#Yes this is abt the take me to church cover. Eye didn’t get it. Until eye did.

[jonahmagnus]

*Someone says something about love in fiction* I don’t get it *same thing but about a woman* OHHHHHHHHH

[soothinglee]

Okay (this is the anon from the "too scared to request" ask) I read a fanfic similar to this and it got me thinking. What abt Ranboo x Vampire reader (platonic) where Ranboo basically kills people for money and he, not knowing reader is a vamp, tries to kill them and they pretend to be dead until later where they show up to his house and get revenge by making his life a living hell every day

You can totally ignore if you want I get it if it's too weird or specific for you to write

Revenge (part 1.)

requested?: (yes read above)

Warnings: Mentions of blood, knives, death and a whole lotta angst. (a bit ooc)

 a/n: Non this was perfect! Dw about specific-ness or how ‘weird’ it is, that means you have a good imagination! Also being specific makes it easier for me to write! I hope you enjoy! I tried as best as I could^~*.

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You and Ranboo had been friends for ages. Ever since he first joined the smp. You always admired how truthful and kind he was. Spilling everything that happened to him in a instant, he trusted you so much that he even told you about everything that happened with Dream when no-one else knew. So the fact that he didn’t tell you that he killed for money hurt.In all honesty you could’ve helped him. But, it was very hypocritical of you. See, you had a secret of your own. You were a vampire. And no one knew.

You planned to keep it that way.

Everyone has been skeptical of how Ranboo got richer and richer every second. They honestly thought that he grinded for hours or worked in tradding materials but it was something different..something worse. You knew exactly what it was. At the dead of night he’d sneak out of his house, clad in Netherite armour and a sword shoved into his pant pocket like clock work. Theres was only one destination in mind. He’d set off to the community house.

Hovering over a tree, you floated in the air watching as ranboo quietly close the spruce door and hesitantly stepped down to avoid the creak of the step. He slings a bag over his shoulder that looks like it could crush anyone under 120 pounds.

‘Whats in the bag?’ you think eying it closely ‘wouldnt be a dead body, he wouldnt keep that in the house especially with Micheal in there.’

Ranboo stumbles here and there until he finally reaches the crafting table covered floor. Three guys stand infront of him. All varying in different heights.One carries a enchanted axe, the one on their right equpied with a bow while the other one is bare-handed. But…there was something else you noticed about their stance…

They were scared.

“Ranboo!” One called walking forward “So nice of you to finally join us.”

Ranboo scoffs walking towards the man but only to stop a little ways from them. He throws the bag on the floor gently. “You know its hard for me to sneak out of there.” He says bending down “Took me ages to put Micheal to bed.”

The guy laughs and shakes his head “I bet, childern are always stubborn. How is micheal now? 3? 4?” He watches as Ranboo opens the black bag slowly, eying it as if a monster is going to pop out and attack him and his goons.

Ranboo looks up at the man through his eyelash from the floor and lets out a laugh “How old my son is shouldnt be your business, punz” he sneers opening the bag a little wider.

Punz looks back to the guys behind him who were now taking off the hoods that layed upon their heads. The two figures behind punz was none other then AntForst and Bad. Its his turn to laugh “Shouldnt I know the things about my client?” to which ranboo huffs out a 'I’m not your client’ under his breath.

Standing up, ranboo towers over punz by a good amount making the boy in white peer up at the hybrid. “Yeah Yeah, whatever. Whats in the bag?” Looking away from ranboo,his gaze drops down to the bag on the floor. A purple-ish light floats from it making punz laugh in greed.

Ranboo huffs again as if hes done this a thousand times.

“He probably has” you mumble, you yourself trying to see what was in the bag without getting spotted.

“Everything you asked for,” He starts picking the bag up with ease “5 enchanted cross-bows, two stacks of arrows, half a stack of diamond blocks and 10 gapples.”

The men whoop and Punz goes to reach for the bag but his hand is slapped away by Ranboos freckled one.”No. This is not how the trade works, you know that. Dont get greedy. I dont sell to greedy people.”

Punz sighs and rolls his eyes but nonetheless takes out 10 blocks of netherite and 4 blocks of gold. “This what you wanted?” he asks making ranboo nod to conform. “Alright then on the count of 3 we had over our respected items and go our marry little way, alright?” Ranboo nods again. He can sense something- no. Someone lurking.

“Alright then 1,” Punz takes a step forward towards Ranboo and ant and bad do the same. Ranboo stays where hes at. “2,” Ranboo stays still once again but this time slowly reaches for something in his back pocket. The boys don’t notice but you do.

“Oh god ranboo please dont let that be what I think it is..” You gasp covering a hand over your mouth. From the your place up in the air you know take position on the ground barely visible behind a tree.

“3″ Ranboo pulls the sword that once was rested in his pocket and swings it into punzs’ stomatch. A bewildered look flashes across punzs’ face as he stares into Ranboos eyes. He grunts and falls forward but ranboo catches him before he can crash. While the knife is still in punzs’ stomach he lies him down getting his blood all over his hands.

Theres a scream couple feet in-front of Ranboo.

‘Crap,’ He panics looking up quickly and noticing the two men inching away from him ‘I forgot they were there!’

Ranboo slowly inches forward slowly to not cause any alarm. Ant speaks up for the first time in 30 minutes “Ranboo you dont want to do this...” He puts his hands up in defence. “Me and Bad can just move on! Forget about it! Just please...” his sentence trails off.

Ranboo twirls the knife in his hand. The blade soaked to the brim in blood. He shakes his head slowly...sadly. “I’m sorry but...I cant have any witnesses” with that he teleports infront of them and with one swift motions they take their place on the floor. Now, there are three bodies.

‘This is too much, whats going on? Whats...whats happening?’ You scream inside your mind. Thoughts running a mile a minute. This wasn't  the Ranboo you knew and loved. This wasn't him.

Your body moves before you think and now your standing behind Ranboo as his shoulders shake. It hard for you to look away from the blood. The smell is strong and the desire to eat is stronger. But, you have to focus on the point at hand...

“what the heck is going on?!” That got his attention. He head snaps backwards so hard you think he might've snapped his neck. Your voice didn't register in his head until he saw your crazed look, fear danced in your eyes as you look at the enderman dressed in black. You were bent forward slightly, both hands wrapped around your baby blue robe eying the sword that rest in his palm.

Tears sprout in his eyes as he trips over his words. “(Y-Y/N)?What are you doing here?” He tries to walk towards you stops when you take a step backwards.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Your voice wavers in disbelief. “Why? WHY?! Why didn't you tell me this was happening? I thought we tell each other everything!”

Ranboo whimpers and shakes “we do..we do..we do..” he cries “im sorry..im sorry im so sorry...”

You scoff and take the hand from your robe and place it on your cheek, eyes stuck to the ground. You cant bare to look him in the eye. “why..why are you sorry? hmph? Are you sorry for brutally MURDERING THEM AND THEN GETTING CAUGHT! AND FOR WHAT?! THEIR MONEY?!” Anger was now in place of fear. You looked up and looked straight into his eyes. Remorse is written all over his face.

this causes him to shake more. “no, im sorry for what im about to do..” in the blink of a eye he teleports behind you and places the cold, metal object to your neck. “I love you so much...remember that” and with a quick slash you join the bodies on the floor.

Thick tears fall from his eyes bound to make scars later. With one deep breath he says these finals words before the darkness fades in “There shall be no witnesses.. im sorry (y/n)”

is this what betrayal feels like?

taglist (g):

@angelicaschuyler-church

@kusuinko

[morefuns]

━ ✧ ( freya mavor, 23, she/her ) did you hear about loretta ‘lo’ dickens’ new record ? it’s totally bitchin' ! apparently people who have interviewed her say they’re really ambitious & resilient, but they can be sort of disruptive & blunt if you catch her at a bad time. gingham print, coffee fueled all-nighters, the rhinestone covered nail at the end of a middle finger salute. *dolly parton vc!!

howdy folks !! i know i’m super late to the game here because my work schedule today & the next couple days is whack BUT you can call me spencer or sb, i use they/them pronouns, broadcasting from the cst time zone in the american southeast ( because, of course i would be with a dolly vc afvsgbsdfv ) && i’m here to introduce you to my country music child star that’s breaking her way into the mainstream music scene !! if you’d like to plot w her, feel free to go ahead and jump into my ims or give this a like and i’ll come to yours !! this will probably inevitably get way longer than necessary so feel free to just skip to the tldr version lmao

𝔹 𝔸 𝕊 𝕀 ℂ 𝕊

        ♡        name:   loretta rose dickens         ♡        nicknames:   lorie ( to her parents ), itty ( to childhood friends ), lo ( to the rest of the world )         ♡        age:   twenty-three         ♡        date of birth:   july 31 ( yes, she’s a love crazed leo what’s new )         ♡        place of birth:   sevierville, tennessee         ♡        accent:   southern american, specifically appalachian         ♡        gender:   cisgender woman         ♡        pronouns:   she / her / hers

𝔹 𝔸 ℂ 𝕂 𝔾 ℝ 𝕆 𝕌 ℕ 𝔻 

        ♡        loretta rose dickens was born the youngest of six children in the smokey mountains of east tennessee. to say she was the apple of her parents’ eyes would have been an understatement. despite the fact that her father’s career as a coal miner didn’t provide them with the highest income, they made the best of the life they had, and her parents always did whatever they could to give the children the whole world.         ♡        lo first discovered her love for music in church. from the moment she was able, she sang along to every song from her seat in the worn down pews. until she was old enough to join the choir, then everyone was singing along with her. she was a natural, and was doted on by all the other members for her talents.          ♡        while her passion for music never waned, it never occurred to lo that it could be a career. but soon enough her parents and their friends were encouraging her to perform more publicly than just the church. by the age of eleven, lo was featured on a number of local tv programs and radio shows, and by twelve she and her mother were signing contracts to record her first few singles. suddenly, she was being played on country music radio stations across the country. it was all uphill from there; suddenly she was a teenager and going a few hours away to nashville once a week to record music while she finished school. after graduating, she moved to nashville full time, and lived there for a couple of years before bigger opportunities had her packing up and taking the cross-country trip to los angeles.          ♡        since her move to la, lo has been experimenting with her music a bit outside of the country bubble. these days, most of her tunes have more pop-sounding melodies, but she never forgets to add her own southern twist. her aesthetic and music mixes elements of classic country with the gaudy, over-the-top elements that characterize the era. ( the “ it takes a lot of money to look this cheap ” dolly quote is the most lo thing ever ok )         ♡        her music hasn’t been the only thing that has changed in recent years, though. just as she mixes styles with her music, her once virtuous country girl image has been tainted with the growing sex appeal she conveys, and she had become much more outspoken and short with interviewers and critics. that’s not to mention that she’s been caught being promiscuous with a number of other stars, as well as been seen partying maybe just a little too hard. older followers of lo and more conservative country music fans ��� who make up a considerable portion of her audience ─ are alarmed ( some even outraged ) by what seems to be a spark of rebellion coming from the once pure child star. 

ℙ 𝔼 ℝ 𝕊 𝕆 ℕ 𝔸 𝕃 𝕀 𝕋 𝕐

        ♡        to begin, lo is super outspoken and blunt. not to say she’s unnecessarily mean, because she’s not, but she isn’t afraid to tell it how it is. especially if it’s about something she cares a lot about.         ♡        she also ( generally ) is a do no harm but take no shit kind of person. she’s not gonna go out of her way to be malicious but she will not stand for bullshit. she will shut that down quick. this is one of the things that’s got her put into that ‘at risk’ category, because she has gotten snippy with a bunch of reporters, especially for asking sexist questions. she ain’t gonna have it ok.         ♡        a love addict ─ she wants to love, wants to be loved, wants to be involved with love. similarly, she is the biggest flirt you’ll ever meet, and has a promiscuous streak going. not good at relationships, because in the fews she’s been in she always ended up cheating. just generally a boy crazy mess.         ♡        so so so ambitious and passionate. if you tell her she can’t do something, she’ll do it just to prove you wrong. demands to be taken seriously.         ♡        can be argumentative for that same reason ^ always always always wants to be right. could luck getting her to concede in a fight.         ♡        loves contradictions in everything, which is a good thing because she is one tbh.

𝕋 𝕃 𝔻 ℝ ;

        ♡        lo was a child star on the country music scene for a while before she started dipping her toe into pop-y sounds and moved to la. now she’s kind of in the midst of a post-child star rebellious phase ( think 2012 miley but slightly less loud abt it and minus the cultural appropriation ). that along with her being more outspoken about her views on feminism and other social issues upset the conservative country fans that made up a large part of her ongoing audience, which is why she’s considered ‘at risk’. really just wants to have fun and be young tbh. huge flirt, kinda boy crazy. mixes very strong and intentional sex appeal with the classic virtuous southern girl image. would die 4 her gang.

𝕎 𝔸 ℕ 𝕋 𝔼 𝔻   ℂ 𝕆 ℕ ℕ 𝔼 ℂ 𝕋 𝕀 𝕆 ℕ 𝕊 

        ♡        best fiends forever   ─  best friends who are super close but also have a habit of stirring up trouble together. probably a little bit infamous in the media for being mischievous together. could be more than one character, even; i’m always down for a badass girl gang.         ♡        can’t stay true   ─   messy exes, maybe on again / off again, who were together but both of them seemed to always have trouble staying faithful to one another. ( potential for another on again / off again spell if you want and it works ─ but definitely not necessary !! )         ♡        featuring . . .   ─   someone who she collaborates with creatively often !! could be another performer or group, a writer, really any role that would fit could be fun !!         ♡        literally anything else ( friends, enemies, role models, anything & everything ) !! if you have ideas shoot them my way or we can brainstorm !!

[roslinadama-sinequanon]

Christmas in Connecticut-Part 3

A few minutes north, at the Attitash Ski Resort, the family broke up into different groups. Sharon, Ricky and Emily were expert skiers, though the black diamond runs were out for Emily. Even if she weren’t rehabbing an injury, now that she was dancing with ABT she had to be careful about partaking in any dangerous sport. So, she would be joining Andy for a few runs on the beginner slope. That ended up working out well as Sharon hadn’t wanted to desert him, but was looking forward to trying out some of the more difficult trails with Ricky.

Rusty, having lived with Sharon for several years now had gone with her a few times to her parent’s time share in Park City, Utah and also to Big Bear Mountain which was only a couple hours from LA and was where she liked to ski in California. She'd hoped he would learn to love the sport as much as the rest of the family did and had paid for him to have private lessons. It had taken some time but he'd finally progressed from beginner to advanced. In the beginning he'd reacted the way he always did to something out of his comfort zone, by being pretty vocal in his dislike of the sport. But the better he got at it the less inferior he felt to his siblings and the more he allowed himself to enjoy it.

Nicole, Dean and the boys had never stepped foot on a ski resort and would spend the day on the bunny slope having lessons.

As for Andy, Sharon had brought him to Big Bear in preparation for this vacation and he’d had a couple lessons. Though, as he’d pointed out to Sharon, growing up in working class Brooklyn meant he’d never even come close to a ski resort, he was athletic, in good shape, and had done some surfing so he did okay. But he was still a beginner and didn’t really aspire to anything greater. Sliding down a mountain on two thin pieces of wood and fiberglass on a beginner slope while five year olds whizzed past him was not his idea of great time. Truthfully, for him, the best part of any ski trip was cuddling up with Sharon in front of the fire at the ski lodge anyway.

They were only a few runs in when Andy noticed Emily rubbing her leg and grimacing a bit.

“Em, you okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, my stupid Achilles is just starting to ache. I don’t want to push it. I think I better call it a day.”

“Okay, let’s head back to the lodge. I could go for a hot chocolate anyway.”

“Oh, no, Andy. Don’t let me ruin your day, you keep going. I figured something like this might happen and I brought my kindle. I’ll just curl up in front of the fire and read.”

“I’ll let you in on a little secret; you’re doing me a favor by ending early.”

“You don’t like skiing?”

“Not really. Your mom took me cross country skiing and I enjoyed that, but downhill is not really my thing.”

“But you planned a ski vacation for all of us. Why would you do that if you don‘t like skiing?”

“Because your mother loves it and I love your mother. And now that we're living together I thought it would be good for us all to spend some time together. Besides, it’s been a rough few months, with the shooting and my little health scare. I think we all needed to get away and relax.”

Emily looked up at him tears shining in her big hazel eyes. Andy frowned. “Are you crying? Did I say something wrong?”

“No, Andy. You said something very, very right. I’m so glad my mom has you in her life now. “

“Well, that’s something I wanted to talk to you about. “

Emily stopped at the door to the lodge and gave him a look of panic. “You’re not breaking up with her are you?”

Andy chuckled. “Hardly. I’m head over heels for that woman.”

Emily smiled with relief. “I can see that. We all can.”

Andy got them each a steaming cup of dark hot chocolate with whipped cream and joined Emily on the couch in front of the fireplace. She had taken her ski boots off and was massaging her foot.

“Here you go,” he handed her the cup.

“Thank you,” she took a sip. “Oh God, this is divine.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, sipping their cocoa. Emily could see that Andy was a little uncomfortable so she gave him a little prod. “You said there was something you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Uh, yes, there is. I’m hoping to talk to your brothers tonight. But, uh, well, I, uh...”

“Andy, just spit it out.”

Andy laughed. She sounded very much like her mother. “It’s just, like I said earlier. I love your mother very much. You know we’re looking to buy a house together?”

“Yeah, I think that’s great. Like I said, my mom is lucky to have you in her life.”

“Thank you, but I’m the lucky one. Your mother is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. What I’m trying to say is…I want to ask your mother to marry me and I was wondering how you’d feel about that?”

Emily’s jaw dropped and she stared at him.

Uncomfortable with her silence and lack of response Andy quickly continued. “I know there are some issues we’ll have to work out. I’m pretty sure your mother would want to get married in the church and of course she‘d want to continue to receive the sacraments. That might require an annulment but with the new pope, he’s giving priests more leeway now when it comes to divorce and--”

“Andy, stop.”

He did, surprised to see a beatific smile softening Emily’s face. “Did you just say you want to ask my mother to marry you?”

“Yes, uh, I guess I did.”

“Oh my GOD!” Emily squealed with delight and threw her arms around him. “Oh, Andy, I think that’s the best news I’ve had in a long time. My mother adores you; I’ve never seen her look at anyone the way she looks at you and I’ve never seen her so happy. I’d LOVE for you guys to get married. When are you going to ask her?”

“I’m not sure; I guess when the time is right. I wanted to talk to all of you first. Of course Sharon would say it‘s her decision, and it is, but I figured it wouldn‘t hurt to cover all my bases.”

“Well, you have my blessing, that’s for sure. My mother deserves to be happy. She‘s spent her whole life taking care of everyone around her. She deserves to have someone taking care of her for a change.”

“Better not let her hear you say that,” Andy grinned. Sharon had spent years without having anyone to lean on and she didn’t always find it easy to admit she needed help.

“Just because you CAN take care of yourself, doesn’t mean you should always HAVE to.” In an instant the light left Emily’s eyes, replaced by a heavy sadness. “My father was pretty terrible to her, you know.” Andy nodded.  “I know a lot of people see mom as this tough police captain, and she can be tough, but she also has a really, really big heart. She’s always been there for me and Ricky and even though she worked full time and was raising us alone she was never too busy to help us or our friends. When I was in high school I had a friend who got pregnant. Her parents were super strict, super conservative and she was terrified to tell them. It was my mother we turned to for help. She didn’t judge Leah; she just wanted to know what she could do to help. She brought her to a doctor and when the pregnancy was confirmed she went with her as a buffer to tell her parents so she didn’t have to do it alone. That’s the kind of person she is. And my dad used that. He used her compassion to get her to help him out of whatever jams he got himself into. He’s pretty good at making people feel sorry for him.”

“Your dad is sick, Em. He’s an alcoholic. I‘m an alcoholic too. I think you know that.”

“I do. And I know you’ve been sober for like 20 years. I don’t know what you were like when you were drinking, but I know what you’re like now and you’re nothing like my father. My father is just as manipulative when he isn’t drinking as when he is. It‘s not the alcohol, it’s just who is. Don’t get me wrong.  I love my father because he’s my father but I’ll never trust him. He uses anyone to get what he wants or needs and he doesn‘t care who he hurts in the process.” She set her mug down surprised by how much she’d revealed. Usually she kept everything bottled up inside.“I‘m sorry, you probably don’t want to hear me going on about all this.”

“It’s okay. You can tell me anything Em. I’d never judge you.”

There was something in the way he said that, something in the way he looked at her, a combination of compassion and earnestness that made her think she really could trust him enough to open up to him.

“I guess I’m still pretty angry with him. I’m sure mom has told you that I…We…went years without speaking with him; he just completely disappeared from our lives. Then one day a few years ago he showed up on mom’s door broke and homeless, needing a place to stay. He wanted her to help him get an apartment, so she bribed him. Told him he could stay with her until he found a place IF he called Ricky and me. Please don’t tell her I know, she’s always tried so hard to protect us.” She waited for Andy’s nod of agreement then continued on. “It came out last Christmas when I had to stay with him for a bit because there was no room at mom’s and he got plastered one night. He gets pretty maudlin when he’s drunk, all sloppy and apologetic. Anyway, I didn’t know mom had to bribe him until then. I was just happy that he wanted to have some kind of contact with me. After that call, I didn’t hear from him for several months, and then out of blue around the time she started proceedings to adopt Rusty, I started getting calls again. It was only later that I found out he was just using me and Ricky to try to wheedle information out of us about you and mom. The divorce really threw him. He’s pretty jealous of you.”

“Well, he should be. He lost something very special.”

“Yeah, he did. He never would have done this, you know.”

“Done what?”

“Put together a vacation like this. Not if it wasn’t something he didn’t want to do. He never did anything just because he loved my mother and wanted to do something nice for her. There always had to be something in it for him. I’m sorry; I really shouldn’t be dumping all this on you. As you can probably tell, I‘m still a little bitter.”

Andy took the young woman’s hand, his heart aching for the pain so evident in the way she spoke of her father. “Like I said, it’s okay. I’m not just here for your mother, I’m here for you and Ricky and Rusty too. I want us to be family. Families dump on each other so feel free to dump away.”

Emily smiled. Andy really was very sweet. It was no wonder her mother had fallen in love with him. Like most children of separated or divorced parents there had been a time she’d hoped her parents would get back together. But that time was long gone and now all she wanted was for her mother to be happy with a man who loved her the way she deserved to be loved.

“The fact that you did all this for my mom, for us, well; it just shows how much you really love her.”

“I do, Emily. What I feel for your mother, it’s stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before. I want to spend the rest of my life making her happy. I can’t promise you that I’ll never hurt her. I’m far from perfect and sometimes we hurt the ones we love without ever intending to. But I do promise that I will never intentionally hurt her. I…”

“Here you two are.”

Emily and Andy looked up to see the subject of their discussion in her white fur trimmed ski parker, her cheeks rosy from the cold and wind, glossy auburn curls spilling out of her ski hat. Andy quickly turned to Emily mouthing “not a word”. She gave a slight nod, barely able to contain her excitement.

“My foot was bothering me so Andy kindly joined me back here and got me a hot chocolate.”

Sharon gazed at Andy with that sappy “Oh you sweet man I love you so much” look that Emily had been referring to earlier.

“Did you need us for something?” Andy asked.

“No, not really. I did a couple runs with Ricky, then a couple with Rusty; I was just coming to do one with the two of you but couldn’t find you. How about heading over to the bunny slope to see how the kids are progressing?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Emily chose to remain behind reading her book while Andy and Sharon left to cheer on the boys who were excited to show Papa Andy and Sharon all they‘d learned.

****

After lunch at the ski lodge and a couple more runs they all went back to the villa to change into swimsuits and try the outdoor pool and hot tub. With the temperature a frigid 9 degrees, the hot water in the pool and hot tub gave off enough steam to make it look like they were entering a fog bank. Much to the boys excitement it began to snow. And, as if that weren’t enough of a novelty for two Southern California boys they were actually SWIMMING while it was snowing!

Andy and Sharon relaxed in the hot tub letting the 104 degree water and powerful jets soothe their aching muscles.

“Did you wear that suit on purpose?” Andy asked.

“What do you mean?” Sharon glanced down through the bubbling water at the low cut black one piece bathing suit she wore. The one that looked a tad conservative from the front but had missing side panels and was held together by sexy criss-crossed ties.

“You really think I’d forget the first time I ever saw you in a bathing suit?”

“Ah, yes, the weekend at the beach bungalow.”

“First time we…you know…” He tapped her toes with his.

“Oh yes, I know,” she purred with a seductive smile.

He started to scoot over closer, leaning in to kiss her but Sharon held him off with a gentle hand, nodding her head toward the pool where their kids were swimming.  “Keep that in mind for later tonight when we’re in our private Jacuzzi. We don’t want to get busted again.”

Andy laughed. “That was a first, huh? “

“And hopefully a last.”

“All those times we were so careful not to get caught by Rusty in the condo, only to get exposed on vacation.”

“Can we please not use that word.” Sharon still flushed with embarrassment when thinking about that morning. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“What would you like to talk about?”

“Emily. You two looked pretty serious when I came into the lodge. Anything I should know?”

“Uh…No, we were just talking, getting to know each other a little better.”

“I’m worried about her.”

“Why?”

“This injury, it doesn’t sound like anything big, but the ballet world is extremely competitive. ABT is one of the flagship ballet companies of the United States. To be out of commission for any amount of time could hurt Emily. And, she just broke up with the guy she’s been dating for several months, so she’s quite vulnerable right now.”

“They wouldn’t hold her spot?”  Andy sounded so affronted it brought a tender smile Sharon’s lips and she took his hand. It was touching to hear him get so offended on her daughter’s behalf.

“Probably not for long.”

“Dirt bags,” he grumbled.

“Ow, ow, ow ow ow.” Ricky made his way over the ice from the pool to the hot tub. “Freezing, freezing, freezing.”

“Don’t put your hand on the metal railing,” Sharon warned. “It will freeze to it.”

Climbing the steps up to the hot tub Ricky heeded his mother’s warning remembering that scene from “A Christmas Story” just in time. “You two are decent in there, aren’t you?” He teased.

“Oh my God, of course we’re decent,” Sharon gasped, then turned to a laughing Andy as Ricky sunk down the hot tub next to them. “We’re never going to live that down, you know?”

“There are worse things to be remembered for than a hot sex life, sweetheart."

****

When they all agreed they were starving after a day of exercise and fresh mountain air, they showered, dressed and made their way into Jackson for supper. They ended up at the recommended Shovel Handle Pub, a restaurant in an old 1800’s restored post and beam barn. A guitarist and fiddler played live music and by the time they got back to the resort Tyler and Scott were more asleep than awake. But when Dean and Andy slid them into bed, they came to life and requested that Sharon read them their bedtime story. Sharon was happy to oblige and that worked out perfectly, because Andy had something to discuss with the Raydor boys.

TBC