#JESS I NAMED THEIR DAUGHTER OK LOVE ME

[miley1442111]

safe- a.hotchner

a/n: i imagined a fem reader but as per usual, imagine what you like :)

you and aaron have jack (obvi) and a daughter, ellie. :) (1.4k + words)

summary: you become an unsubs target

pairing: husband/dad aaron hotchner x wife/mother reader

warnings: general cm minds topics, knives, stitches, head wounds, trauma talk of harm coming to the team, the reader is harmed, etc.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

There you stood, your own blood as well as another's blood all over your body. 

What happened? 

You were just leaving work, you were going to pick up Jack and Ellie on your way home. It was taco night, you three would cook together tonight, though since Aaron was on a case a few states over, you would be the only ones doing it. So, how did that exact same unsub get to you?

You sat in the ambulance, stitches going into your skin, but you weren’t even flinching, you didn’t even feel it. You knew Jack and Ellie were expecting you, so was Jessica. 

“Can I make a phone call?” You whispered to the paramedic. She nodded her head, sympathy on her face. “Thank you.”

You pulled out your phone as she finished the stitches in your head, moving onto the ones in your arms. 

“Hey Jess,” You sighed into the phone. 

“Hey, is everything alright?” she asked. “Do you want me to take Jack and Ellie for the night?” 

You could honestly cry at her generosity. “Yes please, thank you so much Jess.”

“No problem,” she smiled, worried from the other line. “Are you hurt?” she whispered. 

“I’ll be ok, someone just… yeah,’ you sighed. “Tell Jack and Ellie I love them, yeah?”

“Always.”

You hung up. The paramedic finished up and the officer who had been sitting with you for the past few minutes escorted you to a squad car and brought you to the station, informing you that the FBI were on their way. The FBI, really? Surely it wasn’t Aaron, right?

God, you missed Aaron. You’d never wanted to see him more in your life. Just to know he was ok, that he was there. 

Such luxuries could not be afforded at that current moment. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aaron sat beside David on the plane, exhaustion pulling at his eyes as Spencer read out the latest attack. 

“Oh, apparently there was one survivor,” Spencer said. “That might be his next target.”

“We should look into them, what’s the name?” David asked as Aaron yawned. 

“Y/n Y/l/n, she has a son, daughter, and husband,” Spencer said, and Aaron was wide-awake again. 

“Pardon?” He asked, hoping he’d heard wrong. 

“Y/n Y/l/n. She was beaten pretty badly and had a head wound and a stab to the arm, she’s at the station now. SHe agreed to a cognitive interview. She’s a professor of nuclear physics at a university nearby-” Spencer reads off. 

“She has more pHds than boy genius, 5 and counting,” Penelope interrupts him from the screen. 

“Well, she is older than me,” he stressed, attempting to keep some of his pride. 

“By what, 4 years?” Emily snorted, the rest of the team laughed, but Aaron was frozen. 

A head wound? You got stabbed? He felt faint. Immediately, he reached into his pocket to grab his phone, trying to call you. 

You didn’t pick up.

He tried again as the team stared at him in bewilderment. What was he doing?

No answer again.

“Sir-”

“I want a profile before we leave this plane,” he ordered and the team all stared at him. “Is that too much for you?” He asked snarkily. They all shook their heads and began breaking off into groups to work. Aaron stayed seated, a million thoughts running through his head at once. Was Jack ok? Was Ellie ok? How much blood did you lose? Was the unsub already on his way to you again? Were you a target because of him?

“Hotch I think we have something,” Morgan stated after 30 minutes. “The unsub is targeting women with the same description as the survivor. I'd say he’s a college student who is jealous of her husband. He’s formed a parasocial relationship and obsession with her and his delusions have led him to hurt those closest to her. It makes sense she’s beautiful, described as being extremely kind and caring about her students, she’s ridiculously intelligent, and apparently she and her husband are madly in love with each other. What’s her husband’s name Pen?” Derek asked, looking at the computer. 

“Aaron Hotchner,” she said, a gasp following her words. Aaron looked up, meeting the eyes of the team as they stared back, shocked. 

He could deal with them later. 

“Send police to Jessica's house,” he ordered before he got up to go to the back of the plane for a moment of peace. He took out his phone, dialling Jessica’s number.

“Hey, is Y/n ok?” She asked. “I have Jack and Ellie right now, are you with her?”

“Not yet, I’ve sent police to your house, just as extra protection, ok?”

“Alright Aaron. Take care of her when you see her, she seemed pretty shaken.”

“Course,” he gritted out and hung up. This was going to be difficult. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

You sat in an office, a cop’s jacket strung over your shaking shoulders. You were still covered in blood, you still saw the horrible image of one of your students being killed in front of you.

Where was Aaron? 

 “Can I go and clean up?” You sniffled, asking the sheriff who was sitting at his desk beside you. 

“Course sweetheart,” she smiled softly. “There’s a bathroom down the hall, if you want a shower there’s one in the training centre.”

“Thank you,” you whispered, feeling smaller than you ever had. You were told to be careful with your stitches and that you’d be brought into the hospital in the morning once all of the stuff with the station was over. You walked down the hall to the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror, staring at your bloodstained face and clothes. The tears started falling, going down the drain with a red-tinge. 

You grabbed some tissue, wet it, and started scrubbing your face. The ache of your body was nothing to the turmoil in your head. Was it your fault one of your students was killed? Was Jack ok? Was Ellie ok? Was Aaron ok? 

You didn’t even notice him coming behind you until he took the tissue out of your hand. He discarded it, damped the towel from his go-bag in his hand, lightly washing your face. Tears fell freely as he did so, but he wiped them away, a comforting hand on your lower back as you wrapped your arms around his neck. 

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to your clean cheek. He continued his gentle cleaning, bringing it down to your neck.

“I’m sorry too.” 

He smiled softly. “You don’t have to apologise for anything.”

“Neither do you, but we do it anyway.”

His emotions became too much all of a sudden, the feeling of nearly losing you becoming unthinkable. 

“I love you so much,” he whispered.  

“I love you too.”

After Aaron sufficiently cleaned as much of the blood off of you as he could, he took your blood-stained shirt off and replaced it with one of his extra dress shirts. Walking outside the bathroom, you felt eyes on the both of you. You recognised some of the team from stories and photos Aaron had shown you. They stared as Aaron wrapped you into his side and walked you back into the sheriff’s office. 

“I want the kids,” you admitted. “I know we shouldn’t but I’m so worried that they're not ok,” you cried into his bicep as he sat beside you. 

“I’ll send one of the team to grab them and Jess,” he nodded.

“Please don’t leave,” you whimpered, holding onto him for dear life. You needed him. 

“Of course not, honey,” he soothed. He signalled for Derek to come in. He walked in, careful of your feelings. “Will you go to Jessica’s house and pick up Jessica, Jack, and Ellie?”

“Of course sir, but… who’s Ellie?” he whispered the last part. 

“My daughter,” Aaron said and Derek went wide-eyed.

“I’ll be right back with them,” he promised. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Darling, do you feel up to telling me about it? Or even just something?" he whispered against your skin.

"I know who did it," you whispered back. You felt such guilt. You knew the unsub, he was one of your students Andrew. Andrew was obsessed with you, with your life, but you just took it as a student being interested in your life to get out of work. You didn't pay enough care to the way his interest dampened when you spoke about Aaron and when you talked about your anniversaries or dates.

"Honey-"

"His name's Andrew. He's in my chemical sciences class."

Aaron was silent for a moment. "Alright. I'll send officers his way."

"I'm so stupid, I didn't even realise-" you started but Aaron shushed you with a gentle kiss.

"Don't talk about my wife like that," he joked. You chuckled softly and he felt a sense of great accomplishment.

"I'm so glad you're here," you sighed into his neck.

"I'm so glad I'm here too."

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You're married?" Derek asked.

"Yes," Aaron admitted as he ran a hand through your hair as you lay on his lap asleep, Ellie and Jack playing by the sheriff's desk.

`'And you have another child," Penelope said, shock apparent in her voice and facial expression.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Spencer asked.

"I wanted to keep her safe," Aaron smiled. "I also just assumed you'd figure it out. Clearly you're not all as good as you think you are," he chuckled.

The team collectively rolled their eyes, but still smiled. Aaron was happy, you were safe, another unsub was awaiting jail, and they could almost feel the love radiating off of Aaron.

All was well.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

criminal minds masterlist :)

navigation for my blog :)

[mooooonnnzz]

Miguel taking his daughter to spider HQ?

Miguel takes his daughter to HQ! How bad could it be?

✎ my brain is brewing with words

✎ fem reader!!

✎ send more ideas cuz my brain is in writing mode rn hehe

✎ oh miguel is also lil grumpy here bc why not

✎ ok thats all!! :p

Miguel is very hesitant to bring you to HQ. He doesn’t want to have you near harm's way. Plus, there would be nothing for you to do there so what’s the point?

Though, you’re persistent and didn’t take his no for an answer.

He eventually gave in when you roped Lyla into it. He couldn’t deal with two annoyances at once. (He means it endearingly)

So, he brings you to HQ—against his will

Your eyes sparkled with amazement as you took in the place. The area was huge. “This place is so cool!” You marveled. You look over to Miguel, beaming brightly. “This is awesome!” You whispered and yelled, your attention going back to the Spider-People who swung and walked by. Miguel shook his head in amusement, a smile pulling to his lips. As you continued to wander off, he noticed you were walking a little close to the edge. “Cuidado!” His webs shoot around your waist as you near the edge. He pulls you into his chest, letting out a relieved sigh. “You have to be careful when you’re walking around here.” He’s following you like a hawk after that.

Since it’s your first time there, everyone jumps to the assumption that you’re another Spider-Woman who Miguel or Jess recruited.

Miguel is quick to squander those ideas. He informs them that you’re his daughter and he’s showing you the place.

They all have to take a moment. They’re all like, “What? Miguel has a daughter?”

When they ask why he never told them, he responds by saying; “You never asked.”

“That’s your daughter?” Peter B. Parker was gagged. He couldn’t comprehend the fact that Miguel had a daughter. “How come you never talked about her?!�� His eyes are blown wide and his jaw is slack. Like, Miguel O’Hara has a daughter?! “I do. You just don’t listen.” He grumbled out, sending an icy glare to Peter. Miguel does talk about you, it just gets overshadowed by how much Peter talks about Mayday. “What? When!?” Peter sputters out. “All the time.” You roll your eyes at Miguel’s cold behavior. “Papi, don’t be mean.” Miguel’s pinched expression visibly softens at your words, right when Miguel is about to apologize, Peter turns over to you excitedly. “Do you want to meet my daughter?” Miguel lets out a long sigh. “Mayday would love to meet you!” Peter grins. “Speaking of the little devil, where is she?” He looks around, lips downturned into a frown. He cups his hands around his mouth. “Mayday!” Another sigh leaves Miguel’s lips. “Mayday, honey! Where are you?” Miguel takes this opportunity to grab your shoulder and walk away from Peter. Once he’s far enough, he gives you a tense smile. “Oh, there you guys are! For a second I thought you ran away from me.” Peter swings right next to Miguel, Mayday sitting comfortably in her baby carrier. The smile on Miguel’s face drops. “Anyways, meet Mayday!”

Miguel dreads the moment when you have to meet Gwen, Miles, Pav, and Hobie. They always bug him about you, wondering when he’ll bring you over.

They’ve seen him see videos of you and him on his little holograms as he worked, he isn’t secretive about you.

Plus, whenever he gets the chance to talk about you, he doesn’t hesitate to start blabbering.

So they know pretty much almost everything about you.

Blame Miguel

“Miigueel,” Gwen dragged out his name teasingly as she swung in front of you and Miguel. “Is this who we think it is!” Pavitr was brimming with excitement as he dropped right next to Gwen. “Is this Miguel’s daughter?” Hobie raised a brow as he leaned an arm on Pav’s shoulder. “About time we meet her!” Miles smiled, giving you a friendly wave. You wave back, chuckling to yourself. Miguel dragged a hand down his face as he groaned dramatically loud. “Estos son los imbéciles de los que te sigo hablando.” Miles' face dropped to an offended look. “Really?” Miles says. Hobie furrowed his brows. “What did he say?” He looked over to Miles in confusion. Pavitr shrugged. “I don’t know but I don’t think it was a good thing.”

The whole tour was a headache for Miguel. He couldn’t stay in one place without Gwen offering a new place to head to, or Hobie asking questions on how you manage to have a dad like Miguel.

Pav was adding his commentary to certain situations which drove Miguel up the wall. Miles was trying to strike up a conversation with you, trying to impress you by speaking in Spanish.

Then Peter came along and the whole thing fell into chaos

“Hold Mayday real quickly. I need to take a picture of you two!” Peter handed you Mayday and she fumbled in your hands until you managed to rest her on your side. “Picture? Can I join!” Pavitr jumped right next to you, striking a dashing smile as he struck a pose. Miles and Gwen swarmed in the photo, settling around you and posing. Gwen did a peace sign while Miles did bunny ears on Gwen. Hobie lazily smiled, body halfway into the frame. “Hobie, get your whole body in the photo!” Peter motioned Hobie to move into the frame. “I don’t wanna.” Hobie shrugged. Peter sighed and let him be, gleefully saying “Cheese!” as he snapped a few photos. “Oh, MJ is gonna love this!” Peter mumbled to himself. Mayday looked up at you, cutely babbling in her baby language. Her chubby arm grappled onto your shoulder and pulled herself up with her inhuman baby strength. “Oh! Peter, she’s climbing on me!” You watch in horror as she settles on your shoulder, only to fall back and luckily get caught by Miguel. “Oh, don’t worry. She does that.” Peter waves it off, eyes glued on the photos. “Por Dios,” Miguel murmured under his breath.

When you got home, Miguel swore to himself that he’d never bring you back over there.

You went back to HQ a day later.

[popquizhot-shot]

Father Mine- 3

ok so this is where canon goes out the window, ive made my own universe, this might be blasphemy against marvel comics but i dont know. Honestly i made this up as i kept going and i like how this chapter ended<3 tell me how you like it! if you want a spoiler go to the tags and see what i've tagged :) part 1

You must have passed out because you wake up in someone’s living room.

“Anyone home?” You dare to call out. The apartment is sort of open-plan and if you had the energy to turn around and move you would have been able to see the man in the white suit staring at you.

“Yep. Hello!” The man walks up to you and you flinch at his strong southern london accent and glaring white suit that makes him look like a psycho Colonel Sanders, “I hope you’re alright, Khonshu said you were from another dimension?”

You reluctantly reply, “That’s right? And by Khonshu do you mean the actual Egyptian God?”

He nods excitedly, “Yea! Right twit he is!”

You look at him worriedly, maybe he is psycho colonel sanders after all.

He looks at himself in the mirror and does a double take, “Oh bollocks! No wonder you look scared!” The suit disappears to reveal a man with wild curls in an oversize t-shirt and pajamas, “sorry, sometimes I forget I still have it on.” He smiles nervously, “Um I’m Steven. With a V.”

That causes you to smile a little, maybe he’s not so bad, “Hello Steven.” You wave from your position on the couch and tell him your name.

Behind him you see a bony pigeon looking skeleton appear and your eyes widen, “WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!” You point at it and scream.

Steven turns around, “That’s Khonshu, you can see him?”

“NO SHIT!” You web a wall and pull yourself up to stick to it, glaring at the offending creature.

“That’s mental.” He exclaims.

“What universe is this?” You ask him, eyes narrowed underneath your mask.

“Well, there’s no particular name for it.” Steven begins, but Khonshu intervenes, “How is it that you were able to traverse through the inter dimensional planes?”

“I knew someone who could.”

Suddenly Stevens demeanour changes and your spider sense tingles, you ready your webs against the potential threat.

The voice that comes out of Stevens mouth is not his. It’s the sound of the man who threw you here.

“Kid?” He says when you freeze and take your mask off, looking at him with wide eyes.

“You’re-You’re not Steven.” Your voice breaks at the familiar lilt.

He shakes his head, “My name is Marc.”

———————————-

“Miguel! Stop it!” Jess finally snaps and the man looks up at her.

She takes a hold of his hair and uses it to maneuver his face to look at him, “You either go and get her back, or you fucking move on. Because in this state there is no way you will be able to do anything. Get your shit together. ”

He gulps, not used to seeing her angry side often and nods.

“She thinks I’m a monster.” He looks down at his toes and breathes shakily.

“Then prove to her that you’re not. You’re her father, regardless of what she says, she still loves you. You need to apologize to her.” She looks at him pointedly and he sighs.

"What do you want me to say, 'Hey honey, I know what I did was wrong, I was wrong to chase a teenager and I was too blinded by my fear of losing my daughter again that I chased you away. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.' Thats not going to be good enough."

"It's a start."

"Jessica." he looks up

"What?"

"I should have told you, something about her."

"What?"

"She's not a normal variant, even if her universe was destroyed. That fact alone makes her a special case. There's a reason I sent her to Earth 19999. Her atoms and dna will not glitch there. And I don't know why."

"Why didn't you send her there before?"

"It was too dangerous."

"As opposed to Earth 1999999?" Jess raises an eyebrow.

"Very similar universes, but everything is flipped."

The woman tilts her head, "What do you mean?"

————-

You sip on the hot tea Steven had made for you, glaring at the bony god sitting opposite you.

“I cannot send you back, child.” He says and you roll your eyes,

“As if I didn’t know that. The tea’s lovely, thank you.” You smile at Steven who beams at you. He’s much nicer than the American man living inside him. The one who was Miguel in this universe.

“Marc?”

He nods, “I happen to know of someone who can help you.”

You tilt your head, “Go on.”

He went to explain how he was on call as an Avenger, who were considered the world’s mightiest heroes, and how he was acquainted with someone known as Dr Strange.

As soon as he says, the name Strange, your mind considers the possibility that you might be in the universe of idiots, as Miguel calls it. Earth-1999999.

He’s spent whole hours explaining the entire storyline that honestly came out of a movie to you and while it was such, really Captain America you ditched your best friend to go be with someone who had already moved on? You were drawn to the universe.

It reminded you very much of your home universe that was destroyed.

When you’d nodded and said you’d be on your way he’d blocked you from leaving. Saying it was too dangerous and that you were being an irresponsible person.

You tried to reason with him but he was able to block your punches with efficiency, and he reached for your web slingers. The ones Miguel had given you.

That was currently why there was a purple bruise on Stevens’s cheek that you felt bad about. This sweet man didn’t deserve to suffer the consequences of a hard punch. So you had helped him around the kitchen and he made you tea as a way of saying thank you.

“If you can’t take me away, you can atleast lead me to Strange, considering your own Knight isn’t letting me leave.”

“For good reason.”

“But it doesn’t make sense, without the watch I would be glitching every three seconds because the universe would not accept my genes. Here I haven’t glitched a single time.”

The god tilts his head and seems to contemplate your words, mimicking the man who looks at you with his head tilted, “Most interesting.”

Whatever you were going to say died on your tongue as orange sparks began to appear out of thin air, forming a circle and then a portal out of which a man with a weird beard walks through. He nods at Steven and walks over to you, “So you’re the one huh?”

“No, your mom is.” You snarl, “Yes. Doctor Strange, I’ve heard of you.”

“Oh?” He raises an eyebrow, “Am I a common topic of conversation in the multiverse?”

“When we have to make fun of something yes.” You grin.

He rolls his eyes, “How did you arrive here?”

“Look I'd leave if I could, sir. But my device was taken away by the jerk who sent me here.”

His eyes narrow, “Sent you?”

Shit, you might have said the wrong thing.

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

"So you're not from here." The sorcerer supreme raises his eyebrow at you.

"No, sir." you're shocked at your politeness, but the man demands respect.

"And you cannot go back?"

"No."

"There is only one person now, who is capable of autonomous multiverse travel, America Chavez. And even her powers are not perfect. It is too risky to do this."

"What would you have me do then?" you ask.

"Wait here, there must be a reason you are not glitching. Maybe, you were meant to be sent here." Strange reasons.

His words make sense, honestly, maybe this universe would be your new home. Even back in Nueva York, you had to wear the watch at all times, or you'd be glitching.

But did Miguel know that? Because if he didn't know, then that would mean he'd sent you to your death.

You just nod at what Strange says, his words going in one year and out the other. You miss the way his eyes glint and flash. His shadow moving under him.

"She can stay with us at the tower." Steven puts his hand on your shoulder, looking directly at Strange, no smile on his face. After a few moments, the Doctor nods.

Your spider sense starts to tingle, and you glace at Steven, who only smiles at you. All teeth. Eyes that are blank. Devoid of emotion.

Now that you're here to stay, he looks like he's never been happier.

"You're going to enjoy yourself here, love." he pats your shoulder, "We'll all have a bit of fun."

You need to run.

[ghoulishfrk]

PAIRING — WARNINGS — WORD COUNT!

〘 Romantic Hobie x Miles Older Sister , Platonic Spiderverse cast x Miles Older Sister | Slight spoilers | ~ .7K words 〙

MASTERLIST !! PINNED POST 🎧💿

ੈ ✮ ˳ Lulus Notes :: Repost, set after ASTV

✩°｡ Tagging :: @punkologist , @neptunes1nterweb , @honeybleed

Miles older sister who takes care of him. She’s the one who knows when something is up and is the one always giving advice.

Miles older sister who had a hunch something was up with her lil brother but wasn’t sure what exactly until she caught him red handed. Him still on his suit in his room.

Miles older sister who had to take a minute to process that her little brother was fucking Spider-Man and understood why he didn’t tell her or their parents.

Miles older sister who becomes his girl behind the screen. She tells him whenever a villain is causing chaos and calls the cops to get the villain he apprehended.

Miles older sister who gets her brother out of suspicion and trouble with their parents, always having a convincing excuse.

“Mija, have you seen miles?”

“Oh, he went to the store to buy more ice cream cones since he ate mine.”

Miles older sister who never leaves her brother suffer by himself. Always hearing out whatever is bothering her brother and giving advice only an older sister could.

Miles older sister who gets caught up on the whole multiverse stuff by her little brother and learns of all the other spidermen her brother considers his friends.

Miles older sister who meets Peter B. Parker and Mayday and is immediately in love with her. She always counts on him to take care of Miles and is ok with babysitting Mayday.

Miles Older Sister who, when she meets Miguel, is not the friendliest. She’s not over how he treated her little brother and doesn’t hide it. She later on goes easier on him since she sees how he’s genuinely sorry and embarrassed by how he reacted.

Miles older sister who is a bit doubtful of Jess. She didn’t think someone who was a mother would’ve acted like she did towards a kid. She learns to trust her later on.

Miles older sister who meets the other spider kids closer to Miles age and immediately approves of them. She’s even willing to make sure they don’t get in trouble with their families.

Miles older sister who becomes an older sister to Pavitr, Gwen, and Peni. She listens to them and gives them advice like she does with Miles. She’d go insane if anything or anyone hurt her kids.

Miles older sister who meets Gwen and immediately likes her. She gives her advice on wooing her brother and getting the approval of their parents.

“Miles loves drawing so you can never go wrong with giving him stuff like drawing books and markers. Oh, and you should call our parents by our last name. Mom hates when kids call her Rio.”

“Wait, seriously? Why didn’t Miles tell me?”

“Cuz he was probably too whipped to tell you lmao”

Miles older sister who, when she meets Hobie, clicks with him in a different way than when she meet the others.

Miles older sister who gets flirted by Hobie and responds with flirting back, only to get caught by Miles and seeing his hilarious reaction.

“Seriously? My sister?!”

“Aye, calm down Peter Pan.”

“C’mon man! Why it gotta be my sister?”

“Miles relájate nene.”

“What do you mean relax?! If i hadn’t come in you probably would’ve been eating each others faces!”

“PFFT-“

Miles older sister who sneaks in Hobie through her window, having to shush him so her parents don’t hear them and have her father storming in.

Miles older sister who gets caught by Rio one day, with her and Hobie having been sitting on her bed talking about random things.

Miles older sister who has to introduce Hobie to her parents. Rio and Jeff are apprehensive at first, Hobies punk appearance not being what they expected for their daughters boyfriend.

Miles older sister who’s glad Hobie gets along with her mom and tries to be civil with her father and tries not to get into politics or fights with them.

“So, Hobie, what do you do for a living?”

“Kick fascists ass and play in my band.”

Just Miles having a nice and caring older sister <3

© all rights are reserved to @gyal-bunny. Do not steal, modify, copy, and/or repost my works anywhere.

[shizukateal]

In honor of Across The Spiderverse going digital, here's the Beyond the Spiderverse Prediction Bingo!!!!

Explanations below the readmore:

Spider Ham's Chekov Hammer: simple enough to guess, I'm just really waiting for that to pay off, preferably over Miguel's head.

Spider Noir and Hobie get along: just some good ole' fanservice.

Miles G. is actually a dork (he's just better at hiding it. mildly): Wow, great introduction Miles G.! Very suspenseful and intimidating!! Let's see how long you can carry that demeanor without breaking.

Margo / Miles (Miles G.?) / Gwen Love Triangle (Pavitr is annoying about it): Pass the popcorn everyone. How resentful will be Miles when he meets Gwen again? Is getting the spider-band together enough for him or is it just the first step into making amends? Maybe he feels more grateful towards Margo (and Hobie) and will give Gwen (and Peter B.) the cold shoulder for a while. Will Miles G. also enter the ring? Maybe this one really cute comic by @bubblypinkfreak will become true.

Jess Drew Subplot (baby is born?): REAL interested in finding out why Jess would ever follow an asshole like Miguel. Also she deserves more plot relevance. And fanart. Aaaaaand I kinda want to see her husband too.

The Spot Collapses in on himself: Gonna be honest with you, people, I have no idea how they'll fight him, this just seems like the cleanest solution.

Miguel's actually just as much of an anomaly as Miles: My own personal theory, not really based on anything concrete beyond some flags I get from Miguel and some stuff I'll explain later. Basically, I think Miguel's projecting on Miles, and that's part of why his beef towards him is so intense. The only explanation I can think of is that he destroyed his original dimension, not just the one with his daughter in it, and the serum we see him take is what keeps him "stable" and "belonging" to Nueva York. Or you know, maybe just the watch, but the serum is more sus to me.

Gwen Stacy Fall Subversion: Either Gwen completes her character arc by saving Miles from falling to his death or she saves herself, thus breaking her karmic cycle of getting fridged.

Meows Morales cameo?? Pretty Please???: C'mooooon he became instantly popular and he's adorable!!!!! <3 <3 <3 bonus points if multiple miles help out to fight against Miguel's squad later.

We spend some time on Hobie's dimension: No idea how the plot would get there, but the concept art of Hobie's dimension is fire and I want to learn more about him <3 <3 <3 tell us why you almost gave up the mask, darling, and did you kill a cop in your dimension? <3 why would you feel bad about it? <3 <3 <3 <3

Gwiles Morales (he hates that name): Apparently this is how some of the staff called him. Poor guy.

The Spider-Band fights Earth 42's Sinister Six: For those who don't know, they control Earth 42, as confirmed by the art book. Nothing better to sweeten Miles G. to our heroes' side than taking care of them. Bonus points if one of them is explicitly a fascist and Hobie and Noir punch him together.

Miguel Bites Someone: bonus points if it's hot as fuck. Sorry but it's true.

Lyla's the real bad guy (beyonder): I'm gonna let moviebob do the heavylifting here. Could tie to that personal theory I explained above.

Peter B. vs Miguel fight redemption: ok this one I'm biased for because I personally find Peter B. more morally culpable than Gwen in their whole drama with Miles seeing as he's the adult with a kid. But also yeah, good chance for him to redeem himself in Miles eyes (or not! maybe Miles wants more from him that just standing up to a bully) and take Miguel down a peg. Bonus points if he looses a leg, because apparently that's something that happens in Spidergirl's comic.

Prowler!Hobie somehow: Not saying our Hobie will turn into the prowler, just that the connection will be addressed somehow. Idk man, it just feels like positioning Hobie as another mentor for Miles is very deliberate.

Miles feels guilty about Earth 42: Juicy source of drama between him and Miles G. as well as a free character arc about how responsibility is more than just cause and effect.

Miguel tries to redeem himself by dying but Miles won't allow him to: Miguel O'hara has several problems, and I speculate they all come from his self-obsession. Everything about the spider society is about him erecting structures dedicated to his pain to turn himself into the martyr holding reality together. So if he's finally proven wrong, it seems pretty in character to me that his idea of making amends would be to do the same thing one last time for "the right cause", being the diva he is and how he thinks you can sacrifice one person to save everyone else and all. I don't think Miles will allow that, though. Bonus if the scene parallels the one in into the spiderverse when Miles returns Peter B. home.

That one @cheezthatboiii comic / Mileswitch: because what's the point of having a twin if you can't fool people about it?

Gonzalo/Gonza Morales: The correct alternative to Gwiles if anyone during production has braincells or is latine.

Margo Subplot (family issues): confirmed in the artbook that she ended up having more plot relevance than originally planned, and even if that wasn't the case she deserves it. And more fanart.

The Spot is defeated with kindness: Ok. Before I said that I don't know how the Spot could be defeated with violence, but maybe that's not needed? He is clearly a foil to Miles after all, and I think it would do him (Miles) a lot of good to practice some radical empathy, even on someone who kinda doesn't "deserve" it. This isn't so much about him being ""redeemable"" (fandom has ruined that whole concept) so much as how much empathy the narrative is willing to grant him.

Jeff meets Gonza before Miles reveals to him that he's Spiderman. He's confused by having 2 sons: this just feels to me like the most probably sequence of events given the franchise's usual use of bathos and subversion of expectations.

Spider Support Network Finale: No more spider society authority "correcting" the multiverse, every spider-person gets a watch so their friends can come over and lend a hand and prevent as many deaths as possible.

Aaron 42 gets severely injured/dies: I don't want this to happen, it just seems like a way of trimming some fat in the cast and getting some more drama from Gonza.

[groverapologist]

Hello! Ok here's an ask for you: i've had this storyline in my head about rrverse next generation, and i'm trying to decide Percabeth's kids' names? Like, on one hand, i want their names to be meaningful, but also i really think Percy and Annabeth would NOT give their kids the same name as their friends who died, because, you know, names have power and all that.

So I was thinking something like little Jay, or Jaycee or some variation, in honor of Jason maybe? (I really want one of the kids to be named after Jason, but let's be real "Jason" is a cursed name, it's definitly not a good idea to name your kid that and Percy and Annabeth would both know it).

I think it'd also be likely if they named on of their kids for Grover maybe? But i personally don't really like the name Grover and idk if it'd be weird if they'd give the name of someone still in their lives? So maybe some variation of it? Maybe as a second name? Idk

Also for a little girl, i thought it'd be nice if they could name a kid after Sally or Thalia, and then i just found out the name Tally exists, soooooo....

Any thoughts on those suggestions? Ideas for other names? How many kids do you think they'd have?

Also also i really like your New Athens post and Percy and Annabeth and their kids would totally live there

i love to think they'd have two daughters, girl dad percy and girl mom annabeth may actually fix me.

for names, i like to think they went with the sally blofis-jackson method of naming which is using names of mythological beings with happy endings/happy lives. maybe a name of an Amazonian queen or powerful Amazonian in general. other names include Ida, Penelope, Myrene, Tara, Nelisa, Neda, Melissa, Melaina, etc. With the whole concept that names have power, I doubt they'd name their child over any goddess or person with a tragic ending.

if you want names inspired by the characters, there are a lot to choose from! you're absolutely right about them not naming their child jason. instead, there's jamie, jaycee, jay/jaye, jayden, jace, jess, jessy, jonas (annagram like annabeth's name), sonny, mason, even grace, though grace may be tricky due to thalia's disdain for her last name.

i feel it would be very normal and sweet for them to just outright name their daughter sally; if you still want alternatives, a lot of similar names are out there (sal, sammy, and sarah, which is the origin of the name sally). with thalia, i'd recommend a similar name, or even a name of another muse as piper is named after the muse of comedy. with grover, i'd recommend a middle name. i don't think it would be weird at all to name their child after someone they love that is still alive, but i'm arab and have seen a lot of arabs name their children after family, so my opinion may not apply here as i'm not american and don't know american naming styles too well.

now, personally, i don't think they'd name their children after anyone except maybe sally. i think the more likely alternative is making grover a godfather to their firstborn and another close friend (rachel? thalia? frank and hazel?) the godparent(s) of their second born. i think giving a jason-inspired middle name would be a nice idea, but i do have to say i would expect that more from piper or leo who were his best friends. i feel annabeth and percy have seen too much death and mourning to really name anyone after the dead.

these are all just opinions and i really appreciate your ask! i hope this helps, and thank you so much for the compliment!

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls 2/16, There’s The Rub, The Part Where Paris and Rory Are SuperMegaGay And All Is Right With The World Again, Part 6

Paris just saved Rory's hide from the wrath of Dean (okay, she still got plenty of wrath from Dean, unfortunately, but it could have been a lot worse) and this is why Paris is my favorite Boyfriend, not Jess.

You can read parts 1-5 and all previous episodes here.

Omg, my cynical, cold, black heart can't take this tenderness. I love them so much. Long live PariMore! (finally thought of a ship name! woot!)

One of the most serious crimes commited by one miss AmyShermanPalladino in writing a Year in the Life is not taking advantage of the freedom of Netflix and the much more progressive year of 2016 by having Paris get a divorce at the same time that Rory is lost and adrift in her life and finally put these two idiots together. But no. They still didn't find each other and live happily ever after and Rory is still shacking up with Logan even when it's clear that neither Paris or Rory actually like men.

By golly. This is 2002, they said. It can't be done, they said. And yet, PariMore proved us wrong. They went super duper ultra mega gay. Netflix and Chill gay. Slumber party gay. Super Gay Fanfiction!

"Sort of."

Staaaaaaaaahpppppp!! 😭 We interrupt Super Duper Gay Lesbian Slumber Party and cut to Lorelai and Emily having a night on the town after their spa day. They meet a handsome older gentleman at the bar who offers a dance to Emily. In a shocking turn of events that further proves this episode comes from some alternate dimension where all is right with the world with the exception of Dean Forrester, Lorleai happily becomes her mother's wingwoman after some small initial resistance. Are you ok, Lorelai? Do you feel feverish? You haven't nagged, cockblocked, offered unsolicited advice, or butted into anyone's business in like, a whole 30 minutes. This episode has such great Lorelai and Emily banter, like Emily telling Lorelai "You let me get 60/40'd" and "Hookers eat at bars." "Only if they can't get a table." Terrific! But the handsome gentleman gets a little too close, Emily feels guilty about dancing with him and that puts the kibosh on that and Emily blames Lorelai for making her feel like a cheap floozy. Geez Lorelai, I guess you can't win. You're insufferable when you're being a cockblocking menace to society, but then when you actually do relax a little bit and alllow people do as they please, you get the business. Emily wonders why she can't have what Rory and Lorelai have and I don't know if a deeply fucked up mother daughter relationship forged from a teen pregnancy where the 34 year old mother is still about 15 maturity wise is something you want to aspire to. Rory reading the check in forms at her therapist's office 5 years from now: Form: "Reason for appointment?" Rory: "Hmmm..." Lorelai to Emily at the hotel: Rory and I are best friends, Mom. Best friends first, and mother and daughter second! (Rory in her therapist's office: "Ah. There it is.")

There are so many times Lorelai is this - close to having a breakthrough, where she exhibits a fleeting moment of self awareness then poof, it is gone. She didn't pause to think about the implications behind admitting "I'm my daughter's friend before her mother." She will never learn or grow or change. Oh well, that's our Lorelai!

Listen, stop the feuding, you both get a trophy for Sucking At Parenting. Is there any hope for Rory's spawn to break this generational curse? It would be interesting if Rory's future child turned out to be a boy, because like, I have to wonder what creative and different ways she could manage to fuck up a son? (as with everything I'm sure this exists as a work of fanfiction somewhere). Lorelai thinks spending a whole weekend with her mother was too intense and they should have started with something smaller to patch their relationship and grow closer. What is her idea? No, not therapy. Petty theft. They steal the robes from their hotel room. Yay, mother and daughter bonding and not healing any trauma whatsoever!

No, never. Only if it's a box of cornstarch, a boat, or another woman's husband. Emily enjoys the robe stealing caper, some sarcastic quips are exchanged, and the desperate, aching, deep seated emotional trauma being suffered by both parties is once again shoved down deep deep inside to fester like an infected wound.

She's totally fine you guys. We cut to Rory and Lorelai at the diner the next day where Rory is giving Lorelai the run down of the previous events, presumably minus the super duper mega gay sexual tension between herself and Paris. Lorelai remarks that Paris looked nauseous and tired when she woke up in the morning, which Rory attributes to a sugar overload, but we know better. We know how dehydrating all-night Blockbuster & Chill lesbian makeout slumber parties can be.

Oh right, Rory committed the felony of spending one evening with someone other than Dean so now she "owes" him her time. She is talking about it with a level of excitement in her voice akin to someone who was just asked to scrub a toilet. Of course, there could not be a mention of Dean without a deeply troubling response from Lorelai. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. Surely it will be something like, “Aw honey, he just yelled at you because he loves you” or something.

Eh, close enough.

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! It gets worse! There's only a minute left in the episode! How does she do it, folks? She is truly breathtaking. Before we get there, let's enjoy some Literati bliss. Rory is catching on that the whole Food Delivery thing may have been a ruse from Jess to get all up in her bizzzness and almost pries the truth out of Luke, but Jess diverts Luke away from the scene. Jess and Rory then enjoy an incredibly rare, blissful moment together, free of interruptions, alone at the counter. Or so they think.

Sorry I almost called you a naive woodland fairy when I thought you still didn't get that Luke never actually told Jess to bring to food your house and USA here cooked up the whole scheme on his own. It's clearly Jess who's the naive one if he thinks you're actually going to pay for your food! Ha ha!

WAAAAATTT???!!! #AlternateDimensionEpisode #EpisodeFromOuterSpace #TheOneWhereTheGilmoresPayForTheirFood #IsAmyShermanPalladinoOK?

SOMEONE (two someones) are not happy about this budding, adorable relationship, one so stinking cute that you'd have to be sick to try to destroy it. Like someone who would try to stop a bunny and a puppy from cuddling. Gee, wonder who I'm talking about?

Just normal Butthead Business, staring into windows while people are trying to eat. We already know from prior Window-Peeping episodes this doesn't bother Lorelai in the least. Lorelai smiles sweetly at her ShnookyUkkums Dean as if 30 seconds ago she wasn't hearing a story from her daughter about his anger issues for the 400th time. He's also talking in his usual miserable serial killer monotone about "Spending the day with Rory" like he'd rather be sticking his arm into heavy machinery than spend time with her, and again I have to wonder why he is even bothering with her, other than the fact that she's an easy victim and that no other humanoid woman besides Lorelai would ever give this soggy cornflake the time of the day. L: Rory told me everything that happened last night. She feels terrible about it. You shouldn't feel bad. It was a "Freaky unfortunate thing that happens." She continues in her soft, flirty, gentle Talking to Dean voice, "It had nothing to do with Jess coming over, trust me, she did not want him there!" Um. Again, a very weird thing to say about Some Kid to the guy your daughter is dating? Thanks to one of my followers who pointed out that Rory never said this on camera which means Lorelai has now resorted to flat out lying to Dean in order to sabotage her daughter's friendship (and it's still only a friendship) with Jess.

Look alive Butthead. She's salivating. I think she's about to start humping your leg right there in front of Luke's Diner. Don't make me turn the garden hose on you Lorelai. Dean isn't listening or aware he's about to be humped. He's distracted. There's something he's incredibly concerned about. Rory and Jess....they're talking. To each other. In public. Now, Gilmore Girls knows how to do creepy. We've got plenty of stories of people stalking, eavesdropping, hiding in bushes, leaving excessive amounts of messages, Dean existing, yada yada. But this is easily one of the creepiest things to ever happen on this show. It seriously gives me the chilly willies. The eeby jeebies. The eepy creepies. They look like two villains who have joined evil forces to devestate....Lorelai's own freaking daughter.

Picture ID: Lorelai and Dean watching Rory and Jess have an innocent conversation creepily through a window, cementing their status as the villains in this wholesome drama known as Gilmore Girls. *deep shudder*

[vacantgodling]

hmm ok there’s like 3 ways i could go regarding IF (big IF) i decided to stick rj into the cage universe 🤔

1. as cole’s younger sister — which means either his mom or dad (haven’t decided which) had her much later in life than cole OR that means this is an adult rj which would definitely be… interesting

2. as cole and ashe’s kid — if i want to add (1) ashe into this fic and (2) drama but idk if i want that this plot line is what storm chasers is for (whenever i get back to it lol)

3. as cole’s kid with a “random” civilian — how this would potentially come about would probably be after overwatch blew the fuck up at swiss hq, im thinking cole went back to being joel morricone for a bit before he decided he would quit running and don his actual name (cole cassidy) again. as joel and doing reporter shit he may have had a fling or one night stand or something of the like (fwb perhaps?) and whoops there’s a kid now. this would make rj more of a kid (probably around the same age as storm chasers rj or younger). however because this isn’t brought up At All in cage this could be a problem

the thing is tho, yes hanzo completely disassociated from his demons to thinking he was in a dream (cage) but schism is kinda more turning out to be how cassidy has a bunch of different masks he wears and different codes of ethics for those masks, that he doesn’t quite know how to meld them together and follow his own right and wrong. kidd, joel, and jesse aren’t did separate to cass or anything—but they’re carefully constructed personas that he dons to get through his life. he’s in control of it—he thinks. but is he? and i think having such major aspects of his life completely divorced from shit (such as having rj even) would reeeeeally show that.

the other thing is, being cole’s daughter is one of the biggest pulls of rj as an oc (for me). i just love their bond or whatever?? (tldr storm chasers crack has me bad and even if idk how to push the story forward rn the premise still makes me lose it). i guess the thing i worry about is: how to get across what kind of father cole is (if he is one at all. i feel like if i went this route while still being in overwatch he would be… but like the kinda dad who only sees you on christmas or face times you or something. but also, having people who come from cage into schism being like Wait he’s a Fucking Dad since WHEN. like this always and will be for Me before anything else so like if i wanna do it i can technically….

IDK IDK i’ll figure it out tho

[teddypickerry]

Ok first I absolutely loved dad Jess it was so cute!! For dad Jess, can I request Alice saying her first word and Jess reacting to it please??

𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐃𝐑𝐎𝐏.

j. mariano !

PART TWO

pairings! single dad jess x dealing with daughter’s first word

warnings! cursing

word count! 1.2k

a/n! thank you for requesting!! i promise i’ll get the others out soon <3 jess & alice literally have my heart, i hope you guys love them as much as i do. requests are still open!!

ALICE MARIANO was the brightest of babies. for being less than a year old, she had already excelled in many more ways than one. she was ahead of most babies her own age by now. which didn't surprise her dad as much as it should have. he excelled as a baby — his uncle luke had explained to him several times. so no doubt his baby girl would do the same. but there was one way that she was just average. and that came in the form of speaking.

most babies averaged to say their first word around their first birthday. and with that in only three days, alice was cutting it short. the little girl was bigger by now. matching her father's dark messy hair, long eyelashes, and big eyes. she was practically mini jess. the two living comfortably by now. he could finally afford his own place without four roommates. this time only with one who happened to be very adorable.

the apartment hardly lived up to its name. it was a one room place, but came with a nice bathroom and he kept it decently tidy. alice had her own crib and several toys by the small window, directly beside jess's single bed. the room sported a small kitchen which consisted of a few cabinets, a run down oven, and a fridge. but the star of it all was the wooden desk jess had found on the street months ago. the second best night of his life, after his daughter's birth of course.

several of his works stacked the wooden desk. written with a typewriter the boy's uncle purchased for him for his nineteenth in the autumn. the apartments sat silent for several hours during the day while jess mariano spent his afternoon at his work. a nine to five that was starting to get on his nerves, and make him miss the walmart cooperation. on the bright side, the ridiculous office job that required him in button downs, did have a daycare. so his girl could be with him throughout the day. without actually being with him.

the two burst through the apartment door. the father's hands full with his baby and a few other items; mail; keys, briefcase - yes, he was one of those guys. alice hummed in her dad's ear something she had done recently. everytime believing she would be saying her first word. which jess anticipated every single time. even waking up luke at three in the morning because of this assumption. something the uncle was not too proud of.

"c'mon ali, toy time." jess told his little girl as he sat her in her crib, handing her two of her toys. before making his way around the apartment, putting his jacket and keys away. he reached for a bottle in the fridge, his mind stuck on what birthday present to get the girl. he had been saving up for the past few weeks. on what was the mystery. no matter what he got her, he knew she would have a delightful birthday. luke and lorelai, who were now an item, would be coming up from the hollow to visit the girl. spend the day with the almost toddler while jess was at work. not that she would notice, considering it was only her first.

"m- hmph," the baby sounded from across the room making jess nearly spill the bottle as he made his way over towards her. only holding his breath as he half expected the girl's first word to be mama. even though she lacked one of those. "ali cooper?

"me-fafafadel," she spit as he wiped her chin, smiling brightly at the little girl. her eyes like looking into his own — but much, much, better. "you got it, coop. keep talking."

"me-dup. mel-drop." she giggled making the teenager's eyes practically widen in awe as he ran over towards his desk. yanking the phone from the chord on the desk, shoving it to his ear with a quick dial. "meldrop; meldrop; meldrop." the boy mumbled as he made his way over towards the girl, tickling her with a grin. "so smart, ali."

three rings and a very frustrated answer caught the boy's attention. "what?"

"meldrop," jess smiled as he spoke into the phone. he could practically hear luke look around like he was on a prank show before pressing the phone between his ear and his shoulder. "i don't speak youths, jess."

"she said it. meldrop. don't know what it means but fuck- she spoke. it was, it was better than live-aid '85." the smile rolled off of his tongue and through the phone. luke's change in persona was sudden as he stood straightly, throwing down his pen from behind the diner counter. catching the eyes of several customers. "oh my god- jess. she's a genius."

"talking to justin timberlake about britney, because yes, i agree." lorelai grinned from the counter of the diner making luke turn to her. "alice said her first word."

the brightest grin erupted on both of the couple's faces as rory gilmore sat uncomfortably beside the two. it had been well over a year since she had broken up with the once troublemaker. only learning a few months ago that he had knocked up someone just a week after their breakup. the news haunted her, something that kept her wide awake at night. she was seriously over the boy by now and had no reason to dislike the baby, obviously. baby alice had done nothing but existed and reminded rory of her failed relationship. she'd yet to meet the small child, considering her spent time was mostly at yale. which conveniently kept her far away from stars hollow whenever jess visited.

"i'm not fucking-" jess groaned to himself as he shut his mouth. "she said one word. took almost a year, said it once. she's not gonna say it a-"

"meldrop!" the brunette baby giggled making jess's jaw nearly drop. the couple on the other side of the phone practically shook the whole building with their happiness. rory sat at the counter with a slight grin on her face. "what were you saying jess?"

"oh screw you!" he swatted making luke hand herself the phone, taking it from lorelai. "now you gotta watch what you say 'round her. she's a baby, jess. a baby. she can't be coming around to preschool throwing around the f-bomb."

"well that would be pretty fantastic," jess smirked making luke practically groan. "this is why you shouldn't be a father-"

"okay let's just, simmer." lorelai straightened out as she yanked luke's arm. rory piped up finally, her arms still crossed. "what'd she say?"

"meldrop." luke replied simply making rory give them both a very odd look at the ecstatic reactions. "i'm assuming neither of you know the true meaning."

"oh god. did she just say to start a massacre. i knew she was a little devil," lorelai joked making rory bite her lip before shaking her head. luke growing impatient as jess could faintly listen on the other side. "it's mucus. you know... snot, that hangs from someone's nose."

"... can i take back the massacre?" lorelai questioned as luke simply blinked his eyes before pressing the phone hardly into his ear. "jess-?"

"she's gonna be a doctor. goddamn little einstein."

[huntingteeth]

ok @vamprlestat tagged me in a name six albums thing but i unfortunately don't really listen to full albums so i will name six songs i've been jamming to lately

salad by blondshell -- kind of a bummer song but it's still a bop. i especially like the part that goes "gonna get big / gonna get big / i'm so scary / i can't stop having visions of following him / gonna make it hurt / gonna make it hurt / but i don't know how to do that within the framework"

gans media retro games by hot mulligan -- especially the part that goes "a vinyl floored back room / begs the question / is this just how i live? / in fear of what i'll do / wake every day to say / i'm numb, worthless / vestigial and pointless / a sore to bite every time that i speak"

the water is fine by chloe ament -- this one is pretty and repetitive, which i always enjoy in a song lol. especially "blood runs thicker than water / but both feel the same when your eyes are closed" and "i am the river's daughter / and you'll be her son when we're both reposed"

sofia i'm sorry by jesse detor -- truly this sounds like a lesbian bop that should have come out during the 90s and been featured in a coming of age teen movie. this part: "you know what happened the night in the basement / when we watched a winona rider movie / you told me i was your everything / now you want nothing to do with me / i loved you more than your mother / to you, now i'm just anyone / throw my own past back in my face / i hate, hate to say you know you're no saint / you know what they say, it takes one to know one / and i know you're as fucked as me"

big god by florence + the machine -- you can't go wrong with florence tbh. my fave parts of the song are "sometimes i think it's getting better / and then it gets much worse / is it just part of the process? / jesus christ, it hurts" and "shower your affection / let it rain on me / and pull down the mountain / drag your cities to the sea / shower your affection / let it rain on me / don't leave me on this white cliff / let it slide down to the, slide down to the sea"

boys of faith by zach bryan feat. bon iver -- i have a special place for bon iver tbh and zach bryan does a good song that sounds like the summertime lol. i like this part: "high tide, it's been rising up / i've been getting up / with some boys i used to know / we're trying to get our pockets up / this year has just been moving fucking slow"

special mention to sleep token, which is actually the band with the albums i do play all the way through l m a o

tagging @branches-in-a-flood, @shatterthefragments, @dreams-in-phosphorescence, @unfoldingsky, and @creamwhxre but uhhh no pressure babes

[eadanga]

Mother's Day

Alex woke up to the sunlight streaming through the window and found half the bed empty she looked around sleepily I wonder where Cole is? She stretches and grabs put on a robe then heads down the stairs. Her eyes go wide as she sees the beautifully decorated table with edible arrangements and roses balloons and breakfast set for 2 “What is?”

A pair of arms wrap around her waist “Good morning beautiful”

Alex turns around as she smiles “Cole what’s all this?”

“Just wising my beautiful wife a happy mother’s day you’re an amazing mom just wanted to show that”

“You’re so sweet”

He kisses her softly “Now let’s eat breakfast and head to the living room the kids and I have something for you”

“Ok I can’t wait to see what it is” Cole holds out the chair for her and she sits down at the table and the two of them dig into their breakfast

****

After breakfast Cole takes the dishes

“Cole you didn’t have to I could have done it”

“Ah but it’s mother’s day you’re supposed to be relaxing and be treated like the queen you are”

“Aww Cole”

He quickly washes the dishes then walks over to her “Now you just wait here” He kisses her cheek

Alex giggles as she pulls out her phone and scrolls through it she hears voices from the living room

“Dad my present isn’t ready yet!”

“Well hurry so your mom can get it”

Alex giggles as she continues to scroll through her phone. A while later her daughter Jess and Cole come into the room carrying her 8 month old son Chase

“Morning mommy happy mother’s day!”

“Thanks baby” Chase babbles and reaches for her Alex grins as she takes him in her arms “Hi cutie how are you doing today” Chase smiles and claps his hands as she kisses his cheek “So glad you’re good”

“Mom this is for you” Jess hands her a painting of all 4 of them

Alex grins “This is great you’re getting so much better”

“I learned from you”

“And you’ll be a great artist like your mom”

“I want to be I can’t wait for that”

“Did you wish your other mom Daphne happy mother’s day?”

Jess nods “Yeah I made her a painting too she loved it and I told grandma happy mother’s day”

“Good baby thank you this is so sweet”

Jess giggles “Chase helped me out” She points to a handprint in the corner

Alex grins as she holds him “Aww you’re so cute buddy thank you”

“Now time for dad’s gift” Cole walks out the room and returns with a box

“Cole I hope you didn’t go overboard”

“When it comes to my wife no such thing as overboard”

Alex giggles as she opens the box she grins when she sees the stuff inside “Oh a robe with my name on it candles bubble bath lotion this is something to relax with”

“Yup all for you” Cole smirks as he leans in and whispers “And it comes with a massages from me”

“I look forward to that”

“Happy mother’s day I love you”

“I love you too”

Tags: @mfackenthal @indiacater @the-soot-sprite @choicesgodfanatic

[justagalwhowrites]

Ok, when you said you would be posting the AU I didn't expect the whole damn story!!! So here are my random thoughts that you didn't ask for but I'm going to give anyways. 🤣

1. Ugh, I cried so many times while reading this! Evelyn not only shares a name with my God daughter, a name that I gave her, but also a birthday. So that in itself made me tear up.

2. I love that Nan admitted she was wrong about Joel!

3. When Sarah was getting married I had the thought that Andrew wouldn't be much older than Sarah wouldn’t it be funny if that's who she was marrying. Then when Andrew and Jess actually showed up I may or may not have squealed a bit and did a happy dance.

4. ELLIE!!!!! 😭😭😭

5. Damn Doc! You go, girl!! 👏👏👏

6. My power went out due to a storm and because I can't sleep without air I woke up. These was right around the time you started posting so thank you for keeping me entertained through the storm. Even if I did cry like a baby.

OMG HI BESTIE!

Yeah this got away from me a bit lmfao but I wanted to explore so many parts of their lives and what it would be like without the outbreak so I just did 😂😂

THANK YOU FOR READING! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and I love all your thoughts!!!!

[sleuthy-scientist]

Time After Time - Chapter Nine - It Was Not Your Fault But Mine

The full story can be found here. This probably won't make any sense unless you've read previous chapters.

He nervously waited, knowing rightfully so Emily might need more time, and he had to give her that if she did. He couldn't force her hand on this, on something so important, that she had full control of.

Jessica returned 15 minutes later, having shut herself into Dave's study for some privacy for her phone call to Emilly.

He didn't hear Jessica return, it wasn't until she repeated his name for the third time that he realised she had finished her conversation with Emily.

"Emily said she would call soon. She was cooking breakfast when I called. She promised after they've eaten and she can settle Grace into watching her favourite Saturday morning cartoons, she will call."

"Until then, I thought maybe we could talk a little more. Maybe, I could also tell you a bit about your daughter, I think that's a relatively safe neutral topic."

"Please Jess, I would love that, I can't wait to officially meet her, I only got to see her and hear her talk for a few moments."

"First before we talk about Grace, like I said, I promise I will be there for Jack, and help make this transition easier for him if my presence helps. But, I won't betray Emily, I know you are a good person Aaron Hotchner, but I'm in her corner. Not that she needs anyone to protect her, but I will defend her honour if I need to."

"Cause you screwed up big time buddy, you need to do everything you can to fix this. I know Emily loves Jack just as unconditionally as she does Grace. Haley would be happy knowing her son has the kind of family she always wanted to give him."

Aaron piped in,"I think Haley really liked Emily, I know they didn't have a chance to really get to know each other, but they seemed like fast friends, gossiping and giggling whenever they saw each other. Emily also told me Haley asked her to look after me, when they were in WITSEC. I think she knew way before I did that I had feelings for Emily."

Jessica chuckled, knowing Aaron had been absolutely clueless. "Oh she definitely did, she told me once months after your divorce, that she knew Emily was the one for you. Mind you, she was completely sober at the time when she came to the realization. She didn't think you were anything but faithful to her when you guys were married, but she knew Emily was from your world and understood you in ways she couldn't."

Jessica couldn't stop herself from revealing part of the last conversation she had with her sister. "I probably should have told you this sooner, but, I don't know how Haley knew, but they let her call me right before she had to disappear. She told me she knew you would be ok because you had Emily looking out for you. And God forbid if anything happened to her, she knew Emily would get you and Jack through it and help you both learn to smile again."

Jessica couldn't stop the immediate tears welling in her eyes, that fell with the next words she spoke. "I just, I love them both so much. Being a part of their lives has helped heal my heart a little. I still miss Haley everyday, but I know how it feels to be happy again. I want that for you and Jack too."

"Aaron you have to promise me, you wont do anything to screw this up, because, we both know Emily's it for you. And I'm not going to get in the middle and smooth things over if you rush Emily. She's been hurt enough by you, you need to listen to what she wants and needs from you. For now, just be Gracie and Jack's dad, and try to be Emily's friend. The rest will work itself out, I know you can eventually find your place together again."

He was sure and steady in his feelings now, he hoped his words conveyed that. "Jess I want that too, and I know Emily's the one. I think a part of me has always known, even back when I was too stubborn to admit it to myself. I'm going to do everything in my power to make this work. But, you're right, as usual, she needs time and I can't afford to make anymore decisions for her."

Jess wiped away the stray tears that had escaped. "Good, that's what I like to hear. And I won't make any promises, but I also twisted Emily's arm a little, about maybe letting you and Jack stay in her guest house, while you figure out more long-term concrete plans. It might make things easier having you and Jack so close by for Grace to get to know."

"I'm certain Emily wants you and Jack to have a relationship with Grace. She's not going to forbid you from seeing your daughter. But you have to let her be in shock, to scream, yell, cry, deal with this however she sees fit. You don't get to rush her, she's entitled to make this hard for you."

"Just let her be the overprotective mama bear. You don't get to be angry with her, or take out your frustrations with her. And you definitely don't get to insinuate yourself back into their lives like you have every right to them. Don't rush this, it's going to all work out if you give it the care, attention and time it needs."

Aaron smirked, he had always been rather fond of seeing Emily stand up for others."Emily loves fiercely, I have no doubt I will see her protective side frequently in the coming months. I know I don't deserve her, either of them really. But their mine and I never stopped loving Emily for a second, she was always on my mind."

Jessica hesitated saying the next bit, not sure if it was entirely her place to say. "For what it's worth, I know deep down she still loves you too, but I'm not sure that's enough, or if she can even forgive you. But, don't ever stop trying to win her back, I know you're the love of her life, and she's yours. You just need to be patient and listen, and let her find her footing first."

Aaron knew Jessica was right on all counts, it would be hard to be patient, but he needed to. "For her, I'm willing to wait forever if that's what it takes. Life doesn't make sense without her, I will accept my role in her life in whatever capacity she will have me. I can't live without her."

Jessica couldn't help smiling knowing they had a real chance of making things work. She was excited for them, and was sure she had gotten her point across. She was happy to move on to other topics, like Grace, certain the Hotchner boys were going to absolutely adore her niece.

"Ok enough of us being all doom and gloom, we both need a dose of cheer, what would you like to know about your daughter?"

Aaron's eyes lit up, he had endless questions he could bombard her with."Anything, everything, whatever your willing to share. Why don't you just start telling me about her and we will start there?"

There was so much she could say about her niece, she didn't know where to start. "It's safe to say for a while it was like Emily lost her shine, Gracie was the only thing that could really make her smile. It's always been obvious to anyone who sees them together, Emily's heart beats for that sweet little angel. God, she has always been the most loving, devoted, and perfect mother."

"The bond she has with Grace can't be broken, that little girl absolutely worships her mother. Aaron, I'm just elated for you and can't wait for you to have this chance to finally know your daughter. She's going to have you wrapped around her finger in no time, mark my words."

Aaron piped in enthralled by everything he was hearing. "I already love her, and if she's anything like her mother, which I imagine she is, I am certain she will have both myself and Jack ready to do her bidding in no time."

Jess couldn't help nodding in agreeance. "It's hard not to immediately fall in love just looking at that little cherub face. Those chubby cheeks and big brown expressive eyes. She mesmerizes everyone she meets, regardless of the walk of life they come from. Grace, she's the sweetest, most intelligent, well behaved little girl. She reminds me quite a bit of how Jack was at that age, especially with her never ending curiosity. "

"She's got a wild streak sometimes though, and can be absolutely fearless. Also her imagination, introspection, and empathy, know no bounds. She's definitely taken more than a few grown men down a peg or two with her sass and wit."

Aaron chuckled along with Jess at that, already knowing exactly where she inherited her personality and temperament from.

"She's 100% the mini version of her mom. Seriously her thirst for knowledge is unparalleled, she even speaks four languages already. Not that Emily's pushed it on her, Grace just loves to read and learn. It's the cutest thing watching her learn new words and converse with Emily. She truly is her mother's daughter through and through."

"Emily made arrangements when Grace was born, so doesn't travel out of town much anymore for work. But, anytime she has to leave for a case, she leaves Gracie the sweetest little love notes for her to decipher, with whatever language and grammar skills they are practicing. It helps distract Grace from missing Emily and they are constant reminders for her that she's beyond loved."

Aaron could feel his heart bursting with pride, having always known Emily was meant to be a mom. Ever since the case with Carrie Ortiz, he knew it was a secret dream she harboured, one she never thought she would have for herself. Once they got together, he learned even more so why it was so important to her.

He knew regardless, Emily was always afraid of turning out like her mother. Even then he thought it was mind boggling that she worried about something that couldn't be further from the truth. He had no doubt even when Grace was grown, she would always want and need Emily in her life.

He knew she loved Jack like he was her own, but he knew to some extent it was different getting to experience every part of a child's life. He hated knowing he had missed the whole pregnancy and the moment their little girl took her first breath. Timing wise, he knew that couldn't have been necessarily avoided, but every part he missed after, that was his fault.

Once more, Jessica's words broke him out of his inner musings."There's no doubt she's your daughter though too. Sometimes when something really stumps her, she gets this look of concentration, her expression and the way her eyebrows furrow, it's 100% you. And when she's angry, she goes dead silent and god, she does your glare. It's literally the most adorable thing I've ever seen."

The ringing of his phone interrupted Jessica from saying more. She immediately got up to afford Aaron privacy for conversation he was about to have. She decided to prepare coffee, tea, and breakfast for them both, to occupy her time productively until the call ended.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He almost dropped the phone when he noticed the number he had long ago memorized by heart, appearing on his cellphones display.

"Hey."

There wasn't much for him to glean from her succinct greeting. He suspected her choice to refrain from utilizing his name was simply a defence mechanism she was using to distance herself. He knew he could already be reading too much into the one word she'd spoken, but he liked to think he still knew her.

"Hey Em, I wasn't sure you'd actually call." He kept his tone light and jovial, hoping to put her at ease. Her next words reminded him he was the one on trial not her, and doubting her in anyway wasn't going to win him any points.

"I said I would be in contact. I'd have come over, but my little monkey is super clingy today. I also didn't want to spring my presence on Jack. I wasn't sure when him and Dave would be back from breakfast, if he would want to see me, or if it was even appropriate."

God Aaron loved her, and he had missed her nervous ramblings. But he knew she only really did it when she felt vulnerable. And he hated that she could ever think Jack could possibly hate her or not want to see her.

But, she didn't know Jack had mentioned her everyday for the duration they were in WITSEC, constantly bringing up ideas for plans they could do when they saw her next. Or how he'd animatedly retell his favourite memories featuring her, whenever something reminded him of her.

Aaron always calmly listened, truly interested in just how much his son loved and missed Emily. He had noticed Jack slowly stopped mentioning her, when they moved after they were in the clear. He probably came to the realization they weren't going back, and at the time Aaron had taken Jack's response as a blessing in disguise. His own heart couldn't take the constant reminders of Emily.

Now, he hadn't heard is son utter her name in years. He hated knowing he had taken away the only other woman who had loved Jack, just as his own mother had.

Aaron was glad to see Emily had the forethought to think of his son's feelings, just as she had always done so before. He truly didn't know how his son would have reacted to seeing her, and he would have hated her having false hope, if their interaction hadn't been positive.

He was broken out of his thoughts by her next words knowing he had paused too long without an appropriate response. "But, you should know by now I'm a woman of my word. If I say I'm going to do something, I follow through. It hasn't even been an hour since Jess called. And even if she hadn't prompted me to contact you, I would have done so eventually on my own accord."

Aaron could hear the growing spite in her words, knowing she was on the edge and her patience for him was already worn thin. And with the awkward silence that followed her previous statement, that she was just as nervous as him, if not more so.

And that, even if she held all the power and cards in their current situation, ultimately she was deeply hurt because of his choices. Whether he liked it or not, he was the cause of her pain and couldn't let her words rile him up too. It would be counterproductive for him to choose a passive aggressive response, so he tried for a more peaceful approach.

"Emily you're right, Jess said you would call, and you've always kept your promises before. I know we are both on edge, but I don't want us to fight. Not like this, over the phone. I'm not delusional, just because you called, I know it doesn't mean we're okay, and everything suddenly magically alright."

Emily could hear the sincerity in his voice, glad to know he wasn't making excuses. Instead it seemed he put serious care and thought into this. For Grace and Jack's sake alone, she knew she couldn't simply write him off, they deserved to have their family.

"I get it, I don't want to fight either, this is all just really hard for me. I mean you just suddenly showed up on my front door without any warning. I need to know, what is it you want or expect from me?"

"I want to officially meet Grace, and for me and Jack to be a part of her life. Jack doesn't know about his little sister yet. Jess said she would stay for a bit to help me tell him when him and Dave return. But, I already know he's going to absolutely love her, he's always wanted to have a sibling."

She hated how cheery and nonchalant he seemed. It grated on her nerves, his behaviour bordering on his expectation that he had any right to see the child she raised all alone without him. The one he hadn't bothered to ever check up on before, not even in passing. And now he suddenly basically demanded the chance to fulfill the role he so easily shirked before.

The excitement and joy in his tone irked her. What gave him the right after all these years to finally show up and expect to just be granted access to her daughter like he had any right. Sure legally and biologically he might be considered Grace's father, but aside from her conception, he had, had no part in her life thus far.

And hated being reminded that Jack should have had half a decade of memories made with his little sister already. Emily had always known he was meant to be a big brother. She still remembered feeling her ovaries quiver watching how sweet, loving, and adorable Jack was with Henry.

Especially when Henry was too little to do the same things Jack could, the older boy always patiently accommodated his friend. Looking out for him and protecting him, just as he would have done for Grace had he been given the chance to know her sooner.

"Oh so now you want to be in her life. You've already missed so much, it's been over five years, why now? I always wanted you and Jack in her life she deserved to grow up with her father and big brother."

"Em, I know you're not going to want to believe me, but I....I.."

He couldn't stop the stutter or the sob that followed with his next words. "I didn't know about her. I'm an fucking idiot ok, I didn't read the letters you wrote. I couldn't bear to open them. They are sitting unopened in a box, in my closet, back in our house in Williamsburg."

Words she could barely process or pack, because it hurt too much knowing maybe he hadn't known. Emily could feel her anger deflate with his emotional display. She knew from the fact he didn't try to hide his tears, he was desperate, but ultimately genuine in his words.

A resulting sniffle on her end could be heard, followed by a slow and steady deep breath. Her voice still shook and sounded almost meek in comparison to what it had been.

"I want so badly to believe you, to take you at your word about this. But, I didn't just write letters, I called, text, and emailed, I tried. You had ample opportunity to find out the truth and come back. I don't know what to believe anymore."

He could hear the fight in her voice deflate, leaving her with vulnerability and devastation. Yet, he knew she was trying to muster the courage and strength to compartmentalize and keep her mask in place. He hated that he was no longer entitled to see the woman hiding behind the mask. That he lost that right when he left her.

"You know me Em. I'm still the same person, do you really think had I known I would have left her. You know how much I love Jack and being a father."

Emily felt the sting of his words, and her blood boiled. "Good to know she would have been enough to come back for, had you known."

The moment the words had left his mouth, he had known she was going to misread his statement. But, before he could clarify and allay her doubts, she had already responded, her vulnerabilities shining through.

He didn't know how he would address all her fears, especially since he had given them even more merit. She had been the one person who had shown up for him time and time again, always having his back, proving he wasn't alone. It was more than that though, it was the way she had always believed in him when he couldn't believe in himself.

Aaron knew she had her own issues of trust and self worth as long as he had known her. And that his actions, had probably only proven to her, on her own, she wasn't incentive enough for him to return for. And now he was staying out of a sense of responsibility for Grace.

"Emily, no it's not like that, please don't misinterpret my words. You were enough, you were always enough, I'm the one who wasn't good enough for you. I would have and should have come back for you, I made a huge mistake, and I know I'm too late, but I still want a chance to fix it."

He hadn't been there when she needed him most, he knew now she would always hesitate to trust him. That the niggling doubt he created would always live in the back of her mind coming out at the most inconvenient times. He didn't think she would never be able to wholeheartedly believe him again. It would make proving his love for her next to impossible now.

At this point, there was no doubting the emotion and tears straining both their voices. They were both hurting and desperate and hurt, just wanting what was best for their kids. Emily was the one who broke the short stalemate that settled over them. She tried her best to sound calm, collected, and in control.

"You understand I can't just let her meet you, if you're randomly going to leave again. Just like you have to protect Jack, she's my main responsibility. I won't let you hurt or disappoint my daughter. If this is some temporary thing, or a you and Jack visit once or twice a year situation, I can't involve her."

Aaron was frustrated, but he knew she was absolutely right. Putting his intentions out there couldn't simple allay her worries and fears. It would take time, she needed to see him show up for her and Grace from now on, especially when it mattered most. He just hoped he could be half the parent she turned out to be in his absence.

Seeing Grace the night before, the one thing that was blatantly obvious was the instinctual bond she shared with her mother. One built sheerly on unconditional and altruistic love for one another. They were each other's whole world, he just hoped himself and Jack could find their place with them without too many trials and tribulations.

He knew he had caused enough heartbreak with his absence, he couldn't afford hurting his family anymore with his presence. And while it probably wasn't worth much, he needed to Emily to know how proud and appreciative he was for everything she accomplished without him. The most important being voicing his awestruck wonder at her superlative parenting skills.

"Your absolutely right Emily, and I know you, I have no doubt you have done an amazing job raising her on your own. That precious little girl wants for nothing, I saw her, how happy she is just having her mom, and how much she loves you. I'm in this for the long haul, I don't want to hurt her, or you ever again."

53 seconds passed before she quietly spoke again. Her words and obvious uncertainty squeezing his already aching heart. "You really didn't know about her? Because, I swear I tried. I would have driven to see you if I'd known. But at the time, I couldn't handle the possibility of you rejecting me in person too."

Emily could hear the strongest man she had ever known sob on the other end of the phone. "I know you tried, and I was an asshole for not picking up the phone any of the times you called. But, I seriously didn't know honey, and I hate myself for it. I'd be happy to drive back to Williamsburg and get all those sealed letters to show you, if it would give you peace of mind, so you'll believe me."

Some small part of Emily wanted so badly to insist he do just that, but she knew it wouldn't change anything now. The hopeful words written by her past self, couldn't make up for all the lost time. Now they were simply a time capsule of her thoughts and feelings of the love they once shared.

If he hadn't read them before, she wasn't sure she wanted him to read them now. It would be cruel for him and humiliating for her, to have her private thoughts see the light of day, after everything that happened. Emily considered asking for them back unopened, not sure she was ready to share the vulnerabilities of that part of her life with him anymore.

That was a decision she would have to let herself sleep on. She didn't know if it would help or hurt more to let him read them now. To allow him to keep such intimate and vulnerable secrets in his possession. All her hopes and dreams for them that were never fulfilled. She wasn't sure she was ready to address that period of her life and the aftermath of Scratch.

For now she knew in the grand scheme of things, the contents of her letters should be the least of her worries. She wasn't that person anymore, and she refused to let herself get lost in her feelings of the past. Her daughter was her present and future and all that mattered to her right now.

"I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now. But, I just, I need to know your intentions, before you meet her. I don't want to get her hopes up and disappoint her. It's not fair to her, because she dreamed of meeting you both her whole life. So if you don't plan on being a permanent figure in her life, I need to know now, before you see her."

"I won't abandon our daughter, I want to spend as much time with her as you are willing to allow. I want to be her dad and be a part of her life full-time. And I want her and Jack to have a friend and sibling for life. I want a chance to do right by you and our children."

"And I get it if you aren't comfortable leaving me alone with Grace for the time being. I won't argue if you need to be present for visits or have one of the team with us at all times. Until you're comfortable with other arrangements, I will concede control to you and play by whatever rules you see fit."

He briefly hesitated for a second before saying the rest, knowing it might overwhelm her. Or worse, she wouldn't believe the truth conveyed in what she saw as words filled with empty promises and niave hopes.

"I also want to see you too Emily, and repair what I broke. But, I understand if you're not ready for that, I'm willing to wait as long as it takes. I hope we can at least find a way to be on friendly terms and spend time with the four of us altogether like a family."

Emily wasn't ready to sort and hash out any notions of romantic feelings, not when she was filled with such turmoil. Whatever she did or did not feel for him anymore, had to be placed on the back burner. She couldn't let it be a priority, she needed to focus on Grace and Jack.

"I was never going to keep her from you and Jack, I want Grace to know her family. It would probably be beneficial to both kids, for the four of us to all hang out together sometimes. But, I don't want to confuse them, or give them false hope that you and I will be a couple again. We need to focus on the kids, that's what matters."

"And you're right, I'm not sure how I feel about her being left alone in your care for the foreseeable future. It's not that I don't trust you with her, but my heart and mind are both wary given your recent track record. I know it's not rational, but I need to protect my daughter and make sure she can adjust to this change first."

"So, until Gracie is settled and fully comfortable with you and Jack, I think it's best either myself, Jess, or one of the team accompanies you with her. I know it's not ideal, but she doesn't know you, even with everything I told her over the years, you both are essentially strangers to her. I just I need to protect her and put her needs first."

Aaron could hear the fight reignite in her words, not wanting her to get worked up. But he knew for all intents and purposes she was right, about everything. And she was entitled to feel however she needed to, without giving him rationale. He hated the obvious stress she was under from the turmoil he had put her in.

"Em you don't owe me an explanation, but your right. The kids need to be put first, especially Grace, because she's not old enough to understand everything. It's going to be an adjustment for everyone, but I'm willing to do whatever I need to, to make this work."

His words were a start, but ultimately did nothing to fully reassure her or address the extent of her concerns. She needed to know just how serious he was about this, how much of a commitment he was ready to make. What he was willing to sacrifice to show he meant all the things he said.

"In her phone call to me, Jess said she wasn't entirely sure about your living arrangements, or if you had any plans to actually move back. She just mentioned you guys were down for March Break. Hotch I know it's fast, but I need to know if you intended to stay living in Williamsburg or if you're considering the option of moving back to town."

She had every right to know these details, but at the moment everything was up in the air. It also wasn't a conversation he meant to have over the phone. He wanted to have a deeper discussion with her before he left, without the kids present to bear witness if things got ugly and messy. He hoped when they really talked, it could be an open and brutally honest dialogue, where they had a chance to get everything important off their chests.

He had no doubt it would be a convoluted maze full of unforeseen twist and turns. That he wouldn't like everything he uncovered, and most of it would likely only cause him undue pain and heartache. And that getting her to open up would be hard, because she no doubt changed the locks and set up barricades and walls to keep him out.

He was holding out hope that one day they would get there. Even if it took months, years, decades or the rest of his life. When it no longer caused her pain to hear his voice. When he could leave her, and she could finally believe him without question, that he would come back.

"Em, we should probably talk soon and in person. Now that I know about her, I'm not going anywhere. I mean yes, I will have to go back to Williamsburg by to pack our things and sort a few things out. But, we are moving back, once I tell Jack about Grace, I know he will understand and agree. He's been begging me for years to visit everyone."

"Ideally I want us to move back tomorrow, but logically it probably makes more sense to wait until the summer. So Jack can finish out his school year without disruption, and so I have time to find a place for us to live. Worst case, I'm sure we can impose on Dave and stay with him when schools out until we can get settled back here."

He hated thinking about all the days inbetween he would miss until they were all living in the same city. But he planned to arrange scheduled phone calls/Skyping for every night and morning he could to fill the gaps in the interim.

"Until then, we can come up every weekend, and video chat on weekdays. We are only 2.5 hours away by car. It's not a perfect solution, but I'm willing to put whatever time and effort I can. If we leave every Friday when Jack gets out of school we can be here in time for dinner. And I don't care how early I need to get up and leave on Mondays to get Jack back in time for school. He can always sleep in the car, if it will give me a few extra hours to spend with you guys, it will be worth it."

Being the boss gave her control over her schedule, and she kept on top of her paperwork after Grace went to bed. Since she cut back on her role travelling with the team, she typically had Saturdays and Sundays off.

It would cut into her time with Grace, the weekends were usually spent having mother daughter time. Some days they would lounge around cuddling all day in their pajamas, building forts, having tea parties, watching movies, and playing games.

But, it made her pulse race hearing how passionately and enthusiastically he spoke about making time for them in his life. That he actually wanted to spend every second feasible with them. Weekends would be a good trial period until a more permanent arrangement could be made.

"It's ok if you stay here if you need to. I know Jess mentioned letting you guys stay in the guest house at my place. I'm not opposed to using that as a temporary solution for you and Jack, so you can be close by for Grace. It's not as big as Dave's mansion by any means, but it has two bedrooms, a bathroom, and kitchenette."

"We would love that, but I don't want you to feel obligated or uncomfortable. It's your home and I appreciate the offer, but we should put a pin on that idea until everyone is more settled and had a chance to meet."

In reality, he wanted nothing more than to take her up on her offer, anything that would allow him to be near his girls and see them as often as possible. But, he was trying to put her at ease, taking her feelings into account, making sure she knew he was going slow and steady for her sake.

She internally winced, feeling stupid for putting the offer out there. "You're right, we shouldn't rush anything. I know I myself probably will need some time to adjust to everything. I uh, took the week off to spend time with Grace, so we can make plans if you guys have some time in your schedule for the week."

"I'm sure I can speak for us both, we would love to spend is much time with you and Grace as we possibly can. I'm beyond excited to get to know her and I know Jack will be too, once I tell him."

"You can officially meet her tomorrow if you guys want. But, if Jack needs time to adjust, I won't force her on him. I refuse to let her be a pawn and get hurt if I can help it. Not that I think Jack would ever intentionally hurt his little sister, but he might need time to wrap his head around things."

Aaron knew Emily adored his son, and wasn't in anyway trying to offend him. "You're absolutely right Emily, thank you for always taking his feelings into account. I'll talk to him when he gets back from breakfast with Dave. If he's amendable to the idea, we are game for whatever my girls would like to do."

Their conversation was going so well, but he knew from her sharp intake of breath, she heard his possessive slip of tongue, and it wasn't going to go over well with her.

"I'll let you slide on that hiccup, because you promised not to push me on the topic of us. Please try to refrain from referring to me as yours in any way, especially infront of the kids."

In his mind and heart, she never stopped being his. Aaron couldn't help himself, but to keep the peace he immediately apologized, trying to smooth her ruffled feathers.

"Emily, I'm sorry, I just felt familiar and at ease with you, like before. I'll do my best make sure it doesn't happen again. Just know you have my whole heart, there hasn't been anyone else, and there won't be."

He couldn't stop himself for including that last bit, knowing it needed to be said. He had to at least try to show her his true intentions, so she knew with certainty nothing had changed for him. He wasn't trying to push, he just needed to make it clear where he stood.

"Aaron, I don't think you can't fix what you broke. I'm really not sure if we can ever get back to that place, or if I can ever risk my heart on you again. Not that I'm sure you ever gave my heart back when you left. So, please don't make this harder for me."

Hearing her say his name again should have made him overjoyed. But, Aaron could hear her quietly, almost silently sobbing, trying to muffle her tears. He was about to try to comfort her, when he heard the sweet, angelic voice that haunted his dreams the night before ring out in the background.

"Mommy why are you crying? Who is on the phone? Did some big meanie hurt your feelings? Do you need a hug mommy? I don't want you to be sad. "

Emily set the phone down, knowing he could wait. She discreetly wiped what tears she could before facing her daughter. She opened up her arms and Grace jumped into them with practised ease. Yet her grip tightened feeling something off about her mom's demeanor, holding on to her for dear life hoping she was ok.

"Hey baby it's ok sweetie. Mommy's fine, nothing's wrong, I promise. Can you please go back to the living room and pick out a movie to watch. Mommy is going to finish her conversation, and I'll come find you in 10 minutes. And then we can both wash our hands together and bake some cookies."

Emily had known the mention of a movie and baking, would work to immediately distract her little girl. Just like her mama, she had a sweet tooth and a love of all things homemade. Grace cheered, nuzzling her mother's cheek.

"Ok mommy, but we hafta make lots so we can share with Aunt Jessie when she gets back. She deserves a treat too."

Emily chuckled, knowing while Grace would no doubt save some for her aunt, but she would also con said woman into sharing her portion with her. Emily planned to hide some, and make some of Jack's favourite peanut butter cookies while she was at it.

"Sure baby, sounds good, we will make lots. If you want to be a big help you can grab the recipe book and the big bowl out of the cupboard."

Emily could feel her daughter wiggling about in anticipation of endless warm, sweet treats. She carefully set the little girl down knowing she'd immediately run off to prepare, just as her mother asked.

She didn't expect her daughter to stop at the doorway of her office and turn back. But it warmed her heart hearing her daughter's "Ok mommy, but hurry please, I missed you."

Emily could stop herself from walking towards the light of her life and kissing her forehead. She knew she was beyond lucky to have the most empathetic little girl on the planet. "I'll be speedy monkey, you better go get those things ready, I promise, I'll be there before you know it."

Emily waited before she could no longer hear Grace's little foot steps race to complete her tasks. Emily cautiously picked up the phone, feeling both awkward and relieved from Grace's interruption. Her daughter had given her the perfect out to wrap up their sensitive discussion to be had at a later date.

"Well you heard the boss. I have to go. But, if you want we can meet at the park tomorrow for a picnic. And maybe dinner and movie after, depending how things go. I mean as long as you don't have any other plans."

Aaron cleared his throat, having been distracted and lost in thought hearing his sweet little girl interact with her mother. It took him a second to realise Emily was now talking to him.

"No. Sorry I mean we have no plans. That sounds perfect. Do you need me and Jack to pick up any food or bring anything?"

Emily considered accepting his offer, but she knew she had everything they needed for a picnic in her kitchen.

"Well I know what Grace likes. And I used to know what you and Jack like, unless things have changed." She paused, knowing she had already made it awkward.

"No, Nothings changed Em." He paused briefly, hoping she picked up on the deeper meaning. "We will happily consume whatever you bring. Just if you think of anything you need from me, please text me, it's no bother."

"Ok. Can you maybe let me know later how things go with Jack. I don't want to put Jess in an uncomfortable position. I know she's nervous enough about seeing him."

"I can definitely do that Emily. You better go, before you keep our little princess waiting too long. I promise I'll call later. Well I'll shoot you a text first in case your busy but I swear I'll call."

"Okay, I'll hold you to that then."

"Okay. I'll talk to you soon Em."

"Bye for now then I guess."

"Bye." He so badly wanted to add I love you with his farewell, but knew that wouldn't go over well. It was both much too soon and too late for such declarations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[safflowerseason]

I LOVE Gilmore Girls but it's weird that in a show so centred around class, it mainly only criticises the wealthy for being snooty and socially conservative. It has little to say on the wealth divide's uglier side. Its presentede that Lane, Dean & Jess couldn't go to Chilton or Yale because they weren't that academic anyway. Meanwhile it was only really Lorelai who had money problems (not Luke, Suki etc) and that was OK because she had a safety net that she was too proud/independent to use.

Hi Anon - I’m *so* sorry it’s taken me weeks to get around to your ask. But I loved your comment so much I wanted to take the time to offer a thoughtful response, especially because it’s a theme I’ve been chewing over in my head for the past few months, since I watched the latest season of AHP’s other show, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

I agree that Gilmore Girls has sort of become known over the years, in culture critic circles and online fan discourse, for its unflinching portrayal of how money shapes relationships across generations. And I also agree that for how much of the show revolves around money and wealth, the show never considers the other side of the middle-class divide - it just head-fakes there very occasionally, and usually pretty awkwardly. AHP is fundamentally uninterested in writing characters who truly struggle to make ends meet, as a basic condition of their daily lives. While that’s totally fine and fair, it stands out more on a show like Gilmore Girls, where money problems are a frequent plot device, a character having to deal with the true financial consequences of not having money never actually comes to pass. She uses the struggle to succeed as mark of valor in her characters, but even if that struggle has major financial risks (like Lorelai opening the Dragonfly Inn), the show never goes there. AHP is just not interested in exploring the material consequences of losing wealth or what it means to not have any money. Rather, a lot of the plot of Gilmore Girls is about how various characters on the scale from comfortably-middle-class to old-world-wealthy interpret money, wealth, and the idea of class status to define themselves in relation to others around them, and to influence the outcomes of interpersonal relationships. While the central conceit of the show is Lorelai turning to her parents for Rory’s private school tuition, she and her daughter live a mostly financially secure middle-class life in a prosperous town. In Gilmore Girls, AHP consistently mines the concept of wealth for conflict, but it’s always for interpersonal reasons, always to show something deeper going on within the relationships of the show, it’s never to actually consider what it means to not have that wealth in the first place. Unlike Jane Austen, none of AHP’s heroines ever run the risk of truly becoming impoverished.

As a result, you get moments on the show like Lorelai borrowing $30000 from Luke (which is the equivalent of $50000 in 2022) and then it’s never mentioned again, and Rory sputtering “but I’m a Gilmore!” to Logan when his family ends up hating her. No one in Stars Hollow is actually poor in a real sense, even those characters we might think of as having more traditional “working class” jobs. Even when Lane and her bandmates rent that one-bedroom house (a whole house!), you never get the sense they are *actually* struggling to feed themselves and pay utilities. Instead, that whole experience is framed in a primarily humorous way, with Lane having to find a way to live with two gross twenty-year old boys who eat all the food and play video games instead of being responsible roomates. Luke, who lives over his diner, has enough money stowed away to not only lend Lorelai half a million dollars but also buy a huge house without telling her. Jess is one of the few characters to be framed explicitly without a penny to his name, and yet we never actually see him dealing with the reality of that except very briefly in S4 (and that backdoor pilot in S3, I guess). Besides, the next time we see him in S6, he’s clearly on his way up, with a published book and a job at an independent press. This is another example of AHP equating the struggle to become financially secure as a sign of good character. Which, of course, it’s totally fine to want to get out of shitty economic circumstances! It’s just that on GG, no one ever stays in those circumstances for very long and/or the implications of those circumstances are never really explored. Where the implications of money *are* fully explored, it’s primarily with characters who have a lot of it, like Richard, Emily, Christopher, and Logan in their relationships with Lorelai and Rory. 

I was thinking about this topic while watching S4 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel a few months back, specifically the plot when Midge takes a job opening for Sophie Lennon because she’s so worried about money. The speech Sophie gives Midge about her finances, which is set in Midge’s apartment that she’s somehow bought back from Moishe in a way that was never satisfactorily explained, is very similar, almost identical, to the speech that Trix gives Lorelai in S4 about the Dragonfly Inn in “The Incredible Sinking Lorelais”, about how she’s very obviously bleeding through her original budget. Midge takes the gig, it blows up in her face just like Susie said it would, and then…well, she loses Sophie gig but we get no indication after that that her finances continue to be a source of angst. So I think of a lot of the way these themes of money and class are represented on Gilmore Girls are due to AHP’s particular quirks and interests as a writer. She likes to explore the interpersonal implications of wealth, but never the flip side of losing that wealth, nor are her depictions of the working-class and the middle-class especially realistic. Oh well! It is what it is. I wouldn’t describe AHP as a writer whose work is deeply grounded in reality. There’s a lot of fantasy in her world-building, which to be fair she has taken heat for. 

I suspect the reason the topic of money and class is a bit more sensitive within the GG fandom is because Rory has gotten so much hate over the years as the epitome of clueless white female privilege or whatever, and also because of the endless shipping wars between Jess and Logan fans. All of that discourse feels pretty exhausting to me—trying to reduce a character’s virtues down to how much money they have is pretty dumb (unless that person is a billionaire, in which case yes they are morally bankrupt). The point of Rory’s character is that she exists in the liminal space between her mother and her grandparents: she grew up with her mother in a middle class home but doesn’t reject the wealth and class status that is theoretically hers by virtue of her birth (and no, spending her early years in a shed doesn’t negate her financial privilege—sorry AHP, but the idea of Lorelai raising baby Rory in a shed on the grounds of a luxurious B&B where she worked as a maid is absolutely a rich person’s idea of what it means to be poor). Most of Rory’s blindspots I chalk up to AHP's lack of interest in figuring out how certain things work, like journalism and elite private universities.

I was going to go into a whole analysis of how class is specifically explored on the show (as opposed to money) through Rory's relationship's with Dean and Logan, but this is already a long enough essay so that will have wait for another time! Thanks so much for writing in, Anon, and for sending such a substantial ask!!

[suiciderape]

u dont even like him hes being nasty! well thats my daughter and i love her! so lets get started on why shes the best daughter in the world no! ok so lets get started on why shes the best cunt in the world shes her best friends pussy destective she gets raped by her best friends bfs friends for no fucking reason! shes like hella much insane on suicide rape its hella much murdery and awkward to have the russian mafia in ur house bc they are cool as shit! whats her name? veronica why? she likes me and she doesnt know why? whats wrong with her? she likes my bf! whats that about? shes into my friend? who? her bfs daughter is she blonde? yes! ok so whats up with veronica? shes into my friend hes hella coolA but hes my best friend too! um whose he? shes my daughter? veronicaas daughter? um who is this? paranoid whose that? me yoon daamn! who is this? desarae renee hollins ohA whats going on? the whole world is confusing and i need help writing eboy manga rome my manga about kpop idols thats it? yes! :) and aniyah and the world are trying to put me into mental wards um kamakazi style i want to meet no limit soliders yoon he said hes my daddy? and i heard it in jock hell nation oouut um im scared bc i can write and i want to meet him he might sue me for this shit its all true and i am attractive so pls help me meet him pls im a huge fan of yoon keeho plus i dont want to go to the mental ward i like writing and im im the romeo! romeo! romeo! universe its hella jock hell natiom tight pls help a bitch ouut aleiah and desarae oout ok so suicide rape is when um me a little girl is intelligent and kind ewA but everyon ew! wants to kill her and shes asian but looks black bc her family is filipino and egyptian but they adopted her soo her father keeho lets her live ew! with them and shes stuck between high school and 2011s jock hell nation oouuut shes gonna keep writing dude shes a writer and shes been trying nvm! ok were gonna help u! thank u :) ok! who are they? those ppl shes writinf as a 28 yr old woman who was bullied in 2011 on tumblr as totaltrasg for no reason and romeomtd9 is stuck btwn chak lord universe and romeo romeo wherefore art thou romeo jock hell nation tight! universe so pls help us understand why shes stuck here and cant ew! nvm! dont talk about anything yet! nvm get her out of here get s life! whose veronica? she wants t know eho nevet ever nevrt never never tell her anything whh? no@ no! shes jock hell nation tight like in the russian mafia tight dudee dont kill me ! pls she right its weird im poe rich still! and keeho yoon is her daddy thats it! oh nvm! get awawy from her thank u! no getting away from her never! ewww shes gay hahah fuck tard what language is this english latin bitch ass nigga its weird dude heeeell me! help me is he gonna kill me? nvm! ok? no ohmgd! what a waste of time! hahahaha what the fuck bitch? suck a fuck bitch that is it i dont wanna die alone without keeho hes my daddy he told me fr hell nah i did kill jesse vidal jr. tho in tha streets well do it@ nah ah go to bed ok end it end it end it russian mafia sucks ass!! byee

[halyconicabditory]

P2: Names and Writing

Jackson? Here. Jamie? Here. Jessica? uh, Jess uh Jocelyn? um, I'm sorry is it, Jess.. e .. lyn? My cheeks fill with heat and I can tell they're getting redder by the millisecond. I raise my hand, my throat feels clogged, and I clear it. "It's Jess. You can call me Jess, It's easier." I slouch down trying to melt with the chair, unnoticeable by those who surround me. What a stupid name I think to myself, I wish it was easier. Embarrassment lingers in my head, and it will repeat at least three more times with a different teacher with the same butchered pronunciation this semester, and again for the rest of my life. However, That’s now, Let’s go back a few years.

On an archipelago, 180 degrees from where I was born, was my mother in 1997, 6 years before I was born. She was always smart and she always thought outside of the box. On her normal nine-to-five Monday through Friday work day, she headed to her office. Respected, well-known, and hard-working. She didn’t need another job, but she thought about her future. She wanted a place of her own, a house for herself, her soon-to-be husband, a few kids, and many dogs. She knew there would be an easier way to obtain a good house, at least from the inside. She called a familiar friend to get her foot in the door, and on her lunch breaks, she would read real estate books here and there. And just like that, she was ready to sell her first house. Give and take a few real estate legalities, there were no strings attached. Just a prominent woman and free weekends, she was ready for her first open house. Weeks went by, no buyers, but she didn’t give up. She was persistent. One day a lady came in with her young daughter, with a name my mom had never heard before. Jesselyn. “It's french,” said the lady. “It means hard-working and successful woman” My mom fell in love with the name. It was unique, it captured what my mother wanted her future to be, similar to her, hard-working. She had a good feeling, maybe it was the name, maybe it was her commitment to her dream, but she sold her first house, to an unsuspecting woman, and her daughter, Jesselyn (JESS Lean) . Two houses later, a broken-off engagement and a one-way ticket to America, my mother arrived in New York in 2001. Fast forward a year later the feeling she had when she sold her first house lingered back to when she met my father. 14 months later, adamant about choosing the name of her firstborn daughter, I was born.

In a predominately white suburb of New York City, just 45 minutes north was an elementary school packed with eager 4 and 5-year-olds embarking on the start of their educational lives. A chorus of “Hi’s”, “Hello’s” and “I like your spiderman backpack” echoed through a colorful classroom. “What’s your name?” asked an eager 5-year-old boy named Tommy, knuckles deep in his nose. “I think her name is Jesselyn,” said our kindergarten teacher in an elongated and heavy vowel-toned voice. “Are you ok with Jess?” Bright-eyed, eager 4-year-old me went along with it. I didn’t want any trouble, I was four! Sheepishly, I believed I had to agree. For the rest of my primary and secondary school years, I went by the nickname “Jess”. Hiding the latter of my name, hiding also the uniqueness that went along with it. For 13 Years I lived through the facade of “Jess”. A normal, all-American name, for a normal, all-American girl. People I’ve never met insist they know the true way of pronouncing my name, even including my dad, who pronounces it as “Jess uh lin”. Butchering the accent with their American tongue, convincing me to even doubt my mother, who gave me the name. I have never met anyone with the same name as me. Never, until I walked into my french class on a Friday morning at 9:05 am. I took my seat and the professor walked in and jumped right into attendance. “Jesselyn?” “Here,” I said in unison with the girl sitting directly to my right. We both laugh and look at each other. “Oh my god,” we speak at the same time again. The professor continues on as we reside in our own small talk. “Have you ever met anyone with the same name?” “No.” wow. It was too good to be true. I asked her “How do you spell your name?” She responds. Perfectly announcing each letter until she skips the second E and goes straight to the L. “J E S S L Y N” aha! Not quite the same, unique on its own as well. We bond over shared experiences of mispronunciation and awkward roll call happenings. I haven’t spoken to her since the first day of class. Maybe the interrelation was too weird. Maybe we wanted to be our own as we have our entire life. A friendly wave and hello here and there, but never in-depth as our first encounter. 

The experience I have with the name goes deeper than I realized. It was not just an uneasiness with myself. It turned out to be some weird internalized racism I felt towards my mother, and who I was. Angry at why she had chosed such an obscure, nonconforming name. I did not blend in. It made me stuck out. No one besides my mother and her family and friends could pronounce it correctly. Oblivious to my own inner racist tendencies, going along with my father and my American friends, mimicking my mothers accent when she yells my name. I am older and I do regret it. I have a deeper understanding. My name might be weird, but I was born here, I speak a universal language, I fit in with or without using my full name. My mother, who worked endlessly and started a new life in a new country is who experiences this endless racism. Born as Indahwati (In - duh - wat - tee) in her country, she was also given the name Aylie ( I - Lee) , as her Chinese name. Before ever stepping foot on American soil she went by Indah (In - duh), Indahwati and Aylie. Beautiful names that I adore. While starting her new life she was forced to adapt and start a new american name. Ellie (El - lee). No one would ever dare to even pronounce Indahwati, and Aylie was too confusing. She took her name Aylie, and changed it to Ellie. Hearing my father refer to my mother as Ellie has made me sad recently. The lack of respect or courtesy to attempt to say her name, choosing the easy way out.  Researching the origins of my name has led me to a deep dive that not only exposed the importance of my name but also the importance of self worth, character and psychological impact it has had on me and my mother as well.

I don’t know why I’ve always been ashamed of my name. It eases over as time goes on and I learn more about myself and being able to be comfortable in my own skin and what I would respond to when the call of my name is being said out loud. I can not help but wonder if maybe under different circumstances regarding where I was born and where I grew up If I wouldn't be taught to be disappointed and to hide my name.