#There is probably a moment where Rachel casts a spell on herself to make her seem extra attractive to anyone who locks eyes with her

[ultrabananapudding]

Clarachel | Halloween

Setting: Rachel buys rare ingredients from Clarice for her potion making business. The Forest Nymph doesn't ask for money as payment, so Rachel gets creative with what she could offer in return.

[freakingbellam]

Timeless (HP & HOO crossover x reader)

Synopsis: What would you say if I told you that Hogwarts and Camp Half-Blood are not so far apart? Yeah, Gale and Y/n would also say this is crazy. But these two girls are about to discover that even though they are far apart, the magic that surrounds them is the same. After all, what do a time travel, a fearful prophecy and a Titan about to resurrect, have in common? Certainly more than you can imagine.

Paring: Apollo x reader

Warnings: None, I guess.

Reader: Percy's step sister! reader

Word count: 1.7k

A / N: escreve o que quiser (notas da autora)

September 2010, New York - USA

Y/n would be lying if she said she didn’t cry like a baby when she saw Argo II return to Camp Half-Blood. She had been forbidden to help in the battle against the giants, but she was nevertheless not full at Camp. After the near invasion of Camp Jupiter and Reyna's visit, things got messed up there.

But the best part of the return of the other demigods was seeing Percy again. He looked extremely exhausted, but happy to be back in one piece. Y/n hugged him for so long that Percy almost fell asleep in her arms.

The boy was welcomed with all the frenzy he deserved, entitled to a hearty banquet and a visit from his father, along with a very tearful Sally and a relieved Paul.

Tyson had been absolutely thrilled to see his older brother talking to his friends by the fire, which glowed high and yellow, mirroring the emotion of the half-bloods.

Despite being as happy as the others, and maybe even more so, Y/n retired a little earlier that night. She didn't walk long before her absence was noticed.

‘Mingling with the shadows? I thought this was my own thing.” The girl smiled at Nico di Angelo, who walked over to her with his hands in the pockets of his aviator jacket, which was still too big for him.

“I'm going to sleep, Nico.” She explained, continuing her way to Cabin 3. “It was a day full of emotions, I'm tired.”

Nico nodded, walking beside her. Y/n always found it fun to be the same size as Nico, but now she realized that he was a few inches taller than she was.

“Are you okay?” she asked, bringing up the subject.

“I think so.” Nico replied, looking surprised by his own conclusion. “Maybe things get better for me from now on.”

“I'm sure it will.” Y/n opened an encouraging smile. Because he was the son of Hades, Nico suffered more than all the other demigods, which worried the girl. She hadn't seen him since the war of the Titans, but she talked to Percy during her mission and discovered things she didn't want to discover.

She looked at Nico. For the first time in his life, his face looked serene, as if his problems were gone. Y/n realized that it would be better not to go into details about the problems he went through. She did not want to end his joy.

“Di Angelo!” someone called, running up to them. Y/n turned to find Will Solace smiling like a ray of sunshine. “Hi Y/n!”

“Will.” She smiled. When looking at Nico, she noticed a pink tint on his cheeks and held her laugh. “Can you take care of Nico for me? I need to go to sleep but he doesn't want to leave.”

Will smiled, realizing what she meant. Nico looked at her with anger and indignation, but he didn't seem against the idea.

“Certainly.” The blonde took a step forward. “Have a good night!”

“You too.” She raised an eyebrow at Nico and walked back to her cabin.

She was still smiling when she passed Hecate's cabin, which looked darker than ever. Her smile wilted. She had always been a little afraid of the goddess's children since she found herself a half-blood and moved to camp. But that night, something seemed comforting in the hideous darkness of the cabin. Unable to contain the impulse that occurred to her, Y/n went up on the porch and went through the open door. None of the goddess's children were there, they were probably still at the stake celebrating, they always loved a good party.

Y/n didn't know exactly what she expected to find inside, but she certainly wasn't ready for what she saw. She had never entered the cabin since she had never been invited and it didn't feel right to enter without an invitation like she did now. But what she found was an absolute void. No bunk beds, bathroom, closet or chest. Nothing for the basic comfort of teenagers. All that was inside was a torch on the floor with a brown leather-bound notebook beside it.

“Take it�� A whisper said, and Y/n knelt down to better analyze the notebook.

“Who...?” She started the question, but knew at the time that she had no need to finish it. Hecate was there. “Are you hiding in the shadows?”

There was a harsh laugh, but Y/n couldn't tell where it came from. It was as if the goddess moved in every particle of air around her.

“I heard that Poseidon's children were mocking, but seeing that feat face to face is much more fun. Ares definitely didn't say enough about it.”

“I don't think he has any reason to boast about it.” She commented, but her body was tense. Something about the goddess made her feel that bad things would happen any second.

“Take the notebook.” She asked, seeming to feel the girl's tension. “Take it and bring my girl back.”

“What does that mean?” Y/n asked, but never got an answer.

After several minutes, she finally let herself be overcome by curiosity, put the notebook under her arm and ran out of the cabin.

Y/n spent a few days without touching the notebook, which was comfortably resting on the small table in her cabin. Percy asked several times what the notebook was and why Y/n didn't move it, but the girl always answered the same thing. "It's just a silly notebook." She was afraid to open it and end up triggering something she couldn't control.

Percy and the others had just returned from a massacre battle with irreparable losses, she didn't want to leave anyone alarmed by something as stupid as a leather notebook.

Y/n tried to distract herself. She would swim in the lake, duel with Percy in the arena, ask Tyson to teach her something in the forges, help Chiron with pending camp, talk about the biggest zucchinis with Rachel, encourage Annabeth to talk nonstop about architecture, sometimes make her repeat everything he had said in Greek, but nothing seemed to get her thoughts out of the notebook. Instead of being distracted, she got some scars from the duels, burns from the forges and throbbing ears, but nothing erased the notebook.

Tired of trying, Y/n returned to the cabin and spent several minutes looking at the problem. She would get up a few times, making a move to pick it up, but soon she would go back to sitting on bed. When she finally thought she would be brave enough to end the trip, someone knocked on the door.

Changing her course, Y/n opened the door to the blond, smug figure.

Y/n and Apollo had spent a lot of time together a few months before, not that any of them had a chance to do the opposite. He had helped her save the Camp when everyone seemed too busy saving the world. Now she was no longer able to get rid of the sun god, who suddenly appeared in her cabin. At least now he had learned to knock on the door before entering.

“Good afternoon, beautiful lady.” He smiled, breaking into the cottage before Y/n had a chance to expel him. “What do you do locked in that cabin?”

“Apollo, seriously, now is not the best time.”

“Every hour is the best time for Apollo!” He smiled at her and Y/n found herself unable to say no to him. The god had that effect on her, but she couldn't explain why. She just went back to bed and sighed.

“What happened, Sunshine?” he asked, now more serious.

Y/n pointed to the notebook, like a child pointing out the bully who was mistreating her. Pausing to think, it was almost the same.

Apollo's gaze followed Y/n 's finger until it stopped at the Hecate symbol on the cover of the notebook, and he froze.

“What's it?”

“That notebook.” He got up and picked up it, playing with it in his hands. “I saw Hecate with another of his once many years ago. I asked her what they were, but she cast a spell on me that prevented me from speaking for two months. Where did you find it?”

“I found him at her cabin.” The girl admitted, unable to lie to the closest friend she had at the camp until that moment. “I heard Hecate ask me to take him away. I didn't understand what she expects me to do.”

“Write.” He suggested, after long minutes of silence.

“I’m sorry?” Y/n looked at him, confused. “What if something bad happens, Apollo? I don't know if I want to find out.”

The god smiled gently, taking the book to the girl and handing it over, along with a blue ballpoint pen. Y/n hesitated for a few seconds before picking up the pen and opening the notebook. But she didn't do much more than that, as the words “Owned by G. J. W.” they magically appeared on the first leaf, in a strange black ink.

Y/n looked at Apollo for help, but he just shrugged and encouraged her to write something below. "G. J. W.? This notebook is mine, and my name has none of those letters!”

Before she had a chance to tell Apollo how ridiculous it was, the notebook replied.

G: "Who are you?"

Y: “Y/n Y/l/n, are you?”

G: "Gale Wright"

Y: “How the hell am I talking to you through my notebook? Where you are from?"

G: “England. I'm a student at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, how about you? What school of magic do you belong to? ”

Y: "I'm not going to any magic school, I'm from New York, there's no such thing here!"

G: "I thought the United States school of magic was Ilvermorny"

Y: "I am not a witch!"

G: "Oh by Merlin, are you a muggle?"

Y: "Look, I may not be a witch but you don't have to curse me!"

G: “Muggle is a term for non-wizards ... But if you are not a witch, how can you talk to me? This notebook is bewitched, only those who have contact with magic could see it ”

Y: "I didn't know that the notebook was enchanted until now ... I didn't even know about the existence of a school of magic, wizards, yes, now schools? No, things are very different here"

G: "Different how?"

Y: "I am a camper at Camp Half-Blood"

G: "And what would that be?"

Y: "Well, a camp for demigods, of course!"

Y/n waited, but nothing else happened. She looked up at Apollo, who looked as upset as she was.

“School of Magic and Witchcraft of... Hogwarts?” She asked, hoping that Apollo would say something to her.

“I've heard of that school. Hecate loves to talk about how she has an entire chain of schools that teach children to do what she does. She is very proud of it.” He explained, taking the notebook from Y/n and examining the last conversation. “I just didn't think it was real at all. All the gods think it's Hecate's invention, but no one has ever tried to prove it.”

“Well, I think we just did that.” Y/n joked, but was far from feeling the fun of the situation, because, there in front of her, there was a problem. Perhaps a much bigger problem than she imagined.

[whack-ed]

TIMELESS (INTERACTIVE HP & HOO CROSSOVER)

Synopsis: Alex finds Hecate's notebook and discovers about the wizarding world and about Y/n.

Paring: In the beginning it's platonic!fred & george x reader, but I promise that in the end it is fred x reader.

Warnings: None, I guess.

Reader: Slytherin!Female

Word count: 1.9k

A/N: In this chapter, Y/n appears little, but it is extremely important.

September 2010, New York - USA

Alexa would be lying if she said she didn’t cry like a baby when she saw Argo II return to Camp Half-Blood. She had been forbidden to help in the battle against the giants, but she was nevertheless not full at Camp. After the near invasion of Camp Jupiter and Reyna's visit, things got messed up there.

But the best part of the return of the other demigods was seeing Percy again. He looked extremely exhausted, but happy to be back in one piece. Alex hugged him for so long that Percy almost fell asleep in her arms.

The boy was welcomed with all the frenzy he deserved, entitled to a hearty banquet and a visit from his father, along with a very tearful Sally and a relieved Paul. Tyson had been absolutely thrilled to see his older brother talking to his friends by the fire, which glowed high and yellow, mirroring the emotion of the half-bloods.

Despite being as happy as the others, and maybe even more so, Alex retired a little earlier that night. She didn't walk long before her absence was noticed.

‘Mingling with the shadows? I thought this was my own thing.” The girl smiled at Nico di Angelo, who walked over to her with his hands in the pockets of his aviator jacket, which was still too big for him.

“I'm going to sleep, Nico.” She explained, continuing her way to Cabin 3. “It was a day full of emotions, I'm tired.”

Nico nodded, walking beside her. Alex always found it fun to be the same size as Nico, but now she realized that he was a few inches taller than she was.

“Are you okay?” she asked, bringing up the subject.

“I think so.” Nico replied, looking surprised by his own conclusion. “Maybe things get better for me from now on.

“I'm sure it will.” Alexa opened an encouraging smile. Because he was the son of Hades, Nico suffered more than all the other demigods, which worried the girl. She hadn't seen him since the war of the Titans, but she talked to Percy during her mission and discovered things she didn't want to discover.

She looked at Nico. For the first time in his life, his face looked serene, as if his problems were gone. Alex realized that it would be better not to go into details about the problems he went through. She did not want to end his joy.

“Di Angelo!” someone called, running up to them. Alex turned to find Will Solace smiling like a ray of sunshine. “Hi Alex!”

“Will.” She smiled. When looking at Nico, she noticed a pink tint on his cheeks and held her laugh. “Can you take care of Nico for me? I need to go to sleep but he doesn't want to leave.”

Will smiled, realizing what she meant. Nico looked at her with anger and indignation, but he didn't seem against the idea.

“Certainly.” The blonde took a step forward. “Have a good night!”

“You too.” She raised an eyebrow at Nico and walked back to her cabin.

She was still smiling when she passed Hecate's cabin, which looked darker than ever. Her smile wilted. She had always been a little afraid of the goddess's children since she found herself a half-blood and moved to camp. But that night, something seemed comforting in the hideous darkness of the cabin. Unable to contain the impulse that occurred to her, Alexa went up on the porch and went through the open door. None of the goddess's children were there, they were probably still at the stake celebrating, they always loved a good party.

Alexa didn't know exactly what she expected to find inside, but she certainly wasn't ready for what she saw. She had never entered the cabin since she had never been invited and it didn't feel right to enter without an invitation like she did now. But what she found was an absolute void. No bunk beds, bathroom, closet or chest. Nothing for the basic comfort of teenagers. All that was inside was a torch on the floor with a brown leather-bound notebook beside it.

“Take it” A whisper said, and Alex knelt down to better analyze the notebook.

“Who...?” She started the question, but knew at the time that she had no need to finish it. Hecate was there. “Are you hiding in the shadows?”

There was a harsh laugh, but Alex couldn't tell where it came from. It was as if the goddess moved in every particle of air around her.

“I heard that Poseidon's children were mocking, but seeing that feat face to face is much more fun. Ares definitely didn't say enough about it.”

“I don't think he has any reason to boast about it.” She commented, but her body was tense. Something about the goddess made her feel that bad things would happen any second.

“Take the notebook.” She asked, seeming to feel the girl's tension. “Take it and bring my girl back.”

“What does that mean?” Alex asked, but never got an answer.

After several minutes, she finally let herself be overcome by curiosity, put the notebook under her arm and ran out of the cabin.

Alexa spent a few days without touching the notebook, which was comfortably resting on the small table in her cabin. Percy asked several times what the notebook was and why Alex didn't move it, but the girl always answered the same thing. "It's just a silly notebook." She was afraid to open it and end up triggering something she couldn't control.

Percy and the others had just returned from a massacre battle with irreparable losses, she didn't want to leave anyone alarmed by something as stupid as a leather notebook.

Alex tried to distract herself. She would swim in the lake, duel with Percy in the arena, ask Tyson to teach her something in the forges, help Chiron with pending camp, talk about the biggest zucchinis with Rachel, encourage Annabeth to talk nonstop about architecture, sometimes make her repeat everything he had said in Greek, but nothing seemed to get her thoughts out of the notebook. Instead of being distracted, she got some scars from the duels, burns from the forges and throbbing ears, but nothing erased the notebook.

Tired of trying, Alex returned to the cabin and spent several minutes looking at the problem. She would get up a few times, making a move to pick it up, but soon she would go back to sitting on bed. When she finally thought she would be brave enough to end the trip, someone knocked on the door.

Changing her course, Alex opened the door to the blond, smug figure.

Alexa and Apollo had spent a lot of time together a few months before, not that any of them had a chance to do the opposite. He had helped her save the Camp when everyone seemed too busy saving the world. Now she was no longer able to get rid of the sun god, who suddenly appeared in her cabin. At least now he had learned to knock on the door before entering.

“Good afternoon, beautiful lady.” He smiled, breaking into the cottage before Alex had a chance to expel him. “What do you do locked in that cabin?”

“Apollo, seriously, now is not the best time.”

“Every hour is the best time for Apollo!” He smiled at her and Alex found herself unable to say no to him. The god had that effect on her, but she couldn't explain why. She just went back to bed and sighed.

“What happened, Sunshine?” he asked, now more serious.

Alexa pointed to the notebook, like a child pointing out the bully who was mistreating her. Pausing to think, it was almost the same.

Apollo's gaze followed Alexa's finger until it stopped at the Hecate symbol on the cover of the notebook, and he froze.

“What's it?”

“That notebook.” He got up and picked up it, playing with it in his hands. “I saw Hecate with another of his once many years ago. I asked her what they were, but she cast a spell on me that prevented me from speaking for two months. Where did you find it?”

“I found him at her cabin.” The girl admitted, unable to lie to the closest friend she had at the camp until that moment. “I heard Hecate ask me to take him away. I didn't understand what she expects me to do.”

“Write.” He suggested, after long minutes of silence.

“I’m sorry?” Alex looked at him, confused. “What if something bad happens, Apollo? I don't know if I want to find out.”

The god smiled gently, taking the book to the girl and handing it over, along with a blue ballpoint pen. Alexa hesitated for a few seconds before picking up the pen and opening the notebook. But she didn't do much more than that, as the words “Owned by (your initials) ” they magically appeared on the first leaf, in a strange black ink.

Alex looked at Apollo for help, but he just shrugged and encouraged her to write something below. "(your initials)? This notebook is mine, and my name has none of those letters!”

Before she had a chance to tell Apollo how ridiculous it was, the notebook replied.

Y: "Who are you?"

A: “Alexa Pearson, you?”

Y: "Y/n Y/L/N"

A: “How the hell am I talking to you through my notebook? Where you are from?"

Y: “England. I'm a student at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, how about you? What school of magic do you belong to? ”

A: "I'm not going to any magic school, I'm from New York, there's no such thing here!"

Y: "I thought the United States school of magic was Ilvermorny"

A: "I am not a witch!"

Y: "Oh by Merlin, are you a muggle?"

A: "Look, I may not be a witch but you don't have to curse me!"

Y: “Muggle is a term for non-wizards ... But if you are not a witch, how can you talk to me? This notebook is bewitched, only those who have contact with magic could see it ”

A: "I didn't know that the notebook was enchanted until now ... I didn't even know about the existence of a school of magic, wizards, yes, now schools? No, things are very different here"

Y: "Different how?"

A: "I am a camper at Camp Half-Blood"

Y: "And what would that be?"

A: "A camp for demigods of course!"

Alexa waited, but nothing else happened. She looked up at Apollo, who looked as upset as she was.

“School of Magic and Witchcraft of... Hogwarts?” She asked, hoping that Apollo would say something to her.

“I've heard of that school. Hecate loves to talk about how she has an entire chain of schools that teach children to do what she does. She is very proud of it.” He explained, taking the notebook from Alex and examining the last conversation. “I just didn't think it was real at all. All the gods think it's Hecate's invention, but no one has ever tried to prove it.”

“Well, I think we just did that.” Alex joked, but was far from feeling the fun of the situation, because, there in front of her, there was a problem. Perhaps a much bigger problem than she imagined.

tagging mutuals: @nebulablakemurphy ​​ @jamilelucato ​​ @inglourious-imagines ​​​​ @clarissaxpearce ​​ @beiahadid ​ @idontknowwhatthisisfam ​ @kpopgirlbtssvt ​ @shinydragoness @snitches-at-dawn @freddieweasleyswife

[justthehiddleswrites]

Destiny Has Other Plans |Loki x OFC (Alexis Randall) | Chapter 2

Pairing: Loki x OFC

MASTERLIST IS HERE

Summary: When Loki goes to ask his father for permission to marry, he is shocked to discover his destiny has already been made for him.  He is already betrothed to Sjofn, the daughter of the King of Vanaheim.  An arranged marriage to bring the two kingdoms closer together and strengthen the bond.  Never mind that Sjofn and Loki can’t stand each other.  

After The Battle of New York, Loki is sent to live at Avengers Tower as punishment for his misdeeds.  But it doesn’t mean he has to like it.   A year later, he has adjusted to life on Midgard but has avoided any romantic or emotional entanglements, still bitter over his lost love.  Dr. Alexis Randall is skilled at helping others fix their relationships as a couple therapist, but can’t help her own love life.  A chance encounter with Loki in a dive bar has life altering consequences for both of them.  Now, Alexis and Loki must figure out a way to co-habit without killing each other in the process, plus navigating impending parenthood and other roadblocks along the way.

This Chapter:   One month has passed since Alexis and Loki “met” at the bar, Loki has moved on but is confronted with harsh reality of Alexis and the consequences of his cavalier attitude towards relationships, hookups, and birth control. He does not react well.

Warnings: Arranged Marriage, Forced Marriage, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, Smut, Angst,  Semi-Public Sex, Mentions of law enforcement, Oral Sex, Cursing, Vaginal Sex

Taglists are Open, please let me know if you wish to be added.

-

One Month Later

“Dr. Randall?” Rachel, Alexis’s receptionist, called out.

Alexis’s head snapped up from her desk, where she fell asleep between appointments.

“Yes?” She smoothed back her hair behind her ears and took a sip of her third cup of coffee of the day.

“Your 2 o’clock is here. The Masons? Can I show them in?” Rachel gazed at her boss with worry. Alexis never napped during the day and stopped drinking caffeine by 11 a.m.

“Yes, please.” Alexis stifled a yawn before composing herself.

The rest of her appointments dragged and she pushed her last appointment out the door rather than allow the Clarks to linger like they do after most sessions. Alexis wanted nothing more to go home and crawl into bed. And then her phone rang.

“Hello?” she answered with a weary tone.

“Tough day?” Hannah asked on the other end. One of Alexis’s few friends.

“I am so tired. And hungry. Tired and hungry.” she groaned.

“Well then, let’s make dinner a quick one. You are still meeting me?”

“Shit! I completely forgot. I don’t understand what is going on with me. Give me five minutes and meet me at the diner down the street?”

“Deal. I’m already almost there. Meet me inside.”

Alexis straightened her desk, grabbed her purse and headed out the door. Hannah was waiting in a booth inside as she slid in.

“I waited for you to order.” Hannah commented.

On cue, the server appeared.

“I’ll have the mac and cheese bites and the bacon cheeseburger with fries.”

The server wrote everything down, nonplussed, while Hannah stared at her friend. “Anything to drink, hun?”

“Strawberry milkshake. Oh, and a Diet Coke.”

“Got it? And you?” The server turned to Hannah.

“House salad with grilled chicken, dressing on the side. And water with lemon.”

“Thanks, hun.” The server grabbed the menus from Hannah, walking away.

Hannah leaned across the table. “That’s some order.”

“I told you I was hungry.” Alexis settled into her seat.

“If I didn’t know you so well, I would say you’re pregnant.” Hannah commented off hand.

Alexis froze, staring at Hannah with wide eyes. Hannah giggled.

“But Eric broke up with you and you’re always so careful with birth control.”

The blood drained from Alexis’s face as she flashed back to that stupid encounter in the bathroom with Loki. She scrambled through her purse, digging out her Filofax, flipping the pages until she saw the note a few weeks ago.

“Fuck! No, no, no, no, no…” She cradled her head in her hands as the server returned with their drinks.

“But you’re on birth control?” Hannah grew quiet.

“I was having some issues, so on advice of my doctor I stopped before trying an alternative. Eric and I were using condoms. Not that we were having sex at the end.”

“So no problem…” Alexis glared at her friend with tear brimmed eyes. Hannah stopped speaking.

Alexis’s hands twisted on top of the table. “There was an… encounter. When Eric and I broke up.”

Hannah let loose a low whistle. “Who would have guessed that uptight little Alexis was secretly a harlot? Details.”

Alexis’s cheeks burned red. She told the sordid tale of meeting Loki at the bar, to sex in the bathroom, and Loki’s disappearance.

“THE BATHROOM?!” Hannah yelped, wrinkling her nose.

Alexis shushed her. “Not my proudest moment, Hannah. And keep your voice down.”

Hannah leaned back against the red vinyl booth, taking in that Alexis, the most dependable, responsible person she knew, fucked a guy. Not just any guy, but Loki in the bathroom of a seedy bar.

“Say something, Hannah.”

“I am in shock. What are you going to do?”

The server appeared with their food, which they left untouched.

“I am not sure. This was not exactly planned.”

Hannah leaned over and flipped through her Filofax. “Nope, definitely not planned.”

“Your humor is not wanted right now.”

Hannah shrugged. “Just trying to lighten the mood.” She stabbed her salad. “First, you need to eat and then let’s find a pharmacy and get a test.”

Alexis pushed her plate towards Hannah. “I’ve lost my appetite.”

Hannah pushed the plate back at her. “Eat. You might be eating for two.”

Alexis groaned.

-

The annoying chime of JARVIS disturbed Loki’s peaceful lunch within the confines of his apartment. Over the past year, he curated a living space he enjoyed with artwork and textiles that brought him joy. What he didn’t enjoy were the intrusions by Stark’s electronic butler.

“Master Loki. There’s a young woman in the lobby asking to see you.”

Loki placed his utensils down. “Did she give a reason?”

A pause.

“It is of a personal nature.”

Loki waved his hand in the air. “Send her away. Tell her I’m indisposed.”

“Yes, sir.”

Loki returned to his lunch. It was probably one of the women he slept with looking for a serious relationship, he mused. That was one thing Loki was not interested in. Lust, not love, ruled his heart these days. And he had no intentions of changing his ways anytime soon.

The next morning JARVIS chimed again, at the hour of 7 a.m. well before Loki woke up on days where he wasn’t due anywhere.

“Master Loki, the woman is back. She is most insistent she needs to speak with you.”

Loki groaned, rolling onto his back. “Leave me be!”

“Should I send her away?”

“Yes.” Loki grabbed the pillow and covered his head, falling back asleep.

The morning wake up call was gone and forgotten as soon as Loki got going for this day. Until he headed out that evening, walking through the empty lobby of Avengers Towers on his way to hopefully meet a new conquest.

“LOKI!” A female voice called out.

Loki turned to see a young woman step out from behind a pillar. Her short, light brown hair and blue eyes vaguely familiar.

“The building’s been closed for hours. How are you even still here?”

“I hid in a supply closet.”

“I shall tell Stark his security is lacking.” He turned his attention to the girl. “You need to leave.”

“No,” She pressed her hand against his chest. “I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

Loki crossed his arms, tapping his foot. “What is it?” He spat at her.

Her composure crumbled. Loki only then noticed the tears in her eyes and the envelope in her hands.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” she muttered. “Of course not. Why would you? Here.” She shoved the envelope in his hand. “I thought you had a right to know.” She walked away, shoulders shaking. “And in case you fucking care, my name is Alexis, ass!”

The name triggered Loki’s memory back to the Whiskey Front Room. He opened the envelope and it contained a single sheet of paper with lab results.

Pregnancy Test: Positive

Loki stared at the door where Alexis exited a minute ago and then back at the paper before laughing. His plans of going out forgotten. He followed her, his long legs catching with Alexis easily.

“Is this some sort of joke?” He called out after her.

She stopped in tracks before spinning on her foot. Black trails of mascara marred her cheeks. “Does it look like I’m fucking joking?!” She snapped, spitting towards him.

Loki took a step back before smiling. He handed the paper back to her. “It’s a false positive. It is impossible.”

Alexis shoved it back at him. “I took three home tests, and that is a copy of my lab results. Do you realize how rare a false positive pregnancy test from a lab is?”

Loki wrinkled his nose. “No. But it’s a mistake.” He nodded his head. “I cast a spell to prevent this thing from happening. So your little scheme isn’t going to work. What is it you want? Money? I don’t have any.”

Alexis jabbed a finger into his chest. “You can drop the condescending tone. I am not here for money or anything else. I just thought you should know… in case you ever wondered if you had a kid out there. You do.” She sniffled.

Alexis slumped her shoulders and walked away. Loki reached out for her.

“Listen, I still don’t believe it, but I can’t have you leaving until we straighten this out.”

“You want me to stay… with… you?” Alexis stuttered. “No fucking way! You just called me a liar.”

“I said it was an impossibility, which is. I’m afraid you need to come with me. Just for one night. You can stay in my quarters.”

“I’m not sleeping with you.”

“I wasn’t asking. You can sleep in the bed and I will take the sofa.” Alexis crossed her arms and stared at Loki. “If you try to leave, I will forcibly return you to the tower. I prefer you coming willingly. I apologize for the inconvenience, but if what you say is true, you may be in danger.”

Alexis’s jaw dropped. “Why would my life be in danger?”

“I have many enemies. Now come.” Loki cradled his arm around her.

“Okay, but we are discussing this whole enemies, life in mortal danger thing some more once we get back.”

Loki nodded. “After we have the doctor examination tomorrow and she confirms you are not pregnant, I will answer all questions you want. But for now, let’s return.” Loki’s confidence Alexis was not pregnant faltered each time he mentioned it. There was no way his magic failed. But something itched at the back of his head. He pushed it away.

Alexis allowed Loki to guide her back to the Tower and into the elevator. Once they reached his quarters, he disappeared into the bedroom.

“Here are some clothes to sleep in.” He offered a t-shirt and shorts of his. “They might be a little big. I could ask around if you want—”

“No!” She yelled, causing Loki to smile. “The shirt and shorts are fine.” Alexis snatched them out of Loki’s hand.

Loki nodded in agreement. “Are you hungry? I can cook or order something in?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I think I just want to sleep and get this over with so I can return to my normal life.”

He rose and grabbed a spare pillow and blanket from a closet. “If you are up before me, please wake me. The sooner we settle this, the sooner you can get on with your life.”

He stretched onto the couch and Alexis’s heart sunk. She wasn’t sure why, perhaps she expected more from Loki than indifference. A hint he cared for the unborn child she carried. She turned over and settled in for a restless night’s sleep in a strange bed.

-

“Brother… Brother…” Thor whispered, shaking Loki out of his slumber.

“What is it, Thor?” He waved off further assault from his brother.

“There is a woman wearing your clothes asleep in your bed.”

“And that requires assault? Have you never seen a woman before?” Loki rolled over, hoping to catch more sleep before facing the nightmare of Alexis and this impossible pregnancy.

“I am still responsible for you here on Midgard, Loki. And I have a right—”

“—You have no right to my personal life!” Loki sneered. “There are things that are mine and mine only. Now leave me be!”

Thor held his hands up in defeat. “Fair enough. But when you are ready to talk… I am here.”

“A small comfort.” Loki forced a smile.

Alexis stepped out, wearing Loki’s t-shirt, which came down to her mid thigh. “What’s going on?” She rubbed her eyes, hair sticking out.

“My brother was just leaving.” Loki rose and shoved Thor out the front door before he could ask questions of Alexis.

She pursed her lips as Loki turned and chuckled nervously.

“So… does anyone know about me?”

“Not yet. I would prefer to keep this between us until we settle things.”

“They’re already settled for me.” she muttered, tucking her chin to her chest.

Loki’s face softened. “Forgive me for being a skeptic. My magic has never failed me before.”

“Maybe you wanted it to fail.”

“Why would I want it to fail?” Loki squinted at her.

She shrugged her shoulders and smirked. “Maybe you like me.”

“I’m not looking for emotional entanglement. And I am certainly not looking to be a father.” Loki moved to the kitchen to fix some coffee and a light breakfast.

“Doesn’t mean you don’t need it.” Alexis moved to watch Loki in the kitchen. She marveled at the efficiency of his movements. No wasted energy, no extraneous steps. This was a man who pre-planned every aspect of his life. No mistakes, no room for error. Until her.

“Can I have some of that?” She asked as Loki fixed a caramel mocha.

Not as good as the one from the coffee shop, but it sufficed for days when he couldn’t be bothered to leave the Tower. He invested in a top of the line espresso machine for just such purpose.

He sized her up with a questioning glance but prepared a second serving and handed it to her. “Dr. Cho is expecting us at 8. Are you hungry?”

“Famished.” She sipped the coffee after blowing on it to cool, it verged on too sweet for her tastes.

Loki rummaged into the fridge. “I have eggs or… eggs.”

“Eggs, please. Scrambled.”

Loki prepared the eggs as he did the coffee, meticulously.

“I’m glad you don’t fuck the way you cook.” Alexis mused, taking small sips of the sweet coffee.

“Meaning?” He tucked into his eggs, adding buttered toast to both his and Alexis’s plate.

“Precise. Cold. Clinical. Sex should be messy.”

Loki couldn’t resist a smirk. “Isn’t that how we ended up here?”

“Touche. Do I have time to shower before I get poked and prodded to satisfy you that I am pregnant?”

Loki glanced at the clock. “Use whatever you want. If you would prefer, wear one of my shirts rather than your clothes from yesterday.”

“Thanks.”

Loki finished up his food and cleaned up the dishes and his bedding off the couch. Alexis emerged with wet hair, wearing one of Loki’s black button-down shirts, tied at the waist, the top buttons undone. Loki swallowed hard.

“You said I could borrow one.”

“It’s fine. You look good. Give me a few moments and we can go.”

Loki showered and dressed for the day in jeans and a t-shirt, joining Alexis in the living room. “Ready?”

She nodded, and Loki took her hand. He glanced down the hallway before slinking them out and towards the elevator. He froze a voice called out.

“Is this a walk of shame?” Tony commented.

Alexis turned bright red as Loki pulled her close. “Go to the elevator and wait for me.” She mumbled and walked away.

“No need to be embarrassed. She’s cute. Kind of quiet. Frankly, I was wondering.” Tony smirked at Loki.

Loki resisted the bait. “She is just a friend in need of some help. Once she is settled, you’ll never see her again and you can go back to speculating.”

“Whatever, Reindeer Games. Seems like an awful lot of trouble for a friend… wearing your shirt.” Tony averted his gaze.

“I don’t know what you are talking about. Now if you excuse me, I have a previous engagement.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Tony called out as Loki beelined for Alexis, who was holding the elevator.

“Was that Tony Stark?” Alexis whispered once the elevator doors closed and Loki punched in the number.

“Unfortunately, yes. But once we confirm you’re not pregnant, you won’t have to worry about him.”

Alexis grew quiet. “Still convinced this is a mistake?”

“I’m never wrong and my magic never fails.”

One hour later, Dr. Cho pulled Loki aside.

“She is pregnant.”

Loki chuckled, which turned into nervous laughter. “You must be joking. There’s no way—”

“I did two blood tests and an ultrasound. I heard the baby’s heartbeat.”

Loki’s jaw dropped. “But my magic—”

“—failed. Now you can either accept reality or live a life of delusion. Right now there is a young woman in there who is scared and you calling her a liar is not going to help. I am going back in there. Are you coming with me?”

Loki nodded in shock and followed Dr. Cho back into the examination room. Alexis’s eyes met Loki’s with fear, the tears threatening to fall with a blink of her eye or a swipe of her hand.

Loki smiled a crooked smile at her and sighed. “I guess we need to talk.”

[immortalled]

Some highlights and trivia from the Misfits series 1 scripts that no one asked for (extremely long post ahead):

Episode 1

- Jeremy feels somewhat more manipulative and selfish. It’s nothing new that he’s the reason Louise kicked Nathan out, but there’s a deleted scene where he comes in immediately after Louise has booted Nathan, Louise is crying, and he just tells her “You’re doing the right thing. We need this.” And I dunno. I get it, but somehow seeing it just makes the whole situation feel scummier. I could be biased.

- After getting her powers and losing her fiancé, Kelly cries all night. Again, no surprise, but it hurts getting confirmation. :(

Episode 2

- The old woman Nathan pushes in a wheelchair does in fact roll out the door when he lets go. RIP Joan. Some say that if you listen carefully, you can hear her still rollin’ to this day.

- The old “SHE’S STEALING YOUR PENSION” war vet is named Stan. Stan has some serious PTSD. Please protect Stan.

- Alisha thinks Sally is lesbian. 

- Simon’s wardrobe is inspired by Joy Division’s Ian Curtis. I’ve never seen Curtis dance, but apparently Rheon incorporated some of Curtis’ dance moves into Simon’s character.

- There’s a deleted scene where the gang finds Nathan in the community centre, staring sadly at a photo of Ruth which has been put up in her memory. Robert really keeps playing the same characters, doesn’t he?

Episode 3

- When Kelly and Jodi are fighting, Socha accidentally headbutts Mojekwu for real. Whoops.

Episode 4

- The athletic segments are filmed at the Crystal Palace Athletics Stadium. 

- In a deleted scene, Kelly calls Simon a “good-looking bloke” and tells him he should get a girlfriend. She also says that “loads of girls like sweet, quiet guys”. Simon is touched by this and immediately asks if she’s single.

- Nathan was only supposed to kiss the bowling ball. Of course Sheehan had to be weird and lick it instead. Disgusting.

- Simon’s jerk friend, Matt, sounds a little less like a jerk in the script. He’s actually guilty and feels more sympathetic. Doesn’t make him embarrassing Simon in front of everyone any better, though. 

- The original plan was for Simon to turn against the main cast and evolve into a supervillain by the end of season 1, which is one reason why Simon is so horribly creepy in S1 (namely perving on the girls). 

- Confirmation that Simon is excited by vulnerable / unconscious girls. #yikes

- Nathan’s dad, Mike, is named “Gareth” in the script. “Gareth” canonically thinks Nathan is an “inconvenience”. 

- Tony’s surname was originally “Warren” instead of “Morecombe”.

Episode 5

- There’s a note in the script that says “Curtis’ rap during his self-assessment therapy with Sally is the only improvised dialogue in the whole of Series 1“ and I’m not entirely sure, but I think that’s probably a typo. Either we missed out on Curtis’ special hidden talent for rapping, or that should say “Nathan” and Sheehan adlibbed the Ruff In The Jungle Business. I think the latter is more likely. 

- Sally tells Simon in a deleted scene that she was teased as a child for being fat. 

- Simon, while talking to Sally at the pub about trying to burn Matt’s house down, has a wave of guilt about peeking up Kelly’s skirt outside the club in the last episode. 

- Confirmation that Sally begins to have genuine feelings of attraction toward Simon. #yikes yikes

- The scene with Nathan picking up the baby took over half a day to shoot because the babies kept crying.

- Kelly originally snaps Nathan out of Finn’s hypnotism by pushing herself into his thoughts. Which I think is fascinating because I don’t remember her telepathically communicating with characters before.

- The BMX footage that Simon shows Sally is supposed to be Superhoodie. Hello, plot-holes and paradoxes.

- In a deleted scene, Nathan says he’s jealous that Kelly has “two powers”; being able to hear other people’s thoughts and talk to people telepathically. Seriously sad that this ability was removed in the final cut.

- In another deleted scene, Simon suggests that maybe their powers are changing. Kelly seems to agree. Rachel and a lot of Virtue symbolism also appear early; the gang unknowingly disrespect Rachel by sloshing water on one of her Virtue banners and walking over/on it as they pass.

- Yikes. Deleted scene that alludes to Nathan’s possible alcohol problem with a shot of the community centre’s kitchen and all the empty bottles. 

- In another deleted scene, after Kelly questions Nathan about his dad, Nathan complains (revealingly) about Kelly getting in his head. Things get a little flirty, Kelly teases him and serves potato letters with the chicken nuggets. She spells “PRICK” out on Nathan’s plate. It’s really cute.

- Not only was Simon supposed to be the supervillain, but he was supposed to die at the end of season 1.

Episode 6

- “Virtue” was originally called “Respect”, but had to be changed because a political party used the same name. 

- The girl in the opening scene, the one Alisha knew from school, is Ellie. Presumably the same Ellie Alisha mentions in episode 1. 

- The two other Virtue members that pass the gang are named Danny and Lucy.

- This deleted scene was too good not to write out. Simon, Kelly, and Nathan are discussing how to solve their Virtue problem and save Curtis and Alisha:

NATHAN relents, thinks a moment, has an idea...

NATHAN: Okay. How about we spike them?

KELLY’s exasperated.

NATHAN: We get them off their tits on acid. They’re hallucinating so bad they puke. When they come down, maybe they’re back to normal.

SIMON: D’you think that’ll work...?

NATHAN: Hands up who has a better idea.

Neither SIMON nor KELLY put their hand up. 

NATHAN: Then I’ll call my dealer...

NATHAN whips out his phone.

Cutting to a character that was revealed in another deleted scene that I didn’t list, Chewy. Massive stoner, surrounded by a variety of pills, yada yada. Chewy’s phone rings, he answers.

NATHAN: Chewy? It’s Nathan. Can you sort us out with some trips?

CHEWY: I don’t deal drugs any more.

We now see that CHEWY is using his other hand to comb his previously unruly hair into a neat side parting, which looks utterly ridiculous...

CHEWY: Nathan, mate. I’m telling you, drugs are bad news.They lead to a life of crime, mental illness and prostitution. 

NATHAN’s horrified by the response. He quickly ends the call, looks at KELLY, who can see there’s something badly wrong...

NATHAN: (appalled) They’ve got to him... Chewy... That boy’s been stoned every day since he was twelve. (angry, jabbing a finger) She’s gone too far this time. She has crossed the line.

- When Simon and Nathan are being surrounded by Virtue, Simon was supposed to punch Nathan instead of push him away.

- In the original script, when Simon was supposed to be evil, he kicked Nathan to the ground then battered him bloody with a baseball bat. In the storyboards, it looks like Simon intends to kill him. Nathan barely manages to escape thanks to Simon being interrupted by Virtue. 

- Superhoodie was originally introduced in a series of short online films recorded by Simon.

- In a deleted scene, Nathan takes refuge from Virtue in a place called Bar X. The scene was meant to be set up as a reference to The Shining. It’s empty. Nathan gets drunk and starts to reminisce with the bartender, James, about underage drinking, pulling girls, and how many times he’s gotten sick in the toilets there. There’s some odd tension in this scene between Nathan and James and I’m not sure what it is, but it’s amusing. 

- Nathan’s scene with Kelly in her flat is longer. There were some funny lines about her track suit and a lot more awkward fumbling as he tries to compliment the chav look. 

- There was supposed to be a Vegas Baby-esque montage of Nathan “arming” himself and getting dressed to infiltrate Virtue. We were ROBBED. 

- Kelly was supposed to stroke Nathan’s hand affectionately after putting his iPod in the coffin with him. R O B B E D .

- The graveyard scenes were filmed at Kensal Green Cemertary.

- Many of the people in the club after the funeral are Virtue members. 

[rachelkaser]

Stay Golden Sunday: Rose the Prude

Rose starts a new chapter of her life in her first starring episode, and Golden Girls has its first frank, serious discussion about our ladies’ sex lives.

Picture It...

Dorothy and Sophia are playing a game of gin rummy on the lanai, when Blanche comes out with a problem -- her date has unexpectedly invited his brother and she needs to find a fourth person to make it a double. She asks Dorothy (and gently rebuffs a willing Sophia), but Dorothy is determined to win a game of gin against her mother after 30 years of losses.

Rose comes out to the lanai, and Blanche immediately asks her to go on the double-date. Rose initially resists, as she’s lost interest in dating since her husband Charlie died 15 years ago, but relents when Blanche pleads. Rose complains that dating isn’t fun, whereas Dorothy will have fun beating her mother at cards. Sophia of course lays down a winning hand at that remark.

That night, Blanche returns from the date just as Dorothy takes another loss. At Blanche’s remark that playing gin obviously makes her upset, Dorothy refuses to play with Sophia anymore. Sophia knows that’s not going to last long.

SOPHIA: You’ll be back. You know why? You’re too competitive. It’s always been your worst feature. Actually, your ears are your worst feature. But competitive is right up there!

When a delighted Rose walks in, Dorothy asks how the date went, and Rose effuses that she had a great time with her beau Arnie. Blanche’s date, Jeffrey, turned out to be a bore. Rose is going on another date with Arnie, while Blanche has to be reminded that she knows many other more interesting men.

Later, the girls notice that Rose and Arnie (played by future recurring cast member Harold Gould) are becoming very close, but Rose is distressed. Arnie’s asked her to go away on a romantic cruise -- and Rose hasn’t been intimate with anyone since Charlie, her only lover, died. Dorothy and Blanche encourage her to go on the cruise, and give herself the chance.

Rose is a bundle of nerves in the stateroom, though Arnie tries to put her at ease by slow-dancing to Glenn Miller’s “Moonlight Serenade.” This brings back memories of Charlie, and Rose starts telling Arnie that he reminds her of Charlie. Arnie reminds her that he isn’t Charlie, and Rose says she likes him for who he is. But one kiss and Rose is running to the bathroom like a scared rabbit.

Back at home, the girls are speculating on how Rose is doing, and discuss how long it took them after their respective husbands died or left for them to get back on the wagon. Blanche made eyes at the minister performing her husband’s funeral service, though the consummation left something to be desired. Dorothy hooked up with her divorce lawyer, and comments that it was a terrible time for her. To demonstrate to Blanche how the ravages of age take their toll, she tells her to lean over a mirror and look at her own face. Blanche is suitably horrified.

The next morning, Rose apologizes to Arnie for chickening out. Arnie understands and relates his own struggles with grief after his wife Molly died. He eventually got on with his life when his daughter pointed out that’s what Molly would have wanted. Rose concedes Charlie would probably want the same for her. Arnie tells her he’s alright with whatever makes her comfortable, and she tentatively asks him to hold her.

Meanwhile, Sophia admits to Dorothy she never played gin for the game, but because she likes the conversation they have while they play. Rose returns, Blanche and Sophia want to interrogate her on whether she fooled around, but it’s Dorothy who breaks first and asks her outright. Rose plays coy, but then reveals they did -- and she’s overjoyed that she can move on to the next part of her romantic life. The episode ends with Dorothy and Sophia playing cards, swapping stories.

“Oh back off, Blanche. Not all of us are classified by the Navy as a friendly port.”

After Blanche and Dorothy had their own spotlight episodes, it’s time for Rose to have her moment in the sun. GG does this neat little trick of assigning subject matter to the character who, at the surface, doesn’t necessarily seem best suited to it -- and then making it work anyway. So it’s fitting that the first episode that seriously addresses sex is a Rose-centric episode.

One of the things Golden Girls has always been (rightly) lauded for is the way it handles sexual and romantic topics, especially as they pertain to seniors. After all, your life doesn’t end just because you get old, or are widowed, and this show handles that with grace and honesty. Well, with Blanche the “grace” part is questionable, but you take my meaning.

While later revelations show that Rose might be far more experienced than Blanche given how close she and Charlie were (and, according to Betty White, Rue McClanahan enjoyed pointing that out behind the scenes), the first impression she’s given on the show is rather chaste compared to Blanche. Add in that she’s also a widow, and it makes her the perfect candidate for an episode about putting yourself back out there and moving on with your life.

If there’s one thing about this episode that looks especially pleasant through a modern lens, it’s the gentle way both the girls and Arnie talk to Rose about her sex life (Blanche’s shock over her 15-year dry spell notwithstanding). Dorothy doesn’t tell her to sleep with Arnie, but to go on the cruise and at least give herself the option -- she can always back out if the situation isn’t right. And they outright cheer for her when she confirms she did play “find the cannoli.” The show offers many examples of how a healthy, supportive friendship should work, and this is one of the first and strongest.

Arnie, for his part, is a total gentleman: He doesn’t push Rose, does his best to make her comfortable, and sympathizes with her feelings for her late husband. In short, he behaves exactly the way Rose needs her paramour to behave if she’s going to get her groove back on her terms. It’s kind of wonderful to watch, even if one does cringe at Arnie saying he “patted a few bottoms” while married. 80s mentality, Rachel, 80s mentality.

This is the first time the show has had a B-plot to keep the non-spotlight characters busy. Blanche serves her part in the A-plot, the one about Rose and Arnie, by setting it in motion. This leaves Sophia and Dorothy without much to do, so they have their own story centering around their longstanding rummy rivalry.

This is the episode where Sophia first gets to show her teeth – you can definitely see where Dorothy gets her’s from. Up to now she’s been a sort of caustic side character who existed to puncture dramatic moments with a comment she didn’t realize was too blunt. Here we get our first real glimpse of her as the witty, clever, somewhat devious woman we all know and love.

The timing is a little bit wonky, as they keep repeating throughout the episode that Rose has been a widow for 15 years, while the other girls’ marriages have only been over for a few years. Given Rose is roughly Dorothy’s age, she either married around the same age as Dorothy (not likely) or her marriage was much shorter than she’s led anyone to believe, but at the beginning she says she a “long and happy marriage.” But that’s a relatively minor quibble, even for me.

Episode rating: Three cheesecakes out of five... maybe I can make emoji work? 🍰🍰🍰

Favorite Part of the Episode

DOROTHY: Only on your back, Blanche. That way everything slides back and you look like you just had a facelift. BLANCHE: (leaning back and looking up at her mirror) Oh, you’re right. I’m gorgeous. I’m going to have to meet men lying down. SOPHIA: I thought you did.

[flyingkiki]

Hi, nice to meet you

I AM BACK! I am sorry that it took a while for me to get back to writing. I’ve been struggling a bit at home and it’s been tough. But, I’ve been trying to write, and that kind of helped me get through some rough patches.

THANK YOU FOR BEING SO PATIENT AND KIND. You guys are the best. As promised, I’ve been taking prompts and trying to write out some of your ideas. I enjoyed writing this prompt and I hope you like this just as much as I enjoyed writing this.

~~~

This was the last time the Titans trusted Beast Boy (Changeling?) with the responsibility of coordination a mission, Raven thought darkly.

He had one fucking job. She frowned and her glowing hand twitched as she healed Red Robin’s shoulder which she moments ago nearly accidentally blew off – it was one mangled hot mess.The masked man groaned, head in her lap, and his hand twitched as the muscle slowly restored in his shoulder.

Purple eyes cast a worried glance at the barely awake hero while keeping high alert as the noise of distant gunfire ripped through the air. She cast a warry glance at the bolted laboratory doors, reinforced by a couple of tables, chairs, and her magic. Hopefully Dr. Light would not decide to blast his way through the doors just yet. If he did, she might just blow his fucking head off.

Nightwing had sent her to Gotham City to follow Dr. Light’s and his recent crime spree in the city. He somehow had gotten hold of kryptonium and supercharged his powers. Dick had placed Gar in charge of coordination and logistics, ensuring that local law enforcement (primarily Batman) were informed of their mission.

Placing Beast Boy in charge of mission coordination was probably their first mistake. Raven was going to kill Dick, and Gar, once she got back to Jump for all the trouble.

But, Dick might just kill her if his brother dies because of blood loss. If that happened, Raven was sure she’d haunt Gar forever and possess him to turn into a fucking cat and jump off Titan Tower nine times.

Their second mistake was probably Raven not checking in with Batman once she arrived. But she assumed the coordination work was done – on certain degree, she trusted Beast Boy’s work. Which, was also her third mistake.

Though, there was little she could have done anyway. Considering the moment she arrived in Gotham shit hit the fan and Dr. Light decided to infiltrate Star Labs and terrorize staff, and steal kryptonite and whatever supercharged chemicals that there we stored in the West Gotham facility.

Just as she released a ball of black energy at Dr. Light as he tried to send a charged strike of lighting into the laboratory that could have killed all personnel in the room, a black and red mass appeared out of nowhere vaulting into her line of fire.

From there everything just went downhill.

Everything was a blur from there. Red Robin got hit squarely in the shoulder, her strike ripping through flesh. She acted quickly and used her soul self to grab is injured body towards her and used her other hand to send a blast towards Dr. Light. Somehow, in the heat of the moment, she was able to save all 10 personnel in the laboratory and phase Dr. Light a couple of floors up the building. She deserved a promotion, really.

She and Red Robin had huddled behind an upturned lab desk and she had quickly set to work. She did not want Dick up her ass for accidentally killing his brother.

Raven watched as Red Robin regained movement in his left shoulder as his hand twitched. She mentally sighed in relief and poured a last ounce of energy in restoring all the nerves in his shoulder. She felt lightheaded already from all the exertion.

“Ugh,”

She watched as Red Robin blinked and groaned. His black cowl painfully dug into her thighs which were covered in his blood. She could feel his discomfort and pain push into her. As the last bits of his shoulder were restored, she felt the pain lift and she dropped her hand.

“You pack a punch,” she heard him mumble in amusement into her thigh.

“I can destroy a dimension easily.”

Raven blinked through the sweat that had accumulated on her face and she was surprised at how lightly Red Robin had taken the whole situation. She sighed loudly and watched as he pulled himself out of her lap and they both collapsed against the upturned tables around them. Raven shakily ran a hand through her hair, and grimaced as Red Robin’s blood smeared her hair in the process. Fuck her life.

“Sorry about that,” Raven whispered, taking deep breathes and watching Red Robin carefully. She could feel that he was no longer in pain but rather on high alert, his alarmed emotions pressing against her own forcefully.

“Warn me next time,” Red Robin grumbled, a small frown and amused smile playing on his lips. He tested his shoulder and found nothing wrong with him. “Well, at least you healed some of the other issues I’ve been having with this shoulder. Good as new,”

Raven grimaced and felt faint. “I’m going to fucking kill Beast Boy,”

Red Robin grinned. He stuck out his hand. “Red Robin.”

Raven raised an eyebrow. She took his hand and shook it. “Raven.”

“Nice to meet you.” The corner of his lips quirked. “I wish circumstances would have been different.”

Raven dropped her hand into her bloody lap. “Beast Boy was in charge of coordinating the mission. He should have coordinated with you and Batman.” She grimaced. “Dick made the call.”

Low rumbling ripped through the building. They both looked up and frowned. Looking at each other, they slowly moved to stand. Raven stumbled as a dizzy spell hit her after using so much energy to health Red Robin. His hand reached out and steadied her.

“You okay?”

“You just take the lead. It took too much energy to heal your shoulder.”

Red Robin nodded. He cast a quick glance at the sealed laboratory door before sending her a wry smile. “Really nice to meet you though. Dick talks a lot about you and the team. Not really the best circumstance for our first meeting, though, honestly.”

Raven let out a little huff of air. “The feeling is mutual.”

Red Robin and Raven eventually caught Dr. Light had him locked up in Arkham. Once Raven got back home to the Tower, suffice to say Beast Boy was never placed to handle mission coordination work again.

~~~

The second time Raven bumped into Red Robin was, again, purely by accident. Thankfully, no limbs were blown off this time.

“I didn’t take you for a children’s literature kind of girl, Rachel”

Raven looked up from her crouched position by the bookshelf and stared up at the longhaired man leaning against a brightly colored bookshelf filled with nursery rhymes books. She raised an eyebrow, trying to remember who the man was and read his aura quickly. He looked amused and annoyingly handsome in a black business suit. Did all the Wayne children have to look this good?

“Tim,” Raven held a copy of Green Eggs and Ham in her hand. Of course Tim Drake knew who she was – knowing him, he had probably read and memorized all their files.

Tim smiled as she recognized him and gave a little wave with his hand in acknowledgement. While she knew who he was, it was a bit strange to Raven to see Red Robin out of his, well, Red Robin costume. She rarely saw superheroes, outside of the Titans and Batman, in their real identities. Seeing Red Robin, Tim Drake, in a business suit in front of her was a bit odd.

“Just picking up a book for Teether,” she said, pushing herself up into a standing position. Melvin, Timmy, and Teether were in town. She eyed him expectantly. “What brings you to Jump?”

Tim shrugged and smoothly stuffed his hands into his black pants. “Bruce had me check on one of our offices here in the city.”

“Explains the suit,” Raven sent him a blank side glance and began walking out of the Children’s Section. “But doesn’t explain why you’re in this bookstore?”

Tim followed her to the cash register. “I saw you walk into the store just as I stepped out of the office. Jump’s Wayne Enterprises office is just across the street,” he said, pointing at the huge building they could see through the small window by the cash register.

“Oh,” Raven blinked, feeling just a little ashamed at her lack of situational awareness. Ignoring Tim momentarily, she turned to the store owner and payed for the little book. She silently wondered why he had followed her into the store. Didn’t he have better things to do than hover next to her? Like, maybe bother his brother or something?

Raven tucked her new purchase under her arm and watched Tim fiddle with a few Titans pencils that were on display by the counter. Catching his attention, he grinned and showed her a badly drawn Raven replica printed on the small pencil. She frowned and shook her head. “No.”

Tim chuckled and dropped the pencil back into the display case. He followed Raven out of the store. “Where is a good place to grab coffee here?”

Raven was just about to walk home and she eyed Tim curiously. “Aren’t you rich enough to own a phone and Google “Best coffee in Jump City?” She noted a few people had stopped across the street of them and where openly gawking at Tim – where all the Wayne kids this popular?

Tim snorted. “True,” he fished out his phone from his pocket. After a few quick taps and briefly glancing at a mildly amused Raven, a couple of cafés came up from his search. “Tightrope?”

Raven titled her head a just a little bit. “It’s a good place, they source really good beans.” She paused and looked at her phone to check the time. “It gets a bit crowded at this hour though.”

She adjusted the book under her arm and pointed in the opposite direction of the Titan’s Tower. “There’s a small café just down the road. The wife of the owner of this bookstore runs it. They make pretty good coffee and have a good tea selection. They’re cheesecakes are great too.”

Tim smiled and stuffed his phone into his pocket. “See? Way better info than a Google search.”

Raven rolled her eyes. “Well,” she began. “It was nice seeing you but I need to go home and make sure that Garfield has not burned down the tower,”

Tim looked strangely confused. “You don’t want to join me for coffee?”

She sent him a surprised look. “Coffee?”

Tim scratched his head sheepishly. “Yeah. Sorry, I thought that was clear.”

“You asked for directions.” She deadpanned. She stared at the amused Tim, momentarily studying his aura and taking in the gentle friendly push of emotions from him. Well, she figured it would be okay to spend some time with Red Robin – at least he wasn’t covered in blood this time. And she’d be away from Garfield for just a few more hours.

“Fine.”

Tim smiled. “Great, let’s go.”

“How’s the shoulder?” Raven asked while they were walking down the street.

“It’s the best. Thanks again, really.” Tim demonstrated by rotating his shoulder. Raven briefly noticed his bicep contract from the movement. She blinked. Oh.

“I blew off your shoulder,” Raven said, sending him a wry look. “Let’s not do that again.”

They stopped by the entrance of the small café. From the shop’s window, it was pretty empty just as Raven predicted. Tim opened the door for them. “Well, at least I know you’re around to fix my shoulder in case that happens again.”

~~~

Raven was working in the briefing room that evening. She had to re-sort most of the files Gar had sorted a week ago. He did a shit job at sorting old case files. It was impossible for them to find anything in this mess. She faintly wondered why they even considered giving Gar the job. Had they not learned at all?

“You’re not Dick.”

Raven looked up from her laptop and stared at the large screen in front of her. “For a great detective, you’re not really doing a good job right now. I’m sorely disappointed.”

Red Robin laughed. “Sorry, I thought Dick was already here.”

Raven looked at the unmasked man. “I’ll go get him.”

Red Robin shook his head. “Don’t bother. I don’t mind waiting a bit.”

She paused at closing her laptop and stared at the unmasked Red Robin. While it was strange to see Tim Drake outside of his Red Robin uniform a few weeks ago, it was just as stranger to see Red Robin, unmasked, with Tim Drake looking back at her. But she had to admit – he looked good unmasked.

“Err, okay.” She reopened her laptop and hit a few keys. “How is your shoulder?”

“Never been better.”  Tim shrugged the shoulder in question with an amused smile.  “What are you working on?”

Raven paused. “Sorting through some old case files Garfield messed up sorting.”

“Sounds exciting.”

Raven rolled her eyes. “Very.”

Tim chuckled. “That bad?”

“I wish I had the authority to fire Garfield.” Raven deadpanned.

Tim winced. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Can you replace Garfield?”

“Not sure if Batman would like a shapeshifting sidekick.”

Raven shrugged. “I’m not sure I’d want one either.”

Tim chuckled. A momentary silence filled the briefing room as Raven typed a few commands into her laptop. Raven looked up from the shitty report Garfield filed and stared at Tim, watching him fiddle with his phone. “I’ll just send Dick a message. He normally isn’t late – unless Melvin and the siblings are holding him up.”

Tim blinked and stopped looking down at his phone. “Right. Yeah, sorry. Thanks, Raven.”

Raven hummed and pressed a few keys on her laptop. “He’ll be here shortly.”

“Thanks, Raven.”

Raven sent him a brief look before tapping a few more keys and closing her laptop. She stood up just as she felt the familiar push of Dick’s emotions down the hallway. Gathering her laptop in her arms, she sent Tim an amused look. “You could have just sent Dick a message yourself, you know.”

Tim laughed, sheepish. “Ah.”

Raven snorted at Tim just as an unmasked Nightwing stepped into the room with a plush bunny in his hand. “Bye, Tim,” she said, not sparing the other Robin a glance and left the two Robins alone.

Dick unceremoniously plopped down in front of the computer, deposited the worn bunny into his lap, and stared up at his younger brother. He grinned as he watched Tim watch Raven leave the room.

“Eyes here, Tim.”

~~~

Contrary to popular belief, Raven did enjoy exercise. While she may not look like it, she did enjoy her time working out in the gym and going through Dick’s deadly training regime – she just liked to complain to annoy Dick most of the time.

Over the past few years, she discovered that running was an excellent way of clearing her mind. She had taken up joining a few marathons for the heck of it and clearly enjoyed completing the runs.

Adjusting her black sports bra, Raven felt the cold Boston wind nip at her exposed legs and stomach. She should have considered wearing a runner’s jacket. The Boston wind was not very forgiving. Standing somewhere in the middle of the crowd of thousands at the Boston Marathon, Raven silently surveyed the crowd and wondered how fast she could go this time around.

“I think you’re going to have a very unfair advantage at this.”

Her ponytail swished as she sharply turned around and look at the very amused expression of Tim Drake. She raised a delicate eyebrow. “What are you doing here?”

Tim shrugged. “We’re one of the sponsors.” He pointed at the WE logo printed on the banner behind her. “Also, publicity.”

Raven crossed her arms and gave Tim a challenging look. Taking in his running attire of black running shorts and the WE corporate logo on his running top, she raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you think you’re going to have an unfair advantage here?”

Tim looked around before leaning and whispering conspiringly. “I’m not the one with superpowers.”

“I do not use them!”

Tim laughed at her indignant look and waved both of his hands in peace. There was a distinct shutter noise and they caught someone taking their photo. Tying his long hair into a low ponytail, Tim waved at her. “I got to go. I’ll see you at the finish line.”

At somewhere along the 20+ kilometer stretch, Raven caught up with sight of Tim keeping a steady running pace. Normally she’d keep to herself while running, but she guessed it wouldn’t hurt to run at Tim’s pace for a bit and then beat his sorry ass. See you at the finish line my ass. Her gaze dropped to his ass for one second.

Running up to him, Raven steadily kept her running pace. She sent him a smirk when she kept running at his pace. “Hey,” she breathed.

Tim laughed. “Hey.”

Catching his eye, Raven’s lips twitched. “See you at the finish line,”

Tim lost his running pace for just a second as he chuckled and watched Raven run past him. As he watched Raven’s small form disappear into the crowd of marathoners, his lack of focus was something Batman would be grossly disappointed at.

It wasn’t an hour later until Raven saw Tim again. She had crossed the finished line a few minutes ago and was sitting on the ground catching her breath and trying to rest her sore legs. Buzzing with a huge sense of accomplishment of finishing the race under 3 hours, Raven faintly wondered how a race could feel both so painful and gratifying at the same time.

“You run fast.”

Tim unceremoniously dropped down in the spot next to her, catching his breath and stretching out his legs. He took a swig from his water bottle and sighed in relief.

Raven turned to stare at Tim as he tried to level his breathing. It should be a criminal offense to still look this good all sweaty and disheveled after running a full marathon. She was sure she looked like shit. She absently patted her disheveled hair.

“I’ve been joining marathons for a couple of years now.” Raven replied. “I like running just as much as I like flying.”

Tim made an acknowledging sound at the back of his throat while still trying to catch his breath.

“How come I’ve never seen you here before?” Raven asked, while pressing a cold water bottle to her neck. She moved a legs a little to get some feeling back into them.

“Probably because there are 30,000 other runners here?” Tim shrugged and grinned at her.

Raven hummed. “Probably.” She fiddled with the cap of her water bottle and took a swig of her water. Or probably she blew off his shoulder a few months ago and had just become more attuned with his aura, she thought.

“I never took you as a running kind of girl.”

Raven blinked and turned to Tim, eyebrows creased as she watched him curiously. “What kind of girl do you think I am?”

Tim made a face. “The non-running kind?”

She rolled her eyes. “I like running. It’s kind of like meditating. And it gives me an excuse to go for runs away from the tower and Garfield.”

Tim chuckled. “Makes sense.”

“How’s your shoulder?” Raven eyed him curiously.

Tim titled his head a little, watching her in mild amusement. “You have to stop asking me that. It’s great.”

Her lips quirked a little bit. “Tell that to my conscience.”

Tim smiled and waved her off. “Occupational hazard. It’s alright.” He grinned when she looked unconvinced and nudged her shoulder slightly with his own sweaty shoulder, much to her annoyance. “Stop worrying about it.”

Raven hummed unconvinced. “We’ll see.” She briefly surveyed the crowd around them as more runners made their way across the finish line. Deciding that it was time for her to go, she stood up and left Tim on the ground. Dick, like the grandmother that he was, would start wondering where she was if she didn’t check-in soon.

“Leaving?”

“Yeah. Your brother will have a heart attack soon if I don’t check in with him.”

“I’m pretty sure he can wait for a few more minutes,” he said while standing up next to her.

Raven made a face. “He likes to crawl up your ass when you’re late for check-ins.”

Tim chuckled and shook his head. Uncapping his water bottle, he dumped the rest of his cold water over his head in an effort to cool his body down. Raven watched as water dribbled down his face and sweaty chest. She blinked, emotions unknowingly flaring. Why does that have to look like a GQ commercial shoot?

“We should go running one of these days.”

Raven absently watched as water droplets slid down Tim’s chin. “I normally run alone.” She said. “But yeah, sure, if you’re in Jump, why not.”

“Great.” Tim smiled. He was about to say something when Raven’s watch furiously beeped loudly. Wiping some water off his neck, he sent her an amused look. “Dick?”

Raven rolled her eyes, tapping her discreet state-of-the-art Titan’s sport watch. She eyed it in slight annoyance. “Yeah.” Looking up and sending Tim an amused smile, she took a step back. She tried to ignore the curious push of emotions from Tim and clutched her water bottle tightly. “I better take this. It was nice, but strange, to bump into you, again. I’ll see you around.”

Tim nodded and offered her a small wave. “See you.”

~~~

At this point, Raven knew who he was even before she could see him. Looking up from her book, she gave him a blank stare.

“I feel like you’re following me.”

Tim laughed sheepishly and dropped into the seat next to her. He surveyed the Jump City park that was bursting from springtime colors. Draping his left arm behind the park bench, he gave Raven a crooked smile. “Maybe I am?”

There was that curious push of emotions again and Raven closed her book. There was no point really of reading anymore anyway. Something flipped inside of her. She’d be a complete idiot if she didn’t see, or feel, the interest he had shown in her over the past months. And she’d be a moron to ignore how absurdly attractive Tim Drake was and how he cast long sideway glances at her. She knew there was something brewing – but admitting that she liked that, was something completely different to her. What was she supposed to tell him anyway?

“You’re not very good at stalking.”

Well, that would work, too.

Tim made a face. “Who said I was stalking?”

“Strange for you to always find me at the right places. Sounds like a stalker to me.” She teased, picking up on his teasing aura.

Running a hand through his hair, Tim chuckled lowly. Breaking eye contact to shake away some nerves, he surveyed the park once more, before turning back to Raven. “Okay. You caught me. What if I am?”

What if he was?

Strange how after so many encounters of him oddly tip-toeing around her, and after her nearly killing him at their very first meeting (honestly that sounded like such a deal breaker), he said everything so simply. This was such an honest and simple offer that meant so many things.

Raven’s lips quirked as she searched Tim’s blue eyes. At the sight of her small smile, he responded with a wider smile. Her fingers tightened around her book. “As long as you don’t jump into my line of fire again, I guess I’d be okay with this.”

There was a warm buzz of emotions and Tim straightened next to her. She felt his arm that was draped over their bench twitch next to her shoulder. “Really? Okay.”’ He laughed. “Great.”

His blue eyes were so different from Dick’s, Raven noted. They were slightly brighter. They shone now with excitement. Raven decided she liked them.

“Go out with me.” He breathed softly. Wow, wasn’t he forward all of the sudden. “Do you want to grab dinner?”

Raven blinked and she gave him an amused look. “Now? It’s just 3 in the afternoon.”

“Oh.”

Raven laughed softly, a rare sight for Tim which made him grin, and she instead settled herself just a little bit closer to him. She felt his left hand twitch behind her shoulder and she allowed herself to nestle under the crook of his arm. It was the same limb that she blasted off just a few months ago. It was a welcoming warmth – maybe she could do this.

“Maybe we can just sit here and wait a bit. And then have dinner later.”

His arm draped behind the bench had made its way to her side, softy draping his arm across her shoulders. “Okay. Sounds like a plan.”

Raven smiled, acknowledging the curious warmth that has been bubbling inside of her for months. Sharing a smile with Tim, she agreed its sounded like this sounded like a good plan.

[bigfrozenfan]

Time for new theories...and some facts

I wrote the following BEFORE these ominous plot details came to light, so consider this post as if it were yesterday (or the day before yesterday).

This theory contains SPOILER, at least for those of you who avoid merch leaks and to whom Annecy says nothing.

At the moment the whole fandom is very agitated again. Reason for this are certain merchandise leaks and twitter statements. I contributed to that myself and one of my last posts spread like wildfire..but only because my post landed outside of Tumblr. Ok, that's often the case with very short posts without any in-depth explanations, i get the impression. I now try to go a little further...

Some of you may see their expectations or hopes swimming away that Elsa and Anna will have more time together in Frozen II because suddenly so many new characters have appeared. Some also wonder how this will work if only two new voices have been cast for the movie (Evan Rachel Wood, Sterling K. Brown). Quite simply: these two are intended for vocal parts, so they play a much bigger role than the other new "players". 

I currently count six new characters (without the Spirits / Elements): the young Sami girl and this ominous boy from the teaser (probably a flashback), Mattias (one of the newly cast voices I bet; this spelling seems to be confirmed by now) and these three Sami from this maze game, for which I posted a mini-theory (more about that later). In addition there is Iduna in a flashback and probably also Agnarr (see Leak from Annecy). It can also be assumed that these new characters won't be the only ones on the plan, but that we will also see other people from the Sami people, because they obviously live in this Enchanted Land and probably can't leave it (keyword magic fog). Somehow they must have come to terms with the spirits of nature or at least be tolerated, which doesn't surprise me very much, as the Sami are a nomadic people and have always got along well with nature itself.

What I'm getting at is this: I haven't counted now, but in the first movie we had a lot more characters to deal with, including voice parts, than in Frozen II, as it looks so far. They either loosened up the plot or gave it an extra seriousness, something that wouldn't have worked with our protagonists alone. Additional characters are important for the whole story and they didn't bother us in the first movie, quite the opposite. For example, our gang has a very long sleigh ride up to the north in front of them, really enough time that Elsa and Anna can really talk each other out. I assume that at a more "private" moment with Anna, Elsa has the idea to send Olaf to Kristoff to entertain him a bit, but in reality to distract him from their conversation.

After everyone has walked through the portal, however, there is hardly any time left for chats, because now the actual action takes place. At this point I would like to refer to the "An absurdly long Frozen 2 theory - The Land of the Mist" by @azaffranist, which I think is really great. (LINK)

The trailer only suggests the order in which the scenes take place. I get into the attack scene in the forest, when the inhabitants are fleeing from the fire and Elsa (together with Olaf) probably has her big appearance, which consumes her completely and in the course of which Olaf possibly loses his life. We know from the teaser how he still clings to her and in the trailer you only see Elsa kneeling on the ground and waving Anna away with her last strength to prevent her from getting closer before she finally saves Kristoff at a gallop. 

I suspect that Kristoff had accidentally recognized the danger for Anna in the scene before and then didn't think long. 

We don't know what will happen afterwards, but at this point the threat to Elsa should not be over yet.

Whether before or after, our gang must have gotten to know the inhabitants there and there were certainly very quiet moments, perhaps with one of the seven new songs (to my knowledge more are not confirmed). This brings me to my theory about Kristoff and the Sami. It's one of the big questions from the first movie, where Kristoff came from and why he lived with the trolls. In this country he now meets Sami for the first time, who perhaps know more about it. Maybe a resemblance with someone in him was recognized and maybe it comes out that he actually stands in front of his own relatives. This story with "A new girlfriend?" came to my mind spontaneously, but it would be quite conceivable that a Sami girl (I'm thinking of the dark-haired one) had an eye on him (probably not the other way around). 

It could lead to some entanglements with Anna, maybe even to a full-grown argument. We all know that Anna is his big crush, that he kissed her and confessed his love (Frozen Fever). We can only guess what happened between the two in the Short OFA, but his languishing look at the end says it all, doesn't it? I guess Anna wouldn't take up a new relationship very well and as I know her temperament by now, she certainly doesn't keep her opinions to herself. As for her clothes, Anna wears a SASH (or it looks like she does), like the Sami, and Kristoff wears one, but in a more noble form, just like a princess should. But what this new characteristic of Anna means is still a mystery to me.

Let's get to the other Sami girl, the one with the "white" hair. Can the spirits transform into human form? At least we know from Nokk that he is a shapeshifter. But we also have a harmless looking Lizard, whose character made it into a game (Leak). What if this girl is not a Sami at all, but a camouflaged spirit? Of course, it happens more often that even younger people suddenly get white hair (I myself know someone like that in my private life), but in a movie like this every little thing has a deeper meaning.

As for the serious face of Anna in Frozen II, I think there are only three reasons: Kristoff (quarrelling / jealousy), Olaf (his possible death) or Elsa (one of the reasons for her journey and her concern for her). Which of these would weigh heavier? Or is it the combination of all three reasons that makes Anna's smile disappear for a long time?

[ramblesofadreamerofthestars]

Anne With An E S03Ep08 “Great And Sudden Change”

 - Ka’kwet! Oh you brilliant starfish child, you saved yourself and got away. Also, this milkman, is this the same one from the beginning of s1? 

- Ahhhhh Diana and Anne. This h u r t s

- Fucking hell I knew it.They burned down the school. Bitch what the Fuck. They really going to try and pretend like this was an accident? You Stole the Printing Press.

- Wow props to the actors for this scene, their devastation over this cruelty cuts deep. And Ms. Stacie coming through once again as a brilliant teacher, and someone to look up to. 

- Anne your fury is as always righteous and you’re doing amazing sweetie but Rachel probably isn’t the right target. Oh... Rachel. Her character definitely has it’s ups and downs but I’m glad she’s taking an active stance in this.

- Ka’kwet is so capable and intelligent, I Love Her. I hope she makes it home so badly, she deserves to be loved and cherished and I hope I hope I hope that this leads to the rest of the children at the residential school being saved. Knowing what I know of history, I doubt it. 

- Once again, I’m really glad Moira chose to include this and made it such a major plot in season 3, because this is a part of history that is glossed over in classrooms and absolutely should Not be

- Ooooh Hazel LaCroix has arrived. This should be interesting, based on how Bash has spoken about his mother in the past. I hope she’s here to reconcile and make up for past mistakes, Bash could really use some good things going for him right now. 

- lksjdlfjfldsj Moody and Ruby are so cute they snuck up on me and I adore them

- Anne and Gilbert sitting together by the window... completely relaxed and bodies angled to each other... poetic cinema

- Lol, Ms.Stacie being a mood as always

- Shirbirt is so cute I can’t

- aslkdckej what is this trilling music?? Is she casting a spell???

- oof. sorry Anne

- OOF. DIANA AND JERRY. WOW THIS HURTS! WOW THIS HURTS A LOT. Diana. Diana you don’t have to do this. Literally all you have to say is “no of course I’m not too good for you. This is just... painful. 

- AUNT JOSEPHINE? how did she know to come? Disturbance in the force? Also loving this music as Diana walks toward herself in the mirror’s reflection, very reminiscent of montage music set to a character undergoing a significant change in who they present themselves to be.

- Diana. I could write an entire essay on my feelings about Diana. She feels so trapped and for a few brilliant moments it seemed like she was breaking free and learning to take what she wanted in life, but she seems so scared now, and so lost and confused. Of course she’s going to say she’s going to finishing school - it’s what her parents have been molding her into for her entire life, and of course in this moment when she’s so lost on what to do next she’d fall back on the already laid out plan for her. And yet even so, I wish  she would write the exams, just like Josephine says. Better to try, and know that it’s an option then shooting yourself in the foot. Oh Diana, my beautiful imperfect daughter, I want you to have all the happiness and freedom you deserve, not to be stifled by ridiculous notions of society

- (I have a lot of feelings about Diana Barry)

- ayyyyy Auntie Jo really went “ya basic” huh. Diana please wake up, listen to your aunt. But wow, this must be heartbreaking for Diana, it must really feel like everyone is leaving her. 

- Oof and here we have Hazel’s first big indicator that her son’s life is not the same as her own. I really don’t blame her for falling back on the only thing’s she’s known her entire life, but you can see where that desire and drive to protect her son ends up hurting him. 

- ... Anne’s geometry prep seems so easy is this really all you needed to get into uni

- Matthew. “You’re as smart as they make them” he as so much faith in her, both him and Marilla and WOW I love the Cuthberts. 

- LET! KA’KWET! MAKE! IT! HOME! SAFE!

- this is the most awkward tea everYES! YES DIANA PLEASE BE GOING TO WRITE THE QUEEN’S EXAM. Josephine’s little knowing smirk is everything I Love This

- Wow. Ya ok wow this is exactly what exam prep is like and I feel this panic in my soul. Y’all are going to do great!

- Ahh! Their shouts of Diana are so good for the soul and look at how alive she looks this is So Good!! She’s so happy and proud of herself, I’m so proud of her

- No seriously, was this literally all it took to get into university....

- ... Y’all this pen going to come back isn’t it

- ahhh this is giving me flashbacks and anxiety No Thanks. Good luck to all of them (except Billy if he’s there, fuck Billy)

- Absolute legend Marilla teaming up with force of nature Rachel, get fucked you angry old boiled socks

- YES! YES LOOK AT THEM GO THEIR SO BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL AND ALIVE AND THEY’RE STILL CHILDREN AND YET NOT QUITE ANYMORE AND LOOK AT HOW HAPPY AND FREE THEY ARE RUNNING OUT OF THE EXAM.

- wow it’s real “Excitement over one stage of life ending but what comes next hours” huh

- yes Diana live your best fucking life! I’m so proud of all of them but her especially I’m so glad she chose this. 

- Ah. The Rose household. So glad we’re here.

- In all seriousness though, nothing against Winnie she’s amazing in her own right but she’s not the one for Gilbert and the sooner he realizes this the sooner they can both move on with their lives.

- Wow. Mr. Winnie’s Dad sir, you’re sure being super subtle about this

- Side note, I know their all growing up and it’s different back then with expectations of age, but he’s just... so young. Gilbert is so young and Winnie is already so much more experienced then him. 

- Yes! Yes this is what I want! These kids deserve a night to just Have Fun and be as wild and carefree as their hearts desire. Their growing up yes, but they’re not grown up now, and I’m so happy with the pure light and joy emanating from these kids. 

- Oh my gods. Oh my Gods. The soft fairy music, the fire light. Anne is a beautiful creature of sparks and magic, ethereal and fae and look at how Gilbert looks at her. He loves her so much oh my gods this is perfection thank you Moira for my life. 

- ...I’m so soft

- Holy Fuck my heart. “Just...one thing” he’s so gone on her and she’s falling so deeply for him. 

- lmao Anne’s drunk out of her fucking mind Gilbert this was a terrible time to do this is2g these two

- He’s so fucking heartbroken baby. Y’all need to learn to communicate Gilbert she wasn’t rejecting you I’m so ahhhhh

- Wow! These two really be on the same braincell energy. Soulmates!

-Bash, I adore you so much his and Gilbert’s relationship is so well done and I love him and the way he teases Gil. Also Bash has been team Shirbert since the beginning and his little dance is everything. Lmao the difference between when he though Gil was going to marry Anne vs when it was Winnie...telling.

- “Now now, no need to be hysterical” FUCK EM UP MARILLA AND RACHEL!!! FUCK EM UP RACHEL!!!

- I have no words for Ka’kwet’s reunion with her mother and her people besides that now I’m crying

- wow, Minnie May serving up truth to both Diana and about the unrealistic expectations placed on siblings when placed in competition with each other

- yes Marilla! look at her go! Also Anne I know you’re dealing with a lot but like... you maybe want to show a bit more enthusiasm?!?!

- thank you. Thank you So Much for Diana and Anne, this is amazing and I’m so glad my two beautiful daughters have come through this stronger and better than ever. 

- “ Here's the truth: friendships between women are often the deepest and most profound love stories” - Emily Rapp            ~perhaps a point was made

- Wow that’s really how we’re going to end that huh!

Final Thoughts:

F i n a l l y Anne has said it out loud. I can’t wait for the absolute disasters that are sure to prevent these one braincell geniuses from actually talking to each other. No but for real, I’m so excited for the next stage of their relationship, though I’m sure it will be just as agonizing to watch them figure out how to move forward. Ka’kwet is home safe! While I really just want her to stay and be happy with her life, I doubt that is what will happen. Nevertheless, she’s amazingly strong and intelligent and the injustices done to her in the series are sickening, and it’s important to remember that all these things really happened to the indigenous population in Canada, and that reconciliation and amendments are still in the works today. The last residential school in Canada close in 1996. This is not a distant memory of the past, it is a crisis, the ripple effect still being felt in the indigenous communities today. Bash and his mother have such an interesting dynamic, as it’s clear that her life experiences and her love for her son cause her to act in ways that while done with the best intentions, end up hurting him, and it will be interesting to see how awae handles this. And finally, my girls, Anne and Diana. I’m so proud of Diana this episode, for taking yet another step closer to her own freedom, and I’m so proud of the two of them for recognizing their mistakes and refusing to let it come between them. Next episode, I assume will deal with the fallout of Ka’kwet running away from the school, Gil about to propose to Winnie and what Anne plans to do now that she knows what she is feeling, and expansion on Bash and Hazel’s relationship and I can’t wait. 

[kv-r18-fics]

This one came from a list of nsfw writing prompt ideas. Actually, a good amount of the sin stories were inspired by some prompts. I'll let you know which ones when they are posted. The list had too many silly ones and some good ones, this was the prompt used....and decided to make them both be mischievous >w>

enjoy the shame title tags, they're the actual file names XD

Tease Sin Sometimes Zack is too stubborn for his own good, Ray decides to get her point across in a unique way.

Dawn broke for another day to begin, both Isaac and Rachel were peacefully sleeping in their bed until the light of the sun peeked through the window. The first to wake was Ray, she was often the first to wake up, while Zack was the heavier sleeper, he could sleep through an earthquake for all they knew.

 It was a weekend, and normally it was a time for the two of them to do a small bit of chores to keep their home straightened and tidy. Ray recalled how Zack used to keep his old living space, and she was the one that had to teach him how to live a little neater. Isaac still didn’t want to be bothered about it, but he did offer to be the muscle, or even step in when Ray’s short height couldn’t reach anything. It was going to be another one of those days where those services were needed, he just needed to wake up first.

 “Good morning, Zack. It’s time to wake up,” Ray softly beckoned.

 No response, he was still out.

 She tried a faint nudge, but his will to sleep was iron clad. Scratch an earthquake, Zack could sleep through the damn apocalypse.

 Sometimes Zack was too stubborn for his own good, Ray huffed to herself as she tried to nudge a little harder, but the only reaction she got was him rolling over to get more comfortable. Alright, that did it, she was going to get back at Zack for his laziness. Rachel wasn’t sure how though, she knew that to get a message across, she did have to deny him of something, and the last things she denied were things that sated his sugar tooth. Pretty sure it wouldn’t bother him now, maybe something a little more drastic, what else did he crave more than anything.

 Touch, that was it. Zack loved getting affection and giving it, even if it was tender or steamy. If Ray was around, he was sure to keep her close to his body, and touch her with everything he had just to feel her warmth. She had to deny him of that, just for a moment.

 If Zack was dead to the world, then he probably won’t even notice her mischievous antics. Ray gently pulled back some of the blankets covering Zack, and made sure he was still snoozing by listening to his light snores and heavy breaths. Luckily for her, he was sleeping in only his boxers, and only wrapped his arms so he could ‘take care of the rest later’. Typical Zack, he was like a lazy cat sometimes.

 Rachel gently kissed his cheek to start, then softly began to direct her kiss elsewhere, Ray’s aim was to get him to react in his sleep, and not to wake up…yet.

 Her supple lips trailed to her love’s neck, his collarbone, his scarred chest, abs, and navel. Ray wasn’t going to stop there, she was going to make damn sure that he was going to get one hell of an awakening. Her fingers gently caressed Zack’s firm muscles, feeling at the combination of natural skin and his burns, then tenderly outlined every scar she grazed, just how Zack liked it. Rachel gently tugged down a little of Isaac’s boxers to free some of his waist, she could see the small trail of stubble that lined from his lower stomach to his waist, possibly the only small bits of body hair he had. Ray let her fingers run against the short stalks of hair to give Zack’s body signals that something was about to happen below the belt, and felt the man flinch slightly under her touch – so far, so good.

 Soon, Ray began to tenderly kiss at his hips, taking her sweet time in that area, giving it sweet pecks or even feeling at his skin with just her lips alone.

 Now she heard a groan, it wasn’t one that signaled Zack waking up, but rather an aroused groan. Her plan was working, and continued her assault of kisses at his hips. It was only a short matter of time before she heard a soft moan, and her ‘work area’ was getting a little cramped. Rachel saw the obvious hard-on growing in Zack’s boxers, and knew it was something Zack was not going to ignore.

 She could let it persist until Isaac finally woke up, or she could up the ante to really get back at him, and, in this rare moment of deviousness, she chose the latter.

 Rachel carefully unbuttoned the slit on Zack’s boxers, she had to peek up at him a couple of times to make sure he was still out cold, she noticed a flushed look on his face, but no signs of waking up. She had trapped him in a lewd dream maybe – perfect. She carefully pulled out Zack’s erection from the unbuttoned opening, and felt a swarm of her own desires flood her mind.

 She had to shake it off, this was mischievous payback, not entirely for pleasure.

 Rachel held onto Zack’s member with a slight snug grip, and proceeded to give him a few tender strokes. She heard Zack mumble a couple words in his sleep as he instinctively spread out his legs. Perhaps he was saying lewd things to her dream self. All the better to keep him distracted. Just simple strokes weren’t going to be it, after all, it was another part of him to kiss too. Ray dipped her head down as she trailed her kisses from the shaft of Zack’s cock and upwards to the head.

 Zack’s hips quickly bucked up a little the moment her lips touched that area, he was definitely sensitive there, all the better to play with. One of Rachel’s hands held Zack’s hip firm to prevent him from bucking again, while the other grasped Zack’s length and keep it in place for what she was going to do next. Rachel kissed at it a couple more times before decided to slowly drag her tongue against Zack’s sensitive appendage.

 Maybe a little indulgence wouldn’t hurt, Rachel trailed her tongue along the head a little more before allowing herself to slide her mouth over it, giving him a few good hums and suckles to further please his sleeping body.

 Payback, not pleasure. She had to keep reminding herself. It was damn hard to hold herself back.

 Isaac couldn’t stay asleep anymore, he felt hot and bothered, and it left him with too much discomfort to sleep. Zack opened his eyes to see Ray standing by the doorway, but also blankets bunched by his knees. Something else as well, he had a large, pulsing erection out in the open for the both of them to see. Zack’s face burned as he quickly sat up, both confused and embarrassed.

 “W-what the fuck?!”

 There had been episodes of ‘morning wood’, but Zack had this feeling that things were very different. Ray appeared too innocent, and she stood by the door like she was going to escape something. Zack may not be the brightest bulb on the tree, but he could sense when something was up.

 “…Ray…did you do this?”

 She couldn’t lie, but didn’t exactly want to tell the truth either.

 “I could’ve, in whatever dream you had,” she replied with a clever grin.

 She…wasn’t wrong…he kind of was having one of those dreams, but it didn’t get to the really good bits when the discomfort set in – only some.

 “…You did do this…” Zack growled.

 “You should’ve woken up, Zack,” Ray spoke, “I got chores to do. I’m sure you have the same as well now.”

 “…What are you saying?”

 “That I’m out of here, the house needs cleaning,” Ray quickly replied.

 That put Zack in a bit of panic. Here he was with an aching boner - obviously Ray’s doing, and she was going to leave him like that.

 “What? No fucking way, you can’t leave me like this! You made me like this!” Zack protested, “Seriously, don’t be god damn heartless! What am I supposed to do?”

 “Looks like you’ll need to handle it yourself,” Ray spoke in a songful note, “I’ll be back in a few.”

 Zack’s face was beet red, this pissed him off so much, but god damn, he craved her touch so damn badly, and his body was aching for more. Sure, he could just simply masturbate to rid one problem, then teach Ray one hell of a lesson, but that would just mean that she had won. He wasn’t going to let her win, how dare she rile him up, then simply leave him both confused and horny.

 Oh, Ray was going to get it.

 Rachel was able to get a good portion of the housework done, of course, the harder stuff did require Zack’s assistance, but she would settle that for another time tomorrow. She did feel a little bad to leave Isaac in his current state, just a little, maybe he had forgotten that today was their busy day. Then again, he was always forgetful. Waking him up was a chore itself, it was a 50/50 percent chance of him waking up or getting comfortable, well, hopefully this event turned it to 75/25 percent.

 She should check up on him though, maybe Zack had relieved himself already. After all, she did drive his body wild with some minor self-indulgence. Rachel made sure to do a couple more last-minute things before returning to their bedroom and face her inevitable consequence.

 With a slow turn of the knob, Ray slowly peeked her head in the room, she expected to be grabbed and tossed onto the bed. There had been moments where Zack was overcome by pure lust and would go straight to the point, but Zack was nowhere to be seen.

 She assumed that maybe Isaac was in the bathroom, taking care of the problem, which was rare, she probably only seen him play with himself a couple of times, but she was mostly at fault for that. Ray seemed to cast this erotic spell on him when they got in the mood.

 The blankets were thrown all over the place, like Zack just tossed them in sexual frustration, that could be a sign he got up to excuse himself, she may as well tidy that up too while he was occupying himself and apologize later. Rachel stepped into the room as she reached down the pick up the blanket, but her instinct told her that maybe the room wasn’t empty after all. Zack had been waiting in ambush the whole time, just on the other side of the door, and swiftly slammed his hand down on it to quickly shut away her chance of escape.

 He was dead silent, but he had this familiar look in his eyes, it wasn’t crazed, but it was the look like he wanted to tear someone apart. Ray could swear, she could see his eyes glow through the natural dimness of the room, like a predator that just caught sight of some prey.

 “You scared me, I thought you were in the bathroom,” Ray spoke, “…I um…wanted to apologize for earlier…”

 Zack was a deathly quiet as he slowly walked up to her, he was bare with an aching hard-on from Ray’s earlier actions, and was going to find some relief for it one way or another.

 “It was pretty awful of me to…leave you like that,” Ray rambled.

 “Stop talking,” Zack growled, as he inched closer.

 Soon, Ray was backed against the bedroom wall, then felt both hands swiftly slam against it to trap her in front of him. Clearly, Zack’s strength was unrestrained because of the adrenaline coursing through him due to his arousal, as he had now left two craters into the dry wall underneath his hands.

 “You know how much I hate when you fucking tease me like that Ray…and you know how I get…” Zack growled again, “fuck, looking at you right now makes me want to lose all control.”

 Ray could see Zack grit his teeth from frustration, but he was almost drooling the more he gazed at her. He wanted her badly.

 The bandages on his arms were also hastily ripped off, maybe he did try and take care of his problem earlier, but couldn’t finish. It’s just not the same. Who knows.

 “…I’m here now Zack…and I want to make up for it,” Ray softly spoke.

 Without hesitation, Zack quickly dove down to claim her lips, Ray had little time to think as she felt Zack invade her mouth to deepen it and get himself drunk off her taste. Before Ray could recover, Isaac grabbed at the bottom of her shirt and swiftly pulled it up, exposing her supple breasts. Zack had this devilish grin on his face as he towered over her, his other hand quickly grabbed hers and pinned them to the wall - hell, he needed only one to keep them firmly in place.

 Rachel was expecting this, after all, her token of apology was going to be tender make-up sex, but she should’ve expected him to be in a lust frenzy as well.

 The shirt she wore was one of his, it always turned him on when she wore his clothes, and could even smell the mix of their scents together in the fabric. Zack shuddered as he dove down to sink his teeth into her, he lightly bit onto Ray’s collarbone, then dragged his tongue against it, making damn sure he was staking his claim on her body for all to see. Her breasts were next, he let the bottom of the shirt fall onto him to free his hand and let his fingers play with Ray’s body. Because of this, Rachel couldn’t see him, her arms were pinned to keep her from wanting to slip the clothing off, but she could feel everything Zack was doing to her.

 Isaac’s hand played with one of her nipples, while Zack dragged his tongue on the other, he would even pause for a little bit of suckling to increase the sensation for her. Ray whimpered as her body began to warm up, mostly down below, and she squirmed slightly with her legs crossed. Zack quickly brought his knee up to part her legs, he was making damn sure that he was the one in control, not after having to deal with her teasing him and leaving him to his own devices.

 “Doesn’t feel good to be fucking hot and bothered, now is it?” Zack said as he pulled back with his devious grin.

 “Mmh, I…I said I was going to make it up to you…” Ray whimpered.

 “Nah, getting down right away isn’t gonna cut it. Ya’ left me with fucking blue balls, Ray. That shit is more torturous than a god damn electric chair,” Zack replied, “It’s only fair that I return the favor…”

 How Zack was capable of making her feel, she could imagine how bad it would be if he kept denying her that amazing pleasure he would give her. No wonder he was mad. She had just done the same thing to him.

 “Zack…I won’t do it again…”

 “I know you won’t…after I’m done with you,” Zack said with an aroused growl, then leaned to her ear, “I’m gonna make fucking sure that you’ll be the first one to give in. I’ll never stop until you’re screaming my name...got it?”

 Rachel had more willpower than Zack, but from how he spoke, it sounded like he was the victor already.

 The game was on.

 Zack leaned down to claim her lips yet again, but he felt Rachel take the offense by deepening it before he could, so she was going to try and make him crack too. Shit, this was going to be tougher than he thought, he lightly tugged at her bottom lip while his hands made their journey downward. Rachel felt her arms get freed and wrapped an arm around Zack while her other hand ran through his black hair.

 Zack’s hand snaked up the lower half of the shirt to caress Rachel’s waist, even gently pick her leg up to make her think he was feeling at her skin. She got goosebumps from Zack’s fingertips grazing her skin, but she didn’t know that Zack did it for other motives. His other hand snaked into her underwear and quickly dove between her legs, this made Rachel squirm as she breathed out a startled gasp.

 She mustn’t cave, no matter how good it felt. Ray’s body wanted to give in as her back arched against her will from the strokes of his fingers, she refused to utter any pleas by distrusting her mouth with Zack’s neck, kissing his skin and riling him up further by tracing his scars with her tongue, something she’s never done before.

 “Fuck,” Zack groaned under his breath. Clearly, this action was favorable to him.

 His member ached unbearably to tell him to end this stubbornness now and just pounce on her, but he needed to give her some sort of payback. Zack had to summon what willpower he had to press on. He growled under his breath as he slipped his fingers out, then grabbed Rachel by the shoulders and pushed her onto the bed. If there was one way to make Ray vocal, Zack knew exactly what it was. He licked his lips hungrily as he slid his fingers into Ray’s panties and pulled them off, tossing them across the room without a single thought.

 Ray felt Zack part her legs as he got onto his knees, he wasted no time to bring his mouth between her legs and let his tongue have at her. Ray’s taste drove him wild, and he knew Ray caved easily when he pleasured her like this.

 No fair, he had her at her weakness, Ray covered her mouth as he let slip muffled moans into her hand. Her first reaction was the grab at Zack’s hair, but he was covered by the shirt she was wearing, she couldn’t see the actions he was performing on her, but she felt it. The inability to see what he was doing seemed to heighten that sensation, which caused her to throw her head back, especially when he found that one sensitive area. With a few hard sucks and the flick of his tongue, he had her trembling, but when he felt the shirt be lifted off his head, he abruptly stopped.

 Now she was getting frustrated, she felt like her body was burning from the sexual desire coursing through her, but Zack was denying her the full pleasure. Zack seemed to be enjoying himself, he was internally laughing to himself when he heard her upset moans and huffs, but when Zack dived back down to hear the pleased ones, it did drive him to bring his hand down and lightly play with himself. He wouldn’t call it cracking under the pressure, more like giving himself a little temporary relief to keep going. Isaac was going to win this passionate argument.

 Okay, she internally admitted that teasing was not a pleasant experience, it did heighten her sensitivity, but damn did it agitate her to be left hanging when that big finish was just around the corner and the work had to be done all over again. It was an unbearable ache that needed to be relieved, her body burned and throbbed from Zack’s touches, and he was holding onto his word to tease her until she begged for him to stop.

 Soon, Zack pulled himself back, he remained silent as he wiped his lips, and stood up to watch Ray try to catch her breath. He swiftly slipped Ray’s shirt off, leaving her just as bare as him, then his hands tenderly caressed her body, from her hips to her breasts, even stopping to take his time with her soft mounds. Ray watched as Isaac approached her open thighs, then felt his hands slide back down, like he was getting into position to make love to her.

 Did he crack?

 Zack had this tranced look on his face as he ran his fingers up and down Ray’s inner thigh, while his other hand reached to grab at his cock, like he was ready to enter her. At this point, she didn’t care who won, she just wanted to feel Zack inside of her and bring them both to their much-needed end.

 That was the whole gist, anyway.

 Instead, he lightly pressed his member against her, bringing his hips for a slow and sensual grind, all for her to see. That’s why he took the shirt off. Just watching him this dangerously close against her, but not give her his full heat could make her go insane. Ray bucked her hips upward in frustration, even groaning in the back of her throat, her body was screaming at her to take the man.

 “Zack!” she shouts.

 Was this it?

 He refused to stop, even grasping his length to let the head rub against the most sensitive part of her womanhood.

 “Zack, I can’t take it!” she shouts.

 He kept going.

 “Isaac, please!” Ray pleads, “…you win! I can’t do it anymore…just…please, do it already!”

 Zack smirked to himself, he felt sweat trickling down his temple, he was just seconds away from cracking himself, but thank god for that last bit of endurance. He’s won, now he was going to claim his prize.

 Or so he thought, the moment he pulled away from her, Rachel quickly leaned up to grab the man, then pushed him onto the bed. Her sudden burst of strength surprised Zack, he may have won the battle, but it seems Ray was winning the war.

 Rachel brought herself to the man’s lap, but she faced her back against him, clearly, she was still frustrated with him at going so far with the teasing. There was no time to let him argue as well, Ray hovered her hips over Zack’s and slid herself down onto him, feeling his heat enter her. Ray internally thanked herself for taking the pill during her time with chores, because neither of them had the patience right now to treasure hunt their dresser for condoms.

 Isaac uttered a heavy breath as he felt Ray’s body envelop his, he wanted to turn her around, but already she grasped at his legs and began to motion herself on top of him. There were rare moments where Zack had let Ray ride on his hips, but never had he been ridden on out of pure sexual frustration. Sure, it felt great to have Ray going down on him, but he also felt frustrated that Ray wasn’t looking at him, and he couldn’t watch her enjoying his body.

 Ray uttered moans here and there, with Zack’s echoing behind her, but she also let out groans of aggravation, like she was desperate to reach her end right now after being denied time and time again. Zack wasn’t going to keep watching her back, he was going to do something about it, he leaned up and snuck his hands around her, letting one hand play with Rachel’s breast, while the other slid to her thighs. Ray was startled at first until Zack’s fingers went at play as he laid a trail of butterfly kisses on her neck, different spots on her body was being pleasured all the while she continued to slide up and down on him.

 “Zack…stop…I won’t be able to move,” she whimpered.

 His fingers lightly stroked her heat, rendering her legs too weak to continue the pace. Now, it was his turn to regain control, he quickly rolled themselves on the bed, Ray was on her hands and knees with Zack snugly against her body. His fingers continued as they pleased, while his hips began to finish the job for her, and at a quicker speed.

 “Zack…”

 Sweat was trickling down Isaac’s back as he breathed a soft moan in Rachel’s ear, both of their bodies were throbbing nonstop from their episode of teasing, and the sensation of their climax was within their grasp. Zack removed his fingers for a second to grasp at Ray’s legs and sped up the pace without warning, Rachel buried herself in the sheets as her moans grew longer. The quick friction felt amazing, on top of that, Zack was getting all of her sweet spots, while her body grasped him favorably in return.

 Possibly for the first time, the two felt that intoxicating euphoria overtake them, Rachel’s moans grow louder and more frequent, while Zack shouted out his lover’s name. Ray’s body was trembling as she felt Zack pulse inside her, followed by a strange warmth filling her up with each slowing thrust. Her own legs felt incredibly numb from the pleasure that consumed her, she had no strength left to move as she stayed there to catch her breath, and felt her lover eventually dismount her.

 They both collapsed onto the bed, both hot and sweaty, but mostly satisfied. Rachel pulled herself up to Zack to kiss at his neck and cheek.

 “Mmh, I thought you were mad at me,” Zack mumbled between pants.

 “Not anymore…not after that,” Ray replied.

 “I’m the one who still be mad though,” Zack huffed.

 “I know, and I promise I won’t do it again,” Ray spoke as she leaned to give him a soft kiss on the lips.

 Zack didn’t know whether or not to believe her, but he couldn’t stay mad. Lovemaking in general seemed to help vent out both of their frustrations, and damn was it passionate. He brought a hand up to gently cradle Ray’s face as he turned the kiss more tender.

 “…I’ll get up from bed next time…” he whispered.

 Ray softly smiled with a faint giggle, looks like her point came across after all.

[megaphonemonday]

If you're taking requests, can I please get a fic of Ginny where she's Mike's daughter's kindergarten teacher?

oh, geez, Joudie. Do you see what you’ve made me do? I am tied up in all these feelings about Mike as a single dad now. Like 8000 words later and I’m still not over it. 

anyway, i hope this makes you smile!

easy as 1, 2, 3 | ao3

“Daddy, look!”

Obediently, Mike stopped, one of Maddie’s little hands still curled in his. The other pointed up, towards a wall of artwork. (Well, calling it “art” was maybe generous, but the kids were five and six. He could cut them a little slack.) He tried to follow the line of her tiny finger, but wasn’t sure what she wanted him to see. 

“What am I looking at, Mads?” he asked with a frown. 

Impatiently, she raised her arms, the imperious “Up!” left unsaid. 

With a groan—his girl was getting too big or his knees were aging too fast for this—Mike hauled her up onto his hip so she could point with more accuracy. Apparently, now that she had a better vantage, pointing wasn’t enough. Instead, she curled her fingers into his beard and tugged, like it was a set of reins and he was her noble steed. 

He really needed to stop letting the guys give her “horsey rides” if this was what he got out of it.

“Ow! Mads, gentle,” he reminded her, still moving to the right. The way she’d wanted. Geez, that was effective. 

Satisfied he was doing as she wanted, and—unfortunately—probably not because it was the right thing to do, she released her grip on him. She reached out and smacked her hand against one of the pictures. Immediately, his eyes zeroed in on the familiar, slightly shaky, handwriting of his daughter in the bottom corner. In painstaking letters, she’d spelled out “Madeline Lawson,” each letter a different color.

Honestly, how he’d missed it before was beyond him. 

“It’s our family!” she announced brightly, not that Mike really needed the update. 

Right in the middle, shorter than everyone else, was Maddie. He could tell it was Maddie because she’d painstakingly drawn herself in her favorite outfit, bright yellow overalls. There were four contingency pairs hidden in his closet. When it became clear how much she loved them, Mike went right out and bought an emergency stash. And a good thing, too. There had been five contingency pairs, but after he accidentally bleached the originals, they’d moved onto pair number two. 

Beside her, much taller, that had to be him. At five, Maddie hadn’t yet learned artistic subtlety, so he was marked by both his beard, far bushier than he ever let it grow, and a baseball hat. 

Some of the other figures, though, required a bit more thought. It didn’t help that Maddie’s understanding of family wasn’t quite... traditional.

Off to the side, with a gut and mop of gray hair, that had to be Skip, or Grandpa Al as his daughter had learned to call his longtime manager. Blip and Evelyn, along with Gabe and Marcus, were also included in Maddie’s vision of their family. Even Jedi, standing next to Maddie, though Mike doubted the little girl remembered the dog who’d died when she was three, was represented.

As conspicuous as the odd additions to their family tree was the glaring absence. There was no Rachel, which made Mike’s heart pang, just a little. But looking down at how proud his daughter was of her drawing, and how happy she’d made everyone in it look, he told himself again that Maddie couldn’t miss what she didn’t remember. 

That only left one thing unexplained.

“Who’s this?” Mike asked, tapping the remaining woman in the picture. Well, he thought it was a woman. She was wearing a dress and had long hair. Then again, Maddie’d seen what the team made rookies wear during September hazing, so it was best to check. 

“That’s Miss Baker,” Maddie replied, as if it required no further explanation. 

Mike stared at the curly-haired figure. He had yet to meet Maddie’s new teacher. It was why they were here, in fact. When her original kindergarten teacher went on maternity leave early in the school year, Miss Baker had been hired to replace her. He knew that Maddie loved the woman, had come home with stars in her eyes the first day with her and breathed, “Daddy, she’s the best.” But between post season press obligations and trying to make sure there would be more than enough money to send his daughter to college, he hadn’t gotten a chance to meet the new teacher. 

Which was really the only reason he’d signed up for a parent-teacher conference. It was kindergarten for Christ’s sake. What could there be to conference about? And barely six weeks into the year?

“Sweetheart, you know that Miss Baker’s not part of our family, right?”

Maddie shrugged in his arms, clearly uninterested in the conversation, looking down the hall towards her classroom. 

Mike chuckled and dropped the subject. Miss Baker was surely waiting. 

The closer they got, the more Maddie began to wriggle, nearly bouncing in his arms. She really was excited to be see her teacher. When he’d told her she didn’t have school today, she’d pouted for nearly an hour until Mike finally caved and told her about the conference. He wasn’t actually sure if he was supposed to bring Maddie along, though he was positive he’d never gone to a conference with his mom. Not unless the principal called her in and he was already waiting in the office. 

But who was he to tell his baby girl that she couldn’t go to school if she wanted?

God, where did she get it from? Certainly not Mike, who’d only graduated because he couldn’t play ball if he didn’t.

He set Maddie down and watched as she dashed ahead into her classroom. He rounded the corner just in time to see her run to her teacher, who crouched down to greet the girl with a high five. She listened as Maddie prattled on and on, her focus not once wavering from her student. It wasn’t until his daughter pointed back towards him that she stood, looking towards the door.

For a moment, everything slowed. Her curly hair, tossed casually over her shoulder, seemed to float, unaffected by gravity.  Sparkling brown eyes met his own and Mike would swear that his heart flipped in his chest.

Miss Baker blinked, shaking herself a little, before smiling warmly—had he ever been so affected by dimples before?—and extending her hand.

Mike blinked back, reaching out to shake automatically.

“Mr. Lawson? Hi, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Ginny Baker.”

(Preposterously, the first thing to cross his mind was Maddie’s picture out in the hallway. Not even two minutes ago, he’d thought it was weird for his kid to include a woman she’d only known a matter of weeks in her family portrait. 

Now, he was beginning to think Maddie’d been onto something.)

If, after finally meeting the illustrious Miss Baker, Mike made a point of being a more visibly hands on parent, especially around school, he told himself he was just taking advantage of the off season to hang out more with his kid, which hadn’t been much of an issue when she was in pre-K. She was growing up so fast, he could hardly stand it.

And it wasn’t even a lie. He hadn’t actually realized there were so many volunteer jobs in Maddie’s classroom. Things had definitely changed since he was in school. 

Which didn’t make him feel old. At all.  

What did get to him was being surrounded by a bunch of kindergartners and their energetic 24-year-old leader. How she managed to keep up with the twenty-odd hell-raisers was a mystery, especially when his one morning a week left him nearly as drained as catching nine innings.

It helped that it was the most fun he’d had in a long time, though. 

Maybe he would’ve liked school more if his teachers had looked like Miss Baker, or Ginny as she’d insisted when he showed up for the second time this week. He’d immediately reciprocated, because while he usually got a kick out of people calling him Mr. Lawson, from Ginny it just made him feel even more like a dad. 

The way she’d grinned and nodded, testing out his name, well, that had definitely been a different kind of kick.

A kick that he had to ignore for the benefit of the small children around him. 

Children that had just headed off to lunch.

“Bye, daddy!” his little girl called down the hallway, waving madly. “Bye, Miss Baker!”

Ginny and Mike stood at the door to her classroom, waving until the line of kindergartners disappeared around the hall. Once they were out of sight, Ginny sighed, slumping against the doorframe. 

So she wasn’t a boundless well of energy. 

The thought was oddly comforting. 

“Long day at the office?” he joked weakly, a little too distracted by the dark sweep of her eyelashes against her cheekbones. 

She snorted anyway, tossing him a grin as she turned back into the room, heading towards her desk.

Mike followed along, feeling more flustered around a pretty girl than he’d been in a long time. A pretty girl who happened to be his young daughter’s teacher. 

Pulling himself out of that train of thought, he cast his attention elsewhere. Specifically, the little Padres pennant poking out of her pencil cup. 

He flicked it with a finger, watching it flutter. “You a fan?”

“Yeah.” She smiled sheepishly, looking up at him through her lashes as she straightened her desk. “I actually didn’t realize that you were Maddie’s dad until you walked in for her conference.”

He grinned at that. “What, you don’t memorize all your students’ family trees?”

“Ah, I knew I’d forgotten something when I took over!” 

Mike laughed, not because it was a particularly good joke, but because he liked the way it sounded when their chuckles blended together. 

“I mean,” she continued, “she told me you played baseball, but I kind of figured she meant in a summer league or something? It’s funny what kids fixate on about their parents. Like Jack M? He told me his mom’s job was playing with water guns.”

“And what does she actually do?”

“She’s a firefighter.” 

Mike chuckled appreciatively. “That’s not surprising. It took a long time to explain to Maddie that my job was just playing a game.”

Ginny smiled and nodded, a little rueful. “I get that. My dad actually used to play. In the minors. He retired before I was ever born, but I always told people that he was a baseball player.”

“Oh, what was his name? Maybe I’ve heard of him.”

She shot him a look that said she knew he was just being polite, and her lips quirked. “I doubt it. I’m sure he was before even your time.”

Mike’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, a disbelieving laugh bursting from his chest. Miss Baker’s eyes widened as she realized what she’d said and she clapped a hand over her mouth. 

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t—”

He just chuckled, waving her off. “It’s all right. I am the oldest guy on the team now that Hunter retired.” He waited until she gave him a tentative smile back to look away. His gaze landed on the clock. With a start, he rapped his knuckles on her desk. “I should get outta your hair. Let you enjoy your peace and quiet while you have it.”

“I don’t mind,” she replied, still looking a little shy, though Mike was sure that was just left over embarrassment. Just like he was sure she was just being polite when she said she didn’t mind him hanging out.

It probably was safest to believe that. No, it definitely was safest to believe that.

“You say that now, but I can’t have you getting too sick of me. I’m signed up to be the Classroom Helper every Tuesday for the rest of the semester. Imagine how awkward it’ll be in December if you get sick of me now.”

The amusement on Ginny’s face was well worth losing a few of his cool points. They grinned at each other for a long moment, only breaking eye contact when she blinked and looked down. 

When she peeked up again, though, she said, “Well, I guess I’ll have to look forward to next Tuesday, then.”

When he finally left the school, he had a grin on his face and a bounce in his step. 

Mike, of course, because he didn’t do well with taking it easy or playing it cool, didn’t limit himself to his Tuesday morning duties as Classroom Helper. When Miss Baker’s class went on a field trip to a children’s music concert, he signed up as a chaperone. When the call went out for extra volunteers to help out with the kindergarten Halloween Party, Mike responded almost immediately. When the weekly story time volunteer had to cancel, Mike stepped in, and even consulted Ginny on kindergarten-appropriate reading material. (She laughed when he brought up “Casey at the Bat,” but suggested something with a happier ending.

Her laugh, as always, stayed with him for days.)

Which was why he finally admitted that, okay, he had a thing for Maddie’s teacher. 

Not that he was going to do anything about it. Because aside from the age difference—she’d graduated from NC State two years ago and Mike could barely remember what high school had been like outside of the baseball team—and the fact that she was really and truly out of his league, Ginny Baker was his daughter’s teacher. There had to be some kind of rule or code against teachers dating parents. 

He knew it. He accepted it, even. 

But it didn’t keep him from sticking his nose where it probably didn’t belong. 

Case in point: he invited her to Thanksgiving. 

When he swung by the school to drop off Maddie’s forgotten lunchbox, he definitely hadn’t intended to invite the woman that he was harboring a monster crush on to Thanksgiving dinner, but it wasn’t as if he’d intended to develop that crush in the first place, either. Some things just happened.

The class was out at morning recess, so he didn’t bother going to the classroom. Instead, he made his way to the fenced in playground, sure that Ginny would be supervising her group of hellions there. When he arrived, though, the place was a ghost town. 

Frowning, he circled, searching for the missing class, when the shrill shriek of little voices reached his ears. 

He followed the sound to the flat expanse of grass around the back corner of the school, and was confronted by a tiny, makeshift baseball diamond swarming with small children. At the epicenter, a lightning rod compared to the munchkins surrounding her, was Ginny holding a big, red ball. 

So, not baseball, then. Kickball. 

When she caught sight of him, she smiled and waved, handing the ball off to the shy little boy next to her. She pointed and mimed rolling the ball to the next kicker in line before jogging up to Mike. 

“Your daughter is kicking butts and taking names today,” she said in lieu of a real greeting. 

“That’s my girl,” he grinned, finding Maddie out on second base, a determined glint in her eye.

For a moment, they stood watching the game, which seemed to go fairly smoothly even without a teacher’s guiding hand. Satisfied that all wouldn’t descend into chaos, Ginny returned her attention to Mike. Her head tilted slightly to the side, eyeing him. “Did I miss that you were volunteering today?”

Mike held up Maddie’s sparkly purple lunchbox. “Nope. Just making sure my kid won’t starve.”

“You know they’ll give her lunch if they find out she forgot it.”

“I do,” he replied easily, “but I also know she probably won’t eat it. How I ended up with the pickiest eater on the planet is beyond me.”

Ginny laughed. “I’m sure there are worse. The other kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Wallis, told me she once had a boy who only ate dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. And when she got his sister the next year…” she trailed off, biting her lip and clearly trying to hold in laughter.

“Don’t leave me in suspense, Baker. What was it?”

“Spongebob mac and cheese.”

Mike chuckled at the absurdity of those poor parents stocking up on Kraft mac and cheese and chicken nuggets. “Maddie would love if I only made her chicken nuggets and mac and cheese,” he admitted. “But she is pretty excited for Thanksgiving. It’s the one meal she doesn’t ask questions.”

Ginny hummed in response and refocused her attention on the kids. One of them had taken a spill and she was waiting to see if she needed help or would get up on their own. When the girl pushed to her feet again, she turned back to Mike. 

“So you don’t try and slip weird stuff by her then? My mom used to do that. Tell my brother and I that tuna fish casserole was traditional to get us to eat it.”

“No, but I might have to try it if her hatred of green beans goes any further.”

She shook her head ruefully before turning back to watch the game. 

Mike did his best not to fidget at her side. 

God, had he ever felt this awkward with a woman he’d been interested in? Probably not, if only because he could count on hand the number of women he’d been as interested in as Ginny and none of them were off limits. 

“So,” he began, unsure of where to go. “Are you excited to go home for Thanksgiving?”

That was safe enough, right? It was this week, after all, with a shortened school week to celebrate; just Monday and Tuesday for both Ginny and the kids, and the rest off for an extra long weekend. 

“Oh, I’m not.”

“Excited or going home?”

She frowned a little. “Both I guess? I couldn’t quite justify the ticket home when I also need to pay rent, so there’s not much to be excited for. It’ll probably be me, a pizza, and the Macy’s Parade.” Ginny’s drawl was good-humored, but it still unsettled something in Mike. 

He remembered always being jealous of classmates who got to go to big Thanksgiving celebrations with all their cousins and grandparents, not to mention their moms and dads. While he’d never gotten that, and couldn’t really give it to Maddie, either, he sure as hell would share what he did have.

“Seriously? That sounds terrible.” he snorted, earning an indignant scoff from Ginny. “If that’s all you plan on doing, you should come to our Thanksgiving.”

“Yours and Maddie’s?” she replied, her tone hard to read.

Which gave Mike pause. What had he just done? “Well, yeah, but a few other people, too. It’s honestly a pretty motley crew that shows up, but I don’t have a lot of family and I’d hate if Maddie grew up without—”

“I understand,” she said, cutting him off with a hand to his arm. When had he started gesturing so wildly? He let her guide his arm back to his side, trying not to start babbling again. Luckily Ginny continued, “I’d love to come. Let me know what I can bring.”

Come Thursday afternoon, Mike wouldn’t say he was frazzled, per se, but between trying to keep Maddie, Gabe, and Marcus—not to mention Robles, Duarte, and Voorhies—entertained, shooing Al away from the already seasoned turkey (”Not everything needs more garlic, Skip!”), and squabbling with Evelyn over the finer points of entertaining, he probably wasn’t quite at his best when he opened the door to Ginny. 

But the way her eyes trailed up from his bare feet to the novelty apron he suddenly wished he’d burned to the bit of flour stuck to his cheek was probably worth whatever craziness he’d been put through. Especially when she reached up, unthinking, to brush the powder away. When she realized what she’d done, her eyes went wide and a little embarrassed. 

What did she have to be embarrassed about? was all he could think, trying to rein in the goofy grin that wanted to break over his face.

“Hi,” he greeted, a little breathier than was appropriate, even with the face touching. He cleared his throat, frowning. “Come on in.”

She stepped inside, smiling shyly. Dressed more casually than he was used to, Ginny still managed to make athletic leggings look like the height of fashion, though maybe that was just the way they put her long, lean legs on display. He was glad she’d taken him at his word about how casual this affair was. Livan was wearing some Ed Hardy knock off, for God’s sake.

Toeing off her sneakers, she said, “I know you said not to bring anything, but I was informed tha it’s rude to show up without some kind of gift, so here’s wine and sparkling cider for the kids.” Then, sheepishly, she admitted, “I don’t actually know anything about wine, but I do remember liking the cider when I was growing up.”

He took both bottles off her, ushering her towards the living room where most everyone else was gathered. “Thanks, Ginny.” He didn’t know why, but her name felt more significant in his mouth here. In his house. Mike shook off the errant thought and continued, “You’ve already put the guys to shame. They just showed up and asked, ‘When do we eat?’”

“The guys?”

They turned the last corner and Ginny froze at the sight of three San Diego Padres lounging on Mike’s sectional like they owned the thing. It wasn’t just their presence that made her stop in her tracks, though. 

No, that was probably down to the fact that Maddie had used each one as her own personal mannequin and none of them had the heart (or brains) to say no. 

Voorhies was decked out with a hot pink boa and a pair of Hello Kitty sun glasses, Livan had escaped with just the bright blue wig from Maddie’s Halloween costume fitted on his gigantic head, but it was poor Omar who’d suffered the most. Perched atop his head and shedding more glitter than Mike had believed possible was the tiara he was sure he’d hidden last year. Of course Maddie’d managed to find it and save it for a special occasion. That wasn’t all, though. No, his daughter had managed to immobilize the man by trying to pull her tutu up his legs, and failing that, stripped him of his socks so she could paint his toenails. 

If Omar looked pained before, the sudden appearance of his captain and a pretty girl probably made him want to die. Especially when said pretty girl’s shoulders started shaking, her hand over her mouth failing to hide her amusement.

Because Mike wasn’t a perfect person, he fished out his phone and snapped a picture of all three men and their stylist, beaming with pride.

That done, he turned his attention back to his daughter.

“Mads, did you ask Omar if you could do that?”

“Uh huh,” she responded, not bothering to look up from her work.

“You know you didn’t have to let her, right?” he asked, this time focusing on his utility infielder.

“Uhh.”

Whether Omar’s indecision came from not actually knowing he was allowed to tell Maddie “no” or from Ginny’s presence and continued amusement, Mike couldn’t say. But the way his eyes darted between both suggested it was maybe both. 

Taking pity on the man—he’d been laughed at by Ginny on more than one occasion and knew it stung the pride—Mike said, “Maddie, why don’t you put that away and come say hi to Miss Baker?”

His daughter’s head shot up at that, her little face lighting up. Somehow, she managed to avoid spilling her nail polish as she rocketed to her teacher’s side, practically bouncing with excitement. 

Ginny smiled, getting down on Maddie’s level, but she still threw a few curious glances at the ballplayers in the room. The ballplayers were much less polite, staring openly at her. Like they’d never seen a beautiful woman before.

Their attention made Mike’s hackles rise because he was apparently no better than an animal when it came to hopeless infatuation, but he managed to keep his cool. 

Taking a breath, he asked the hostess of the evening (not that he’d ever tell Evelyn that), “Do you want to introduce Miss Baker to everyone or should I?”

“I’ll do it!” Maddie exclaimed, grabbing Ginny’s hand and tugging her along. She went without protest, just throwing a quick grin over her shoulder to Mike. 

His daughter took her role very seriously for all her enthusiasm. She pulled Ginny over to Dusty first. 

“Miss Baker, this is Dusty. He plays baseball with daddy. Dusty, this is Miss Baker. She’s my teacher.”

“Hi,” Voorhies said with a little wave. 

Maddie stomped her foot. “That’s not what you’re supposed to say!” she scolded, making the man rock back. Ginny choked on a laugh, her hand coming up to cover her mouth again.

“It’s not?”

“No! You say, ‘Nice to meet you,’ and shake hands. Right, Miss Baker?”

Ginny nodded, her lips pressed together to keep from laughing. Her eyes sparkled, though, telling Mike everything he needed to know about how much she wanted to let loose.

“We learned all about it in school,” Maddie continued, nodding wisely. “They’re called manners.”

Despite her best efforts, an odd, choked up sound escaped Ginny at that. Mike only barely managed to hold in his, but Livan didn’t even bother. He laughed long and hard, through Dusty’s correction and Omar’s mumbled greetings. He only sobered when Maddie and Ginny stopped in front of them, smirking up at them from his spot on the couch.

He waited long enough for Maddie to make it through his introduction before taking Ginny’s offered hand. Rather than shaking, though, he laid a kiss against her knuckles, murmuring something in Spanish. 

When Ginny replied, only slightly hesitant, in the same tongue, that smirk deepened, less shit-eating and more intrigued. 

Which was more than enough of that. 

“Why don’t you go find Uncle Blip and the boys, kid? Take Miss Baker with you and make sure to introduce her to Aunt Ev and Grandpa Al, okay?”

Once they were gone, he turned back to his teammates, leveling them with an unimpressed stare.

“You holdin’ out on us, Lawson?” Livan goaded, not bothering to remove the stupid wig, though both Omar and Dusty had already ditched their costumes.

Mike didn’t dignify that with a response, just said, “If you offend my kid’s teacher and she flunks Maddie out of school, just know I will hold you personally responsible.” He crossed his arms, frowning as forbiddingly as he knew how. Which was pretty fucking forbidding, for all that he didn’t get to use it that often. He’d learned his lesson the first time he accidentally made Maddie cry trying to get her to confess to spilling her paint set.

As it turned out, though, the guys were not the ones that he should’ve been worried about. 

Evelyn Sanders just loved to turn expectations on their heads. 

Which was exactly what she did when she sidled up to him at the kitchen sink as he rinsed off dinner plates before getting the pies set up for dessert.

“Why didn’t I know about this?” she demanded, though she sounded more excited than annoyed, which was always a good thing when Evelyn was demanding something. If he knew what she was demanding, though, he’d have been even happier. 

“Know about what?”

“Miss Baker!” 

“Uh,” Mike hedged, having a terrible feeling he knew too well what Evelyn was talking about now. Had he given himself away at dinner? Laughed too much at her jokes? Been too obvious about keeping Livan from flirting across the table? (He had broken out his awful Spanish to head off any repeat performances of their introduction, which was anything but subtle.) It was only coincidence that they ended up sitting next to each other; every other seat was taken by the time he finally came out to the dining room. Still, he was going to play dumb as long as Evelyn let him. “Yeah, Mrs. Colton had to go on maternity leave early, so Miss Baker took over Maddie’s class.”

“You know very well that’s not what I’m talking about, Michael Lawson,” Evelyn scolded with a huff. So, not long at all. “I’m talking about the fact that you have been seriously dating Miss Baker. So seriously, in fact, that you’re going to propose!”

Mike sputtered. If he’d been drinking, there would have been a spit take of epic proportions. “I’m what?”

“The boys told me that Maddie told them,” here, Evelyn began to frown, considering her sources, “that you and Ginny are going to get married and she’s going to have a new mom.”

There wasn’t a lot he could do in the face of that information aside from let the tap run and wash over his hands. 

God, he’d known Maddie liked Ginny, had been overjoyed when he told her her teacher was coming over for Thanksgiving dinner, but he hadn’t realized just how much. 

Gingerly, Evelyn reached over to shut off the tap. It took another beat for Mike to set down the plate he’d been rinsing and reach for a hand towel. Unsure of what else to do, he huffed out a disbelieving laugh, scrubbing at his face and hoping he’d wake up from this fever dream. 

He knew, without looking, that something was on the tip of Evelyn’s tongue. She was itching to say something, give him advice, though whether it was advice about Maddie or Ginny was a toss up. 

Before she could, though, they were interrupted. 

“All right, all right!” Ginny laughed over her shoulder before turning to Mike and Evelyn at the sink. Her laugh was still written all over her face, dimples fully on display and eyes dancing. “I’ve been sent to check on the progress of dessert.”

Evelyn was aghast. “Did Gabe and Marcus make you get up just for that? Gabriel! Marcus!”

“Oh, it wasn’t the kids,” Ginny replied dryly. 

“I want pie!” Voorhies shouted from the dining room. 

“Pie! Pie! Pie!” came an echoing chant, the high treble of his daughter just barely audible over everyone else.

Mike just shook his head, muttering, “Animals. I’m saddled with animals.” Still, he turned to the fridge and pulled out the waiting desserts while Evelyn went to restore order. Four entire pies that Mike was sure would be gone before the evening was over. 

“Need a hand?” came a voice from right beside him. It wasn’t a surprise, though. All evening, he’d been almost unnaturally aware of just where Ginny was in relation to him. He did faintly wonder when he’d developed that ability, but also didn’t think that was really a rabbit hole he could afford to go down. Not with the revelation Evelyn had just dumped on him.

He turned towards Ginny and found her with her head tilted ever-so-slightly to the side. She smiled, as bright and open as ever and Mike had to blink to get over just how much she blew him away.

“Uh, yeah,” he finally managed. “Grab the little plates for me?”

They walked back into dining room, only to be greeted with raucous cheers (for the pies, of course). When they took their seats again, Ginny’s arm brushed up against his. She glanced at him for a moment, but aside a little quirk of her lips, didn’t acknowledge the contact. Still, she didn’t move away, not when she fell into conversation with Al on her other side and not while she demolished three slices of pie on her own. She didn’t move away until everyone left the table, and then, she leaned into him, more than just a sway to help heave herself up, before she went. 

After she, and the rest of his guests, left, all Mike could think was that he definitely understood why Maddie was reluctant to admit that Miss Baker wouldn’t be in their life forever.

Arguably, it took Mike too long to set Maddie straight on the whole new mom thing. On Thanksgiving, she passed out before everyone had left, not even stirring when Mike picked her up from the couch and transferred her into her bed. Friday, Mike hadn’t quite figured out how to broach the subject, and Saturday, she spent most of the day with the Sanders boys.

It wasn’t until Sunday evening, the day before she was supposed to go back to school, that Mike was able to sit down with his little girl. 

They’d just finished dinner and Maddie’d asked to be excused—she really had learned some manners. 

“Actually, Mads, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

She shrugged, turning her trusting little face up to him. And why wouldn’t she trust him? He’d vowed to be the best dad possible, and he thought he’d done an okay job of it for not having any real example to follow.

“Okay, daddy,” she replied, folding her little hands on the table, elbows stuck out to the sides.

He smiled, utterly charmed by the picture she painted. Her little feet were probably swinging away under the table, too. Still, he couldn’t put this conversation off again. So, he took a deep breath and began, “Sweetheart, you know Miss Baker?”

Solemnly, she nodded, her attention unwavering. What he wouldn’t do for something to set off her short attention span. Something to distract her and send her careening away from the table. He could shrug and say he’d tried. Hope it all worked out for the best. 

No such luck.

“Well,” he paused and had to will himself to barrel forward, “I wanted to know why you think Miss Baker and I are going to get married.”

All of a sudden, it was like Mike didn’t exist. She wouldn’t look him in the eye, no matter how low Mike hunched to get in her line of sight. Maddie was, at least, still single-minded in her intensity. “Can I go play?” she asked, edging off her chair. 

“When we’re done talking.”

“There, you finished!”

“Mads,” he groaned, “you know that’s not what I meant.”

His little girl pouted, slumping in her chair. 

“Now, please tell me why you think Miss Baker is going to marry me.”

“Because she is.”

“That’s not a reason, kid. You—” he sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face “—you know we’re not really getting married, right? That’s just pretend?”

Maddie’s chin tipped up stubbornly. Still, Mike could see her lip begin to quiver. “It’s not pretend. You’re getting married and she’s going to be my new mommy.”

“Oh, sweetheart, that’s not true.”

Her shoulders began to shake and Mike felt like his own heart was breaking at the sight of the fat teardrops pooling in her eyes. He’d done that. Well, he and the the truth. Knowing he had about three seconds until a total meltdown, he slid around the table and gathered Maddie into his arms. 

He’d just barely got his ass in the seat when the wailing started. Honestly, Mike wasn’t sure where his daughter learned to cry quite so theatrically, but it was impressive. He rubbed up and down her shuddering back, cradling her in his lap and not caring that she was definitely smearing snot and tears all over his shoulder. If she needed to cry this one out, he wasn’t about to stop her. 

When the wailing died down, replaced mostly by sad little sniffles, Mike risked a question. “Which part is making you sad?”

He expected any number of replies. That they weren’t getting married. That Ginny wouldn’t be her mom. That she didn’t have a mom at all. 

He didn’t think he could possibly have guessed her real answer in a million years.

Maddie peered up at him. Her little face was crumpled and red, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She took two, deep, juttery breaths, practically wheezing with the effort. Mike waited patiently, continuing to rub her back. Finally though, she managed to get out, “I don’t want Miss Baker to marry Jacob C’s uncle!” 

“What?” Mike sputtered. He’d gotten pretty good at following the leaps in Maddie’s thought processes, but he was at a loss here.

“I told Jacob C. that his uncle can’t marry Miss Baker because she’s already going to marry you! But you say she’s not, so that means she has to marry him!” she collapsed, sobbing and drained, back against his shoulder. 

Mike rubbed her back, soothing, but trying not to laugh at kindergarten logic. If this was all Maddie was worked up about, he felt just a tiny little bit less bad. Until he realized, Christ, he’d raised his kid to be as possessive as he was.

“Maddie, Miss Baker’s not going to marry anyone if she doesn’t want to.”

“But she wants to marry him!”

“Doesn’t that mean she probably doesn’t want to marry me, then?”

“She wants to marry you, too!” she mumbled stubbornly.

“What makes you think that, Mads?” he sighed, knowing it was pointless to just tell her she was wrong. His daughter was stubborn as hell. Mike wondered who she got it from…

She just shook her head, clinging tightly to his neck. Finally, after much coaxing, he got her to mutter something into his shirt. 

“She smiles at us?” he checked, sure that couldn’t be right.

Maddie nodded, though, misery clinging to every inch of her tiny frame. 

Again, Mike had to struggle to hold in a chuckle. His daughter the drama queen. 

“You smile at Marcus and Gabe and all of your classmates. Does that mean you’re going to marry them?” A hesitant, short shake. “Okay. And how about me? I smile at lots of people. Your Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Blip, sometimes even at people I don’t know. Do you think I’m going to marry them?”

“No,” she admitted reluctantly, finally sitting up to frown at him. “But it’s different, daddy. She smiles different at you and Uncle Noah.”

Mike wasn’t sure how he felt about his kid calling some random man her uncle, but he got her point. 

Strangely enough, it gave him hope, even if it should maybe have kickstarted that jealous streak. Just Livan saying a few words to her in Spanish had managed to set it off. Odd as it was, this news about a potential other guy in the picture didn’t really bother him in the least because maybe Mike had a shot with her. If Ginny liked him enough that even his kid could see it, maybe he hadn’t been imagining things. Maybe he hadn’t been getting his hopes up for nothing. 

He didn’t tell Maddie, though. While he could handle dashed dreams—in fact, did every baseball season—he wasn’t going to risk subjecting his daughter to this heartache again.

Not until he knew for sure how Ginny felt, at least.

It was all well and good to resolve to have a grown up conversation with the woman he was rapidly developing feelings for. But, as anyone could tell you come February, it was one thing to resolve to do something and an entirely different thing to actually do it. 

Which was how Mike made it to the middle of December, only a few days to go before winter break, without making any kind of headway. This was his last day volunteering of the semester.

Which was why he was still lingering in Ginny’s room as his daughter and her classmates ate in the cafeteria. He was supposed to go when they filed out for lunch, but Ginny hadn’t kicked him out and Mike wasn’t leaving until she did or he figured out what to do.

Urgency and a general lack of a game plan, unfortunately, hadn’t yet made for a winning combination, and now was no different.

“My daughter tells me I should be congratulating you.”

Ginny looked up from where she was organizing a stack of artwork to send home, a confused frown furrowing her brow. Mike could’ve kicked himself, but he’d already sunk this far, might as well keep digging.

“She’s under the impression that you’re marrying Jacob Casey’s uncle.”

“Ah,” she laughed, a muted flush darkening her cheek. “That’s the news on the kindergarten grapevine these days, huh?”

“So I hear.”

She busied herself straightening the stack, but peeked up at him, uncharacteristically shy. Cute as she was, Mike kind of missed her giving him shit. 

“Noah Casey is a perfectly nice guy,” she said, standing from her desk and picking up the pile of drawings.

“I sense a but,” Mike said, not at all hopefully. 

“But,” she continued, casting him an exasperated glance. “he’s not really my type. Now help me put these in the cubbies, and stop fishing for gossip.”

Mike could take a hint. He also took half the pile off Ginny’s hands and started divvying artwork into the appropriate cubbies. Some of it was suspect to say the least. He knew these were just kindergartners, but geez, how did Ginny manage to stay so positive with them?

“Oh!” she exclaimed, brandishing a familiar drawing at him. “Here’s Maddie’s family portrait. She showed you, didn’t she?”

“She did,” he assured, his attention caught on the curly haired figure standing next to the bearded one. Was this how long Maddie had been thinking Ginny would join their family? Sweet Jesus.

“It was nice getting to put faces to—well, drawings, I guess. At Thanksgiving. I thanked you for inviting me, didn’t I?”

She had. Mike had walked her to the door and wished her a safe drive home. She’d straightened from pulling on her sneakers and smiled at him, rocking forward on her toes and wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a quick hug, murmuring her thank you in his ear before she pulled away. 

It was a miracle he’d managed to see her out without incident. Or without the snickers that broke out as soon as the door swung closed blowing his cover. 

Without turning to Blip—because who else would it have been?—he’d muttered, “Shut up,” and gone to haul Maddie upstairs to her bedroom.

“You know that one’s supposed to be you, right?” he blurted rather than respond to her question. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wished the ground would open up beneath him and swallow him whole. It was turning into something of a theme today.

“Yeah,” she replied, smiling fondly down at the picture. “Maddie was so excited, she got out of her seat and ran up to my desk to show me. She told me that you were going to marry me and—”

“She what?” Mike sputtered, thrown for a loop.

“Oh,” she said, the picture of innocence. If he hadn’t spent the past three months getting to know her, he would’ve believed it, but the glimmer in her eye told Mike that Ginny knew exactly what she’d done. “Has she not told you this plan?”

“No, she has,” he wheezed. “I didn’t realize that she started with you, though.”

“It’s not so weird,” Ginny assured him, mischief melting into something softer. “Apparently, lots of kids with single dads think that about their teachers. I’ll take it as a compliment. I mean, I thought my kindergarten teacher was a witch all year. I still think that actually.”

Mike couldn’t help but laugh. It was laugh or worry himself sick over the fact that his five-year-old had decided to become his wingman. 

“Well, I’m sorry if my daughter sexually harassed you on my account.”

That horsey laugh he’d become so fond of made an appearance. Ginny had to brace herself on her knees from the force of it. When she peeked up at him, her face red and eyes sparkling, Mike had to swallow down a few truly stupid urges. 

Finally, she straightened, still giggling a little. “No, no! She actually made some solid arguments in your favor.”

“Did she?”

“Yeah. She said that you have a pool and you know how to make the best blanket forts and usually, you take just her to all the baseball games during the summer, but she was sure I could come, too.” Mike laughed a little disbelievingly at that, and Ginny joined in. “To be fair, I hadn’t realized you were an actual player at that point, so I just thought she might not realize how season tickets work.”

“She definitely doesn’t.”

“Well, either way, it was clear how much she loves you. Maddie would be a shark in sales.”

Mike blinked, wondering if he was reading too much into that. Had his kid sold her on him before they even met? And if she’d liked him to begin with, what did she think now that they actually knew each other? 

“Would she?” he asked, trying to keep his tone neutral, but unable to keep his head from tilting to the side, giving away his curiosity. 

Ginny’s attention slid over to him. For a long moment, she studied him out of the corner of her eye before going back to distributing the last pieces of art into the correct cubbies. 

Just when he’d given up on getting a response, she murmured, “Well, I guess it’s not such a hard sell.”

It took every ounce of Mike’s willpower not to whirl on her at that. Instead, he calmly slid Emily P’s family portrait into her mailbox and turned calmly, sedately even, to face the teacher, his hands finally empty. Ginny was definitely blushing now, the high arches of her cheeks rosier than they had been before. Studiously, she kept her focus off of him, up until she, too, ran out of art to occupy her focus. 

When her hands were empty, too, she dared a peek up at him and gulped when she saw Mike’s attention squarely on her. Only then did Mike ask, “Oh really?”

Her flush darkened and she swallowed. To her credit, though, she didn’t allow herself to look away, and even turned to face him head on. 

In spite of her blush, her embarrassment, Ginny shrugged, almost managing nonchalance. “I mean, in spite of the fact that you’re constantly rolling your eyes at me and you’re really way too grumpy for someone who plays a kid’s game for a living and you refuse to put that creature on your face out of its misery, yeah, Mike. It’s not that hard to sell someone on you.”

His grin threatened to split his face in half it was so wide.

“You know,” he said, taking a step towards her and not bothering to tamp down on that wild grin, not even a little bit, “I think Maddie was trying to talk you up, too.”

Her head tipped back so she could keep her eyes firmly on his, but she didn’t back up. Not when it was her turn to ask, “Oh really?”

“Yep. She told me that you knew all the best games and read stories with the right voices and have a secret candy stash. And even though now I know you’re only in the teaching game so you can raise your own, mini feminist army—”

“Feminist army?” she laughed.

“And you just love to interrupt me,” he continued, grin still in place, “and are lying through your teeth about my beard, I can see that Maddie was maybe onto something.”

“Something, huh?” Ginny took her own step forward, the toes of her sneakers nearly bumping against Mike’s boots. Her face tilted up to his, dimples fully on display as she practically beamed up at him. The last time they’d been this close, Ginny’d hugged him and Mike hadn’t known what to do with himself. He still didn’t know what to do with himself, but he intended to get more than a hug. 

As long as she was okay with it.

“I’m going to kiss you now,” he warned, lips mere inches from hers, hands settling on her waist.

“You better,” she breathed, her own hands landing on his chest and sliding appreciatively up to his shoulders.

Agreement secured, Mike leaned in and sealed his mouth over hers.

He was fully aware, even as he pulled Ginny closer and nipped at her full bottom lip, that he really shouldn’t be making out with his daughter’s teacher in his daughter’s classroom during school hours. Anyone, from another teacher to the principal to, oh yeah, his daughter, could walk in on them. He couldn’t quite bring himself to care, though. Not with Ginny’s fingers stroking against his beard as she cradled his face. Especially not when she sighed into him, opening her mouth to his. Their tongues tangled together, neither a contest of wills nor a conquest, just gentle, curious exploration. 

When they finally broke apart, Ginny hid her face in his chest, giggling a little helplessly as she caught her breath. He understood the feeling; he was pretty overwhelmed, too. Mike’s thumbs rubbed small circles into her sides, just below her rib cage, both to comfort and because he couldn’t bring himself to let go. 

Her giggles died away, but she didn’t emerge from the front of his shirt. He leaned back to try and get some view of her face, but she rocked with him. It was his turn to chuckle. In retaliation, Ginny stepped on his foot. 

“Hey!” he protested, not that she’d actually hurt him. “If that’s how it’s gonna be, then maybe I shouldn’t ask you out to dinner over the break.”

That finally got her to look up. It’d hardly been five minutes, but seeing her face again was such a relief. What kind of magic was that? 

“After that,” she countered through swollen lips, leaving no doubt to what she meant, “you better.”

It took a few years, but Mike eventually paid her back for that. 

In the space between the officiant asking, “Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” and Ginny’s response he mouthed the words back at her. 

You better. 

Even with all the time between that day and this, all the memories they’d created together, Mike watched the recollection click and her smile grow even wider. 

Eyes sparkling as brightly as the day he met her—as stunned as he’d been that day, it had nothing on the depth of his feelings now—Ginny responded, nearly overflowing with joy, “I do.” 

This time, Mike wasn’t going to wait to be told he could kiss her. Instead, he drew his wife—his wife!—forward and was well ahead of the curve by the time he heard, “You may now kiss the bride.”

Judging by the way Ginny laughed into his mouth, she didn’t mind one bit.

[trickstersantana]

Para: You've got to lose to know how good it feels to win

Who: Santana, Spencer and Mason Location:  Undique Stadium Time: 16th January after classes Summary: Santana (that lost all her glamour potions in a tragic accident who might or might not be caused by Rachel Berry) ask Spencer to get a package for her before their fight. Also Mason comes to watch the fight Triggers/Notes: Violence

Spencer had the package Santana wanted in hand. As soon as his class ended he made the trip to the post office, he couldn't help but laugh when he saw the postman, even if he did feel a little bad for him. He looked much older, so he wondered if that meant Santana was into the older ladies. He might bring that up sometime. Spencer arrived at Sciron right on time and made his way to Santana's room, knocking on her door when he arrived. "Hey, it's Spencer," he called out to the door, "I've got your package."

Santana finally heared Spencer arriving and it felt like an angel descending to hell to rescue her. Bless the Champion. "I'll open now, on a moment" she said while searching for her sunglasses and her gloves... except she has no gloves. Just the fingerless ones. Those weren't going to hide much. "One moment" She repeated while thinking of a solution that had should had though before. Maybe she could just get it pretty fast. She took a deep breath and opened the door just enough for her to see Spencer with the package and him seeing one of her eyes hidding with some sunglasses "Hi"

Spencer had read the package on his trek to Sciron. How could he not? Curiosity got the best of him. He knew what the package was and the fact that Santana was acting so...odd only made it more obvious. He waited for her to open the door and when she finally did he sighed, handing her the package labelled 'glamour potions.' "Here's your potions for alchemy class." He said, laughing softly. He wouldn't poke much fun at her beyond that. He knew ti was probably hard for her to deal with. Spencer was a dick, but was he that much of a dick? He liked to think he wasn't...most of the time.

Santana she looked to where the package was and just quickly took it opening the door the minimun necessary and just closing it instantly. She hoped Spencer didn't notice much if her hand looked like wear with way too long nails that looked more like claws. ​C'MON IM SURE HE DOESN'T SUSPECT A THING​. She opened the package "One moment" and took and drank one potion while going to look at herself to the broken mirror in her bathroom, that was quick. She took off her sunglasses to see the white on her eyes again, the having only one pairs of hears and no tail. She almost jumped if she wasn't so nervous about getting back to be herself. Then she got some pants and opened the door "Sorry I didn't have any pants on. Ready to get your ass kicked?" Flawless, Santana, Flawless, no ONE WOULD SUSPECT A THING.

Spencer had noticed Santana's hand looking different, but what he noticed more was how much Santana was hiding herself. He continued to wait outside once she took the package, and looked around at the people walking down the hall, nodding politely in their direction. "Who the fuck is that?!" Asked one girl to her friend as they walked past him. Spencer sighed and turned back toward the door, wondering how much time he'd have to be out in the hall, waiting by the door. He almost cheered when Santana finally emerged. Spencer shook his head, he enjoyed Santana's attitude, she was one of the people he could relate to the most at the school.  "Good one, Santana." He said with a small chuckle, he was laughing but a part of him was thinking it was likely she would take him down. Santana was one of the stronger opponents when it came to one on one duels, he's seen what she can do. Not to mention he lost to Blaine and he had never even pegged that guy as a potential competitor. "We'll see how it goes. You know I'm a champ." He said, starting to walk out of Sciron, and toward Undique.

Santana laught too, let's just go with the flow as nOTHING HAPPENED HERE. She really hoped he didn't notice anything weird or it was the death of her, but she kept smiling. ​ C'mon just distract him​ "So, well, did Blaine resisted at least two rounds against you or you took him down on a single spell?" She asked with a big smile while walking with Spencer to Undique.

Spencer eyed her suspiciously when Santana asked him about his duel with Blaine. Did she know how bad it had gone? He cleared his throat, "What?" He picked up his pace a little, hoping to get to Undique much faster so they could stop talking and start dueling. That was much better than talking. "It went okay. He did better than I thought he would." That's all he was giving her.

Santana she looked at Spencer, surprised to hear that "Aw, good for him, he's improving" She felt a little proud of him for some strange reason. Maybe she standed up for 4 or even 5 rounds before losing? Agaisnt Spencer? Impressive. For Blaine, of course. She noticed Spencer walking faster "Race you to Undique the last one is a loser" She said starting to run to the place.

Spencer narrowed his eyes. "Yea, he's pretty good now." He knew it wouldn't be long until they arrived at Undique but it still couldn't come faster. When Santana mentioned racing, he perked up, how could he turn that down? He started immediately went into a full sprint hoping to be the first one there. He was running at more or less the same speed as her, the scenery whizzing past him in his peripheral. He knew he shouldn't waste all his energy on this right ebfore a duel, but this was fun. Getting in a win before the duel would help him regain some confidence too. "You really think you can beat me?” He called out, laughing in her direction. "I run for fun all the time. I've got legs of steal. They rival my guns."

Santana giggled a little about how competitive Spencer was. But indeed, he was faster than her. She usually just runned for real when it was mortal danger, and it wasn't really fun. "Ok, you win on running" She said smiling "Now let's enter for the real deal" She said going inside the building while catching out her breath. Nothing like a friendly combat to make her feel placed on reality again.

Spencer rolled a die. The die showed: 5

Santana rolled a die. The die showed: 3

Mason looked up from his spot at the back of the room - it didn't seem like they'd spotted him. That was Spencer and Santana; he'd been doing some practicing of his own and he'd just been about to leave...but if he was being honest with himself, he sort of wanted to see one of Santana's infamous duels. So he just tucked himself on one of the benches and watched, as silently as he could.

Spencer fist pumped in celebration when he beat Santana in getting there first. He breathed deeply to catch his breath, smiling widely at her. He was glad she meant business and wanted to get right to things, they quickly found themselves in the training room. He made it to a side of the room quickly, and looked in her direction, deciding ti was time to get things rolling. <<"Earth, rise!">​>​ He cast, and stomped his foot on the ground, causing it to quake underneath her feet and rise suddenly, hoping to knock her down.

Santana rolled a die. The die showed: 5

Spencer rolled a die. The die showed: 5

Santana was attacked by surprise from the floor when she was preparing to do an attack by surprise herself. She fall and laugh for some reason. "Good one Champion" Usually earth affinities attacked from below. Sadly she didn't know exactly what to do with that information to get it to her advance right now. "Be careful with the water" She said while making illusory fast water springs coming from the ground near Spencer , as if a pipe broke, leaving the floor around Spencer as it was wet. "Try not to fall, Champ"

Spencer looked around as water began to sprout from the ground. That was...strange. He felt as if the floor were wet and slippery and he needed to get somewhere dry. Spencer moved too quickly and ended up slipping on his side. "Shit," he said with a laugh.

Spencer rolled a die. The die showed: 2

Santana rolled a die. The die showed: 2

Santana snapped her fingers and made it look like some electricity was pasing trhough the water "Careful~"

Spencer was getting prepared to cast his own spell when suddenly it looked like electricity was coursing through the water. "What the fuck?!" He exclaimed as he crawled quickly away from it, scraping his knees as he did so.

Santana rolled a die. The die showed: 5

Spencer rolled a die. The die showed: 4

Santana turned the combination of water and electricity and morfed them to look like they were turning into [tw:snakes] snakes made of thunder, then they went fast to attack Spencer.

Santana rolled a die. The die showed: 4

Spencer hates illusion magic. It's the fucking worst. The fact that Santana sent snakes made of thunder after him only cemented that fact. His heart was racing in his chest as he tried to move away from the snakes, but they were surrounding him.

Spencer rolled a die. The die showed: 2

Santana just added some sound effects and added more snakes to the illusion to keep going to Spencer and make him go back. She looked a little dissapointed "What's up, Champion? I though you were going to give me a challenge?"

Spencer balled his hands into fists when the snake situation only got worse. He wanted it to end. Santana's words made him grit his teeth in anger. He was getting his ass kicked almost as quickly as he had with Blaine. What was he doing? This was pathetic.

Spencer rolled a die. The die showed: 4

Santana rolled a die. The die showed: 3

Santana rolled a die. The die showed: 5

Spencer rolled a die. The die showed: 2

Santana turned the snakes into daggers. Real looking daggers, with electricity around Spencer, and they just got ready to get him.

Mason thinks he's very glad he refused to battle Santana. His poor roommate was getting whupped...

Spencer sighed loudly, he was afraid...and angry. Mostly angry. At least that's he told himself. He really had to learn how to make illusions of his own. It was never a form of magic that particularly interested him. He gritted his teeth and groaned as the daggers started coming towards him. He felt weakened, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he would pass out. Spencer needed to save some dignity he had left and prevent that from happening again. Besides would Santana even help him? They weren't exactly that close. Blaine helped him out because that guy was like a walking positivity poster always spouting out something about friendship and romance. He sighed and shut his eyes tightly, before calling out, "Alright, YOU WON." He hoped she would call the illusions off and he could just go out somewhere to work his shame off.

Santana stopped the illusion, still a little surprised it was so...easy. God, Spencer was supposed to be the strongest... but Rachel and Adam gave her way more fight than him. She got closer to him, a little worried "Are you alright? Did I touched some trauma or biggest fear there?" She asked worried it happened AGAIN "Because if I did this time it was accidental"

Spencer breathed a sigh of relief once everything went away. He frowned at Santana, shaking his head at her. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Maybe his magic wasn't actually strong at all. "Do I look like someone who has some deep trauma?" He said, getting up and dusting himself off. "I'm just a little worn out, but I'm fine. You've got to lose to know how good it feels to win." He sighed, extending a hand out to Santana, "Good fight." He didn't believe it for a second yet again he proved to be a pathetic opponent. He can't believe he did so poorly. Was this how it would be from now on?

Santana shruged "I don't know, I don't have a trauma radar, I usually notice when they start crying and getting mad at me" She was still not believing what was happening. But she wasn't really happy, it didn't feel like a victory. She though about what he said "You know? Maybe you are right, lately I'm literally winning every fight and it's just... it stops being fun soon..."She said, still wondering why beating everyone physically didn't magically fixed all her problems that had nothing to do about fighting. She didn't wanna go already though, she was having fun with him and he did brought the potions for her. "Wanna get some ice cream or something? It'll be fun to just hang out"

Spencer cocked his head, looking at Santana in confusion. "Well, I'm not crying or mad at you." He was mad at himself. He knew Santana was one of the stronger duelists in their social circle, so it hurt less to lose to her, but it still stung nonetheless. He didn't like the feeling of losing, especially when it was starting to happen often. His look of confusion only deepened when she asked him if he wanted to go get ice cream. That wasn't something he was expecting. The thought of getting ice cream after losing was so foreign to him, as a kid his parents rewarded him with ice cream whenever he won at a sports game. Not when he lost. There were no rewards for losing. Life didn't work that way. He crossed his arms, "Uh...sure." He really wanted to just heal himself and work out, but he could always do that after having some ice cream. "I've got to heal myself first though." He patted his pocket where a healing crystal was waiting for him.

Santana for a second though of making an illusion of tears on Spencer face, but what for? C'mon he didn't laught at her, let's be cool here. She waited for him, wondering why he didn't heal himself during the duel. She would probably ask him someday.

Spencer took the crystal out of his pocket and gripped it in his hand. <<"Heal.">​>​ He cast, and the crystal lit up and started to absorb his pain. He strengthened up some, quickly healing himself. He put the crystal back in his pocket when he was done, the crystal no longer illuminated by magic. He looked to the exit and started to walk out, looking back at Santana. "Let's go get ice cream then." He sighed, hopefully they wouldn't spend the whole time taking about the match.

[kelleyschorn]

Kelley Reviews: Rewinder

Rewinder by Brett Battles

Narrated by Vikas Adam  *if I spell a character’s name wrong it’s because I listened to it and did not read the physical book*

Welcome to the first book review of my blog! I just finished listening to this book on Audible and I can’t wait to let you know what I thought of it! I’ll be doing this review in the same way as my movie reviews by talking about what I think worked, what didn’t work, and what I would have done differently/ and or what my predictions are for future parts. There are SPOILERS in this review. I don’t think it completely ruins the book but there are some major SPOILERS. You’ve been warned.

I came to this book after finishing Rachel Aaron’s Heartstriker series (I may do a review of that in the near future), and I LOVED the narration done by Vikas Adam. I needed more. After doing some research and chatting with him briefly on Twitter I decided to go with Rewinder. It was a major change of pace from Heartstrikers and now that I’ve reached the end, here are my thoughts.

WHAT WORKED

The concept was so cool for this series. The whole question of, what if we’d lost the revolutionary war? I’m not sure what kind of extensive research Battles did on this subject but it felt like a very possible iteration of the world under these circumstances. The social cast system, cars being called carriages, gas is petrol and all the British city names. I’m not sure about how accurate the slow of technological advancement was but based on the culture of greed mentioned in the book I could believe it.

What I liked about the characters was that each one, specifically Marie, Lidia, and Denny had distinct personalities. Denny was polite and his quiet in-the-background personality fit a person from that social class. Lydia on the other hand was more outspoken and overly confident in herself because she was from a better class. The fact that Denny was the top of his group could have felt cliché but Battles did a good job showing how hard Denny worked for his knowledge and how passionate he was about history so it felt natural. I do wish I’d gotten more of Marie, I loved what I saw of her character in this book and would love to see more! From what happens in the last chapter I think that just might happen.

The time travel. I’m not quite sure how to describe this, but the way that the time travel parts made me feel when I was reading/listening to it was really cool. Especially the part where Denny is interacting with the point in time that changes everything, both the first time, and the subsequent times. It made my head spin a bit to think about it but not in an unpleasant way. The way he explained it could be called a tad bit lazy, the whole, “Marie told me not to think about it too hard or it would make me crazy” thing but I bought it and it worked for me. Ultimately I thought all of the time travel elements were pretty cool and well executed.

The pacing. The pacing of this story was really nice because things just kept happening. I liked that it started small with Denny finding the newspaper, and then ramped up and ramped up until boom the fate of their known world rests in Denny’s hands. It was a good build and I was there for it.

That end scene though! Just that one part where we maybe possible but maybe not see Marie and older Denny walking on the pier. The implications of that made me SO EXCITED!

The narration, which to those of you who don’t do audible you can skip this part but Vikas Adam is my new favorite narrator and I found this series because I wanted to hear more of him. He makes the characters come to life and each person has a different voice and even accent! Props to you Vikas for another job well done.

The cover. As a designer I’ve gotta give props to a great cover. The colors are great—I’m always a fan of a nice red pop. The art is beautiful and I love the font. Especially the fact that the last R in Rewinder is backwards, that is a fantastic detail!

WHAT DIDN’T WORK

The companions. I needed more from this part of the concept. Sure they are useful for taking away the painful element of time travel and sure they do a good job of leading Denny to Iffy but other than that they just feel like a means to an end. I wished they’d had one other important tie in to make them that much more meaningful to the overall story.

Iffy. More specifically, the Iffy and Denny romance. I just didn’t buy it. And the fact that within a few days they were kissing and bonding and so “in love” that Denny would sacrifice a whole world for her just bothered me. Same reason why the first Thor movie bothered me, they did the same thing with that romance. Sure she and Denny were connected through the companionship thing with the chaser and they share a couple of emotional moments but still. Their relationship escalated so quickly that it ended up feeling unrealistic. Iffy herself is a decent character. Again, the whole weird romance thing throws it all a bit off for me.

Denny’s family is a bit of a cliché with the dead good family and the abusive/indifferent living family. Not too much of an issue but it did make his choice to not keep his old world conveniently easier. Going off of this, Denny’s last ditch sister rescue at the end felt somewhat random to me. Based on the foreshadowing and all the mention of his mother’s grave it would have fit better if he’d rescued his mom. This also wasn’t too huge of an issue for me but I could see that if he’d talked more about his sister in those instances it would have been a better set up.

WHAT I’D DO / WHAT’S NEXT

So addressing some of the things I had issues with I want to give my own ideas on how I would have changed it. So I touched on it a bit before but I would give the whole companion idea its own plotline. The companions get the worst end of the time travel job-they have to sit there and take the pain in silent acceptance while the rewinders get all the glory. I really thought that when they said at the beginning that some rewinders get the ability to communicate with their companions that something was being set up. So maybe create some kind of conflict or even friendship between Denny and Palmer. Maybe the companions start a revolt and that becomes a thing. Maybe Palmer hears something important and secret during one of Denny’s jumps and it causes problems for him.

With the whole Iffy romance thing I really did not like that she was the main reason Denny made his decision. I get that it was also based on our world being better and freer but from reading the book it really felt like it was at least 85% because of Iffy. I would switch that. I think Battles was trying to go for that in the first place so I would say he needed to give a lot more explanation and comparison form Denny’s POV about what’s different that is good. Yes he kind of shows us this when Denny first arrives in our world and when he’s traveling around with Iffy but I wanted it to be stronger. Instead again, the emphasis was placed on the romance and that reasoning just felt weak to me.

As for what’s next, I can honestly say I’m not one hundred percent sure. As I mentioned earlier, we see possibly Marie and older Denny walking along the pier which maybe will tie into the next one but may also be the ultimate end of series at the end of book three. (That would be pretty cool). Aside from that and the fact that Lidia is sort of still out there and will probably turn up again, the end felt like an end. There weren’t a ton of unanswered questions left so it will be interesting to see how book two goes. That being said I think I’m going to be taking a serious look at my books to read list and try to re-prioritize because there are just so many! So I may read the rest of this series at some point but maybe not immediately.

Overall it was a good book I’m glad to have read it. Brett Battles is obviously talented and very creative and if you ever read this I truly did enjoy it. I’m doing these reviews because their fun to do but also in the hopes that it will help me to improve my own writing so that I’ll be able to publish my own book someday. If you liked this review give it a share and if you’ve read this book I’d love to hear your thoughts on the book! Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? I want to know! Hit me up on twitter or send me an email or leave a comment!

Next on the list of reviews coming is Solo: A Star Wars Story. Get pumped!!!