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maidragoste · 2 months ago

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The Parent Trap: Chapter Three

Aegon Targaryen x Velaryon!Reader x Aemond Targaryen

Summary: After the disastrous divorce between Aemond Targaryen and Y/n Velaryon the twins Baelon and Aemon were separated. Each was raised by one of their parents. Baelon was raised by his father while Aemon was raised by his mother. Years later they both meet at a summer camp and discover the existence of the other. The twins realize that there are many secrets in their family, eager to discover their past, they put together a plan to deceive their parents.

Masterlist

Hi guys, sorry for taking so long to update, I swear I didn't think it would take me so long to finish writing it 🥺🥺 I still hope you like it. As I always say, likes, comments and reblogs are very appreciated because they motivate me to keep writing 💖💖

My inbox is also open if you want to share your thoughts 🥰

Anyway, I hope you have a good read

Disclaimer: English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes.

Ten years ago

“You look beautiful,” your father Joffrey said with glassy eyes and hugging you by the shoulders, both of you looking at your reflection in the mirror. It wasn’t the first time he saw you in your wedding dress. In fact, he went with you to buy it along with your other father, your grandmother, your cousins and your godmother. But he always got emotional every time he saw you in your white dress.

You'd like to say you felt beautiful but you couldn't stop staring at your stomach. A month ago when you got the dress it wasn't so tight to your skin. Your pregnancy wasn't obvious. Now you couldn't help but think that everyone would think this was a shotgun wedding, that you were only getting married for the baby when it wasn't just about that. Aemond had asked you to marry him because he loves you not because you were pregnant.

“You can still turn back.”

Your father's words made your heart sink. You knew that even though he and your grandmother Rhaenys had been by your side throughout the wedding preparations, they didn't agree with you getting married, you assumed it was because they thought you were too young but the strange thing was that neither of them seemed upset about the baby. You feared that the reason for their annoyance was that you were marrying Aemond but it didn't make sense, he's been your boyfriend for years and they never seemed to hate him.

Joffrey felt your body tense. He knew that if Laenor knew about this conversation he would be furious with him and they would end up having a huge argument. He knew he shouldn’t distress you on this day but he needed to let you know that you didn’t have to go through with this wedding just because of a social mandate or because you thought it was the right thing to do, that you didn’t have to settle for Aemond just because he’s the father of your baby. He couldn’t live with himself if he let you make such an important decision without having this conversation first. He would be failing you as a father.

“I just want to say that we are not in medieval times, you can have his son but there is no need to marry him” he reminded you, turning you around so that you were facing each other.

“I know, Dad,” you murmured, clenching your hands into fists, and digging your nails into your palms. You prefer that to end up wrinkling your dress. “I love Aemond and he loves me. Don’t worry, he’ll take care of me.”

“Of course, just like he took care of you this month,” he said with obvious sarcasm.

He still didn't understand how you had forgiven Aemond for not accompanying you to your first ultrasound, nor how you could continue with the wedding after seeing that the groom would not help you plan it. He and Laenor were the ones who stood by your side and held your hands while you looked at your baby for the first time. They, along with your grandparents, your cousins, and your friends, were the ones who helped you plan the wedding. They had to intervene when they saw how you seemed on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. You shouldn't be stressed in your state, Aemond should never have entrusted you with the task of organizing a wedding at the last minute while he continued with his project of opening his own publishing house. So Joffrey had reason to doubt that he would be able to take care of you and treat you as you deserve.

“Dad, please stop.” The annoyance was evident in your voice.

“I just don't want you to make a mistake.” In a few years, you will remember this conversation and the frustration on your dad's face as a warning sign that he was right. “I think there’s someone better than Aemond for you.”

“Who?!” you asked, losing your patience. This was supposed to be your big day, you shouldn’t be having this conversation. “Please tell me that you and Dad have already moved on from the idea of pairing me up with Jacaerys.”

When you and Jaceerys were little, Rhaenyra and your parents used to say that you two would be together when you grew up. Hearing so many times that you two would be a good couple, seeing how your friends started dating and the mix of hormones in adolescence, you and Jace decided to give it a chance during high school but you were only together for a few months before realizing that you two didn't see each other in a romantic way. When you broke up, your parents tried not to show disappointment. But years had passed since then and you wanted to believe that your parents had already accepted that you and Jace were just friends.

"I'm not talking about Jacaerys, I'm talking about…"

Your father fell silent as he watched the door open and Aegon enter. He watched intently as he seemed to freeze in the doorway, staring at you in wonder and when you turned to see him and your eyes connected, Joffrey was sure that for a moment Aegon lost his breath.

"Is everything okay Aegon?" you asked, causing him to regain his composure.

"Yes, I'm sorry, am I interrupting? I may go," he said, stumbling over the words, drawing even more of your attention.

A part of you wanted to end the conversation with your dad but you also wanted to know what was going on with your friend. In the end, you didn’t even have to make the decision because your dad made it for you, he said goodbye saying he would go check on everything with the organization, and gave Aegon a squeeze on the shoulder. Years later you’ll wonder if your dad was talking about Aegon and that’s why he left you two alone thinking that maybe you’ll magically change your mind or maybe your dad just left because he didn’t want to argue with you anymore. You’d never know.

You walked away from the mirror to sit on the armchair in the room and Aegon was quick to sit next to you.

"So?" you said, looking at him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to start talking.

“My father,” at the mention of Viserys, your mouth turned into a straight line, knowing that you probably wouldn’t like what Aegon said next. “Apparently there’s a family tradition where before the wedding the groom and his entire family drink a special whiskey. He insisted that I do too.” Aegon laughed as he heard you curse his father. “I didn’t feel comfortable being there.” He sighed and looked down at his shoes, feeling embarrassed for coming to bother you with this. “I’m sorry for coming to bother you, you must be nervous and I’ve got my shit. I should go” he stood up and barely took a step when you took his hand and pulled him back to sit down.

“Your father is an idiot but we already know that,” you said and you saw how your friend’s lips stretched into a smile but he was still downcast. “You are not a bother, Aegon” you declared squeezing his hand. “In fact, I am proud of you” You saw how he suddenly raised his face to look at you. “Yes, I am proud” you repeated wanting your words to stay in his head. “You could have easily accepted the drink but you didn’t and you walked away from that situation. You should be proud of yourself too” You smiled and warmed Aegon’s heart.

“Aemond is so lucky to marry you,” the words fell from Aegon’s lips without thinking and he felt himself panicking. The last thing he wanted was for you to find out about his feelings at your wedding. No, that would only make things awkward and the last thing he wanted was to lose your friendship and ruin his relationship with his brother.

“Oh shut up” you laughed as you let go of Aegon’s hand and gave him a friendly push as you felt heat all over your face. “Don’t be too exaggerated, any good friend would tell you the same thing as me” you said not realizing that your words stopped Aegon’s panic but in turn made his heart ache. It shouldn’t hurt him that you referred to him as your friend, he was more than grateful to be one but he would be lying if he said he wouldn’t like to be in Aemond’s place. He would like to be the one waiting for you at the altar but that would never happen.

Present day

“Come on, you have to admit that something is wrong with him,” Aemon said kicking a branch as he walked.

Aemon and Rickon took advantage of Baelon going to bathe to leave the cabin and walk around the forest for a while. Rickon could see that Aemon needed to calm down before returning with Baelon.

The blond kid turned around when he saw that his friend remained silent. “Don’t tell me that you like him”

“Oh, Aemon, don’t be jealous, I like you more” Rickon mocked, lightly pushing his body against Aemon’s before continuing to walk. “Just stop acting like that, your mom wouldn’t like you talking badly about your brother”

At the mention of his mother, Aemon felt guilty but also upset. Rickon was right, his mother had raised him to be kind and she would be disappointed if she saw how he ignored Baelon's excited questions about you, about him and the rest of his family. But you lied to him too. All this time he had a brother and you never told him.

“It just irritates me that he's taking it like it's the best thing that ever happened to him. Our parents lied to us,” he said, tugging at the sleeves of his shirt in stress.

“I think he’s just excited to know he has more family,” the brown-haired boy replied with a shrug. “You should try to get to know him. "Besides, now that you have a twin, I'm sure we can make great pranks if you cut your hair." By the sparkle in Rickon's eyes, Aemon could already tell that he had several ideas.

“I won’t cut my hair.”

“You’re boring,” he sighed in disappointment. “But seriously, aren’t you curious about his life? About what your biological dad is like?”

Aemon would be lying if he said he didn’t care to know more about his dad. You always told him random things, he was sure that any information Baelon gave him about his dad would be interesting. But the truth is what worries him the most is to know if his dad Aegon and his biological dad are brothers. Baelon said that his last name was Targaryen so that has to be his dad’s last name, because his mother’s last name is Velaryon, and Aegon’s last name is also Targaryen so they must be related because Targaryen is not a common last name.

His dad also lied to him, if he had known him since he was born then he also knew Baelon. Aemon wanted to cry.

“You should go back to the cabin,” said Aemon trying to ignore the lump in his throat but his voice betrayed him by breaking.

Rickon stopped walking and studied Aemon for a moment, who looked away embarrassed. “If you want I can give you a hug while you cry,” he said, opening his arms as if he knew the answer. And he was right because the other boy was quick to go and hug him. They stayed there until Aemon stopped crying.

When they returned to the cabin, Baelon was smart enough not to say anything about Aemon’s sore eyes and instead offered them Oreos.

“You don't have any peanut butter by any chance?” Aemon asked as he sat on his twin's bed.

“I don’t think so, he doesn’t seem to have the same ugly palate as you” Rickon scoffed but ate his words as Baelon pulled out the Oreos along with a jar of peanut butter from his suitcase.

“It’s a good combination,” Baelon said with a shrug and handed them each a pack before placing the jar in the middle and sitting back down. “Does mom like it too?”

“No, she doesn’t” Aemon replied. “By the way, I’m sorry I ignored your other questions earlier” he apologized and Rickon nodded approvingly at his behavior.

“It’s okay,” Baelon just waved his hand dismissively. “So how did you discover this combination? Because a lot of people think this is weird,” he asked before eating a cookie.

“Because it is,” Rickon muttered, and the twins pretended not to hear him.

“My dad made me try it,” Aemon replied without taking his eyes off the jar, as if the task of dipping his cookie in butter was something that required a lot of concentration.

Baelon looked at his twin in confusion and finished chewing. “I thought you said you’d never met our dad. Besides, Dad doesn’t like it either, in fact, he hates that my uncle Aegon made me try this.”

Aemon took a deep breath as if gathering courage before speaking. “Mom is dating someone and I think it’s your Uncle Aegon. My Dad,” he said quickly before popping a cookie into his mouth. Baelon looked at him as if he had suddenly grown another head. “Or my stepfather if you want to call him that.” The word felt strange on Aemon’s tongue. He wasn’t used to calling Aegon that.

“Do you have a picture of your uncle?” Rickon asked, stepping in to give Aemon more time to calm down.

Baelon looked at the duo of friends for a moment but realizing that neither seemed willing to say anything until they had the picture, he opened his drawer and pulled out several pictures. When they were gone, he took the opportunity to finish unpacking.

“This is Uncle Aegon,” he said, showing him the photo the whole family had taken during his grandmother’s last birthday and pointing to his dad’s older brother, who was standing next to his Uncle Daeron making horns with his fingers behind his head. “This is Uncle Daeron and the one next to him is Aunt Helaena. Then there’s our grandmother and well, our dad.”

“I didn’t know he had siblings,” Aemon said, looking closely at the photo. They all looked happy in a big hug and smiling. Why then did his dad never tell him about his siblings? He didn’t even expect him to tell him that his biological dad’s brother was, but at least he could have shared with him about his other siblings.

“So our mom is really dating Uncle Aegon?” Baelon asked, noticing that Aemon didn’t seem surprised to see Aegon in the photo, but rather to see the rest of the family.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t call it dating,” Rickon opined, earning a dirty look from his friend. Not because Aemon disagreed with him, but because he still didn’t know how to tell Baelon about Joffrey and that Mom was getting married soon. Maybe he was just worrying for nothing, if Baelon acted excited to meet him then he would surely like the idea of having another brother too.

“He and Mom are getting married,” Aemon said, and if he hadn’t gotten up to find his own pictures to show him, then he wouldn’t have missed the grimace on Baelon’s face." We also have a brother, his name is Joffrey,” he said now giving him his notebook with photos again.

But Baelon didn't seem excited. In fact, he barely glanced at the pictures before handing the notebook back to him.

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shakespeareanwannabe · 3 months ago

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As You Wish, Epilogue

Summary: When arriving at Camp Silver Star, Abby Floyd was anticipating a summer of adventure with an ocean separating her from the three people she loved most: her mom, her Uncle Bob and her Aunt Natasha. But after a run in with Charlie Seresin, an extremely familiar looking and irritating camper in a different cabin, her summer plans take a turn that neither girl ever could have expected.

Trigger Warnings: reader's children are described as being blond with green eyes because genetics are wild and Jake's genes are strong, reader is canonically Bob's sister (but biological relation is never discussed), reader goes by Buttercup and is tattooed, references to babies, swearing, extreme happiness and sappiness, talk of babies, talk of pregnancy, talk of PPD

Seresin Family Ranch, Clifton, Texas, Twenty-Two Months Later

The pictures from the day would be displayed on walls, tucked into photo albums and pulled out to coo over for years to come, and a few would even manage to make it into a country living lifestyle magazine. There were the typical shots, of course. The bride and bridesmaids getting ready, the best man and groomsmen standing around while drinking with the groom, the ivory lace dress hanging against the lilac walls of the home office that had been deemed Team Bride Headquarters. Reminiscers would talk about how sweet the groom’s surprise mimosa brunch was, and some would sniffle over the handwritten love letter that the bride had given the groom to read on the morning of their wedding, preserved so carefully between the plastic protective pages in the photo album.

What the photos wouldn’t be able to tell them, however, was just how excited and nervous the bride was on the morning of her wedding.

The day had dawned more perfectly than anyone could have predicted. The birds were chirping, the Sun was quickly warming the ranch landscape, and the men in the field outside her window were giggling like schoolgirls as they played a round of Dogfight Football, shirts versus skins. The two foam footballs were flying back and forth, and the old aviators were showing Javy’s high school football players how they played football in the Navy. Those boys had been recruited to put up the tents, set up the chairs, and decorate the new barn with all the décor that had been so painstakingly chosen, but Buttercup couldn’t bring herself to be mad about the delay. They were all having fun, they had several hours to put up the décor before guests began arriving, and, more importantly, Jake Seresin was looking particularly good in the morning light. She could see his muscles rippling under his sun kissed skin as he pretended the football in his hands was a grenade, pulling the ‘pin’ with his teeth and tossing it over his shoulder, sending Javy, Bradley, and Mickey to the ground with the force of the ‘explosion’.

“Ugh…” Natasha muttered, appearing at her side to stare down at the impromptu football game from Buttercup’s office window. “Remind me why they get to be outside playing football and we have to be up here, getting poked and prodded?”

Buttercup giggled and let her curtain fall back into place. “Hey, Jake offered you a spot on Team Groom. Don’t blame me for choosing Team Bridesmaid instead.”

Natasha scoffed. “Like I would choose that dickhead over you.”

Buttercup rolled her eyes and turned from the window, her eyes catching on the clock that hung above her desk. They were two hours from showtime, and she felt her nerves catch in her throat before sinking to reside low in her belly.

“Watch your language, Nat.” Buttercup’s voice was soft, but with a biting edge that spoke to her anxiety.

“Seriously?” Natasha rolled her eyes.

“Oui,” Genevieve quipped, standing from the hair and makeup artist’s chair and sweeping towards them, looking like she had stepped out of the pages of Vogue. “I will not have my son picking up such nasty language.” Gen stooped to gaze down at six-month-old Mathieu, asleep in his Pack N Play.

“I hate to break it to you, girl, but your son has been hanging around ranchers, football players, and aviators since birth. If his first word isn’t a curse, I owe Mickey twenty bucks.” Natasha’s infectious laugh had a smile pulling at Genevieve’s stern frown.

“Non,” she replied with a loving look down at her son. “He will be soft-spoken. Like his father.”

Natasha’s voice dropped to a comedic whisper as she leaned towards Buttercup. “Has she even met Bob?”

This time, Genevieve couldn’t help her laugh. “Yes, I have met my husband, now stop distracting me. We have to get the bride dressed for her big day now.”

Natasha nodded, suddenly completely focused on her role as Maid of Honour. “Get over here, Buttercup. Let’s get you into this thing.”

Buttercup nodded and sighed before shrugging off her silk ivory robe, willing herself to relax as Genevieve and Natasha helped cinch her into the lacy ivory A-line dress. She looked…different. She felt different. Life on the ranch had changed her. She had loved her life in London, and she always looked forward to that quarterly week-long visit, but she hadn’t realized just how much it had taken out of her until she was looking at her old life from afar. The rainy weather, the big city, being asked to write and edit in a cramped office…it hadn’t been for her. She had made it work because she had needed the change, but she didn’t miss it. No, the Texan sun, the small-town living, the freedom to work and write from home made her feel more like herself than she had in years. And the man she woke up to every morning played a huge part in that.

She and Jake had started out living in separate rooms, but it hadn’t lasted long, especially since they often found themselves sneaking into each others’ rooms for some quality, private, adult time. But even when they were in separate rooms, she would wake up to find he had left a bouquet of flowers outside her door, or her favourite breakfast prepared in the kitchen. In turn, she left him little notes to find throughout the day. A scrap of paper in his Stetson that told him how much she loved him, a blue sticky note asking him out on a date stuck to his computer screen, a folded piece of paper under his pillow detailing how much she ached for him. Their marriage councillor helped them work through any remaining issues and communicate in a healthy way when they fell back into old patterns. Their family therapist helped the girls work through how they felt about everything, ensuring that they wouldn’t get their hopes too high in case things fell apart again. And they didn’t. Every day, their relationship grew and strengthened into something that couldn’t be shaken.

Six weeks after moving to Texas, Buttercup moved into Jake’s bedroom. Six months after moving into his bedroom, they dropped their marriage counselling to once every three months. Three months after that, Jake took her out to the gazebo, ate chicken parmesan with her under the stars, got down on one knee, and asked her to marry him. She had agreed through her tears, and they celebrated with 3 a.m. grilled cheese and a bottle of beer. And now, after almost a year of planning, she was about to become Mrs. Seresin again.

The ivory gown flowed around her feet as Geneveive expertly began lacing up the corset-style back and Buttercup held back her tears as best she could. She felt beautiful, worthy of standing next to Jake at the altar.

The door to the office opened and Abby and Charlie strolled in wearing their peach-coloured junior bridesmaid dresses.

“Oh my god…”

“Mum…”

Buttercup smiled tearfully at her teenage daughters. “Do you like it?” The girls had unfortunately missed out on wedding dress shopping because they had been at school while Natasha accompanied Buttercup back to London for a joint shopping/work trip.

“You look so beautiful,” Charlie sniffled, treading softly into the room to stand next to her mother.

“Like a fairy tale princess,” Abby tacked on, cuddling into her mother’s side and being careful not to smear her makeup on the light fabric.

Buttercup hugged both her girls close and smiled at them in the mirror. “I love you both so much.”

“We love you too, mom,” they chorused as a flash went off and Maryanne smiled at them from the doorway, lowering her phone.

The slightly older woman was already dressed in her rose-pink coloured bridesmaid dress and had been put in charge of wrangling the boys until the ceremony.

“Okay,” she clapped her hands. “Reuben has successfully trapped all the groomsmen in the cabin to get dressed. Javy’s football team have set out all the décor, Penny and Amelia are double and triple checking everything to make sure it’s just right, and the photographer is with the boys to get some candid shots. The officiant is here, the caterers are all set up, and the bartender is just arranging all their gear. DJ is in the barn and guests should start arriving in the next hour or so.”

Buttercup sighed in relief. “Maryanne, I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

“Don’t worry, honey,” she smiled as she took a seat on the plush couch on the corner. “We’re all here for you.”

As Buttercup gazed around the room, she felt a rush of love wash over her. This was her family. She had both her daughters in her arms. Natasha was as close to a sister as she had ever had. She felt so blessed to have Genevieve as her sister-in-law, and Mathieu was the sweetest nephew she could have ever asked for. Maryanne had been her rock through the whole wedding planning process, and Buttercup was more thankful than ever that both Mickey and Reuben had been able to be home for the wedding. The whole Daggers Squad had been able to make it out to the wedding, and Buttercup knew that, within the hour, the ranch would be swarming with people from Clifton, friends from London, acquaintances from the book world, and Navy personnel.

Buttercup sniffled as she smiled at the women in her life. “I love you all.”

Nat squeezed her shoulder and grinned. “We love you too. Now let’s go get you married. Again.”

Jake gazed around the crowded barn as friends and family from around the globe ate and drank and danced, and he felt at peace. It was a strange feeling, especially when he was surrounded by people, but it only spoke to how much he had changed since he had first been called to Top Gun. Back then, he had been all about himself, screw anyone and anything that got in his way of being the best of the best. But he had changed. Falling in love, being a dad, getting divorced, and working his way back into his Buttercup’s life had altered him on a fundamental level.

Speaking of, his beautiful bride was sitting next to him, leaning against him while nursing a tall glass of bubbly as their friends tore up the dance floor.

“Have I told you today just how beautiful you are?” he murmured, leaning in to nuzzle her ear.

“Maybe not in words,” Buttercup grinned up at him. “But your tears while I was walking down the aisle definitely got the message across.”

With a low chuckle, Jake reached around and gave her thigh a quick pinch through the lace of her dress. “Brat…” He rubbed the spot, soothing the sore as he kissed her cheek. “You’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”

“Much better than the first time, right?” she giggled, placing her glass down to curl further into his side.

“I don’t know…” he teased. “I really liked that white sundress you wore in Vegas.” His smile grew as she scoffed and whacked him lightly on the chest. “But you deserved the big white wedding, and I’m really glad we were able to pull this together for you.”

“For us,” she corrected. “After everything we went through, we deserve a big celebration.”

“Mmm, agreed.” Jake nuzzled against her lips and kissed her softly, slowly. The crowd and the chatter and the music faded into the background as something inside of Jake settled. He felt lucky, so very lucky, to have her back in his life, and he would do whatever it took to keep her for the rest of his life. “I love you, Buttercup.”

“I love you too, Hangman.”

“Alright, you two, break it up.” Javy’s voice broke them apart and Jake rolled his eyes.

“Excellent timing, Coyote, as per usual.”

“Fuck off, man,” his Best Man chuckled. “You’re the one who put me in charge of making sure that y’all stayed on schedule. And it’s time for the bouquet toss. The DJ is gonna announce it at the end of this song, so I wanted to give you a heads up.”

“Shoot,” Buttercup sprang up and smoothed her dress. “Okay. Are you ready?” Javy nodded and she smiled so brightly at him that Jake melted. “Let me go get the other bouquet and I’ll get ready.” She bent down to kiss Jake softly before scurrying off to get the duplicate bouquet that she would be throwing.

“How you feeling, man?” Javy clapped Jake on the shoulder as they watched her go.

“Like the luckiest son of a bitch alive, Javy,” Jake returned the gesture as he stood. “What about you? You ready?”

“I’ve been ready, man,” Javy laughed. “I just hope it works out okay. Because if it doesn’t…” Javy flinched. “Shit man, that would suck for both of us.”

Jake laughed as his green eyes watched his wife trek to the middle of the dance floor. “It really would, man. But we’re not going to think like that. Thinking gets you killed, remember?”

Javy laughed and nodded. “It really does.”

“Alright, everyone, if I could get all the unmarried ladies onto the dance floor, please! It’s time for the bouquet toss!” the DJ called over the crowd, and the men dispersed while the ladies formed a loose ball behind Buttercup. All the ladies except Abby and Charlie, who ran over to the sweetheart table to hug their father.

“Hi honey.” He pressed a kiss to Abby’s perfectly styled hair. “Hey you punk.” He repeated the action on Charlie’s hair, still perfect but differently styled.

“Hi dad.”

“Hey old man.”

Jake rolled his eyes and hip checked Charlie. Some things would never change, and he loved that about his relationship with his daughters. Charlie would always be his little punk, always giving him a hard time and sassing him. Abby, on the other hand, was sweeter and more likely to curl up next to him to watch a movie. They were so different, and he considered himself to be blessed for getting to watch them grow up the last 22 months.

“You ready, Uncle Javy?”

“Born ready, girlies.”

Javy slowly walked to the edge of the dance floor as Buttercup pretended to throw the bouquet once…twice…before turning and handing it to Natasha, who looked like a deer in the headlights.

Buttercup hugged her friend tightly as she leaned in to whisper, “Just don’t break up with him this time, okay?”

Natasha’s face was the picture of confusion as Buttercup backed away to join her family at the sweetheart table…until she spotted Javy walking towards her purposefully.

“Don’t worry, Phoenix,” he murmured, a nervous smile playing at the corners of his lips. “I asked permission to do this at their wedding.”

“To do what?” she sniffled and hated herself for it. Natasha Trace did not cry.

“To do this…” Javy pulled out the green velvet box and knelt on one knee. “Natasha Trace, you are the biggest pain in my ass. You show me up in everything, you’re smarter than me, and, yeah, you were a better flyer than me. But all that makes me do is want to be better for you. I made a boneheaded mistake 13 years ago, and I have spent the past two years or so trying to make up for it. But I can’t wait any more. So, Phoenix, will you do me the honour of marrying me and putting up with my sorry ass for the rest of my life?”

Natasha couldn’t fight the tears as she nodded. “Yeah, you pain in the ass. I think I will.”

The crowd roared and cheered as Javy slipped the engagement ring onto Natasha’s finger. Charlie and Abby bolted away from their parents to congratulate their aunt and uncle while Rooster grabbed a few flutes of champagne from the bar and handed them to his friends.

Jake chuckled and picked up their own flutes, passing one to Buttercup before wrapping his free hand around her waist from behind and nuzzling into her neck.

“Did we make the right choice?” he asked.

“Oh yeah…” Buttercup sighed and leaned into him. “We put them through Hell. The least we could do is give him permission to propose at our second wedding.”

“Definitely makes it more memorable than the first,” he chuckled, watching Rooster, Bob, Mickey and Reuben hoist Javy up into the air. “No more shotgun weddings for us.”

Buttercup hummed, pressing her pink-painted lips to the rim of her glass. “That depends on your definition of shotgun wedding.”

Jake blinked. “What do you mean?”

Buttercup blinked back at him, joy and worry warring in her eyes. “Well, one definition is a last-minute wedding, one with minimal planning.”

Jake’s brow furrowed. “Yeah, that’s what I meant. I don’t care what kind of wedding they want; they’re not having an Elvis impersonator marry them in a Vegas wedding chapel. They deserve better. We deserved better too, but hey, at least you can drink this time.” When Buttercup didn’t speak, he felt worry begin to gnaw at his stomach. “Buttercup?”

With a sigh that rocked her body, she placed her glass down and turned towards him. “The second definition is when a couple gets married because the girl is pregnant. And…and I actually can’t drink this time.”

Jake blinked once…then twice. “But…you’re drinking right now?”

Buttercup shrugged shyly. “It’s sparkling grape juice. Unfermented. Non-alcoholic.”

Jake blinked again. “Does that mean…are you…are we…?”

Buttercup ran her hands over the lapels of his suit jacket. “I know we didn’t plan for this…but we haven’t exactly been careful either. And-and I know that you’re probably really worried that I’m going to relapse or something, but I’ve been talking to my therapist, and she recommended someone who specializes in PPD, so I booked myself an appointment and she’s going to help me make sure it doesn’t happen again. Or, if it does happen again, that I’ll have strategies in place to make sure it doesn’t get too bad and—”

Jake pressed a firm kiss to her lips, holding her tight and close as she melted against him. “Buttercup…” His voice was ragged from their kiss, but it held so much love and hope that she felt herself fall even further in love with him. “Are we having another baby?”

She sniffled and smiled at him. “Yeah. In about 8 months, we’ll have another baby Seresin running around the ranch.”

His smile was so bright that it was infectious, and Buttercup couldn’t stop herself from kissing him again.

“I love you so much, darlin’,” he murmured against her lips.

“I love you too.” Buttercup giggled as she wiped her lipstick from his mouth.

Turning towards the dance floor, she saw their family weaving their way towards them. Bob had his arm around his wife, looking down at his son like he held all the answers to every question. Rooster was being towed along by Charlie and Abby, who had him by the hands as they dragged him away from the bar and towards the sweetheart table. Javy and Natasha were strolled behind them, looking so in love that it was almost sickening.

“Buttercup? Can we not tell them yet?” Jake wrapped his arms around her from behind and cuddled her close. “I kind of want this to be our little secret for just a little longer.”

Buttercup smoothed her hands over his arms, folded so tenderly, so protectively over her abdomen, and could think of only one thing to say. “As you wish, honey. As you wish.”

A/N: And that concludes As You Wish, a strange little Parent Trap x Top Gun Maverick AU with a stupid amount of The Princess Bride references. I just wanted to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me through this fic. It's been my passion project for almost a year, and you all got me through it. Thank you for every comment, DM, reblog, and like. It means so much to me that you liked this story as much as I loved writing it. Much love to all of you! (Now someone cue up Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield so we can all jam out at Buttercup and Hangman's second wedding!)

Tags List: @jessicab1991

@waltermis

@buckysteveloki-me

@allepaula

@yuckosworld

@bradshawssugarbaby

@ahopelessromanticwritersworld

@kim-stark

@high-speed-r

@starsrfun

@tomanyfandomstrash

@averyhotchner

@the-blueatlas

@dashes-dizzydisaster

@a-girl-who-loves-disney

@boiolay

@djs8891

@tgmreader

@kmc1989

@landpiranha-blog

@sydthekid1518

@lynnevanss

@mackenzieblair

@minejungwoo

@starset21

@lewglengirly

@dempy

@lovemarvelousfics

@starkleila

@magical-spit

@whatislovevavy

@simplyreading96

@vivalas-vega

@itsdesiree86

@inky-sun

@books-are-escapes

@abaker74

@devil-angel-winchester

@mrs-perfectly-fine

@inthestars-underthesun

@smoothdogsgirl

@rintheemolion

#jake seresin x reader #jake seresin #jake hangman seresin #top gun maverick #jake hangman fic #top gun fanfiction #glen powell #parent trap au #as you wish fic #hangman x reader #top gun hangman

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smilesatdawnmain · 8 months ago

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I could totally see MK and Xiaotian be the twins from the movie "the parent trap“

It would be so funny if they hated each other at first only to grow close and get their dads back together

Oh my gosh I love this idea SOOOO MUCH.

Literally it's such a cute concept. The Twins meeting at some summer camp Sandy is running or something, neither parent realizing this. Just a real bad ending to their relationship that ended with both agreeing to never see the other again. Ending up in Megapolis unknowingly at the same time and their little boy's meet.

MK lives with Wukong and Xiaoxiao with Macaque. Both parent just taking the child that had more of their powers.

Gosh I gotta tell you- this Au is DESTROYING ME, right now.

Parent Trap Au- HOW DARE YOU PUT THIS IN MY MIND. STOP GIVING ME AU"S TO LOSE MY MIND OVER. XD XD

(MK would be Qi Xiaotian in this au, and Xiaoxiao would probably be Qi Xiaohua)

#parent trap au #lego monkie kid #lmk #answer #lmk mk #shadowpeach #lmk oc art #lmk wukong #lmk macaque #lmk shadowpeach #Xiaoxiao #This is destroying me #how dare you

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lux-drm · 2 months ago

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WIP! sylus falls in love with his sons' elementary teacher

Sylus hated parent-teacher conferences. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be involved in his sons’ lives — he does, and Luke and Kieran were the apples of his eye. He had adopted them a few years ago after finding them scrounging for food in the back alleys.

Two scrappy, sharp-eyed boys who had stolen his heart in an instant. Bringing them into his world of dubiously created weaponry (and other miscellaneous business) had been an easy choice, even if it meant his life became rather… chaotic.

No, his distaste for these meetings came from the reactions he often received. Most teachers weren’t very forgiving of the twins’ antics. Luke’s boundless energy and Kieran’s quiet scheming often landed them in trouble, leaving Sylus to play the role of the apologetic father far more often than he’d like.

The irony wasn’t lost on him. Teachers were supposed to be adept at handling all sorts of children, weren’t they?

Sylus sighed as he waited for his turn, mentally preparing for the usual litany of complaints he was used to getting before finally sending his assistants to do so in his stead for the past year. As he stepped into the office, though, he was hit with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Ah.

If Sylus had known the twins’ third-grade teacher was this cute, he might have made time to attend these conferences himself instead of sending his assistants.

He was completely unprepared, and felt a little betrayed. Why didn’t they tell him about this? Did they want to keep her for themselves?

“Hello, Mr. Sylus Qin...? I’m Melissa Theron, a pleasure to meet you.”

notes:

Sylus Qin - founder and CEO of Onychinus International, a multinational industrial company and the largest tech conglomerate in the world (stark industries in a different font 😭)

Luke - older twin, vivacious and unpredictable

Kieran - younger twin, calm and dependable

Melissa Theron (MC) - elementary teacher (Melissa for the nickname "Missy", Theron because it means "Hunter", Missy Hunter = Miss Hunter ;p)

this is the first straight fanfic I've written in years,, 💔💔 bear with me

also my first love and deepspace fanfic

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applecherry108 · 1 year ago

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Separated (part 9/final)

<- previous [first]

At last… she is complete. 😩 Ending with full-color irony as the boys settle into their respective families. 💚 Not sure what story within this au I’ll do next, but thank you to everyone who’s read and stuck with me while I worked on this comic. I know Zelda derailed me for a hot minute, but I’m so happy I was able to finish. I hope you’ve enjoyed the story so far! 😉

More Parent Trap (aka separated) AU here

#my art #tmnt art #parent trap au #separated au #rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #foot brute #foot lieutenant #tmnt foot husbands #turtle tots #rise Mikey #rise raph #rise leo #rise donnie #huginn and muninn #baron draxum #tmnt big mama #rise splinter

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alwaysshallow · 1 year ago

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I've had a epiphany. (a self-indulgent one.)

Well not really- but I can't stop thinking about it and I wanna call it that so just ignore this

Parent Trap Captain! John! Price! X Reader

can be GN, I don't mind

Subtle changes like- they didn't meet on a cruise ship but actually dated some time during and after military school and then got married.

and they were just in a really rough patch when Reader! got pregnant so they decided to part ways

(and split the kids too! :D) lol.

Meet again 9 years later when Reader sends her kid off to camp at the same time as John.

Both the kids see them together (acting like ex-lovers and shi 🤭) but they don't see eachother until later that day and they're like "Woah! we look just like eachother! :oo"

Anyway you get the gist..

urs truly

💎 anon

i LOVE parent!trap au with john price oh my god anon. I JUST HAD TO WRITE SOMETHING

John never stopped loving you.

You hear this nine years after your divorce, when life decides to pull the greatest prank on you and both of you, you and your ex-husband, sent your kids to the same camp.

Twins, to be exact. They have no idea of the other one because it was supposed to be easier, to not see each other, at least until they're a bit older.

You talk to John out of simple human decency, with no intention to continue it whatsoever, especially not when your ex-husband has a smile wide like a Cheshire cat, and he's a devil in disguise. He just screams trouble, and he is one, when he shamelessly follows you to your car.

"It just seems like fate, binding us again" he leans against your car (his, he bought it himself, but insisted on leaving it to you). You want to tell him something about this, but you tie your mouth. If you're gonna go into bickering, he's gonna have a time of his life. He's just waiting for it.

"It seems like fate tells us that's the time for our daughters to meet–"

"–old Lucy is a little bit rusty." he hums, looking at your car. "There's a little dent here. I think I could fix it."

"You don't–"

"–probably needs a change of oil too. You've never been into cars, I need my kid to be safe and sound, you too, missus."

Missus. You want to fight him for that title, but he's just not listening. He's just asking questions and answering them himself, like you're not even a part of this conversation. The only times he pays attention is when he looks at you, his ocean blue eyes glistening, wrinkles in his eyes evident.

He's so different, yet, so familiar. Your daughter would love to meet his dad, probably.

You quickly brush that thought off your mind. You can't think like that. It's a trap, he wants you to think this way. You divorced with him for a reason.

#anon.💎#john price x reader #john price #captain john price #call of duty #captain johnathan price #john price imagine #cod x reader #john price x you #john price cod #price x you #ex husband price #parent trap au #captain price x reader

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hyperfix-wip · 4 months ago

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Webbed Together

Pairing: Hobie Brown x Fem!Reader/ Spider-Punk x Fem!Reader

Word count: 1.4k

Synopsis: Parent Trap!AU - Long-lost twins finally reunite before hatching a plan to reunite their parents. (Will redo this after I figure out a better way of writing it lol)

Author's Note: I'd like to thank @the-kr8tor for permission to use their original characters Ramona and Billie and helping out with concept of this AU! I'd also like to thank @pinksugarscrub and @hobieszeze for their help in the concept and characterizations of the characters!

Tags: use of L/N sparsely, No specific physical description of the reader, Parent Trap!AU, Dad!Hobie AU, Twin!AU, Billie and Ramona!AU, Older!Hobie, Mom!Reader, Older!Reader

Chapter 1: Ramona

Deep breaths, Ramona. Deep breaths.

Long nimble fingers drum along worn out leather as Ramona pulls her bass guitar case against her chest. Her wavering eyes flick over to the car window, watching the endless walls of trees morph into streaks of forest greens and browns, before focusing onto her reflection. Her jaw clenches until it nearly locks in place. Her gapped front teeth gnaw at her bottom lip to the point of nearly breaking skin. Wild dark coils are reined into a ponytail by a satin red scrunchie, exposing her dark circles and red-rimmed eyes. Her face pinches up into a nervous grimace as her mind continues to race and attempt to calm her anxiety.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. You got this. You’re going to be okay.

As Ramona stares out of the window, all sounds start to quiet down and muffle around her, and a quiet white static begins to buzz in her ears. She slowly sucks in an inhale through her teeth, her lungs inflating and chest heaving out for a moment, before slowly hissing out a shaky exhale.

It’s just a music summer camp. You like music. The kids over there should like music too. You should be able to talk to somebody about music, and then you’ll be able to talk about other stuff that you might have in common.

Inhale. Hold. Exhale.

There should be someone over there nice enough to be friends with. You should be able to get along with somebody over there. You should be able to make friends– or at least a friend– over there…right?

Sharp inhale. Longer hold. Shaky exhale.

In spite of her attempt to calm down, her breath shortens and her chest tightens from the trepidation invading her mind. Her skin crawls like hundreds of spiders scattering all over her, and the static in her ears gradually rings louder and vibrates into her head.

You won’t make an idiot out of yourself over there, right? You won’t stay quiet and freeze up at the sidelines on the first day while everybody else groups up and makes friends, right? You won’t just sit out and stay in a cabin alone like a loser while everybody else hangs out with each other, right? You won’t just–

“Mona?”

Ramona flinches out of her spiraling before she hesitantly looks away from the window. She doesn't even realize the car is already parked in front of the camp when she looks up to a pair of worried eyes.

“Yeah, Mom?”

You let out a small huff of laughter, mentally quelling your own nerves while Ramona squirms under your gaze.

“Mona,” you whisper while your hand tentatively reaches out and rests on top of hers, “you okay, baby? What’s going on in your head?”

Ramona’s eyes waver again before she glances down, her fingertips still fidgeting along the case while her toes wriggle in her paint-smudged tennis shoes.

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m— I’m okay,” she tries to shrug off her nerves as her free hand moves to fidget with the hem of the cherry cardigan you lent her. “I mean, why wouldn’t I be okay? I’m just…”

Ramona trails off and glances down when your thumb traces small circles on her hand. She hesitantly looks back up at you, and her chest lurches at the familiar sight of your reassuring smile, the smile that always pulls her out of the deep end whenever her waves of thoughts crash and overwhelm her. Her shoulders then sag before she lets out a reluctant sigh.

“I’m just…I’m scared, Mom,” Ramona quietly admits.

Your eyes soften as you gently squeeze her hand. “I know, cheese.”

“I don’t know anybody here...”

“I know.”

“What if people think I’m weird?”

“Now, why would you think that?” you gently tut at Ramona while adjusting yourself to fully face her. She shrugs her shoulders in response before she slowly slides down the car seat with a furrowed brow and a pout, pulling her eyes away from you again.

A soft sympathetic scoff slips through your lips before you carefully pull her hand up to your lips and press them against her knuckles, coaxing her to look at you again.

“Mona, you’re going to be okay,” you reassure her, “I know it’s a little scary being on your own for the first time, but you’re gonna have fun here. You’ll make a lot of friends and a lot of memories before you know it.”

Your eyes soften the longer you gaze at her, and your hand gently squeezes hers. “You are a smart and kind girl, and anyone here would be lucky to be friends with you. Okay?”

Ramona hesitantly stares back at you before finally nodding with a soft smile. “Thanks, Mom.”

A smile of your own curls up on your lips before you open the car door, “Ready to go?”

Ramona nods again before she starts to get out of the car with her leather bass case in her arms. As soon as both of you finally get out, chatters and laughter echo through the campgrounds as children scurry around in all directions with their baggage while counselors call out for attention with their bullhorns. Ramona’s eyes light up in awe as she steps away from the car and looks up at the sea of pine trees towering over her, her gaze slowly trailing down to the tall wooden sign reading Camp Feast before roaming around to the buzzing frenzy surrounding her. Her ears perk up at the cacophony of instruments playing around her. Dynamic rhythms of drums, shrill clashes of cymbals, soulful and upbeat tempos of trumpets and saxophones, even an improvised violin solo rings through the air and reverberates into Ramona’s eardrums.

Her chest tightens and her breath hitches again, but this time out of pure excitement.

A loud thump next to Ramona shakes her out of her reverie, and she quickly turns her head to you as you set her overstuffed duffel bag down. You glance over to her with a knowing smirk. “Still nervous, cheese?”

A sheepish smile curls up on Ramona’s lips before she shrugs, growing antsy with anticipation and nerves as she fidgets with a loose sticker on her bass case while picking up her duffel bag. “Maybe a little…”

You roll your eyes in amusement before pulling out a small black device and carefully wrapped earphones out of your pocket. “Well, if you do get overwhelmed here, this should help.”

As you hold the device and earphones out to her, she stares at your hand with furrowed brows and a crinkled nose.

“...what’s that?”

“An mp3 player. Since you can’t have your phone with you for eight weeks, I thought you’d like to have some music on standby while writing your letters or something.”

“...so old-school.”

“Excuse you–”

Before you could finish, Ramona rushes in and nearly tackles you into an embrace, wrapping her arms around your waist and burying her face into your shoulder. The faint scent of chocolate and cardamom emits from your shirt and into her nostrils, her body instantly relaxing in your arms, before she lifts her head up to you.

“Love you, Mom.”

Your eyes soften again and grow glassy before you return the embrace and brush your lips against her forehead. “I love you too, cheese.”

You two stand there for a moment, a comfortable silence lingering between you two, before Ramona reluctantly pulls away and grabs the mp3 player from you. The two of you whisper your goodbyes before a yell echoes through the campgrounds.

“Ramona L/N?”

Both you and Ramona turn to the nearby counselor calling through the bullhorn, beckoning Ramona to her, before turning back to each other with a bittersweet glint in each others’ eyes.

“Bye, Mom,” Ramona whispers before turning around and running towards the counselor with her belongings, nearly stumbling with the weights of her bass case and duffel bag.

A fond smile curls up on your face as you wave her off, a dull ache creeping up in your chest the longer you watch her, before you finally turn your eyes away and walk back into the car. The quiet strumming of an electric guitar from your long-time favorite band floods back inside as you start the engine, another wave of memories and emotions crashing into your body now that you’re alone, before you quickly brush them off and shift the gear to Drive.

As you slowly drive out of the campgrounds, a flash of red and silver catches the corner of your eye. The familiar electric guitar solo continues to strum along in the car as you pass a studded red vest and a head of wild dark curls, but you fail to notice the faded black spider emblem on the back of the vest while you drive off.

#hobie brown #hobie x reader #atsv hobie #spider punk #spiderpunk x reader #hobie x y/n #hobie x you #parent trap au #dad!hobie #the-kr8tor

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melonsharks · 1 year ago

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hi please dont take this seriously this is extremely self indulgent. i feel insane right now, but. 1998 parent trap au LMFAOOOOOO.

you watch a movie you haven’t seen in years, realize one character owns a vineyard, the other is a wedding dress designer, that they got divorced but are still deeply in love with each other and u know what? you just go with it. u gotta draw whats in ur heart.

bonus:

#looks away shamefully #good omens #good omens au #aziracrow #ineffable divorce #ineffable husbands #aziraphale #crowley #fanart #warlock dowling #adam young #good omens 2 #not rlly but #LOL #gabuart #dont tell me if this has been done already i literally do not want to know #parent trap au

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grapenehifics · 9 months ago

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It had been just Leia and her dad for so long that sometimes she could almost forget she once had two fathers, and a brother, too. Other times, they were so close in her memory that it was like they were standing right in front of her. Oh. Wait. That actually is Luke Kenobi standing right in front of her. Anakin and Obi-Wan broke up seven years ago, loudly and messily, and vowed never to speak to each other again. Only they didn’t anticipate accidentally sending their kids to the same summer camp. Shenanigans ensue – Parent Trap style.

Read it here! This fic updates weekly.

Moodboard and encouragement by @palfriendpatine66 ♥

#obikin #let's get together #parent trap au #obikin parent trap au

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lozfanchick · 1 month ago

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Memes for the Parent Trap AU I made up. This one is like an epilogue for Chapter 12 It All Fell Down

A what if Sandy had come for visit later that day?

Got a meme idea?! Go ahead and either message me, or create it and send it or the link to it to me :D I'd love to see them!

#Parent trap AU #LoZfanchick #shadowpeach #shadowpeach AU #LMK #LMK AU #LMK crack #shadowpeach fic #shadowpeach fanfic #Sandy #Bai He #MK #Pigsy

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maidragoste · 1 year ago

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The Parent Trap: Chapter Two

Aegon Targaryen x Velaryon!Reader x Aemond Targaryen

Masterlist

Thank you for your support, I was nervous that people wouldn't like it because the fic wasn't the same as the movie so I'm very happy to read all your comments. REBLOGS, comments and likes are always appreciated 🥰🥰💕💕💕

Btw, I made two playlists for this fic. One is from Aemond and the Reader and another is from Reader and Aegon. As I keep writing I'll probably add more songs or even delete some, who knows. If you have songs for me to add or are curious to know why, you are welcome to write to me in my inbox.

Disclaimer: English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes.

Ten years earlier

Your leg kept moving up and down. Your eyes are constantly directed to the door, expecting that at any moment Aemond would return home. You tried to distract yourself by watching TV but you were too anxious. Your mind couldn't focus on the stupid movie because all you could think about was the positive sign on the pregnancy tests you had taken that afternoon with Rhaena and Jace by your side. You regretted telling them to leave. If they were with you they would be preventing you from locking yourself in your own mind. They would make you tell them your fears and they would try to calm you down. The three of them would be making plans. You might even be practicing with Jace how the hell tell Aemond they were going to be parents.

You and Aemond would be parents. You would be a mother. You always knew you would have children, you wanted the happily ever after with the wedding and children like they always showed in the movies, but now you are terrified. It wasn't supposed to be like this. You're barely twenty-three years old, you haven't even finished your second year of editorial editing. It was assumed that when you had children you would be at least over twenty-seven, your career—a career you were truly passionate about—would be finished, you would have a good job, and you would be married. You tried to console yourself by telling yourself that at least you're in a stable relationship. You and Aemond have been dating for three years. You two knew each other since you were little because your godmother is Aemond's older sister and then you ended up attending the same school so you spent a lot of time together. You still remember like it was yesterday how nervous you were when you first kissed Aemond during New Year's. You were afraid of ruining your friendship and that things would become awkward but he didn't pull away when you kissed him he grabbed you by the waist and pulled you closer to him. That night they hid from everyone and spent the rest of the celebration kissing. The next day they started dating. From there everything was wonderful. Like any couple, you and Aemond have your run-ins—like when you argued because you didn't like the way he behaved with Jace, your best friend, or when Aemond got mad at you because you made the two of you leave the restaurant you were having a date at. to pick up a drunk Aegon in a bar again—but there was definitely more joy than displeasure in your relationship with Aemond. You saw yourself having a future with him, you could see yourself perfectly next to him in your white dress. You can imagine Aemond putting a baby to sleep while he lulls it to sleep in High Valyrian. Are you sure you want a future with Aemond. But you're terrified of his reaction to this unexpected news. What would you do if Aemond didn't want to keep the baby? You would have to break up with him. Even though you were scared, you knew you wanted to keep the baby. That was clear to you.

You heard the door open and it didn't take long for your boyfriend to enter. You got up from the couch and went to hug him. Whenever he returned home you welcomed him with a hug and kisses. This time you held on to him longer than usual, wanting to remember the feeling of Aemond's arms around you in case this was the last time.

You were about to kiss him but he turned your face away from him making your heart skip a beat. Before you could move away he gently grabbed your chin and studied you carefully. Of course, he had realized something was happening to you when you were clinging so fiercely to him.

“What's wrong?” he asked. Aemond first wanted to know what was happening to you before you kissed him.

Once again you regretted kicking Rhaena and Jace out. At least you should have taken advantage of this time alone to practice in front of the mirror how to tell your boyfriend that you are pregnant. Or you could have called your parents to help you. Although knowing them they would tell you to keep the secret so that the three of them could plan a big announcement together. But you couldn't wait, you need to know now what Aemond was thinking. You needed to know whether or not he would be with you on this trip.

“Y/n?” Your boyfriend called you, feeling his concern growing with every second that you remained silent.

“I think I'm pregnant” You closed your eyes feeling frustrated with yourself and hurried to correct yourself “I mean, I'm pregnant” You tried not to panic as you felt him move away from you “I haven't had any blood tests done yet but I'm One hundred percent sure I'm pregnant. I took five pregnancy tests and they all came back positive.”Your nerves were evident because you were talking faster than normal and you couldn't stop gesturing with your hands.

Aemond felt as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on him. This was not in his plans. Right now he was focused on opening his own publishing house, he needed to focus all of his attention on that, he didn't need a distraction and a baby would be that. Taking care of a child would take up too much time. But I couldn't tell you that. I'd be an idiot if I told you that. His mother didn't raise him to be an idiot.

“Marry me,” he said, knowing it was the right thing to do. Besides, ever since you two moved in together, he knew you were going to get married. He knows that he wants to spend the rest of his life waking up next to you, he wants your face to be the first and last thing he sees, he wants to come home and always be greeted with your kisses, he wants you to tell him about your day while the two of you have dinner, He wants to hear your theories about the TV shows you watch together. Aemond wants everything with you, even the most mundane things like going grocery shopping or walking the dogs. He loves you. The only reasons Aemond hadn't proposed to you already was because he wanted to wait until you finished college and he wanted his publishing company to be established. Planning a wedding was a big deal and you two didn't have time for that. But now it didn't matter anymore. “Marry me,” he said again with a smile as he saw how you opened your eyes and looked at him as if he were giving you the moon.

You couldn't help but laugh at yourself, feeling like an idiot for doubting Aemond. Maybe it wasn't the romantic proposal you had dreamed of but you didn't care. You were so relieved and so glad you didn't have to do this alone.

“Yes,” you responded with your heart racing and tears in your eyes. “Yes!” you repeated louder this time before throwing yourself into your fiancé's arms. You began to laugh as Aemond picked you up and spun you around. Your fears were forgotten. The only thing you felt at that moment was happiness.

Present

Aemon found it strange that when he arrived at camp Rickon was not waiting for him at the entrance like the previous years. He assumed this time that the trip had tired him too much and he went to take a nap in his cabin. So he decided to go there first instead of searching for him throughout the rest of the camp. If Rickon wasn't there at least he would leave his suitcases so he could walk comfortably.

When he entered the cabin he expected to find it empty or his best friend sleeping. He never imagined that an almost exact copy of him would be found walking back and forth all over the place. Aemon is not proud but his first reaction is to scream and throw his suitcase at him with all his might.

“Dude, what the hell?!” his copy shouted, barely managing to cum in time to avoid being hit.

“What happened?!” Rickon asked, also screaming, running out of the bathroom. “Aemon you finally arrived!” He ran to hug him.

Aemon barely moved his arms to hug Rickon but his eyes did not leave the other boy who was too similar to him. The copy of him didn't stop looking at him either, the two of them were studying each other. The only difference is that the stranger had much shorter hair than Aemon and did not have tanned skin like him. But Aemon knew that if he hadn't been sailing in the sun with his grandparents just a few days ago then he would look just like the copy of him.

"Who is he?" Aemon asked breaking the hug, no longer able to stand his curiosity. If he had encountered the copy of him years ago he would have thought that it was some kind of prank by Rickon or that maybe it was an evil clone but now he knew that it didn't make sense. The only logical explanation he could think of was that he had a missing twin but that didn't make sense because his mom would never hide something as big as this from him.

“Aemon do you need glasses? It's obvious that he's a copy of you," said the dark-haired boy, earning an angry look from the other two boys. “Don't do that, it's weird,” he complained.

“I am not Aemon's copy. In any case, he is my copy,” declared the short-haired boy.

“I met Aemon before so you are a copy of him.”

“Wait, why does he know my name?” Aemon interrupted before the other two continued fighting over who the copy was. He needed to know what was going on before he gave him a headache. Although since he saw the stranger he began to feel bad. It was disconcerting to see someone just like himself. He made him feel uncomfortable. Not even Joffrey looked that much like him, and she was his brother.

Aemon wanted to know who this boy was, why he looked so much like him, and why this was the first time he had met him. But at the same time, he was afraid. He could already sense that his life would be different after this camp. He decided to sit on the nearest bed to avoid running out and ask one of the caregivers for his cell phone to call his parents to come back to look for him. Maybe he should have let Mom walk him to the cabin like she wanted.

“Your friend thought I was you, he came up shouting your name when I was with my uncle Daeron. My uncle said that he knew you and that I should stay with Rickon until you showed up. Now I see why he insisted so much."

Aemon was sure he had heard Daeron's name before but he was sure he had never met him. Without realizing it he began to move his leg up and down trying to remember that he knew about Daeron but nothing came to mind.

“I am Baelon Targaryen,” the boy introduced himself, looking at him with concern and Aemon squeezed his leg to prevent himself from moving it further. “I think I'm your twin.”

“No,” the long-haired boy denied instantly.

“Dude, we're literally copies of each other!” Baelon said, frustration evident in his voice, pointing at Aemon and then at himself.

Rickon gave Baelon a look telling him to shut up. In the few hours that he had known him, Baelon had never seen Rickon so serious, so he crossed his arms indignantly and watched silently and attentively as Stark sat next to his twin.

“I know it seems crazy, Aemon, but I really think Baelon is right,” said the dark-haired boy, looking at his friend with concern. Rickon wouldn't know how to react either if he suddenly found out that he had a twin. “The two are copies of each other. Besides, he grew up without knowing his mom and you grew up without knowing your dad. I don't think it's a coincidence. Just like I don't think it's a coincidence that Baelon's uncle knew you."

Aemon looked at his best friend before turning his attention to his possible new brother. “When were you born?”

"June 20th. I guess just like you," said Baelon, and was satisfied when he saw that his twin nodded. "I have a photo of Mom!" He suddenly remembered the photo that he had stolen from Dad a long time ago and that he had hidden in his luggage. “You can see her and confirm that she is our mom,” he said excitedly, thinking that this way Aemon could no longer deny his relationship. He couldn't help but be excited at the thought that he was no longer alone, he had a brother. He had always seen how close his uncle Daeron was to his dad and his other uncles and he remembered wanting to have the same.

Baelon ran to grab his suitcase and began to take out all of his clothes, not caring about the mess, until he found the latest Boku no Hero manga that he was reading and triumphantly pulled out one of the pages the photo of her mother with him in her arms while she kissed his cheek, her eyes were only on him, not caring to look at the camera.

“Look,” he said, handing the photo proudly to Aemon. The photo wasn't complete, it was obvious that someone had cut it in half but Baelon didn't care. That photo was one of his most prized possessions. He looked at her every day before going to sleep because he reminded him that his mom loves him.

“Oh, shit,” Aemon muttered before handing the photo back to him.

“It's her, right?” Baelon asked, watching with anticipation as it was now Aemon who was searching for something in his suitcase. Aemon, unlike him, was not throwing his clothes everywhere. He felt his heart race when he saw how his twin took out a notebook and took something out of it.

“Is this your dad?” Aemon asked, giving him a photo. Baelon nodded several times, unable to say anything out of emotion. His dad wasn't looking at the camera but he wasn't looking at the baby he was holding either. He just looked to the side with a smile.

Baelon took both photos and placed them side by side on the bed. The photo was now complete. Dad was looking at Mom. If Baelon hadn't been so engrossed in looking at the photo then he would have noticed Aemon and Rickon exchanging glances.

“I told you we're twins!” Baelon said with a big smile once he snapped out of the shock of nudging Aemon.

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shakespeareanwannabe · 3 months ago

Text

As You Wish, Chapter 18

Trigger Warnings: reader's children are described as being blond with green eyes because genetics are wild and Jake's genes are strong, reader is canonically Bob's sister (but biological relation is never discussed), reader goes by Buttercup and is tattooed, angst, grief, sadness, reference to divorce, swearing. Buttercup and Jake are both flawed characters who make mistakes and lead messy lives. Please don’t judge them too harshly.

A/N: Two quick notes. First, I went back and edited Chapter 13 because I screwed up (apparently Jake and Buttercup got engaged twice and I didn't catch it. Oops!) Second, no flashback this time. I figured I had tortured y'all enough. Enjoy!

Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, now

The ride to the airport had been quiet, punctuated by falling rain, thunder, gusting winds, and the tiny sniffles and sobs that Abby tried to quell by pressing her face into her mother’s chest. It took everything inside of Buttercup, every maternal instinct that drove her to protect her daughter against anything and everything that could possibly hurt her, Buttercup probably would have dissolved into tears as well.

Everything hurt more than it had 12 years ago. Leaving him then, she had been so numb to everything around her, so lost to the creeping darkness and horrific thoughts that had plagued her mind, that it hadn’t hurt. At least, it hadn’t hurt until she was sitting in the airport with her infant daughter and she realized that he wasn’t coming after her, that she had destroyed them so thoroughly that he wasn’t doing the one thing he had always sworn to do: fight for them. And she couldn’t blame him. Who would fight for the woman who had initiated a divorce because she wanted more than to be merely a wife and mother? Who would come running after the woman who was taking one of his daughters away from him? Something had splintered inside of her at that moment, her heart fracturing into a thousand tiny pieces.

Over the past decade, Buttercup had fought to put those pieces back together again. For her daughter, and for herself. Therapy and medication had turned her back into herself, and having Bob and Natasha’s strong presences had helped her find contentment. Not happiness, but something close enough to it that she was satisfied. The biggest pieces of her fractured heart had been sewn back together by the support system she had built in London, and though there were still little fragments floating around, she felt like she could finally live again. She had thrown herself into her work, into the characters and plots that swirled in her mind, and it had become her safe haven, a place where she had control and could guarantee a happy ending. And sure, every so often, one of those remaining needle-thin fragments of her broken heart pierced something inside of her, sending pain radiating through her healing heart and soul, like a piece of shrapnel that was too small to be removed but was still bothersome, but it was infinitely better than it had been before. Not perfect, but manageable.

Buttercup sighed as she settled further into her first class seat on the airplane, stabbing at her backspace button like it had done something to offend her. The words that had been flowing for over a week had now dried up, the warm glow of creativity now black and consuming as it surrounded her. Her characters, who so deserved a happy ending after everything they had been through, were falling apart and she couldn’t do anything about it. Every time she tried to fix the plot, it created a bigger hole. Every time she tried to alter some aspect of the characters, they became dull and lifeless, and she knew it was a reflection of how she was feeling. Every book she published held a small sliver of her soul, and it seemed that the ache in her chest was being transferred into her characters now, and she didn’t know how to heal them. She had barely been able to heal herself, and certainly not without help.

Somehow, over the past week, Jake had somehow found those needle-thin shards of her heart that were still causing her so much pain, and had started fitting them back into her ravaged heart. He had done it so gently, so quietly, that she hadn’t even realized he had done it until she had stared up into his smiling eyes that night as he held her close and she felt…whole. Complete for the first time in 12 years. Her feelings for him, complicated as they were, had slammed into her then. He had snuck up on her this time, not like the last time when he had been all bright colours and flash. No, this time he had eased his way into her heart in a way that seemed inescapable, undeniable.

Buttercup slammed her laptop shut and huffed, staring out the window. Her mind was too frazzled for work, her heart ached too much to focus on anything but him.

He doesn’t love you, she reminded herself firmly. You divorced him. You left him. You left Charlie. No amount of sweet, small, shared moments can make up for the clusterfuck you left for him.

A small voice inside of her whispered of the night they shared. Wasn’t that proof that it was more than just small moments? Wasn’t that proof that he cared? He had been so gentle with her, so caring. He had been everything she needed and more, reading her every move, knowing when to be sweet and soft, and knowing when to be rough and harder on her. It had always been like that. They had always been like that.

It was nostalgia, she argued with that voice. It’s like Nat said. A lot of divorced couples have one last fuck fest to get each other out of their systems. We never did that. That’s all that night was. The choked feeling in her chest made her feel like she was lying to herself, like every part of her knew that that night meant more to her than her brain could ever comprehend.

Stop it, she commanded herself. If he had it in him to forgive me for leaving the first time, I certainly burnt that bridge by leaving a second time. He doesn’t love you. How could he?

“Mum?” Abby’s tired and tearful voice broke through her hateful inner monologue.

“Yeah, babe?” Buttercup shook her head as though her brain was an Etch-a-Sketch and she could erase all those inner thoughts. She shifted her body to look over at her sweet daughter, curled up in the seat next to her. Bob was passed out across the aisle, reclined almost completely and taking full advantage of the first class seating.

“Could you pass me my headphones, please?” Buttercup’s heart ached even more at her daughter’s red-rimmed eyes. She had put her daughter through so much the past week, which was why she had to bring them home. No matter how much her feelings for Jake had bubbled to the surface, she couldn’t risk Abby or Charlie getting hurt again in the fallout.

“Sure, darling.” Buttercup’s smile was wan as she dug into her bag to retrieve the headphones. “Did you decide on a film to watch?”

Abby nodded, tilting her iPad for her mother to see. “Charlie and I made a list of all our favourite films. We’re going to watch them in order so that we can talk about them next time we videochat. First up is The Princess Bride. She said that it was her and Dad’s favourite movie.” Her weak smile fell slightly as she added, “She said that you and Dad used to watch it a lot.”

Buttercup nodded, willing the tears from her eyes. “Yeah…yeah, we did.”

“Have we never watched it because it makes you sad?”

The innocence of Abby’s question had a few tears spilling down her mother’s cheeks. “I…yeah, babe. It’s like…” She paused, trying to come up with a good analogy. “Remember when Heaven died?” Abby nodded. She had loved their dog so much that she thought the pain of her death would never go away. “Remember how you wanted nothing to do with her toys or her leash for a really long time?” Again, Abby nodded. “It’s kind of like that. The memories that come up while watching that film make me really sad, so it’s just easier for me to not watch it. It doesn’t mean I don’t love it, it just means that there’s a lot of feelings mixed up in the film. Does that make sense?”

Abby tilted her head, considering. “Yeah. I understand.”

Buttercup smiled softly. “My sweet, smart girl.” She pressed a small kiss to her daughter’s hair as Abby plugged in her headphones. “Enjoy the film, okay?”

Abby nodded before immersing herself in William Goldman’s fairy tale world. Buttercup clenched her eyes shut as she caught a peek of the pixelated video game that started the film, and turned towards the window. If she could sleep, she might feel better. If she could sleep, maybe she could dream of a less complicated world for herself and her daughter.

Buttercup yawned and rolled her neck as her small family sped through the streets of London towards their home. She had finally been able to fall asleep a few hours before the plane touched down at Gatwick. Luckily, Bob took charge of getting them through the airport, grabbing their luggage and steering them through customs before leading them to the taxi stand. She was so tired. Tired in her bones and tired in her heart.

“So, what did you get up to in the plane, Abby?” Bob asked, craning his neck to look back at them from the front seat.

“I watched a couple of films,” she replied with a small yawn. “The Lion King, a couple episodes of Friends, and then The Princess Bride.”

Bob chuckled. “That was your mom’s favourite movie.”

“Dad’s too…” Abby murmured, staring out the window at the rain soaked streets of London. Buttercup’s writer’s brain screamed about pathetic fallacy and the meaning of it all, while her rational side argued that a summer storm in Texas and a bordering on stereotypical rainstorm in London wasn’t exactly a sign.

“Yeah…” Bob sighed before grinning back at them. “That’s how your mom got her nickname. And why she got her tattoo.”

“Did you enjoy the film, babe?” Buttercup’s voice was hesitant but she could see the gap between herself and her daughter growing and she wanted to bridge it before it became more difficult to fix.

Abby nodded, a small smile on her face. “Yeah. It was really good.”

“What was your favourite part?” Bob piped up, sensing his sister’s struggles. “The sword fights? The ROUSs? The Pit of Despair?”

Abby giggled through a yawn and shook her head. “I liked the very beginning. When Buttercup realizes that every time Westley says ‘As You Wish’, he really means ‘I Love You.’” Abby shrugged shyly. “I thought that was really cute.”

Buttercup heard the sound of her brother’s laughter as he and Abby continued the conversation, but Buttercup herself felt frozen. It’s not that she had forgotten that part of the film. Admittedly, that had been one of her favourite parts as well, so much so that she and Jake had woven it into their wedding vows. The words As You Wish had been more popular than the words I Love You in their home, at least before everything had gone to shit.

But how many times had she heard Jake say those words the past week? At their romantic gazebo dinner, at the diner, after their water fight in his kitchen. He had stared up at her with those forest green eyes from between her thighs and murmured them against her skin that night, sending shivers up her spine and making her see stars. A dozen tiny moments where he had looked her in the eyes and murmured those words. Did he remember what they meant? Was he upset that she had forgotten?

The bridge of her nose burned as her throat clogged with grief and sadness. Had she just thrown it all away because she had buried her memories so deep that the meaning of his words hadn’t even registered?

By the time they got home, Abby was exhausted and bid her mother and uncle a quick goodnight before climbing the stairs to go to bed.

Buttercup watched her go, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She had fought them for the remainder of the drive, but now, in the safety of her home, she felt the weight of grief and anxiety crush her. The relief of being in her own home was drowned out by the screaming voice in her head that warned her that she had made a colossal mistake in coming home. The screaming in her mind and the tension in her body resulted in a massive migraine that made her head feel like it was going to explode.

The cool press of glass against her arm was a welcome relief, and she shot her brother a grateful smile as he handed her the glass of ice water. “Go sit,” he murmured, retreating to the kitchen.

With no energy left in her body to fight, Buttercup followed Bob’s instructions and flopped gracelessly onto the comfortable couch, ice cubes jangling in her glass in a way that sent a burst of fire through her brain.

“Open up.” Bob had never been the type to tease or prank his sister, so she eagerly opened her mouth for him to press the two Ibuprofen tablets against her tongue. Once she had washed them down with some of her water, he handed her the divided bowl of hard pretzel sticks and strawberry yogurt. It was only once she was comfortably situated on the couch with her snack that he sat at her feet, dragging her legs into his lap and pressing gentle fingers into the arch of her feet.

Buttercup wanted to melt into the couch with all her might. But despite her salty-sweet snack, her water, the pain medication, and her brother’s massage, she couldn’t. Try as she might, her brain would not cease the rapid-fire memories that had been torturing her since she had gotten into the airport taxi in Texas. Charlie’s angry face, Jake’s devastation, Natasha’s eyes begging her to stay, Abby’s sobs, and all the times that Jake had uttered those words: As you wish. Which really meant “I love you”.

“C’mon, kiddo.” Bob’s words were gentle and kind. “Talk to me.”

Buttercup couldn’t stop the tears that began to fall as she struggled to speak. “About what?”

“About why you insisted on coming back,” Bob urged, his green eyes soft. “About why you and Abby are clearly miserable here.”

Buttercup choked back a sob, pulling her feet away from her brother so she could curl up on her side. When they had originally moved to London and she had been dealing with single motherhood and her PPD diagnosis, Bob would massage her feet to help her release all her negative emotions. He’d even gone so far as to take a class in order to do it right, finding it helped not only his sister but his best friend too. But in the depths of her grief, she didn’t want to be touched. She didn’t want to be comforted. She felt like a monster, and she wanted someone to call her on it, to make her feel worse.

“I’m sorry, okay?” Her voice sounded ragged and defeated even to her own ears. “I thought coming back was the right move for everyone.”

Bob didn’t look even mildly shocked at the outburst. “Why was it the right move?”

“I…I don’t know…”

Bob rested a hand on her ankle. “C’mon now, kiddo. I’ve known you for forever. Talk to me. I’m a judgement free zone.”

Buttercup’s hand trembled as she took a sip of water. “We have responsibilities here. A home, school, work. People depending on us.”

Bob nodded. “Alright. That all makes sense. But if you’ll let me play Devil’s Advocate for a minute…” He held up a gentle hand at the look his sister fixed on him. “Kiddo, I could very easily take over the deed to the house on my own. Yes, it would feel empty without you and Abby, but I’m sure I would be able to handle it, at least until I would be able to get a job with an airline based out of the US.”

Buttercup was already shaking her head. “You shouldn’t have to uproot your life for us again.”

“I wouldn’t be doing it for you,” he soothed. “I’d be doing it for me too. I like it here, but I think I’m ready to move on.”

Buttercup sniffled. “Okay…but there’s still work and school.”

Bob shook his head with a small smile. “They have schools in Texas. And you’re the one who has a bunch of awards for your work. You’ve worked from home hundreds of times since we moved here. I’m pretty sure you could negotiate working an ocean away if you really wanted to. So, I guess the question is, why don’t you want to?”

Soft sobs filled the room for a moment, punctuated by the rasping sound of Bob’s hand smoothing over her jeans and rain beginning to tap lightly against the windowpanes.

“I…I’m scared, Bob,” she finally whispered, sounding so broken that Bob felt an ache in the bridge of his nose. “I’m scared of getting hurt again if we try. Our breakup was so messy, and we said things to each other that can never be taken back. All we did was fight at the end. I don’t want to subject the girls to that. Can you imagine how damaging that would be to them?”

Bob sighed, reaching forward and snagging a pretzel stick before dipping it into the strawberry yogurt. “You’re a good mom, kiddo. For the past 12 years, you have only thought about Abby and what is best for her. But what if moving to Texas is what is best for her? What if you give things with Hangman another try and it doesn’t fall apart again?”

Buttercup blinked back tears, wrestling with the baseball sized lump in her throat. “It…it feels selfish…I could hurt the three people I love most if we try again, and I fail.”

“I don’t think it’s selfish.” Bob popped another pretzel into his mouth and shook her ankle, not stopping until her eyes were solely on him. “It wasn’t your fault that your marriage failed, kiddo. You were sick, and Hangman crumbled under the pressure. He didn’t know how to handle it and neither did you. You didn’t get the help you needed until it was too late, and he didn’t acknowledge the problem until you were already gone. But you’re better now. And I honestly can’t believe I’m saying this, but so is Hangman. The man went to therapy, for Christ’s sake.” Bob chuckled lowly. “And you’re both older now. More experienced. I don’t think its selfish of you to try again when it could make all four of you very happy. I think that’s brave.”

Buttercup sniffled, wiping at her tears with the back of her hand. “I want to be with him,” she murmured, and it felt like a weight lifted off her chest. It was her first time admitting it aloud. “But the divorce wrecked me. It took me years to feel like my heart wasn’t breaking anymore. I…I don’t know if I would be able to heal from that again.”

Bob smiled gently and leaned forward, plucking up her hand and squeezing it gently. “On the slightest chance that things don’t work out again, you would still heal. You’re stronger than you think. And you’d have so many people rallying around you to help you, just like last time. I know you don’t love accepting help, but we’d all be there for you again. And maybe part of the reason it hurt so bad the first time is that you weren’t just mourning your marriage. You were also mourning the daughter you left behind.”

Buttercup sobbed and crumpled forward, arms wrapping around her middle as Bob pulled her close and rubbed her back. “They both probably hate me now. And I don’t blame them.”

“Hangman doesn’t hate you,” he soothed. “If he hated you, he would’ve made you leaving an absolute nightmare. He probably would’ve threatened to take you to court or something. But he didn’t, did he? He let you go because he thought it was what you wanted. And Charlie…she’s still just a kid, Buttercup. She’s hurting and looking to lash out at someone. I can almost guarantee once she’s tapped out of anger at you, she’ll be giving Jake hell for not coming after you.”

A strange sob-snort escaped Buttercup as she rested her cheek against her brother’s shoulder. “You don’t think I’m crazy for wanting to be with him?”

Bob gently squeezed her shoulder. “I think he makes you happier than you’ve been in years. I think that, if you love him, you owe it to everyone to try again. I think that I want you to be happy.”

They both chuckled as Buttercup awkwardly wrapped her arms around him. “You really are the Best Older Brother, you know that?”

Bob chuckled again, adjusting his glasses as a rosy pink tinged his cheeks. “Yeah, well, that’s why they call me Bob.”

Buttercup chuckled, all watery and choked as she rested her head on his shoulder. She remembered when she made him that mug. She was probably 7 years old and had been looking for a Christmas gift for her big brother when her mom suggested making him something at a pottery class. The result was a misshapen blue mug with ‘Best Older Brother’ carved into it so that the first letters of the words lined up to spell BOB. It had made her giggle like a madman as a kid and her mother had been sure that Bob would leave it in the back of his closet. But lo and behold, he had been drinking coffee out of that mug every day since, unless he was on deployment.

“I still can’t believe that made that your callsign.”

He chuckled. “I still can’t believe you never spilled the beans to Hangman, even though he kept calling me Baby On Board.”

She shrugged. “I figured if you wanted him to know, you’d tell him.”

Bob nodded against her head and sighed. “So, are you going to tell him?”

Buttercup sighed, her head pounding. “Telling him I want him but that I’m scared to need him seems like an in-person conversation. And I can’t exactly just turn around and go back to Texas. My editors will be so pissed.”

Bob sighed. “You hold the power here, kiddo. Talk to them. Throw your award-winning weight around and make them listen. What’s more important? Making your editors happy or making yourself happy?”

Another sigh rocked through her as she cuddled down into the couch. She knew the answer, but she also knew that any steps she needed to take to prove herself needed to come after a good night’s sleep.

Buttercup sighed and shut her laptop, feeling more accomplished and more excited about her work than she had in a long time. After a good night’s sleep, a hearty breakfast, and a Zoom call with her editors and literary agent, she was ready to take charge of her life again.

She registered a soft, rhythmic buzzing sound and looked down at her phone. Bob was flying today and had dropped Abby off at her friend Brooklyn’s house before he headed to the airport, but for this to work, she had needed someone to pick Abby up, bring her home, and watch her until her uncle got back around dinner time.

Buttercup scooped up her phone and swiped to answer the phone call. “Bonjour, Genevieve.”

The soft purr of the supermodel’s French accent echoed through the receiver. “Bonjour, mon ami! I would be delighted to watch sweet little Abby for the afternoon while you are away.”

Buttercup sighed in relief as she grabbed her duffle bag. “Thank you so much, Gen! Since Nat stayed in Texas and Bob is flying today, I didn’t know who else to call. I wasn’t sure if you were on a shoot today or not.”

The answering laugh was bright and airy. “No, no photo shoot today, mon ami. I was planning on spending the day with Robert, but since he has to work, spending time with my favourite coccinelles sounds just as good.”

Buttercup felt her lips stretch into a soft smile. She hadn’t been sure about Genevieve the first time she had met her, but the French supermodel went far beyond any stereotypes and was now a close friend.

“Thank you, Gen. Abby should have her keys, but she knows the code to the lockbox if she doesn’t. You know where everything is. I’ll call home when I’m sure about what’s going on, okay?”

“Amuse-toi bien, chérie.” The cheerful goodbye came as Buttercup searched through her bag to make sure she had everything. Passport, a single change of clothes, last minute ticket purchased with all her travel points.

“Bye Gen,” she mumbled as she tucked her phone charger into the bag and hustled for the door, pulling it open and stepping out onto her front stoop.

She felt insane. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. But if she didn’t do this, she knew she would regret it for the rest of her life. She needed to go. She needed to talk to him. She needed—

“Jake?”

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