#Peter Bender & Sons

[themculibrary]

Kidnapped!Peter Masterlist

a foul player dealing for me (ao3) - sandyk M, 2k

Summary: Peter gets kidnapped with a bunch of other interns, but honestly, it'll be fine.

Becoming a Hero (ao3) - Dorthea mj/peter T, 40k

Summary: His brain tells him to get back up. To run. To get away. That the next attack will happen in just a second. That someone will come, and they’ll shoot a bullet through his head. That’s it. End of Peter Parker. But his body doesn’t respond to anything. He can barely lift his arms, because it feels like an elephant is sitting on his chest.

Peter knows this is the end. Knows nobody will get to him in time… he’ll bleed out, in the desert sand. Alone.

His eyes feel heavy and slowly he closes them. Tries to breathe, knowing he can’t. Tries to forget the pain, but he can’t do that either. It digs through his chest, not like a bullet, no… It’s sharp and hard. There’s not one, there are a million. A million little things in his chest. But he can’t see them.

And soon, he can’t see anything, but darkness…

-

In an alternate universe Peter Parker wins a competition to meet Tony Stark, only things goes horribly wrong when Peter is kidnapped in Tony's place. His life on the line, Peter only has one option... he has to become a Hero.

Blood and Bone (ao3) - deadvinesandfanfics pepper/tony M, 40k

Summary: Peter… wasn’t exactly sure how he’d gotten here.

The room was dark, and silent, except for the repetitive thump-thump of a heartbeat from somewhere beside him. It sounded like Mr Stark’s arc reactor, with a soft tick accompanying every second beat: that, and the smell of motor oil and fancy cologne.

His head throbs, and his muscles ache. He feels like he’s just lost a fight with a brick wall, or several. There’s crusted blood on his upper lip as well as his temple. He can feel it matted in his hair, and he wants nothing more than to take a shower right now.

Looking around a little more, Peter realises that he doesn’t even know where they are. The room is nearly pitch black which makes it impossible to make anything out. He thinks he’s tied to some sort of cheap plastic chair; his hands are bound behind his back with a mess of rope and some thin metal handcuffs - so he assumes his identity is safe. No way whoever this was would leave him in just metal handcuffs if they knew he had his powers.

Then, a huff of noise off to his side.

“Mr Stark,” he blurts, panicked. “I think we might’ve been kidnapped.”

captivity (ao3) - killerqueenwriters T, 6k

Summary: To say Tony is hysterical would be an understatement.

It’s been twelve hours without so much as a peep from either of his sons: no texts, no calls, no readings from either of their suits, either of their watches.

Copyright Infringement (ao3) - Anarchyduck T, 4k

Summary: Peter’s arms snap to his side as his heels click together. He struggles to get out of it, whatever this is, as the Big Guy laughs again.

“Spider-Man say hello to Blood Bender.” he nods to the shorter guy standing beside him.

“B-Blood Bender? Like, from Avatar the Last Airbender?” Peter lets out a strained laugh. “Seriously? Isn’t that like copyrighted? Better not let Nickelodeon hear you. Don’t think they’d like to be associated with a dru-“

His throat constricts close.

OR: Peter gets in over his head, kidnapped, and is rescued by the most unlikely (or likely?) person.

Friday's Child (ao3) - Dimity Blue (Arnie) pepper/tony, mj/peter G, 58k

Summary: "Mr. Stark's son was kidnapped in 2007 when he was five, and, despite everyone's best efforts, no trace of him was found. Until today. When your fingerprints were put into the system, they came up as a match for Peter Stark's."

He's My Kid (ao3) - jennylarner pepper/tony G, 10k

Summary: “Rhodey.” Tony’s voice breaks. “Rhodey they took my kid.”

There are tears on Rhodey’s cheeks. “I know Tony, I know.” He whispers, his own voice trembling with the effort of staying calm. He had to stay calm, for Tony. “But we’re going to get him back.” He placed a hand over the phone. Tony stares down at it. “Do you want me to do it?”

Tony shakes his head. “No.” He murmurs. “No. I need to do it.”

...

When Peter goes missing and Tony can't find him, he knows who he needs to call. Post-Civil War. Eventual reunion of Tony and the Rogues.

He Promises (ao3) - justpeterparkerthings peter/harley G, 2k

Summary: Harley fell hard, the boy- Peter, the infamous intern- quickly became a constant in his everyday schedule. He didn't mind, infact the younger lifted his mood on most days, sometimes just offering to listen to Harley rant or watch a movie with a cup of hot chocolate.

Everything seemed to be going wonderfully well, all until Peter was kidnapped.

home (ao3) - Hailfire_73 T, 9k

Summary: “You were pretty certain he’d be here by now.”

The truth was, he’d like to know. He needed to know. What was keeping Mr. Stark from coming and getting him? Maybe, he thought, he didn’t think Peter was worth being saved. Maybe he just didn’t care.

“Clearly,” he said, as he moved a piece across the board. “You were wrong about your Tony Stark. That’s check, by the way.”

Peter studied the board but shifted his eyes back to him. “I give up.”

“Smart boy,” he told him. “A good man knows he’s beat.”

OR

Peter has been kidnapped and is forced to survive in a universe different, a universe ruled by Superior Iron Man, but surviving may mean there's nothing left of him once rescue finally does come.

i didn't finish my chem homework yet (ao3) - MyDestinyIsWritten T, 5k

Summary: Peter and MJ get kidnapped after school and Tony is a worried and protective dad™

I Did Not See That Coming (ao3) - TheDumbestAvenger T, 5k

Summary: When the mission goes south, and Peter is kidnapped right under Tony’s nose, the only thing he has left is hope to someday be reunited.

I Hope You're Happy (I Won't Be) (ao3) - Phoenix_Inferno N/R, 22k

Summary: "If Peter wasn't already wrung through the wringer, sliced up and beaten within every inch of himself maybe he could have put together that this was a trap.

He wished he had realized it sooner.

He wished to all the gods in existence that he had realized it sooner."

_

Peter should have known his incessant need to save everyone was going to eventually shatter his whole world. Maybe then, he could have done something.

In A Different Light (ao3) - kingdomfaraway T, 3k

Summary: Sometime around 3:00 am New York time, Steve’s phone went off. He didn’t think Tony would even call if it wasn’t the end of the world, all hands on deck situation. A jolt of fear ran through him as he answered, mentally preparing himself for any battle he’d have to take on.

But then, in a small broken voice, one that seemed to belittle the man Steve couldn’t imagine ever being so small, Tony said four words.

“I lost the kid.”

Love's Gonna Get You Killed (ao3) - peterparkersbff T, 1k

Summary: There’s a gun pressed to Peter’s temple and a man breathing down his neck. As depressing as it is, this is slowly starting to become a constant occurrence in his life. Not even the same people, everyone just… wants to kill him, Peter supposes.

But this time is different. They're not here for him.

My Guy (ao3) - JulieJewels mj/peter T, 7k

Summary: Michelle Jones has never really thought about it - Peter's always just been there. But now he's disappeared and Tony Stark isn't getting anywhere with his so-called investigation. So much for him being a genius. MJ has never been good at twiddling thumbs, but now it seems like she might have to learn it, and fast. Right?

Wrong, of course.

Paint it Black (ao3) - crystallopianqueen T, 44k

Summary: The Avengers are broken and scattered across the globe after the events of Civil War. But when Peter Parker is taken by the very worst of humanity, Tony Stark will do whatever it takes to get him back, even if it means hunting down former friends and enemies to do it.

Strike Three (ao3) - opal_earrings G, 4k

Summary: “With a groan, Peter lifted his aching head off his chest and craned his neck upwards. He was handcuffed, suspended from a chain that reached the ceiling. When he kicked his feet, his toes only just scuffed at the floor.

He’d been kidnapped.

Peter’s stomach sank at the realization. Oh, God, he was definitely going to miss his curfew. Mr. Stark would be furious.”

Or: Peter’s already missed his curfew twice in the past week, and he doesn’t want to find out what will happen if he misses it a third time. Which is inconvenient for him when he finds himself chained up in a warehouse with his curfew fast approaching.

Tag, You're It (ao3) - SpaceCowboysFromMars T, 3k

Summary: They’re just rounding the corner of the canteen, hand-in-hand, when Peter is slammed with a feeling that makes everything within him stop working. He freezes, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as his senses scream at him, warn him, plead with him to get away from the unseen danger-

Something cold is pressed into the center of Peter’s spine. There’s a click and a deep voice, “Make a sound and I’ll shoot the kid.”

Peter turns his head ever-so-slightly, just enough to see Mac Gargan’s face staring back at him as he presses the muzzle of a gun to the teenager’s back.

The Redundant Rescue Mission (ao3) - for_the_night G, 4k

Summary: “Oh, hey guys! What are you doing here?” Peter asked, appearing from behind a tree.

Bucky blinked. “We’re here to rescue you.”

“Oh… I mean, I can go back if you want? I'm sure I can crawl back through the window and I won’t tell anyone.”

Steve bawked at him. “Excuse me?”

“I can even tie myself back up if it makes it better?”

“Are you seriously suggesting un-rescuing yourself?”

Or: Peter gets kidnapped, but Steve and Bucky are a little late in getting the mystery kid back to his dad

weapons never weep (ao3) - McSquishee pepper/tony T, 36k

Summary: “Let me make something clear, insect. You are a freak of nature that serves no purpose outside of science and war, and you do not have nor deserve the luxury of human rights. I gave you the opportunity to make this easy on yourself, but if you must be difficult, I will have no qualms over forcing you into submission by any means necessary.”

The man looked over to him, his expression unwavering and offering no guilt or remorse.

“You are naught but a weapon, and I will treat you as such. Don’t forget that.”

-or-

On a mission gone haywire, Peter is abducted by HYDRA, and they will do whatever it takes to harness his biology for their benefit.

[sorenphelps]

marauders x atla/lok AU -- remastered.

I’ve been rewatching atla with my bf recently, which really put me in the mood to revisit this old idea. So I present you a brand new fanart of Peter, Remus, Sirius, James, Lily and Snape (from left to right) designed as atla/lok characters. Also, have an additional sketchdump with some scenarios and whatnot.

Some further unreasonably detailed ideas:

James is an earthbender/metalbender, the only son of famous metalbending acupuncturists. He is also the pro-bending team captain of the Zaofu Saber-tooth Moose Lions. His teammates are Kingsley (firebender) and Xenofilius Lovegood (water/swampbender). He has a very obvious crush on Lily, non-stop trying to impress her with little gifts and dangerous stunts. He is a clever and resourceful prankster. His metalbending master was McGonagall, who is deep down a little disappointed that James became a pro-bender instead of a detective. She watches all of his matches anyways.

Lily is a non-bender from Republic City, who is a chi-blocker and a herbalist. Her childhood friend is Snape who also shared an interest in herbs and poisonous plants. Lily started learning chi-blocking because Snape became way too invested in bloodbending. She is secretly a pro-bending fan and is very fascinated by James’ seemingly failed attempts at flirting. She is estranged with her sister as Petunia hates benders. Lily developed a friendship with Sirius over both of them sharing a complicated relationship with their siblings. She bonded with Remus over their interest in healing.

Sirius is a powerful firebender who owns a motorbike. He met James while trying to fix a stubborn loose screw and they’ve been inseparable ever since, pulling off various shenanigans. He has an unlimited number of parking and speeding tickets. Because of this, he's been sentenced multiple times by Police Chief McGonagall to perform community service in Republic City’s Power Plant generating lightning. His family originates from the richest Fire Nation colony governors, who managed to maintain their noble status and money, but also their traditionalism. They enrolled Sirius to the Fire Nation Army so he could become a high-ranking officer as expected, but he eventually deserted to find real adventures. He still wears his military uniform jacket as a memento.

Remus is a waterbender who has a strong connection to the wolf spirit of the Forgetful Valley. As a little kid he was bitten by a venomous animal possessed by a dark spirit and became very sick. He could be eventually healed by the water of the lake the wolf spirit drank from that season. Hence during full moon his waterbending abilities are charged with the wolf spirit’s energy, forming the shape of the wolf’s head during attacks. He needs to drink from the Forgetful Valley lake waters during lunar eclipses unless he becomes sick again. He works at an animal clinic as a healer. He is dating Sirius, but they are both very awkward about their undeniable feelings.

Regulus is a firebender working as a double agent for Republic City’s Police and Triads. He is involved in various triad business, gathering information and handling pro-bending bets. He is quiet and introverted as opposed to his brother Sirius whose powerful bending abilities and fearless personality gained him quite a reputation. They are not in speaking terms with each other, even though they often get in trouble together when Sirius eventually interferes with his little brother’s operations not knowing he is a double agent.

Peter is a seemingly weak earthbender from Ba Sing Se who cares more about culinary delights than anything else. However, he is deeply involved with Triad business, handling bets, spying and other illegal activities. During a turf war his hand was injured, so he wears a Dai Li rock glove to cover it. As he looks rather harmless, prefers to hide his bending abilities and leaves a general cowardly impression of himself, no one really suspects that he is in fact a spy and a smart player.

Snape is a waterbender prodigy, who also knows much about poisons. He is still obsessed with Lily, even though she has ended their friendship when he demonstrated his self-taught bloodbending abilities on her sister. He spent years researching bending forms and developed his own techniques hoping to win Lily’s trust back. As a result, he is able to bloodbend without a full moon which is his preferred style despite knowing all other sub-forms of waterbending. His talent sparked the interest of Voldemort.

Voldemort is an energy bender who, alongside his mother, was attacked by an enraged snake spirit. His mother died, however he survived due to his awakening energy bending powers, somehow sealing the snake spirit into himself thus enslaving it as his servant. In exchange, his face developed snake-like features. He could turn spirits into dark spirits and seal their power into himself. He planned to find the next Avatar (Harry) so he could rip Raava out of him, corrupt and seal the spirit into himself. He believed this would make him the most powerful being on the world, as then he would gain the bending powers of the Avatar.

Dumbledore is an airbending master and spiritual guru. He has a pet phoenix spirit. He is the grand master of the White Lotus and the unofficial guardian of the spirit portal of Republic City. His main priority is to protect earth citizens as the new Avatar will be born as one of them. However, his master plan is to reconnect Raava and Vaatu and permanently fuse both of them with the Avatar, as only this could bring true balance.

You can find more atla/lok AU content with old ideas here, here and here. Anyone who is willing to write or somehow contribute to this AU, feel free to tag me. I’m in so deep, I might even draw more.

[spnfistfight]

Welcome to spnfistfight, round two, child edition!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

After a stunning victory by Ms. Eileen Leahy, we're following up with a second brawl. This time, with children. The rules are simple:

1. The character must be or have been under 18 during the course of the show. If they have aged over 18, the under 18 version of the character will be used. Possession does not count if the supernatural being is an adult.

2. No weapons or superpowers are permitted in the ring. Only their wits and their fists.

Submissions are to be sent through the ask box. I am looking for preferably 64, so we can go twice as long as last time, but 32 is the minimum. Submissions are closing on June 4, and Round One will begin shortly after.

The child fights will be tagged as both #spnfistfight and #spnchildfight. Personal posts are under jes.txt.

If you have any questions about submissions or rules, send me an ask, I'd love to help.

Participants are under the cut :)

Aiden (8x18)

Alex Jones

Allen (7x22)

Asher (1x18)

Barry (4x13)

Ben Braeden

Ben Colins (1x02)

Bela Talbot

Bobby Singer (7x10)

Bobby John (6x02)

Caitlin Johnson (15x16)

Callie Garrison (3x05)

Castiel, Gertie, and Sam Fitzgerald

Channing Ngo (7x21)

Claire Novak (10 Years Old)

Cyrus Styne (10x22)

Daphne Blake

Dean Winchester (9x07)

Dean Winchester II

Dirk (4x13)

Eileen Leahy (11x11)

Elliot (14x13, 14x16)

Emily (7x22)

Emma Winchester

Evan McKay (1x15)

Family Remains Girl (Unnamed) (4x11)

Fred Jones

Gary (5x12)

Jack Kline

Jacob Pond

Jesse (The Antichrist)

John Winchester (?) (8x12)

Jordy Pinsky (11x05)

Josephine Barnes (8x18)

Kate (8x04, 10x04)

Kevin Tran

Krissy Chambers

Lily Shoemaker (1x05)

Lizzy Gibson (4x11)

Lora (14x03)

Lucas Barr (1x03)

Magda Peterson (12x04)

Maggie Thompson (2x11)

Matt Pike (1x08)

May Sunder

Max (14x13, 14x16)

Melanie Merchant (1x19)

Michael (1x18)

Mick Davies

Missy Bender (1x15)

Oliver (8x16)

Owen Mills

Patience Turner

Peter Sweeny (1x03)

Sam Winchester (4x13)

Shaggy Rogers and Scooby-Doo

Stacy (14x13, 14x16)

The entire cast of Supernatural: The Musical (10x05)

The Gore Boys (5x09)

Timmy (9x07)

Toni Bevell's Son (11x23)

Tod (4x08)

Travis Johnson

Tyler Thompson (2x11)

Velma Dinkley

[theewolfprincess]

ZARA JADE CESAR: [SHE] was born [57] years ago, is a [WEREWOLF] and lives in [THE OUTSKIRTS] as a [LIBRARIAN AT GREYWOOD HISTORIC LIBRARY], and is the [LEADER OF THE CESAR PACK ]. [SHE] looks an awful lot like [HALLE BERRY]

✕ ⸻ BASICS ⸻ FULL NAME: Zara Jade Cesar ⸻ NICKNAMES: Jade (middle name), Z, ZZ, ZC ⸻ BIRTHDAY: April 7th  ⸻ ZODIAC: Aries Sun ⸻ AGE: 57 years old ⸻ GENDER: cis female ⸻ PRONOUNS: she/her ⸻ SEXUAL & ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: bisexual & biromantic ⸻ SCARS / TATTOOS: scars on back, wrists, and arms from torture. ⸻ OCCUPATION: Librarian at Greywood Historical Library ⸻ SPECIES: Werewolf ⸻ GREYWOO ABILITY: Darkness manipulation ⸻INSPO: yennefer (the witcher), john bender (the breakfast club), peter wiggin (ender's game), daenerys targaryen (game of thrones), selina kyle (gotham), elliot stabler (law & order svu), dean winchester (supernatural)

✕ ⸻ BIO

Zara Jade Cesar was born on April 7th, 57 years ago, into the prestigious Cesar family, the founding family of Greywood. The Cesars were renowned for their pure werewolf bloodline, with each generation producing strong werewolves. Zara, however, was the only human child born to her parents, a fact that caused her family great shame. Despite their love for her, their pride in their heritage led them to send her away to a boarding school when she was 13, hoping to avoid the embarrassment of having a human child.

At boarding school, Zara found a temporary refuge. Away from the expectations and judgments of her family, she thrived academically and socially. It was here that she met her future husband. In their senior year, he revealed to her that he was a werewolf. Zara accepted him and confided in him about her family's legacy and their reaction to her being human. This mutual understanding and acceptance laid the foundation for their future together.

After graduating from college, Zara and her husband got married and started a family. They were blessed with two children, both of whom inherited the werewolf gene. Their family life was idyllic, filled with love and happiness, until a fateful full moon changed everything. During one particularly painful transformation, Zara's eldest son, Xavier, bit her in a fit of uncontrollable rage. This bite transformed Zara into a werewolf, altering her life irrevocably.

At the age of 50, Zara's family was kidnapped by a group of hunters. Instead of killing them outright, the hunters subjected them to years of brutal torture. Zara endured unimaginable pain and suffering as she watched her children and husband be tortured alongside her. On the night of a full moon, when she was 56, the hunters decided to kill her family, starting with her children and ending with her husband. In a fit of uncontrollable rage and despair, Zara tapped into her darkness manipulation abilities and killed the hunters, managing to escape the hell she had been living in.

Traumatized and fearing for her life, Zara went into hiding. She spent months moving from one abandoned building to another, living off the grid, and avoiding any form of human contact. On full moons, she would retreat to the woods, afraid of what she might do if she lost control again. The constant fear of being hunted and tortured again kept her on edge.

Eventually, Zara found herself back in Greywood, the place of her birth and the origin of her family's legacy. The familiarity of the town and the presence of her pack provided a semblance of safety and stability. She took on the role of a librarian at the Greywood Historical Library, a job that allowed her to be surrounded by the knowledge and stories she loved. Her position also helped her reconnect with the community and find a new purpose in life.

As the leader of the Cesar Pack, Zara dedicated herself to protecting her pack and ensuring their safety. Her experiences had made her both a formidable leader and a compassionate figure. She organized events at the library, providing a safe space for others to learn and grow. Her German Shepherds, Sativa and Indica, played a crucial role in her healing process, offering emotional support and protection.

Despite finding a new home and purpose in Greywood, Zara continues to struggle with the trauma of her past. She has trouble sleeping and often goes on long jogs to exhaust herself in hopes of finding some peace. Her home is filled with the calming scents of lavender and other gentle aromas, providing a small respite from her haunted memories. The heart-shaped locket she wears with pictures of her family is a constant reminder of what she has lost and the strength she has gained.

Zara's journey has made her a respected and trusted figure in Greywood. She is a pillar of the community, offering support and guidance to those in need. Her ability to manipulate darkness is both a symbol of her past struggles and her current strength. Through her resilience and determination, Zara Jade Cesar has become a beacon of hope and a testament to the power of healing and perseverance.

✕ ⸻ WANTED CONNECTIONS

open to anything

✕ ⸻ HEADCANONS

Swimming as Therapy: On her time off, Zara finds solace in swimming. The water feels calming, and it's one of the few activities that can ease her mind and body.

Protective German Shepherds: She owns two German Shepherds, Sativa (2) and Indica (3), who are trained Emotional Support Animals. They accompany her to the library and serve as therapy dogs for the community, providing comfort and protection.

Avid Reader: Zara's love for reading is one of her defining traits. She often gets lost in the pages of historical texts and ancient lore, finding comfort in the stories of others.

Reserved About Her Past: Zara rarely discusses her past unless she feels a deep connection with someone. When she does share, it's usually small anecdotes rather than the full extent of her trauma.

Struggles with Sleep: Due to the horrific experiences of the past six years, Zara has trouble sleeping and often suffers from nightmares. She frequently goes on jogs to tire herself out in hopes of achieving a peaceful night's sleep.

Sentimental Keepsake: Zara wears a heart-shaped locket containing pictures of her late family members. It's a cherished item that she never takes off, serving as a constant reminder of her loved ones.

Scent of Home: Her home is always filled with the soothing scents of incense or candles. She particularly favors woodsy or gentle aromas, with lavender being her top choice for its calming effects.

Pack Leader: As the leader of the Cesar Pack, Zara is fiercely protective and takes her responsibilities seriously. She strives to create a safe and nurturing environment for her pack members.

Emotional Armor: Despite her nurturing nature, Zara has built emotional walls around herself. She's kind and supportive but remains guarded, fearing further loss and betrayal.

Community Pillar: Zara is deeply involved in the Greywood community. She organizes events at the library and offers a listening ear to anyone in need, becoming a trusted and respected figure in the town.

Strength in Solitude: While she enjoys the company of her pack and community, Zara also values her solitude. She often retreats to nature, finding strength and clarity in the quiet moments alone.

Fitness Enthusiast: Zara maintains a rigorous fitness routine, combining jogging, swimming, and strength training. It's a way to keep herself physically ready for any challenges and mentally grounded.

Master of Disguise: Due to her past, Zara has become adept at blending in and disguising herself when necessary. She can seamlessly shift between being the approachable librarian and the formidable pack leader.

Connection to Nature: Zara has a deep connection to nature, often seeking refuge in the forests around Greywood. The natural world offers her peace and a sense of belonging that she can't find elsewhere.

[doueverwonder]

Alr, gotta talk about my Sealand hc now bc there's actually a lot.

So anyway, back in 1967 William and François were on a break in their relationship, and Will was being dumb went on one of his infamous benders. And somewhere during it Made A Choice.

2 months later he and François reconcile and get back together. A month and a half after that William gets tracked down by a stranger. This woman shows up provides just enough details to jog some memories and then promptly tells him "I'm pregnant, I'm 97% sure it's yours". shit. They exchange details, she leaves. He calls Fran.

A week later he's explaining to François what happened and is casually internally freaking out bc "I basically cheated on him oh my gosh"; it is something they'll have to talk about but also François reminds him technically they weren't together at the time so grace will have to be given. "It's okay, I forgive you" it's pretty harmless to their relationship in the grand scheme, they've survived worse.

Anyway, she shows back up (I'm gonna call her Sarah for now bc I don't have anything else); and tells William "I don't really want to be a mom right now," and the main conversation is adoption which Will is 100% for, like whatever she wants he's down. Until François points out "and if the baby in a personification?". Cue Will calling her to be like "Heyyyyy maybe don't look too deep into the adoption thing, because I'm considering taking the baby? But I don't know yet, I have to think about it"

Anywho, in between finding out and the baby actually being born François gets really excited. Like has to be reminded on the daily the baby will probably be human; "when our child is-" "My child François!"

William gets a call in the middle of the night, and the only thing he gets from François as he's leaving is "You have to call me as soon as the baby is here and tell me if we have a kid or not!" 8-14 hours later Will gets to a phone and calls back to the house and he doesn't even say hello, just "We have a son"

Anywho, Peter Maël Kirkland-Bonnefoy (François spent many hours arguing for that middle name) was born September 2nd, 1967 and his dads got him home September 4th, his mom signed over custody and basically disappeared. And Peter was their baby, that they got to raise generally undisturbed, and Pete's got a big old family who just love him to bits and that's it. That's all that matters.

[casspurrjoybell-17]

Heart’s Choice - Chapter 10 - Part 1

*Warning Adult Content*

Detective John Turner   

‘I'm in trouble,’ that's what I think as I watch Carlos Martinez disappear up the stairs. 

I was already way too turned on by the sight of him in his underwear and it seems like he gets more attractive every time I look at him. 

He's everything I like in a man and maybe more.

He's got a masculine beauty, a mix of strength and vulnerability, that calls to me in dangerous ways. 

I want to protect and take care of him and at the same time, I want to make him beg, make him cry and then kiss away his tears.

I blink and take a breath, clearing the image from my brain and refocus on Mrs. Peters. 

The sour look on her face makes me wonder what telling thing she just saw on mine and I clear my throat.

"How long had Kyle lived with you?" I ask.

"Since he was thirteen, when his parents died."

"Your brother and his wife."

"That's right."

"How did they die?"

Mrs. Peters shrugs. 

"It was their wedding anniversary. They left Kyle with me while they went out for a night of debauchery at a hotel. Only they never came back. Bloody inconsiderate of them, I thought. I thought they'd gone on a bender, you see. Gotten drunk and were simply sick and hungover. I wasn't worried. My brother and his wife weren't the most responsible people, you know."

"When did you report them missing?"

"As soon as I could, the following day."

"But they were never found."

"Vanished without a trace. Seven years later, they were declared legally dead."

"You think they're still alive?"

She shakes her head. 

"No. They weren't in any trouble, that I know of and they loved their son. They wouldn't have abandoned Kyle, especially not with me."

"Why's that?"

She lifts her bony shoulders in a shrug and wraps her shawl around herself more tightly. 

"It was no secret Richard and I didn't want children."

"Richard, that's your husband?"

"Was my husband, yes."

"How did he die, if I may ask?"

"Richard died of a heart attack only a few weeks after Kyle came to stay with us. Well, falling down the stairs and breaking his neck is what killed him but the heart attack was to blame. It was lucky I had Kyle, then. I don't know how I'd have managed without him. Don't know how I'll manage, now that he's gone, too."

She sniffs and wipes her eyes.

I make a note to look into the case of Kyle's parents. 

Four deaths, one murder for certain, two likely and a fourth possible, all surrounding one person, raises suspicion. 

On the other hand, some families just get more than their fair share of bad luck and no frail old woman murdered Kyle.

 Whoever strung him up under that bridge had to have been insanely strong.

Still, a good investigator leaves no stone unturned.

"Do you smoke, Mrs. Peters?" I ask, having detected a telltale scent in the air.

"I do," she nods.

"My only vice."

"Any particular brand?"

"Marlboro Lights. Richard got me started on them. Why?"

I hesitate, then choose my words with care. 

"Some cigarettes were found with Kyle. Did he smoke?"

"Oh, no. I wouldn't let him. He bought them for me, though. I'd asked him to pick me up a pack. That was why he had them, I imagine."

Internally, I swear.

If that's the case, that's one lead down the drain. 

The killer might not smoke at all and only used the cigarettes because they were convenient.

"Thank you, Mrs. Peters. You've been very helpful." I look towards the stairs but Carlos has yet to reappear.

"I'll just collect my partner and we'll be out of your hair."

Upstairs, I find a small landing and a narrow, dark hall, at the end of which a door stands open. 

Inside, Carlos sits at the foot of a narrow bed, hands resting on his knees and his eyes closed.

I knock on the open door and he looks up, fixing me with a limpid stare, his brown eyes bright and clear.

"Anything?"

He shakes his head. 

"Not a whiff of ghost here."

"Not much at all, by the look of it. Was your room this clean when you were twenty-two?"

He laughs, the expression lighting his face. 

"I'm about to turn twenty-seven and my room's never been this clean."

I glance at him. 

I saw his age when I booked him at the station but it was just a number on a form to me, then. 

Now, I can't help noticing the smoothness of his toffee-hued skin, the shine of his long brown hair, the five o' clock shadow darkening the clean line of his jaw or the way his hands look both strong and delicate as he twists them in his lap.

I bite the inside of my bottom lip hard enough to draw blood but the pain only feeds the fire. 

I need to get a handle on this fast.

I agreed to work with Martinez to catch a monster but if I'm not careful, he'll unleash a monster of a different kind.

Turning my attention to the room, I rest my hands on my hips and sigh.

It looks like a spread from a catalog. 

Nothing out of place, from the bed covers you could bounce a quarter on to the matching throw pillows. 

There's a small desk, completely clean, with a gooseneck lamp and a little organizer for pens and pencils and things.

It's the most organized pen holder I've ever seen.

"Was Kyle... uh. I don't know the correct term but did he have OCD or something?"

Carlos looks up at me, fixing me with that beautiful, brown-eyed stare again. 

"No. OCD isn't like how it's depicted on TV, anyway but no, Kyle was..." he looks around the room and blinks, as if just remembering where he is.

"Kyle was a slob, frankly speaking. If I didn't know better, I'd say he'd never set foot in this room."

"Or the room's been wiped clean."

"You think Mrs. Peters climbed those stairs and changed the sheets herself? She can barely catch her breath sitting down."

"Maybe she had help."

I open my mouth and shut it again as my own words echo in my head.

‘Maybe she had help.’

Everything had pointed to one killer, one person who lured the victim to his doom, strung him up and tortured him to death but what if it was more than one? 

What if there had been two?

"John? Are you okay?"

I blink, shake my head and release my breath with a sigh. 

"Yeah. I'm fine. What do you say we get out of here now? Get something to eat."

"Sure thing. Whatever you say, boss."

He lowers his head submissively and I hear something in his voice that makes me look at him 'really look at him' for the first time and God but I want to fuck him right now.

The need for approval, for validation and love, speaks to me loud and clear and calls to a part of me I don't usually acknowledge during daylight hours.

This is dangerous, m

ore dangerous than he could possibly imagine.

If I'm not careful, this beautiful man could find himself in as bad a place as Kyle.

On the other hand, he's clearly accustomed to the stranger side of things. 

If I play my cards right...

I rub the back of my neck and sigh.

After Becky, I should know better

"Right. So, what do you say we visit Rexi's burgers? Dinner and recon in one go."

His eyes widen and his stomach literally growls.

I could smack myself. 

Sometimes I forget that not everyone eats like me.

Extending a hand, I help Carlos to his feet.

"Burgers it is. On me."

He blinks his big brown eyes at me and in that moment, I know it's already too late.

I'm fucked or more precisely, we both are and in more ways than one.

[apieters]

Katerina Marshal, Lady of the Isles

From my interviews with High Shepherd Yan:

Katerina Marshal, Lady of the Isles...ah, another dear friend I miss. I first met her when she was Princess Katerina Bender of Alpan, the daughter of Prince Otto Bender, one of the six Princes of Heimar. Oh, I'm sorry, you are a stranger here, you don't understand: the Lord of the Isles is a Prince of Heimar, equal to the Princes of Alpan, Centrevale, Eastan, Costa and Pushta. But Peter Dragonsbane and his descendants never took the title of Prince, only styling themselves "Lord" of the Isles. But Katerina Marshal was one of Torin's followers, and the love of Peter the Marshal's life. The children were betrothed by their fathers as a peace treaty, ending the war caused by Lord Claas's father, Magnus the Black. Such marriages are rarely happy, but Claas and Otto were kind men and attentive fathers, and they raised their children as childhood friends who visited frequently, and Katerina and Peter grew to love each other deeply. When Claas was assassinated and Peter went into hiding, Katerina's heart was closed to every suitor but Peter, and those who did not know her found her to be as cold and icy as the mountain crags of her native Alpan--but that was only to those who knew her not. As she followed Torin across Heimar, Katerina's wisdom in matters of judgement and her practical planning made her invaluable. We were never without food, nor did our purses run dry, thanks to her prudence. When Tiberian the Wicked attacked the great castle of Aesirert, it was her preparations that allowed the garrison to withstand the siege, and Aesirert became the rock on which the Red Dragon was finally and forever broken. When Peter became Lord of the Isles and Marshal of Heimar, Lady Katerina was in every way his equal. No decision was made without consulting with her, and many a summer campaign saw Lady Katerina ruling the Isles in her husband's name while he drove the Thrallic Empire off the continent. Just as many campaigns, however, saw her in Peter's tent, holding audience with lords and ladies and forging the diplomatic alliances necessary for Peter to continue the Reconquest of Heimar and set up the peace we now enjoy. She was an attentive mother to her children, Reikert and Hendrick, and when Peter all but disowned his younger son, Katerina did not. When she finally succumbed to the plague, the entire Kingdom of Heimar mourned for her. Some say that it was not the same plague which killed Peter the Marshal, but a broken heart. I was one of the few who knew them best--I cannot say, this time, that the minstrels are entirely wrong.

[woodchipp]

I could compare OMORI to Silent Hill 2, which I don't know much in detail (@woodchipp is the one who made this comparison - I keep tagging him because he's the expert here :P) but I know that its big twist is that the protagonist actually killed his wife because she fell sick. Apparently many fans picked for James the ending where he kills himself because they did not have any sympathy for him. I know that the game itself did not paint him as a poow bapyboy, just presented you with the events and his understandable guilt.

Ehh, It was less "the players had no sympathy for James" and more "the players felt that it was the most appropriate way for his character arc to end". Still, I couldn't possibly imagine someone saying something along the lines of that on an OMORI fan forum without getting bullied or doxxed

As for the rest, you're right on the money - SH2 makes sure not to milk James' suffering and mental issues to make you feel bad for him. As my friend @skaruresonic once put it, the game paints a portrait of James as a character, but doesn't finish it for you - since none of the game's endings are canon and James' motivations for killing Mary vary in some of them, you are free to interpret him whichever way and the game will pass no judgement on you for that. OMORI doesn't allow you the same luxury - if you agree with Omori and choose to let Sunny kill himself, you're an empathy-lacking fuckwit who demonizes children :)

Silent Hill 2 doesn't use the circumstances of Mary's murder to absolve him of his guilt (even though they're genuinely depressing from a realistic standpoint) and distance him from his crime, but it doesn't paint him as a selfish murderer who only killed her because he saw her as a burden and couldn't have sex with her either because it's clear that he did love her. That is nuance.

A rich, spoiled kid killing his family relative in the middle of a temper tantrum isn't nuanced, realistic or relatable. It's just shit writing.

I could compare it to Hereditary, which also has a brother accidentally causing his sister's death and (before steering into the paranormal side of the plot) was about how that death wrecked the entire family and destroyed the relationship between son and mother who could only blame everyone around her.

One aspect of Hereditary's "brother accidentally kills sister" plot that I came to appreciate is that, unlike OMORI, Peter's (arguably) biggest mistake is leaving his younger sibling unsupervised because he got distracted by something else, which is a very relatable and common mistake for people to make. Of course, It is irresponsible, but it is understandable to an extent as well.

(also OMORI's writing fucking wishes it had a fraction of the sheer impact Annie's raw, anguished wailing over losing her daughter had.)

I could compare it to Bojack Horseman, which explores the themes of forgiveness with cruel nuance - we viewers relate to Bojack and want him to finally find happiness because we get familiar with his circumstances, but when he fucks up, the people around him are allowed to cut contact with him, which makes eventual forgiveness (like from Todd) be even more precious. Incidentally, Xerox of a Xerox is all about Hollywoo discovering Bojack's role in Sarah Lynn's death (pushing her to go on a bender that led to her overdose and deliberately waiting to call an ambulance to create an alibi)... and he more than pays the consequences.

Bojack Horseman's entire sixth season and final episode, "Nice While It Lasted" showcases just how much he paid the consequences - his half-sister blocks his number so that he'll never get to contact her again once the news about Sarah Lynn break out, he's eventually placed in a maximum-security prison, only gets out for a day because one of his old friends pulled some strings since she wanted him to attend her wedding and Diane, his closest friend for essentially the entire show, decides to leave her friendship with him behind because she recognized how mentally taxing it was to her.

In short, Bojack loses a lot - his career, his fame, his money and most of the people he could consider his friends. Even though "Nice While It Lasted" in general seems to have a faintly optimistic tone, Bojack fears that he'll relapse into his old behaviors once he actually gets out of the prison - the exact same behaviors that landed him into the position he's in at the end of the show.

What exactly does Sunny lose by the time OMORI's story wraps up? His friends? It's not like they were relevant anyway, given that the game doesn't bother to show us their reactions to his confession. I'd even go as far as to argue that OMORI's true ending is the exact opposite of Bojack Horseman's ending - while Bojack ends up paying for all the shit he did over the course of the show, Sunny conveniently avoids taking responsibility for his actions by moving town and leaving his closest friend to deal with the consequences all by himself. But hey, they smiled at each other in that secret ending cutscene, so it's all okay, right? Right?

There's no actual development to Sunny's character. He just does a lot of shitty things and the game allows him to get away with them because he's neurodivergent and a minor a Depwessed Widdle Bean. Mental illness should never be used as fucking pity-bait material like that, thank you very much.

(a little P.S. - If Aubrey was perfectly willing to harass Basil for four years without knowing the truth, I don't want to imagine what kind of hell she'd put him through after she learns it. What if some of Sunny's friends don't forgive him and get furious at him for lying to them? What if they decide to take out their anger on Basil? They may not have the criminal himself, but they sure do have the accomplice 🙂)

hugging Asriel and him crying that he doesn't want to let go >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> a shallow slideshow of Sunny and Mari being oh so happy together.

This story has been done multiple times, and infinitely better, giving all the respect necessary to every character involved, not just the cute protagonist. OMORI has nothing to offer if not a decent aesthetic.

Nothing to add. Cosigned 💖

I get it that Omocat wanted to focus on the feelz over everything else. But games like Yume Nikki(a game that Omori was clearly trying to ape) don't have a big overarching narrative, and is a very simple freeware game that leaves much room for interpretation. Also helps that it's ost was made to be atmospheric, even if you hear a song for only a couple seconds. I can listen to an extended version of this track while working on something, despite it being a 22 second loop.

https://youtu.be/hlayu0pXLYU?si=srwyAuKuP3cKBs3-

And in terms of games where you beat the final boss by unconventional means, the Earthbound/Mother series(another game/s Omocat was obviously trying to emulate) does so in a way that ties in perfectly with the story and characters in all three games, making the emotional pay-off from them earned.

Omori really wanted to be those games, but missed the mark on why they eventually became cult classics, while a game like Undertale was able to perfectly capture the spirit of them.

I could compare OMORI to Silent Hill 2, which I don't know much in detail (@woodchipp is the one who made this comparison - I keep tagging him because he's the expert here :P) but I know that its big twist is that the protagonist actually killed his wife because she fell sick. Apparently many fans picked for James the ending where he kills himself because they did not have any sympathy for him. I know that the game itself did not paint him as a poow bapyboy, just presented you with the events and his understandable guilt.

I could compare it to Hereditary, which also has a brother accidentally causing his sister's death and (before steering into the paranormal side of the plot) was about how that death wrecked the entire family and destroyed the relationship between son and mother who could only blame everyone around her.

I could compare it to Bojack Horseman, which explores the themes of forgiveness with cruel nuance - we viewers relate to Bojack and want him to finally find happiness because we get familiar with his circumstances, but when he fucks up, the people around him are allowed to cut contact with him, which makes eventual forgiveness (like from Todd) be even more precious. Incidentally, Xerox of a Xerox is all about Hollywoo discovering Bojack's role in Sarah Lynn's death (pushing her to go on a bender that led to her overdose and deliberately waiting to call an ambulance to create an alibi)... and he more than pays the consequences.

I could compare it to Steven Universe, and how it shows just how many people Rose hurt with her deception, even if well intentioned - Garnet falls apart, Amethyst tries to protect Steven from feeling responsible, Pearl moves on from her after their final bind has been cut.

I could compare it to Evangelion, which, as @spinningbuster98 said, also has a depressed teen as its protagonist, but he's pitiable because the story actually fleshes him out and doesn't shy away from the worst sympthoms of his depression, self-loathing and deep desire to be loved.

And if you mention unconventional final bosses, then there's also Undertale and its three final bosses: Asgore removing the choice of MERCY because he really wants to be killed, the fight against Asriel where Frisk is so full of Determination to SAVE him that they straight up cannot die, and Sans cheating all over the place because you player are also a cruel cheater. Also hugging Asriel and him crying that he doesn't want to let go >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> a shallow slideshow of Sunny and Mari being oh so happy together.

This story has been done multiple times, and infinitely better, giving all the respect necessary to every character involved, not just the cute protagonist. OMORI has nothing to offer if not a decent aesthetic.

[grudnick]

Side Walk Symphony, The stuff I notice whilst emptying our Doggy by Skatole Grudnick Via Flickr: Peter Bender & Sons, 1921...A hundred years ago Peter Bender and his two sons poured a lot of cement alleys, & sidewalks in my little town. This dude knew his cement ! Born abt 1907 BirthplacePennsylvania GenderMale RaceWhite Home in 1940 1450 Andre Street Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland Household Members Age HeadPeter Bender33 WifeMonica Bender30 SonRonald Bender7 SonDaniel Bender5

[gracie-bird]

Prince Albert Sheds New Light on When His Parents Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier First Met

The royal couple succeeded in keeping their developing romance secret until Prince Rainier sailed for America, proposing seven months after their first meeting

By Peter Mikelbank May 13, 2022 10:59 AM

Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly in 1956

| CREDIT: AP PHOTO

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco's royal marriage continues to fascinate. The modern fairy tale involving a prince and a Hollywood actress remains a love story for the ages. Now, 67 years after the couple's first meeting, their son Prince Albert is shedding new light on their storied encounter.

Kelly and Rainier's meeting was orchestrated in part by Gone with the Wind actress Olivia de Havilland. Recalling her role in the pairing, the Oscar winner, who died in 2020 at the age of 104, told PEOPLE in 2017: "I'm tempted to think it was destiny." 

On May 4, 1955, de Havilland and her husband, Paris-Match editor Pierre Galante, were traveling by train to Cannes. When Galante learned that Kelly was a fellow passenger, he was "struck" by the idea that the actress should meet Prince Rainier, de Havilland recalled.

When the train arrived in Cannes, de Havilland ran to catch Kelly to suggest the meeting.

"Grace struck me on the first encounter as a rather reserved, self-possessed, well brought up young woman," de Havilland said, recalling their fateful exchange which occurred "on the small platform between the dining car and the next carriage when I overtook her to ask if she would agree to a meeting with Prince Rainier."

"She immediately agreed, but made the highly professional proviso that such a meeting must first be approved of by the studio sponsoring her visit to Cannes: MGM."

Grace Kelly, Olivia de Havilland, Pierre Galante and MGM public relations manager Elias Lainière arrive at Cannes station in 1955

| CREDIT: EDWARD QUINNN, © EDWARDQUINN.COM

With Kelly's "immediate agreement" secured, Galante set to work. He telephoned Kelly to announce Rainier had invited her to his palace at 4 p.m., the following afternoon. Explaining her required presence at a Cannes cocktail for her film at 5:30, she declined. Later, when Galante called back saying Rainier had consented to move their meeting up to 3, Grace relented.

The morning of the pair's meeting started badly — and got progressively worse.

Waking late, Kelly washed her hair before discovering a labor strike had cut off all the festival city's electricity. No hairdryer, makeup lights or iron. With two cars waiting downstairs outside The Carlton hotel, Kelly pulled her hair back, arranged it with flowers, put on her one unwrinkled outfit (a thick silk taffeta "Easy To Sew" floral model she'd worn a year earlier for McCall's Patterns) and of course, finding the elevators without power, rushed down several flights of stairs, to meet Galante and a carload of photographers.

A fender-bender with photographers in a following car delayed them and when they eventually arrived at the Palace, Rainier wasn't there. 

According to Prince Albert, Rainier's aide-de-camp welcomed Kelly, but for 55 minutes, it was the palace's maitre d'hote Michel Demaurizi who "heroically" kept Grace occupied. 

As Albert recently recounted to Paris-Match, Demaurizi walked her through the rooms of the palace's grand apartments, where he "shared his fascination for Napoleon, lingering in front of Empire-period masterpieces" collected by Rainier's grandfather Prince Louis II. 

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier in 1956

| CREDIT: KEYSTONE/GETTY

The clock was ticking and Kelly was due back for a reception in her honor at Cannes. "It was nearly 4 p.m. when my father finally appeared in the royal antechamber. A few shots were made. The famous handshake photograph, posed," Albert said.

When Rainier invited Kelly to see his 225-room palace, she replied she'd already had the full tour. "As the whole visit was already done, there was nothing left for the prince to show — except the gardens," Albert added.

The couple walked ahead, speaking privately, outside the earshot of photographers and journalists, as they toured the gardens and Rainier's private zoo. "The atmosphere changed," Prince Albert said. "The couple relaxed."

The royal's menagerie housed a Bengal tiger and three monkeys, and Rainier took pride in "showing off two injured lions he'd picked up during a cruise on the African coast.

"My father, at ease, let his charm work and a dialogue began," he added.

There was, however, Grace's reception in Cannes and "no time for a glass of champagne, not even time for a signature in the Palace's Visitor's book," Albert added. "It's as if the date of May 6, 1955, wasn't going to remain in the annals of the Principality."  

Prince Albert

| CREDIT: MANUEL QUEIMADELOS/QUALITY SPORT IMAGES/GETTY

In contrast, the McCall's Patterns floral dress worn by Kelly that day has since "become legendary." According to Albert, it is "carefully preserved" as part of the Palace's collection. 

When the pair's visit ended, Grace rushed back to Cannes. During her drive, she described the prince as "charming" de Havilland noted. "Afterwards, Pierre praised how flawlessly Grace endeavored to observe the protocol required for presentation to the prince."

"I guessed things had gone wonderfully well by Grace's manner upon returning from her presentation to Rainier," said de Havilland, who also attended the late Friday afternoon cocktail party in Cannes. "When she took her place at the head of the receiving line at the American reception, instead of offering her hand for a handshake, Grace extended her hand as if offering it to be kissed. She was in a state of enchantment."

rincess Grace and Prince Albert in 1958.

| CREDIT: PRINCESS GRACE AND PRINCE ALBERT IN 1958.

After their initial meeting, Kelly and Rainier began a private correspondence. Despite rumors, they largely succeeded in keeping their developing romance secret until Rainier sailed for America, proposing seven months later during Christmas.

"What happened between May and January? How did my parents reconnect?" Albert asked in his Paris-Match interview. "As with any good story, a veil of mystery should revealed. My grandmother Kelly gave me the story involving the stay in Monaco, during the summer, of the Austins — friends of the family." 

Though Father Francis Tucker (a Vatican-appointed priest from Delaware who served as Rainier's "father confessor"), is thought to have played cupid between the couple behind the scenes, Prince Albert says that Margaret "Ma" Kelly also credited Russell and Edith Austin "with facilitating the idea of a reciprocal interest and feeling" between the lovers. 

The couple, who were neighbors of the Kellys at the Jersey Shore in the summer, were vacationing in France and hoped to attend a Monaco gala. Learning the July event was sold out in advance, the Austins decided to send an appeal to Rainier's palace, "as friends of Grace." Their request landed on Father Tucker's desk. 

Having played a hand in the beginning, de Havilland "was not particularly surprised by the [engagement] news, but I was particularly charmed by it," she recalled. Expecting the birth of her daughter, she was unable to attend "the wedding of the century" in Monaco alongside Galante.

Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly on their wedding day

| CREDIT: AFP/ GETTY

They would only cross paths one other time. 

"I saw Grace Kelly only once in the long years after our meeting on the train and Cannes," said de Havilland. "I was lunching with an American friend at a restaurant in Paris and saw Princess Grace at a table across the room with Princess Caroline, then about 10 years of age."

"When they finished and were leaving, Princess Grace very graciously came to my table to greet me. Of course, I rose and curtsied."

Until her death, de Havilland maintained a rigorous schedule and correspondence. Days after her recollections were first pûblished by PEOPLE in 2017, she sent this author an unexpected note that read: "The story of Grace and Rainier makes very good reading, doesn't it? It has enduring appeal."

***Source: PEOPLE.COM***

[elegantwizardtree]

Charles is the first to notice something's wrong. He stays in tune with all of his student's minds, no he doesn't necessarily go looking into their thoughts, but he always makes sure he can at least locate them or get scenes of how the younger mutants are doing.

So Charles is doing his regular headcount of the day (he does this at least three times a day after waking up) when he notices that someone is missing. Someone's busy little thoughts aren't where they should be. This alerts the professor because he knows how serious the young speedster had been taking his job as a teacher, he knew how important the position was to him and how it has put a halt to his kleptomania tendencies.

The strange silence coming from Peter's end alerted the professor immediately, he had quickly shot up straight in his wheelchair and reached out for the closest phone. He needed to get ahold of anyone, someone at the Mansion, needed them to reassure him that the silver-haired boy he had come to grow rather fond of, and maybe, possibly see as a son was not gone. And so the ringing echoed loudly in his head, he knew he was projecting his feelings rather loudly, and he knew that Erik could feel his fears, that the metal bender would ultimately fly his way back over to their tiny home on a secluded hill in Genosha, but Charlie's wouldn't let him, not yet, he needed to confirm his fears that his step-son was gone.

"Professor, you have no idea how happy I am you called!" I tried yet a fearful voice answered, it was Scott and he sounded like he hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. This instantly set the older mutant on alert, and he knew for sure now that stoping Erik from coming to his aid was next to impossible.

"What's happened to Peter?" A gasp sounded from the other side of the phone, it was obvious whatever had taken place had shaken the younger mutant on the line. This was a clear sign that he needed to stay as calm as possible.

"Scott, I need you to breath." Scott let out a strangled noise and a rustling sound came through the reserver, his former student must've shaken his head in an attempt to calm his busy mind.

"It happened so fast, I honestly don't know where to start but by saying, everyone was in the living room, it's a weekend and we hold movie nights and everyone's invited if in the mood... Peter was leaning against me when he just went tense out of nowhere like he heard something he shouldn't have because he went extremely pale at whatever was happening in his head, and before I could ask him what was going on he was gone. He just sped off, I tried following, but before I could make it to the front door this red light flashed from outside. You could see it everywhere from within the school, and well, that was the last sight of Peter."

Silence followed soon after, both trying to wrap their minds around what had just been shared. Nothing like this had ever been heard of before. Sure, it's common for mutants to disappear only later to be found held in some lab, but one disappearing surrounded by others and in a red flash at that? That was a new kind of phenomenon.

"Get with Hank, see what he can find... Erik and I will be headed back to the Mansion shortly." This seemed to help lighten Scott's mind, he could practically feel Scott relax at the knowledge of the professor on his way to help.

"Alright, see you soon, and professor, does, does Magneto know?"

"No, but it's probably time he learned." And with that, Charles hug up and turned to face the doorway were a worried Erik stood, the sight lightened the mood from the telepaths shoulders, but not by much.

"What kind of trouble have your students gotten themselves into know? I could feel your mind nearly halfway across Genosha." An apologetic smile settled upon Charles's lips as he wheeled his way over to his old friend. He had known he was projecting, but he hadn't thought it was that bad.

"Well, he's as much my student as he is yours," trailing off, Charles looked from Erik down to his lap. He didn't want to spill this secret that Raven had shared with him a little before her demise. He knew how much getting to tell Erik meant to the speedster with silver hair, but nothing would have prepared them for the situation the younger had unknowingly gotten himself into, "it's about Peter, your- your son's gone missing."

[winterspiderpurrs]

**************

Lets do this! My brain is fried but I gotta put this out there before I forget! @smidnite and @illogicalkat ya'll are the best!

***************************************************************

Steve was spoon feeding May some of his frosty. They had ordered some all of Harleys favorite places. Burgers from Burger King - Frosty's from Wendys- Fries from McDonalds - Chicken strips from Caines. They had finished up eating for the most part.

Bucky dipped his fries into his frosty.

" So you actually married that guy?"

Peter sighed and nodded.

"yeah... But it wasn't the intention, we had been dancing around each other for a month or so... and well. When the trip came up, its kinda foggy but he invited me out and then.... the adrenaline was going and well... I guess he never really broke his habit... and I got dragged back into it. "

Harley, was flipping through the journals that Peter offered him as they talked. Asking questions here and there.

" I get that he didn't know about me but... why didn't he try to see you again."

"Its... I had hoped in the beginning he would come back for me. Then I thought it was cause of the drugs he didn't actually... really mean anything he said."

Bucky reaches over and rubs at Peters thigh.

" Now though... it could of been guilt. I ... had been sober for a few months already. And... well I was on my honeymoon so why not have the champagne and then one glass became two, then a bottle, then Tony brought out a thing of drugs.... The wreck was horrible. I don't remember much else other then waking up in the hospital. Then a month later I was sick... It took forever for the doctors to actually check me out, we all thought it was me detoxing with the withdrawals again and then found out I was pregnant... "

Peter rubs his hand against his matting gland, over the faint scarring of Bucky and Steve's bites.

" I was at-least four months and showing already when... Miss Potts showed up. Divorce papers, NDA.... it... was made perfectly clear that I was a mistake. And I wasn't allowed to reach out.... "

Across the country, Pepper is trying to get into SI. She felt like it was odd that the doors didn't automatically open up for her like they normally do. Rolling her eyes. Tony is probably in lock down mode. She pulls out her badge and the monitor flashes red. She tries again.

" Friday - Override lock down 56741jde6 "

"Access denied."

" Lock down override Alpha96AES104"

"Access Denied. Your badge no longer works Miss Potts. Please vacate the premises."

Pepper pulls out her phone and calls Tony, after the 3rd ring it picks up.

" Tony just cause your having a crisis doesn't mean you can lock me out of the building. I have to get to work!"

"... I have a son.... imagine my surprise when I show up with divorce papers and find a fucking teenager.... but you knew that already didn't you."

Pepper huffs and keeps trying to get her badge to work, typing in all the access codes she has control over on the side panel.

" Do you have a DNA test that SAYS he is your kid? He was in rehab when you met. He is a junkie omega. I know how your benders were and how wild you could be. Don't you think its funny you sleep with him one time and he is pregnant? Probably sleeping with any knot head to get a fix."

The post was getting a little long BUT @illogicalkat and @smidnite are so amazing for this!

Previous posts from the last addition done here:

And cause I loved it.... imma add a little more :D

*********************************************************

Steve went to get Sarah; his mom on the phone. She was always a voice of reason with him. He was hopefully she could shed some positive light in this situation.

"-That child has known you practically his whole life. You're his papa. Doesn’t matter what some... DNA test says A leanbh. " her Irish accent became more prominent, the more she talked.

" But a man has a right to his child. I know it's going to be hard. And poor Peter! Having to face that man again! I woulda hit him!"

Steve coughed a little and rubbed the back of his neck.

" Well, uuhh.. no problem there."

" Steve Grant Rogers Barnes! That temper of yours is always getting you in trouble!"

" Ma!"

" Could be making the situation worse."

" I know, Ma, I know..."

Steve could hear her sigh on the other side of the phone.

" Well. Was it at least a good hit?"

Steve laughs and moves back toward the dining room where Peter and Matt are still at.

" Yeah, it was a -"

Clatter.

The phone slipped from Steve's hand as he stared at Peter.

~

While Steve had wondered off to speak to him mom, Bucky had gone back up stares to check on Harley and May after seeing that Tony had gotten in the car and was a long ways away from the house.

Peter gathered up the paper they had, scanning it over to Matt's office for him so he could review it again in Braille once he got it to his special machine.

" I uuhh... have another question since it's just us."

" Of course. What is it?"

Matt tilted his head toward Peter, sensing that he was nervous again.

" I umm read before that you cannot uhh get divorced if your... pregnant?"

Matt blinks.

" Oh,"

Peter nervously gathers the papers and puts the extra copies in Matt's briefcase for him.

" It's not his. Obviously, but umm, I just wanted to be sure."

Matt smiles and shakes his head.

" You're fine. The state of New York lets you. And as he has no rights to you anymore... you're safe. Congratulations."

Peter smiled in relief and pressed a hand to his stomach. Laughing a little.

" Yeah... I just found out last week. Was gonna wait a few more weeks. Before saying anything to Steve and Bucky. This one definitely was an oops surprise pregnancy."

Clatter.

Peter and Matt turn toward the door to see Steve standing there staring. Cell phone on the floor.

" You're pregnant?!?"

Meanwhile, upstairs, Harley is pacing his room. Why would THE Tony Stark be here? Was it for Dads metal arm that Mom helped create? Was it the scholarship program his school had?

Was he coming to expand his art collection with one of Papa's paintings? Mom had gone back to school and gotten his degree and had written a couple of papers. But would that be enough to get Tony Stark's attention?

He looks at the magazines cut out he had of Tony Stark from a few years ago when he was on the cover of Time magazine. Dad had bought it for him while they were in line at the store. He frowns a little. Now recalling the wide-eyed stare his Mom had when he came into the room and saw it the first time. He seemed oddly nervous when he asked where that came from and why he had it.

The look on Tony Stark's face downstairs, he seemed scared, nervous, and hopeful?

He pulled his laptop up and hesitated a moment. Then he started typing away.

' Young Tony Stark photos'

The more he looked, the bigger the pit in his stomach grew.

He felt like he was going to throw up.

Across town, Tony was once again looking through the paperwork and looked at the copy of the birth certificate.

Father spot was blank on it.

But when he saw the name on the certificate, he rushed towards the trash can and threw up. It all just became too much. Everything that he was robbed of. And how much at least at the time of Harley birth that Peter obviously cared for him deeply.

Harley Edwin Anthony Parker.

[insomniac-dot-ink]

Books I’ve Read in 2020

AHello! I’m trying to read as many books as I can during the quarantine, here’s what I’ve finished so far:

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (literary fiction): a son writes a letter about his life to his illiterate mother. Breathtakingly beautiful with it’s way with words this book is lovely and real in the hardest and sweetest ways. The author’s combination of prose and poetry is dazzling and intricate, this book has stuck with me for days afterward. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (fantasy): a money-lender gets in trouble after bragging she can turn silver into gold and is kidnapped and ordered to do so by a fey creature. It may be that I am the perfect audience for this type of book, but it’s my favorite thing I’ve read all year. It’s a book that equally takes on the fantastical and real-world with compelling female characters at the center of the whole thing. A wonderful fantasy journey inspired by eastern-European Jewish folklore. 5 out of 5 stars.

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (horror graphic novel): a series of short horror comics. Absolutely bone-chilling! This was a really fun type of scary story, especially the last one which made my skin absolutely crawl. Deliciously eerie, this was treat to read if not a little too short. 4 out of 5 stars.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (magical realism): a young girl can taste other people’s emotions in their cooking and begins to understand her family in new ways. This was a weird book, but it has everything you’ve got to love about that combination of the surreal and mundane. It’s sense of character was electrifying and I had fun engaging with this type of off-kilter real world. I was a little frustrated in parts bc of some characters choices, but that too was true to life. 4 out of 5 stars.

Crier’s War by Nina Varela (steampunk fantasy wlw): about a Made automaton heir to a throne and her human hand-maiden that is trying to kill her. This was an easy read with a lot of tension between the two main characters that I liked, but the writing itself was very weak. There was waaay too much exposition in parts and the dialogue had some really hockey lines. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the middle of the book, but the beginning and end didn’t have much movement. 2.5 stars out of 5.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn (historical fiction): honestly, I’m a little disappointed. This book just did not hit my sweet spots, it wasn’t fast-paced enough for me to get immersed in the plot, and the characters weren’t real enough to be wholly invested in them. That said I adored Nina Markova and the Night Witches, so that did help. 3 starts out of 5.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White (horror sci-fi retelling): HAND IN UNLOVABLE HAND. A retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from the perspective of Victor Frankenstein’s wife and my God! The characters! The plot was well-enough, but the characters took the whole show for being complex and compelling. The main character was breathtakingly layered and I was wholly invested in Elizabeth and her story and the triumph at the end of this story was tangible. 4 out of 5 stars! 

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (fantasy): A story of a young woman who lives in a valley where a girl must go live with a wizard for 10 years. She is certain she won’t be chosen, but ends up having to be “uprooted” herself. I enjoyed most of this book! However, I think I liked “Spinning Silver” a lot more just because the ending of this one somehow lost me. The characters were good and plot compelling, but (SPOILERS) the big battle at the end seemed to drag and didn’t interest me somehow. 3.8 out of 5 stars.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (fantasy): excellent read! A story of a young woman in Jazz Age Mexico who goes on an adventure with a Mayan death God who is trying to regain his throne. A romp across the country absolutely brimming with likable characters and fairy tale twists. My only complaint would be that most of it felt a little predictable due to the fact we knew where we were going throughout the whole story, However, it was still greatly enjoyable for the heroine herself, Casiopea. 4 out of 5 stars!

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (literary): a story of two families in a progressive “planned” community, how their lives intertwine, their secrets, and a central question surrounding motherhood. Deeply empathetic to its characters and introspective, this is an every-day story of people in suburbia that reads like a thriller. I could barely put it down and felt deeply for its characters and situations, 5 out of 5 stars!

Wilder Girls by Rory Power (YA sci-fi suspense): a story of a group of girls at a boarding school on an island affected by the “tox” which alters their bodies in strange ways like giving them scales or an extra spine. This was an eerie, interesting read with a wlw romance! Watch out for the body horror in this one, but it was very gripping and held my interest. Some of the pacing was off in places (like the romance), but had a very creepy atmosphere that did it for me. 3.8 out of 5 stars!

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio (thriller-mystery): A thriller about a group of Shakespeare actors in their last year of college and one of their classmates who turns up dead. I enjoyed the murder mystery part of this novel more than I expected despite the fact I had guessed who had “done it” pretty early on. I really enjoyed the James-Oliver dynamic with its growing homoeroticism, but I didn’t like how the character of Meredith was handled at all. She felt like a one-note aside. I might have given this book four stars, but the ending was EXTREMELY frustrating for me and I did not like the “open-ended” conclusion. 3 out of 5 stars.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (literary humor): a weird character-driven comedy about an old grumpy man and a new family that moves in next to him. Warning for themes of suicide. Anyway, I don’t normally indulge in cliches like “I laughed, I cried, I loved one Cat Annoyance.” However, that’s exactly what I did. I laughed out loud, I cried my eyes out (THE CAT’S HEAD WAS IN HIS PALM), I loved this book. It was sweet and compelling and thoroughly immersive. 5 out of 5 stars!

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (historical fantasy): set in the early 1900s comes a story of a young girl and her experience with “Doors” that lead to different worlds. This book had a lot of great character development and really interesting descriptions, however, I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. I found it hard to get myself to sit down a read it. There was just something missing with the push to “page-turn,” but it was still a really good book. 3.7 out of 5 stars!

Gideon the 9th by Tamsyn Muir (high fantasy, kinda gay): I AM FILLED WITH EMOTIONS. This was book was definitely a page-turner. I was very confused with it at the beginning, but the characters and their interactions were, forgive the expression, the life blood of the story and kept me wholly invested. The ending has CRUSHED my heart, but damn did I have a good time reading it. 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Harrow the 9th by Tamsyn Muir (sequel to Gideon the 9th): I really enjoyed this book. It was just as strange and twisting as the first book, though I think I enjoyed the first one a bit more since I love Gideon. It was fun ride overall, though the ending was kind of really confusing. So 4 out of 5 stars.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (historical fiction): Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The writing style was personable and grounded in reality. I found myself really liking the main characters and the exploration of the life of a bi main character was really well done I thought. A solid book with drama and glamor to boot. 4.6 out of 5 stars!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (historical fiction): A story of two sisters during WWII and their resistance to Nazi occupation. To be honest, this book wasn’t my cup of tea. It was compelling, but also wholly depressing and I felt like gloried in the pain of the two main characters too much. The history was wonderful and realistic, but it didn’t make me feel anything good afterward. It was just dark. 3 out of 5 stars.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (mlm romance): I finally finished this after the heaviness of The Nightingale. This is a story of the First Son of the USA falling for the prince of England. And it turned out to be a very fun and light hearted read! Some of it was kinda generic and too political, and it coulda been shorter, but I thought the romance itself made up for it. It just made me feel so sweet and lovely inside. 4 out of 5 stars!

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (literary humor): I’m searching out heartfelt books and this one ticked off all the marks on my “sweet” list. A lovely book that made me cry more times than I would like to admit. Compassionate beyond belief, funny and heartfelt. I think I enjoyed A Man Called Ove slightly more, but this book was also dear to me and something I hope to reread in the future. 4.2 out of 5 stars!

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel (sci-fi): A post-apocalyptical story about a group of traveling Shakespeare actors and a symphony. Overall, an excellent read that somehow pictures a more realistic or even softer version of the apocalypse. At first, I wasn't happy with the jumping around of the story, but as I progressed I grew fonder and fonder of the interwoven characters and their journey. A very fascinating read about a world that hits a little too close to home. The appreciation of the arts and preserving humanity was somehow very hopeful and I was fully engaged with this story. 5 out of 5 Stars!

Up next: The Hidden Life of Trees by by Peter Wohlleben (nonfiction science), The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (urban fantasy), The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (fantasy)

[timelesstimesgoneby]

This series is such hilarious family friendly tv series this is must see classic

Episode

The Brady Bunch Original Series

Season 1

Disc 1

S01E01 The Honeymoon

S01E02 Dear Libby

S01E03 Eenie, Meenie, Mommy, Daddy

S01E04 Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

S01E05 Katchoo

S01E06 A Clubhouse Is Not A Home

S01E07 Kitty Karry-all Is Missing

Disc 2

S01E08 A Camping We Will Ge

S01E09 Sorry , Right Number

S01E10 Every Boy Does It Once

S01E11 The Voice Of Christmas

S01E13 Is There & Doctor In The House?

Disc 3

S01E14 Father Of The Year

S01E15 54-40 & Fight

S01E16 Mike's Horoscope

S01E17 The Undergraduate

S01E18 Tiger, Tiger

S01E19 The Big Sprain

Disc 4

S01E20 Brace Yourself

S01E21The Hero

S01E22 The Possible Dream

S01E23 To Move Or Not To Move

S01E24 The Grass Is Always Greener

S01E24 Lost Locket, Found Locket

Season 2

Disc 1

S02E01 The Dropout

S02E02 The Babysitters

S02E03 The Slumber Caper

S02E04 The Un-underground Movie

S02E05 Going, Going, Steady

S02E06 Call Me Irresponsible

Disc 2

S02E07 The Treasure Of Sierra Avenue

S02E08 A Fistful Of Reasons

S02E09 The Not-so-ugly Duckling

S02E10 The Tattletale

S02E11 What Goes Up..

S02E12 Confessions, Confessions

Disc 3

S02E13 The Impractical Joker

S02E14 Where There's Smoke

S02E15 Will The Real Jan Brady Please Stand Up

S02E16 The Drummer Boy

S02E17 The Coming Out Party

S02E18 Our Son, The Man

DISC 4

S02E19 THE LIBERATION OF MARCIA BRADY

S02E20 LIGHTS OUT

S02E21 THE WINNER

S02E22 DOUBLE PARKED

S02E23 ALICE'S SEPTEMBER SONG

S02E24 TELL IT LIKE IT IS

SEASON 3

DISC 1

S03E01 Ghost Town, U.S.A.

S03E02 GRAND CANYON OR BUST (2/3)

S03E03 THE BRADY BRAVES (3/3)

S03E04 THE WHEELER-DEALER

S03E05 MY SISTER, BENEDICT ARNOLD

S03E06 THE PERSONALITY KID

DISC 2

S03E07 JULIET IS THE SUN

S03E08 AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR

S03E09 THE PRIVATE EAR

S03E10 HER SISTER'S SHADOW

S03E11 CLICK

S03E12 GETTING DAVY JONES

DISC 3

S03E13 THE NOT-SO ROSE COLORED GLASSES

S03E14 THE TEETER-TOTTER CAPER

S03E15 BIG, LITTLE MAN

S03E16 DOUGH RE MI

S03E17 JAN'S AUNT JENNY

S03E18 THE BIG BET

DISC 4

S03E19 THE POWER OF THE PRESS

S03E20 SERGEANT EMMA

S03E21 CINDY BRADY, LADY

S03E22 MY FAIR OPPONENT

S03E23 THE FENDER BENDER

SEASON 4

"DISC 1

S04E01 HAWAII BOUND (1/3)

S04E02 PASS THE TABU (2/3)

S04E03 THE TIKI CAVES (3/3)

S04E04 TODAY I AM A FRESHMAN

S04E05 CYRANO DE BRADY

S04E06 FRIGHT NIGHT"

"DISC 2

S04E07 THE SHOW MUST GO ON

S04E08 JAN, THE ONLY CHILD

S04E09 CAREER FEVER

S04E10 GOODBYE ALICE, HELLO

S04E11 GREG'S TRIANGLE

S04E12 EVERYBODY CAN'T BE A GEORGE WASHINGTON"

"DISC 3

S04E13 LOVE & THE OLDER MAN

S04E14 LAW & DISORDER

S04E15 GREG GETS GROUNDED

S04E16 AMATEUR NIGHT

S04E17 BOBBY'S HERO

S04E18 THE SUBJECT WAS NOSES"

"DISC 4

S04E19 HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS

S04E20 THE GREAT EARRING CAPER

S04E21 YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD

S04E22 YOU CAN'T WIN EM ALL

S04E23 A ROOM AT THE TOP"

SEASON 5

DISC 1

S05E01 ADIOS, JOHNNY BRAVO

S05E02 MAIL ORDER HERO

S05E03 SNOW WHITE & THE 7 BRADYS

S05E04 NEVER TOO YOUNG

S05E05 PETER AND THE WOLF

S05E06 GETTING GREG'S GOAT

DISC 2

S05E07 MARCIA GETS CREAMED

S05E08 MY BROTHER'S KEEPER

S05E09 QUARTERBACK SNEAK

S05E10 TRY, TRY AGAIN

S05E11 THE CINCINNATI KIDS

S05E12 THE ELOPEMENT

DISC 3

S05E13 MISS POPULARITY

S05E14 KELLY'S KIDS

S05E15 THE DRIVER'S SEAT

S05E16 OUT OF THIS WORLD

S05E17 WELCOME ABOARD

DISC 4

S05E18 TWO PETE'S IN A POD

S05E19 TOP SECRET

S05E20 THE SNOOPERSTAR

S05E21 THE HUSTLER

S05E22 THE HAIR BRAINED SCHEME

The Brady Kids: Complete Animated Series

Disc 1

S01E01 Jungle Bungle, Part 1

S01E02 Jungle Bungle, Part 2

S01E03 Double Trouble

S01E04 Long Gone Silver

S01E05 Cindy's Super Friend

S01E06 Pop! Goes The Myna

S01E07 Who Was That Dog?

Disc 2

S01E08 It Ain't Necessarily Snow

S01E09 That Was No Worthy Opponent, That Was My Sister

S01E10 A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The End Zone

S01E11 Give Me A Home Where The Panda Bears Roam

S01E12 You Took The Words Right Out Of My Tape

S01E13 The Big Time

S01E14 it's All Greek To Me

S01E15 Marlon's Birthday Party

Disc 3

S01E16 The Richest Man In The World

S01E17 Wings

S02E01 Frankincense

S02E02 Teacher's Pet

S02E03 Marcia's Lib

S02E04 Ceiling Zero

S02E05 Who Believes In Ghosts?

THE BRADYS

DISC1

S01E01 Start Your Enginees/ Here We Grow Again

S01E02 A Wowing Experience

DISC 2

S01E03 Hat In The Ring

S01E04 Bottoms Up

3. The Patty Girl

THE BRADY BRIDES

DISC 1

S01E01 The Brady Brides

S01E02 Gorilla Of My Dreams

S01E03 The Newlywed Game

S01E04 The Mom Who Came To Dinner

S01E05 The Siege

S01E06 Cool Hand Phil

S01E07 A Pretty Boy Is Like A Melody

THE BRADY BUNCH MOVIE

A VERY BRADY SEQUEL

A VERY BRADY CHRISTMAS

GROWING UP BRADY

THE BRADY BUNCH IN THE WHITE HOUSE

[jadoue1999]

The X-Men and the member they lost - Chapter 7

Summary:  The X-Men are finally back home, but there is much to talk about and a long road to go before everything goes back to normal. If they ever do.

Previous parts: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, 

Chapter 7: Grief and bonding

The X-men stared at the speedster in stunned silence as he stopped in front of them. Wanda was avoiding their gaze, obviously ashamed. She spoke with Charles, the telepath trying to see if she would be a good fit at the school.

“I want you to understand, Ms. Maximoff, that the last time we spoke you seemed very keen on keeping your world. While I understand why you did it, I expect you to find a better way to cope than… this.” He said, motioning to the town around them.

The woman nodded. “Yes, you’re right. It never should have come to this.” She quickly glanced at Peter with glassy eyes, “for what it’s worth, I never meant to bring him here. I was just so sad that my boys would never meet their uncle… I suppose my powers acted without me realizing.”

The wheelchair bound man slowly nodded his head in understatement before agreeing that it was better that she’d go with them. Erik had to agree. He might not have been thrilled about having his son’s captor living with them, but with this world and the lack of mutants; it was certain her future would be bleak. Government officials were already coming in, just waiting for an opening to take the woman away. Being stuck in isolation, unable to use their powers other than the occasional scientists’ visits was something he wished on no one. Plus, he could see how much Peter wanted her by his side. He’d tolerate her presence, for his son.

They marched through the portal, this time it was a lot faster and easier on the mind. Erik felt slightly nauseous, but it went away quickly. He noticed with a smirk how amazed Charles had been at the ease Wanda created an interdimensional portal. The school was overjoyed at seeing everyone back in one piece. The students flocked Peter with greetings and questions. Though it was the professor who took most of the questions. The speedster was apparently still a little confused about what had happened. The students were all wondering who Wanda was. The group settled on saying that she was a powerful mutant who had accidentally lost her way. Erik could see that the professor didn’t want to scare anyone.

Jean, Scott and Ororo suddenly ran to Peter and squeezed him in their arms. They were all laughing in relief, telling him how glad they were to have him back. Peter was... uncharacteristically quiet. He who was always babbling could barely keep up with all the attention. Erik could see him starting to fidget and anxiously looking around. Finally, the crowd of people seemed to be satisfied with the few answers they got and started to leave the group alone. Charles took the other members of the X-men with him, probably to fill them in on what had happened. Wanda stayed by herself, looking disoriented as ever. Hank offered to give her a tour, which she accepted after sharing an anxious glance with Peter. Soon enough, they were gone, leaving father and son together. The metal bender walked over and gently put a hand on his shoulder. He could see how nervous he was. “Hey, are you okay?” The speedster looked at him and nodded, “oh, yeah... just tired. It’s been a while.” Right. He had been in a small town living with four other people for who knows how long. Of course, coming back to a manor full of overexcited children would be overwhelming. “How long was it? For you?” He seemed lost in thoughts for a few seconds before he shook his head. “I’m not exactly sure. I’d say a few days, but it felt longer than that.”

They walked together to an empty room, where they could talk in peace. The sun was just setting, bathing the room in a soft glow. They sat opposite of one another, neither of them talking for nearly a minute.

“So… you’re my dad,” finally spoke up Peter. He chuckled to himself, “you know, I imagined this conversation a thousand time and yet I have no idea what to say right now.”

“Well, I know,” he smiled at his son, “thank you for releasing me from the Pentagon.”

Peter seemed a bit flustered at the sudden recognition, but a wide grin soon adorned his face. “Ah, it was nothing. Ask Charles or Hank, I literally did it for fun.”

Erik smirked in amusement; the speedster really was something. He wasn’t sure what he could tell him. It was no doubt his mother told him about their lineage, so she probably told him how they met. He probably knew most of his life story whereas he didn’t know much about him.

“Tell me about you?” he asked him. “I’ve missed so much of your life; I’d like to know you properly.”

Peter hummed, probably trying to decide what to say. “Uh… What do you know? Just so I have a starting point.”

“Well, thanks to Charles, I know that your real name is Pietro, and that you had a twin, but I don’t know much else.” He knew, of course about the Pentagon break and about En Sabah Nur, but he had left the mansion too quickly to learn anything else about him.

The speedster seemed taken aback by the mention of his true name, but quickly masked his surprise with an awkward grin. “Right… well first off, I don’t really use Pietro. It’s, uh, it’s what Wendy used to call me. She never really accepted to call me Peter other than in public and she’s, uh, she’s been gone for awhile, and I try to not think about it so much. So, I hope you don’t get too offended. I mean, that’s why I never mentioned it to anyone else before, cause I prefer Peter anyway; I’m trying to keep that part of my past in the past and-“

“It’s alright,” said Erik, interrupting his rambling. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll use Peter.”

That seemed to satisfy the young man, who visibly relaxed in his chair before changing the subject. “Thanks. Anyway, I didn’t really do much, just a year ago I still lived in my mother’s basement and stole anything I wanted.” He looked around him before grinning. “You know, the explosion that destroyed the mansion?” Erik nodded, him and Jean had taken quite a few days the rebuild the whole thing. They had both needed a few days of recovery after using their powers for such an extensive and detailed task. “Well, I’m the one that saved everyone from the explosion. They were all saved without any whiplash.“ His face suddenly darkened, “except for Scott’s brother. He was already vaporized by the time I got inside.”

The speedster continued his rambling for a few minutes, Erik nodding along and trying to keep up. He was glad that Peter was finally back to himself. The conversation turned to what had happened in Westview and he simply had to ask.

“Charles told me your mutation gave you protection against telepath.”

“Sure does!” he answered, knocking on his head twice with a smug grin. “No telepath goin’ in there any time soon. My thoughts are sealed.”

He might not have known much about his son, but he was well aware that he was trying to deflect the subject. “Yes… well I wanted to ask because we never got a real explanation. How did you end up with the necklace? How did it even work on you?”

Peter’s fingers unconsciously brushed against his neck as his eyes became distant. “Agnes… she, uh, she had this freaky book that told her how to deal with people like me. She said there had to be a physical object with the spell, so it could keep up with me.”

Erik hummed as he put his hands under his chin, it was a start, but there had to be more. “She didn’t do anything else?”

“Well, the spell was painful. It’s hard to explain, but I was trapped in my worst memories until it found an opening and it could take control of me. Definitely not something I’d recommend.”

Peter kept fidgeting as he recalled the events, so Erik decided to stop asking about it. Perhaps a happier subject would help. “Tell me about the twins, they seemed nice.”

A smile grew on Peter’s lips and Erik knew that he had hit the right spot. The speedster started talking about how amazing they were and how much fun they’d had. He gleamed as he recalled helping the younger speedster with video games and how he had teased them about stealing all their candies. And while he now felt bad about it, the teamwork they had done to deal with Kurt and Raven was something he felt particularly proud about; going as far as to refer to them as ‘mini X-Men in training’. That made them both smiles.

They talked for a very long time; the clock was nearing midnight. Erik could see his son starting to doze off and he let him sleep while he went to grab a book. He hadn’t been in Wanda’s world for long and he himself felt drained, he couldn’t imagine how tired his son must have been. He had been reading for about twenty minutes when a sudden gush of air made him look up to the now empty chair. He heard movements in the kitchen and decided to join him on his midnight snack. Peter was reaching into multiple cupboards, fixing himself what looked to be sugary cereals and various other things. With the quantity of food, he was taking out, he must have been very hungry.

“Are you alright?” Erik asked as the silver blur kept going around the kitchen.

“Sure am!” he answered, not looking at him. “Just needed a quick meal, I did that all the time when I was with Wanda.” He opened the doors to where the various dishes were and turned his head slightly to the side. “Now boys, what I’m about to show you is the ultimate combo-“ The speedster stopped himself before he could finish his sentence. He slowly turned to Erik with pained eyes and looked around.

“Peter?”

His son seemed like a shell of himself as he ever so slowly put down what he was holding. His eyes scanned the counter that held too much food, even for him, before he looked back at the man with teary eyes. “I, uh, I have to go.”

Before he could protest, Erik was alone in the kitchen. The food was back to where it had been, but the speedster hadn’t touched the dishes he had just taken out. The metal bender sighed as he realized his son had taken out 3 bowls. There would certainly be a long road ahead before Peter could heal from his grief.

***

Peter was glad to be back, he truly was. 

He got his team back, his mind back and his father knew about him and accepted him even with his rotten luck concerning family. Nothing had felt better than having his friends jumping on him and telling him how glad they were to have him back between two laughs. Then the overdue discussion he had with his dad had been great. He really couldn’t ask for a better ending. However, his life in Westview had been so unique, so unlike anything he’d ever known before. There wasn’t the fear of being discovered because Wanda had made sure that they could use their powers without people staring. And there was no constant threat, save from Agnes, but they didn’t know at the time. Most of all, he felt complete. The overwhelming grief he had felt ever since Wendy had died wasn’t present because his twin was with him. She had never left in the first place. And he not only had his sister with him, but she was also married. Sure, her choice of husband was strange but who was he to judge? Vision had been pleasant company, even though they hadn’t talked much.

Then... then there were the boys. He had never thought himself as parental figure material. Hell, he was older than most student, but could still fit in better than most. He wasn’t exactly the most mature person. Still, he never thought he’d be a good role model. Then, he got into Wanda’s freaky tv show where he was the cool uncle that messed around with his nephews. He could play with them and do all the mischief his heart desired. He loved them and they loved him. Nothing felt as freeing as running through the crowd at Halloween, stealing candies, smashing pumpkins, and covering everyone in silly string. Then, the twins developed powers. The joy he felt when he saw Tommy suddenly breaking into superspeed mode made every happy moment in his life seem bleak. 

He and Wendy had grown up thinking they were unique, anomalies even. Then, she had died, and Peter thought he was alone. Until Charles, Hank and the claw guy had found him and asked him break out his father. He was happy to find that he wasn’t the only one with powers, he simply wished Wendy could have known as well. Then he moved to the mansion, where there were so many mutants. He felt at home. Yet, he never really was able to make connections with anyone, their world was simply too slow for him. But that wasn’t the case with Tommy. The twin was able to keep up with him and see the world at his pace. When they played games, he didn’t have to go agonizingly slow to give him time to react. When they wanted to go somewhere, they just went there while having a conversation, the child wasn’t frozen or in need to be moved. He just kept up with him. Peter, or Pietro as he had called himself, had loved taking out the soldiers with him, telling him what to do and working with Tommy like he had never done before. Him, Wanda, Vision, and the twins. They had been an unstoppable team and he truly believed that they would be together forever. Until they weren’t. He still remembered the panic he felt when the boys had started to fall apart as Wanda was freeing everyone. His mind had been jumping between his chill persona and the real him breaking through. It wasn’t fun.

He had meant to have a better talk with Wanda, but life at the mansion was always busy. Well, that and the fact that they didn’t really speak when they found themselves together. They felt contempt just sitting in silence and watching a movie together. It was clear neither of them was ready to speak about what they had lost. There was the occasional reference to something Vision or the twins would have liked, but even that was too much sometimes. Instead, they got to know each other. Wanda had been shocked when he told her that his real name was Pietro, and he could just tell that she saw her true brother for a second. One big difference between him and Wanda was that he had lost Wendy at 16, while she had lost her Pietro at 26. Peter hadn’t exactly dealt with her death, but he had learned to cope with the pain. Wanda only had a few years, and the wound was still pretty fresh.

One night a few weeks after they came back, Wanda had suddenly stopped the movie and turned to him. “What did Agatha do to you? When you went for repairs?”

Peter was confused for a second before concluding that the witch had probably used a fake name when she came in the town. “Not much to be honest. She did some freaky magic to suspend me in the air and basically blackmailed me.” He looked at her with a frown. “But you knew that. What did she to do you to make you so worried about me?”

The redhead squeezed the hot cocoa mug she was holding. “She made me revisit everything that made me create Westview. My parent’s death, my brother’s death, Hydra’s experimentation, and my encounter with Vision’s body. And we revisited the night I woke you up and…” She didn’t complete her sentence. Wanda was staring off in the distance as she recalled the intervention. “She threatened to hurt you and the boys if I didn’t cooperate. I also feared she might have done a similar thing to you.”

Peter thought back at the dreaded moment the witch had threatened his nephews and the confusion he felt when she spoke about why she menaced them and not him. “Nah, apparently your magic protected me, so she couldn’t really do anything. The rugrats were the real targets.”

Wanda pressed her lips together in a sad smile and nodded. They both stayed silent for a few seconds before she broke the silence. “I miss them.” Peter turned to the redhead; her eyes were fixed to the liquid in her mug. “Vision and the boys, I still have days where I think they’ll just… be there, you know? I imagine that Tommy and Billy are with you and Vision is about to cross the door and wish me a good morning.”

The speedster agreed with her statement, it was hard to keep going in a school full of mutant children without his mind trying to catch a glimpse of his nephews that never really existed in the first place. 

“You know,” he started with a smile. “I had never met another person with superspeed before Tommy. Felt nice to not be alone, even for a moment.” His grin faded as he stared at his hands, a burning question on his lips. “If you could, would you go back to Westview?”

She closed her eyes in concentration, momentarily lost in thoughts. She shook her head as she turned to him. “In retrospect, no.” she sighed, “but if I could see them again, without hurting anyone, I would.”

Peter hummed at her answer, he could see the logic in her thinking, of course, but he wasn’t sure he could resist the temptation. Even if it hurt people. Good thing he wasn’t the one that got reality bending powers. She continued the movie once more and they absently watched as they thoughts were consumed by memories of their long gone family.

***

Notes: Thanks for reading!

Next chapter: One of Wanda’s spell takes an unexpected turn!

[irondadfics]

Hi there! I just wanted to say a quick thank you for everything you do for the community! I was also wondering if you know of any other ‘wrong number’ aus that mainly revolve around Peter and Tony? Thank you again!

Wrong Number, Right Family. by AnotherUselssHumanCJ

Peter Parker had broken his phone during one of his fights. He fixed it of course but little to his knowledge Ned's number had been mixed around creating a whole new number.

Walking The Gray Line by ALittleBattyLady

When Ben Parker dies in his arms, a little piece of Peter dies too. At age 14 he's spiraling down into a hole of emptiness and just can't seem to move forward. Then he accidentally texts the wrong number. Tony thought he could handle whatever the world threw at him, but Steve's betrayal was something he hadn't expected. Months later he's still struggling to pick up the pieces. Then after a wicked bender, he wakes up with a text from a stranger.

AKA The Wrong Number Irondad Au no one asked for, but received

I just wanna get through the day by SpiderEM28

Peter texts Tony trying to text his friend. Tony is bored and responds. A beautiful relationship forms, because I said so.

Basically Tony and Peter being the adorable Father and Son duo and I want them to be. This is very random and idk what’s gonna happen so here you go ;)