#That's his baby sister that's the kid he risked his life for and she's OKAY. She's ALIVE AND WELL

[hamartia-grander]

Will always be devastated Leon and Ashley didn't hug after the Saddler boss fight. I mean they literally ran to each other as if they'd hug. Is it so outrageous for me to wish for more found family affection or what

[harryspet]

ok but how would dark!Rafe react to the reader coming back to box with a baby she did not know she was pregnant with went she left? But since rafe was always too possessive she decided not to tell him that they had a kid 🙂‍↕️ they used to have some hook ups and was never a real commitment

[warnings] dark!rafe x reader, babydaddy!rafe, emotional/physical abuse, 18+ READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

word count: 1.4k

“I’m here to pick up a cake. The name is Y/L/N,” You smiled at the young girl working behind the bakery counter as you bounced your toddler on her hip. You’d brought her stroller but Isla was beginning to insist on exploring whatever place you brought her to. You suffered, her weight on your hips, instead of dealing with another meltdown. She was an easy baby, you didn’t have too many sleepless nights when she was younger, but her mood had shifted over the past week.

She was more clingy, more irritable, and it was hard for her to understand that you were only staying on the island for a short time. The trip was brief, a week at most, but necessary. Your sister was getting married, the only reason you’d considered returning at all.

It had been over two years since you last walked these familiar piers, strolled past the charming beachside shops, or caught up with old friends and extended family. So much had changed in that time, not just in your life, but in this place that used to be home. 

“Give us just a few moments. We’re putting on some finishing touches.”

“No problem,” You nodded, still keeping your face pleasant. 

Isla was getting restless, so you decided it was time to let her down.

“Okay, Mama’s putting ya’ down, lovebug,” She was also walking a lot more and could usually walk a few feet on her own before falling. Simultaneously, you pushed her stroller out of the way while you helped her keep her balance with one arm, “Oooh, what’s that?” 

You were always asking her questions, wanting to keep a mental lexicon of all the new words she was using. You could barely keep track now. 

She was talking to herself, using the bakery counter to keep her balance as she walked. You smiled down at her, now able to fully focus on her, without that aching pain you felt on your side. You guided her away from reaching for a glass jar of candy, instead showing her over to a case that displayed a huge array of cookies. 

You heard the bell of the bakery door jingle, and instinctively, you looked up. For a moment, you froze, watching him stride in. Tall, commanding, if anything, time had only sharpened those edges. His face had hardened with the years, the boyishness you once knew replaced by something more formidable. His stature was wider, arms thicker, and chest pronounced. His hair, now buzzed short, added to the maturity that radiated from him, making him look even more intense than before. 

“I’ll take a black coffee. Make it an espresso,” You heard Rafe Cameron say. He hadn’t taken the time to look your way. Your instinct was to grab Isla and leave before he noticed you. Instead you turned your head and led Isla over to one of the cafe tables. 

Your mind was racing but you did your best to keep your movements calm. His voice had sent a chill down your spine and the last thing you needed was for him to notice you. He probably wouldn’t, you told yourself, since the last time he saw you, he didn’t even know you were pregnant. 

You tried to distract Isla by giving her one of her stuffed rabbits but her mood was shifting quickly. She wanted to look at all the baked goods through the glass and no toy would compare to that. Her lower lip started to tremble and as they did, you lifted her into your lap, “I know, baby,” You whispered but she arched her back, starting to wail, “Isla, not right now, please.”

You cooed at her and tried to rock her but now you were afraid you’d made the situation worse, drawn more attention to yourselves. 

“Y/N,” Rafe’s voice was low and you could already hear the disbelief. 

There was no way out of it. You’d been avoiding this exact confrontation and planned to never have to deal with this. When your eyes met with his, you thought of Isla, and kept her tight against you despite her protests. 

Rafe’s gaze bore into you, sharp and questioning, his eyebrow arched in a way that was both familiar and unsettling. His eyes flickered back and forth between you and Isla, trying to piece together the reality that had just unfolded in front of him. Then, with a heaviness that matched the tension in the air, he collapsed into the wooden seat beside yours. He seemed ...exhausted. He folded his arms over the table, his hands gripping the coffee cup as if it were the only thing grounding him.

Present blurred with the past, the intensity of his gaze pulling you back to memories you’d buried long ago. You thought of late nights, laughter and sneaking around. You remembered how he used to look at you, how he saw you at your most vulnerable and still made you feel cherished. 

“Rafe,” You finally spoke, slowly, “It’s been so long–”

“You weren’t ever going to tell me.” 

You swallowed hard, wondering how he had pieced it all together so quickly. Isla, still upset, stared up at Rafe with a mix of curiosity and fear, her small fingers tucked into her mouth. Even with tears streaming down her face, the resemblance was undeniable. She was a perfect blend of both of you—his eyes, your smile, a fusion of your skin tones and hair textures. Your carefully guarded secret was written all over her for him to see.

“No,” You said honestly, “My parents …I did it for them at first. They were concerned.”

“What? You think I’d hurt her or something. My own fucking kid?” He kept his voice at conversational level but the look in his eyes made it feel like it was yelling. 

“I didn’t know…you were so angry when we stopped hooking up,” You started to shrink which was exactly what you were afraid of, “And then when you got arrested …”

“Fuck,” Was all he said, “What’s …What’s her name?”

“Isla,” You answered.

“Isla,” Rafe repeated and for a moment, there was tenderness in his eyes as he looked down at her, “You were pregnant when you left?”

You nodded, “We’re just here for the rest of the week because of my sisters wedding.”

“Where do you live?” Rafe asked and this time you hesitated. 

“I don’t think it’s a good idea …”

"I'm going to lay it out for you, Y/N," Rafe began, his voice low and dangerous, his gaze locked on you. "You're going to tell me where you've been living, everything you've been hiding from me these past two years. I want to know who you've been with, who you’ve spread your legs for, who you've let near my daughter. Then, the two of you are coming back to Kildare, and you're going to let me be a part of her life. No more secrets. No more running."

His demands, raw and unfiltered, made you feel a rush of emotions. Fear and anger settled over your features, “Rafe. It’s not …it’s not happening. It’s not about you or me. This is all for her.”

“I’m not letting you shut me out again. Do you understand that?” The young girl behind the counter called your name and you made a move to stand up but Rafe reached across the table to grab your arm. 

“We have to go and I need time to …to figure this out.”

He shook his head and you winced at the pressure he was putting on your skin. “Time? You’ve had two years, Y/N. Two years without me. You walk out of here, I will find you. You leave this island and I will search for you.” 

“This isn’t the place for this. Let me go,” You gritted your teeth. 

“You know what I’m capable of, right?” He eyed you sharply, unrelenting. You thought back to those happy memories. When things were good, they were incredible and when things were bad …You never had a label with Rafe and yet every guy you talked to that wasn’t him always seemed to end up injured or broke contact with you, “And things have changed around here. There are more lines, different lines, I’m willing to cross.”

You knew that coldness in his eyes, you’d seen it many times in the aftermath of his rage. “Rafe, please,” You whispered, “For Isla’s sake.”

“She’s mine and so are you.” You finally nodded, tears stinging your eyes, and he finally loosened his grip.

You made your way with Isla and her stroller back to the counter, collecting your sister’s wedding cake. As you reached your car, you glanced back, half-expecting Rafe to follow you. But he remained inside, watching you through the glass.

+

hope you enjoyed!!

[j0kers-light]

hi bae, ik youve been going thru a rough patch i hope(in fact ik) you’ll bounce back harder.🫶🏻

i really wanted to make a request for a long long time now, no pressure write it whenever u feel like it i am just going to drop it here.

for me J has always been a Lana del rey song specially the ultra violence album, he’s shades of blue, he’s ultraviolenec, smts hes even brooklyn baby. Can you write something dark, like real dark where hes possessive, violent, exatcly like he was in TDK. Pulling stunts and dropping hints. maybe he kidnappes the reader or smt like that, he’s acting all crazy and violent but something inside him just makes him slip to a lil caring or loving side every now and then, which eventually leads to some serious SMUT 😏😏

the reader could be his enemy’s daughter(maybe even batman’s daughter lol i am going wild) he tortures her,loves her, takes care of her then tortures her a lil more but make no mistake the reader is a fireball she gives him that lil fight they have in her which makes J even more attached to her.

ik i am just blabbing and making no sense, but i hope ukwim. i am also attaching a link to my fav J edit ever which might give u an outline of what i am trying to say. maybe even add J’s POV.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqyP1PdveA9/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

okay ill shut up now. feel better love you 🫶🏻

His Lighthouse: Broken Dolls (LedgerJoker x f!reader)

Broken Dolls - Oneshot

KEEP IN MIND THIS IS NOT A STORY UPDATE!

I feel ashamed that you had to wait so long for this request. Forgive me times a thousand @heathisbae !! I still love you and I got carried away with the word count. (10,500 words!!) I promise you that my blood, sweat, and tears went into this request. You should've let me stay in my enclosure. I LOVE DARK requests and I was in a dark and lonely place when I wrote this. The perfect mood for Broken Dolls.

Gather round children it’s time to go over some legal stuff. I usually do not care about trigger warnings. You are responsible for your own reading pleasure, BUT I’ll add a TW: List because yall gone need it. Chaos had a lil bit too much fun writing this one.. 👀😬

TW! Dark!Joker. rape, knife, blood, impact, choking, power play, dacryphilia, spitting, biting kinks, unprotected sex, overstimulation if you squint, degradation, no prep (foreplay is important kids) uhhhh… I’m missing something. 🤔 It’s canon Joker people. He’s a walking trigger warning.

Just be careful if you decide to read this one. I know I went overboard but your mental health is always my top priority. Enjoy or not. It’s entirely up to you. Since its a dark request, I decided not to tag anyone except @heathisbae Read at your own risk 🖤✨

Your father made it virtually impossible for anyone to find out. By fate’s design, you looked nothing like the iconic figure you called “father”, and you were forever grateful for that. 

Your skin complexion, eye, and hair color masked you from the surname that was your birthright. You were the rumored Wayne heiress that Gotham City whispered about. Many far and wide longed to meet you to strengthen their businesses by marriage, whereas others flat out questioned your conception.  

Bruce Wayne had neither confirmed nor denied the mother of any of his children to the world. Not like he ever would. There were only a few secrets Bruce had left in this world: you being the most important one.  

Your life would be in danger if anyone were to find out you were a Wayne or worse, the precious daughter of Batman.  

Many were adopted into the bat family, but you were blood to Bruce. A last-ditch effort he made to secure his family’s legacy; He hired a surrogate.  

Should Batman ever fall in combat, you could pick up the torch and continue the Wayne legacy.  

At an early age you wanted to make your father proud and wisely decided not to follow in his footsteps moonlighting as a vigilante. The eldest boys, Dick and Jason, celebrated for days. They loved their half-sister and supported every decision you make, but they would’ve put their foot down should you have wished to don a bat suit.  

Instead of violence, you dedicated your life to education. Only the best schools with full ride scholarships—your cv was lengthy as it was profound. You spoke multiple foreign languages, held many accreditations issued from all over the globe, and excelled at virtually every extra-curricular skill you could think of.  

You were a hardworking, driven woman with a no-nonsense attitude. That much, you got from your mother. 

You dominated any boardroom you entered, and your famous e/c eyes could make or break contracts with a single look. Now that was all your father’s genes. You gave the phrase, beauty and brains, a living breathing, mascot and Bruce couldn’t be prouder.  

That unfortunately made you a target.  

You shied away from public humanitarian appearances to avoid being recognized as a Wayne. Too many similarities with Bruce would make people curious. Instead, you worked behind a smokescreen and attended the many charities and sponsorship parties as a third-party spectator to oversee your work.  

That way, you got to see your hard work being implemented into the community—far better results than your father’s monetary donations provided.  

You took pride knowing your hard work was creating a change in Gotham City. With the safeguards Bruce and the boys had in place; it would take an actual genius to put the numerous clues together to uncover your identity. You could live in relative peace while still making a difference.  

Sadly, your long forgotten surrogate mother would soon threaten life as you knew it.  

Joker prided himself in being a vigilant man. Nothing, not even the smallest of details, went unnoticed by him and when it came to his best friend Batman, J took extra care to notice every little thing.  

The level of surveillance Joker did on the dark knight bordered on obsession but in a way, he was. Joker strived to be twelve steps ahead of his arch-nemesis in order to maintain his freedom. Being shipped back to Arkham was not an option, so he took information gathering very seriously.  

Joker knew that Batman was Bruce Wayne for years. He was surprised other Gotham villains or just the local law enforcement didn’t put the clues together. It was so obvious. 

There was no point in telling the world Batman’s not so little secret, but when Joker studied the daily life of Bruce Wayne a bit further, now that was a blackmail gold mine. Having a one up on Bats just felt good and especially when Joker discovered the perfect weapon that would break the man once and for all.  

You. 

Tucked away and hidden in plain sight; Y/n Wayne, the perfect tool for Joker’s plans.  

A father’s worst nightmare, seeing their child in distress, Joker looked forward to scaring Bruce with this latest prank. All he had to do was get close enough to steal you away, but Bruce kept you protected twenty-four seven. Smart man and Joker didn’t blame his bestie for being a protective father.  

There were dangerous people out there who would dream of your demise if they knew the truth! 

No, it was much easier to track down your mother and it was mere child’s play to make her talk. Joker thoroughly enjoyed extracting as much information from the woman before her untimely demise.  

He found it was unfair that she was virtually defenseless while you had security tighter than most world leaders. It wasn’t fair in Joker’s book, so he set out to put your safeguards to the test.  

And what achievement it was to outsmart Batman at his own game.  

You should’ve known better. Dad drilled it into your brain time and time again to always be aware of your surroundings.  

There was no such thing as a coincidence. Things happened for a reason, and it was up to you to detect any signs of danger at any given time.  

The same could be said for that fateful night. You were feeling a bit overwhelmed by a journalist at a charity event. She kept asking probing questions—a few hitting too close for comfort about your identity.  

How ironic that you attended every event the rumored Wayne heiress organized and knew so much about her personal affairs. What a coincidence how reporters asked you questions like you were the boss..  

The curious woman would not leave you alone! Her mindless chitchat felt more like an interrogation by the minute. You feared your identity was compromised after one of her questions rang true, but she simply laughed it off and said that if you were indeed a Wayne, “You’d be way prettier.”  

Whatever that meant.  

Perhaps the comment hit hard since your longtime friend/rival, Lana, stole attention from the fund raiser with her scandalous outfit. The brunette reeked of new money and had an ego the size of Metropolis, demanding attention wherever she went.  

Her appearance ruined your event for helping orphaned kids and turned it into a mini Met Gala. You had every right for storming out to scream into the back alley. She never failed at ruining things!  

You were really letting your frustration be heard when a whistle nearby startled you. 

“Listen to the pipes on that one.”  

You quickly stopped screaming once you realized that you weren’t alone. A lone male was smoking in the same alley, and he locked eyes with you once he caught your attention.  

They were an unnatural green that felt familiar however, you couldn’t place where you might’ve seen them before.  

“By all means... don’t let me keep ya from your.. uhh temper tantrum.” He blew a long puff of smoke into the night air.  

At first you were in shock, but that reaction soon turned into irritation. Just who did he think he was talking to you like that? “I am not having a tantrum thank you very much a-and... you can’t smoke here!”  

He simply chuckled while taking another drag. You crossed your arms and tapped your heels on the concrete as you waited for a response. This guy was something else.  

“Hello? Did you hear me?” You added.  

“Yup.” He popped the letter p, “Loud n’ clear. Pretty sure this area is ah... employees only. Ya wouldn’t catch me smokin’ if ya weren’t out here being a brat, hm?”  

He had a point, but you still scoffed at his choice of words. You had the idea of using your title as the boss of this event to get him fired; yet he would surely talk and by morning, Gotham City would know that you’re a Wayne. That was the last thing you wanted; however, it was worth the hassle if it got rid of him.  

For now, all you could do was shake your head at this strange man breaking your employee’s no smoking rule. You personally selected all the staff for the event and your security team performed background checks on everyone to ensure your safety.  

The gentlemen sitting before you did not jog your memory.  

His presence made you uneasy and you took a step back, “Do I know you?”  

He snorted, smoke emerging from his nostrils in comical puffs. “Uh no, but I knoooo~ooow you.” 

The blood in your veins ran cold when the stranger stood up and stepped into the light. “Didn’t your dad tell ya not to talk to strangers Miss Wayne?” He said mockingly.  

You took one look at The Joker’s grotesque scars and turned to run.  

Joker grinned and let you have a running start although you didn’t get far. Your feet got caught in your dress fabric and made his job relatively easy. The two of you tumbled to the ground, Joker landing on your back, but that quickly changed with a sharp elbow to his nose.  

You didn’t stick around to see if your hit landed, you just scrambled to your feet and tried to reach for the back door when a hand grabbing your ankle disrupted your sense of balance. One second you were upright, the next, you were on the ground seeing double vision.  

Joker didn’t think you’d put up much of a fight. His research into you was limited, but he doubted that you had any of the fighting skills your father was notorious for.  

Technically he was right. You had taken up self defense training from Jason and he reported that you sucked at it.  

Despite your lack of skills and concussion, you weren’t going down without a fight. One of your nails scratched Joker’s elongated smile causing it to bleed and suddenly, he had enough of your little games.  

You were making too much noise, and his window of opportunity to kidnap you was running out. If he didn’t move you soon, his plan would be ruined. You just had to make things difficult for him.  

“Alrighty Y/n, time for a little nap. Shhhhh... shh easy now.” Joker dodged your wild punch to his face as he dug a syringe out of his pocket.  

The sight of it made you panic and fight back harder but your scream of help was drowned out by a roar of applause from inside. The auction must’ve ended with a success. Joker pierced your skin and watched the milky white substance disappear into your system.  

It was cold seeping into your veins as you still tried to fight back.  

“Aht ahttttt don’t fight it. Let it happen.” Joker crooned into your ear; not like you could hear him. Your body felt so heavy, you lost function of your limbs so suddenly it was terrifying.  

The Joker’s obnoxious laugh sounded miles away from you. When your eyelashes fluttered closed, Joker knew victory was his.  

The environment that you woke up in was dark and cold.  

Your limbs were still groggy with whatever The Joker had injected you with and after a few test stretches, you still had motion in them. Although it would do you no good. The distinctive sound of metal on metal gave away your current predicament. 

You were chained to something.  

You tried not to panic but you were unable to see anything a few inches in front of you much less see how far the chain allowed you to move. You felt something solid underneath you and concluded that it was some sort of mattress or padding. It was a small comfort while being confined in total darkness.  

Wherever you were, The Joker was to blame, and you weren’t going to let him have this much power over you. You had to find a way out before he started his sick form of entertainment.  

Every citizen of Gotham knew Joker’s M.O. You didn’t want to be tortured to death all for a laugh.  

You waited until your eyes adjusted to the dim surroundings before exploring how much freedom you truly had.  

You felt around in the darkness until your hands bumped into something solid. It was a surface with nothing that could help you escape on it, so you moved on. Minutes felt like hours as you stumbled through the dark, searching for anything useful. Just when you thought you were painting a clear picture of the room in your head, a door opened beside you.  

The blinding light was nothing compared to the searing pain of the door hitting you square in the face or that of the trauma caused by falling to the ground.  

The room was still spinning when your loudmouth got the better of you. 

“What’s your f__king problem?!” You cried out. You feared that your nose was broken, it sure felt like it with the amount of blood you felt gushing out. The Joker didn’t seem phased by the display.  

Instead, he stepped right over you and flicked on a light, blinding you in the process. “Errr let’s see... problems. MY problem.. Social injustice? Global warming…uhhh rush hour traffic?” Joker paused for dramatic effect and slowly turned to face you. You froze, feeling his emerald eyes rake over your form hungrily.  

The unnatural hue seemed to suck you in the longer you stared. “You.” Joker purred. 

“M-Me?” How were you a problem? He abducted you not the other way round! 

You had never crossed paths with the Clown Prince of Crime until tonight. The two of you couldn’t be more worlds apart. You stayed nose deep in your humanitarian work and out of any trouble whereas The Joker was trouble personified.  

The only thing that linked you to Joker was your father, yet you doubted the clown was smart enough to put all the puzzle pieces together to uncover that.  

You prayed that this was all some sort of misunderstanding but judging how The Joker was staring, your hopes began to shatter one by one.  

You instinctively shielded your body from the known threat and in doing so, your skin brushed against unknown material. The formal dress you originally wore for the evening was gone and replaced by a thin t-shirt and baggy men’s pants. The implications were not lost on you. 

You turned to glare at the madman before you. “Who changed my clothes!?” If you were able to blush, you knew you’d be redder than a tomato.  

This man obviously had no respect for women. He simply threw his head back and laughed, “The pleasure is allllllllllll mine.”  

You failed at hiding your full body shudder and even worse, you were unable to silence yourself from talking trash. “Screw you.” You regretted saying it the moment you opened your mouth.  

The room suddenly got quiet. Joker sauntered his way over to your mattress and crouched down so he could be eye level with you. He admired the fire burning within your e/c eyes for a time. Such a strong wielded fire, it was beautiful to behold. If Joker had his way, there would only be smoking embers after he had his fun. He would make sure of it.  

The Joker always had an air of drama about him, and it took center stage as he spoke to you. “Ya wanna.. know something? You should be lucK-yyyy my boys didn’t change ya. They would’ve loved to uh.. what did ya say? Screw you.” 

His choice of words held more meaning as he tried to brush a few strands of hair out of your face. You shut down that idea by chomping at his fingers the second they were within your reach.  

You refused to sit around like some damsel in destress until dad or one of the boys came to rescue you. You would fight back even if it killed you. 

To Joker, your little stunt was comical. You could rebel all you wanted; your antics would never compare to what he had in store for you.  

He simply wagged his paint-stained fingers at you like a scolding parent and insulted you further. “Mm, feisty! I like thaT. But that’s no way to behave while you’re here. No noooo. No. You are a verry special guest, Y/n!” 

Joker walked over to the table that you found earlier. You watched as he pulled out a tripod and took the time to set up a camera in your general direction. Once it was positioned to his liking, he mashed a button—and to your horror, a red light began to blink. 

“Tada! May I present.... Y/n, my lead-ing lady in this uh.. short film of mine! The title you ask? Why it’s, How to Break Batman’s Little Girl 101!”  

Joker’s words were like a sucker punch to your gut. They bounced off the thick walls of the room and echoed back in your eardrum's times a hundred. Your worst nightmare was happening right before your eyes. Not only did someone know who you were, but dad’s long kept secret was out—and his arch-nemesis of all people, knew about it.  

You were blinking a mile a minute and Joker thought your lips flailing like a fish was oh so adorable. Kissable really but he shook that odd thought away.  

He hyped up his performance so much, you weren’t sure if he was addressing you or the camera at this point.  

“Oh come now, Y/n. Don’t act so sur-prised! I knew Bats’ secret for years now. We are friends ya know.... Mmm on second thought. Ya might wanna work on the security Batsy.. I just so happened to waltz in and steal your precious.... and might I add.... beau-ti-ful daughter away easy peasy. Did I mention she’s verrrry beautiful?”  

You snapped out of your panic by Joker’s fingers grazing your cheek. Your response was instinctive by slapping his hand away. “Don’t touch me!”  

Joker wasted no time reacting to your outburst. His gentle touch turned cruel and struck your face hard enough to turn it sideways right into the wall.  

He quickly grabbed ahold of your jaw and yanked you back upright. You were forced to bear witness to his self-inflicted scars, all jagged and swollen up close. It was a permanent reminder just how insane this man truly was. Joker’s nails dug into your cheek and for a split second, you genuinely feared this man.  

His green eyes were almost electric staring into your soul. “You’re mine now and I’ll touch ya however I want. Got thaT?”  

Joker saw the insult queuing up in your brain and squeezed your face tighter in his grasp. You whined but still managed to part your lips to respond. “I’m not yours.” You growled.  

A brief staring contest ensued. Green verses your e/c.  

Joker admired your bravery; you questioned his sanity. He dressed the part of a gentleman with his three-piece suit and coattails (despite the outlandish colors) yet he was so far removed from the title. He was unpredictable in every sense of the word that you weren’t sure if you would survive a moment longer in his presence. 

You were confident that someone would come save you, Joker thought you were too naïve to understand the gravity of your situation. In any case, he would have ample time to extinguish the fire blazing in your eyes before someone started searching for you.  

He was so caught up crafting his mental plans, he didn’t notice the glint in your eye right before you bit his hand.  

It hardly phased him and for your efforts you received a rough shove towards the ground. Thankfully the mattress softened the blow however you still had the strength to glare at The Joker in disdain. 

“Let’s see how long that feisty streak of yours last hmm?” Joker chuckled under his breath and walked over to the door.  

The sudden change in brightness blinded you again but this time you caught a glimpse of a bulky man guarding the door before he and Joker disappeared from sight. 

Finally you were alone with your thoughts. The first thing you did was let out a shaky sigh and glance at the camera still recording you. The Joker didn’t turn it off and you concluded its sole purpose was to monitor you and collect material for the ransom cd your dad would receive. 

You choked back a sob just thinking about dad. He would be beside himself knowing you were abducted. Finding out that his greatest enemy took you would be a low blow—one you hoped he would overcome in order to rescue you. Dick and Jason would steer the detective in the right direction but with every hour that passed, you knew dad would slowly lose his mind. He knew firsthand what Joker was capable of. Your nose throbbed bitterly as a harsh reminder.  

There was nothing stopping the clown from killing you if he simply became bored.  

If only you took dad’s words to heart and abided by his strict security measures. You had snuck away from your detail for a bit of privacy. Now you regretted that dumb decision. You were in Joker’s clutches with no chance of escape, and it was all your fault.  

He chained you to a bedpost like some animal and now that there was light in the room, you could see it in its entirety.  

It was a mini prison right down to the bare necessities. The Joker had every intention of keeping you here, cut off from Gotham City, most likely below ground to disrupt the bat tracker embedded in you since childhood.  

You scratched at your wrist, praying that it miraculously still worked despite the odds. Surely your father, the world’s greatest detective, could locate his daughter with much less. 

It was the only reassurance you had.  

You were getting tired overthinking your predicament. There was nothing you could do at present, so with one last hesitant glance at the video recorder, you tried your best to get comfortable on the mattress and fall asleep. 

That became your routine. Time held no value anymore.  

Was it a few days? Weeks? Longer? How were you to know? You were confined to four concrete walls with no form of contact, save for the ever present blinking red light watching your every move.  

You were forced to use the horrendous facilities they called a bathroom, and meals (which were surprisingly great) were brought to your room like clockwork while you were asleep.  

You began to look forward to the tray that would magically appear on your table. It was the only connection to the outside world you had, and you didn’t take it for granted.  

There was always a special treat on your dinner plate and it never failed at putting a smile on your face regardless of being a prisoner. You tried to keep a grip on your sanity with these small bouts of happiness, but it was obvious what angle Joker was playing at.  

He was using isolation to mentally break you and it was working. 

You thought being locked away all alone would be easy, but the constant silence was unbearable and before long you began to fear when Joker would return.  

Not fearing him specifically, but of what you might do for a sliver of human interaction.  

That visit came unexpectedly. You woke up from a nap sensing a presence inside your room. Sadly, you had embraced having hallucinations during your lengthy stay here, but this one felt a little too real.  

Something didn’t feel right. “H-Hello?”  

The door was still closed with the lights dimmed and there wasn’t a tray of food dropped by, so you glanced near the bathroom area on pure instincts. Nothing was inside the room except that camera that you loathed so much. Its constant flashing light both annoyed and comforted you. At least you weren’t completely alone.  

You sighed to yourself and was about to fall back asleep when you felt something move behind you. Joker’s laugh blended in with your scream as you tried to scramble away.  

You didn’t get far given that Joker dragged you back towards him.  

The last thing you expected after waking up was a man lying in the same bed as you. It was a natural response to freak out, especially since it was The Joker pinning you to the mattress. “YOU SICK F__K! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?”  

You didn’t see the way Joker's eyes glazed over or the way his hands tightened around you before he grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Have I lost my… have I.. losT my mind?”   

You tried to pry his hands off you, but Joker was just too strong as he continued to repeat your question over and over. His manic laughter was deafening in your ear. “Have I lost my mind, Y/n? Or have you?”  

You looked up into pools of jade that glinted mockingly down at you. “What are you...?” 

Joker cut you off by directing your gaze to the camera in the room. “Did ya forget I’ve been watching you this entire time doll? Talking to yourself, your uh... hopeless words of affirmation? Oh Dad will come, he’ll come save me! Hang in there, Y/n! You’re so braaaaaave and strong!”’ 

Joker’s imitation of your voice was cringeworthy as he repeated your own words out loud. He mocked your defiant spirit and hopes of escape as if it was a joke. Strangely enough, Joker’s tone softened, and he sounded sincere with his next angle of attack.  

“You just don’t get iT. Daddy’s not coming Y/n. No one knows you’re missing, and nooo one cares either. It’s been a month now doll. If Daddy Bats really cared about his precious daughter, he would’ve rescued you by now don’tcha think?” 

Joker was just messing with you. This was another tactic of his to break you down. He was a master of manipulation and his way with words was just as dangerous as his work with knives. His sole existence was to harm others and yet with your fragile state of mind, a part of you believed him.  

You couldn’t believe that a month had passed with no one trying to find you. Was Joker telling the truth?  

It was too absurd to believe. “N-No....  no dad cares about me. He wouldn't.... he wouldn’t give up..” You whispered. You didn’t know who you were trying to convince here, you or The Joker.  

He must’ve seen the doubt starting to creep in for he pushed you a little further. “Are you sure, Y/n? He’s a uh, busy bat! Fighting crime always comes first, you know that better than anyyyyy one. He’s never had time for you...” Joker smiled, watching you blink back tears.  

He enjoyed every minute of tearing down your defenses one lie at a time.  

He leaned away and bit back a smile when you followed, seeking his contact. You were making this child’s play for him.  

“Bats always sent ya away when you were younger. Never letting you err.. blossom to your fullest. He hid you away because you were a failure to him. A mistake. He never cared about you! But guess whaT?”  

Joker waited until you looked up into his grassy green eyes. Were they always so expressive or was it your imagination that made them sparkle? It was the first source of human contact you had in who knows how long. You felt special to have The Joker staring at you the way he was.  

The air in the room was filled with static energy as you waited for Joker’s next words. You craved validation, acceptance, and attention at a time like this. The Joker had starved you for far too long in isolation.  

His hand raised up and softly caressed the side of your face and you missed how his eyes lingered on your lips longer than intended.  

“I care Y/n.” He chuckled seeing you pout, “I mean iT! I’ve been so ah.. cruel to ya. I should’ve treated you better. You want me to treat ya better doll?” 

Joker leaned forward and kissed both of your cheeks. The contact made you jump and blink up at him in shock. If he couldn’t hear your heart beating wildly, then he was deaf.  

You soaked up his form of human contact like a sponge. How long had you been wasting away in this room?  

Was it really a month like Joker had said? Right as Joker was leaning down to kiss you properly, you had a moment of clarity.  

Who was to blame for you being trapped in here? Why were you here in the first place? The answer was right in front of you, buttering you up with sweet lies and fake affection. Joker was playing you like a fiddle, and you were weak enough to fall for it.  

Not anymore.  

The Joker was the enemy. He was full of lies. Dad would never abandon you so why were so inclined to believe this green haired clown? No amount of isolation, no form of torture, could break you to believe such. You couldn’t give up so easily. You were a Wayne. You were born a fighter.  

Joker’s scarred lips ghosted against yours as you shoved him away. “You are nothing but a liar.”  

You enjoyed his brief moment of shock before his eyes cooled into the hard emeralds that they were. 

And just like that the act was over. One second you were in the comfort of Joker’s arms, the next you were tossed aside like trash and his true colors were revealed.  

He towered over you like a titan as you tried to back away but there was simply nowhere to go. You were at Joker’s mercy, and he spared you none. Each kick to your body made you cry out for Joker to stop but he didn’t listen, rather he laughed and kicked harder.  

You grabbed his ankle and begged him to stop but he jerked free and stomped on your wrist in retaliation. The audible crack was background noise to your earsplitting scream— yet it was all music to Joker’s ears.  

He enjoyed the pain of others and yours was icing on the cake.  

You sounded so pretty, so helpless and filled with anguish. He wanted to hear more. He was obsessed. How far could he push you until you gave under pressure? 

Two knocks on the door stole Joker’s attention and his eyes watched as another person entered the room. Joker knew who it was. Anyone else wouldn’t dare enter while he had his fun.  

Frost took one look at you sobbing on the floor before he focused his attention back on his boss. “We got trouble.”  

Joker rolled his eyes at Frost for interrupting his fun although it was probably for the best. He didn’t want to break you just yet. Slow and steady won the race and he had all he time in the world to do so.  

He might’ve went overboard today judging by how you visibly flinched when he moved in your direction, but he knew you’d bounce back defiant as ever. You had to.   

“You’ll have to uhh, excuse me Y/n. It seems.. I’m needed elsewhere. Don’t. You. Move.” He patted your head and laughed all the way out the door.  

The heavy sound of it closing did little to silence your tears.  

The pain was nothing. You were more upset with yourself for not being stronger. Joker was destroying your fighting spirit in record time and you were powerless to stop him.  

The bruises never faded, and it made sleeping even more difficult on your worn mattress.  

Sure, Joker was considerate enough to cast your broken wrist, but it was a small gesture compared to the verbal and added physical abuse he bestowed upon you daily.  

You became Joker’s personal punching bag and there was no end in sight to your suffering.  

Each time the door opened, you were forced to endure Joker’s twisted mind games or his heavy hand. It didn’t matter that you were a woman, in his eyes you deserved every ounce of pain that he inflicted. And when he finally left you bleeding and holding back tears, your own thoughts tortured you some more. 

Did father really abandon you? How was the world’s greatest detective, renowned for his state-of-the-art technology and gadgets, unable to locate his only daughter?  

The days blended together and all the hope you originally had of being rescued, diminished.  

The Joker enjoyed his daily visits with you but he could tell that it wasn’t enough. Your body was obviously battered yet your mind remained intact.  

You still possessed a thread of hope that made you defiant to the end. You spat in Joker's face whenever he was in range, and you rolled your eyes at his half-hearted jokes about killing you.  

“Then do it.” Your snide remarks often led to more beatings that did little to fulfill Joker’s goal.  

Nothing seemed to be working to ultimately break you, so he decided to try a different angle. 

You woke up to the smell of food in the air. Your stomach growled in want, but the reset of your body hurt too much to move. You debated skipping eating all together in favor of rest however that choice was made for you.  

“Sit up.” 

His voice. The root of all of your problems. You didn’t have the strength to be bothered with him today.  

Joker waited for you to move yet when you remained lying down, he became agitated. “I won’T re-peat myself doll.” 

Your voice cracked with your response. “I can’t. It hurts.” You just wanted to be left alone, to hurt in peace but Joker controlled everything here. As if you had a choice to begin with. 

“Lemme help you.” 

Just hearing the offer gave you the strength to flip over to face him. Surely he was joking. He wanted to help you?! After all he did? Screw the consequences, you had to speak your mind. 

“Help me? You want to help me? Okay then. Go away! Far… far away and leave me alone! Or even better! Let me go!  What’s the point of keeping me here? What do you want from me?!”  

During your speech you began to cry and Joker (for the first time in his life) felt guilty. Your timeless beauty was marred by cuts and bruises that he caused, and he couldn’t justify his actions for creating them.  

Somewhere along the way Joker lost focus of the mission.  

It was all a game— to get at Batman but along the way Joker saw how strong you truly were. Anything he tossed your way, you deflected it with ease. You never faltered, never lost hope. Even now as you lay weak and hungry, your eyes set him ablaze.  

You had won, he just didn’t know at what.  

Joker didn’t know what else to do with this failed experiment of his. One thing was certain, he wasn’t letting you go. There was something about you that he couldn’t put his finger on.  

Your rant fizzled off as you stared at Joker.  

There was an odd gleam in his eyes that you were wary of. He looked lost in thought and when he snapped to, you were shocked to see a genuine smile appear on his lips.  

You feared what his thoughts could lead to.  

To mask your fear, you rolled your eyes at his lack of an answer and reached for your dinner tray. Your groan of pain made Joker wince. Were you really in that much pain?  

Without thinking, he smacked your hand away and stabbed a portion of food with the provided fork. The two of you stared at each other in silence waiting for the other to make a move.  

“I can feed myself.” You grumbled.  

Joker gave you an, ‘are you sure about that’ look and tapped the fork to your lips.  

Just thinking about moving used up too much energy and your muscles begged for you to take him up on the offer. The Joker, Gotham City’s notorious criminal, wanted to feed you dinner; who were you to deny him?  

You begrudgingly opened your mouth while looking away from his smug green eyes.  

The act was so demoralizing, but you kept your cool while chewing in silence and opening your mouth for the next morsel.  

Just to be cheeky, you closed your lips around the fork and refused to let go. Joker didn’t think it was funny but he entertained your bratty behavior nonetheless. He considered stabbing your tongue—but thought against it. There was no need to be violent.  

He was trying a different angle to this whole hostage situation he created. Your defenses were down tonight and he would be a fool not to take advantage of them.  

A quick glance to his right confirmed that the video camera was still recording. Perhaps it was time to send a message to daddy dearest and make some progress.  

You were under the impression that Joker was taking pity on you with his nice guy act. He was patient, feeding you bites of food and not shoving it down your throat like he’d done in the past when you tried starving yourself.  

He was being.. (dare you say it) nice. You should’ve known it was too good to be true.  

He finished feeding you and you thought he was moving onto the slice of cake that was on the tray. You had been eyeing it since Joker uncovered it and you licked your lips thinking about the delectable treat.  

It would have to wait. There was an ominous shift in the air that completely blindsided you.  

Joker didn’t know what came over him. He didn’t have any plans when he entered your room tonight. It was supposed to be a simple food drop—nothing more, but the moment his eyes landed on you curled up on the mattress resting so beautifully, what left of his demented mind, checked out early.  

This past month and a half was filled with harsh lessons and far too many close calls. Batman and his ban of birds did everything in their power to find you and they almost succeeded once or twice. 

Thankfully Joker was smart enough to place you inside a shipping container so you could always be mobile and out of reach. You hardly noticed the frequent moves since he coordinated them during your sleeping hours. It also ensured your meals were always hot and fresh since they could just travel to wherever Joker deemed fit to your standards.  

Everything was planned down to the smallest detail, everything except developing feelings for you.  

Now that was out of Joker’s control.  

Underneath the clown façade, Joker was still a man and you were absolutely stunning with your aristocratic beauty and educated mind.  

Your fierce personality drew him in despite you being a means to an end. You were supposed to be a form of entertainment, a toy until Joker got bored and let Batman have his daughter back but over time, Joker became attached to you in an unhealthy way. 

You were Joker’s property, his special secret hidden from the world to do with as he so pleased.  

He stopped hitting you and allowed you time to heal due to some unknown form of guilt. More and more tasty desserts were included with your meals to make up for his abusive behavior, and unbeknownst to you, Joker watched you sleep every night.  

There was something soothing watching you blissfully unaware of the monster in your bed. He could slit your throat in your sleep but he didn’t. No, that would be a waste.  

Joker found it better to sleep beside you and hold you close. He knew you would freak out if you knew all the liberties that he took while you were asleep.  

From tracing your major arteries with a knife to leaving lipstick marks all over your skin—his feelings for you were disturbing and perfectly justified in his opinion.  

Joker didn’t want the traditional lovey dovey crap most couples shared because he wasn’t normal. He wanted to own, to control, to destroy you completely and then protect the broken pieces that remained. 

There was no concept of love in Joker’s mind and there never would be. Seeing you so docile as he fed you was the breaking point. He got a taste of your submissive side and craved more.  

Why couldn’t you just give in and break already? You brought this upon yourself. You forced Joker to do this. 

He blocked out the sound of your cries and wrestled your arms down to onto the mattress. His only goal was to get you naked and when you began to struggle more, he took matters into his own hands. 

Joker grabbed the army knife from his pocket and sliced your clothes off. One motion caught your skin and you howled as the sharp metal tore it open. Joker saw red bubble to the surface and dove down to lick you clean.  

He didn’t like hearing your voice filled with pain. It distracted him from getting hard and after staring you in the eye, you quickly got the message. Keep quiet or else.  

You tried not to make a sound louder than your whimpers. You didn’t want to provoke Joker’s wrath.  

“Much better. So pretty.” Joker hummed to himself when you were laid bare beneath him although he frowned seeing tears staining your cheeks. “Shhhhhh, hey hey. Look at me... Behave and it won’t hurT.”  

He watched your lip wobble as you remained quiet. Your wrists were being held down by Joker’s hand, leaving you powerless to squirm away and he loved the power scale tipping in his favor. Good. You would always be beneath him.  

He struggled a bit to unzip his fly but managed to get his cock out without letting you go. A shame you were being bratty and didn’t prepare yourself for this. He really had to do everything around here.  

Joker spat on his hand and worked it up and down his cock, groaning to himself at the feeling. His eyes roamed over his doll and admired your beauty mid stoke. You had curves in all the right places that begged to be fondled. He wanted to touch them, but if he let go of your hands, you would act out.  

He could see the fire burning in your eyes. If he gave you an inch, you’d take a mile.  

Yet it was criminal not to mark you up the way he wanted.  

Joker sighed as he lined himself up with your pussy. You panicked and tried moving away from his tip tapping your opening with heavy slaps to no avail.  

“Are ya gonna behave doll?” 

He shifted his weight and applied more pressure on your healing broken wrist when you continued to rebel. The searing pain made you bite your lip and cease struggling altogether.  

“Now. Are you gonna be a errr.. good doll for me n’ stay realllllllly still?” Joker sang.  

Your lip curled back, ready to cuss him out, instead a loud scream took escaped your lips as Joker began to force his way inside your dry entrance.  

It burned. It ached. He was tearing you apart and you shook your head in agony as it continued without end. You didn’t think about the consequences, you bucked your hips away from the unwanted invasion.  

You knew you were in trouble the moment Joker said your name in warning. 

“What. Did. I just say doll? Dumb b___h.” 

Joker let go of your wrists to hold your hips instead. Once he found purchase, he began thrusting in and out of your pussy. His pleasure was your torment. Your silent tears spurred him on and he swatted your hands away that tried to push him off.  

Nothing would stop him after he got a taste of you. He was an idiot for not taking you sooner. 

“Haha, you’re grippin’ me soooooo tight doll. Ease up for me!” Joker groaned louder to drown out your pathetic pleas. He would not slow down; you were too perfect to stop now.  

He noticed the camera in the corner and got an idea. “Are ya enjoying yourself, doll? Why don’tcha give the ah.. a-audience a good show? Go on. Tell him how you feel.”   

You forgot all about the recorder in the room! Your sharp gasp was music to his ears. You tried to turn away, but Joker would have none of that. He grabbed your jaw and forcibly turned your face towards the lens. Your tears were a paid actor for his production.  

“Ya see that Bats? ThaT, oh f__k... t-that is the face of your failure. She’s all mine and I’m gonna take ahaha.. verrry good care of her. All mine.. d__n it..” Joker choked back a moan and licked the tears from your face as he sped up his thrusts. If he kept this up, he would cum before the fun really started. Although he shouldn’t have to be the only one getting off.  

With a smug grin, he snaked a hand down to rub messy circles on your clit.  

The response was instantaneous. You threw your head back with a mewl on your tongue. He felt the result of his adventurous touch the same time you let out an unexpected moan. “Oh? Ya like that doll?” He mocked.  

He laughed at you trying to deny deny deny but your body was speaking on your behalf.  

You tightened around him and he felt the slick begin to coat his cock. He arched an eyebrow at the sudden turn of events. You really were enjoying this. He wondered... 

He stroked your clit faster and was rewarded by another sweet moan gracing his ears. His doll made the prettiest sounds under distress. He could see the confusion dancing across your features.  

“Ohhhhhh Bats! You have a naughty.. naughty girl! Enjoying my touch after begging me to stop just minutes ago? Ah.. mmm, it's okay doll! M-Moan louder. Enjoy ittt, I know I am. Mm, you feel better the uh wetter you become.” 

Joker stopped mid thrust when you clenched down unexpectedly on him. Were you trying to crush him to death?  

He wondered if you could feel him throbbing in your pussy. Your tiny fists were beating on his clothed chest but there was no point in pretending.  

You were enjoying yourself and if he was correct to assume, you were getting close. You just needed a little push and Joker had just the thing.  

“I knew you were secretly a whore. Only dirty sluts get off on being used like a toy. Hehe. It's a-always the quiet ones f__k!” Joker chuckled to himself followed by a shuddering groan. You were very close. He had to act fast.  

Without warning he bit down hard on your shoulder. You moaned out before covering your mouth with your hand. It was too late; Joker already knew what kind of woman you were. He bit harder and rejoiced as blood bubbled up to the surface to coat his lips. Finally, he was marking you up the way you deserved.  

He sped up his thrusts, laughing at the sloppy sound of wet skin on skin in the room. His cock happily slid in and out of your pussy now that you were horny.  

You were shaking your head in denial even as your legs shivered on Joker’s shoulders. He licked the fresh bite mark clean before whispering in your ear.  

“Let go Y/n. Shatter into a thousand tiny lit-tle pieces— and when you snap them back together, I'll be righT here to ruin you all over again. And again. And again. I will always break you just the way you need. The way you deserve. So go on. Do itttt. B-Break for me.... For us.”  

Joker thought you were beautiful before, seeing you admit defeat and cum was a vision from heaven.  

Your cheeks darkened in color as your lips parted like the sea to allow carnal bliss to fall from its depths. You twitched uncontrollably in Joker’s hold, and he was more than happy to pull you in close as you fell apart on his cock.  

You rode the wave of pleasure and swept Joker along with the force. He was caught off guard by your tightening cunt and came with your name a whisper on his lips.  

No drug could ever compare to the high you gave him.  

He saw new sounds and heard colors that he couldn’t name. His breath came in short pants as he came down. Words failed him, his head was still too foggy to process the world around him.  

What could one say after an orgasm that intense? He just came inside your quivering hole, and he already wanted to do it again.   

He couldn’t find the energy to even think coherently! All he could do was flop down next to you and sort out his senses in the right categories.  

His paint-stained hands wandered aimlessly and began playing with the ends of your hair, much to your horror. While Joker floated in post-coital bliss, you fell back to your harsh reality.  

You let this monster have sex with you and even worse, you enjoyed it.  

You felt dirty, cheap, a literal failure. You allowed The Joker to touch you, to make you feel good. You came from his ministrations. God, you could feel him softening inside your used pussy. Your inner thighs felt sticky, and you shuddered realizing that The Joker came inside you. The room began to spin as you spiraled into a panic attack.  

What would dad think when he found out? What if you became pregnant with this monster’s child. You felt sick to your stomach and feeling Joker playing with your hair, as if nothing was wrong, tipped you over the edge.  

“Don’t touch me!” You wailed. Your shout made Joker come to and instinctively hold you closer to his chest. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on inside your head, but you didn’t have to be so loud. 

“Doll... I ahh uh, already touched ya.” He rubbed up and down your back despite you flinching from his touch.  

You made eye contact with the video recorder in the corner and Joker curiously followed your gaze. Oh. That would explain your sour mood. You were smart and deduced what he would do with the footage. “Listen Y/n..” 

A knock at the door interrupted Joker’s sentence. He didn’t move an inch as he granted whomever on the other side entry.  

You tried maintaining your modesty but it was a useless effort. You were bare as the day you were born in Joker’s arms and he wasn’t letting you go. 

Joker’s henchman walked in and struck a conversation with the clown, pretended as if you didn’t exist. You wanted to crawl into a hole and die you were so embarrassed.  

You didn’t notice what was going on until Joker snapped his fingers in your face. “Huh?” 

Joker rolled his eyes at your lack of awareness. He sat up straight and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “I said..... take a bath while I’m gone. I uh.. took your chain off for ya.”  

He pointed at your bare ankle that was in fact free of the heavy metal. You twisted your leg, feeling the freedom granted to you.  

You wanted to thank Joker but he was already walking out the door with his henchman. And just like that, you were alone. The silence was unbearable as the full reality hit you full force.  

You didn’t fight back. Why did you give in so easily? Why did you miss the warmth of Joker body against yours? Just what was wrong with you for craving his touch?  

Screw taking a bath, you ran straight towards the toilet to empty your stomach.  

Sleep did not come to you when your mind was abuzz with doubt. 

You paced the room while biting your nails and reliving your time spent with Joker over and over. You were beyond restless thinking about your uncertain future. What would Joker do now that he got what he wanted? 

Would you be killed off and discarded like trash? Would your family be given the chance to mourn your passing? Would they even know what became of you? There were too many questions and not enough answers. One thing was for certain, you refused to sit around and wait for your fate.  

For some unknown reason Joker removed your chain. It was a sliver of hope that you planned on exploiting.  

The heavy metal door loomed in the distance. Before it served as a reminder of how trapped you were; now it was a shining beacon of hope. Either coincidental or simply a miracle, Joker also took the elusive camera with him. Nothing was stopping you from running, and nothing was holding you back.  

Joker had slashed your clothes to ribbons but the woolen blanket on the mattress was still intact for you to wrap around your body.  

It left you feeling far too exposed, but you had no other option available. Once covered, you padded over to the door and turned the handle to freedom. 

The hallway was dark and ominous before you.  

You weren’t sure if you wanted to venture into the unknown. You looked at the barren cell you were forced to inhabit and back into the dark void, weighing the odds.  

You took the first step, then another, and another until you were walking with haste—desperately searching for an exit.  

Your heart was beating loudly in your ears as you stumbled across a door with light poking out underneath the frame. It was the only lead you had so far towards an exit. You slowly pushed it open and regretted it instantly.  

The room full of men all stopped their various conversations to stare you caught like a deer in headlights in the doorway. You quite literally walked into a den of wolves.  

“Well well. Look what we have here!” One guy catcalled.  

They all leered at your body poorly wrapped up in a blanket. It was obvious your purpose here at their hideout. Free entertainment.  

The door slammed shut behind you, trapping you again, only this time in far more hostile conditions. You berated yourself for leaving the safety of your cell if this was the cost. You could barely defend yourself against Joker. There were too many men here to even consider escaping.  

You backtracked right into a broad chest and the male laughed at you already cowering in fear.  

He roughly pulled your hair while another pair of hands ripped your blanket away to knead your breasts. Whistles and laughter broke out in the room at the sight. “The Boss been keepin’ this from us!? Look! She’s freshly used too!”  

You screamed as fingers stabbed their way into your cunt and explored inside. Their hands weren't like Jokers. There was no pleasure to be gained here and unlike before, your body did not warm up to the stimuli.  

You were in pain as they groped and fondled your body and despite Joker being the origin to all your problems, you cried out his name to save you. 

Someone yanked your hair again before shattering all your hopes with a handful of words. “Ya think the boss is gonna help you? You are nuthin’ to him! Just a warm hole for him to use. And now it's our turn.” 

You closed your eyes to block out the pain. The last of your fighting spirit faded away as a lone tear rolled down your cheek. 

Frost and Joker were waking back towards your room when they heard the loud commotion coming from the common room.  

It was well in the night and nothing of note should’ve excited the men to be so rowdy. Most of them should’ve been on patrols in the first place.  

Frost merely shrugged his shoulders and followed his Boss.  

Curiosity killed the cat, but Joker was not so simple minded. He knew something was wrong. He wasn't religious by any means, but he prayed that this didn’t involve you.  

He barged into the common room ready to scold his men when his worst fears came to light.  

Joker didn’t think, he simply acted until nothing else stood in his way to get to you. Frost could handle the aftermath of his rage—you were the only constant in Joker’s mind the second he opened the door and saw you in distress.  

He left you just a few hours prior, safe and accounted for in your room. He left to prepare better accommodations to reflect your newfound status in his life. Joker took great care of his possessions, and you deserved better than being tucked away in some dingy shipping container. You didn’t belong on the floor like a cheap whore. No, you were worthy to be displayed, dressed up like the doll Joker wanted you to be. 

 Never did he imagine he would return to this. 

He fought his way to your side and fell to his knees by your side. His green eyes were wide with an unknown emotion as they took in your battered form.  

He didn’t want to touch and accidentally hurt you any further yet something about the thousand-yard stare in your eyes told him you were no longer here to feel anything at all. Joker knew how ruthless his men were, but this was barbaric.  

He didn’t regret killing them after what they done. His only remorse was not making them suffer more before death.  

Joker gathered you up in his arms and tried shaking you back into focus. “Y/n? Y/n, c'mon doll! Look at me.. s-say something!?” He pleaded.  

You mumbled something inaudible and curled up into a ball.  

Rage. Guilt and surprisingly shame. Joker’s mind was wild with this flood of new emotions.  

He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t have a single cell of compassion in his body, yet the sight of his newest toy utterly broken (and not of his own doing) had him feeling remorseful.  

“I... I don’T.. I...” Joker gathered his thoughts with a deep inhale.  

Frost watched the intimate scene while kicking over a body. It was a bloody mess in here; however, that had to wait.  

Frost could tell his Boss needed some assistance. “I’ll run a bath.” Frost said offhandedly.  

It would point Joker in the right direction at least rather than rocking you back and forth on the floor to no avail. The comment snapped Joker out of his musing.  

Emerald eyes roamed over your sleeping form. “Bath. Y-Yeah uh she needs a uh.. bath.” 

He nodded to himself and slowly rose to his feet to carry you out of the common room. He passed up your old room in favor of his own that had more privacy. Not like it would matter. You had yet to speak.  

This was not the outcome Joker had planned. Even after he washed you clean and tucked you into bed— he sat by your side contemplating his next move.  

You were no longer the shiny doll he wanted on his shelf. His own men had ruined you. They took away your feisty demeanor and all conscience thought from you that made this game fun.  

Joker tried to get you to speak, to react to anything, but you remained stagnant, blinking owlishly at the wall until sleep finally took you.  Nothing of the defiant Y/n that Joker had grown to like remained.  

You left him with no other alternative. He got what he wanted, and it was time to move on.  

In three more days, it would mark your two-month long disappearance. Bruce would be a liar if he said he didn’t count the days if not the minutes that you were gone.  

He blamed himself for your capture and the boys tried their hardest to steer him in the right direction and not spiral into depression. Bruce loved all his children, but you were his by blood. You held a special place in Bruce’s heart and as such, he spent every waking second trying to find you. 

No expenses were spared, and any lead (no matter how small) were investigated. Joker was smart, but Bruce was smarter. He would find you.  

Dick and Tim investigated a possible lead and discovered where you were originally being held. You still had a sweet tooth and your favorite bakery recognized your custom order being placed and tipped off Wayne Enterprises about the person who picked it up. 

Unfortunately, The Joker moved you before Batman could arrive at the location but now they knew you were still alive. It strengthened their hopes in finding you safe and sound.  

Numerous rescue attempts were thwarted in the following weeks, but they never gave up. There would be another lead, they would have another chance to save you.  

All hope was not lost. 

Their patience was rewarded the day the Batcomputer picked up a signal on your tracker. It was finally online for the first time in months. Everyone scrambled to assemble at the pinned location. Bruce was ready for a fight and mentally prepared himself to do anything necessary to get you back.  

None of the boys were prepared to arrive at the back of your office building. It seemed to be a mistake, it had to be. Was Joker sending them on a wild goose chase? Bruce scanned the area but there was only one faint heat signature detected. His nerves were on edge, already assuming the worst.  

Bruce’s heart stopped beating when he saw a body lying in the delivery drop-off/ loading area. He didn’t wait for the others to secure the area. His father instincts were in overdrive as he rushed to your side, calling out your name.  

You were unresponsive with only a tattered blanket covering your shivering form. That’s when Bruce saw the bruises painting your body and the cast still present on your wrist. He didn’t want to believe that this battered woman was his spit-fire daughter.  

You were a shell of your former self when Bruce finally roused you awake. The fire that once blazed intently within your e/c eyes was gone and it was evident what The Joker did to you.  

“Bruce, look.” Dick said as he picked up something near your feet.  

Scattered around your body was a deck of playing cards. On the joker card a note was written in red.  

You can have her back Bats; I don’t like broken dolls. 

[cozage]

Hello!

Firstly, I love your work ❤️❤️

Secondly, I saw your 2k follower milestone post.

Could you do Trafalgar Law as a girl dad? Like with a black wife (I'm black and I want this man so bad lol)

Maybe with him finding out she's pregnant, then finding out it's a girl. Just how he'd take the news and how he'd treat their daughter.

And, if you have the time, maybe when she's older and wants to date somebody. Idk I feel like he's a protective loving father 🥲🥲

A/N: I could go on and on about Trafalgar Law as a Girl Dad. He was made to have a daughter.  Characters: female reader x Law Cw: some talk about infertility and diseases, little bit of angst. Total word count:770

Girl Dad

Trafalgar Law was not expecting a positive pregnancy test. All signs had pointed he was infertile, a result of Amber Lead Sickness he had as a child. 

Even despite that prognosis and you all being careful, the test in front of him was positive. He was going to be a father. 

A part of him was ecstatic. The two of you had talked about kids before, through adoption or other options. But this child growing inside your womb was his child, made of DNA from him and his favorite person in the whole world. 

He spirals a few times, alone in his office. What if the baby had Amber Lead Poisoning? What is the life expectancy of a child in this generation? What if the child spreads the disease to you and you get sick? Some nights he can’t sleep; he’s just up thinking about What-ifs.

He frets over everything during your pregnancy. If your BPM or heart rate is even slightly elevated, if your bloodwork is just slightly off, he starts to worry. He runs test after test, just to make sure everything is okay

Even things like the way the nursery room is set up stresses him out. If the bed is too big or if the blankets will be a problem, the risk of certain paints or old furniture. This man has studied so many medical diseases that he’s paranoid about anything and everything.

At week twenty he’s running a weekly scan and finds out it’s a girl. He breaks down in tears, thinking of his mother and his sister. He wished they could be here to celebrate with you all. But it’s only the two of you in his little doctor's office. 

He wanted to find a more fun way to tell you the news, but his tears of joy tell you everything you need to know. Of course it’s a girl. You always knew he would make the best father for a little girl. 

When she’s finally brought into the world, Law cannot stop staring at her. She has your skin and his eyes, and you’ve never seen a more beautiful combination for a human being.

Sometimes you’ll wake up in the middle of the night just to find Law holding her while she sleeps, completely transfixed on her. He’s always smiling like an idiot, just watching her sleep.

He is always whispering in her ear, telling her how much he loves her and how special she is. She grows up constantly hearing how much she is loved by everyone on the ship. 

As she gets older, Law has a hard time saying no to her. She wants that cute princess dress? Of course she can have it. You’ve never seen this man bend his will so easily to another human. But he'd give her the moon if she asked.

He will dress up in tiaras and have tea parties. Everyone on the ship will! Sometimes you’ll be walking around and it will be strangely quiet, and you just know you’re little princess has gotten those boys doing her bidding in some way or another. 

He sets up a little desk for her in his office when she turns three, and you are BAFFLED. The man never lets anyone in his office! And now your daughter has a DESK in there, full of crayons and coloring books and journals.

She has a knack for medicine too and loves to make her own “potions” (aka dyed water. Law isn’t THAT crazy) in the lab. He starts teaching her how to use pipettes and measure out liquids. Once she turns 8, he shows her how to run tests and read medical data. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. 

On the ship, she has full reign. Whatever she wants to do, she’s welcome to do it. Law only ever raises his voice at her when she’s in danger or when he’s scared. 

On island visits, it’s a little bit different. He doesn’t like her to leave his side, even as she creeps into her teenage and young adult years. 

He has a really hard time letting her have her freedom. He knows what kind of people wait around the corner of islands on the Grand Line, eager to get a girl of her stature and her beauty. He’s trained her how to fight, but he’s still desperate to protect her from the world.

It’s hard sometimes, having a husband who loves so deeply and wants to protect so much. You often have to be the mediator, reminding Law to be gentle and reminding your daughter that he just wants to protect her. 

But you’re a family, and you always love each other and forgive each other. It’s not always perfect, but you would never trade it, and neither would Law.

[topazy]

Tomorrow's promise

Pairing: Daryl Dixon × reader, Rick Grimes × sister reader

Warnings: Swearing, usual violence against zombies

Chapter: 3.01

You wipe the blood off your knife with an old cloth, then toss the fabric onto a table. You weren’t planning on staying in the abandoned house long—maybe a couple of days at most—before moving on. It was hard to keep track of time while living life out on the road and in constant fear of being in danger, but since Lori was nearing the end of her pregnancy, you’d say it had been at least seven or eight months since you left the farm. Jace had grown and become heavier in the last few months as well, which made carrying him in a sling a little more painful than before, but you had become used to the strain on your back.

Since you thought you’d lost him the night the farm was overrun, you hardly let Jace out of your sight. You didn’t like it when anyone else held him for too long, and at night you hardly slept, terrified another horde would come crashing through.

Walking into the living room, where the rest of your group sits in silence, you watch as Rick snatches a can of dog food Carl was about to eat into the fireplace.

You watch Daryl as he plucks feathers from a dead owl; the bird looks clean, which leads you to believe he hunted it himself. If it wasn’t for Daryl’s scavenging and hunting skills, your group would have starved a long time ago.

T-dog stands, motioning to the back door, “We gotta go, walkers.”

As quietly as they can, everyone grabs their belongings and makes their way back to the vehicles. Just as you climb into the back seat beside Carl, the walkers reach the house.

—

Some time later, the cars pull over on the side of a road surrounded by nothing but trees. When you step outside the car, your nephew immediately pulls the gun from its holsters, and holding it loosely in his hands, he begins to run towards Rick. It was one thing to run from walkers with a gun in your hand, but Carl was going to end up blowing his foot off if he wasn’t careful. His dad had warned him multiple times about doing it, but he was still just a kid.

“Carl, watch what you’re doing.”

He slows down and waves his hand. “Sorry, Aunt Lily.”

Lori shakes her head and slams down the boot of the trunk. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell my son what to do.”

“He was running with a gun in his hands,” you snap.

Rick gives you a pleading look. You and Lori hardly spoke now, but when you did more often than not, it would end in a heated argument. Without even knowing all the facts, she blamed you for Shane’s death, and you were convinced that deep down Lori loved him and not Rick.

Most of your group gathers around the hood of the car furthest away from you while discussing where you would travel next. You need to find somewhere secure and fast before Lori goes into labor. Beth and Carl were keeping a lookout for walkers, which meant you had some privacy to stand up and feed Jace.

You had only found a small supply of baby food and formula milk, and with your own lack of food and water, your breast milk was starting to dry up.

Once Jace has finished feeding you, fix your bra and vest top before putting him back into the sling. You step out to join the others, and you notice Glenn nudging Daryl.

Daryl turns and calls out, “Going on a hunt with Rick; are you coming?”

“Sure.”

—

“Remind me again why you’re hunting with us.” Rick teases. “Mom couldn’t even get you to help pull the weeds in the garden.”

“Ain’t nobody dying from weeds in the garden. Besides, Daryl offers to teach me how to hunt.”

Daryl had been walking slightly ahead since you found the train tracks. When Jace makes a babbling sound, you brush his hair back and coo, “Shh, it’s okay.”

“You know, you could have left him back at the car with Lori.”

You glare at Rick. There was a risk of walkers hearing his cries no matter where you went, and truthfully, your son would be much safer with Rick and Daryl nearby.

You notice Daryl comes to a standstill; when you get closer, he points to a prison on the opposite side of a small river. He motions to the dead roaming the prison grounds and says, “That's a shame.”

“How many do you think there are?”

“Hard to say.”

You look up at Rick and ask, “Do you think we could clear it?”

Smiling, he nods. “You two stay here; I’m going to get the others.”

—

Using bolt cutters, Rick puts a hole in the prison fence big enough for everyone to squeeze through, then ties it together again with wires.

You make it to the gate leading into the prison yard. “Now what?”

Being attracted to the noise of people running, the walkers stared at the fences. Luckily, the metal fence was strong enough to keep them at bay. There were two different parts to the prison yard; one was a small grassy field and the other was on concrete ground. They were separated by another fence, but the gate between them was open, letting walkers roam between them.

“It’s perfect,” Rick says. “If we can shut that gate and prevent more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers. We’ll take the field by tonight.”

“So how do we shut the gate?” Hershel asks.

Glenn puts himself forward and says, “I’ll do it. You guys cover me.”

“No,” Maggie shakes her head, “it’s a suicide run.”

You pick up a long pole off the ground; one of the ends has already been sharpened into a weapon. Once you had a good grip on it, you slid it through the fence, stabbing a walker in the head and saying, “Not if we kill some of these bastards beforehand.”

Rick points further down the path that you’d just come up from. “Glenn, you, Maggie, and Beth, draw as many as you can over there. Pop ‘em through the fence. Daryl goes back to the other tower. Carol, you’ve become a pretty good shot. Just take your time; we don’t have a lot of ammo to waste. Hershel, you and Carl take this tower. I’ll run for the gate.”

“You can’t go alone; you need cover.”

Rick starts to protest, “You can’t—”

“You’re a mad man. Rick, I’m not going to let you do it alone. They’re too many of them.”

Hearing what you just said, Daryl backs up and says, “I’ll take the little man if you’re running. He’ll be safer on higher ground anyway.”

You kiss Jace on the head before handing him and the makeshift sling over to him. Once he’s got Jace securely in his arms, Daryl moves fast to get to his position in the tower.

You go and stand by the gate with Rick. “Are you ready?”

He lets out a chuckle. “No, but we need to be.”

Lori looks at you both but says nothing as she opens the gate, then closes it soon as you step over the threshold.

Most of the walkers are distracted by the sounds of gunshots or the noise further down the fence, but the once’s surrounding the next gate are coming towards you fast. You do your best to kill as many as you can by using the pipe as a weapon rather than wasting ammo, but when too many start to surround you, you and Rick both begin to shoot at them.

You mercilessly managed to hold the walkers back while Rick managed to close the next gate, sealing off the yard.

He grabs your wrist, pulls you into the guard tower with him, and slams the door shut. When you reach the top, you smile, seeing that most of the walkers have already gone down.

—

You sit cross-legged on a flipped-over prison van, keeping an eye leading up the path to the first gate leading into the yard, while softly singing to Jace, who was falling asleep in your arms. It had been a long time since your group had so much space to roam freely and eat a decent amount of food. Since there was actually time to cook over a campfire, Hershel made a meal out of a few different tins from his backpack. It still wasn’t a lot between eleven people, but it was the most you had in weeks.

“I can take over if you want,” Daryl says, climbing up.

It was late; Carl and T-dog had already fallen asleep, and the last you wanted was them waking up to Jace screaming beside them again. So you think it was better if you kept a little distance. “I’m good, thanks.”

“The food disappears fast around here; I guess little Shane over there has quite the appetite.”

You swat at his arm. “Don’t be mean.”

Daryl raises his brows and says, “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Did Rick tell you?”

“Pfft, I have eyes and ears.”

You sigh. Daryl was very perceptive and noticed things maybe the others hadn’t, or simply chose to ignore. “My brother, he’s strong, but I know it’s killing him.”

“What about you? It can’t be easy seeing her every day.”

His question throws you slightly. Shane’s gone, and Lori’s going to spend the rest of her life carrying around this secret, with everyone silently judging her and to you that felt punishment enough. “I’ve made my peace with it; the only thing I care about now is making sure the kids never find out.”

He gives you a doubtful look.

Rick was a good man; he didn’t even know if the baby was his, but he was still doing his best to find a safe place for the kid and Lori to live. “Besides, the only thing killing me right now is my back,” you joke, attempting to lighten the mood.

“What’s wrong with it?"

“Nothing except carrying around tiny humans all day, which apparently isn’t shoulder blade friendly.”

He snorts out a laugh. “This little dude? Never.”

Using your free hand, you cover your mouth to hold back a giggle as Daryl begins to massage your back, making you blush like a schoolgirl.

—

In the morning, Rick, T-dog, Daryl, Maggie, and Glenn moved in to clear the next part of the lesion yard.

You hand Jace to Carl and say, “Take him and go stand further back from the fence, okay? And if anything happens, you run straight into one of the guard towers and lock the door.”

He nods, “Yes, ma’am.”

You laugh at his choice of words and ruffle his hair before turning your attention back to the fence. You begin to rattle the fence to draw walkers close enough to stab them in the head.

Some of the walkers were former prison officers, which made them harder to kill since they still had their riot gear on, but Maggie was managing to pull their helmets back and stab them from underneath the chin.

“Shit!”

You rush over to T-dog and stab the walker who got ahold of his weapon in the eye. He pats you on the shoulder before resuming to kill walkers.

“Where did they go?” Lori says.

You shoot your head up and notice they are gone. “They must have gone inside.”

—

After what feels like hours, your brother reappears and leads you all inside to cell block C.

Each cell had bunk beds, and even though there was plenty of space, it was advised to bunk up with someone for safety purposes. Everyone, aside from Daryl, who had decided to sleep on top of the staircase leading to the next level up.

You notice Carl carrying an armful of mattresses down the stairs and into the cell you were going to sleep in. “What’s going on, munchkin?”

He drops some onto the ground, saying, “These are for Jace, and the others are for my mom.”

Lori would definitely need the extra comfort once she gave birth. “Well, aren’t you sweet?”

He shrugs, “It was Daryl’s idea.”

You look up at the doorway and see the man in question standing there. He shrugs. “I just thought since the cell doors can still close over the mattresses, Jace would be able to crawl around on the floor without bumping his head on shit.”

“Thanks; I never would have thought of that.”

Once the mattresses are on the ground, you let Jace down and smile, watching as he looks around the cell, curious.

—

Anxiously, you pace back and forth, waiting for the rest of your group to return to cell block C. Your brother was leading a part of your group that had split off to search the rest of the prison, clearing out any walkers that they came across. Hopefully they would find some food, ammo, and medicine.

“Lily?”

Instinctively, you roll your eyes upon hearing Lori call your name. Jace looks peaceful sleeping; you would feel guilty waking him. “Carol, do you mind watching him for a minute?”

“Sure,” she smiles.

You walk into the cell Lori is sleeping in and are surprised to see how scared she looks as she rubs at her bump. “I know I have absolutely no right to ask you for any favors."

“That’s an understatement.”

“I haven’t felt the baby move in days, which means I could have lost it.”

You sit down beside her on the bed, now understanding why she was so scared. “How long has it been?”

“A few days,” she answers plainly.

You swallow thickly, not really knowing what to say. “There’s maybe nothing wrong; hell, I didn’t even feel Jace until he came out.”

She scoffs. “I’m being serious, Lily; if I turn, I need you to put me down. Not Rick, not Carl. It would destroy them.”

“It won’t come to that.”

She shakes her head, tears welling in her eyes. “I know it, okay? This pregnancy isn’t the same as my last one; I know something is wrong. And if me and this baby are dead, just promise me you’ll do what needs to be done. Don’t let my boy see me as one of those things.”

“I—I—”

“Please, I am begging you.”

You attempt to comfort Lori by squeezing her hand. “I promise, if it comes to it, I’ll pull the trigger.”

[areyoudreaminof]

The First Annual Starfall Snipe Hunt. Chapter 2

The kids are BACK! Will they figure out what a snipe is? Or is Uncle Cass just pulling their leg?

Chapter 1 here.

In the dim fae lights, Cricket stared at the ceiling, wondering how she was going to get them out of this one. 

Her book sat absently on her lap as she laid in the large guest bed. Her feet twitched, missing the familiar weight of her hound at her feet. She, Nyx, and her sister had stayed up later than usual, until Aunt Feyre came in to tell them it was bedtime, then Papa a few minutes later to tell them to “go to bed, now.” They hadn’t gotten any further in planning what they were going to do about that snipe hunt. 

If she were home, she’d have gone out onto her balcony, sat in her hammock, and watched the waves lull under the moonlight and look for shooting stars. But her room in Velaris didn’t have a balcony. Though she did open her curtains to watch the blinking lights of the city on the horizon. 

The door creaked, and Cricket shoved her book under her pillow, knowing she had been caught. But it wasn’t Mama or Papa at the door. 

“Cricket?” 

Froggy stood in the dark hallway, whispering with a terrified expression on her face, clutching her raggedy stuffed rabbit. Wordlessly, Cricket pulled back the blankets and shimmied over, as Froggy shut the door and scrambled in. 

Her baby sister snuggled underneath the covers, eyes scanning the room for any unwelcome shadows. Cricket knew she wouldn’t be turning off the fae lights tonight. 

“Do you want me to rub your back?” Cricket asked in a whisper. 

Froggy nodded, turning to her side as Cricket softly rubbed her back, her hand tracing small circles, something Mama had always done to help them sleep when they were scared. 

“Are the snipes really going to eat us?” Froggy said in a hushed voice. 

“No,” Cricket scoffed, “Uncle Rhys and Uncle Cass are just being dumb and trying to scare us. They wouldn’t actually let us get eaten by anything.”  

“Then why are they taking us out hunting?” her little whisper wobbled under her breath as she turned to face Cricket. 

“Because they’re just pulling a prank on us. Snipes probably aren't even real. We can go to the library while Mama and Papa deliver the jams to Aunt Emerie at the shop and then we can ask her and Aunt Mor if they’re even real when they all get back, okay?” 

Froggy snuggled her rabbit closer, twirling the softened ears in her fingers, “But what if they are real?” she asked with the threat of tears looming in her voice.  Cricket threw her arms around her baby sister, “Then Nyxie and me will make sure you’re okay. Then we put hound poop in Uncle Rhys’s cake and scare Uncle Cass even more.” 

“That cake will be smelly,” Froggy feebly giggled. Her eyelids began to flutter closed and a jaw cracking yawn escaped her. 

“I’ll put lots of chocolate in it,” Cricket promised “and we’ll keep the light on tonight.” 

Froggy mumbled a reply before sleep took her, but Cricket strained her ears for any sign of the grown ups downstairs. The din of soft voices and clinking glasses were just audible enough downstairs, but the risk of being spotted if she went to the hallway to spy was too much, since her door nearly faced the landing. 

Are you still awake, she thought, hoping Nyx would be the one to pick it up. 

Yeah, Nyx’s voice entered her head softly. He showed her his perspective, his hands fiddling with one of his building models on his desk. Froggy’s with you?

She’s asleep now but she’s terrified, Cricket let Nyx see Froggy’s sleeping form next to her, clutching her rabbit for dear life. Do we even have a plan?

Poop cake sounds pretty good actually, it might be your best idea so far. From the room next door, Nyx tapped a soft signal to show no one else was listening in. 

Grandfather is bringing Trajan for Starfall, so it should be easy. I say we ask around at the library, play dumb and get back at them on the hunt. 

How? 

I don’t know, but we’d better come up with something fast. 

______________________________________________________

“No, absolutely not. They are children. That is just cruel.” 

Nesta’s eyes were as cold as ice as she started Cassian down across the table. Feyre had her arms crossed and her mouth set in a hard line. Elain’s expression was muted, but Lucien had a shit eating grin plastered on his face. 

“Sweetheart, it’s just a silly tradition. We won’t go far, it’ll be just a fun little scare. We did it in Illyria as boys,” Cassian said slowly. 

“Nyx is eleven and Cricket is ten. Besides, they like the thrill. And let’s not pretend the girls haven’t been riding Pegasus’ and horses since they were infants.” Rhys added, though he would not meet Feyre's eyes. 

“Cricket isn’t ten until after Calanmai, and Froggy is four! A baby!” Nesta hissed as the hairs on Cassian’s neck went up. “And you’re just going to take them out on a goose chase? In the dark?”

Maybe she’s right. Froggy is too young. Cassian sent to Rhys. 

It will be fun. Rhys assured him. They’ll love it. 

“Snipes, huh?” Lucien mused, leaning back in his chair with a thoughtful expression on his face. “We did hunts as children in Autumn. Ours were birds, what are you thinking of making them?”

“Bloodthirsty badgers,” Cassian said as the corners of his lip spread into a smile, “they like eating fae flesh.”

Lucien’s brows shot up and he snorted. “Well, Cricket will get a good scare out of it, and you know how she and Nyx like to plot when they’re together. Better to get ahead. Froggy will be terrified, but she’ll want to be included.” 

"Do you want to be included?" Rhys asked with a smile. 

"No, he does not," Aunt Elain answered, "the girls will never forgive him." 

“Is this revenge for their library prank on Solstice, Cassian?” Nesta snapped, 

“Wha-? No, Nes! We’re just-“ Cassian sputtered with some desperation, but Nesta interrupted him.

“Because let me remind you, that you are a five hundred and forty-eight year old male,” she snarled, “And very soon you’re going-”. 

“That’s enough,” Feyre snapped, cutting Nesta off, “the children are asleep.” 

Rhys smiled wistfully, “No, they’re not. Nyx and Cricket are currently planning their revenge. Something about putting hound shit in my cake.”

Nesta grabbed the last biscuit out of Rhys’ hand, “Anyone who scares children like that deserves to eat shit.” 

“That’s very good, you have to admit,” Lucien murmured with a chuckle, ‘maybe not as good as the tadpoles in the tub.” 

“The townhouse still has a frog infestation from that,” Feyre groaned. “If you’re going to do this, do you need the theatrics?” 

“Where’s the fun with no theatrics, darling? We’re making memories, right Elain?” 

Elain quirked her brow, daintily sipping her tea. “Go ahead and take them on the hunt. But let me warn you, they will get revenge. Not right away, but they will plot and plan and hit you where you least expect it. And you’ll deserve it,” Elain took a small sip, “We won’t punish them either, no matter how much you scream and piss yourself.” 

“I’m quite looking forward to what they come up with.” Rhys grinned. 

___________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Fear gnawed in Froggy’s stomach. She had felt like throwing up all morning. Nightmares plagued her and she woke up before dawn as snipes gnawed on her legs and arms. She was too terrified to get up and use the bathroom and she waited for what felt like hours until Cricket woke up and it was safe to leave. The twins had made waffles with fruit and whipped cream for breakfast and she couldn’t eat any of it, which made her feel terribly guilty. She had clung to Mama and Papa most of the morning, but decided to be brave and go to the library with Nyx and Cricket. But she wasn’t brave as she sat in the big, dark library. She didn’t know what was worse, the fact that she wanted to throw up or cry. 

At the small corner table they had chosen, they had poured over books while Aunt Nesta finished her rounds. Cricket was thumping her head softly on the table, muttering to herself while Nyx was pouring over a massive book. Froggy had chewed off most of her nails as she fought back tears. 

“I can’t find anything in here about snipes,” Nyx hissed as he flipped through the book, “not a single thing!” 

Cricket snatched the brick of a book out of his hands, “Gimme that,” scanning the pages quickly, she took in key words that she repeated; hibernation , cubs .

“Well of course you didn’t find anything, this is a book about bears !” She snapped the book shut in front of Nyx’s nose, who flinched away. 

“I thought they were a type of bear!” Nyx rubbed the tip of his nose as if he’d been attacked. “I was trying to keep our options open.” 

“In what world is a bear and a badger the same thing, you dingus?” Cricket hissed, “Why didn’t you just ask Ananke like I told you?” 

“I did! She just laughed at me and said nothing ever happens on a snipe hunt, and then she kept talking about indexes,” He whined, “ You ask her!” 

Froggy’s vision began to blur as Cricket swatted Nyx on the shoulder, nausea rolled up her throat. “Please stop fighting,” she whispered feebly as she felt herself gag. 

“Uh oh” a voice, Cricket’s, said from somewhere far away. 

As Froggy heaved, Nyx thrust the brass wastebasket in front of her before she vomited. Her sister rubbed her back and pulled back her hair, while Nyx shushed her. Her gagging became sobs as she finished. 

“I don’t want the snipes to eat me,” Froggy howled miserably as her sister wiped her mouth, “I don’t think I’d taste very good!” 

“You’re not going to get eaten,” Nyx said with his breath through his mouth, her throwup had filled up the basket. “I’m going to get Aunt Nesta.” he retracted his wings and held the basket at an arm's length from his face. Tears of shame and embarassment threatened to let loose as Froggy watched her cousin walk away. 

Cricket nudged a cup of water into her hands, “Here, drink this slow.” Froggy hiccupped down the cool water, washing away the burning acid in her throat. “I want Mama,” she begged her sister, even though she knew Mama was with Aunt Feyre down in the city and Papa was at Windhaven with their uncles.  

“She’ll be here soon,” Cricket promised, picking her up. Froggy wrapped her legs and arms around Cricket, who was always brave no matter what was happening. So was Nyx, he was the bravest of all of them. Why did she have to be a dumb baby who was scared of everything? 

“You’re not a dumb baby, Froggy.” she heard Nyx say out loud. Behind him, Aunt Nesta looked worried as she rushed over, reaching her arms out for Froggy, who leapt into them. Aunt Nesta smelled like book pages and cake as she shushed and rocked Froggy. “Let’s go wait for your Mama at the House.” she heard Aunt Nesta say. Suddenly, Froggy couldn’t stop crying into Aunt Nesta’s neck as they left the library. She saw Clotho, clutching her chest as she rose from her desk. 

“I’m so sorry, Clotho, ” Froggy wailed as she reached for the priestesses hand, “I threw up everywhere!” 

Clotho gave her fingers a squeeze as they passed, “It’s okay, Clotho is just worried about you.” Nyx assured her. 

“It’s all cleaned up, you have nothing to be ashamed of.” Aunt Nesta whispered in her ear and kissed her temple as they walked through the halls of the house. Froggy burrowed further into her arms, squeezing her eyes shut as sobs seemed to come pouring out of her chest. She didn’t know how to stop. Every time she took a breath, another wave of crying came. Her eyes hurt, her tummy hurt, and she was so scared . 

A soft whisper and a touch and suddenly, “Come here, my darling.” 

Mama took her gently out of Aunt Nesta’s arms and Froggy allowed herself to open her swollen eyes as Mama took her into a dark, cool room in the House. Mama’s warm arms and smell soothed her, her chest wasn’t so tight anymore but she still couldn’t stop crying. 

“I don’t want to get eaten, but I want to go,” Froggy whimpered. She still felt silly and stupid but the faceless creatures from her nightmares still kept gnawing on her legs every time she closed her eyes. 

“You’re not going to be eaten, you are safe.” Mama kept rocking her, “we don’t have to do anything. Just rest.” Froggy felt sleep creeping up on her and a small tickle in her brain as she rocked dreamlessly with Mama. 

__________________________________________

Nyx furrowed his brow as a dull thump began to pound in his temple, but managed to take all the scary images out of Froggy’s head. Whatever monster she had dreamed up for the snipe was terrifying and Nyx didn’t feel an inkling of guilt about going in her mind. “She’ll be alright, I took the nightmare out, so it won’t scare her anymore.” Cricket shuddered as he showed her the shadow monster. 

“Thank you for doing that, Nyx.” Nyx nodded, still worried about his baby cousin. Mama had flown Aunt Elain up so soon as he began calling for her, he had also told Papa, but he wasn’t sure if he could hear him that far into Illyria. 

“This is ridiculous,” Aunt Nesta snapped, rising up from her chair, “We ought to just tell-” 

Aunt Nesta stopped suddenly, color draining from her face and a green tinge flushing into her cheeks. “Excuse me,” she hurried out the door as Mama followed, leaving Nyx and Cricket alone and utterly confused. 

“Is she throwing up again?” Cricket wrinkled her freckled nose in concentration as she stared at the swinging door. 

“Huh? Throwing up?” 

“She threw up this morning when we came up. Didn’t you notice?” 

Nyx racked his brain, “No? She seemed fine. Just mad at Uncle Cass, but she’s always mad at him.” 

Cricket just huffed dramatically and mumbled to herself. Nyx shrugged, Cricket was always mumbling about something. 

“So, snipes aren’t real,” Nyx announced, “we can all agree on that. Now we just have to figure out what we’re going to do.” 

Cricket flopped back on the sofa, “It’s not going to happen now,” she gestured towards the hall where the whole family had gone off their separate ways, “Not with Froggy having a breakdown.” 

“Ha! If there’s one thing about Papa is that he doesn’t know when to stop, he’s just going to keep going. For the Solstice snowball fight last year, he made a demeted moat for his hideout and Uncle Az and I got trapped.” Nyx flexed his wings, remembering how sharp and heavy the snow was. 

Cricket slid down the sofa even more, laying flat on her back and making her red curls stick up. “It’s spring, so that means all the racoons and badgers have their babies and are coming out of hibernation. We could use that to our advantage. Uncle Cass is terrified of opossums.” Nyx thought for a moment, opossums weren’t too hard to catch and racoons could be lured out with the promise of food. He and Cricket could get a badger out of its den in a pinch if needed. It wasn’t a terrible idea. 

“Okay, so we get an opossum or a raccoon, are we going to hide it and let it loose?” Nyx could wear his bulky sweater to hide the animal, it would be crisp in the mountains anyway.

“You still have the wolf whistle?” Nyx nodded, he had carved the whistle with instructions from High Lord Eris, who used his own to train his smokehounds. Nyx had used it to keep wolves away at camp, but wasn’t sure what that would do. “We can maybe work some foxes up and get them out too. I hate last minute pranks.” she whined as she crossed her arms. 

“I’ll bring the wolf whistle and the owl call I have, we get a raccoon or opossum, let it loose, then make a run for it,” Nyx could see the plan in his mind perfectly, it would need to be done quickly, but it wasn’t impossible. Cricket nodded in agreement, “That could work.” 

“We’re back!” Uncle Cass’s voice boomed through the halls and Nyx and Cricket raced to the balcony as Uncle Cass, Uncle Lucien, and Papa appeared on the veranda. Wordlessly, Cricket led Uncle Lucien to wherever Aunt Elain and Froggy had gone off to, while Nyx was left alone with Papa and Uncle Cass. 

“Where’s your mother?” Papa asked absently as he sauntered towards the dining room. Nyx shrugged, “With Aunt Nesta,” he kept his mouth shut, he knew Aunt Nesta wouldn’t want Papa to know she was sick. 

“Well, we can start lunch without her, ah, there you are Cricket! Time to eat.” Food appeared on the long dining room table as Cricket entered the room alone with a scowl on her face. 

Uncle Cassian flexed his wings as he sat at the table, a plate appearing in front of him. “Where’s Froggy?” he asked as he tucked into his food.

“She’s napping with Mama and Papa,” Cricket snarled, “she’s so scared of your stupid snipe hunt, she didn’t sleep last night and hasn’t eaten all day,” Cricket’s nose crinkled in rage as she stared daggers down at Uncle Cass and Papa.

“Well, now she can stay up later,” Papa replied as he cut into his chicken.

“She threw up in the library because she’s so nervous,” Nyx said accusingly, “and she only stopped crying when Aunt Elain came back up to the House. Mama had to fly her up after I called.”

“Did she now?” Papa said, lifting a brow. “Well, perhaps we’ll just take the two of you.” Next to him, Uncle Cass cleared his throat, Nyx could sense some guilt before Papa barged in and closed his mind off.

“You’re going to regret this.” Cricket said with a wild smile as she batted her lashes. Nyx tried desperately not to laugh.

“Is that a threat, Cricket?” Papa said with a stupid grin on his face. 

“It’s a promise.” Cricket replied sweetly. 

Uncle Cass roared with laughter. Cricket narrowed her eyes as they darted between Papa and Uncle Cass. Uncle Cass’s face was red from laughter and Papa kept chuckling to himself as he ate. 

“So, what’s a snipe then?” she challenged as she elbowed Nyx for backup. He straightened himself,  they wouldn’t get anywhere if he was going to be a scaredy-cat. 

“It’s a small little mammal, a bit like a fox or a badger. They’re nocturnal-“ Uncle Rhys began. 

“Try again. Foxes are completely different from badgers.” Cricket interrupted with pure confidence. Foxes are a completely different subspecies to badgers. She sent over to Nyx. Cricket was something of an animal expert, after all. She had her smokehound, several hamsters, a chinchilla, and an axolotl. 

Papa cleared his throat, “A snipe is a nocturnal mammal that lives up in the mountains. They live in dens in the ground and are quite nasty.” he clarified, looking at Uncle Cass. 

“Snipes are fast and they like to bite. They’ve got night vision, so a snare won’t work. You have to outsmart them to trap them.” Uncle Cass said, folding his big arms across his chest. 

“Okay then,” Nyx challenged, “so how come I never heard of them at the camps?” 

“Because they’re the least of your problems at camp,” Uncle Cass said with a mouth full of potato, “they’re more out toward Ironcrest anyway.” 

Nyx shook his head, it didn’t make a lick of sense and they all knew it. “Fine, we’ll go on your dumb hunt.” 

“That’s the spirit!” Uncle Cass exclaimed, softly punching Nyx on his bicep. Papa picked at his jacket like a rat with a big grin on his face.

Soft murmurs carried down the hallway as Uncle Lucien led Aunt Elain into the dining room, with Froggy clutching her neck. Uncle Cass leapt up, reaching out his arms, “Come here, Cupcake!” Froggy shook her head furiously, hiding her face in Aunt Elain’s neck. Nyx saw a flash of sadness and guilt on Uncle Cass’s face. 

“Froggy is going to sit out the snipe hunt this time,” Aunt Elain said calmly, “She’s going to stay with her aunts and have a night in, if that’s alright.” 

“Of course,” Papa said, “We didn’t mean to upset you, dearest. I hope you’ll accept our apology.” 

“I accept,” Froggy squeaked as she sat down in her spot and began to eat. 

“You don’t have to forgive him, if you don’t want to.” Mama said as she and Aunt Nesta entered the dining room. 

“I agree,” Uncle Lucien said with a snicker as he stole a sausage off of Uncle Cass’s plate, who was too busy looking at Aunt Nesta to notice. As the conversation began to pick up at the table, Nyx caught Cricket’s eyes, alight with fury. 

We’ll get them good, Nyx promised, they won’t know what hit them. 

___________________________________________________

The forest outside of Velaris was cold, even for late spring, Sharp mountain air went through Cricket’s nose with a vengeance. Night Court air always made her breathing weird. 

She and Nyx had worn their wool trousers and boots, and Cricket had managed to sneak a slingshot into her sweater. Nyx had worn his bulkiest sweater, perfect for cradling an animal. Night had fallen a while ago, and she, Nyx, Uncle Rhys, and Uncle Cass had been hiking since dusk. Froggy had been left behind with Mama, Papa, Aunt Feyre, and Aunt Nesta. They were baking cookies and pies and making ice cream. Cricket kicked a pebble along the path, she hoped they saved some for when they got back. 

She could see alright in the dark under the full moon, but Uncle Rhys didn’t want any other light if possible. She had tried to push some rays of daylight out of her hands, but Uncle Rhys stopped her. “We won’t catch any snipes in the sun.” 

I’ll make you suffer in the sun , she thought nastily. 

“Do you hear that?” 

Uncle Cass had brought the group to a stop. They had entered a thicket that sloped down into a small creek. Rushing water and frog song filled the air and an owl hooted somewhere in the distance. She nudged Nyx as she spotted the fallen log slightly off the path, surely it would be home to some creature. Nyx nodded as he spotted the log, making his way softly over while her uncle's backs were turned. 

“I don’t think there’s going to be anything in that log,” Uncle Rhys said without turning his back, “certainly not a raccoon or an opossum.” She could hear Uncle Cass wheezing with laughter. 

“What are you talking about?” Cricket hissed as her heart began to pound, they couldn’t have known. They weren't even at the House when they planned it. 

“I think you know,” Uncle Rhys hummed. 

A loud SNAP sounded from behind them. “What was that?” Nyx asked in a hushed tone. 

The frog song stopped suddenly and harshly, only the rushing creek sounded in Cricket’s ears. The blue moonlight began to soften into a gray fuzz as clouds began to obscure whatever light there was. The cedar and pine trees ahead began to warp and fade into darkness in Cricket’s vision. 

Something smelt off, literally. The pine and mountain juniper on the breeze had been replaced by nothing. Cricket sidled up to Nyx, locking arms. I thought snipes weren’t real she sent to him. 

Well, they seem pretty real now! Nyx sent back. The hairs on the back of Cricket’s neck seemed to rise, one by one. 

They were being watched. 

“Something’s here,” Uncle Cass mumbled, “we can wait it out, or we can fall back and try to catch it.” 

“That sounds like a plan. Maybe we-” with a loud thump Uncle Rhys was knocked down and dragged off towards the creek. 

“RUN!” Uncle Cass shouted.

Cricket didn’t need to be told twice, she sprinted off the path, desperately trying to summon whatever daylight she could. Her hands began to glow faintly, but her heart was thumping and her breath labored, making it difficult to hold light. 

“We’ll fly!” Nyx screamed as he grabbed her waist, falling backward and being swept down the path. Cricket screamed as she reached for Nyx, who she could hear crying. Holding her hands in front of her, she tried to concentrate her power through her fear and sobs. Her fingers gave off a faint glow of light as a clawed hand of shadow and nothing grabbed at her wrist, yanking her down to the forest floor. 

Cricket thrashed and screamed, hitting nothing as the hand dragged her down the path. “Help me! Someone please! NYX!” 

The shadow hand dropped her as she gasped for breath, squeezing her eyes shut as tears escaped. Nyx, she sent out, where are you?

“I-I’m here,” Nyx’s broken sobs came from somewhere on her right, and she began to crawl towards him. She grasped him into a hug, clutching him for dear life as they both began to bawl. “We’re going to DIE,” Cricket wailed helplessly.

"See, Rhys, you always take it too far,” a familiar voice said with frustration, as a lantern of fae light hit their faces. 

Uncle Azriel stood in the soft, golden glow, his shadows peeking curiously over his shoulder. “You said it was just going to be a prank, look at them. They’re terrified.” 

“I don’t know, I thought it was pretty good,” Uncle Cass said, as his big figure moved into view. 

“That’s the whole point, Az,” Uncle Rhys said, “Are you two alright?” 

Cricket wasn’t sure how the rock ended up in her hand until she launched it at Uncle Rhys. “I hate you!” she screamed, pushing herself up and throwing herself towards him. Uncle Az caught her mid air, dodging her kicking legs while she tried to claw the air for leverage. Uncle Rhys just laughed.  

Nyx stood up silently, pushing his father off. His eyes looked haunted, his face drawn. “I’ll fly you home,” Uncle Cass said as Nyx stared off into nothing. Cricket didn’t have time to think as she and Uncle Az launched into the air. 

___________________________________________

“Frosting is better than paint because you can eat it,” Froggy giggled as she scooped a piece of cake into her mouth. 

“I could make a painting of frosting,” Aunt Feyre said with wide eyes. I could do a sugar canvas and use pink and purple frosting.” 

After her nap, she felt much better and less scared. Mama and Papa had made a big dinner and she and her aunts made dessert. Aunt Gwyn had stopped by and the night became even more fun. She had gotten Froggy a little book about birds from Sangravah what had small paper birds fly out if it. She had almost forgotten about the snipes, but she knew now they were pretend. 

“Snipes aren’t real,” Papa had told her, “Uncle Rhys and Uncle Cass just want to play a prank on Nyx and Cricket. They would never, ever hurt you.” He made Froggy promise not to tell them the secret, but Cricket and Nyx ran off to plan that she didn’t have the time to say anything. Uncle Rhys and Uncle Cass said they were sorry for making her scared, though. 

A loud boom of wings sounded overhead, “I think they're back,” Aunt Nesta said. Everyone made their way towards the veranda, the House providing bright, golden light on the balcony. 

“Hi, Uncle Az!” Froggy was delighted to see him with the group outside. She began to skip over to give him a hug, when she noticed everyone else. Twigs and leaves were snarled into Cricket’s hair and mud caked one side of her face. She looked awfully mad. Next to her, Nyx looked pale, his eyes were downcast and his wings tucked in tightly. “What happened?” Froggy whispered. 

“We found the snipe, Cupcake,” Uncle Cass said as he pushed Nyxie along into the family room. He looked like a zombie, as he shuffled his feet. Aunt Feyre grabbed his face, worried. While Mama and Papa had run over to check on Cricket. 

“Is that where you went?” Aunt Gwyn asked as Uncle Az bent down to kiss Froggy. “I didn’t know they’d take it that far.” he mumbled. 

Froggy crept up to Nyx, “Are you okay?” she whispered as she gave him a hug. “I’m okay,” he mumbled. 

“You’re very brave.” she reminded him, kissing his cheek. Nyx stirred as he hugged Froggy back. 

She left Nyx with Aunt Feyre as she went to check on her big sister. She could see tear tracks in the mud that caked Cricket’s face. Mama was picking out leaves and sticks from her hair, while Cricket sat breathing hard. “You’ll be sorry.” she growled. 

“What was that, Cricket?” Uncle Rhys said with a laugh. Aunt Nesta shoved him. 

“You’ll pay for this!” Cricket exploded, shooting up from her chair. She pointed her finger at Uncle Rhys like a dagger, “ I will get you back, Uncle Rhys. You’d better sleep with one eye open!” 

“I look forward to it,” Uncle Rhys said with a bow, Cricket let out a feral scream. 

“You deserve everything that’s coming for you,” Aunt Nesta said as she swiftly left the room, Uncle Cass following her. 

Froggy took her sister by the hand, leading her towards the bathroom. She supposed Cricket would be sleeping with her tonight. 

___________________________________________________

Nyx straightened his deep purple jacket in front of his mirror. After the snipe hunt, he had taken the next day to recover. He was utterly terrified as he was dragged through the forest floor that night, but even he had to admit it was good. Uncle Az using his shadows was something he and Cricket didn’t see coming. Even though they apologized, Nyx knew they had to get Papa and their uncles back, but they agreed to hold off for a bit and to plan more. Maybe they could get Helion or Eris to help. Nyx knew they would without a doubt. 

Instead, he and his cousins spent the next afternoon with Aunt Mor, who took them shopping in the rainbow. “My babies need clothes.” she announced as the tailors took measurements and made them try on outfit after outfit. Nyx chose a deep amethyst suit for himself, with a blue shirt underneath. He could still run around in it, but it made him look grown up. 

He made his way down the hall, knocking on Cricket’s door. “I’ll meet you out there!” he shouted as he went to the large southeast balcony. Aunt Nesta had gotten sick again this morning, but she had asked that Nyx and the girls meet there at dusk. Aunt Nesta sat in a silver and blue dress, Uncle Cass’s arm draped around her. “Are we late?” Cricket huffed as she and Froggy ran up behind Nyx. 

“You’re just in time,” Aunt Nesta rose, holding her arms out as the children ran into them. The girls showed off their new dresses, Cricket in a deep gold, and Froggy in a soft sage green. 

“We’ve asked you here, because we need your help,” Uncle Cass said, “you’re all much better at planning than we are.” The children exchanged confused looks, “Plan for what?” Cricket inquired. 

“We thought we’d ask you to help the house make a bigger balcony for the cousins for next year’s Starfall,” Aunt Nesta said, “we’re going to need it.” 

A small shudder of magic came over the three of them just then, sharp and metallic. Cricket’s nostrils flared for a split second before she began to shriek. “I knew it! I knew it!” She launched herself into Aunt Nesta’s arms as she kept squealing. 

Nyx sniffed, a small scent met his nose, something warm and tiny. Under her dress, Aunt Nesta’s belly was rounded like a small ball.  “You’re having a baby?” He yelled as he jumped up and down. Froggy began to bounce on her small feet. “Oh, a baby!” 

“Do you know what it is yet? Does it have wings? Do you have a name?” questions began to spill out of the children as they jumped with delight, while Aunt Nesta and Uncle Cass just laughed. 

“The baby has wings, though we won’t find out what it is for a few weeks yet, but you’ll be the first to know.” Aunt Nesta promised with a laugh. 

“And you’re the first to know about the baby,” Uncle Cass swung Froggy to his shoulders, “should we go tell everyone else?” 

Nyx and Cricket led the way, Aunt Nesta’s hand in each of theirs as they met everyone else in the family room. His parents and aunts and uncles waited, chatting in their fancy outfits. Nyx’s cheeks hurt from smiling. “Are we late?” Uncle Cass announced as everyone turned and gasped.  

Mama and all of his aunts began to cry when they saw Aunt Nesta, while Uncle Az, with tears in his eyes, embraced Aunt Nesta and Uncle Cass. Papa and Uncle Lucien congratulated them with excitement, while Amren just nodded and said “Finally.” The excitement buzzed in the air as the golden hour illuminated the family room. 

“I think it’s a girl,” Froggy announced, Cricket nodded in agreement, “a little girl with wings!” 

Nyx laughed, “Just my luck, I’ll be surrounded by girls.” but Nyx truly didn’t care. And anyway, he knew more about dealing with girl cousins than he did about boy cousins, not that Froggy and Cricket only played tea parties and dress up. The idea of a cousin being close thrilled him, he could teach her how to fly and they could sneak out and go on late night flights when they got older, he could build her toys and if she wanted to be a Valkyrie, he would train with her. “She's going to fit right in,” Nyx decided, as he took his cousins by the hands, and picked their balcony for Starfall.

TAGLIST: @wilde-knight @born-to-riot @octobers-veryown @bunburyahoy @belabellissima @berd-nerd @c-e-d-dreamer @cowboylament @cauldronblssd @damedechance @dawneternal @foundress0fnothing @goddess-aelin @itsthedoodle @kataravimes-of-the-shire @lucienarcheron @labellefleur-sauvage @iftheshoef1tz @melting-houses-of-gold @luciensdefenseattorney @panicatthenightcourt @popjunkie42 @queercontrarian @mossytrashcan @rainbow-panda-food @acourtofladydeath @sassyhobbits @shardminds @separatist-apologist @secret-third-thing @sunshinebingo @tunaababee @asnowfern @thesistersarcheron @thelovelymadone @the-lonelybarricade @velidewrites @climbthemountain2020 @xtaketwox @laxibbeb @cursebrkr @chunkypossum @reverie-tales @missfckingfortune @rosanna-writer

[mxlktxa]

do what you know is right

🍓☽。･:*:･ pairing; abby anderson x f!reader c/w; language, arguments, suggestive content a/n; this isnt anything too serious just some fluff 🍓☽。･:*:･

My mind raced as I thought about those two children Abby made us leave behind. Were they okay? Why did we have to leave them? They may have been our enemy, but they were just kids!

My bag had been packed since early morning, knowing that I would most likely set out on my own to get them back. I just knew Abby wouldn't even think twice about going back for them and there was most likely no convincing her either. I glanced back at her as she slept behind me, chest rising and falling.

"I'm sorry, Abs," I whispered in her direction, walking over to kiss her forehead. Her lips softly morphed into a little smile, barely noticeable though.

I walked back to the couch that I had my things on, picking up my backpack and setting it on my shoulders comfortably, glancing at Abby one last time.

Maybe I should tell Owen before I leave, so she doesn't worry about me.

"Why're you up so early?"

Speak of the devil. I turned to the doorway, meeting Owen's eyes as he scanned my posture and pointed at my backpack, "you got somewhere to be?"

"Uh- I-. Sort of?" I muttered, shrugging my shoulders, "I need to go check a small area really quick. I think I dropped something important somewhere. I need it back immediately."

Owen furrowed his brows, shuffling into the room and tilting his head, "I know when you're lying, Y/N. You do that thing with your eyes and pout a little too. We may not be close but you're easy to read," Owen huffed, sitting at the table in front of me and clasping his hands together.

We stared at each other in silence, my eyes wandering around the room, chest ready to burst at the slightest inhale I could take. I threw my head back, groaning, "listen, man. Abby and I came across these two kids and I need to go back for them or else I'm going to explode and die from the guilt that's building up." I sputtered, leaning forward like a pleading child who was too scared to explain themselves.

"Jesus, fu-, no, Y/N, no."

"Owen, please! I need to get them! They're going to die out there by themselves!"

"You just want to play the mother role for those kids. You're not risking your life for something like this."

"Owen, they're kids!" I whined, balling my hands up and trying my best to keep my voice down. I was on the verge of tears, ready to get on my hands and knees to beg Owen to let me out and tell Abby that I would be safe, "Owen, they need someone to protect-"

"Why are you bending backwards for those fucking kids, Y/N? They're probably dead already anyways. Get over it, get over them. You can't be the mother they need," Owen towered over me, one hand balled up into a fist and the other resting on my shoulder.

"Get away from her, Owen," Abby demanded. We both glanced to Abby, Owen seemingly ready to shit himself even with the brave façade he acted with and I trudged over to her, dropping to my knees instantly.

"Abby, we have to go after them. They couldn't have gone far. I need to know they're okay. I'll do anything, Abby, anything," I pleaded, lowering my head into her lap to hide the tears that were falling down.

"Owen... Give us a minute," Abby sighed, her hand resting on the back of my head and stroking my hair a bit. The door shut roughly, causing me to immediately pick up my head and continue my begging with just my eyes, "Y/N. They're Scars."

"Yes, Abby, I know, but you know where I stand when it comes to children. I can't just leave them out there. The girl, she has a broken arm. The bone is shattered, it won't heal whatsoever, and that little boy might not be capable of protecting himself and his sister."

"Baby-"

"Abby, I'm begging you!" I yelled, grabbing a fistful of her shirt in either hand, absolutely a wreck now, "they're just kids, I can't do this. I know you feel guilty too. Do what you know is right, Abby."

"Then we'll go get them," she gave in. She really gave in. A smile replaced my frown, eyes almost instantly dry, "we can go and get them but if they betray us, you have to discipline them."

"I know. I know, thank you, I know," I smiled, lifting myself up to straddle the woman in front of me and plant kisses on her lips and throw my arms around her shoulders to hug her.

Her hands gripped my waist, hips moving as if to want to fuck into me, and a smile forming into our kiss. Abby drew out some grunts, now roughly kneading my body like dough.

"I'd give you the world if I could. And if it were in better condition."

"I wouldn't want the world. I would want you and those kids. A nice home, a dog. I just want us to be happy in a perfect world," I giggled, slightly sighing at how Abby kept grinding her hips against my own, "now quit that and let's go get those kids. We can have our fun, later on. I promise."

"Of course," she nodded, giving me one last smooch before letting me leap off, "help me get my things together and we can leave, okay?"

"You don't have to tell me twice," I grinned, going around the room to pack her bag.

"Thank you, Abby. Thank you."

[mhsdatgo]

Why you don't like the ship of harwin and rhaenyra? He is the only man in her lifes who treat her kindly and show actual love. All the other, like viserys criston daemon ecc, treat her like shit

Hello, anon. I agree with you about every single man in her life treating Rhaenyra horribly but Harwin is no different.

He's her sworn shield after Criston is called by Alicent's side, her supposed "champion". But the show gave us so little about him that I literally cannot, for the life of me, grasp the love this man gets. All we get of him is that he's basically a glorified boytoy, what Criston would've been had he put Rhaenyra before his honour.

From the books, we know that several sisters of his are Rhae's ladies-in-waiting, his father is the Hand when Otto leaves for a brief period of time and he's generally at court for long before Rhaenyra marries. This makes Harwin the man who watched her grow up, GROW UP. She was a KID when he started buzzing around her or her court.

The first time they interact in the show, it's when Harwin gives her that (nothing short of disgusting other than impressed imo) when she's back to the camp with a boar during Aegon's name day, the second is a year later when he tackles her in the streets, mistaking her for a boy when she's out with Daemon. He lets her go when he spots him. Timeskip happens, we learn that they're lovers and they have three kids together.

Where's the buildup?????? Where's the reason for me to love them as a couple or him as Rhae's partner???? Must we assume he started getting the hots for her when he saw her drenched in blood in that camp? SHE WAS F*CKING 16!

Also, let's not pretend he did anything to help besides warming her bed and making her a mother of 3 before she hit 25. He knew there were rumors, he was pretty much aware of what people thought and what he, Rhae and their kids were risking. Guess what he did about it? Absolutely f*cking nothing.

He didn't marry, he didn't go back to Harrenhall, he acted defensive when his father brought the question up.

Viserys and Alicent sending him away was what it took for him to finally back away from this girl. After, obviously, screwing everything up astronomically. You can go after Criston's bitterness all you want, you can call him jealous (honestly I don't think he is, but that's for another post). But his reaction in the fields is nothing short of ridiculous imo.

What did Criston say? That he was protecting Luke like a father would rather than a trainer. A provocation, a comment that should've flew right in and out of Harwin's ears, if he was as honourable as the fandom makes him out to be. He could've said that it doesn't take being the child's father to notice how callously he's treating him. It could've turned into a meme-worth scene of two men absolutely hating each other's guts but seething right from their asses about not being able to just leap and tear at each other for all they're worth.

What would be wrong? Being called his son's father, great heavens. He could've just went "oh shit" and could've walked away after making sure baby Luke was okay, but what did he did? He handed Criston's ass to him, which was exactly what he wanted.

This man viewed that comment as disrespect to his honor, a stain in his pride. Because being pointed out as a rumored ( not really rumored to him, he knows he is, which just makes it worse) bastard's father is DISGRACEFUL to him. He knows EXACTLY what Rhaenyra, the heir, risks, and does nothing but worsen her position further. If he cared about those kids, or if he was just deluding himself into playing happy family with her, I can't say.

I don't think he hates them, mind you. I'm not here to dehumanize him. They're his own flesh and blood, he loves them, he wishes to love them and be in his life like a father should. I think it's (rightfully) a pain in the ass watching another man raise your children. He could've done it to protect Luke, but it's not his job to remind Criston that insinuating that Rhaenyra has sired bastards is treason. That outburst was unnecessary, at least to me. It did nothing but worsen everything. Knowing Alicent, and how she made Criston apologize for calling Rhae a c*nt with a simple glare, SHE'D scold that rascal good the moment she hears of it.

Harwin would hold back, at the very least, if he actually lived up to TB's standards. For Rhae, Jace, Luke and Joff's sake. I'm not going to act like Rhae is innocent but fuck anyone who thinks she's the only one at fault. She was barely an adult when they started interacting.

BONUS:

*chef's kiss* Unforgettable. As if being from a lower class is the only bad thing there is about the dude you were beating to a pulp just three seconds ago. Although that's less about Harwin and Rhae and more about Harwin but whatever.

[ircn-dad]

i-

i don't-

what in the house of sanity is happening.

1) Tony is not responsible for Wanda. She's an adult and she is responsible for HER SELF. Stop treating her like she's a baby who needs someone to cuddle her. But if we want to take a look on how he treated her sure... let's do it.

She didn't faced any consequences after Ultron. Who do you think made sure she wasn't arrested and imprisoned for the rest of her life? Pietro's Ghost? Tony took care of every avenger's reputation and payed for everyone. He let her stay in the compound AND when she was accused and people wanted to incriminate her he wanted her to stay safe in her house. Not a room with only a bed, a whole building with the man he loved. Just to protect her from hate.

But yeah, he's an horrible person.

2) HE WAS ABUSIVE TOWARDS PETER?

idk if I should laugh or not at this... he literally made Peter's life safer because if he never met him Peter would still wearing that unsafe pajama fighting the crime. Or maybe not, he would directly be dead.

If we want to blame tony for bringing a child during a fight, then we are all dumb. THAT-WAS-NEVER-MEANT-TO-BE-A-FIGHT.

Peter just had to web Team Cap to make sure they didn't escape (AND THEN BECOMING CRIMINALS Y'ALL, TONY WAS SAVING THEM), it's not tony's fault if Steve didn't changed his mind. Was it kinda irresponsible? yes. He is a bad model because he brought a kid to Germania? no. Peter was already a superhero, Tony didn't make him one. And Peter was excited to be there, so I don't really know what's y'all problem.

In homecoming was he distant? yes, but because he needed time to heal. at the same time, he was always looking after Peter and always helped him when he needed it the most. He just wanted Peter to be safe and to be just a friendly spiderman. Y'all wanted Peter to be like Raimi!Peter but when Tony also wanted that, you get angry. Ok.

I won't speak about infinity war and endgame because all he did during that movies was to care about Peter, protect him and save him from death. But yes, sure, he's abusive.

3) Harley.

Have we watched the movies or...

Let me start with saying Harley didn't need Tony like Peter needed him. Harley had a mother and a sister, what should have Tony done? Staying with him and leaving everything behind? let me remind you that he HAD to leave him, or, y'know, not a big deal, Aldrich would have won. Also, we're all forgetting how Tony payed for Harley's house and his little sister's watch. Yeah he didn't care about him either.

Second thing. Did you watch endgame funeral? Harley was invited. Pepper would never invite a kid tony met ten years earlier. they must stayed in contact during the time. But no, let's say he's a bad model because he didn't adopted a kid who he just met and who already had a mother and a sister.

Was the comment about being a pus*y kinda cruel? Yes. But it's a joke. J-O-K-E. And it doesn't look like Harley was crying because of this. Just because he made some jokes, he gets hate. Okay.

4) This one is the worst.

Y'know, I can almost see why you can say the first three things. Almost. Because you only saw what's bad about their relationships, okay.

But on this one I don't really understand.

Every interaction they had was showing how much tony cared for the kid. You're saying pepper had to take care of her, but we didn't even see a scene of them before the funeral. Tony was a Caring and lovely father, not like his own father. Morgan loved her dad, she didn't act like a kid around an absent father and I myself have an absent father since I was born and I never acted like that with him. He treated her like a princess, and he was ready to not help everyone because he didn't want to risk his daughter's life.

Are we watching the same movies or

[spooky-circuits]

can we get clay and viva reaction to the whole kids appeared at the putt putt course

Viva starts talking about how excited she is that Poppy is finally safe here with her and how all her friends will be safe too now that they’re here. In her excitement she doesn’t notice the looks they give each other behind Poppy.

Clay is surprised his baby brother managed to find him with just a group of teenagers he’s as impressed as he is concerned. They tell him about how excited their families will be to know more trolls survived and he realizes that “Oh they aren’t random orphans these kids have a home to go home too.” He knows Viva won’t want to let them risk going home. Especially now that Poppy is in the picture. He understands how she feels all too well now that Branch is here in front of him for the first time since the fight and getting separated in the escape. He doesn’t regret going with Viva that night but there are days where he can’t help but think about the family he’s lost.

Clay doesn’t stop Viva when she tells the snack pack they aren’t leaving and feels guilty when Branch gives him that look of betrayal when he doesn’t speak up.

Viva is scared of loosing her sister and would hate if these kids got eaten just because they want to play action hero. She has to be the responsible one even when these kids look scared of her when she tells them they can’t leave the safety of the golf course. She knows they’ll understand once they see how safe it is here.

Branch says something to Clay from behind the door of the room the kids have been put into. “You know you aren’t going to be able to keep us here right? I don’t know if you noticed but my friends are really good at sneaking out.” Clay still feels guilty but Viva had made some good points Branch just needed to see how great this place was. “Come on Branch I know it doesn’t seem great but you’ll like it here!” The room is quiet behind him. “Branch?… Bitty B?” He opens the door to find a hole in the floor. “Wow he wasn’t kidding about their escape skills… Oh Shit!”

Viva is heartbroken that her sister would just leave she had really thought Poppy would understand but she hadn’t and her sister was gone all over again. Worse than that Clay was grabbing supplies like he was planning to leave too. “Clay what are you doing?” Her voice sounds so small Clay can’t remember the last time he heard her sound like that. She was usually so full of life and energy he hates that he made her sound like that. “I have to go after them Viva. I know you’re scared but I won’t be able to rest until I know Branch is okay. You understand that don’t you.” And she does understand. She hates that she doesn’t have the courage to go out and find Poppy. “I’ll bring Poppy back for you too. So you can stay here and look after everyone.” She hates how he’s making excuses for her but she can’t bring herself to disagree. “Just… just be safe. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you too.” Clay smiles at her. “Did you forget who put all the fire exits in Viv? Safety is my middle name!” She smiles but her face goes serious again quickly. “I mean it Clay I don’t want to loose any more people.” He smiles at her with sad eyes. “I know… Don’t worry I’ll bring them back soon.”

The snack pack was already a good distance from the golf course before they feel comfortable slowing down and Guy goes “I’m sorry your siblings ended up being uh…” he doesn’t want to say anything hurtful since Poppy was clearly torn up about having to leave Viva. Branch just looks at him like “Uh yeah thanks Guy.” Creek speaks up “At least 1 out of 3 secret siblings turned out alright.” It’s poorly timed but it manages to actually get a laugh out of everyone with how absurd their day has been. Branch especially can’t stop laughing. “Oh that’s horrible Creek why would you even say that!”

[andydrysdalerogers]

Cross-Check ~ Chapter 20

Andy Barber x OFC Leighton "Leia" Andrews

Summary:

Andy Barber is having the best year of his life. His game is on point. It’s gets to play with his best friend and his fiancé just... dumped him?!. 

Reeling from a sudden change in status, Andy decides it’s time to just focus on hockey. Until his best friend's sister comes out with news that rock the entire organizations world., 

Andy has always carried a torch for the untouchable Leighton but in her hour of need, is now the time to shoot and score or risk getting cross - checked again? 

Warnings: Cheating (but not by the MCs); slow burn; friends to lovers eventually; SMUT!; pregnancy; jealousy; handsome goalies, evil exes...

A/N: The tag list is open! Also, so sorry to be behind on this one. Life got in the way for awhile but I'm back!

A/N 2: This chapter has a sister chapter in my other fanfic "Troublemaker". You can check out that out here.

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Banners by me!

Previous: Chapter 19 - Oh Good, You're Home

Series Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 20 – When Two Becomes Three 

Leia 

I’m scared.  

So fucking scared.  

The doctors and nurses are talking to each other as they push my gurney to the operating room. Jeremy catches up to us and takes my hand.  We get to the doors and one of nurses stops Jeremy. “We’re going to get her set up and then bring you in.”  

He nods and looks down at me. “See you in a minute.”  

I keep my eyes on him for as long as possible before the doors closed. They move me into position and drape a barrier between my head and my belly. I hear the door creak open and then I see Jeremy all masked up. “Jeremy,” I say and can feel a tear fall.  

“Hey, everything is still okay. I won’t leave.” He leans over and kisses my forehead. “You’re still the strongest woman I know.”  

“Andy’s going to miss it,” I whisper.  

“I know.”  

“He’s going to hate us.”  

“No, he won’t. He’ll be happy that you and the baby are healthy and safe. Don’t think like that.” He thumbs my tears away. “Don’t cry, he wouldn’t want you to cry.”  

“Ok, let’s get started,” the doctor says.  The phone rings right before and a nurse answers. “Yes? Oh okay, send him up.”  She leans over to speak to the doctor.  

The doctor’s eyes crinkle and she look over at me. “I’ve got a surprise for you.” 

Andy 

Three Hours Earlier 

Morning skate on game day are always light. We never want to expend all of our energy before a game, it's just to get our legs loose from the day before and sleep. I’m excited but a little nervous. I wasn’t expecting Leia to be left alone while I was gone.  I get it, Miranda has a job to do, but it made me nervous. At least until I talked to my girl.  She was bubbly and happy over the phone last night. It calmed me down.  

“Heads up!” Luke ices me as he comes to stop and I laugh, wiping the snow away from my face.  

“Asshole!” I smack his ass with my stick as he skates away. I move to do my laps and shoot at the net occasionally. We have a rookie in net, taking shots as backup to Linus Ullmark since Jeremy is out with a concussion.  I’m talking with the kid when I hear Coach call mine and Luke’s name.  I snap my head up and he waves us over.  I skate to him. “What’s up?” 

“Get your shit together and get to the airport.  Leia is in labor.”   

The world around me stops. She’s in labor. “But she’s early,” I say. This can’t be happening. I’m supposed to be there to hold her hand. To see my daughter being brought into the world,  

“Just go,” Coach orders. “Jeremy is driving her there. Sway, keep us updated.” 

Luke guides me off the ice as Coach informs the team about what’s happening.  “Luke, I...” 

“Don’t freak, just get dressed and grab your phone and wallet. I’ll have the guys grab our stuff from the hotel.” Luke turned to walk back through the tunnel to the ice.  I changed and then call Leia, but she doesn’t answer. No, I have to speak to her, or I am going to lose my mind.  

One of the team coordinators tell us that we have a private plane waiting for us and we take off in a company car. My leg is bouncing in the car, staring at my phone. I try to call again. “Come on baby, pick up the phone.” 

Luke’s phone rings. “It’s Jeremy,” he tells me.  “Hey, let me put you on speaker.” Luke turns it and I can hear Jeremy.  

“Hey, sorry, I saw you calling but Leia’s been having some intense contractions.  The doctor is with her now. I don’t know how much longer she’ll be in labor.”  

“Jeremy, is she in a lot of pain?” I ask.  

“Yeah,” I close my eyes at his response. “They are going to give her a shot or something. She asked me to stay with her.”  

“Ok, don’t leave her alone. We’ll be in the air within the next 20 minutes and we are about two hours away. Jeremy,” I took a breath, “please take care of my family.”  

“I will Andy, I promise.”  

I hang up as we pull into the private terminal. Climbing the stairs, the captain greets us. “Mr. Barber, Mr. Andrews, management informed me of the situation. I’ll get you to Boston as soon as possible.”  

“Thank you.” I took a seat and just stared out the window. My mind was fully on Leia. Our daughter is early, and I don’t know if she is in distress. My mind runs through all the different complications that were in all the baby books I had read. My brow started sweating as I thought of preeclampsia and cord asphyxiation.  

“Andy, take a breath for me.” Luke grabbed my shoulder and I turned to look at him. “C’mon buddy, breathe.”  

“She’s alone and she’s giving birth to my baby and what if everything goes wrong?” I could feel myself panicking and I couldn’t stop it.  

“Whoa, hey, she is not alone. Jeremy is there and while I’ve had my issues with him, he has proven to be a good man. He won’t let anything happen to her if he can.”  

“Luke, why do I feel like this? I’m terrified.”  

Luke smiled. “Because you’re about to be a dad. Soon, you will have two girls to take care of.  They are going to love you so much.” He patted my back before he went back on his phone.  

He’s right. I will have my girls to take care of from now on. And a thought runs through my head. Because, while everyone knows me to be that little girl’s dad, biologically, she isn’t mine.  That isn’t something I had talked to Leia about. And then I thought about the fact that I don’t have any legal rights to take of Leia if something were to happen. I would die if something happened to her.  

But we’ve only been dating for a few months. Though I’ve known her for the better part of 25 years. She’s my best friend for a reason.  She knows me and I know her. And I want to be in her life forever.  

And I know now what I need to do.  

“Hey Luke?” 

“Yeah bro.”  

“You know I love Leia, right?” 

“Duh.” He rolls his eyes.  

“Right. Well, do you think that it would be ok to ask her to marry me?” 

I probably should have timed that better as he was sipping a water when I said that. He sputtered and choked. I patted his back until the red color faded from his face. “You’ve only been together for a couple of months.”  

“Three and we’ve been living together for seven and have been friends since she was born. She’s it, man. She’s the one I have been wanting, who make me the best version of me. I love her and I want to make her my wife. I want to legally adopt our baby and be a family, spiritually and legally.”  

Luke goes quiet for a few minutes as I go back to staring out the window. “Why ask me?” 

I turn back to him. “Luke, you are her family and while I’m not really asking for your permission, I do want your blessing.”  

“Do you have a ring?” 

“Not yet. I was just thinking that I don’t really have rights over Leia, or the baby and I needed to fix that. The first thing I need to do is make her mine, legally. But I know she will never do it if she doesn’t have your blessing.”  

Luke nods. “You’ll still let me crash at your place and let me visit my sister?” 

“When Miranda gets pissed, you can hide at our place.” I chuckle a little. “So...” 

“I’ve always thought of you as a brother.” He sighs. “Just making it a legal thing.” He smiles. “Yeah, you have my blessing.” We awkwardly hug in our seats. 

I start looking at rings online, just to get an idea of what I want and prices when the captain announces our descent into Logan. I take a breath and hope that we are still in time.  

After landing and getting into the private car the team sent, we raced through the street of Boston. As we pulled into the entrance of the hospital, I got a message from Jeremy.  

Jeremy: they need to do an emergency c-section.  They are moving her now.  

“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!” The car barely stops when I’m running out the door.  “For Leia Andrews?” I ask at the nurse's station 

“Labor and Delivery 5th floor.”  

“Thanks.” I turn to run but the nurse yells. “Sir, I’m sorry but she’s been taken in for an...” 

“I know. But she’s my fiancé and I need to get to her.”  

“Hang on.” She dials a number and speaks to whomever.  She hangs up and grabs a plastic bag with a blue cloth in it.  “Follow me.”  

She walks as Luke and I follow her. “We already have someone in there with her but since your doctor is a big fan, she’s going to allow two. You need to put this on with the hat, mask and gloves right now.” The elevator opens and we climb in as she pushes for the floor.  I pull on the gown and hat and gloves as she ties the straps around me. “Mr. Andrews, I will walk you to the waiting room after to drop off Mr. Barber.“ Luke nods. We get to the floor and see directs me to the right room. 

I take a breath and push my way in. “Oh, good, Andy, you made it.”  I can hear Dr. Montgomery, but I can’t see her.  

“Hey doc.”  

“Andy!” I hear the gasp of my girl and see her turn her head to the left. She has tears in her eyes. “You made it.”  

“I said I would, my queen.” I look up and see Jeremy in scrubs and a surgical hat on her right. “Thank you.” 

“No problem.”  

“Alright folks, let’s get this baby out. Scalpel,” Dr. Montgomery orders.  

“What happened, baby?” I look at her and the tears silently fall. I lean over and kiss her forehead.  

“Her heart rate dropped, and they made me lay on my side to help but it didn’t, so they rushed us over here,” she explains. “I’m sorry Andy, I tried to protect her and...” 

“No, sweetheart, you did a fantastic job. Maybe she’s just being difficult, like you.”  

Jeremy snorts and then coughs while Leia scoffs. “I am not difficult.”  

“And baby is out and it’s a girl,” the doctor calls out.  But then it’s silent except for the beeps of the machines.  

“She's not crying. Andy, she’s not crying.” The look of panic made her eyes search wildly for her baby.  

“I know. Doc?” I saw them move the baby to the incubator that was waiting. She was surrounded by five people, working on my little girl.  

“Andy, Leia, the baby is...” 

And then we heard it, the most magical, joyous noise you could ever hear.  

Our baby crying.  

“Oh, thank God,” I said as I pressed a kiss to Leia’s forehead.  

“I was going to say, baby was having some difficulty. They are going to take the baby to the PICU for some test and observation. I’m going to stay to close.”  

“Can I go with her?” I ask.  

“I’m sorry Andy, but until they know she is stable, they won’t allow it right now. But Dr. Peters will keep you updated.”  

“I think I am going to step out,” Jeremy said.  “Great job mama. I’ll be in the waiting room.” He left and I stayed by Leia’s head.  

“She has to be ok, right? She has to be,” Leia kept repeating softly as tears rolled down her face.  

I tried to distract her. “Have you decided on a name for the Princess?  We can’t keep calling her that or the Baby forever.  She’ll get a complex.”  

“Shut up,” Leia said a watery giggle. “I really like Nora.”  

“I like Avery or Jamie.” I kept running my hand over her cap. “I guess we can wait until we see her.”  

I felt Leia tremble. “Are we going to see her?” 

“Of course we are. Love, she’s going to be ok. You have to believe that because otherwise, we’re just putting bad juju out there.  It's like say, ‘we might win the cup.’ No, we will win the cup. Positivity.”  

“If I could move, I would hit you, Andrew Barber.”  

We were in the operating room for another thirty minutes and then moved to the recovery room. Leia fell asleep from the pain relievers that she was given, and I was just pacing back and forth, waiting for news on my daughter.  An hour later, the pedestrian, came in. “Mr. Barber?” 

I turned to him and paled. “Yes?” 

“Do you want to wake Mrs. Barber?”  

Mrs. Barber. As much as I like the sound of that, it wasn’t the time. “Leia, sweetheart? The baby’s doctor’s is here.” Her eyes fluttered a little and blinked open softly. A smile started to grace her face when the realization of my words hit. Panic filled them but before she could speak, I took her hands. “Everything is ok, please relax.” She nodded and turned to the other man in the room. I sat next to her on the bed and nodded at the doctor.  

He smiled.  “He’s right.  Baby Andrews-Barber is going to be fine.”  

It felt like the pressure on my chest lifted and I could breathe for the first time in hours.  

“She had some fluid stuck in her mouth, which is why she couldn’t cry.  We cleared it, made sure there were no lingering fluid or obstructions.  She pinked up as soon as we had her in the PICU.  I’m recommending that you both stay here for a couple of days just to make sure.”  

“Can we see her?” 

“I’m having the nurse bring her in a few minutes. I just want to explain everything before you see her. She does have a tube in her nose and that’s just a precaution for the fluid.  We’ll probably remove that tomorrow.”  

Leia wept into my side, the stress of everything finally coming to an end. I kissed her head. “Thank you, doctor, so much.”  

“My pleasure. I’ll be back to check on her later tonight.” He walked out and I held onto Leia tighter. The door opened again, and a bassinet came through the door with a nurse. “Hi mom and dad. I have someone that would like to meet you.” She pushed the bassinet right next to Leia’s bed. She lifted her out and handed her to Leia. “Just be careful of the line. It's not connected to anything, but we don’t want to pull it out.” She laid the little pink bundle in her arms.  

Dark lashes caressed her cheek, espresso color hair peeked from beneath a pink cap. Her pink skin glowed and she had a perfect rosebud pout.  She wiggles a little and blinked, displaying Leia’s green eyes copied into her own.  

“She’s perfect,” Leia whispered. “Hi baby, we waited for so long for you.“ She kissed her head, “Andy, she’s here.”  

“She is.” I wiped at my own eyes. “You did a great job, Leia. She’s beautiful.”  

We stared at her for a few minutes before Leia said, “Avery.”  

“What?” 

“Avery Nora Barber. That’s her name.”  

“No Andrews?” 

“No, she’s yours, Andy, She’s a Barber.” She held her out to me so I could hold my daughter for the first time.  She was light in my arms but all I felt was joy.  

And I fell in love. 

“Hi Avery, I’m... I’m your daddy.” A tear fell onto her blanket as I realized I would do anything for this tiny human in my arms. That she and her mother were the center of my world without even trying. “Thank you, Leia.” 

We spent an hour together before Leia told me to take Avery to meet her uncles. I took her in my arms and went out to the waiting room.  When the doors swung open, Luke and Jeremy stood up. "Guys, meet my daughter,” I said with teary pride.  

Luke took the bundle and cooed at his niece. Jeremy peeked over his shoulder. “She’s beautiful Andy. Congratulations.”  

“Thanks Jer. Fuck, thanks for being here with her.” I shook his hand before I pulled him into a hug. “I was calm because I knew she was in good hands.”  I wipe the tears from my eyes.  “Wanna hold her, Uncle Jeremy?” 

He took the little miracle in his arms. “She’s got her mama’s hair and looks like Leia.” He smiles and kiss her forehead.  

“Welcome to the world, Avery Nora Barber.” 

NEXT

Taglist:

@patzammit @texmexdarling @slutforchrisjamalevans @firephotogrl74 @tinkerbelle67 @before-we-get-started @bunnyforhim @alexakeyloveloki @sunnyhummingbee @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @peaceinourtime82 @saucy-sassy-sparkly @kmc1989 @kandis-mom @lokislady82

[justme315]

Family 1/? (g/t parenting story)

Warning:

Mention of Foster care, fear

--------

Summary:

Mark and James are 36 years olds. They've been together since they were teens and have been happyly married for a long time. They want to be parents, that's why they have been trying to adopt from the foster system for 5 years now, but for unspecified reasons their family case is on hold and there is no child/children they could adopt despite their excellent results on the course for a foster/adoptive family.

Cain is a 14-year-old borrower who takes care of his 8-year-old little sister - Lizzie - since their parents are gone. The kids have just moved into a new house, and not knowing human's schedule, Cain can't go borrowing yet, but Lizzie has an idea..

----------

James POV:

"I can't believe it!" shouts Mark "Why are they sending a refusal again?!"

"I don't know," I say in a shaky voice. So many years of trying to adopt yet nothing. We meet all the needs of a child, we have well-paid jobs, a large house, competences, great results after the adoption course, we have everything and yet they do not want to let us become parents. They don't want us to be happy. I start crying.

"Don't cry baby" Mark says softly. He sits on the floor across from me and looks me straight in the eyes "We're fine honey. We passed all the tests, we did the best we could. They're the assholes who don't want to give us a baby but remember we are going to be daddies. We're going to have a wonderful family and we will have our lovely baby at home with us and we will love them so much."

"You promise?" i sob.

"I promise"

-----

Cains POV:

"Lizzie, please be quieter!" I yell at my sister when she plays too loudly. We just moved and in a new house, we have to be extra careful. Not that we can normally be loud, the life of the borrower does not allow it. It's hard for me to rebuild a shelter in our new hideout, but I'll manage! I'm sure it will be okay. This place seems quiet and has a lot of space. I think that in two or three weeks we will be feeling at home. Not that we really should or could feel like that way somewhere, but it would be nice to stay somewhere a little longer.. I hope there are no children or pets in this house. That would cause a lot of worry. I only saw two adult men so far, but there are a lot of toys around the house so it looks like there is a child here, although with such peace and quietness I can doubt it.

"Cain, silly, stop worrying" I hear Lizzie say before tapping my head.

"Yeah, sorry" I sigh. "But in a new house we have to be ultra careful, okay? We can't be loud. We also have to be very good because there are new people here and we don't know their schedule. That's why I can't go borrowing for now and we have to bravely endure" I say in a nice tone to my little sister, who sits on my lap and hugs me. How are we going to survive without food? But risking going out in a new house is too dangerous..

"But we don't have any food left!" says Lizzie. God, raising a little girl alone is so hard. I wish dad and mom were here. They would know what to do. They would take care of us, I wouldn't have to be afraid or worry about food, they would take care of everything. I miss them. It's been almost 3 years since they were caught. It's been almost 3 years since we lost them. It's been almost 3 years since I have to take care of my sister and myself. I'm only 14, raising a child and borrowing is very difficult at that age! But I know no other borrowers would help us. Nobody helps orphans. We have no choice. We have to live like this. I have to do everything I can for the sake of Lizzie, my only family left. She needs me.

"I can't borrow today, I have to look at human's behavior first, but I'll bring food as soon as I can"

----------

Lizzies POV:

It's been 3 days without food. Cain is afraid to go borrowing. It's stupid, you can't live without food! I don't think he knows that. He told me that as far as he knew, there were only two adult humans in the house, which is probably a good thing. I don't understand why he won't go, he's good at borrowing, no human has ever seen him. And I think humans in general are stupid. They would never catch Cain or me. Because he's so afraid, I will be brave and fetch the food myself! He will see how big I am now and that he doesn't have to be so afraid for me and that he doesn't have to do everything alone. I take his hook and go. He's sleeping right now so it must be very late. We already have a tunnel to the kitchen, so getting food should be easy. I walk out of the tunnel onto the kitchen counter.

"Easy" I whisper to myself. Why was he so worried? It is very easy-pesy. It's my first time in a completely open space. Everything is so big, actually it's super cool! Why doesn't he ever take me with him?! It's so cool outside! The only problem is I can't see any food. That's bad. I need food. I look around and see a cupboard up. It's not that far. I just need to throw Cain's hook to get to stick and climb up. Relax. I throw and it really sticks. I knew I was talented! I start climbing and reach the very top. I peek inside and see chips. I'm so hungry. They look so appetizing as if they were begging me to eat them. I try to open the cupboard door, but it won't even move. "Why don't you open?!" I gets upset. I don't like that it's starting to get hard. I try to open harder. Still nothing. Finally, I pull with all my might. Oh no. The door opens and pushes me down. I'm attached to the hook's ld cord but I get tangled. I scream as I fall. I don't think it's loud though. That means I didn't get anyone's attention, which means humans are still asleep like stupid mice. But that also means I didn't scream loud enough to wake Cain. What will I do now?! I'm tangled up and can't to move at all. I'm a little scared. It's a silly lie. I'm very scared! I'm out in the open and there's absolutely nothing I can do. Doing anything without Cain was a bad idea. I start crying. I want to go back to our hideout, to my brother.. It must be a nightmare. I cry trying to break free. I need Cain! What if humans will wake up?! I'm so scared... Right now I'm hearing something. Sounds weird. Very unheard of on such a large scale. Almost like… footsteps?! Oh no. No no no!!

---------

James POV:

It's quite early, already around 5am, even though it's still rather dark outside. I should be getting ready for work now. I could have slept 15 more minutes but I got up because I was thirsty but now I have to go to the kitchen for another reason. I don't know what it was, but I heard a noise. It was weried, almost like a scream. But that's impossible, no one can scream that quiet. And there's no way anyone else was in our house, it didn't sound like a thief. As far as I know, bugs can't scream either - but I'm not sure, I slept in biology classes - and it's impossible for any of the talking toys we bought to activate on their own. I go into the kitchen and for a moment I don't see anything strange. It's really dark, so I can't tell if anything is out of the ordinary. I turn on the light and look around the room. I really don't see anything wrong, the room looks like any other day, no one else seems to be in it but me, everything is where it should be, even the toys seem untouched. Maybe it's just my imagination? I don't sleep very well because of all the stuff going on with the foster system and I think too much, so maybe I'm finally going crazy? Has my mind started playing tricks on me? Damn, am I really going insane? That would be a new killer for me and Mark, and then I can be sure they'll take away our licenses and we'll never be dads. Sweet Universe, I know it's hard to become parents, but we're wonderful people. Although my madness really wouldn't be good for our future baby. I need to drink water and maybe take some sedatives. I go to the cupboards to get a glass of water and that's when I hear it. A sob. Wait, what? I look around the cupboards. There is something unusual about one of them. There's a little string and.. a tiny child?!

[whumpsday]

Kane & Jim #43: Everything’s Different Now

Masterlist

content: vampire whumper (past), recovery, known whumpee a lil bit, begging, forced medical treatment, needles, panic attack, forced to endure trigger

takes place a few days after Home.

-

Jim anxiously jiggled his leg in the waiting room. Every few seconds, he glanced to the side to make sure Liz was still sitting next to him.

It’s okay. It’s daytime. He can’t get you while the sun’s out, Jim tried to tell himself, but it didn’t feel real. It hadn’t felt real since the moment he stepped out of Kane’s house. He felt like any second, he would wake up back home, just like he’d done every day for the past five years.

Kane’s fucking mini-mansion is not your home, he chastised himself. You’re home now.

“Mommy, that’s the man from TV!”

Jim looked up to see a kid pointing right at him. The kid’s mom looked startled to see him, and a little embarrassed. “Don’t point, sweetie, it’s rude.” she chastised. “So sorry about that.” She said apologetically, but she wouldn’t stop staring. “God bless you.”

“It’s cool.” he dismissed, giving the kid an awkward wave and sinking further into the chair. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, being recognized from the news. It was kind of cool, maybe? But also... weird. Liz reached over and squeezed his hand.

“Mr. Lieberman?” called a nurse.

Jim stood up instantly, relieved to have an excuse to put those thoughts aside. Liz held his hand as they followed the nurse to one of the rooms.

They both sat down as the nurse began checking his vitals. Jim tried his best not to flinch away. He was still getting re-used to the idea that touch doesn’t mean pain.

“Hm, looks like you have a slight fever.” the nurse informed him.

“Oh.”

“The doctor should be in shortly.” She gave him a friendly smile, then left.

“This is so damn weird.” Jim muttered.

Liz got up and leaned against the wall by him. “What? Going to the doctor?”

“Yeah.” Everything about being back in the real world was weird. There were so many people, and they were all just... normal and nice. “I dunno, I haven’t really thought about going to the doctor as, like, an option in a while. I’ve been Kane’s for... almost a quarter of my life. It’s gonna take some getting used to.”

“You’ll get used to it. Means you still spent more than three quarters out.” She patted him on the back.

The doctor came in shortly after. “Jim, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Dr. Augury. How are you feeling?”

“Um, I’m feeling alright.” he replied.

“Good, good. I understand you’re coming to me about several issues after your ordeal. I’d like to take a look at your back, first things first. The records from the hospital indicated you’re at high risk for Lyme.”

“Oh, yeah. Those damn ticks were all over me.” Jim pulled his shirt over his head.

Liz gasped. “Jim...”

“Yep, that’d be Lyme. Multiple sites. That explains the fever. I’ll write you a prescription for some antibiotics and it should clear up no problem. You’ll make a follow-up appointment up front.” The doctor wrote something down while Jim put his shirt back on, then returned.

“Thanks, doc.” He’d have to check his back out in the mirror later.

“What’s next on the list?” the doctor asked.

“So, um, I’ve got... the neck, obviously.” Jim glanced at Liz. He hadn’t brought it up yet, but she had a few new scars herself: most notably, four claw-like marks running down her jaw. He knew hers were from vampires, just like his. He didn’t think he could bear to hear about vampires hurting his baby sister.

“Yes, I see. Is it giving you any troubles?”

“Yeah, actually.” Jim admitted. “Kinda thought it would go away, and like, it’s definitely faded a little, but it’s still there. And not just that... is there anything you could do to make it like, go away? Clear up or whatever?”

“I would recommend over the counter pain relief for the ache, we can reevaluate in a month if it still hurts. As for the scar... this vampire, it bit you on a daily basis?” the doctor asked.

“Yeah.”

The doctor looked at him sadly. “You have to understand that’s years of repeated trauma, reopening the same wound every single day. I can refer you to a specialist, but I’ll be honest, I don’t think the chances of this being able to be removed are high. I’m sorry.”

“I’d like the referral anyway, if that’s alright.” Jim requested.

“Of course.”

“And, um, my arm.” Jim held it up, showing off the unnatural bump under the skin. “He- I broke it a couple years ago and it healed all messed up. Still kinda hurts too.”

“I’ll refer you to a surgeon for that. He can get you some x-rays and fix the malunion. That I’m much more confident can be fixed.” the doctor said. “Is there anything else you’d like to discuss today?”

“Um, I don’t think so?” He shrugged.

“Alright, I’d just like to get a blood sample. Given the consistent blood loss over the past five years, it’s best to make sure everything’s going on alright in there.”

Jim froze. “I think... I’ll pass.”

“Jim, you should do it.” Liz encouraged. “It’d suck if something’s wrong with your blood and we didn’t catch it.”

“Nothing’s wrong with my blood.” Jim protested, unable to keep the tinge of defensiveness out of his voice. Kane certainly never thought there was anything wrong with his blood.

“I’d really recommend getting a blood sample.” the doctor interrupted. “It’s just going to be a little prick, that’s all.”

Head wrenched to the side, fangs sinking into his neck.

“No thanks.” Jim said firmly.

“Jim, c’mon. Please?” Liz’s brows bunched up in concern. “I’m worried about you.”

He sighed. He really didn’t want to do this. He was so fucking tired of having his blood taken. But alarm bells rang in his head: protesting was bad. He was being disobedient, and disobedience will always be punished, and he was so damn tired of being beaten. He knew Kane wasn’t here, but that nagging in the back of his mind scared him. He could behave.

“Okay.” he conceded.

“This will take less than a minute.” The doctor assured as he began preparing the syringe.

Liz stepped over. “Want me to hold your hand?”

Jim searched her words for a trace of mocking, but there was none.

“Yeah.” He felt pathetic, needing his little sister to hold his hand just to get his blood drawn when he was 24 years old. He’d done the same for her when they were kids, but he was surely too old for that now.

Liz took his hand in hers. “It’ll be okay.”

Jim’s eyes followed the doctor as he prepared the syringe. That’s going into me, and it’s going to take my blood. He shivered at the thought, squeezing Liz’s hand.

The doctor was saying something, but as the needle went in his arm, all he could see was Kane.

At first, he went still. It’s feeding time, and he has to be still and obedient during feeding. But then he remembers: he was out. He spent all that effort getting out, he almost died getting out, and now he’s back to being fed on.

He knew it was misbehavior, but the despair at his situation was just so powerful that he had to get away. Jim thrashed, but hands held him down as he cried over the urgent voices around him. “Please, no! I don’t wanna be food anymore! I was out! Please, Kane, sir, please stop!”

“Jim, it’s okay!” Strong hands held him firmly in place as his blood was taken from him again and again and again. “You’re not food, you’re a person, it’s just a blood draw! It’s almost over, just relax.” 

The doctor retreated with the syringe. Jim was vaguely aware of Liz asking him to give them space, and then the door was closed again, and he was alone with Liz, still holding him down. “Please, please, please,” he begged, tears streaming down his face.

Liz let go. As soon as his arms were free, Jim wrapped them around himself, shivering.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do.” Liz said. “The needle was already in you, I didn’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“Needle...” Jim looked down at his arm, at the band-aid that had made its way there. He hadn’t used a band-aid in years. Kane always just stopped the bleeding himself. “He’s not here.”

“No. The vampire isn’t here.” Liz agreed. “You’re safe. We’re at the doctor’s, remember?”

He nodded slowly, feeling sick to his stomach. “I’m sorry f-for being disobedient. Please don’t punish me. I’ll be better.”

Liz was crying now, too. “No one’s gonna hurt you, Jim.” she assured, hugging him. “No punishing. You’re not... disobedient, you just freaked out. There’s no one to- disobey anymore, right? You’re free.”

“Right. Right, yeah.” Jim shook his head, trying to clear his mind. “S’just weird. Everything’s different now.”

“Yeah.” Liz was looking at him weirdly, like she was seeing him for the first time. “It is.”

-

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[jtargaryen18]

Why Your Vote Matters (aka Where I've Been Lately)

Hi there. I'm back today. We got back Thursday but I needed to recover for a day before I tried to get back to something like my normal life. Needless to say, I missed you all. 💕

So, before I launch into this story, two things. First, my family and I are all okay. Second, yeah, I'm going to get a little political here and I try to keep such to a minimum. But I wouldn't do this without a compelling reason.

Trigger warnings for miscarriage, stillbirth, pregnancy, illness, and reproductive health care.

Not far into October, a friend of mine from college invited us out to visit her in California. Like me, she has two little girls. She and I haven't seen each other since we started families so it has been a little while. We got back in touch a few months ago on social media and often talked about how we needed to get together. My Chemical Romance, our favorite band, was playing out there and she got us tickets.

My husband stayed home but I took the girls, yes I made them do school each day lol, and we went out to stay with my friend and her family. Her girls are lovely, her husband is a really great guy.

I should probably mention that she was expecting her third child, a boy. Her due date was right after Thanksgiving. She was just starting her eighth month when we got there. She looked amazing and everything was going well. She suffered a miscarriage last year, she explained, and with this pregnancy, she was terrified of that happening again. She didn't even tell her friends she was expecting until it became obvious.

This pregnancy wasn't planned. But she wanted 3 or 4 children and when they found out everything was going well and it was a boy, they were thrilled. They had a room set up, all his things ready. Their girls, who are a little younger than mine, are small but they were excited. All four girls were like long-lost sisters from the start. It was fun to watch them.

The night of the concert came. My friend didn't want to take a risk in going. Understandable. I went with a friend of hers named Brie (also an MCR fan) and she watched my girls. It was a really good night.

The day before we originally planned to leave, I got my girls going on school (we homeschool). Her girls had gone to school and her husband went to work. She seemed worried. When I asked what was wrong, she said the baby was still and that concerned her. We talked about it and I finally convinced her to call her doctor's office to get her in that day. She was worried about overreacting. I told her that her peace of mind was important too.

The rest of that day was a nightmare. The ultrasound revealed that her son had died. What happened was incredibly rare. Even if they had been doing an ultrasound the exact moment when things went wrong, there was little chance they could have saved him. Her husband raced to the hospital. I went with my girls to get theirs from school and took them home. Her labor was induced and after 11 hours, she gave birth to her son. And he was a little smaller but perfect in every way. His heart just wasn't beating.

I stayed on to help with the girls. My friend's parents are gone and her mother-in-law lives in New Zealand so she couldn't get there right away. I was glad to help. I've experienced some things at the shelter but this was so much more personal. The loss was intense. Her girls aren't 5 yet. How to explain to them (and mine) what happened. It was hard to watch this couple go through loss and grief and have to face every aspect of that. There was a funeral. There was that happy room in bright yellow waiting for a child that wasn't coming.

The funeral was the Friday before Halloween. I took all our girls to a Halloween trail in their town that weekend. I helped where I could. I decided we'd stay on a few days until her MIL could get there.

But my friend had a fever almost as soon as she got home from the hospital. She didn't look well. Yes, she'd been through hell. But one morning, I was making breakfast for the kids and she came into the kitchen. There was a sick smell coming from her. And I had to tell her that. I asked her if I could check her temperature. It was high. She didn't want to go, but I loaded her and the kids into the car (her husband had gone in to work for just a couple of hours) and took her to the ER. There was something left in her womb. They put her under to clear out this debris (they said it wasn't placenta) which had caused sepsis. It was serious. She was back in the hospital and we almost lost her.

Her husband and I took shifts with one of us staying with her, and the other staying with our kids until we knew she'd make it. I thanked the nurse when we brought her home three days ago for all her help. She told me that she was just grateful my friend was in California.

Her MIL got there Wednesday and we came home. But that nurse's words stayed with me. If my friend lived somewhere else, would she be dead? Would she have been denied the care she needed to save her life after the devastating loss of her son? Would her son's loss be blamed on her? Would she have been arrested? What would happen to that family either way? Either that husband and two little girls lose a wife and mother or legal issues would haunt their lives on the heels of one of the worst things that can happen to a mother.

Tuesday the 8th is election day here in the U.S. And I'm just asking as a mother, for my friend, and our daughters, that you think carefully when you vote. While I understand the ideology of those who say they want to protect the unborn, I get that, there are so many other situations where access to medical care is vital to the life of the mother. Access to reproductive care is vital to families with kids already here, and to the economy.

What happened to my friend can happen to any of us. And this is a woman who wanted her son. She loved him with all her heart. I can't even bring myself to think about what might have happened to them if they lived in a place where reproductive health care is denied or where a bounty could have been placed on her head so someone could get $10k by saying she deliberately caused that loss.

Please vote to protect women and their rights to their own bodies. Please vote to save the lives of mothers, to save families.

Thank you so much for letting me share this with you.

[homerforsure]

Okay so for April's writing prompt in the 911 discord server, we had Buck & Chim — Buckley-Han Family on a Spring Day and this spilled out of my brain. It is deeply silly, but I tried!

Operation Easter Bunny

If Buck knew he was going to be reduced to bending forward and trying to ring the doorbell with his nose, he would have told Chimney to pick up his own damn takeout. His arms wrapped around three (three!) enormous, heavy, paper bags, one of which was almost definitely leaking something delicious all over the front of him. With his own bag in his hand, he couldn’t get even a finger free to push the button without risking everything toppling over, so Buck clutched everything tightly to his chest and leaned in, just managing to hit the doorbell with his face. 

“Ow,” he said, wrinkling his nose as the pleasant chime rang out inside the house (one of four dozen rotating sounds available on the doorbell that Maddie and Chimney had picked out. Buck had never imagined the sheer number of decisions that would be involved in refinishing a house. Doorbell sounds!) and standing up straight again…

Only to find Chimney already standing in the open door with a smirk on his face. 

“Dick.”

“What’s the password?” Chimney asked. 

“Let me in before I drop your egg rolls,” Buck groused.

Chimney laughed, but he pushed open the screen door wide enough that Buck could catch it with his shoulder and make his way inside. 

“You could have just made two trips.”

“I’m efficient.”

“That’s one word for it,” Chimney said. He reached out and grabbed one of the heavy bags from Buck’s arms and led the way to the kitchen. “Look out for baby debris. I put most of it away, but I think it spawns.”

Picking his way carefully through the house, keeping an eye out for Jee’s toys (and for random shoes, her new favorite toys), Buck followed after Chimney. Groaning dramatically as he finally set his bags on the counter, he said, “What did you even order all of this for? I thought the whole idea was that Maddie and Jee were going to be out all day.” There was nothing on his shirt, thankfully. Whatever moisture he thought he’d felt must have just been condensation from the hot containers inside. He set his other bag, a present for Jee, on the counter with the others and made a mental note to hide it before Maddie got home. 

“You’re kidding, right?” Chimney replied, pulling plates and forks out of his cupboards. It took a few false starts before he got them. He and Maddie hadn’t quite settled on a home for the dishes yet. Except for the wine glasses. They’d needed those to be in easy reach throughout the whole process. “I’m not risking my life by ordering from your sister’s favorite Chinese place and not getting enough leftovers for her.” 

“Yeah, but, this is like… leftovers for six.”

“Well, I invited a human garbage disposal over for lunch so I thought I’d err on the side of caution,” Chimney said, pressing a plate into Buck’s chest. “Load up, Uncle Buck. We’ve got a big project ahead of us.” 

Right, the project or Operation Easter Bunny as Chimney had taken to calling it in the family group chat. With Jee-Yun officially old enough to hunt down easter eggs, Maddie and Chimney were excited to start the first of many traditions in their new house. Buck was pretty sure there was a little more to it than that for Maddie, who was still hesitant about overly formal, overly perfect holiday plans, but who also held tight to every first she still got to have with Jee and Chimney just wanted to make sure that both of them had a perfect day. 

“So no pressure,” Buck had said, looking skeptically between the two of them at a dinner in mid-March. 

“None at all.”

“Why would there be pressure?” 

Still, one thing had led to another and soon they were staring down Easter weekend without a single Peep or chocolate rabbit purchased and with the homemade family brunch Maddie had been talking about rapidly devolving into a store-bought quiche and microwave bacon. She put a few window clings up and tried to get an Easter basket started, but with an inquisitive toddler underfoot, it was proving impossible. 

“I’ll take care of it,” Chimney had promised when he found the two of them buried in biodegradable easter grass and Jee’s basket barely hidden from her under a quilt. And on Saturday morning, he’d called Buck. 

“I did the basket after they left,” he said as he and Buck piled their plates high and each grabbed a beer from the fridge. “So that’s in the top of our closet and hopefully she doesn’t find her way in there while we’re sleeping. 

“Or learn how to use a ladder,” Buck added. 

“Hey do not think about teaching her that. The stairs are bad enough.” Jerking his head toward the back door, Chimney said, “I’ve got the rest of the stuff out here. It was the only place I could think to hide it.” 

Buck was about to ask if Chimney was living with a toddler or a secret agent, but the question was quickly overwhelmed by a dozen others when they stepped out onto the patio. “Whoa,” was all he could manage to say. 

An uncountable number of easter eggs spilled out of plastic bags on and around the new picnic table that Buck and Eddie had just helped Chimney move in the previous weekend. Giant ones, mini ones, sparkling ones, and neon ones. There were other bags too, filled with vanilla wafers and veggie straws and other baby-safe snacks that Buck could only assume they were going to use to fill the eggs. 

“Did Maddie really want us to fill all of these?”

“What do you mean? She bought all of them. Of course she wants us to fill them. I was thinking Divide and Conquer,” Chimney said, finding a mostly empty spot to set his plate down in. “You can fill them and I’ll hide them around the yard.” 

“Uh, are you sure the yard is big enough?” 

As if thinking about it for the first time, Chimney took in the pile of eggs and the spring green of the backyard and tilted his head. “Maybe we’ll put some in the front too. I’ll text Maddie and tell her to pull Jee’s hat over her eyes before she brings her in from the car.” 

“Yeah, but-”

“Pipe down and get to work, Buckley. We don’t have much time.” 

The order had a hint of Interim Captain Han about it so Buck didn’t bother to argue. He grabbed a bag of eggs so he had a place to put his own plate and then got to work. 

*

Two hours later, the patio was more of a mess than they started and Buck’s fingers were nicked from getting caught in a dozen slightly deformed plastic eggs that didn’t want to stay closed. The yard was more egg than lawn and Chimney still had two buckets of filled eggs that had to go somewhere. 

“You think I can hang some from the trees?” he asked, staring at the pile and the four eggs he was already holding in his hands with dismay. “She can see them up there, right?”

“Not unless you want me to teach her how to use a ladder.” 

“This is too many eggs. What was Maddie thinking?” 

“Don’t ask me. You’re the one living with her,” Buck replied, around a mouthful of wafer. 

The sound of a car pulling in the driveway brought an expression of panic to Chimney’s face and he started trying to shove the eggs into his pockets and down his shirt. “No! No, no, no. She wasn’t supposed to be back until six!”

“It’s six-fifteen.” 

“Hide these!” Chimney shouted, picking up the buckets and shoving them at Buck. Eggs shook free as he did, falling to the cement patio and splitting open, scattering cookies and candy everywhere. 

“Hide them where?” Buck asked. “You used up all the lawn!”

“Anywhere!” 

“We’re home!” Maddie’s cheerful voice called from inside the house. “Someone saw Uncle Buck’s truck in the street and can’t wait to say hi!”

“Uh, Uncle Buck went home!” Chimney called back as Buck held up his hands and the buckets in a “come on” gesture. “He had to walk because he got very very drunk, but he’ll be back tomorrow. So there’s no reason to come out to the yard!”

“Howie?” 

“I’m not here either!” Chimney shouted. “Daddy’s on vacation. No toddlers allowed. No. Stop! Don’t look!”

He flung his arms and legs out wide like a starfish and planted himself in front of the back door, eggs falling out of his clothes as he did. 

“You went on vacation without me?” Maddie asked, appearing in the doorway without a baby on her hip. 

Chimney deflated, dropping his arms, “Where’s Jee-Yun?”

“Trying on your slippers in the living room. What’s happening out here?”

“I think I’m getting easter egg elbow,” Buck answered. “Is that a thing?” 

“It’s not a thing,” Chimney said. 

“Are those-” Maddie frowned, opening the door to join them on the patio and get a better look at the yard. “Did you hide all of those eggs?” 

With a sad sigh, Chimney said, “No. Not even close. Maddie, I know you wanted to make this special, but there’s just no way we can hide them all. We’d have to spread them out all over the whole neighborhood and you know I’d do that, but I just don’t think Jee’s got the attention span to-” He stopped, noticing the way that Maddie bit her lip to keep a smile from escaping and then looked again at the mess he and Buck had made of the yard. 

“You didn’t actually want us to fill all of them, did you?”

Maddie shook her head and said, “They were on sale. I thought we could use some next year and some of them are always broken and, I don’t know. They were really cute. I didn’t want to choose.”

Coming in closer so she could take Chimney’s face in her hands and plant a kiss on his lips, Maddie added, “But I love how much you love our daughter. We are both so unbelievably lucky to have you.” 

“I’m lucky to have you too.”

“Okay, but what do we do with,” Buck lifted the buckets again. “All this? Because I don’t really think they’ll keep until next Easter.” 

With a shrug, Maddie said, “Take them to work? I’m supposed to bring something for the dispatch pot luck anyway.” 

“I’m sure Cap will be thrilled if I hide some of these on the engine.”

“Hey, it could come in handy,” Buck said, cracking open a yellow one and eating another cookie, somehow without dropping either of the buckets. “Having a stash like this on back to back calls. It’s better than protein bars.”

The smile Chimney gave him meant nothing good for Buck as he pulled the few remaining eggs out of his pockets and dropped them in the buckets that Buck was holding and said, “That’s a great idea. Why don’t you gather all these up so we can take them in? Just leave like one or two dozen for Jee to find in the morning.” 

“Hey wait-”

“Did you get extra Chinese food for me?” Maddie asked. 

“Please, have I ever let you down before?” Chimney replied. 

“Guys!” 

The screen door slammed shut over the rest of Buck’s protests and he sighed as another egg rolled off into the grass. 

“They are on their own for Halloween,” he huffed to himself, grabbing another egg to munch on. 

[spikedsoul]

Can I please request a sequel to the small Drabble you wrote on Bowser meeting his future children, the Koopalings and Junior? Only this time they accidentally brought one more person on their mission, their baby sister. Who somehow snuck on the back of one of their shells, and she can’t even WALK yet. Quick no one tell Queen Mama! 🤣

((I'm super sorry this is so late😭hopefully this makes up for it......................................))

Bowser rubbed his face as he listened to those crazy koopa kids bickering outside his room. This was the second time they'd found him, once again claiming to be his kids from the future... yet there was still zero indication Peach would give it up... wait.

Didn't they tell him last time that he needed to give up on Peach? He would never! But it probably isn't a bad idea to just... y'know, keep looking, right? Not put all his eggs in one basket?

"I'm tellin' you the more we come back to this time, the more we risk actually fucking things up!" he heard Roy tell his siblings. Roy was the pushiest, the one most against these apparent missions, but Ludwig was the one in control of these little escapades.

"Ludwig is positive it'll eventually work," one of the twins replied. He wasn't sure if it was Lemmy or Iggy.

"What, just so the oaf is happier earlier in his life?" Roy muttered. "What if he doubles down on Peach? I'm tellin' you, any more than this will fuck things up!"

Bowser groaned quietly to himself; how the fuck was this happening? Randomass kids worrying about his happiness, telling him Princess Peach, the love of his life, is not actually the love of his life and to forget her instead... are they insane?! Maybe if he lies and says he'll lay off of this Peach thing, they'll go away...

A light touch to the top of his foot made him nearly jump out of his skin from the unexpectedness, but he froze the moment he looked down.

A tiny, redheaded human infant looked up at him from the floor, her little hands resting on his scaly foot.

"Papa!" she chirped happily, holding her arms up to be picked up.

Silence immediately fell on the other side of the door. He bent down, gingerly picking up the baby girl, and held her close; she wasted no time tucking against him like it was the most natural thing in the world. His mind reeled as he gazed down at her, utterly stunned that this fragile, tiny thing was... was his.

There was no denying that her hair was the same color as his, even the texture as he gently ran a finger over her soft head.

"Spitfire?" Wendy called.

The little baby made an affirmative sound and instantly Bowser knew how big the kids fucked up - there was copious swearing suddenly coming from the other side of the door.

...They accidentally let their baby sister join them. Were they dumb? What were they thinking?!

Bowser scowled and finally turned around, yanking his door open; the kids all wilted a little under his intense glare as he held Spitfire close to him.

"How irresponsible can ya get," he growled quietly at them; none of them could meet his gaze, even Roy who'd been against the idea from the start. "What if y'all left and this poor sweet girl in the wrong time, huh? Somethin' tells me you're gettin' lucky with these time shenanigans. Go home, and if y'all are tellin' me the gotdamn truth, expect some punishment!"

He was careful to keep his voice low so as not to upset the baby nestled happily against him. Despite the harsh warning, Junior boldly stepped forward and pointed at the bundle in Bowser's arms.

"Okay, but just know that her mother isn't Peach," the little look-a-like stated.

Bowser's gaze snapped down to the baby. Not from Peach, huh... okay, that was actually convincing. If giving Peach up meant he'd eventually get to meet this precious daughter of his, then absolutely he'd drop her like a fucking stone! A human daughter meant someone actually gave him the time of day... and enjoyed his company...

Spitfire sneezed softly into him, and he felt the unmistakable heat of fire singing his chest scales.

"Her mother will hear about this little escapade," he warned as he forced himself to hand her over to Wendy, who was hovering anxiously nearby.

"How?" Morton snorted, "You don't even know the woman yet!"

Bowser smirked dangerously at them as they gathered in the same area to go home. "Not yet... but you can bet I'll remember this little interaction later. So yes, I'll be tellin' her mother."

The last thing he saw before they disappeared was a bunch of pale, terrified faces, plus one happy baby making grabby hands at him.

They were so fucked when they got home with Little Red.