#I would like to inform I actually skipped eight because it was Hamilton

[lyrazehedgieboiii]

Sonic AU (One-shot~)

This was inspired by Sonic AU, a story that I wrote before this. The next thing I post (that’s not a reblog or art), will be the first chapter to a story I’m writing.

     “You know it, Rouge. While the boys have their little ‘guy time,’ we can go shopping! Oh, Eliza just started crying, see you later!” Amy hung up on her phone call with Rouge. They were going to go shopping, along with Cream. Amy wasn’t really a fan of shopping, but she desperately wanted to hang out with her friends without Sonic acting all fussy. They had seven children, but by the way Sonic acted, you could say she had to take of eight. She walked over to a light pink crib, and looked inside. Curious emerald eyes were looking up at her, little beads of tears lining the bottom of the child’s eyes.

      “There’s my gorgeous little hedgie! Oh look at your precious little eyes! They’re so cute! They look just like your daddy’s!” All she got in response to her coos was a squeak, which made Amy fawn even more. “Why are you so cute?! I just want to gobble up your tiny little cheeks!” 

        “Ames, maybe check what’s wrong first, then fangirl over how cute Sonic the Hedgehog’s children are?” Amy looked up to see her husband leaning against the doorframe. The little shit had a smug look on his face.

         “They aren’t just cute because they’re your children, Sonic.” Amy smirked back at him. She picked up her sky-blue baby out of the crib, and placed her on a little quilt on her back. She went to wear the boys’ side was, and looked at whoever was awake. Apparently only Dash and Eric were awake, so she set them on the quilt as well.

       “They got my genes. Look, more of them have my eyes then yours. I heard what you said to Eliza~,” Sonic wiggled his eyebrows, and his smirk only grew wider as he saw her blush. He walked over to her, and hugged her from behind, his arms tightening around her waist. “I’m hungry.” After years of knowing Sonic, she could see someone licking a vanilla ice-cream, she could think of dirty scenarios happening all at once. 

      “W-whoa there! We have children! Some of them are awake!” Amy tried to push him away, but he only held on tighter.

      “Come on, a little fun won’t hurt~” Sonic started to gently peck her neck.

       “...Why do you want this?” Amy asked, trying to hold her moans in.

       “You being the mother to my children turns me on more than you notice, babe.” Sonic was suddenly pushed onto the quilt while Amy straddled him. 

        “I’m going to the mall today with Rouge and Cream. You can take care of the boys with Tails and Knuckles. I’ll take care of the sisters.” Amy often referred to her daughters as ‘the sisters’ because of their names. She named them after the Schuyler Sisters, seeing Hamilton with her best friends. Their middle names were after Greek Goddesses, one of the names for each sister being from the Three Graces.

 “Just be careful, okay? Buy something that’ll make me feel like stripping every ounce of clothing off of you.~” He bit into her neck, leaving a purple spot and a gawking Amy.

        “Do not worry, Mr. Hedgehog, we will make sure that Mrs. Hedgehog has a lingerie so beautiful, you’ll faint and nosebleed like you used to back in University.” The pink hedgehog and her latter looked at the door. Rouge was standing there with a camera, while Cream was staring at them with stars in her eyes.

       “Thank you, Mrs. Echidna. Ames, you be a good girl. Don’t get into any fights, and if you do, don’t let the Sisters get in, or else you and the girls would be in jail.”

        “Actually, Sonikku, I think you should be telling yourself that. You’re gonna be watching the boys. You haven’t properly taken care of them yet. I’m usually the stay-at-home mom, but today, roles are reversed. I wrote instructions on how to take care of them properly and I put their to-” Amy was cut off by a sudden warmth on her lips.

         “Don’t worry, Amy. I’ll take good care of my little guys.” As soon as he said that, Rouge and Cream started gushing over how cute they found Sonic calling his sons “Little guys.”

         “He loves his children!!! He loves the children Amy made!” (I’m personally fangirling too) Cream squealed. Amy and Sonic sweatdropped at their hardcore shipping. 

    ~~~~~~Time Skip to Once They’re Downstairs~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    “Okay, I packed Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy’s things. That should be all!” Amy looked at Sonic. “You sure you got them?” Amy asked.

  “Ames. You ain’t gotta worry about me. How hard could it be?” 

   “It’s not hard for you until now, because I usually take care of the kids, while you’re off at the recording studio, or practicing. I’m a housewife!”

     “Don’t think I don’t know that Ariana Growle asked you to choreograph her newest music video.” Sonic said, pulling Flash’s foot from reaching the t.v. remote.

     “Yeah, Amy. You don’t have to worry, Knuckles and I will make sure that he isn’t going to end up in tears because he has to change the kids’ diapers.” Tails responded, ignoring Sonic as he yelled an insulted “Hey!” at him.

    “Thanks Tails, Knuckles. Maybe when you two have children, Sonic and I can take care of them!” Amy said, as she tried to get a two-month old squirming Angelica into her carseat. Angelica whined, wanting to get out of the carseat, until her mother handed her a soft little plush toy. Eliza was smiling at Cream playing peek-a-boo with her. Peggy, however...just...sat there. Amy walked over to Sonic, who was holding Wayne and Dash. She gave them a peck on the forehead, and gave their father a kiss on the lips. Sonic leaned in to let the kiss linger for a little longer, but Amy pulled back.

   “I’ll see my little boys later!” Amy exclaimed as she gave kisses to Eric and Flash, who were being held by Tails and Knuckles. “Take good care of them! Or else...” Amy’s motherly instincts kicked in, her glare telling the caretakers that she’d kill them if even if one of the boys get even a tiny scratch.

- ~~~~~~AT THE MALL~~~~~~~

    “Oh! This would go well with the skinny jeans I saw, don’tcha think? Amy asked Cream as she examined a grey crop top. She looked over at her daughters, who were sleeping, being lulled into a nap after a long walk in the stroller. Rouge was looking at some off-the-shoulder tops.

   “Rouge, looking at your growing stomach, I would avoid looking at these teen tops, and move to the maternity section.” Cream joked. Rouge smiled. Amy smiled too. 

   “I remember when I was pregnant with these little angels, I dragged Sonic to at least 22 different stores. He went ballistic!” Amy laughed. “But seriously, you should start buying pregnancy clothes. One minute your stomach is barely half an inch, you blink and it looks like you have a basketball under your shirt.” 

  “How is it that we knew that you’d be the first one to get married and first one to have children?” Rouge smirked. Amy’s face flushed. 

  “D-don’t look at me! Sonic basically rushed me into this! He was in love with me my whole life! Since we were three!” Amy said, turning redder than the bat’s husband.

   “Well, you have a point. Still. You fell for him!” Cream pointed out. They all laughed. Amy started wondering how the boys were doing. 

Now, let’s see how the men are doing~

-

   “WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” One of the babies, specifically Eric, started crying. Of course, it started a chain reaction, causing all the babies to cry. Sonic jolted up immediately and scooped up two of them, as they aren’t able to move much. He glared at Knuckles and Tails, who got the memo to pick up the other two.

   “What do we do?!” Knuckles yelled at Sonic over the crying.

   “Let me look at the list Amy gave me.” Sonic got up and moved to the kitchen counter. He skimmed through the paper. “Let’s try giving them some food.” Sonic started looking through the pantry.

   “But they’re too young to have normal food. They can only have milk at this age!” Tails skidded over to Sonic and blocked the pantry. They noticed it wasn’t as loud as before. Knuckles handed them pacifiers.

    “Knuckles, you’re a genius!” he gently put the pacifiers into Flash and Dash’s mouths. They started sucking. “Damnit, we don’t have nipples. Amy usually breastfeeds them.” 

   “Too much information, buddy.” Knuckles shook his head.

    “Dude, you’re about to have your own child or children! It’s only natural. Amy occasionally does it because of the brood we have!” Sonic said, rolling his eyes at Knuckles’s immaturity. 

   “What about baby formula?” Tails asked. Sonic tried to snap his fingers, but failed because of the septuplets. “To the nursery!” And with that, he dashed up the stairs, Tails yelling at him to be careful. He sped back to the kitchen and began reading the directions. 

     “For infants four months and younger, one tablespoon of formula in 165 ml water. Infants will best like it as lukewarm. Huh, easy enough!” Sonic gives each baby to his friends, and starts taking out baby bottles. “Wait, how much is 100 milliliters are in cups?” Sonic asked. Tails sighed.

      “Maybe I should do it, Sonic, you can play with the kids.” Sonic handed Dash and Wayne to him, and started measuring. Sonic walks back to the living room and puts the kids on the quilt from earlier. Knuckles started playing peek-a-boo with them, until Sonic interrupted.

       “Dude, they can’t see clearly at this age, give them a few more months. Then again, they’ll be more interested in pulling those red dreads.” Sonic jokes with Knuckles. The echidna makes a disapproving look at him. Tails walks over with four baby bottles. He gave the idiots the bottles, and the kids started to suck on the bottles. After about ten minutes, the boys were done drinking their milk, and Sonic made a disgusted face.

       “Ew, Knuckles, what did you eat? It smells like scrambled egg made with rotten eggs.” Knuckles glared at Sonic

        “Oh sure, blame the buff guy.”

        “Well if it wasn’t you, then who was it?” Sonic asked. Tails pointed to the kids in their arms.

      “Well, I just remembered! I have stuff to do! Bye!” As Knuckles tried to get up, he was stopped by Sonic.  

      “You agreed to help with your nephews, now help.” Knuckles didn’t find Sonic’s face very friendly, so he sat back down. “Chaos, Amy owes me a strip show for this...” Sonic muttered. He looked up to find Tails and Knuckles blushing at what Sonic said. “Can you two imagine your own women doing that? Thank you.” Knuckles thought of Rouge and Tails with Cream.

   “Ugh, help me change them.” Sonic said as he took four diapers and baby wipes. They walked to the nursery and put them on the diaper changing tables. (There’s more than one because of the seven hedgies.) “Okay, guys. We’re in unfamiliar territory, so be careful and stay safe.” Sonic said, acting like he was putting on an astronaut helmet.

   “Sonic, we’re wiping your sons’ asses, not exploring the moon.” Sonic took a wipe and stuffed it into Tails’s mouth. 

    “Wash your mouth, dude! I don’t want ‘ass’ being their first word.” Tails spat out the wipe and started acting like he was dying. 

    “Can we get this over with? Sonic do you know what to do?” Knuckles asked, done with life, and just wanted to go home.

     “Take off the diaper. There are those sticky strap things on the side we take those off, and take the diaper off.” Tails explained. They all followed what Tails said, only to find the revolting urine. The boys all ran to the nearest bathroom. They slowly went back to the nursery, the little hedgehogs giggling at not being covered on their rear-side.

    “I see where they get those annoying smug faces from.” Knuckles stated, looking at the one who wore the smile first. Sonic’s smirk just got wider.

    “I knew Amy would want most of the kids to look like me~, after all, I’m practically the hottest hedgehog alive!” Sonic made a pose, keeping still until he heard giggles at the door.

   “No one’s named you ‘The Hottest Hedgehog Alive,’ Sonic.” Amy said, smirking at the doorframe. “Learn to change your kids’ diapers first. You haven’t even completed that.” Amy walked over to her husband, and slid one finger across his cheek, to his shoulder, and down his chest.

   “Well then, Ames. I guess you better get to it!” And with that, the boys ran out of the mansion.

   “SOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCC!!!!!!” Amy scoffed at his childish behavior. “WELL, I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO TRASH THIS OUTFIT I GOT FOR YOU!” Sonic immediately came back, picked up Amy and left.

   “So, now what do we do?” Rouge asked. 

   “Finish what our guys couldn’t do.”

THANK YOU, I HOPED YOU ENJOY, PLEASE GIVE ME MORE PROMPTS BECAUSE I AM NOT CREATIVE.

[elizabethhamilton1780]

You’re writing is freaking amazing and I’m obsessed with all these aus!!!!!! If I may, “I need a place to stay” for either dirty political hell au (lol) or the one where Eliza is a nurse? Thank you so so so much & keep up you’re brilliant work- you’re one of the few Eliza x alexander blogs I could find and I appreciate everything you do so much!!

A/N: Ahhh thank you so much! It’s really good to hear that people enjoy my writing, so thanks. Really appreciate it!

Prompts: (x) AU: (x)

“I need a place to stay,” Eliza stared blankly. Alexander cracked a small smile, though it didn’t match his eyes. They were puffy. It was obvious he had been crying and she hated the fact that that was the first thing she noticed. It was something her job had instilled in her, she supposed. Try and find a person’s weakness and pry the story from that.

Only this wasn’t a story. This was her obviously very distraught friend showing up at 10 pm on a weeknight, asking for a place to stay. His suit was rumpled, the tie loose around his neck. “I’m sorry, I. I realize this must be an inconvenience for you, but. I had a fight with Ria and had to get the hell out of there. I forgot my wallet, can’t exactly pay for a hotel room.”

“Of course, Alex,” Eliza eventually came to her senses and opened the door wider to let him in. It only just occurred to her that the thin cotton nightgown she was wearing did very little to hide her breasts. Her cheeks flushed and she felt as though she might as well have been naked. “Hold on, just. Make yourself at home,” she instructed just as she always did whenever he visited her. She practically scurried off to throw on a more appropriate pajama outfit— she wasn’t expecting guests and she’s a hot sleeper— a loose white crew neck tee shirt and a pair of leggings.  

“You didn’t have to change, you know,” Alexander greeted her, sprawled out on one end of the couch, his suit coat discarded, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, tie off. “I’ve seen you naked before.”

Eliza’s cheeks flushed and she glared at him, picking up the nearest pillow and chucking it half-heartedly at him. He laughed and swatted it away before it could hit his face. “I thought we agreed to never speak of that night again.” It worked well for them. Pretending that their first night they spent together wasn’t a drunken but passionate rendezvous that very nearly led to an affair when they were both sober the next morning. It worked well for them. He just smirked at her and she rolled her eyes. “Alright, I’m beginning to sense that this conversation is going to need wine. Red or white?”

“Don’t all the conversations we have need wine?” He countered, raising an eyebrow. Eliza hated how he looked so handsome even when he pulled stupid expressions like that.

It was true. Most of their conversations they had revolved around work, though. They had come up with a sort of deal. Alexander was a great source for Eliza’s work surrounding certain individuals she considered to be corrupt politicians and Eliza was great at using her other sources to dig for various pieces of information he needed. Their odd friendship quickly became quite helpful to both of their work.

The evenings they spent together, usually once every month, usually involved a shared bottle of wine, flirting that they both pretend doesn’t happen and a great deal of note taking. If Eliza was being honest with herself, she’d realize how much she enjoyed those evenings and constantly counted down the days until the next one came along. She wasn’t honest about anything but the facts she put into her writing.

She didn’t write anything in her articles that she knew had any implication of being untrue. She trusted each one of her sources and had each fact backed by another source. Every word was placed meticulously into the article with a purpose. Every quote she used served her story. She hadn’t ever been a fluff piece writer nor did she ever intend to. She was good at her job. Perhaps the only journalist who had a spark of conscience in this godforsaken place.

She was an honest journalist. Perhaps not as honest in her personal life.

“Red or white?” She repeated the question.

“Red, of course.”

She found a bottle and a corkscrew and tore the bottle open. She carried that along with two other glasses into the living room, setting the items down on the counter. She leaned back against the soft cushions of her gray couch while Alexander poured the two glasses.

“Cheers,” she said once her glass was in her hand, smiling when they clinked their glasses together.

They both took a sip and Alexander hummed, turning to face her better. “Now, what are we cheers-ing for? My failing marriage, or my failing debt plan? Because both are equally exciting, B, really.”

“Your debt plan isn’t going to fail, Hamilton. Not with Washington supporting you. It’ll just take some time. If you learn to shut your mouth, you may actually be able to make friends with Senator Harrington, who is leaning left more every day. Andre, one of my co-workers has this source who—“

“I really don’t want to talk about work right now, Eliza. I didn’t come for badass reporter Schuyler. I came for my friend B. And I would really appreciate if we could skip the business part of the evening that it usually takes for her to come out.”  

She wanted to say so many things to that comment. She wanted to explain to him that why she insisted their meetings were strictly work-related was so she didn’t make it a date in her mind. Using their meetings as work events helped ease the guilt, helped her ignore the fact that she was falling in love with a very unavailable and powerful politician. It helped her forget that she wasn’t turning into the woman she once despised as a girl.

Instead, she nodded. “Okay. Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry.” She set down her glass of wine and shifted to face him better on the couch, crisscrossing her legs. “What happened?”

Alexander took another large gulp of wine before setting the glass down too. He sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair, a nervous habit of his, Eliza noticed. “She didn’t file her papers.”

“What? Again?”

“I know. And now it’s going to take at minimum two years for her to really become a citizen since Sof left I don’t really have pull over there anymore. She’s just going to have to be shuffled through like everyone else,” he laughed like that was such a preposterous thing. Which it was, considering how high up her husband was in DC. “She’s been here for eight years now, B. Her husband is in the government and has been pulling every damn string possible for her to become a US citizen and she keeps fucking jeopardizing it on purpose. I don’t understand her. I really don’t. Not anymore.”

Eliza hesitated, looking down at her hands that were resting on her thighs. “Alex. Have you ever… what if this isn’t what she wanted? What if she wanted to stay in Nevis? I mean… you just… with no warning, pulled her out of there. From what I understand. You hadn’t had contact with each other for six years and suddenly she’s pulled out of her home and discovering her childhood sweetheart is now an American war hero who called in a favor from the General of the army for her to be granted entrance into a strange country. What if she didn’t want that and this is her way of telling you that?”

“No. That was always our plan, B—“

“Plans change, Alexander.”

“I was supposed to go first and find us a place and get everything settled and then send for her. We’d get married and live happily ever after in America. That was our plan. It was always our plan, the plan we’d had since we were fifteen. It was our plan when I managed to get out of that hell hole at nineteen. I promised her I would get her out. I mean… I know we couldn’t. We didn’t talk for six years, after, but…”

“So she came here and married someone who was virtually a stranger to her.”

“We weren’t strangers, Eliza. We’d grown up together, we’ve spent most of our lives together than apart. Six lousy years is nothing—“

Eliza smiled sadly, her eyebrows furrowed. “A lot can happen in six years. Both people and towns can change a lot in six years.”

“Not in Nevis. Nothing changes there.”

“Well, maybe something did. You never asked her. You never talk about home. Maybe that’s a part of the problem, too. You’re so happy to forget about the first nineteen years of your life but maybe she isn’t. Maybe she misses it, misses her home. Maybe—“

“Goddamnit, there was nothing left for us there!” Alexander suddenly snapped and Eliza cut off suddenly. “For fuck’s sake. What was left for her there? Working at that dingy cafe? Her family’s failing bait shop? Our father’s, who would rather break our arms to get them out of fish traps we accidentally found ourselves caught in reloading them? Because god forbid that any fish get out! Or, no. No, perhaps it’s my drunken deadbeat brother she always seemed to be so fond of. What was fucking left for her there?!”

Eliza felt her skin prickle. “I think you’re having this conversation with the wrong woman, Hamilton.”

He softened immediately. “I’m sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t mean to take that out on you. I’m sorry.” Eliza didn’t want to forgive him, admittedly, her feelings were hurt by his sharp tone. But then he looked so defeated and sad that she had to do something. She wrapped him up in a tight hug, rubbing his back.

“It’s okay,” she reassured him, pretending that she didn’t feel anything when she felt his tickle of his facial hair against her neck. “It’s okay, Alexander. It’s going to be okay.”

“She insulted my mom.”

Eliza froze, pulling away to look at him. “What?” She knew how much his mother meant to him. Why on earth would his wife ever..?

“Nah, it’s. I pushed her to it, I think. Subconsciously. I wanted her to get angry because I was too. I was so upset at her for not wanting to move on. We both… God, we were awful to each other. Screaming. I was a dick and mentioned something about her druggie sister and she… well, she basically called my mom what everyone around that town saw her as. A whore.”

“Alex…” Eliza laid her hand on his shoulder, wearing a delicate frown. She wasn’t quite sure what to say. Instead, she just pulled him into another hug, ignoring the flutter in her chest when she could have sworn she felt the press of his lips against her neck, where his face was hidden. But then she heard him sniffle and suddenly she knew just what to say.

“She wasn’t a whore. You know that… from what you’ve told me, she was just doing what she had to so she could provide for you and your brother. She wasn’t a whore. She was just a brave, dedicated mother forced into unfortunate circumstances. She shouldn’t be blamed for that. Anyone who does is wrong. And Maria was wrong to say that, especially when she knows how much your mother means to you… Though, I’m sure you got a few good hits in too. Actually, I’m sure you started it.” She smiled when he grumbled, his face still hidden. “Regardless… Take the night off, yeah? You both need to cool down. Apologize in the morning. Two years seems like a long time, but it isn’t. Everything’s going to be fine. You’ll get through this, you guys always do.”

Alexander slowly pulled away, though he didn’t move very far. Their faces were just inches apart. “What if I don’t want to?”

“What?”

“What if I don’t want to just… get through this with her the rest of my life?”

“Thing’s will get easier. The press will lighten up on you and she won’t feel threatened. She’ll become an official citizen. Things are going to get better. The getting through part is just… temporary.” Eliza stared straight into his eyes, her hands still on his shoulders. “It’s going to be okay, Alex.”

“I wish I would have just left her there. Left her in Nevis.”

She inhaled sharply. “That’s fucking… That’s awful, and no you don’t.”

“Yes, I do—“

“You’re understandably frustrated, I get it, but you don’t mean that.”

“I do. I do, because if she wasn’t here. If I hadn’t married her… I could have married you.” Eliza’s heart stopped but she made sure to keep her face neutral. “I would have still seen you at that party and I wouldn’t have felt guilty for thinking that you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I would have been able to fuck you without feeling guilty for it feeling so good. I wouldn’t have to feel guilty for falling in love with you.”

She wasn’t able to contain the hitch in her breath. She dropped her hands from Alexander’s shoulders and swallowed roughly. “Alright. I think that’s my cue to go to bed.”

“What? No!”

“Yes,” she said sharply. “This is dangerous. We’ve had wine,” she doesn’t let herself acknowledge how full their glasses still were, “you’ve had a fight with your wife and you’re upset. We should both get some sleep.” She started to stand up but was swiftly tugged back down by the hem of her teeshirt. She barely had time to process what had happened before his chapped lips were pressed roughly against hers.

It was a harsh kiss, a biting one, his hand cupping her jaw, his other still holding onto her tee shirt. She shoved futilely at his chest once, but he didn’t move an inch. He kissed her harder and suddenly Eliza’s resolve was broken. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and started to kiss him back with just as much gusto as he was kissing her with.

The spell seemed to be broken when he started to sneak his fingers under the waistband of her leggings. She pushed him away and stood up, knocking over the glass of wine in her hurry. He looked confused and frustrated. “What’s wr—“

“Don’t you dare ask me what’s wrong!” She snapped, panting.

“B, I don’t—“

“What’s wrong is that you’re married! What’s wrong is that you’re probably drunk and confessing your love to me and you’re going to regret it tomorrow like you did the last time! What’s wrong is that I don’t want to tell you no because what you’re feeling right now, while you’re drunk, is what I’m feeling every goddamn day, and every time we have one of these hangouts. You’re married, Hamilton, and—“

“I didn’t forget my wallet,” he snapped, interrupting her next point.

She paused, not understanding the point he was trying to make. “What?”

“I didn’t forget my wallet. I could have gotten a room at one of the fanciest hotels in town. But I didn’t. I came here because I wanted to see you. I came here and lied about wanting to see you. But I planned it out and I did that before I even touched this bottle,” he stood up and slowly crossed the room. “I want to see you and here I am. I’m seeing you and I want you.” He laughed, shaking his head at himself and ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s terrible and it’s awful. But I don’t fucking care right now. I want you. And no, I don’t want you as a business partner or even as a friend. I just… want you. I want you, B. Let this happen.” He stopped when he was stood directly in front of her. She didn’t pull away when she felt his warm hands on her hips. A sliver of her skin was exposed from her shirt that had ridden up and his thumbs stroked there gently. Eliza remained frozen, disappointed in how her resolve was slipping. “Let us happen,” he repeated, his voice soft. She nodded without hesitation and his mouth was on her’s again.

The first round that night was much like their first time together. It was rough, quick, with tiny battles over who got to be on top. It was loud noises, harsh movements with pinned arms and purple marks covering her thighs, nail marks on his back. It was all their pent-up attraction and suppressed feelings flooding out of them in the most delicious way.

The second round was… different. It was soft with pretty words and kisses. It was all caressing, skin on skin and entwined fingers. It was… Alex treating her like she was the only thing that mattered in the world. It was his dark eyes watching her and whispering for her to look at him, to open her eyes so he could see her beautiful eyes. It was sweet kisses even afterward they had both come down from their highs. It was… love.

She woke up the next morning with his face a mere few inches from her own. She brushed the back of her hand over his cheek that felt like sandpaper against her skin. She hated the fact that she felt happier then she had in months. She shook off the thought and wrapped herself up in her robe and made her way downstairs to start some coffee. She smiled when she felt his arms wrap around her waist from behind and kiss her neck.

When he left, the dark cloud came back over her. Never again. It couldn’t happen ever again.

But it did. It kept happening. He kept coming back and she kept letting him. Eventually, she didn’t even have to pretend to drink wine. She just let it happen. She fell deeper and deeper into this sinkhole that was supposed to feel wrong but didn’t.

But… It wasn’t a thing. She wasn’t in a relationship with a married man. It was a casual thing, one with no attachments. It was sex, it was just sex. It was a way for him to work off steam from his demanding job and his unhappy marriage. It was just fun for her. It was just fun and good sex.

She told herself that she could control it. She wouldn’t let anything beyond that happen. She would not be in a relationship with a married man.

Her resolve always seemed to drop the moment Alexander entered the room. The moment his eyes met hers, the moment he touched her in even the most of innocent ways. It was happening and she wasn’t sure how to stop it.

They were on a weekend getaway together in Vermont, when she finally came to terms with it all.  Alex had casually and offhandedly referred to her as his girlfriend to a waitress in a sleepy diner a block away from their hotel as he looked over the menu. She got to thinking… She hadn’t been on a date in months. She hadn’t been on a date since Alex came to her after his fight with Maria. It wasn’t for lack of invitation, either. One of her colleagues was particularly insistent on getting a date and she was hit on all the time for her number whenever she went out with Peggy. She just… didn’t want to date. She didn’t want to be with anyone but Alex. Girlfriend, he said. She was a married man’s girlfriend.  

Not only that, but she had fallen in love with him. She was fucking screwed.

“Hey. Baby, you okay?” Alex interrupted her thoughts, his arm stretched out on the table, offering his hand. She nodded and took his hand, not saying anything. “You sure? You sort of look… terrified,” he laughed, entwining their fingers and tilting his head. “Is this about what that man outside said about the bear? Because he was drunk, B. There’s no bear.”

“No, no. It’s…” she shook her thoughts off, smiling at him. “I’m fine. I just… I love you.”

He paused from where he was going to take a sip of his drink. “What?”

“I said I love you. I understand if that freaks you out because you were probably looking for a casual thing, but— where are you—?” She felt fear rise in her chest. He wasn’t seriously going to leave her here, was he?

But then he was nudging her to scoot more inside the booth so he could fit in next to her. His hands cupped her cheeks and they looked straight into the other’s eyes, Eliza’s smaller hand covering Alex’s. “I love you too,” he said simply before he crashed their lips together.

Yes, it had happened. And neither of them had any intention of stopping anytime soon.

[aion-rsa]

Perry Mason Episode 8 Review: Chapter Eight

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This Perry Mason review contains spoilers.

Perry Mason Episode 8

“No one confesses on the stand,” Hamilton Burger (Justin Kirk) advises the title character on Perry Mason‘s season 1 finale, “Chapter Eight.” And it’s a shame. Not only because this is the very thing which made the iconic TV series character legendary, but because Perry Mason (Matthew Rhys) is doing so well with it in rehearsal. At least that’s what he tells himself and everyone else around him before clearing out the room to fit his ego.

The battle is over whether Mason should put Detective Ennis (Andrew Howard) on the stand, a hostile witness to say the least. Della Street (Juliet Rylance) believes Emily Dodson (Gayle Rankin) should be allowed to speak for herself after having been dragged through the mud by every man close enough to tug at her. Mason sees this as a crusade for Della, and likens it to a campaign waged as a proxy for her love affair with Hazel. The scene is very telling. It comes after Mason has driven away his closest allies, and it comes off as cruel. We know Della is right to point out she didn’t expect to have her relationship throw in her face by the look on Mason’s face.

Rhys doesn’t hide anything from the camera. We want so much for him to apologize, he bears that weight from his eyelids to his jowls. There is a scene where he is smoking, and in a camera aside which doesn’t show the cigarette, smoke or any other indication of a puff, he still looks like he’s smoking. We can tell he wants to take a drag. I reached for a lighter. He knows what he said to Della is unforgivable, just like Mason knows when he’s overdone his anguished anger. Rhys informs us of Mason’s self-awareness. Just like he’s the reason we know Della Street is always the smartest person in any room.

Mason also skips past apologies when he re-ups Peter Strickland (Shea Whigham), barely against his will. Strickland pegs him halfway, saying maybe this is who he always was if he shaved and put on a suit. Maybe it’s because a suit isn’t a long way from a uniform, which Mason wore in the trenches. But this is also a way to climb out of the trenches, and they all know it. We get the impression Mason is a closed mouth man. Strickland is really the only male protagonist of the series who talks a lot. The contrast is humorous even when the scenes aren’t because a lot of the time the same conversations are told through circumlocution even when they’re at the most direct. Strickland says a lot, but makes his statements in between the lines, except when he’s telling Mason outright how much work he’s done. Mason seems to save his words up for court or desperate tantrums. They are very similar, but what works to a jury is a pain in the ass to a coworker.

Officer Paul Drake (Chris Chalk), new to Mason’s crew, is in personal exile to keep his expecting wife safe, but he keeps this part of him shut out when he’s on the job. He still has to bail out the guy in the new suit.  Mason’s are off the rack, however and Officer Drake’s professional look has a tailored feel. It is especially impressive with the jacket off when he turns in the money he had been given to make his precinct look good during his appearance on the stand. He also calls his superior “Joe,” and turns in his badge.

District Attorney Maynard Barnes finds so many ways to present the word “sex” in trial you almost forget he says anything else, but every word of Stephen Root’s delivery drips with innuendo, insinuation and theatrical suspense. Not just the sentences, each word, and as they batter Emily during cross examination it really feels like he’s going to be the one to get a confession on the stand. That would be a fun turnaround, but no, she actually turns it back on him with the power of pitiful acquiescence.

Mason finally gets in a good, solid punch. It looks like it connects perfectly, and it might even coldcock someone, if it weren’t Ennis. He steps back, but that might only be to let his partner back Mason into a pillar. Detective Holcomb (Eric Lange) probably saves the defense attorney’s life by threatening it. Ennis killed a guy last week for taking too long to take a powder. This is a man who can put a lethal spike in the arm of a surrogate mother. It takes three men to douse Ennis’ fire when the final fix comes in. He will be missed in season 2. 

Barnes’ closing summation could have consisted of one word, “guilty,” because of all the unsavory bile he puts into it. You wouldn’t think Mason’s closing could be upended, it was equally effective as righteous provocation as it is in pathos, but Barnes does it through sheer disgust. The post-verdict press conference, on the steps of the courthouse, has a timeless feel, as if we’ve seen it in dozens of black and white movies.

Mason and Della do E.B. (John Lithgow) impressions after day three of the deliberations. It shows how much the man meant to them, and is a small bonding moment. The exchange actually finishes during the dueling press conference scene on the courtroom steps when Mason introduces Street to the press as his associate. This is also his confirmation that everything she predicted came true and her status as the smartest person in the room is carved in stone. Former detective Drake further corroborates this when he points out Mason gets his ass handed to him during salary negotiations.

Okay, this is a spoiler, so be warned. The cherry at the top of Mason’s victory in court is supposed to be that he didn’t need to bribe a juror, a mistrial would have been declared anyway. He was that good. But it really is that he tasked Strickland with subverting the law in the first place. He was that bad. It really is a delicious turn on itself.

Emily and Charlie Dodson are reunited. It is a leap of faith, but one the newly deadlock-freed mother is prepared to make. The infant is smaller than Charlie, his arms are shorter and his eyes are brown, she notes. There is a vague Rosemary’s Baby vibe coming out as we see her learn to accept this strange child as her own, fulfilling a dark promise made to a bearer of light. The contrast between this and Drake bringing his wife and newborn to their new home is striking.

Sister Alice (Tatiana Maslany) ran off at the end of “ Chapter Seven,” and has disappeared. “There’s been a sighting in Albuquerque,” her mother Birdy McKeegan (Lili Taylor) says.  Emily is there at Birdy’s side, cradling the baby now known as Charlie, resurrected from the dead, in her arms as the newly formed Holy Church of the New Born Babe ministry goes back to its tent revival roots.

Strickland jumps ship to work for Hamilton at the DA’s office. It’s a steady paycheck which not only allows him to get his badge back, but also to put all the evidence he gathered for Mason to good use. The Radiant Assembly of God church is a fraud. “They’re all just a bunch of crooks posing as men of the lord, and they got all kinds of ways of doing it,” he testifies. Sister Alice believes to the end, though, as Mason finally catches up to her at the diner she’s working at. She’s tired of being lonely, as is he. The scene carries a hint of romantic tension, and a hazy promise of a return visit. 

Mason even does the right thing by his entrepreneurial girlfriend Lupe Gibbs (Veronica Falcón). True to form, he doesn’t quite apologize, he leaves a note in a bottle. It appears everyone around the new lawyer forgives him his sins and slights, because of the job he does. 

Perry Mason got a continuance for season 2, and “Chapter Eight” is a fitting close to an introductory season. This has been a surprisingly interesting journey for the legendary defense attorney and although it took a while to get acclimated to the sordid backstory, I think I am going to miss the arc of growth of the new acquaintance. I hope his future cases, which will probably be season-long trials, will be able to replace the mounting interest which comes with the possibilities contained in the depths of discovery. It’s been great getting to know Mason and watch him redeem himself by putting truth before justice. Sophomore seasons can be tough, so the jury’s out on whether he will make the transition to a person of continued interest. It is not without precedent, and season one was strong enough to carry the burden of proof.

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