopoate's Cleats

John Howard Griffin's Bus Fare

John Hunter's Stitching Wire

John Hunter's Surgical Sutures

John J. Pershing's Boots

John Jacob Astor's Beaver Pelt

John Jervis’ Ship

John Joshua Webb’s Rock Chippings

John Kay's Needle

John Keat's Grecian Urn *

John, King of England's Throne

John L. Sullivan's Boots

John Langdon Down's Stencils

John Lawson's Mannequin Legs

John Lennon's Glasses

John "Liver-Eating" Johnson's Axe

John Logie Baird's Scanning Disk *

John M. Allegro's Fly Amanita

John Macpherson's Ladle

John Malcolm's Chunk of Skin

John Malcolm's Skin Wallet

John McEnroe's Tennis Racket *

John Milner's Yellow '32 Ford Deuce Coupe

John Moore-Brabazon’s Waste Basket

John Morales' McGruff Suit

John Mytton’s Carriage

John Pasche's Rolling Stones Poster Design

John Paul Jones's Sword

John Pemberton's Tasting Spoon

John Philip Sousa's Sousaphone

John Rambo's Composite Bow

John Rykener's Ring

John Shore's Tuning Fork

John Simon's Mouthwash

John Simon Ritchie's Padlock Necklace

John Smith of Jamestown's Sword

John Snow's Dot Map

John Snow’s Pump Handle

John Stapp’s Rocket Sled

John Steinbeck's Luger

John Sutcliffe's Camera

John Sutter's Pickaxe

John Tunstall's Horse Saddle

John Trumbull's "Painting of George Washington"

John von Neumann's Abacus

John Walker's Walking Stick

John Wayne Gacy's Clown Painting *

John Wayne Gacy's Facepaint

John Wesley Hardin's Rosewood Grip Pistol

John Wesley Powell's Canoe

John Wesley Powell’s Canteen

John Wilkes Booth's Boot *

John Wilkes Booth Wanted Poster

John William Polidori's Bookcase

Johnny Ace's Gun

Johnny Appleseed's Tin Pot *

Johnny Campbell's University of Minnesota Sweater

Johnny Depp's Scissor Gloves

Johnny Smith's Steering Wheel

Johnny Weismuller's Loincloth *

Joker's BANG! Revolver

Jon Stewart's Tie

Jonathan Coulton's Guitar

Jonathan R. Davis' Bowie Knife

Jonathan Shay's Copy of Iliad/Odyssey

Jonestown Water Cooler

Jorge Luis Borges' Scrapbook

José Abad Santos' Pebble

José Delgado’s Transmitter

Jose Enrique de la Pena's Chest Piece

Jōsei Toda’s Gohonzon Butsudan

Josef Frings’ Ferraiolo

Josef Mengele's Scalpel

Josef Stefan's Light Bulbs

Joseph of Arimathea's Tomb Rock

Joseph of Cupertino's Medallion *

Joseph Day's Sickle

Joseph Ducreux's Cane

Joseph Dunninger's Pocket Watch

Joseph Dunningers’ Props

Joseph E. Johnston Confederate Flag

Joseph Force Crater's Briefcases

Joseph Fourier's Pocket Knife

Joseph Glidden’s Barbed Wire

Joseph Goebbels' Radio *

Joseph Jacquard's Analytical Loom

Joseph Bolitho Johns’ Axe

Joseph Kittinger's Parachute

Joseph Lister's Padding

Joseph McCarthy's List of Communists

Joseph Merrick's Hood

Joseph-Michel Montgolfier's Wicker Basket

Joseph Moir’s Token

Joseph Pilate's Resistance Bands *

Joseph Polchinski’s Billiard Ball

Joseph Stalin's Gold Star Medal *

Joseph Stalin's Sleep Mask *

Joseph Swan's Electric Light

Joseph Vacher's Accordion

Joseph Vacher's Dog Skull

Joseph Valachi's '58 Chevrolet Impala

Josephus' Papyrus

Joseph Wolpe's Glasses

Josephine Cochrane's Dishwasher

Joshua's Trumpet *

Josiah S. Carberry's Cracked Pot

Joshua Vicks' Original Batch of Vicks Vapor Rub

Josiah Wedgewood's Medallion

Jost Burgi's Armillary Sphere *

Jovan Vladimir's Cross

Juana the Mad of Castiles' Crown

Juan Luis Vives' Quill Set

Juan Moreira’s Facón

Juan Pounce de Leon's Chalice

Juan Ponce de León's Helmet

Juan Seguin's Bandolier

Jubilee Grand Poker Chip *

Judah Loew ben Belazel's Amulet *

Judas Iscariot’s Thirty Silver Coins

Judson Laipply's Shoes

Jules Baillarger's Decanter

Jules Leotard's Trapeze Net

Jules Verne's Original Manuscripts

Julia Agrippa's Chalice

Julia Child's Apron *

Julia Child's Whisk

Julian Assange’s Flash Drive

Julie d’Aubigny's Sabre

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg's Wedding Rings

Julius Asclepiodotus’ Shield Boss

Julius Caesar's Wreath

Julius Wilbrand's Lab Coat Buttons *

Jumanji

Jumper Cables

Junji Koyama’s Vegetables

Jure Sterk's Ballpoint Pen

Jürgen Wattenberg's Leather Provision Bag

Justa Grata Honoria’s Engagement Ring

Justin Bieber's Guitar

Justinian I's Chariot Wheel

Justin O. Schmidt's Wasp Mask

Justus von Liebig's Fertilizer Sack

Justus von Liebig's Mirror

[gibbsemma]

                                                    Rule 14                                        Chapter 1: Lectures

• Bend the line, don’t break it. • Jethro’s daughter, Emma is about to graduate from college and follow in her father’s footsteps at NCIS. But during her time as an intern, NCIS must join forces with the FBI’s BAU on a case and Emma finds herself falling for Dr. Spencer Reid.

                        ALSO FOUND AT FANFICTION.NET //  WATTPAD  //  AO3

A young, petite, brunette woman slid into a seat in the middle of the lecture hall. The middle was always the best place to sit. If you sat in the front, you felt morally obligated to answer questions and if you sat in the back, you gave the impression that you really didn’t care. The middle meant you could leave the question answering to those in the front, but you still gave the impression that you cared. The middle was perfect…well, it was when all the good seats in the front and back were taken. Emma tried to make the best of every situation, but that was obviously easier said than done.

At 22, Emma was finishing up her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from George Washington University. She was also interning at NCIS, where she knew she wanted to work someday. But there never seemed to be a dull moment in her life. Life seemed to be: go, go, go, go. Her boss didn’t make things any easier for her. In fact, he did just the opposite. He made things a little harder for her and expected more out of her. She would be glad when she was finally done with school, maybe then she might actually catch a small break.

Emma pulled a pen from her Jansport backpack, set her cup of coffee down, and began flipping through the handout she was given as she walked through the door. The last presenter they had turned out to be a complete joke. How the university would recommend him, was beyond her. But then again, most people hadn’t been living and breathing crime scenes for most of the lives either. Sometimes, she could help but feel she had more crime scene experience than most of the people that came in to teach them.

After briefly skimming the packet, she found that their presenters were from the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI Emma had heard of the BAU, before, but she had yet to cross paths with them. She knew that they were the F.B.I.’s best of the best, but not all the best ended up at the FBI Usually, but not always. Emma looked to see whom they had sent, but whomever it was they were likely waiting in the wing to be introduced.

“Take a seat! Take a seat!” Professor Ash shouted with his hands cupped around his mouth, to make his already booming voice louder. “It’s time for everyone to take a seat.” The slightly graying, overweight professor stood at the front of the lecture hall pointing to his watch as people who stood near the walls scrambled to find empty seats.

“Already seated,” Emma thought as she took a sip of her coffee. Professor Ash couldn’t yell at her for that. But that wouldn’t stop him from finding something to criticize her about.

Once the room was silent, the professor spoke again, “Good morning and thank you to those of you actually bothered to show this time. Let me remind you, that according to the syllabus you received at the beginning of the semester, this lecture is worth 25% of your grade. And for some of you, it’s a graduation requirement. So, if you’re feeling like doing your good deed for the day and you see someone who isn’t here, who should be here, then I’d pull those cell phones out and text them to drag their lazy butts out of bed.”

Most of the class chuckled at his remark. A few people even pulled out their cellphones. Emma just sipped her coffee, waiting. After nearly a minute, which seemed like an eternity, Professor Ash said, “Now, without further ado, let me introduce our guest speakers from the prestigious Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI, SSA Jason Gideon and Dr. Spencer Reid.”

The lecture hall filled with applause as the two men made their way from through the door into the room. Emma glanced curiously at the men. One definitely looked old enough to be lecturing, but the other hardly looked older than most of the students in the room. How much could he know about the subject matter? What could he possibly teach her? For starters, he could probably teach her how not to dress, but for reasons beyond her understanding, Emma found her eyes focused on him.

The younger man stood there rather uncomfortably until the older man clapped his hands together, took a step forward, and addressed them. “Thank you. Thank you. As Professor Ash mentioned, I am SSA Jason Gideon with the BAU. The man standing next to me is Dr. Spencer Reid.”

At the young man’s introduction, half-a-dozen hands shot up into the air. Each one of them girls. Emma shook her head. Admittedly, she was curious…but not that curious. Dr. Reid glanced around the room somewhat nervously and gulped down the lump in his throat. Emma could tell that the guy was nervous. One didn’t have to be a profiler to see that.

“Questions already?” Gideon chuckled as he patted Reid on the shoulder. Reid glanced at Gideon somewhat uncertainly as the hands remained in the air. Gideon shrugged a shoulder before he pointed at a girl in the front row. “Go ahead.”

“How old is he?” the pretty blonde girl asked, twirling her hair in her fingers. Her attempts at flirtation were hardly subtle.

“Well, Dr. Reid…” Gideon began.

But Dr. Reid managed to find his bearings and interrupted him. “25. I’m 25,” he stated, standing a little bit taller. It was obvious he was attempting to compensate his nervousness with his body posture, not that most of the people in the room could see that…but Emma could.

But his age only provoked more hands to fly into the air. But that didn’t stop another girl from blurting out, “Isn’t that a little young to be a doctor?”

Dr. Reid rolled his shoulders back before he nervously rattled-off, “Not necessarily. You see, I have three doctorates: one in mathematics, one in chemistry, and one in engineering.”

Whispers erupted in the classroom. For a moment, Emma thought maybe, just maybe she had misjudged Dr. Reid. But just because he was smart didn’t necessarily mean that he was better. Sometimes real world experiences meant more. Besides, not all intelligent people needed three doctorates to show it…or sometimes their father’s wanted them to grow up as normally as possible. Emma took another sip of her coffee.

Dr. Ash was quick to quiet them, but once they were quiet, a guy from the second-row blurted out, “What are you, some sort of genius?”

Dr. Reid nodded his head back and forth for a moment, seemingly debating himself in his head for a moment before he rambled, “I do have an IQ of 187, an eidetic memory, and I can read 20,000 words per minute.”

“So, in other words, a genius?” the guy from the second row pressed again, which earned him a few chuckles from his classmates.

“Technically speaking,” Dr. Reid said with a shrug as the class once again broke into whispers.

Emma sipped her coffee once again, watching Dr. Reid nervously wringing his hands. It was clear that he knew this wasn’t going well and that he didn’t want to be here. She didn’t miss the reassuring look SSA Gideon gave him. There was certainly a bond of trust there.

“Settle down, people! Settle down!” Professor Ash shouted, calling the class to order once again.

When it was once again quiet, Dr. Reid shoved his hands in his pants pockets. Agent Gideon nodded for Reid to continue speaking. Dr. Reid cleared his throat, “As Gideon was saying, we work for the BAU, which stands for Behavioral Analysis Unit. It is our job to profile criminals and…”

Hedwig’s Theme began to echo through the lecture hall, quieting Dr. Reid. He stood there with a puzzled look on his face as he glanced around the room. It took Emma a few moments to spot the culprit: it was herself. Her cheeks turned red as she dove for her backpack. She dug through the front pocket of her backpack and pulled her cell phone out to silent it. After she fumbled for a moment to hold onto her phone, she read the ID of who was calling her: DAD. If her father was calling her, it had to be important…

“Any time now, Miss Gibbs,” Professor Ash said sternly, with his arms folded across his chest and his eyes narrowed at her.

Emma stood up and began to walk toward the exit. “Sir, if I can just have a minute…it’s my father.”

“I don’t give a damn who your father is, Miss Gibbs. He could be the President of the United States and I still wouldn’t care. If you exit this lecture hall, you fail my class.”

Her brow furrowed in frustration. Sure, he would fail her for leaving for a few minutes, but he was fine with the stragglers coming in late. She knew that pointing out the double standard would only cause her more trouble. So, she declined the call and sank back into her chair. She caught Dr. Reid watching her curiously, but she refused to meet his gaze.

“Good choice,” Professor Ash said. “But I still want to see you after the lecture.”

Emma gave a curt nod of her head. She made sure that her phone was on silent before she shoved it back into her bag. To say Professor Ash wasn’t one of her biggest fans would be a vast understatement. His dislike of her stemmed from some interaction with her father. So, the man took out his dislike for her father on her. Emma didn’t particularly enjoy the fact, but she was sure it wouldn’t be the only time she would be treated differently because of her parentage.

When she caught Dr. Reid’s gaze still on her, she shielded her face with her hand and slid further down in her seat to hide her embarrassment. Agent Gideon must have noticed Reid’s distraction because he began to speak, regaining the attention of those in the lecture hall. A few seconds later, Reid snapped back to reality and focused on what Gideon was saying, occasionally interjecting.

Dr. Reid eventually grew a little more comfortable in front of his audience. Although sometimes his references or his occasional joke went over most of his audience’s head, Emma would crack him a smile or nod her head. Quite surprisingly, this guy actually knew what he was talking about. Well, both of them did, but Dr. Reid’s knowledge of the field was quite extensive. It was especially impressive given that he wasn’t much older than she was and he hadn’t been going to crime scenes for most of his life. Emma could see why the FBI snatched him up.

After they finished the talking points on their PowerPoint slides, Agent Gideon led them in a question and answer session. Emma sat back and listened to a few questions and answers as she formulated one of her own. Eventually, she raised her hand and Agent Gideon nodded her direction and pointed at her. Emma gave a slight smile before she confidently asked, “Dr. Reid, I think we all agree that your credentials are quite impressive..” Dr. Reid gave a slightly bashful smile and nodded his head, acknowledging her. “Now, I was wondering, in your professional opinion…”

But Emma was never given the opportunity to actually ask her question. Professor Ash quickly shot her down. “Miss Gibbs now is not the time for your nonsense and mocking. We all remember the last time…” He looked at Emma rather pointedly, which caused her to groan. She was taught to question everything, but that wasn’t what this was. She actually had a question for Dr. Reid, but before she could even attempt to argue with him Professor Ash addressed the class, “And it looks like we’re out of time for today. I want your reflection papers by the next class period.”

“If I could interrupt once more,” Agent Gideon said. “If anyone has any questions about the BAU or profiling, there is a business card attached to the back of your handouts and before you ask, that isn’t Dr. Reid’s personal number.” He stopped for a moment to chuckle as Dr. Reid anxiously rubbed the back of his neck. Gideon spoke once more. “Dr. Reid and I will stick around to answer any questions for those who don’t have anywhere better to be. Thanks for your time.”

The students began to clap and stood to their feet, not as a standing ovation, but because most of them had other classes to get to. Emma quickly packed her things into her backpack before she stood, holding an empty coffee cup in her hand. Professor Ash purposely made eye contact to remind her that they were supposed to meet. Emma found the whole thing ridiculous and very much like middle school, but she did need to pass this class in order to obtain her degree. So she headed toward her professor.

Just as Emma approached her professor, Agent Gideon’s phone began to ring. Gideon glanced at his phone before he turned toward Dr. Reid. “Reid, I have to take this. I’ll be right back.” With that Gideon stepped out of the room leaving Reid to awkwardly watch the encounter with Emma and her professor.

Professor Ash stood tall compared to Emma with a menacing expression on his face. “Miss Gibbs, I’m not sure what stunt you were trying to pull, but it’s entirely unacceptable.”

“Professor Ash,” Emma pleaded. “I swear to God that…”

He shook his head. “I should have known to expect this type of behavior from you. You are his daughter after all…”

Emma bit her tongue as her professor continued to rant. One couldn’t speak rationally to irrational people. But sometimes she just wanted to let him have it. Dr. Reid made eye contact with her. Emma hoped that maybe he could read the uncomfortableness of the situation in her body language or the silent pleas from her eyes. It took him nearly a minute to decipher them, but he eventually took a step forward.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Dr. Reid said to Professor Ash. “But Agent Gideon and I are going to have to head out soon and I believe I didn’t get a chance to answer her question. I would like to do so before I leave.”

Emma tried not to smile as Professor Ash looked at Dr. Reid rather incredulously. The professor was visibly flustered. He looked at Emma and huffed, “You pull another stunt like this, consider your grade docked.” With that he quickly walked away, muttering to himself.

After a sigh of relief, Emma looked up at Dr. Reid with a smile. “For being a world-class profiler, that took you awhile,” she said, teasing him a bit.

His brow furrowed for a moment but he quickly caught onto her teasing. Although, he still felt the need to explain himself. “The subtle save me thing in social situations isn’t my forte.”

“You don’t say?” she teased again. With another smile, she stuck out her hand for him to shake. “I’m Emma Gibbs and thank you for saving me.”

Dr. Reid shook her hand. “I’m Spencer R-” He paused for a moment. “You already know that. I-uh-” He released her hand and put it in his pocket before glancing over his shoulder to where Professor Ash had exited. “Is he normally like that?”

“I suppose it doesn’t take a profiler to know that he has it out for me. Just with me,” Emma sighed, as she unzipped the front pocket of her backpack to reach for her phone.

His brow furrowed again. “Really? Why’s that?”

Emma chuckled to herself and shook her head as she pulled her phone out of her bag. “Long story, which involves my father,” she grunted before she flipped her phone open. She had a text message from Tony telling her to get her ass to NCIS now or Gibbs was gonna have her head. She shook her head before looking back at Dr. Reid. “Speaking of my father, I have to go.” Emma gave her phone a little shake before she slipped it into her pants pocket. “Thanks again, Dr. Reid. For saving me…and for the presentation. I really enjoyed it.”

She quickly turned on her heel to head for the exit, when Dr. Reid called out, ‘What about your question?“

Emma stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. She did want his opinion on the question, but the last thing anyone ever wanted to do was piss off Leroy Jethro Gibbs. She smiled. "Your number is on the business card, right?”

He opened his mouth to dispute her, but he shut his mouth when he saw the smirk on her face. With that, Emma Gibbs walked away leaving Spencer Reid standing there watching her leave. He hadn’t realized that he was watching her until Gideon came up to him, patted his shoulder in a fatherly way, and grinned. “Who’s the pretty girl?” Gideon asked.

“Emma Gibbs,” Reid said nonchalantly.

Gideon’s brow furrowed for a moment. “Any relation to…”

Reid shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know. She never said.”

The older man nodded his head knowingly. “Well, that was Hotch that called. He wants us back for a briefing.”

Reid nodded his head and followed Gideon out of the building to the car, but he was distracted and the reason for his distraction: Emma Gibbs. There was something about her that he couldn’t shake and he hoped that he would meet her again. If only he knew how soon their next meeting would actually be…

[ziva-david]

Nick/Ellie comfort after bad nightmare??

Hi I’m really sorry this took me like one year to complete your request. This fic takes place between the season 14 finale and season 15 opener. If you want a different nightmare fic checkout Papa by @almostinlove

The One With The Bad Dream | AO3

It had been over a month since Special Agents Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and Timothy McGee were taken hostage by a drug cartel during a rescue mission in Panama. Not a lot was known about where they were or even if they were alive. And nothing was harder than having to relay that information to Delilah, Tim’s pregnant wife.

Since both the team leader and the senior field agent were missing, Ellie fell next in the role of seniority. Now she was the team leader of just herself, Nick, and sometimes Clayton who was stationed at the international desk.

It felt so peculiar giving orders and being - job title wise - Gibbs. Ellie knew she wasn’t the only one affected by it. She felt it every time she went to Abby’s lab and saw the disappointment in the forensic scientist’s eyes when she was relaying whatever evidence she found to Ellie instead of Gibbs. She brought her a Caf-Pow! every time she visited, but couldn’t bring herself to ask “What do you got, Abs?”

Ellie received similar reactions in autopsy, and every other part of the building. No one could believe they were gone for so long, she even overheard two agents discussing a previous mission in Somalia.

(“They have to be found, right? It’s like Somalia all over again.”

“That was eight years ago, and NCIS didn’t have direct orders from the DOD to not investigate.”)

Apart of Ellie felt like she had the weight of the entire world on her shoulders, and the notion made her angry with herself. How could she throw a pity party, when God only knows what Gibbs and McGee were suffering through. Ellie saw the damage their mission caused every time she looked at Nick. He blamed himself for being in DC and getting out of Paraguay when Tim and Gibbs didn’t.

Nick never out right told Ellie how he felt, however his actions spoke volumes. His first day back to work, Nick wore all the standard gear. Ellie had to give a second, maybe even a third glance shocked to see him in an NCIS hat and jacket instead of some random baseball cap and bomber jacket. It looked good on him, but she did not say anything about it.

As the team was not officially looking for McGee and Gibbs they were still assigned any other case that was placed in their jurisdiction. Nick and Ellie were currently solving the murder of a Petty Officer, but hit a brick wall with any progression in the investigation. The frustration from that case and not finding their missing agents hit them both quite hard. Around midnight Ellie decided to call it quits and start fresh in the morning.

Nick mentioned going to the gym. Ellie advised against that, however knew she would not change his mind.

Ellie laid in her queen bed unable to sleep. Constantly she was tossing and turning, unable to get into a comfortable position. No matter how hard she tried her mind wouldn’t shut off. After her alarm clock flashed in bright red numbers 03:30 am Ellie gave up on the idea of sleeping and decided to head into work.

To Ellie’s surprise when she arrived at the Navy Yard at 04:05, Nick was asleep at his desk. His feet were propped up on his desk and the rest of his body laid in the office chair he despised using. Although the entire office was dark, the moonlight shined through the windows and hit parts of Nick’s face. His under eyes were so big and dark, Ellie could see them all the way from her desk. She wanted to scold him for staying at work all night, however knew he desperately needs sleep.

Twenty minutes into her sifting through the Petty Officer’s emails, Nick started to stir. The first noise she ignored. Her older brother, George, used to talk in his sleep - she was used to an unsettled sleeper.

The second noise that escaped Nick’s mouth was a scream - something George never did back on the farm in Oklahoma. The next scream he made took Ellie out of her thoughts and she ran diagonally across the bullpen to his desk. His eyes were squinted tight together causing wrinkles to form on his forehead. His entire body was trembling and his right hand formed a fist.

Gently, Ellie patted his arm. “Nick,” she whispered, “get up!” She patted him again, slightly harder that time. In less than a second, his reflexes kicked in because Nick was (somewhat) lucid and had his gun pointed directly at Ellie.

“Woah, woah, woah, Nick, it’s me!” She yelled with her arms raised at her head. She wanted to appear as non-threatening as possible. “Nick, it’s Ellie.”

The use of her name seemed to snap him out of his reverie, and he finally recognized where he was. His dark, tired eyes darted back and forth focusing on her and then the gun in his hands.

“Nick put down the gun!” Her fellow agent followed the order and placed his sig on the desk. When he looked back up at her all Ellie could see was the pain, and quite possibly shame, that covered his face. “Good. Why don’t we have some floor time now?”

“C’mon Bish-“

“It wasn’t a request.”

The two sat Indian style (however, Ellie preferred the less popular term criss-cross applesauce) and leaned their backs on his desk. Neither said anything for a few minutes, she could tell he was having a internal conflict and wanted him to settle down.

Eventually, he decided to speak, “Look Bishop, I’m sorry about before, but it was nothing.”

“Really? I don’t consider a gun in my face as nothing.” She refuted back. “Nick, I know how hard this is, but-“

“Oh, so you were magically in Paraguay? You were invisible, right? That’s why i didn’t see you there.”

“Nick!”

“No! Don’t try and help, I don’t need it.” His breathing started to get heavy like it was becoming harder and harder to perform the basic task. “Do you know what it’s like to be on a chopper, and less than 50 feet below you are your own teammates. Left for dead.” He whimpered out.

Ellie pulled him into a hug. A deep hug that could probably rival one of Abby’s. She knew if Gibbs were in her position right now, he would go for a tough love approach, but for her, this felt like the only thing she could do. At first, he was hesitant to be this close to her, she could tell. After a few seconds, Nick relaxed into her touch and buried his head into her hair.

“It should be me there. McGee has a wife, and a child on the way. And I know how much everyone loves Gibbs.” Nick told her as he sniffled back some tears “They should be here, Ellie. Not me.”

“I’m glad you’re here.” She whispered into his ear. “I know I wasn’t there, and I can’t imagine what you went through, or what they are currently going through. But you and I both know that once Gibbs and McGee make up their minds there’s no going back. So if you were in Paraguay, then I would be here all by myself. And I know that sounds selfish, but I’m very grateful that you are with me, Nick.”

They continued to hug for a couple of more seconds before she released Nick out of her hold. The two agents stood up and looked at each other. Ellie could see a slight presence of tears that escaped his eyes but knew better than to comment on them.

“C’mon Nick, it’s almost 5 and it’s your turn to pay for coffee.”

[travelonlinetipsofficial]

27 of the Best Things to do in Bermuda

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27 of the Best Things to do in Bermuda

Looking for things to do in Bermuda? Look no further, because you are going to love these ideas. Often mistaken for a Caribbean vacation destination, Bermuda is actually located in the North Atlantic Ocean, but thanks to the Gulf Stream, it remains a comfortable temperature throughout the year.

Bermuda is only a 2-hour flight from New York, 3-hours from Toronto, and less than 7 hours from London England, making it an ideal beach vacation for everyone! With its colonial past, restaurants, and museums, there are plenty of things to see and do, even when the temperature dips to around 60 degrees. There are so many places to visit in Bermuda, it will surprise you for a small island.

Things to do in Bermuda

1. Take a Jet Ski Tour from South Hampton

Get out on the water and explore by Jetski

A Jet Ski Tour takes you all around the harbor and outer island to see places in Bermuda that you might not get to visit. This is a very cool way to see Bermuda’s multimillion-dollar mansions, the H.M.S. Vixen shipwreck, and to feed the fish that love flocking to the jet skis for little bits of bread. When you are on a jet ski, you really get to see the beauty of Bermuda’s turquoise waters.

2. World’s Smallest Drawbridge, Somerset Bridge

While on our jet ski tour we passed the smallest working drawbridge in the world. Somerset Bridge is a fun attraction in Bermuda connecting Somerset Island with the main island. Dating back to 1620, the bridge is such a symbol of Bermuda, it is featured on the Bermuda dollar. Operated by hand, the tiny 32-inch gap is just enough to allow a sailboat’s mast to go through.

3. Explore Saint George’s

Visit Saint George, Bermuda

Saint George is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as it is the oldest continuously inhabited English settlement in the Western Hemisphere. With Colonial buildings and cobblestone streets, it is a beautiful place to explore.

Even though it is located on the island’s eastern tip, it isn’t far away from Bermuda’s resorts and beaches. Nowhere is far in Bermuda. The narrow lanes take you back in time to the 18th century where the old merchant houses have been well-preserved.

4. Tour a Tall Ship

The Tall Ships of Bermuda

One of the most popular attractions in Saint George is the life-size replica of “Deliverance” a 17th-century ship that was built by the survivors of the shipwreck, Sea Venture. The Deliverance is known as “The ship that saved America” as it brought supplies to the colony at Jamestown, Virginia in 1610.

5. See the Unfinished Church

One of the most striking scenes on the island that we visited was the unfinished church of Saint George. One can only imagine how beautiful this Gothic church would be if it were completed, but due to many problems over the years, it was never done. And that is what gives it its charm. Due to funding problems and hurricanes, it was never completed, but visitors can explore the ruins for free.

6. Saint Peter’s Church

Dating back to 1612. Saint Peter’s Church is the oldest continuously running  Anglican church outside of Britain.

7. Cathedral fo the Most Holy Trinity

Cathedral fo the Most Holy Trinity aka, Bermuda Cathedral is worth visiting the 155-step tower for views of Hamilton Harbour.

8. Stroll the Streets of Hamilton, Bermuda

We loved the town of Hamilton, Bermuda.

Named after the Governor of Bermuda Sir Henry Hamilton in 1788, Hamilton has a cosmopolitan flair that is Instagram-ready. The sea express ferry service is a great way to get to Hamilton from different parts of the island. Our hotel, the Fairmont Southhampton offered free ferry service to Hamilton. There are a lot of things to do in Hamilton, Bermuda so be sure to give it some time

9. Front Street

Hamilton is the capital of Bermuda and the colorful colonial buildings of Front Street are must visit when on the island. Grab an iced latte and stroll along the waterfront shopping for trinkets to take home.

Beaches of Bermuda

No trip to Bermuda would be complete without visiting its beautiful beaches. Bermuda is known for its pink sand, crystal clear turquoise waters, and powdery white sand. Here are some not-to-miss beaches when visiting Bermuda.

10. Bermuda’s Pink Sand Beaches

The Pink Sand Beaches are a great way to enjoy Bermuda

One of the top things to see in Bermuda are its beaches. There are so many of them that it is a good idea to get in your electric car or scooter to discover them. There are some beaches that are more famous than others. Here are a few to get you started.

11. Horseshoe Bay Beach

Named so because of its horseshoe shape, Horseshoe Bay offers a blend of turquoise waters and soft pink sand made up of crushed coral and calcium carbonate. It is one of Bermuda’s top attractions is Horseshoe Bay Beach. While on the beach you can rent everything from towels, chairs, and umbrellas to stand-up paddle boards, and boogie boards.

12. Elbow Beach

Epic views from the beaches of Bermuda

Located just outside the city of Hamilton, Elbow Beach is a very popular beach due to the fact that three different resorts are on it. And with good reason. Elbow Beach has a coral reef right off shore that is great for snorkeling. There is also a shipwreck just 100 meters (300 feet) from shore and you can join a guided snorkeling or kayaking tour to see it.

13. Warwick Long Bay

These are the top things to do in Bermuda

Warwick Long Bay is Bermuda’s longest beach at half a mile. With trees, long grass, and sand dunes lining the coast, it’s one of Bermuda’s most picturesque beaches.

14. Tobacco Bay Beach

Tobacco Bay Beach is a lovely small beach with limestone rock formations reaching 25 feet high offering shelter. There’s a beach bar here, and there’s great snorkeling. It’s located near Saint George’s.

15. John Smith Bay Beach

The private beach at the Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda

Another beautiful pink sand beach, John Smith Bay was named after Captain John Smith. Snorkeling is located right offshore, and it is a popular spot for diving. Especially night diving.

16. Sea Glass Beach

Black Bay and Sea Glass Beach in Hamilton are unique beach fronts where colourful sea glass has washed up upon the shore. Due to a glass-making factory that was once located here, the waste was dumped into the sea and it has since spit it back out creating a glassy waterfront. Taking glass from the beach is illegal. Please leave the glass behind for future generations to admire.

17. Walsingham Nature Reserve

Located in Hamilton Parish, the Walsingham Nature Reserve is known by the locals as Tom Moores Jungle. It is here that you’ll find many grottos and caves of Bermuda.

18. The Crystal and Fantasy Caves

Everyone loves exploring caves, and touring the Crystal & Fantasy Caves makes for a great trip. With azure blue underground pools and crystal chandelier clusters, these caves are beautiful. You can take a guided tour of both caves with floating pathways spanning clear blue lakes with crystallized soda straws hanging overhead. Each cave is a different experience, but you’ll miss nothing as they both have great lighting.

One very cool story we learned was how the Crystal Cave was discovered by two young boys searching for a lost cricket ball in 1905. Can you imagine how excited they were?

19. Blue Hole Park

Outdoor lovers will enjoy exploring Blue Hole Park’s caves and grottos. The Blue Hole is a popular swimming spot with a deep pool surrounded by mangrove trees. The Blue Hole isn’t the only grotto though, there’s also Castle Grotto, Walsingham, Subway, Deep Blue, Vine, and Fern Sink.

20. Glass Bottom Kayaking

Bermuda is filled with watersports opportunities, and one of our favorite ways to explore any coast is to go kayaking. There are guided tours around the island and Bermuda offers unique experiences with glass bottom kayaks to showcase its crystal clear waters. You can easily book a trip with your hotel concierge.

Different tours offer eco-adventures for marine life watching to see the HMS Vixen shipwreck or a paddle through Whalebone Bay to Walsingham Nature Reserve & Blue Hole Park where you’ll explore a 12-acre nature preserve.

21. Whale Watching

In March and April, humpback whales migrate through Bermuda. Whale watching tours are offered during this time to catch views of the 10,000 whales making their way north to the Arctic Circle.

22. Watch the Sunset from Gibbs Hill Lighthouse

The island of Bermuda is stunning.

While in the area, head out to Gibbs Hill for dinner at Bermuda’s highest point. The 185 step spiral staircase takes you up a 117-foot lighthouse for the best view of the island. The Dining Room restaurant offers delicious Italian cuisine with a spectacular outdoor setting.

Bermuda’s British Naval History

23. The Royal Naval Dockyard

The America’s Cup Super Yacht Regatta in Bermuda

When we visited Bermuda, we spent a lot of time at the Royal Naval Dockyard since we were there for America’s Cup. Once known as the symbol of British military power, it has been transformed today into a popular tourist destination and home to cruise ships.

There’s the clocktower shopping mall built at the historic 18th-century clocktower, the National Museum of Bermuda, The Royal Navy Cemetery, and a replica of a Royal Navy sloop-of-war; a three-masted warship that was used during the 18th century.

25. Fort Saint Catherine

Fort Saint Catherine can be toured to learn about the military past of Bermuda. It was the stronghold of the British Empire from the 1600s to the 20th century. Tours are available and there are many tunnels and towers to explore in Bermuda’s largest fort.

26. Traditional Afternoon Tea

The British influence cannot be denied in Bermuda, and they even have high tea to prove it. Take a break from the sunshine at the Crown & Anchor in the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club.

27. Cycle the Railway Trail

The Great Canadian Trans Railway Trail is popular here in Canada, and Bermuda has its own rail trail. Albeit a few thousand km shorter. The 18-mile rail-trail takes you to beaches and beautiful ocean views. The railway was in operation from 1931 to 1948 from Saint George to Somerset. In 1986, it was transformed into hiking and cycling trails.

Where to Stay in Bermuda

There are plenty of vacation rentals and luxurious accommodation options in Bermuda.

Fairmont Southhampton.

This is where we stayed in Bermuda. Located on the South Shore. The Southhampton has a private beach club located directly beside the Famous Horseshoe Bay Beach. The Fairmont Dock on Southshore Road in Southhampton offers complimentary ferry services to the capital city of Hamilton. Its central location sitting high on a hill with shuttle service and easy access makes it a great place to stay in Bermuda. Book it here and read reviews on TripAdvisor.

Waterlot Inn

The Waterlot Inn is a steakhouse dating back 350 years. Its historic buildings were used by seafarers for the storage of cargo. When you enter, it feels as if you’ve stepped back in time to a waterfront cottage of the 1600s. Check rates and availability here.

How to Get Around Bermuda

The best way to see the island of Bermuda is by scooter

The best way to get around Bermuda is to Rent a Scooter to Explore the Island. When visiting Bermuda, we loved having the freedom of renting a motorscooter to explore every corner of the island.

The roads are safe and well maintained and by purchasing insurance at an extra $15 per day, we felt secure knowing should anything happen we’d be covered. This was hands down a great way to explore Bermuda. There are no regular car rentals in Bermuda but you can now rent mini electric cars to scoot around the island.

Read Next more Caribbean and Tropical Island Travel

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Biden

Biden's vice-presidential campaigning gained little media visibility, as far greater press attention was focused on the Republican running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.[162][187] During one week in September 2008, Sony svf153a1yw keyboard

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for instance, the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism found that Biden was included in only five percent of coverage of the race, far less than the other three candidates on the tickets received.[18

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8] Biden nevertheless focused on campaigning in economically challenged areas of swing states and trying to win over blue-collar Democrats, especially those who had supported Hillary Clinton.[147]

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[162] Biden attacked McCain heavily despite a long-standing personal friendship.[nb 1] He said, "That guy I used to know, he's gone. It literally saddens me."[162] As the financial crisis of 2007–2010 reached a peak with the liquidity crisis of September 2008 and the proposed bailout of the United States financial system became a major factor in the campaign,

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Biden voted in favor of the $700 billion Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which went on to pass in the Senate 74–25.[190]

 On October 2, 2008, Biden participated in the vice-presidential debate with Palin at Washington University in St. Louis. Post-debate polls found that while Palin exceeded many voters' expectations, Sony svs131b11l keyboard · Biden had won the debate overall.[191] During the campaign's final days, he focused on less populated, older, less well-off areas of battleground states, especially Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, where polling indicated he was popular and where Obama had not campaigned or performed well in the Democratic primaries.[192][19Sony svs131b11l keyboard ·Sony svs131b11l keyboard ·Sony svs131c1dl keyboard · 3][194] He also campaigned in some normally Republican states, as well as in areas with large Catholic populations.[194]

 Under instructions from the campaign, Biden kept his speeches succinct and tried to avoid offhand remarks, such as one he made about Obama's being tested by a foreign power soon after taking office, Sony svs131c24l keyboard · ·Sony svs131a12w keyboardwhich had attracted negative attention.[192][193] Privately, Biden's remarks frustrated Obama. "How many times is Biden gonna say something stupid?" he asked.[171]:411–414, 419 Obama campaign staffers referred to Biden blunders as "Joe bombs" and kept Biden uninformed about strategy discussions, Sony svs131e1dl keyboard ·Sony svs131g1dl keyboard · ·Sony svs131b12v keyboard which in turn irked Biden.[185] Relations between the two campaigns became strained for a month, until Biden apologized on a call to Obama and the two built a stronger partnership.[171Sony svs131g21l keyboard ·Sony svs131a12w keyboard ·Sony svs131a12w keyboard]:411–414 Publicly, Obama strategist David Axelrod said Biden's high popularity ratings had outweighed any unexpected comments.[195] Nationally, Biden had a 60% favorability rating in a Pew Research Center poll, compared to Palin's 44%.[192] HP PX03XL Battery

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  On November 4, 2008, Obama and Biden were elected with 53% of the popular vote and 365 electoral votes to McCain–Palin's 173.[196][197][198] HP SG03XL Battery

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  At the same time Biden was running for vice president he was also running for reelection to the Senate,[199] as permitted by Delaware law.[136] On November 4, he was reelected to the Senate, defeating Republican Christine O'Donnell.[200] Having won both races, Biden made a point of waiting to resign from the Senate until he was sworn in for his seventh term on January 6, 2009.[201HP BP02XL Battery

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 ·  HP TE04XL Battery] He became the youngest senator ever to start a seventh full term, and said, "In all my life, the greatest honor bestowed upon me has been serving the people of Delaware as their United States senator."[201] Biden cast his last Senate vote on January 15, supporting the release of the second $350 billion for the Troubled Asset Relief Program,[202] and resigned from the Senate later that day.[nHP BI03XL Battery

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 ·  HP RR03XL Batteryb 2] In an emotional farewell, Biden told the Senate: "Every good thing I have seen happen here, every bold step taken in the 36-plus years I have been here, came not from the application of pressure by interest groups, but through the maturation of personal relationships."[206] Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner appointed longtime Biden adviser Ted Kaufman to fill Biden's vacated Senate seat.[2HP CM03XL Battery

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 Vice president (2009–2017)

 Biden being sworn in as vice president on January 20, 2009

First term (2009–2013)

Biden said he intended to eliminate some explicit roles assumed by George W. Bush's vice president, Dick Cheney, and did not intend to emulate any previous vice presidency.[208] He chaired Obama's transition team[209] and headed an initiative to improve middle-class economic well-being.[21HP CI03XL Battery

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 ·  HP HT03XL Battery0] In early January 2009, in his last act as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, he visited the leaders of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan,[211] and on January 20 he was sworn in as the 47th vice president of the United States[212]‍—‌the first vice president from Delaware[2HP NP03XL Battery

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 ·  HP TF03XL Battery13] and the first Roman Catholic vice president.[214][215]

 Obama was soon comparing Biden to a basketball player "who does a bunch of things that don't show up in the stat sheet".[216] In May, Biden visited Kosovo and affirmed the U.S. position that its "independence is irreversible".[HP BT04XL Battery

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 ·  HP PK03XL Battery217] Biden lost an internal debate to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about sending 21,000 new troops to Afghanistan,[218][219] but his skepticism was valued,[177] and in 2009, Biden's views gained more influence as Obama reconsidered his Afghanistan strategy.[220] Biden visited Iraq about every two months,[ HP ME03XL Battery

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 ·  HP KB06XL Battery147] becoming the administration's point man in delivering messages to Iraqi leadership about expected progress there.[177] More generally, overseeing Iraq policy became Biden's responsibility: Obama was said to have said, "Joe, you do Iraq."[221] Biden said Iraq "could be one of the great achievements of this administration".[22HP LE03XL Battery

·  HP BK03XL Battery2] His January 2010 visit to Iraq in the midst of turmoil over banned candidates from the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary election resulted in 59 of the several hundred candidates being reinstated by the Iraqi government two days later.[2HP PX03XL Battery

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 ·  HP TE04XL Battery 23] By 2012, Biden had made eight trips there, but his oversight of U.S. policy in Iraq receded with the exit of U.S. troops in 2011.[224][225]

  President Obama congratulates Biden for his role in shaping the debt ceiling deal which led to the Budget Control Act of 2011

Biden oversaw infrastructure spending from the Obama stimulus package intended to help counteract the ongoing recession, and stressed that only worthy projects should get funding.[ HP SG03XL Battery

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 ·  HP HT03XL Battery 7] and when he completed that role in February 2011, he said the number of fraud incidents with stimulus monies had been less than one percent.[227]

 In late April 2009, Biden's off-message response to a question during the beginning of the swine flu outbreak, that he would advise family members against traveling on airplanes or subways, led to a swift retraction by the White House.[228] The remark revived Biden's reputation for gaffes.[229][220][2HP BI03XL Battery

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 ·  HP TF03XL Battery 30] Confronted with rising unemployment through July 2009, Biden acknowledged that the administration had "misread how bad the economy was" but maintained confidence the stimulus package would create many more jobs once the pace of expenditures picked up.[231] On March 23, 2010, HP MB04XL Battery

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 ·  HP PK03XL Battery a microphone picked up Biden telling the president that his signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was "a big fucking deal" during live national news telecasts. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs replied on Twitter, "And yes Mr. Vice President, you're right ..."[23HP BT04XL Battery

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 ·  HP KB06XL Battery 2] Despite their different personalities, Obama and Biden formed a friendship, partly based around Obama's daughter Sasha and Biden's granddaughter Maisy, who attended Sidwell Friends School together.[185] HP ME03XL Battery

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  Members of the Obama administration said Biden's role in the White House was to be a contrarian and force others to defend their positions.[233] Rahm Emanuel, White House chief of staff, said that Biden helped counter groupthink.[21HP LE03XL Battery

·  HP BK03XL Battery 6] White House press secretary Jay Carney, Biden's former communications director, said Biden played the role of "the bad guy in the Situation Room".[233] Another senior Obama advisor said Biden "is always prepared to be the skunk at the family picnic to make sure we are as intellectually honest as possible."[177] Sony SVF13NA1UM battery Obama said, "The best thing about Joe is that when we get everybody together, he really forces people to think and defend their positions, to look at things from every angle, and that is very valuable for me." Sony SVT111A11M battery Sony VGP-BPS42 battery Sony vgp-bps20/s battery [177] On June 11, 2010, Biden represented the United States at the opening ceremony of the World Cup, attended the England v. U.S. game, and visited Egypt, Kenya, and South Africa.[234] The Bidens maintained a relaxed atmosphere at their official residence in Washington, often entertaining their grandchildren, and regularly returned to their home Sony SVP132A2CM battery Sony vgp-bps20/b batteryin Delaware.[235]

 Biden campaigned heavily for Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections, maintaining an attitude of optimism in the face of predictions of large-scale losses for the party.[236] Following big Republican gains in the elections and the departure of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, Sony SVP132A1CM battery Sony vgp-bps20 battery Biden's past relationships with Republicans in Congress became more important.[237][238] He led the successful administration effort to gain Senate approval for the New START treaty.[237] Sony SVZ1311Z9E battery Sony SVZ1311C5E battery Sony vgp-bpl20 battery [238] In December 2010, Biden's advocacy for a middle ground, followed by his negotiations with Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, were instrumental in producing the administration's compromise tax package that included a temporary extension of the Bush tax cuts.[238] Sony SVZ1311S9E battery Sony VGP-BPS40 battery [239] Biden then took the lead in trying to sell the agreement to a reluctant Democratic caucus in Congress.[238][240] The package passed as the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010.

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In foreign policy, Biden supported the NATO-led military intervention in Libya in 2011.[241] He supported closer economic ties with Russia.[242]

 In March 2011, Obama delegated Biden to lead negotiations with Congress to resolve federal spending levels for the rest of the year and avoid a government shutdown.[243] By May 2011, a "Biden panel" Sony SVD112A1SM battery Sony VGP-BPS41 battery with six congressional members was trying to reach a bipartisan deal on raising the U.S. debt ceiling as part of an overall deficit reduction plan.[244][245] The U.S. debt ceiling crisis developed over the next few months, but Biden's relationship with McConnell again proved key in breaking a deadlock and bringing about a deal to resolve it, in the form of the Budget Control Act of 2011, signed on August 2, 2011, the same day an unprecedented U.S. Sony VGP-BPS27 batterydefault had loomed.[246][247][248] Biden had spent the most time of anyone in the administration bargaining with Congress on the debt question,[247] and one Republican staffer said, "Biden's the only guy with real negotiating authority, and [McConnell] knows that his word is good. He was a key to the deal."[246] Sony SVD132A1SM battery Sony VGP-BPS36 battery Sony SVF15AA1QM battery Sony SVP1121C5E battery Sony VGP-BPS37 battery